1st build advice: i7-2700K, ASUS LGA 1155, What RAM to OC?

[snoots]

Hello,
My fist PC build -giving our desktop to a relative & so we are building a new one. Would like to ask anyone willing to help if we are:
doing anything wrong - anything right - could be doing anything better?
is there too much of anything - too little - anything missing?

Some stuff that concerns us most:
1) what about anti-vibration mounts / sound suppressing foam
2) other than Tetris don't really play games but would like to experiment with over-clocking. Will faster RAM will be required to over-clock? Should we buy over-clockers insurance?
3) since we don't play games will the case fans be sufficient?
4) do we still put Card Readers in?

Approximate Purchase Date: August 2012

Budget Range: $2500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: surfing the internet, watching movies (streaming & BluRay), common computer tasks (Office products, Music - both stored & Pandora), video chat

Are you buying a monitor: yes - two

Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, geeks, Amazon & eBay

Location: Denver

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU / ASUS

Overclocking: Yes
Additional Comments: We would like a quiet PC.


Parts list:

Motherboard
ASUS LGA 1155 - Z68 - PCIe 3.0 and UEFI BIOS Intel Z68 ATX DDR3 2200

CPU
Intel Core i7-2700K Quad-Core Processor 3.5 GHz 8 MB Cache LGA 1155
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler

RAM
Corsair Vengeance Blue 16 GB DDR3 Speed: 1600mhz Timing:9-9-9-24 1.5v
or in order to over-clock guess I should really purchase
Corsair Vengeance DDR3 2133MHz PC3 17000 Dual Channel 2133mhz , 11-11-11-27 1.5v

Case
Antec Lanboy Air Yellow ATX Mid Tower Computer Modular Case

PSU
Corsair Professional Series 650-Watt

Video Card
ASUS ENGTX560 DCII OC/2DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Monitor #1
ASUS VK278Q 27-Inch Full-HD LED Monitor with Integrated Speakers and Webcam

Monitor #2
Asus VS248H-P 24-Inch Full-HD LED Monitor

Primary HD
SanDisk Extreme SSD 240GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive

Secondary HD
Western Digital Caviar Black 2 TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache

Optical Drive
LG UH12LS28K LightScribe 12x SATA Blu-Ray Combo Internal Drive

Keyboard/Mouse combo
Logitech MK710 Wireless Desktop Mouse and Keyboard Combo

OS
Windows 7 Professional SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder

Speakers
Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified Computer Speaker System


Thanks for any input

 

[g-unit1111]

1) what about anti-vibration mounts / sound suppressing foam

Not really needed - for the most part, most modern cases are designed with noise in mind, and most case and fan makers know this.

2) other than Tetris don't really play games but would like to experiment with over-clocking. Will faster RAM will be required to over-clock? Should we buy over-clockers insurance?

Overclocking your RAM is a bad idea. By default settings - your motherboard runs the lowest speeds and timings it can handle, and going over stock speeds or what the motherboard can handle has the potential to be build-frying. And most manufacturer's warranties won't cover it.

3) since we don't play games will the case fans be sufficient?

Yeah, you can only buy as many fans as your case has mounts for, and size of the fans is a huge factor in selecting them. Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-airflow-heatsink,3053.html

4) do we still put Card Readers in?

I've generally found that sub-$20 card readers are generally junk. And fiddling with the 3.5" mounting brackets that come with your case is never fun. This is the only one I've ever used and it works great: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820176021

is there too much of anything - too little - anything missing?

Well Antec makes great cases - but I'm personally not a fan of the Lanboy Air. That whole system is kind of overkill for what you want it to do, you could pay like 1/2 of that and then buy some really nice monitors or anything else. Don't purchase RAM over 1600MHz - most motherboards won't support it and Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge have major issues with it, and Intel won't allow you to RMA your CPU if something goes wrong. Those speakers are awesome, though - I have the same ones.

Try this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F4 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHBS112-04 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE248Q 24.0" Monitor ($208.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE248Q 24.0" Monitor ($208.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1807.85
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-07-25 13:34 EDT-0400)

Add whatever keyboard and mouse you want and you're good to go. The GPU I picked will support multiple displays better than that 560TI will. You could also sub those two monitors for something ultra high resolution like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/YAMAKASI-CATLEAP-Q270-SE-27-LED-DVI-D-Dual-Computer-Monitor-ONLY-USA-SALE-/150808035022?pt=Computer_Monitors&hash=item231cdbfece

 

[geofelt]

To answer your questions:
1) Your case selection is more important if you want quiet.
A quiet case like the Antec soloII will have both. A great place to research quiet computing is www.silentpcreview.com
Here is a link to the solo II review:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/antec-solo2

2) Faster ram is not required for overrclocking. Ram faster than 1600 is of little value to real app performance. Read this:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3
There is no need for overclockers insurance. CPU chips will downclock or shut off if they get too hot to protect themselves.
I would doubt that you would see any great value in overclocking to the max anyway.

