New build - any ideas/changes?

[Laksen]

Well basically my friend needs a new system, he is not willing to wait for haswell, and planning for around a 2000 $ build.

Specs

i7 3770k

XFX 7970 1000 MHz 3 GB

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77

Kingston Hyperx Blu 2x8 GB 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)

ASUS Xonar DGX

H100i for overclocking

maybe some NF-F12s for the H100i?

Storage?

Case suggestions?

Suggestions for airflow fans

He has already got a Corsair TX-750W modular PSU

He will be using the PC for gaming and streaming

[christoi]

What will he be using the system for?

[EChondo]

maybe some NF-F12s for the H100i?

Storage?

Case suggestions?

Suggestions for airflow fans?

First of all, like Christoi said, we would like to know what kind of environment this will be used for. If this computer will be strictly for gaming then it would be a waste to get a GTX 680 and i7-3770k. He should drop those down to a i5-3570k and a GTX 670 or 7970.

For storage, I would go with a 128GB or 256GB SSD and then a 1TB or 2TB mechanical drive for Steam/Media/etc. storage.

A case, to me, is personal. He is the one that is going to be looking at it all day, he is the one that will be going inside the computer if it has troubles(or you if you are building it for him and he doesn't know anything about computers). I can recommend brands like Bitfenix and Corsair. I think a Corsair 600T would be a nice fit for all those components.

Airflow fans I would suggest are the Corsair AF series and the Notcua NF12's. I personally use some Cougar fans and they are just superb for airflow and don't rattle or anything.

Now, just because you have a piss load of money for a new rig doesn't mean you have to spend ALL of it. Spend on what you need and milk out for something else, like a 1920x1080/2560x1440 monitor or a nice mechanical keyboard or gaming mouse. Don't waste money. If you have money left over, hell, save it for a new rig later down the road, or use it as emergency money if something breaks in the computer.

Also, I don't like ASUS products so that Sabertooth motherboard stands out for me. I personally would change it to a Gigabyte board or a ASRock, sorry I just don't like ASUS products :P

[Laksen]

Would you recommend the i5 instead of the i7 only due to no demand of video-editing?

[FloRolf]

Nice build i think. go with the h100i, its easier to install and looks awesome. In terms of cases. i have the haf932 its nice and big, also like the C70 but thats individualy, ask your friend there.

i think ssds are very important fof modern builds so go with a 128gb one for os. (m4,830,840pro...) For storage take a barracuda or a wd caviar green/black or smth around 1tb.

[Laksen]

guys flaming around cause they cant afford a 2k machine by themselves lol. nice build i think. go with the h100i' date=' its easier to install and looks awesome. In terms of cases. i have the haf932 its nice and big, also like the C70 but thats individualy, ask your friend there. i think ssds are very important fof modern builds so go with a 128gb one for os. (m4,830,840pro...) For storage take a barracuda or a wd caviar green/black or smth around 1tb.[/quote']

I have got a boot ssd/ steam ssd - Plextor MP5pro 256 GB and a 1 TB HDD - my friend doesn't seem to be convinced by the power of the SSD yet

[ConfusedDolphin]

If he is not video editing etc a 3570k will perform great for gaming needs and save quite a chunk of £££

An SSD should be in every mid-high end modern system (my opinion). I can personally recommend the Samsung 840 Pro 256GB for a boot drive and games. It Makes such a difference he will be blown away if hes coming from a hard drive.

As for mass storage depending how much he needs get a 1, 2 or 3 TB WD Green hard drive.

The Tx 740w which i think is 80+ Bronze should be just fine but if he wants something quieter maybe a higher end Corsair power supply with a 80+Gold rating.

Corsair C70 is a great case with lots of air flow capability, very easy to build in.

You cant go wrong with filling the case full of Noctua fans but if he hates the colour scheme, Air Penetrators are great.

As an after thought I have read/heard that the small fan on the Sabertooth (although not very loud) makes a high pitched buzzing noise which can get irritating.

[Spite]

Does he really need the i7? If he isn't utilizing the extra threads then there is no need for it, there is a miniscule difference other than hyper-threading when it comes to the 3570K vs 3770K.

For the motherboard I doubt he'll use most of the features that come with the Sabertooth, you can save him some cash and go with an ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 or Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H, both very similar boards and will allow for SLI/CrossFire in the future.

I would also switch the GPU to a HD 7970 as with the 12.11 drivers it performs better than the GTX 680 or if he likes NVIDIA then a GTX 670 isn't a bad choice but again the 7970 performs better than it with the new drivers.

