Built a new Windows 7 computer at work, works great

[pparks1]

So, I thought that I would share a layout of a machine that I built at work as a workstation that was super easy to build and works great.

Intel Core i7-3770
Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX mobo with EUFI BIOS
16GB G.Skill Ripjaw X Series (2 x 8GB) DDR3 1600 RAM Kit
Samsung 22X DVD Burner SH-222BB
600W Corsair CX600V2 Builder Series PSU
Antec 300 ATX Midtower Case
2TB Seagate Barracuda STBD2000101 7200RPM Hard Drive

*I'm electing to use the Intel HD4000 onboard graphics

This build came out to $750 for everything at NewEgg.com before rebates.

I installed Win7 with SP1, and then installed the following all obtained from the Asus website

• Intel Chipset
• Intel HD4000 graphics
• Realtek Audio Driver
• Intel USB 3.0 drivers
• AS Media USB 3 drivers
• RealTek LAN drivers
• Intel Rapid Storage Tech Driver
• Intel Management Engine Interface

I enabled the GPU boost switch on the mobo, and I enabled the ECU switch on the mobo to best conserve power. I'm using the Stock Intel cooler, and I have only the 2 fans from the Antec 300 case both set to low. From the BIOS, see a minor overclock of my CPU from 3.4 to 3.52Ghz and 3.9Ghz to 4.25Ghz under Turbo.

My WEI scores are 7.8 for CPU and Mem, 6.6 for graphics in both categories, and 5.9 for primary hard disk. My HDtune results were an average of 165MB/sec. My idle temps from within the BIOS are 30C, with ambient temps of 23C. The time to my logon screen in Windows 7 from a Power Button press is 36 seconds, with 15s of that attributable to the POST before it even starts to load Windows.

All in all, it's fast, solid and super easy. I thought that I would just provide the specs as a reference for anybody interested in building something for themselves.

 

[oxymoron02]

Uhhh well it's great to have the information as a reference but does it really belong in the 'Help and Support' section of the forums?

 

[pparks1]

I created the thread in the Hardware and Devices section of the forum...as I'm specifically talking about hardware and devices that went together well and made a very nice running computer for a very reasonable price. Seemed like a reasonable place to me. If not appropriate, mods will move it.

 

[RandallFlagg]

Why not take advantage of onboard raid for a business machine?

 

[pparks1]

Why not take advantage of onboard raid for a business machine?

Doesn't provide me with any benefits that I need. It's just a workstation machine for myself. RAID just adds unnecessary complexity.

 

[RandallFlagg]

Never heard anyone say they didn't need raid 1 on a system, but it's your build!

 

[Colonel Travis]

Good stuff - how much do you knock off with rebates?
I've always wondered how the new integrated graphics compares with a GPU - as in, what would be an equivalent card?

I've got a case almost identical to yours and it was fine initially, but over time the cable management and installing new drives became a total PITA. You said this was for work so I'm guessing you'll never run into that issue. But man, I need to get a better case for my next build. It was the one thing I didn't give enough consideration for.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Travis:

I did a little googling out of curiosity and found this quote re HD 4000:


"It's faster than an 5450 and GT520, about the same as a GT440, and slower than a 6550 and 5570."

I have the HD 2000 introduced with Sandy Bridge about 18 months ago and have no video card. I don't miss it at all on this non-gaming machine. The HD 4000 is supposed to be noticeably better than the HD 2000 in a gaming situation.

I found this quote re gaming on an HD 4000: "HD Graphics 4000 makes it possible to see playable frame rates in mainstream titles like World of Warcraft".

 

[pparks1]

Never heard anyone say they didn't need raid 1 on a system, but it's your build!

RAID 1 is a mirror. This would provide a machine which could still boot in the event that I drive were to fail. So, if absolute system redundancy and uptime were of utmost importance this would be important.

Remember this isn't a server that I'm setting up the whole company uses, this is a desktop computer that I will be using for day to day testing, admin tasks, etc. Using RAID 1 would mean a loss of 50% of disk space, and even with RAID 1 if I got a virus, or I did something stupid like delete a file, it would delete form both drives instantly. It doesn't protect you from yourself.

In my case, all of my files are stored on file servers, so there is next to nothing that is actually important on my workstation. It's just an OS, some software that you can reinstall and some VM's that I can recreate if push comes to shove. And my images that I take from time to time provide adequate protection against this hassle.

Good stuff - how much do you knock off with rebates?
I've always wondered how the new integrated graphics compares with a GPU - as in, what would be an equivalent card?

I've got a case almost identical to yours and it was fine initially, but over time the cable management and installing new drives became a total PITA. You said this was for work so I'm guessing you'll never run into that issue. But man, I need to get a better case for my next build. It was the one thing I didn't give enough consideration for.

I got an additional $50 in rebates.

Integrated graphics for me are perfectly fine. I use this machine as a day to day work desktop. The hardest tasks for it are running Virtual machines (most of which are Linux without a desktop anyway). From a graphic intensive standpoint, the most graphically intense thing I do on this machine is YouTube.

For my home machines, I invest in nicer cases. I've got an Antec P182 for my main rig. I used a NZXT for my home server. Both have nice cable management features.

On the Antec 300 at work, I just put 4 hard drives into the box and I switch the SATA cable to whichever one I want to work with. It's more for testing and playing purposes, so it's nice to be able to switch drives at a moments notice to try something new without impacting any other drives in my system.

This is the 4th machine at work that I have used an Antec 300 for. For the $50 it's been great and the dust filter is a big bonus.

 

[essenbe]

All things considered, that's a great build at a very reasonable price for what it can do. Well done.