First build- Qestions

[Mike341]

Hi dear community

My name is mike, and I´m from denmark
I, like so many others, am looking to build my own system for gaming. And I already have a good idea (I think) of which components to use. I´ll list the ones I think would be suitable for me (I want to play games at 1920x1080 on high-highest settings) and then present my questions afterwards:

so far I´ve chosen:

Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V Pro

Processor: Intel 3rd Gen i7 3770K (4x3.50 GHz, 8MB Cache)

Processor cooling: XSPC Raystorm 750 RX360 WaterCooling Kit

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB 1600 MHz

Hard Drive Intel SRT: Intel 330 Series 60GB 2.5 inch Solid State Drive

Hard Drive: Intel 2.5 inch 520 Series Solid State Drive (240GB, SATA 6Gb/s, 25nm, MLC)

Graphics Card: GTX 680 Jetstream Graphics Card (2GB GDDR5)

Graphic Card 2: GTX 680 Jetstream Graphics Card (2GB GDDR5)

Extra Cooling fan: Cooler Master 12cm SickleFlow System Fan

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B5ST 24x Internal SATA DVD Drive

SO thats it. now, my biggest issues are this:

1: What PSU should i get for this?
2: what case should i get for this?
3: i lag experience, so if you have any other advice for me, or something i should add/remove/change in my system plan, and am I missing something important, please do tell

i want my Rig to run all current games beautifully and smooth, and also to be future proof, and easy to upgrade later on.

sorry for kind of a noob question hehe

 

[o1die]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811322016
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703028 or this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341052 (if you want modular)

You're going to get alot of recommendations for the case. I'd rather save some $$ there than on the power supply. I also like antec, but newegg's inventory is marginal.

 

[geofelt]

My thoughts:

1. few games use more than 2-3 cores, so the extra hyperthreads of the more expensive 3770K are not of much value.
A 3570K is as good as it gets for a gamer.

2. Can you post a link to where you will buy your parts?
Price structures will be different from the US in Denmark.

3. I would avoid water cooling, particularly for a first time builder. Liquid cooling has one function, to extract the last possible overclock out of your cpu. As a new builder, you will not be able to do that. And... a top end air cooler like the Noctua NH-D14 or phanteks will be cheaper, quieter, easier to install.
It is likely to be more reliable, and it will cool just as well in a decent case.

4. Ram is cheap, I have no problem with 16gb. But, since no game uses more than 2-3gb by itself, the usual recommendation is a 8gb kit of 2 x 4gb.
There is minimal benefit from ram faster than 1600. I suggest a 2 x 8gb kit of DDR3 1600 low profile(to clear cpu coolers)

5. Your two GTX680 cards will need a 800W psu. It would not be wrong to overprovision by 100w so that the psu can operate in the more efficient middle third of it's range. Buy only a quality psu. Here is a link to one list of quality PSU's:
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

6. Consider a single GTX690 card instead. It is two GTX680 chips in one card. Yes, it is expensive, but in some european countries, it costs less than two GTX670 cards. In addition, only a 650W psu is required, and the motherboard does not even need to be sli capable.

7. What will the 6ogb SRT SSD drive be used for? If you need more hard drive space for overflow, a simple 1tb hard drive will do. A ssd for cache is not likely to be very effective. If you do not need that much space, use a larger SSD initially or add a ssd or hard drive later.

8. Intel 520 240gb is very good. Also look at Samsung 840 or 840 pro.

9. Cases are a personal thing. From a functional point of view, they need to hold your parts, and every case that will hold a ATX sized motherboard will do that.
For cooling, a case with two 120mm intake fans or the equivalent in exhaust fans will do the job. I like larger fans, mostly because they are quieter.
I happen to like smaller cases. But, if you want a big case with all sorts of airflow, look at the Antec Twelve Hundred V3 :
http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product1.php?id=MjcxNQ==

 

[Mike341]

Thanks a lot man
awesome info, pretty much all i needed.
so my new build looks like this:

Mobo: Asus P8Z77-V Pro
Memory: 8 GB Corsair 1600 MHz (2x4GB)
GPU: GTX 690 (4GB) a.k.a the beast
CPU: I´m gonna stick with the i7 3770k, because i dont wanna upgrade...well, ever at best, but at least not for a bunch of years.
Case: i was thinking either
Hard Drive: 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD

http://tinyurl.com/artwcs9 or
http://tinyurl.com/bk53h8j or
http://tinyurl.com/a88az7m

they all look really cool IMO, i just need a compatibility check.
speaking of compatibility check, i still haven´t found a fitting cooler.
i hear your wisdom regarding the cooler, and I´ll get a fan instead of water-cooling. i realize that the bigger the fan, the less noise there is. and i´m a big fan of silence when it comes to PCs. i just have no clue to which one would work for my system :-/
how many Watts i need, or which brand is good or not.

