Advice on new build Gaming/Video Encoding (quiet)

Michael R

Honorable
May 14, 2012
13
0
10,510
Hi, this is my first build. just looking for any advice on parts that may be better or more suitable. any suggestions will be greatly appreciated ! would be good to keep noise levels down if possible as the sysytem will be living next to the tv in the lounge.




Approximate Purchase Date: soon as i can decide on parts

Budget Range: $1000-$1500 approx

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Video Encoding/converting, Gaming (Diablo3, SC2, whatever takes my fancy) , Movies, Internet

Parts Not Required: Monitor(using an Lcd Tv atm but will upgrade later), keyboard/mouse ( unless any suggestions for a good wireless keyboard for sitting on my lap? sit on beanbag on the floor :)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: not sure! live in Melbourne Australia, looked at centrecom.com, staticice (any suggestions?)

Country: Australia

Parts Preferences: Intel Cpu (i7-2600k?) Amd 7850?

Overclocking: Would like to have a go at it yes

SLI or Crossfire: probably not unless its more viable/cost efficient option

Monitor Resolution: higher the better

Additional Comments: (would be good to keep noise levels down if possible as the sysytem will be living next to the tv in the lounge. also size of case (less obtrusive would be better)

Parts Ideas So Far

Cpu- i7-2600k , i5-2500k?

Mobo-asus z77 sabretooth, asus maximus v ?, AsRock Extreme4 Gen3 (struggling with this one)

Ram-? something that will fit

Gpu- Sapphire HD 7870 GHz Edition OC 2GB GDDR5, Sapphire Radeon HD7850 2GB OC , Sapphire AMD Radeon HD6870 1GB DDR5 PCI-Express2.1 [11179-09-41G]

Cooler- COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO also considering water cooling for Oc and wondering about noise reduction?

Case-???

HDD-dont really need one (have 3x external drives plugged into my current laptop

SSD-samsung 830 128gb ,Mushkin Enhanced Chronis 120GB, crucial m4 128GB

OS-windows 7 64 bit

PS- SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ? no idea really?

Thanks in advance, been going round in circles reading reviews for some time !

 
Check out my $1100 build here:
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore
Just get the i7 3770K for encoding reasons. But also with the 3770K you can get full PCI 3.0 support (even though the difference isn't that large.

I understand you're willing to spend more than needed. But in all honesty. The Z77 Sabertooth and most Asus boards are a rip for the price. The capabilities won't be used but also it's way overpriced when the Asrock Extreme3 Gen3 Z68 is only $122 and performs practically the same. The fact is the $100 isn't justified when you don't even notice it.

As for the GPU, go with the 7870 More than you need but it's just nice to have. It'll also do better when GPU encodes as well with the GNC arch.

I'd go with the Mushkin or Chronos for price reasons.
 

Michael R

Honorable
May 14, 2012
13
0
10,510
thanks for the response! actually i checked out your build some time ago and found it very helpful! i have been debating about
the 7870 but realistically i dont think i can justify the price difference :( . also i cant see much to gain with the Ivy Bridge 3770k and thought the cooler 2600k would be better especially since this will be my first attempt at overclocking?. will check out the motherboard tho.
oh and found this ssd http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/44433-sdssdx-120g-g25
 
keys and touchpad:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126264

While I agree with aznshinobi that designer boards like sabertooth are a rip off (unless you plan on looking at your mobo all the time... which nobody really does), but I disagree about using the ex3 gen3 for an Ivy bridge CPU. Yes it will work, but there are Z77 boards on the market for the same price that have more features and/or better quality parts in them.

just how far do you intend to OC? I have hit 4.2GHz on my 2600 (non K) with no problems, and because it is a turbo OC it keeps the everyday power usage nice and low, while kicking in when gaming or doing video work. While it is possible to go a bit higher fairly easily, there are few things that will benefit from it, and if you are seriously needing that kind of horsepower to do rendering all the time then you would be much happier with a 2011 SB-E platform with an extra 4 threads.

As far as quiet goes, check Anandtech, they have some excelent case reviews and benchmark temps with noise. Personally I have a Thermaltake V3 Black, and (with the exception of the HDDs, that spin down fairly quickly) it is very silent with a bunch of low RPM 120mm fans in it. So you do not need to go big or expensive to get things quiet (though you can get much nicer cases than mine if you pay a bit more).
I found the 212Evo annoyingly loud with the stock fan, so I replaced it with a pair of low rpm Enermax fans that my local microcenter has for $12 ea, and I have been very happy with them. They cool the Evo better than the stock cooler, while offering quieter performance. The stock fan found a home in annother system, where it is on a voltage regulator to stay just fast enough to kick on.

Water cooling can be quiet (especially if cooling both CPU and GPU), but it is mostly a waste, and it still has a fan, and it also adds a pump. Very quiet, but no quieter than good quality fans in the first place.
 
