typo fixed* Rock solid and whisper quiet mATX build

[NimRock]

Hi guys,

1. Budget & Location

My budget is around 2000 NZD, and I'm in New Zealand. I do intend to order some specific parts from overseas, things that are hard to get here at a reasonable price, and shouldn't cost to much to ship. I'll note them below.

2. Aim

I have money (I was gifted a new computer fund a few years back) for this build, but I general live on a very limited income so I want a build that will last well, and be very stable and reliable. For this reason I don't want to overclock, I don't know how, and I don't want to risk prematurely ageing components. I got 5 years out of my last build, and I'd like to do the same again.

So I'm aiming for a very cool and stable build, I would also like it to look amazing, and be very quiet.

3. Monitors

I'm planning on running one 23" 1080p monitor, and a 15" at 1024x780 (for vent and winamp etc)

4. Peripherals

I do need to get a 1080p monitor, have have an old 22" at 1680x1050 at the moment. The rest I already have, G110 keyboard, mouse, speakers, headset etc.

5. Why are you upgrading?

I'm upgrading for two reasons, one my partners computer has died (the graphics card) and she is even more broke than me, so if I go ahead with a build now she can have my old one and keep going till she finishes her Masters and is working again.

Secondly I'm starting to be unable to play the games I want to play and that my friends are playing. I mostly play LoL, but I'm also getting into Planetside 2 and it really doesn't work on my old computer. I'm mostly into multiplayer games, but I do play things like dragon age, skyrim etc, but never for that long, a week or two. I do want to be able to play the big titles that catch my eye as they come along, like Farcry 3 and the new tomb raider for example which won't run well at the moment.

Based on my knowledge, and availability of parts here this is the build I've come up with so far, and the prices in NZD. The items marked with a * I'll ship from NCIX or similar. I can only ship $400 worth of parts before I have to pay import tax and it becomes not worth it.

Processor: 4570 ($275)

Graphics: Asus Direct CU 770 ($695)

Memory: Corsair vengeance Pro, red ($100*)

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-B85-D3H ($135)

PSU: I'm hoping to use my existing Corsair TX 650

Case: Corsair 350D ($180) - edited*

Cooler: H80i ($100* - this week from NCIX, usually about $130 I think)

SSD: I'll use my existing Vector 3

HDD for games: WD Black ($136)

Storage: I'll use my existing 2TB WD Green

Monitor: 23EA53V-P LG IPS monitor ($250)

Fans: 4xAF120 quiet edition, 1xSP120 quiet edition ($96*)

Sound card: I'l use my existing xonar DG, this does require a PCI slot.

Other fluff I want/need

2x molex to 3pin fan adapters, probably undervolt to 5v adapters in red ($20*)

2x 6led red achlemy strips ($30*)

Sleeved 24pin, 8pin, and 2 6pin cables in red ($47*)

One molex to 6 pin adapter as my old power supply only has 2 8pins and a 24 pin and I'll need 1 more 6pin for the 760. ($5*)

Postage on imported stuff ($100)

Which comes to $2170, a touch more than I want to spend but managable.

So my big questions,

1) I'm really not sure about the motherboard, that is basically the most entry level gigabyte board. I chose gigabyte because there B83 boards seemed to have more of a heatsync up beside the CPU socket ( I forget what that one is called) and I hoped it would run cooler and more stable. Also it was mostly black. I am going for black and red.

Is the mobo somewhere I should spend a little more to get to that goal of solid and reliable, or is it ok to go entry level if I'm not overclocking and I have good case cooling?

2) can I get away with using my old corsair 650TX power supply and still get the benefit of the low power states haswell offers, lowering my power bill would be a big plus, my general income is pretty low?

I do have to buy adapters to even get enough 6 pin power plugs if I go this way.

3) is this build well balanced, is the CPU, and graphics card well matched?

4) How have I done for cooling, will 5 fans at 5V, including a SP120 on the H80 be enough/overkill?

And any general comments are welcome.

[JoshM]

Why are you building an mATX setup in a 650D?