3) Without a hot graphics card, you hardly need any fans. Regardless, if that should change, fans are easy to add later.

4) What kind of card readers? If you mean dvd drives, yes. Many programs and windows needs one.
If you are talking about sd cards and the like, perhaps not. Only if you will use the reader for that type of card. They are also easy to add later if you need to.

Some thoughts on other parts.

On the cpu, I don't think a 2700K is appropriate.
I do not see your usage as being demanding of high levels of multithreading.
I would buy a 3570K for less. the ivy bridge cpu's are about 5% stronger, clock for clock than the sandy bridge chips.

I would buy a more modern Z77 based motherboard. They cost no more, and they are all good.
16gb may be more ram than you need, but ram is cheap, so I can't argue against it. I would, however get a 2 x 8gb kit instead.
It is usually easier to oc a motherboard with only two sticks of ram vs 4.
Something like this:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233280

650w is more than you need, but it is not wrong to overprovision the psu a bit. It will run a bit cooler, and will only draw the power you actually need.
For your budget, and a quiet pc, consider a Seasonic X650 gold rated unit. You will be warned not to be alarmed if the fan does not run at all. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

Two monitors is one of the must useful things for your usage. I heartily agree there.
I suggest you buy two identical units. That way, the color and size of objects will be unchanged as you drag them from one to another. If need be, abandon the integrated speakers unless you want to use the display as a stand alone TV.

The Klipsch s2.1 should be great for sound.

I love the ssd, and a 240gb ssd is plenty large enough.
I would look first at Intel 520, 330, samsung 830, or even crucial M4 for reliability.
Intel and samsung make their own nand chips, and can do a better job of testing.

I would add a aftermarket cpu cooler. the cm hyper212 is inexpensive($30) and does a good job.
Check SPCR for quiet coolers. Noctua NH-D14 is about the best, but pricey($90).

Is there any feature of windows 7 professional that you need? Home premium will have all most people need.
If your needs should change, you will have an anytime upgrade option available.

Lastly, I don't see the need for anything past the integrated graphics capability.
You could defer the purchase of a discrete graphics card until you see what, if anything you want.
At most, for your needs, a $100 card would suffice.

-good luck---------

 

[azeem40]

Samsung RAM can be OCed easily without any voltage increases. Can reach 2133 MHz at 1.5v and is the same price as other 1600 MHz RAM.

 

[snoots]

To answer your questions:
1) Your case selection is more important if you want quiet.
A quiet case like the Antec soloII will have both. A great place to research quiet computing is www.silentpcreview.com
Here is a link to the solo II review:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/antec-solo2

2) Faster ram is not required for overrclocking. Ram faster than 1600 is of little value to real app performance. Read this:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3
There is no need for overclockers insurance. CPU chips will downclock or shut off if they get too hot to protect themselves.
I would doubt that you would see any great value in overclocking to the max anyway.

3) Without a hot graphics card, you hardly need any fans. Regardless, if that should change, fans are easy to add later.

4) What kind of card readers? If you mean dvd drives, yes. Many programs and windows needs one.
If you are talking about sd cards and the like, perhaps not. Only if you will use the reader for that type of card. They are also easy to add later if you need to.

Some thoughts on other parts.

On the cpu, I don't think a 2700K is appropriate.
I do not see your usage as being demanding of high levels of multithreading.
I would buy a 3570K for less. the ivy bridge cpu's are about 5% stronger, clock for clock than the sandy bridge chips.

I would buy a more modern Z77 based motherboard. They cost no more, and they are all good.
16gb may be more ram than you need, but ram is cheap, so I can't argue against it. I would, however get a 2 x 8gb kit instead.
It is usually easier to oc a motherboard with only two sticks of ram vs 4.
Something like this:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233280

650w is more than you need, but it is not wrong to overprovision the psu a bit. It will run a bit cooler, and will only draw the power you actually need.
For your budget, and a quiet pc, consider a Seasonic X650 gold rated unit. You will be warned not to be alarmed if the fan does not run at all. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

Two monitors is one of the must useful things for your usage. I heartily agree there.
I suggest you buy two identical units. That way, the color and size of objects will be unchanged as you drag them from one to another. If need be, abandon the integrated speakers unless you want to use the display as a stand alone TV.

The Klipsch s2.1 should be great for sound.

I love the ssd, and a 240gb ssd is plenty large enough.
I would look first at Intel 520, 330, samsung 830, or even crucial M4 for reliability.
Intel and samsung make their own nand chips, and can do a better job of testing.

