First build, whatcha think?

[iceman624]

This is my first ever build as I'm currently building a DIY Kit on AVADirect, here is what i've come up with and i'm about ready to buy.. what do you guys think?

I'm stationed overseas in the Navy, looking for a rig that can handle most games, as something to kill time when i'm in port.

RAIDMAX Blade Black/White Mid-Tower Case w/ Window, ATX, No PSU, Steel/Plastic

COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus 600W, 600W Power Supply, ATX12V 2.3 EPS12V, 2x 8/6-pin PCIe

MSI X79MA-GD45, LGA2011, Intel® X79, DDR3-2400 (O.C.) 64GB /4, PCIe x16 SLI CF /2, SATA 6Gb/s RAID 5 /2, 3Gb/s /4, USB 3.0 /2, HDA, GbLAN, mATX

INTEL Core i7-3820 Quad-Core, 3.6 - 3.8GHz TB, LGA2011, 10MB L3 Cache, HT EM64T EIST VT-x VT-d XD, 32nm, 130W

INTEL RTS2011AC CPU Cooler, Socket 2011, Copper/Aluminum

CRUCIAL 16GB (4 x 4GB) Ballistix Sport PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC

MSI N670 PE 2GD5/OC, GeForce® GTX 670 1019MHz, 2GB GDDR5 6008MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, 2x DVI + HDMI + DP

SEAGATE 1TB Barracuda®, SATA 6 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 64MB cache

LG ELECTRONICS UH12NS29 Black 10x/16x/48x BD/DVD±RW/CD-RW Blu-ray Disc™ Combo Drive w/ Lightscribe, M-Disc, SATA, w/o Software

ASUS Xonar DS Sound Card, 7.1 channels, 24-bit 192KHz, PCI


I'm hoping all of this will be compatable with the case and is the sound card necessary or should i scratch that?
the current price is, $1598

 

[idroid]

couple of things wrong...

*Don't buy a raidmax case, they are just flashy crap

*Coolermaster's PSU suck, stay away from them.

*DO NOT get a i7-3820 with a X79 platform, either get a i7-3960x or a i7 3930k.

*there are waaaay better options than that CPU cooler... besides, i don't think it will be enough.

*16GB of RAM and an i7? that's for HEAVY video editing only, games will not benefit from HT... in fact, it will reduce your gaming performance and 16GB of RAM will give you no benefit over 8GB.

*Sound card? don't buy it unless you have a professional grade sound system (1500$+)

you can build a much more powerful PC for a tiny bit more that will give you about 225% the performance of the PC you listed.... look:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($58.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: VisionTek Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: VisionTek Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($98.88 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($111.71 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1684.48

you can remove one card and it will still give your more performance than the build you listed.

 

[idroid]

+1 to the above but i would drop the second card, its really not necessary at all. more than enough horsepower there.

there is no such thing like "enough horse power" there never is

Edit: think about it... with that build you can easily play games at 100fps+ so if you have a 120Hz monitor...

 

[mikerockett]

+1 to the above but i would drop the second card, its really not necessary at all. more than enough horsepower there.

 

[iceman624]

Thanks for the advice! I will definitely follow it, I don't have very much knowledge in this area. I haven't had a gaming computer in 5 years, decided to get back into it.

 

[mikerockett]

Very true but i think diminishing returns is the factor here. I know for a fact i'd rather have that extra cash in my back pocket considering that 7970 is a beast on it's own.

Stick it towards a nice monitor, head set and mouse/keyboard or something.

Don't forget the OS if you don't have one.

 

[iceman624]

One question, I'm not very familiar with the acronyms, what is the purpose of the solid state drive? Does it act as a data backup storage?

 

[mikerockett]

No, SSD use no mechanical parts unlike their older counterparts, they have much faster read and write speeds than traditional mechanical drives.

Generally upon the SSD you will install your OS and programs, this will give you much faster loading times.

All your media and files are then stored on a traditional mechanical drive.

 

[Astralman]

Basically they speed up your load times and that is about it. Though to a great measure. It is really personal preference in getting an SSD. They are nice don't get me wrong but I would like to see them drop more in price, cheaper than 500Gb hard drives before getting one. The only ones really cheaper than that are 30 or some 60gb SSD's which are not really enough room to store what you need on them.

I agree also with the Crossfire on the two cards seeing as it will only help you if your using multiple monitors and nothing really else. The card alone will be giving you more than enough speed to play games at extreme frame rates, especially with that CPU.

I wish I had this kind of money to spend.

