Advice on New Build, Will it work!?

[Jylt]

Hello all, I Have built machines before many years ago, none working all that well, perhaps it was the technology, or just my bad workmanship. All that aside, I currently own a Dell XPS 720 and really have had enough after 5 years and want to Build a new system as it seems to be the cheaper option. Also I Would like to have a bash at overclocking and would like to know the most important things i need to make sure I do before I Clock the System!

I'm thinking on getting 2x mid range Cards. Wise!?

As it stands, after brief research, this would be the system:

Case: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/nzxt-switch-810-hybrid-white-full-tower-silent-performance-case-with-usb-30-and-side-window-w-o-psu

CPU: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i7-3820-s-2011-sandy-bridge-e-quad-core-36ghz-10mb-cache-130w-retail

Cooler: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/corsair-hydro-series-h60-2013-edition-high-performance-cpu-cooler-lga1155-1156-775-1366-2011-am2-am3

GPU x2 : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-xfx-radeon-hd-7850-dd-core-edition-with-ghost-thermal-4800mhz-gddr5-28nm-gpu-860mhz-1024-cores-h

RAM: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/16gb-(4x4gb)-corsair-ddr3-dominator-platinum-pc3-19200-(2400)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-10-12-12-31-dhx

Motherboard: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asrock-x79-extreme4-intel-x79-s-2011-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-(x16)-atx

PSU: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-nzxt-hale90-750m-modular-90-eff-80-plus-gold-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v22-psu

OSD: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/256gb-ocz-vertex-4-25-ssd-sata-6gb-s-indilinx-everest-2-mlc-flash-read-560mb-s-write-510mb-s-120k-io



Any Ideas Welcome. I want to get this right

 

[EzioAs]

Okay first of all, you didn't specify the important usage of your PC so I'll say drop the X79 platform. Plus, the i7-3820 does not have an unlocked multiplier so overclocking will be very limited.

Here's what I recommend

CPU: 1) Intel Core i5-3570K (if you're main purpose is gaming)
OR
2) Intel Core i7-3770K (if you have some rendering usage as well)

RAM: G Skill Ripjaws X 2x4GB 1600MHz
(While the dominator platinums are awesome, you can get cheaper but almost similar kits like G.Skill Ripjaws or Sniper. Plus, anything over 1600MHz brings little to no improvements. Depending on your usage, you might want more like 16GB or 32GB)

Cooler: 1) Corsair H80i
(I don't normally recommend AIO water cooler but this one is pretty good)

OR
2) NZXT Kraken X60
(Anandtech has a review and apparently, it's way better than Corsair H100)

Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD55.
(This board is actually one of the best at it's price point)

Video Card: 2xMSI Radeon 7950
(I don't recommend setting up crossfire for any other cards except the 2 top cards and in this case, the 7950 or 7970. 2x7950 offers great value compared to 2x7970)

SSD 1: 256GB Samsung 840 PRO
(Currently the best SSD at the moment. Vertex 4 isn't so bad either actually. Boot drive)

SSD 2: 512GB Crucial M4
(The best 480/512GB value SSD. You could use it as a steam drive for your games or maybe a scratch disk. Not necessary)

HDD: 2TB WD Caviar Black
(Storage. If you have a NAS or a drobo then it's not necessary)

PSU: Corsair AX760i/HX750
(It'll be more than enough to power up the system)

Case: Stick to what you prefer. NZXT 810 is a great case.

 

[Rockdpm]

Okay first of all, you didn't specify the important usage of your PC so I'll say drop the X79 platform. Plus, the i7-3820 does not have an unlocked multiplier so overclocking will be very limited.

Here's what I recommend

CPU: 1) Intel Core i5-3570K (if you're main purpose is gaming)
OR
2) Intel Core i7-3570K (if you have some rendering usage as well)

RAM: G Skill Ripjaws X 2x4GB 1600MHz
(While the dominator platinums are awesome, you can get cheaper but almost similar kits like G.Skill Ripjaws or Sniper. Plus, anything over 1600MHz brings little to no improvements. Depending on your usage, you might want more like 16GB or 32GB)

Cooler: 1) Corsair H80i
(I don't normally recommend AIO water cooler but this one is pretty good)

OR
2) NZXT Kraken X60
(Anandtech has a review and apparently, it's way better than Corsair H100)

Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD55.
(This board is actually one of the best at it's price point)

Video Card: 2xMSI Radeon 7950
(I don't recommend setting up crossfire for any other cards except the 2 top cards and in this case, the 7950 or 7970. 2x7950 offers great value compared to 2x7970)

SSD 1: 256GB Samsung 840 PRO
(Currently the best SSD at the moment. Vertex 4 isn't so bad either actually. Boot drive)

SSD 2: 512GB Crucial M4
(The best 480/512GB value SSD. You could use it as a steam drive for your games or maybe a scratch disk)

HDD: 2TB WD Caviar Black
(Storage)

PSU: Corsair AX760i
(It'll be more than enough to power up the system)

Case: Stick to what you prefer. NZXT 810 is a great case.