For an boot drive and applications I would go with an Intel 330 120GB SSD. For storage like recordings or games then go with a Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, if he goes through a lot storage he could get the 2TB version.

For a case it depends on preference but a few suggestions would be; NZXT Phantom 410 $100 / NZXT Phantom Enthusiast (Full Tower) $130 / Cooler Master Storm Trooper $140. Again, it depends on what he likes but there are a few that I like (not that fond on the 410 though) and all support dual 120 radiators so the H100i will not be a problem.

For fans, Scythe Gentle Typhoons are good choices and provide good airflow with quiet operation.

[EChondo]

guys flaming around cause they cant afford a 2k machine by themselves lol.

I'm just trying to recommend the best price/performance that his friend will be using the system for. Why spend $2000 when a rig that costs $1000 does exactly the same? Where is the logic in that?

Don't spend money on crap that will only get you 1-2FPS more, that's asinine. If you want to blow money on a rig then go for it, no one is stopping you.

[Darrens1]

Case: Bitfenix Shinobi or Antec Eleven Hundred Gamer case

Storage:Samsung 840 series SSD for boot drive + Seagate 3tb barracuda drive(or he can just get the 3tb drive if he doesn't want an SSD)

Ah just saw he wants to put an H00I in his system.

[Laksen]

After talking with him, he has changed to a XFX 7970 OC, but will remain with an i7 3770k

[Laksen]

Does he really need the i7? If he isn't utilizing the extra threads then there is no need for it, there is a miniscule difference other than hyper-threading when it comes to the 3570K vs 3770K.

For the motherboard I doubt he'll use most of the features that come with the Sabertooth, you can save him some cash and go with an ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 or Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H, both very similar boards and will allow for SLI/CrossFire in the future.

I would also switch the GPU to a HD 7970 as with the 12.11 drivers it performs better than the GTX 680 or if he likes NVIDIA then a GTX 670 isn't a bad choice but again the 7970 performs better than it with the new drivers.

For an boot drive and applications I would go with an Intel 330 120GB SSD. For storage like recordings or games then go with a Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, if he goes through a lot storage he could get the 2TB version.

For a case it depends on preference but a few suggestions would be; NZXT Phantom 410 $100 / NZXT Phantom Enthusiast (Full Tower) $130 / Cooler Master Storm Trooper $140. Again, it depends on what he likes but there are a few that I like (not that fond on the 410 though) and all support dual 120 radiators so the H100i will not be a problem.

For fans, Scythe Gentle Typhoons are good choices and provide good airflow with quiet operation.

NF-F12s cannot be beaten - just ask Linus :-)

[Laksen]

He has now decided the final specs

Specs

i7 3770k

XFX 7970 1000 MHz 3 GB

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77

Kingston Hyperx Blu 2x8 GB 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)

ASUS Xonar DGX

H100i for overclocking (maybe possible upgrade with NF-F12s in the future)

Corsair C70 Case

Corsair TX-750W modular PSU

1 TB HDD

Any final suggestions?

[Andy28]

He has now decided the final specs

Specs

i7 3770k

XFX 7970 1000 MHz 3 GB

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77

Kingston Hyperx Blu 2x8 GB 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)

ASUS Xonar DGX

H100i for overclocking (maybe possible upgrade with NF-F12s in the future)

Corsair C70 Case

Corsair TX-750W modular PSU

1 TB HDD

Any final suggestions?

Where is the SSD? If you can't afford it in the budget, then drop the quality on like the motherboard/ cooling or GPU.

Once you go SSD you never go back, it's easily one of the biggest must have's nowdays as it makes the biggest performance difference for general computer use.

I hope he has a decent set of speakers or headset for fully take use of the sound card.

[christoi]

I wouldn't recommend the HyperX memory, given the majority of the kits I've seen are running at 1.65v which isn't particularly ideal. It would still work by keeping it at stock clocks and volts, but 1.5v rated units usually cost around the same anyways so you might as well.

Also just a minor warning, but the Xonar DGX is essentially a PCI-e version of the DG. It works fine, but the front panel audio amplification is rather poor, so it may be worth considering the DG too. I personally am running a DGX myself as I wanted the longer compatibility of PCI-e, but it's just something bearing in mind.

Unless he really likes the aesthetics of the XFX card, I would recommend going for a unit with a better cooler, like the Gigabyte Windforce, MSI Twin Frozer or the Asus DC II. With the better cooling, it would offer more overclocking headroom.