For the SSD, I'm betting on the SanDisk Extreme - toggle NAND, sandforce controller.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171567

They're the only ssd manufacturer I know of that makes their own flash memory. They've been making enterprise ssd's for longer than intel, even though they've only started making consumer level ssd's recently.
I expect them to be highly reliable; between the toggle nand and sandforce controller they're fast as hell, and their newegg reviews are the best I've seen for an ssd.
 
Well either the 3770K or 2600K is fine. Both are solid, the 3770K has about a 7%+ gain on the 2600K in encoding from a review done by THG so its up to you whether that's worth it. The 7850 would be fine for the games you mentioned.

For the SSD, that's fine.

And Caeden, I understand your point about features. But Z77 don't have more features or better quality parts on them. The Extreme3 Gen3 Z68 can SLI while the majority of the cheaper Z77 boards can't. Exception of the Asrock Extreme4 Z77. The features are the same, Z77 has PCI 3.0 native, Gen3 is the controller for Z68. USB 3.0 is native on Z77, but Z68 still can use USB 3.0. Virtually no difference.

Overclocking is easy with SB, just look up some Youtube videos honestly. Generally you shouldn't copy settings because it's different for every board, but if you find one on your board, it'll be pretty close. Just tweak slightly.
 
If that is the case, since IB runs hotter due to the nm reduction, the i5-2500k is a better buy. I still don't see why you'd get a CPU that is IB with a Z68. Either get a 3570k instead, or keep the Z77 board.
 

Michael R

Honorable
May 14, 2012
13
0
10,510



would you have a link to the enermax fans you used? also as far as overclocking i just want to do it for the fun of it really, any ideas how far i could go with the evo cooler?
 

Michael R

Honorable
May 14, 2012
13
0
10,510


any in particular you would suggest? preferably with wifi ? and good for oc
 

hopz

Honorable
Apr 26, 2012
331
0
10,810
I'm build a comp for almost the exact same thing. Mainly gaming and mostly blizzard games. NIVDA has better cards for blizzard games, I would think about the 670. I also want a silent case, I was looking at the Corsair 550D, but it's a little on the warm side, so decided to go with with 500r, the fans are relatively quiet, and also has a fan controller built in, so can always turn down the speeds. Here's my build if you want to take a look.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=19187772



 
I'm not sure why you can't use a Z68 with a IB chip when the features are the same... But you still save money... It's illogical.

Just go with the i7 2600K you'll be quiet satisfied.

As for the motherboard, go with the Asrock Extreme3 Gen3 Z68. I don't think there is a motherboard with integrated wifi. All of them have ethernet, but not wifi I don't think. For the overclocking aspect, the Extreme3 Gen3 can get the i5 2500K up to 5.1ghz which is pretty much where you don't want to be for a 24/7 computer but if wanted you could. 5.1ghz is basically how high most boards can go, maybe 5.2ghz but it's not that much of a difference.

Asus boards are overpriced. The cheapest board they offer with a 8x/8x setup supporting SLI is about ~$150ish dollars. While Asrock Has the Extreme3 Gen3 Z68 at $122 this is in terms of US pricing of course.
 

Michael R

Honorable
May 14, 2012
13
0
10,510
sorry about the previous link! try this instead. not sure about the mobo (want a vga output, preferably wifi which i have seen

on a few boards, possibly bluetooth, and wondering about the intel smart response feature and lucidlogix). will this ram be ok?

any thoughts on the case? its a little bit expensive but i like the look and the added soundproofing


DVD - http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/33970

CPU- http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/39843

PSU- http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/40836

RAM- http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/41589

CASE- http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/42970

SSD- http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/44433

GPU- http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/45185

MOBO- http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/45271

COOLER- http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/45673
 

Michael R

Honorable
May 14, 2012
13
0
10,510


Thanks heaps for your responses! is there any particula reason for the atx version? couldnt see any difference except its $10 more? i was wondering about the ram i chose , is there something better around that price? will it suit this setup?

i have also been debating today if i should in fact get the 3770k instead, i dont reckon ill be overclocking a lot hoping around 4.1-4.4ghz maybe on that cooler? i dont believe i will actually need the extra speed but i would like to do it just for fun. does the IB still use less power if Oc'd to these levels?

And most importantly i guess is will everything fit in my case and work together?

Really appreciate all the help as the OP says this is my first time and id hate for it to be a dissapointing venture.
 
Just easier to work with when you have a lot of cables attached to the motherboard. There's nothing wrong with mATX though. If you get a bigger card though, it'll cover up slots on the mATX board.

As for the 3770K, yeah 4.1-4.4ghz is easily attainable with the Hyper 212+/Evo. So yes, IB does use less power after the overclock, the only thing is the slightly higher temps but that's not really a big deal since you're not going very high on the overclock.

Good luck!
 

TRENDING THREADS