"i7 3770K"

 

[EzioAs]

^ My bad. Didn't realized that. Fixed!

 

[Jylt]

Thanks for your input Alot of what you have said I Had no idea of, also I'm using this system for Gaming.

AS for Ram I thought the higher the speed, the better... 1600 to 2400 big difference in numbers but not so in Performance, how is this?

I Have read about the Processor in Question and that it can be clocked to 4.5 provided ample cooling.

As for GPU i will be running it through a single monitor and not worrying about 3D.

Thanks EzioAs I Will look into what you have said and keep you posted on my changes

Let me know if what I Have said makes you think differently, Thanks, Jylt.

 

[Rockdpm]

Right, RAM speeds arent all that relevant. Any Average 1600mhz or 1866 mhz RAM kit will do just fine.

The CPU can be overclocked to 4.5 as long as your have the board and the right CPU. ivy Bridge can be tricky to OC unless you know what your doing especially if your have a 77w vs a 95w chip

A Single GPU will work for one monitor

 

[EzioAs]

Thanks for your input Alot of what you have said I Had no idea of, also I'm using this system for Gaming.

AS for Ram I thought the higher the speed, the better... 1600 to 2400 big difference in numbers but not so in Performance, how is this?

I Have read about the Processor in Question and that it can be clocked to 4.5 provided ample cooling.

As for GPU i will be running it through a single monitor and not worrying about 3D.

Thanks EzioAs I Will look into what you have said and keep you posted on my changes

Let me know if what I Have said makes you think differently, Thanks, Jylt.

A lot of the times, 1600MHz performs similar such as in games or usual programs. You could see the difference in specific benchmark programs though.

If your monitor is 1080p, 2 cards is surely overkill but not bad if you want the best image quality and framerates in demanding games such as in Far Cry 3 or Hitman Absolution. If you don't mind lowering some details in demanding games though, stick to single card.

Yes, Ivy Bridge CPUs typically hit 4.5GHz easily provided you have enough cooling. I'd recommend air cooling but if you want your PC to look pretty great as well, the Corsair H80i is a great choice.

 

[Kamen_BG]

To be honest there are lots of things that can be improved in the PC you made.
So without boring you with all the details i made you a completely new build incorporating the ideas of the one you listed.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor (£215.00 @ Scan.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler (£57.77 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X79-UD3 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard (£143.75 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£69.54 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£132.00 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) (£299.75 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) (£299.75 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case (£51.97 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£88.62 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £1358.15
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-02 17:23 GMT+0000)

It features a
1)Better motherboard
2)Better CPU Cooler
3)Faster SSD
4)Better power supply (more stable power)
5)Twice the graphics power

And here are the tradeoffs i made in order to achieve this

The RAM kit i included runs at a lower speed.This will result in the PC performing around 3-5% slower in some tasks.
The case used in this build is very good for Air Cooling, but is not suited to water cooling.

 

[Rockdpm]

To be honest there are lots of things that can be improved in the PC you made.
So without boring you with all the details i made you a completely new build incorporating the ideas of the one you listed.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor (£215.00 @ Scan.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler (£57.77 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X79-UD3 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard (£143.75 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£69.54 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£132.00 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) (£299.75 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) (£299.75 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case (£51.97 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£88.62 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £1358.15
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-02 17:23 GMT+0000)

It features a
1)Better motherboard
2)Better CPU Cooler
3)Faster SSD
4)Better power supply (more stable power)
5)Twice the graphics power

And here are the tradeoffs i made in order to achieve this

The RAM kit i included runs at a lower speed.This will result in the PC performing around 3-5% slower in some tasks.
The case used in this build is very good for Air Cooling, but is not suited to water cooling.

Kind of Overkill if you ask me

 

[EzioAs]

^ Totally, OP said his main usage is gaming and no rendering or editing so X79 is out of the picture. He also said he'd like to try overclocking which will be very limited on an i7-3820. The CPU cooler is pretty good though

 

[Jylt]

All this being said, Perhaps you could inform me on the ways of clocking... because i'm quite sure I can jump in, tweak and kill my PC how do i safe guard myself from doing this?

Thanks, Jylt.

 

[EzioAs]

There are guides on this which you can follow with ease. Just google it. Another way is to read reviews on the motherboard you have because most reviewers will show their overclocking settings. At least assemble your PC first

 

[Jylt]

right will do, will post my system build in the next couple months and go from there, thanks guys

 

[EzioAs]

You're welcome. Good luck on your purchase and assembling

 

[Rockdpm]

Glad we could help you today! I think Ezio deserves his credit for this but please select a best answer so this thread can be closed. See you in a few months!