in a different note, i´ve heard that the 690 can get up to 42 Dba. i can live with it of course, but if anyone knew a way to keep it completely quiet for cheap money, kudos to you

you asked where i was gonna buy my parts. i was thinking amazon.co.uk, since their relatively cheap (in comparison) and they have things in stock.
so all in all, i need the cooler, PSU and a compatibility check

thanks

 

[Mike341]

oh, and of course, the
http://tinyurl.com/bhg8d4e

 

[geofelt]

Any of those cases will do.
They will have no problem fitting a Noctua NH-D14 or a Phanteks cooler. The coolers are 160mm tall, and will fit in any normal width case.
I think the Zalman is likely to be of better quality.

Cases are a personal thing, you can buy what appeals to you.
You will be looking at it for a long time.
I would bust the budget for a case that really appeals to you.
For quality cases, look at Antec, Silverstone, NZXT, Lian li, Corsair to name a few.
Take the time to read some reviews of a prospective case to see what it is all about.

Personally, I am not a fan of "bling", and I prefer smaller cases.
A side window is good for showing off, but it adds no function, and is not so good at noise damping.

I am using a Silverstone TJ-08E M-ATX case with a GTX680 in it. The 180mm intake fan cools well, and is more than enough for a GTX690.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverstone-SST-TJ08E-USB3-0-PC-Case/dp/B005D9027E/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358781908&sr=1-1

You would need a smaller M-ATX sized motherboard like the Asus Maximus V Gene
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Motherboard-PCI-Express-CrossFireX-Intelligent/dp/B007KZQEGM/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358782440&sr=1-5

It is capable of sli, but in reality there will be even stronger single graphics cards available in the future when you might want to upgrade again.

The only caveat is that a very long psu will be a problem. A Seasonic X750 gold fits fine, and that is about as long as you can use.

For a psu, a 650w unit will power a GTX690. I might upsize it a bit by 100w so that it will loaf in the more efficient middle third of it's range.
Pick a tier 1 or 2 unit from this quality tiered list of psu's:
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

Seasonic is always a safe bet. How about this Seasonic 750W M12II
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seasonic-Modular-Multi-GPU-Technologies-Supported/dp/B00607JN1E/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358783295&sr=1-1

For a cpu cooler, here is the Noctua NH-D14:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Noctua-NH-D14-Processor-cooler-aluminium/dp/B002VKVZ1A/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358783592&sr=1-1

or the Phanteks:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phanteks-PH-TC14PE_BK-PHANTEKS-PH-TC14PE-CPU-K%C3%BChler/dp/B007ZZE63A/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358783682&sr=1-5

-------Good luck-------------

 

[Mike341]

Any of those cases will do.
They will have no problem fitting a Noctua NH-D14 or a Phanteks cooler. The coolers are 160mm tall, and will fit in any normal width case.
I think the Zalman is likely to be of better quality.

Cases are a personal thing, you can buy what appeals to you.
You will be looking at it for a long time.
I would bust the budget for a case that really appeals to you.
For quality cases, look at Antec, Silverstone, NZXT, Lian li, Corsair to name a few.
Take the time to read some reviews of a prospective case to see what it is all about.

Personally, I am not a fan of "bling", and I prefer smaller cases.
A side window is good for showing off, but it adds no function, and is not so good at noise damping.

I am using a Silverstone TJ-08E M-ATX case with a GTX680 in it. The 180mm intake fan cools well, and is more than enough for a GTX690.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverstone-SST-TJ08E-USB3-0-PC-Case/dp/B005D9027E/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358781908&sr=1-1

You would need a smaller M-ATX sized motherboard like the Asus Maximus V Gene
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Motherboard-PCI-Express-CrossFireX-Intelligent/dp/B007KZQEGM/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358782440&sr=1-5

It is capable of sli, but in reality there will be even stronger single graphics cards available in the future when you might want to upgrade again.

The only caveat is that a very long psu will be a problem. A Seasonic X750 gold fits fine, and that is about as long as you can use.