[Str_Mape]

One thing I'd watch out for is that they will also charge you import tax on the shipping, I've been caught out by that before.

[Excon]

Oh this one is a challenge. First of if you want quiet the H80 stock fans and the SP/AF series are not the way to go. Case is a huge personal thing but you can get similar quality and features for ALOT cheaper. Change the WD black to a Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003. A 770 is really 700$ ouch im going to have to go with what CoolBeans has macroed across the forums "wait for 9xxx series". As far as the board goes it should cut it you at least get a 3 year warranty with it.

[Excon]

Why are you building an mATX setup in a 650D?

He's not the GA-B85-D3H is ATX

[Liam-McShane]

He's not the GA-B85-D3H is ATX

There is no such thing as a GA-B85-D3H as far as i'm aware. It's actually called GA-B85M-D3H, which is M-ATX

[Excon]

http://www.frontierpc.com/components/motherboards/desktop-motherboard/giga-byte/gigabyte-ultra-durable-4-plus-series-8-ga-b85-hd3-rev-1-0-desktop-motherboard-1025148648.html

It took a minute to find but just because it isnt on Newegg doesn't mean it doesn't exist

[Haggis_]

You got a lot of questions, I will give some inputs

 

CPU: 4570 good, but I would go 4670K so you can OC if you want in the future

MB: Hard to make a choice, but I trust Asus (They have good software and support the hardware for long)

Graphics: Get a version with a blower designed fan. Extremely good when trying to get the computer silent and cool

Case: Define R4 is better for silent

Fans: Get a NF-F12 PRW for the radiator

[WoodenMarker]

Regarding your build:

Fyi, the 7970 is nearly neck to neck with the 770, has more vram and is much cheaper.

Brand of ram does not matter. Specs do. The only good thing about the vengeance pros is that they overclock well. Since oc'ing ram gives little to no performance gain and you stated you're not oc'ing, it would ve a waste of money. For ram , an CL9 1600 memory will do.

Your psu will work fine.

No need for a caviar black when you already have an ssd. A blue or barracuda will do.

 

1) The mobo doesn't really affect performance.

2)Your old psu is plenty for any single gpu config and even some multi gpu ones.

3) It's balanced but could be better

4)Overkill. I would also avoid AIO coolers as they have extra failure points compared to just air cooling. If you don't want possible pump noise and want less hassle, just go air.

 

Edits: http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/p/1sbVN

[Liam-McShane]

http://www.frontierpc.com/components/motherboards/desktop-motherboard/giga-byte/gigabyte-ultra-durable-4-plus-series-8-ga-b85-hd3-rev-1-0-desktop-motherboard-1025148648.html

It took a minute to find but just because it isnt on Newegg doesn't mean it doesn't exist

Thats a different board to the one the OP posted. The one he posted is called GA-B85-D3H and the one you posted is called GA-B85-HD3

 

 

[Excon]

 

Thats a different board to the one the OP posted. The one he posted is called GA-B85-D3H and the one you posted is called GA-B85-HD3

 

 

 

Well i feel like an asshole now, im just going to go sit in the corner. Sorry about that

[Liam-McShane]

Well i feel like an asshole now, im just going to go sit in the corner. Sorry about that

Easy mistake to make, thanks to Gigabyte's terrible naming schemes 

[JoshM]

He's not the GA-B85-D3H is ATX

Dont know motherboards off the top of my head and just had a quick over view, so with a title of matx and a 650D case...

[WoodenMarker]

Dont know motherboards off the top of my head and just had a quick over view, so with a title of matx and a 650D case...

Just look for an M and/or a hyphen in a motherboard title to see if it's matx. 

As for the title and the 650D, I know that feel.

[Haggis_]

Regarding your build:

Fyi, the 7970 is nearly neck to neck with the 770, has more vram and is much cheaper.

Brand of ram does not matter. Specs do. The only good thing about the vengeance pros is that they overclock well. Since oc'ing ram gives little to no performance gain and you stated you're not oc'ing, it would ve a waste of money. For ram , an CL9 1600 memory will do.

Your psu will work fine.