I would add a aftermarket cpu cooler. the cm hyper212 is inexpensive($30) and does a good job.
Check SPCR for quiet coolers. Noctua NH-D14 is about the best, but pricey($90).

Is there any feature of windows 7 professional that you need? Home premium will have all most people need.
If your needs should change, you will have an anytime upgrade option available.

Lastly, I don't see the need for anything past the integrated graphics capability.
You could defer the purchase of a discrete graphics card until you see what, if anything you want.
At most, for your needs, a $100 card would suffice.

-good luck---------

Wow, glad I asked. Guess it's back to drawing board.

By card reader I meant an old fashioned card reader:
Rosewill RDCR-11003 74-in-1 USB3.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/USB Port (<$20)
Can't imagine why we would need one but it looks like a number of people on Amazon are still buying them. I use USB drives quite a bit, suppose those can be considered card readers too?

I definitely want to experiment with OC'ing, otherwise we would just keep the PC we already have. Looks like the only way to get the in-laws to give up their old P III is to give them our computer. Sounded like a great excuse for me to build a PC.

Thanks for the same size monitor tip. & the 2 x 8gb kit tip as well.

Windows recommends @ least 64-bit Professional for 16GB RAM, that's why Win 7 Professional.

I am surprised you think the on-board graphics might be sufficient. So much importance seems to be applied to video cards.

Not sure what you mean by integrated speakers. Do you mean we should get a external sound card or just stick with the speakers in the monitor?

thank you all for your input.

 

[geofelt]

Wow, glad I asked. Guess it's back to drawing board.

By card reader I meant an old fashioned card reader:
Rosewill RDCR-11003 74-in-1 USB3.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/USB Port (<$20)
Can't imagine why we would need one but it looks like a number of people on Amazon are still buying them. I use USB drives quite a bit, suppose those can be considered card readers too?

I definitely want to experiment with OC'ing, otherwise we would just keep the PC we already have. Looks like the only way to get the in-laws to give up their old P III is to give them our computer. Sounded like a great excuse for me to build a PC.

Thanks for the same size monitor tip. & the 2 x 8gb kit tip as well.

Windows recommends @ least 64-bit Professional for 16GB RAM, that's why Win 7 Professional.

I am surprised you think the on-board graphics might be sufficient. So much importance seems to be applied to video cards.

Not sure what you mean by integrated speakers. Do you mean we should get a external sound card or just stick with the speakers in the monitor?

thank you all for your input.

Some people have SD cards or such from their cameras. If you have a need for a sd card reader(they read a bunch of other formats too), then buy one, they are cheap.
But, they are easy to add later, so I would not initially buy one unless you can identify a need.

I am always looking for a way to give away last year's pc. Unfortunately my kids are happy with what they have

Windows home premium will support up to 16gb of ram.
Strange, I don't see that as a benefit to pro or ultimate.
Here is a link to a table of differences: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/compare

The speakers in the monitor will be minimal quality. Your klipsch 2.1 will be vastly superior.
The only reason I might think of to pick a monitor with included speakers is if it also has a tv tuner and you might want to use it as a TV.

If you are not budget constrained, look at some 27" 2540 x 1440 monitors like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824176242

Fast action gamers require very strong graphics cards to be able to refresh the display many times per second. This forum had many gamers. For relatively static displays and web browsing no great graphics power is required.
Integrated graphics like the HD4000 found on the 3570K should be more than adequate, even for showing HD movies.
I think it is about the equivalent of a $50-$70 dedicated graphics card.

If you pick one of the monitors with >1920 x 1200 resolution, I think you will need a dedicated graphics card. In the past, integrated graphics was limited to that resolution for two displays.

The psu required for a pc without a dedicated graphics card is only about 300watts. The 650 watt unit mentioned earlier is capable of driving even the strongest graphics card made today, the $1000 GTX690. Since there is not that much price difference between a 300w unit, and a 450-650w unit, I am OK with the stronger psu.

 

[snoots]

We have a tablet for picture taking & watching movies while traveling. I have been using a Micro SD USB adapter to move movies from the PC to the Micro SD (using DVD Catalyst). So still no reason for a card reader. Will leave that out.

Hadn't really put too much thought into the monitors to be honest. Found the ASUS @ a good price & a built in webcam sounded like a good idea. This one also happened to have speakers. Will not purchase monitors with speakers & will add a separate webcam.

That HP monitor is a bit pricey, we can get two of the ASUS 27" for that. Will surely research the monitors more now.

Yes - the difference in PSU price seemed insignificant so thought - might as well go higher in case we want more stuff.

thanks again.

 

[snoots]

Best answer selected by snoots.