For a psu, a 650w unit will power a GTX690. I might upsize it a bit by 100w so that it will loaf in the more efficient middle third of it's range.
Pick a tier 1 or 2 unit from this quality tiered list of psu's:
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

Seasonic is always a safe bet. How about this Seasonic 750W M12II
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seasonic-Modular-Multi-GPU-Technologies-Supported/dp/B00607JN1E/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358783295&sr=1-1

For a cpu cooler, here is the Noctua NH-D14:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Noctua-NH-D14-Processor-cooler-aluminium/dp/B002VKVZ1A/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358783592&sr=1-1

or the Phanteks:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Phanteks-PH-TC14PE_BK-PHANTEKS-PH-TC14PE-CPU-K%C3%BChler/dp/B007ZZE63A/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358783682&sr=1-5

-------Good luck-------------

thanks a lot.
allthough, i am not done

i just need a last compatibility check- so what my final draft looks like is this:

MoBo: Asus P8Z77-v Pro
CPU: Intel i7 3770k
RAM: 8 GB 1600MHz corsair
GPU: GTX 690 (4GB DDR3)
Hard Drive: 240 GB SSD Intel/Samsung 840 Pro 250GB (which is better?)
PSU: Corsair AX750 Sereis 750W
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS12X Heatsink and fan
DVD Drive: Asus DRW-24B5ST Internal Sata
Case: ok, this was a hard one, but i think these will be able to contain my above-listed hardware, yes? :

Cooler Master HAF X
Cooler Master HAX XM (smaller, but cheaper)
and maybe even:
http://tinyurl.com/andwetz or
http://tinyurl.com/a7kw7xv

will it fit?
and is the CPU Cooler small enough to fit with the selected motherboard and components?

something i want in my computer:
Silence!

And of course, windows 7, since my main goal is gaming

speaking of gaming, whats a good 5760x1080 monitor set? i figured with the gtx 690, i might as well
as you may have noticed, im not on a budget anyways so...cheers!

 

[geofelt]

The zalman cooler looks nice, and will fit anywhere, but I would have two reservations.
1. The proprietary fans can not be easily changed out or repaired.
2. I don't know that the cooling is as good as the noctua NH-D14.

Since you value silence, and I agree with you there, do some research at www.silentpcreview.com
They have good articles on quiet components.

For a quiet gaming case, you might look at the Antec P280:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antec-P280-Performance-Expansions-Standard/dp/B005X3E5BO/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358870076&sr=1-3

Here is the spcr review: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1229-page1.html

 

[geofelt]

I am a firm believer in buying the best quality monitors you can afford.
They are the most future proof PC products you can buy today.

I look for a IPS display with a wide viewing angle(178/178) particularly for a multi monitor setup.
You will be looking at the outer displays from an angle.

The Dell ultrasharp units look to be good like these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-Ultrasharp-U2412M-Widescreen-Monitor/dp/B005LNDPPS/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358871155&sr=1-1

If you truly have no budget constraints, and have enough desk space, look at the 30" 2560 x 1600 U3011 monitors :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-U3011-Ultrasharp-Widescreen-Monitor/dp/B0046ECCW0/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358871432&sr=1-1

 

[Mike341]

I am a firm believer in buying the best quality monitors you can afford.
They are the most future proof PC products you can buy today.

I look for a IPS display with a wide viewing angle(178/178) particularly for a multi monitor setup.
You will be looking at the outer displays from an angle.

The Dell ultrasharp units look to be good like these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-Ultrasharp-U2412M-Widescreen-Monitor/dp/B005LNDPPS/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358871155&sr=1-1

If you truly have no budget constraints, and have enough desk space, look at the 30" 2560 x 1600 U3011 monitors :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-U3011-Ultrasharp-Widescreen-Monitor/dp/B0046ECCW0/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358871432&sr=1-1

wow, ok, i cant afford x3 that last ultrasharp one hehe. not at all
it sure looks beautiful, but i was thinking maybe http://pcilluminate.com/3x27.html ?

i think the antec case is ugly (just imo), and i don´t know, is the fan changing that big of a problem?

 

[geofelt]

wow, ok, i cant afford x3 that last ultrasharp one hehe. not at all
it sure looks beautiful, but i was thinking maybe http://pcilluminate.com/3x27.html ?

i think the antec case is ugly (just imo), and i don´t know, is the fan changing that big of a problem?

That is why only YOU can decide what looks good to you. Really, moat any case will do the job.
No, it is trivial to change out or add a fan.

The main problem I see with that triple monitor display is the quality of the panels.
They have so so viewing angles( 170/160) and cost more per panel(466) than the Dell which have ips panels and 178/178 viewing angles at a cost of 224.

For the same price, I think this Samsung LS23MURHB/EN 23 inch triple monitor set might be better.
I would trade off the 23" vs 27" for thin bezels and IPS screens.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-LS23MURHB-EN-Monitor-150000/dp/B003NAL4UO/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1358894429&sr=1-1