Personally I'd say a Mpower or UD5H would suffice as a motherboard (or even a UD3H or Extreme4), given it's notably cheaper and would be fine for high overclocks with a H100i. The Sabertooth is also fine in it's own respect, but it's not necessary either.

[Laksen]

I have got a DGX my self, i just use the ports on the back, the XFX card will have sufficient cooling in the case but i don't think that he will be over clocking that so much, furthermore, he will buy a SSD later, he just wants a new PC asap. IDK about the motherboard, but I get your point :-)

[mvitkun]

Does he really need the i7? If he isn't utilizing the extra threads then there is no need for it, there is a miniscule difference other than hyper-threading when it comes to the 3570K vs 3770K.

For the motherboard I doubt he'll use most of the features that come with the Sabertooth, you can save him some cash and go with an ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 or Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H, both very similar boards and will allow for SLI/CrossFire in the future.

I would also switch the GPU to a HD 7970 as with the 12.11 drivers it performs better than the GTX 680 or if he likes NVIDIA then a GTX 670 isn't a bad choice but again the 7970 performs better than it with the new drivers.

For an boot drive and applications I would go with an Intel 330 120GB SSD. For storage like recordings or games then go with a Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, if he goes through a lot storage he could get the 2TB version.

For a case it depends on preference but a few suggestions would be; NZXT Phantom 410 $100 / NZXT Phantom Enthusiast (Full Tower) $130 / Cooler Master Storm Trooper $140. Again, it depends on what he likes but there are a few that I like (not that fond on the 410 though) and all support dual 120 radiators so the H100i will not be a problem.

For fans, Scythe Gentle Typhoons are good choices and provide good airflow with quiet operation.

linus also admitted he wouldn't ever use noctua fans in his build

[mvitkun]

I'd say go for a samsung 30nm ram kit as they are low profile and overclock phenomenally.read the review on techpowerup

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Samsung/MV-3V4G3/6.html

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-Extreme-MV-3V4G3D-US/dp/B00592002W

[mralexkohl1993]

get a SSD! drop the cpu to the i5 3570k and get one. Don't listen to the people telling you to not spend your money! Its yours not theirs hahah

[star102]

get a SSD! drop the cpu to the i5 3570k and get one. Don't listen to the people telling you to not spend your money! Its yours not theirs hahah

Finaly a smart men.

[Laksen]

that's why he's getting a 3770k ;-) I think that he will get a SDD eventually. The RAM looks nice, but is somehow not available in my country.

[star102]

I would preffer some corsair low profile ram

[CorporalCupcake]

If you're gonna use a Z77 board, upgrade that cpu to a 3970k, keep it Ivy Bridge Bro. Or even 3570k, unless he really needs the hyper-threading.

[liquidity]

For the case you might want to look at the Antec P280 and NZXT Switch 810, they are very elegant cases and quite a lot of room if your friend want to go with a real water-cooling loop in the future. The P280 is a silent case and will keep the dust away while providing good airflow, the same can be said for the Switch 810, however the Switch 810 is a bit more enthusiast oriented providing more features.

As for storage it depends on what kind of performance your friend want.

Seagate Barracuda, Samsung F3, Western Digital Caviar Black are the one I would recommend for high performance 7200rpm drives. If you want to be even crazier you could go with the new 1tb 10000rpm VelociRaptor from Western digital.

An SSD is definitely a good idea, you might want to look into the Crucial M4, Samsung 840, OCZ Vertex 4 or the Intel 520.

Noctua NF-F12 is definitely a good idea but keep in mind that you can get the XSPC Raystorm RX240 which is a custom loop with a radiator twice as thick than the H100i with a better pump for nearly the same price, providing much better cooling. However it require more effort to install.

As for case airflow fans look at the Noctua NF-S12B.

Consider the i5 3570k if your friend is only gonna do gaming and streaming, he don't really need Hyperthreading. It's not about reducing the cost of the the entire build it's about allocating more money where you would have the most benefits and Hyperthreading is not a good investment in his case, because he can spend his money however he wants doesn't mean he can't make a smarter choice.

[Laksen]

Regarding the case I think he is settled, he won't be planning on a future custom loop as this is his first build, the SSD might be coming on this pc later.

I have also looked at the NF-S12Bs for cooling.

Regarding hyperthreading does it really only matter if you use it for video editing?