First Build; Comments/Ideas?

moneybagman · 17 Oct 2012

So right now I am running on a laptop, and that really isn't giving me the juice I want to play games and run demanding programs. I am constantly on Photoshop rendering 3D images and such, all the while I have several browser pages open, running a website server, playing different games, and coding in eclipse (multitaking ftw). Right now the only thing holding my laptop back is air ventilation and a nice GUI. I have decided that I would like to invest in a nice PC since my fps on Minecraft is an average of 10-15 when nothing else is running >_< Battlefield you ask? :/ Not playable.

So far, this is what I was thinking as far as a wish list for Black Friday. If you have any comments on the build or see something off with compatability or such, feel free to comment below and tell me what you think:

Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 650D
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811139006
Monitor: ASUS VS248H-P Black 24"HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor
Newegg.com - ASUS VS248H-P Black 24" 2ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 ASCR 50,000,000:1
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77
Newegg.com - ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
GUI: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7850 OC 2GB
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRERadeon HD 7850 OC 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ( 11200-01-20G )
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM
Wireless adapter: ASUS USB-N53 Black Diamond Dual Band (2.4GHz 300Mbps/5GHz 300Mbps) Wireless-N USB Adapter
Newegg.com - ASUS USB-N53 Black Diamond Dual Band (2.4GHz 300Mbps/5GHz 300Mbps) Wireless-N USB Adapter, Graphical Easy Interface, Live Signal Monitor
Keyboard: Logitech K750 Black USB RF Wireless Slim solar-powered Keyboard
Newegg.com - Logitech K750 Black USB RF Wireless Slim solar-powered Keyboard
PSU: CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W
Newegg.com - CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

*NOTE* Already using that I plan to just move over:
Logitech M705 USB RF Wireless Laser Marathon Mouse
256GB SSD Sata 3Gb/s? Either 3Gb/s or 6Gb/s, can't recall.

And yeah, I know I need an optical drive :[ Haven't quite researched into that much yet.

Thanks for reading!
-moneybagman

bobkn · 17 Oct 2012

Third-party CPU cooler?

(I suppose that you're planning to overclock, with the "k" suffix CPU.)

moneybagman · 17 Oct 2012

I was thinking about it, and I am not sure quite frankly, as of right now, I do not plan to overclock because I do not know what would actually require me to overclock on this system's build. But since it is a mere $20 more for the overclocking feature, I might as well grab it seeing as it might come in handy later. I will definitely consider looking into a aftermarket cooler since you brought it up. Thanks :)

kbrady1979 · 17 Oct 2012

Sounds like a really nice setup! I like the Corsair line of cases. I see you have the 650D listed, have you looked at the 550D? I don't know if you chose the 650 because of the clear side panel or not, if so, I gotcha.......the 550D is a "silent" case with a bunch of sound dampening material on every panel. Tons of airflow, cable management and pretty much everything the 650 has, and is about $30-40 cheaper. Like I said, you might have overlooked it, or you may have passed on it for other reasons....just wanted to toss that out there.

I would look into the GTX 660 Ti graphics card.......AMD or Nvidia preferences aside, that card is a monster and will be hard to beat for $270-300. It will outpace a 7950 in some games, walk all over a 7850 most of the time, and runs about 10 FPS shy of a GTX 670. You'll be hard pressed to find any other card for the money that runs that well.

I'm not familiar with that motherboard, but don't be afraid to step up to a higher end board.........this isn't a good spot to try to save a few bucks. The RoG boards are nice, the Sabertooth board is great, and the -V Pro/Deluxe are also highly regarded. MSI and Gigabyte also make killer boards if you wanted to take a look at them.

Everything else looks great.......RAM is a toss-up anymore with so many good brands to choose from. G Skill and Corsair are probably the most popular brands, so you are good there.

Newegg is always running a deal on at least half of those components, so I'm sure you can find a good deal. Don't forget to post pics when you get it done!

As far as aftermarket cooling, I have one thing to say........Closed Loop Watercooling! One of the best pieces of hardware I own for this rig. Intel makes a good one(I went with Intel), as well as Antec 920 Kuhler, Corsair H60 and up, Thermaltake Pro, and Zalman. They are quiet, small and keep the processor chilly even when overclocking the snot out of it! I would go that route when you get ready for aftermarket cooling, rather than a traditional Air Cooler.

Kelly

moneybagman · 19 Oct 2012

Yeah, I was looking between the 660D and the 550D, and I am not sure if I want the clear side or not, I am still debating that depending on the parts I get whether they look good together or not.

I think I will definitely look into that graphics card, seeing as it is only a few bucks more and performs really well according to what you say. I will have to look at reviews and specs of course, but I will for sure look into it.

As for the motherboard, I'll be honest, I wasn't looking for the most expensive one out there. I was looking in that direction, but I was not sure if a nicer motherboard would be necessary seeing as I don't need as much as some of those boards offer as far as ports, etc. I saw a nice openbox sabertooth that was just a little more than the one I have listed, I might take a look at that.

Again, I am not sure on whether or not I am going to get into aftermarket cooling or not, because I am not sure I am even going to overclock. I think for now, I will invest in a standard fan, and if it becomes something that I need later down the road, I will definitely consider the watercooling fans. Then I can just put the standard one in our home computer, it needs
the extra cooling anyways.

How does a ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 sound?

Pedroc1999 · 19 Oct 2012

z77 is the top chipset, and the sabertooth boards are high quality so i think that would be a rly good choise

bobafetthotmail · 19 Oct 2012

personally, I'd say "leave overclocking to serious gamers". It's something that requires some dedication to be done right and is risky.
The hardware you are going to get you will do all you said you want without a sweat even on stock clock speed.

moneybagman · 19 Oct 2012

Well how serious is a "serious gamer"? I want to be able to play games like Metro 2033 and Fallout 3 while running demanding applications in the background. On a normal day, I am usually running my own Minecraft server, a website server, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Eclipse all at once on my laptop, and my laptop can handle it....for the most part, it just has a POS GUI like I said.

Pedroc1999 · 19 Oct 2012

i know i aint an overclocker myself(oem board) but you can squeeze quite a bit out of 3770k without even touching the voltages. if you think about it it is more processing power for free.

kbrady1979 · 19 Oct 2012

The Sabertooth is a hell of a board. I have one, and if you want to overclock without digging around in the settings.....there is a feature in the BIOS called "OC Tuner". Click it and it shuts down for a minute or so, and then starts back up. Go back into the BIOS and you'll see your system is overclocked! You can still tweak some settings after you use OC Tuner if you'd like. Basic overclocking doesn't require the experience and skill that it used to, and it's absolutely free performance!