Advice on new build

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nickw2142

nickw2142

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Apr 21, 2012
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I'm going to be doing my first build here and i need some advice please :)

I'm going to be assembling in a month, and I live in the southwest U.S.A.


Here's my build plan as of now:

Case: Coolermaster Haf X Blue Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119239

Extra Fan: Cooler Master 200mm Blue Led Fan (for empty top slot on case)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103073

Mobo: Asus P8Z77 WS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131822&Tpk=asus%20z77%20ws

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2 X 4 GB DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233254

CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K 3.5 GHz
(once it comes out :) )

PSU: Kingwin Lazer 850 Watt 80 plus bronze
http://www.amazon.com/Kingwin-Universal-Modular-Connectors-LZ-850/dp/tech-data/B002P8JVAK

Heatsink: Enermax ETS-T40-TA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835214024&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-CPU+Cooling-_-Enermax-_-35214024

GPU: 2 x EVGA Geforce GTX 680 2gb (SLI configuration)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130768

SSD: Crucial m4 256 GB (will use 64 GB for SRT/ssd caching. The rest will be my oss and games)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W2JKZI/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=amazonaz-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B004W2JKZI&adid=144PC9HAQ4RBZR7HHFEN&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamingreviewguide.com%2Fssd%2F

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

Optical Drive: Lite-On DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

Do you think it's worth it to get the WS with the extra PCIE lanes? I could save an extra $100 and get a board that would run the 680's at dual x8, not dual x16. i already have 2 1680 x 1050 monitors

I prefer EVGA or ASUS cards. I'm an Intel guy and i love asus boards. any suggestions and advice is much appreciated :) Thank you!
 
Solution
jrwizbang
So, I'm gonna go through the parts that you have picked out, and give a little feedback and info for each, and then if I have a better option, I will put the link and say why it's better.

Here we go:


Case: Coolermaster Haf X Blue Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119239&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=uus25p1pyjxc

In my opinion, this is a very nice case all around. It is pretty spacious on the inside and pretty durable as well. I like the looks of it personally, some may say other wise, but I think that It is a good option for you, with the blue theme. (Also, I'd love to see the blue/white mod when it's done :p)...
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jrwizbang

jrwizbang

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First off, welcome to the forums. I will try to help you as much as possible and suit your needs as much as I can.
So, before I get started I have a quick question which doesn't really seem that important, but is actually quite important. That question is, how much do you care about looks? It could come into factor when picking out parts that something may have better performance than another, and maybe be a better deal, but may not look as nice, which is why it is an important question to ask.
 
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nickw2142

nickw2142

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Apr 21, 2012
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Thanks for the warm welcome :) and i want it to be pretty good looking. I'm actually going to paint the haf x white and then do a white/blue theme. Hence the blue led version of the case. I'm going to stick a couple blue cold cathodes in there and the heatsink is also blue. So looks are definitely a determining factor, but if i have to compromise too much performance for it, it's not worth the looks.
 
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Why_Me

Why_Me

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Jan 17, 2008
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226245 $69.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model 99701

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207017 $154.99 - $134.99 after mail-in rebate card
XFX PRO850W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80 Plus Silver Certified 850 Watt Active PFC Power Supply
 
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jrwizbang

jrwizbang

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So, I'm gonna go through the parts that you have picked out, and give a little feedback and info for each, and then if I have a better option, I will put the link and say why it's better.

Here we go:


Case: Coolermaster Haf X Blue Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119239&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=uus25p1pyjxc

In my opinion, this is a very nice case all around. It is pretty spacious on the inside and pretty durable as well. I like the looks of it personally, some may say other wise, but I think that It is a good option for you, with the blue theme. (Also, I'd love to see the blue/white mod when it's done :p)

Extra Fan: Cooler Master 200mm Blue Led Fan (for empty top slot on case)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103073&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1s65h0dnmkjr4

Extra fans are always nice, and to my knowledge there is a 200mm spot on the top front of the HAF X that is not taken already, that will go nicely there, or wherever you decide to put it. Also, it's just a case fan, so there isn't really anything to worry about as far picking the right one. A generally good cfm for a fan of that size is on average 80+ and that one is 110, which is great. Also, it isn't too loud.

Mobo: Asus P8Z77 WS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131822&Tpk=asus%20z77%20ws&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=l5ghvnht48d5

Wow that is an expensive board. Although, generally speaking, with mother boards, you get what you pay for, however, if you wanted to save a bit of extra money you could always go with something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131819 It doesn't look quite as cool as the one that you have chosen, but is significantly less expensive, with no sacrifices to speak of.