No need for a caviar black when you already have an ssd. A blue or barracuda will do.

 

1) The mobo doesn't really affect performance.

2)Your old psu is plenty for any single gpu config and even some multi gpu ones.

3) It's balanced but could be better

4)Overkill. I would also avoid AIO coolers as they have extra failure points compared to just air cooling. If you don't want possible pump noise and want less hassle, just go air.

 

Edits: http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/p/1sbVN

Agree with all except nr 4. I really like water coolers. They perform great but most important they get the heat out of the case. Together with a GPU that have a blower designed fan and a PSU that exhaust the heat out, almost all of the heat produced in your computer will get directly out of the case. This makes the need for extra fans very low and the computer will be quite

[WoodenMarker]

Agree with all except nr 4. I really like water coolers. They perform great but most important they get the heat out of the case. Together with a GPU that have a blower designed fan and a PSU that exhaust the heat out, almost all of the heat produced in your computer will get directly out of the case. This makes the need for extra fans very low and the computer will be quite

Considering the OP is not overclocking, the Hyper 212 Evo with slow moving fans will be very, very quiet.

[Haggis_]

Considering the OP is not overclocking, the Hyper 212 Evo with slow moving fans will be very, very quiet.

Yes the 212 evo is my first choice if on a tight budget, but he was looking for very cool and very quite. H80i with a Nocuta NF-F12 is better for that.

Maybe not more quite, but performs better and helps lower the temp in the case instead of adding heat to it.

 

Cost more, so the choice is his

[WoodenMarker]

Yes the 212 evo is my first choice if on a tight budget, but he was looking for very cool and very quite. H80i with a Nocuta NF-F12 is better for that.

Maybe not more quite, but performs better and helps lower the temp in the case instead of adding heat to it.

 

Cost more, so the choice is his

Considering an AIO cooler has an extra point of failure and potential pump noise, the Hyper 212 Evo would still be better with quieter aftermarket fans.

[Haggis_]

Considering an AIO cooler has an extra point of failure and potential pump noise, the Hyper 212 Evo would still be better with quieter aftermarket fans.

Yes, yes and yes, but the H80i will help the hole computer getting cooler not adding to the problem.

Did I get the last word? ;)

[NimRock]

Ahhh worst typo ever sorry all. 350D not 650 :( feel so silly I checked that post 3 times.

The mobo code should probably be B85M too, ill blame the site I looked it up on for that one.

[NimRock]

One thing I'd watch out for is that they will also charge you import tax on the shipping, I've been caught out by that before.

thanks for the heads up

[NimRock]

Lastly the ram is mostly for looks being red. But in the past I've always gone overkill on ram too in the quest for stability. Cheaper very good quality red ram?

If the WD black is overkill could I just keep my current generic games drive. Its a 350 gig 7200 rpm from memory.

Oh and I went AIO cooler over air as it will need to make some long car rides to lans (8 hours) and I worry an air cooler will stress the mobo.

And 1 last question. How much effect on temps, and hence the life of components and stability will undervolting the fans make? I'm happy too listen to suggestions on fan type also the corsair fans are chosen for looks. No Noctuas though too ugly. Unless they couldn't be seen.

[WoodenMarker]

Lastly the rsm is mostly for looks being red. But in the past I've always gone overkill on rsm too in the quest for stability. Cheaper very good quality red ram?

If the WD black is overkill could I just keep my current generic games drive. Its a 350 gig 7200 rpm from memory.

Oh and I went AIO cooler over air as it will need to make some long car rides to lans (8 hours) and I worry an air cooler will stress the mobo.

And 1 last question. How much effect on temps, and hence the life of components and stability will undervolting the fans make? I'm happy too listen to suggestions on fan type also the corsair fans are chosen for looks. No Noctuas though too ugly. Unless they couldn't be seen.

Ram is ram. Brand doesn't matter. Specs do. Any CL9 1600 memory is good.

Undervolting the fans shouldn't be a problem at all. I'm pretty sure you could undervolt the hell out of your fans and your temps would still be fine. Just don't cover the vents or fans up. 

Do check yout temps just in case anyway.