 

[iceman624]

So i took some of your ideas and changed a little, to make it a tad cheaper. How does this look? I dropped the SSD, it doesn't matter too much to me about loading speed and i dropped the Crossfire, to save money and since i don't plan on using two monitors. However, should i still invest in the 750w power supply that you recommended or should i go lower, as i wont be using Crossfire. One more question, any recommendations for monitors? All i have available here in Japan is the Navy exchange for American products, which results in low end dell and HP monitors. Thanks for all of the advice!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($58.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: VisionTek Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($111.71 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1143.11
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-07 00:03 EDT-0400)


I also ended up swapping the case, i wasn't too keen on the look of the one you recommended. This one is cheaper and it seems to have better natural airflow.

 

[iceman624]

BTW, as far as what i plan to use it for is obviously gaming, but World of Warcraft in particular. I think this build could stand up to playing in high settings?

 

[mikerockett]

This could probably max wow while it was turned off haha.

But no, seriously, if you only want this to play wow you could get a much cheaper GPU.

If you're playing other games like BF3 etc then keep the card.

 

[idroid]

So i took some of your ideas and changed a little, to make it a tad cheaper. How does this look? I dropped the SSD, it doesn't matter too much to me about loading speed and i dropped the Crossfire, to save money and since i don't plan on using two monitors. However, should i still invest in the 750w power supply that you recommended or should i go lower, as i wont be using Crossfire. One more question, any recommendations for monitors? All i have available here in Japan is the Navy exchange for American products, which results in low end dell and HP monitors. Thanks for all of the advice!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($58.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: VisionTek Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($111.71 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1143.11
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-07 00:03 EDT-0400)


I also ended up swapping the case, i wasn't too keen on the look of the one you recommended. This one is cheaper and it seems to have better natural airflow.

Looks good to me! but...

*Get an SSD.... it will make your PC feel a lot more snapier.

*i loled when you said that the HAF 912 had better "natural airflow" than the phantom 410.... the phantom 410 is the BEST sub 100$ case EVER look: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/solo-ii-400r-buc-ravager-seiran,3274.html

*that PC can render WOW @1trillion fps easily

*keep that PSU because if you ever change your mind and start real games (BF3, Crysis2) you might need crossfire down the road.

 

[iceman624]

Haha, okay. I added the SSD back in and switched back to the original case. As far as games go, I would like to be able to play GTA5, if/when ever that comes out, but i haven't explored many other games besides WoW lol. Any recommendations on monitors? ^^as i said above, i'm limited to what i can buy in Japan at the Navy exchange.

Here's the build thus far;

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($58.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ CompUSA)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: VisionTek Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($437.55 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($111.71 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1328.16
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-07 07:36 EDT-0400)

 

[idroid]

Haha, okay. I added the SSD back in and switched back to the original case. As far as games go, I would like to be able to play GTA5, if/when ever that comes out, but i haven't explored many other games besides WoW lol. Any recommendations on monitors? ^^as i said above, i'm limited to what i can buy in Japan at the Navy exchange.

Here's the build thus far;

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($58.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ CompUSA)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: VisionTek Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($437.55 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($111.71 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1328.16
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-07 07:36 EDT-0400)

Looks great to me!

 

[iceman624]

I ended up swapping the VisionTek Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card, to a Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card. The VisionTek went up about $30..

As far as a monitor i selected Asus VK228H-CSM 21.5" Monitor.


What do you recommend for OS, i don't understand the difference between the 3 options for Windows Home Premium lol..

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Full (32/64-bit)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 3-Pack (64-bit)

I'm thinking that i should go with the SP1 64bit?

Thanks again for all the advice, i'll be ordering all of the parts this week!

 

[idroid]

I ended up swapping the VisionTek Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card, to a Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card. The VisionTek went up about $30..

As far as a monitor i selected Asus VK228H-CSM 21.5" Monitor.


What do you recommend for OS, i don't understand the difference between the 3 options for Windows Home Premium lol..

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Full (32/64-bit)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 3-Pack (64-bit)

I'm thinking that i should go with the SP1 64bit?

Thanks again for all the advice, i'll be ordering all of the parts this week!

21.5" monitor?? read this

 

[iceman624]

Thanks, i'll check that out

does 21.5" monitor sound bad?

 

[idroid]

Nice! That won't cause any problems with updates, no keygens required? I'll download it tomorrow morning when i get off the ship.

does 21.5" monitor sound bad?

what are you talking about?? read this

 

[iceman624]

Ouch, looks like i'm having some logistics problems. Amazon won't ship the power supply or the optical drive, due to new restrictions on USPS going to FPO. NCIX doesn't even have a option for FPO, and newegg i'm investigating right now. This might really suck!

 

[iceman624]

Hello again,

I just received all of the parts today, i went with the build posted above. I assembled everything successfully with no problems as soon as I finished the wiring and went to optest it, it turned on for 2 seconds at most and turned off again. All the fans initiated, any ideas? I've checked all of my connections, unless i wired something incorrectly.

Thanks