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2 X 4 GB DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233254&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=jhdwyl840p8h

It goes without being said that you can almost never go wrong with Corsair, especially their memory. It is top of the line and quite reliable. If you wanted to though, if you decide to go with the mother board that I have recommended, which would save you a bit fo money, you could upgrade to 16 GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145347 or the alternative depending on preference in style http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233198

CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K 3.5 GHz
(once it comes out :) )

I personally can not wait for Ivy bridge. It is supposed to be fantastic. That cpu is a great choice for any sort of application that would need to do (gaming, video, photo, rendering, etc) Good choice! :)

PSU: Kingwin Lazer 850 Watt 80 plus bronze
http://www.amazon.com/Kingwin-Universal-Modular-Connectors-LZ-850/dp/tech-data/B002P8JVAK?tag=vglnk-c1001-20

Kingwin is okay. They look cool, and are pretty reliable. My friend has this same PSU, only the LEDs are blue. He has had it for quite some time now and has had zero problems with it. Here is the blue version, for not much more (a few dollars) http://www.amazon.com/KingWin-Series-Certified-Modular-LZG-850/dp/B003ILVYIU/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1335051183&sr=1-7 Oh and also it's 80+ Gold, instead of bronze

Heatsink: Enermax ETS-T40-TA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835214024&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-CPU%20Cooling-_-Enermax-_-35214024&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1tkxu292mxpto

Nice heat sink. Should serve you well. Looks pretty bad ass too. Pushes plenty of air as well.

GPU: 2 x EVGA Geforce GTX 680 2gb (SLI configuration)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130768&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1gxubp4jd6jgv

Nice cards. Kinda sucks that they're out of stock almost everywhere though. These things are amazing though. You're gonna love them

SSD: Crucial m4 256 GB (will use 64 GB for SRT/ssd caching. The rest will be my oss and games)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W2JKZI/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=vglnk-c1001-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B004W2JKZI&adid=144PC9HAQ4RBZR7HHFEN&&ref-refURL=http://www.gamingreviewguide.com/ssd/

Nice solid state drive. You can't go wrong with an SSD. They are so helpful too for OS. They dramatically decrease boot times, and if you ever wanted to put a game on it, it can actually help performance because the textures can be loaded faster.

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=381eul0dlu34

Good amount of storage. Western Digital is the Flagship brand of hard drives so good choice there.

Optical Drive: Lite-On DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=asc1homoxd0p

What can I say. An optical drive is an optical drive. :p

Over all you've got a good build going here. If you have any further questions do not hesitate to ask, and also, if you have any questions with building, assembly, modding, etc. feel free to ask me, I'll be willing to help out :) Also, as far as the mushkin ram that was recommended by why me, I do not believe is worth the higher CAS timings. Mushkin is kind of new also, and though they have been getting good reviews I would be hesitant of. And also, the XFX power supply that he recommended is great. I am getting the 750w version of it. Although, it comes down to looks really, because the XFX and the Kingwin are both great PSUs.
 
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Solution
nickw2142

nickw2142

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Apr 21, 2012
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THANK YOU :D and as to the motherboard, i chose it because it was the only asus z77 that could run 2 gpu's at pcie 3.0 @ x16/x16. The other board costs less because it only offers pcie 3.0 x16/x0 or x8/x8. the asus p8z77 ws has a pcie switch that offers more lanes. Is it worth it having the extra lanes? Or is the performance difference between x16/x16 and x8/x8 not worth the money.

In regards to the psu, thanks for the tip. the one i listed has a blue and white led. so your paying for the 80+ gold!

so main question: is the performance difference between x16/x16 and x8/x8 worth the extra $100 on the board
 
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jrwizbang

jrwizbang

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Well it all comes down to how much you want to spend. If you have the money by all means get the more expensive one. It could very likely offer more FPS in games, though not much, could be somewhat noticeable. Also, in my opinion, the one that you had originally picked out looks a bit cooler too :p So really it depends on how much you want to spend. Like I said previously, you get what you pay for ;)
 
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jrwizbang

jrwizbang

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850w should be enough to power the 2 680s. They are actually quite efficient. But you could always go a bit bigger to be on the safer side. Same price. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121090 However it is only bronze, which shouldn't matter really, because the majority of power supplies are bronze. There really isn't much difference between bronze-silver-gold. Although, for a bit more money, you could get one that is high wattage, and 80+ gold, but it is a bit more pricey. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121075 Really any of the 3 that I have recommended will be fine. The only thing that it would really affect would be if you wanted to get a 3rd 680 in the future somehow or whatever you may do, you may need to upgrade your PSU but 3 680s just seems pretty ridiculous to me, and if anyone is gonna spend that much money on graphics cards, they can probably afford an expensive power supply as well.
 
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nickw2142

nickw2142

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Apr 21, 2012
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ok thanks for all your help! so one of the mods i wanted to do was to use a key switch that allowed the computer to be turned on. So in order for the power or reset button to do anything you'd need to turn the key to complete the circuit. do you know how id go about wiring this?
 
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jrwizbang

jrwizbang

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I have an idea of how you might go about doing this. You can shoot me a private message and I'll be happy to help. Also, you could start a thread here if you want to: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-28-175.html
 
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