List of Components 4New Build - Want Confirmation That Good Mix

[captainsky]

Hello Comrades,

I have finished compiling a list of computer components that I intend to buy in the next few days assuming that there are no compatibility issues between components. The pcpartpicker.com site found no compatibility issues with any of my products but I don't except the site's confirmation as the last word on the issue and hence I am here posting a topic on my new build to get feedback from the geek Gods--that would mean you.

Yesterday I checked out how someone had listed their computer components for review and discovered to my convenience the pcpartpicker.com site where I was able to compile a list of all my items. I have provided a link below that I understand will take you to the page that has a list of my computer components.

Let me say that I am in fact purchasing ALL of my products from Amazon because the site most often has the lowest price on items except for some instances with MicroCenter, but you have to go into the MicroCenter store to pickup the product in person and this doesn't work for me since the closet one is about forty minutes from my home. Moreover, I am an Amazon PRIME user and that means that I receive all items in least in this case by two-day mail and the shipping is free, so that is a big plus too. I cannot believe that Newegg would be charging a shipping cost for an item over $100 but I diligently looked around their site for products. I also checked out TigerDirect.

I have posted a few questions over the last few weeks on new build issues and was made aware that my original selection of RAM cards had a voltage of 1.65 and this was considered too high for RAM cards being installed on an Intel MB. So the new RAM cards do meet the 1.5 voltage requirement. Also I should mention that a few components I already own but I included them in my comprehensive list of parts. I already own the monitor and the Cooler Master PSU.

Enough said from me, I hope some individuals can provide feedback on my new build if only to confirm that it is a good list of components. Thank you.,

Link to page that contains list of my items:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xKPz

 

[JMer806]

Microcenter being 40 minutes away is almost certainly a better deal than Amazon. That CPU is $40 cheaper at Microcenter ($189.99) plus they usually will offer a combo deal that gets you an additional $40-$50 off when you buy it with a MOBO. Please consider that over $100 savings, which could mean an upgraded GPU or other component.

In general your parts are all compatible but you're making some poor choices IMO.

- Don't buy 16 GB RAM, you don't need it. Get 8 GB unless your intended use is heavy editing and such.
- Don't buy the closed-loop water cooler. A good air cooler like the Noctua D14 or the Hyper 212 Evo will get you similar performance for much less money and hassle.
- Unless you're an audiophile you don't need a sound card. I have that same MOBO and the onboard sound is quite good.
- I'd get Caviar Black on your budget, not Caviar Green.
- If you want to game, you should definitely upgrade your video card. It will struggle in most games. If you save the $100 as I mentioned, you can likely afford a 660ti, which would be a huge upgrade.

Edit: It looks like your budget is $2000. Given what you've got, this is what I would buy (there may be an additional discount if you buy MOBO and CPU together at Microcenter):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($87.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($117.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 600T Silver ATX Mid Tower Case ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($179.98 @ Outlet PC)
Optical Drive: LG BH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($94.99 @ Microcenter)
Monitor: HP LE2202x 21.5" Monitor ($179.00 @ Mac Connection)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($178.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Logitech K800 Wireless Slim Keyboard ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Mouse: Logitech Anywhere Wireless Laser Mouse ($59.99 @ Dell Small Business)
Other: Antec TriCool 120mm Blue LED Cooling Fan w 3 Speeds (x2) [Replace Stock Fans 4H 100 Cooler] ($14.00)
Total: $1967.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-15 15:26 EST-0500)

 

[the great randini]

i like how you chose ram to match the mobo. My only suggestion is to get a 7850 vs the 550 although you can oc the heck out of most asus gpu's. The 7850's are beast in crossfire if you decided to upgrade down the road.
see this head to head comp. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=547

i would suggest PowerColor PCS+ AX7850 it is a factory oc with 2gb it is a bit more, but will even out youre build. if youre budget is fixed, i would back off on the cpu to fit in a better gpu.

 

[djscribbles]

What are you going to do with the computer?

If it's a gaming machine, I would go for a better GPU. A 550ti was a low-mid range gaming card when it was new, for a bit more you can get quite a lot more GPU, especially considering what you're putting into other components (case, mobo, memory).

The Sound card probably isn't needed, integrated is quite good usually (sometimes it can be problematic, but it's not hard to add later).

 

[captainsky]

Hey JMer806 & Everyone Else Following Him:

Thanks for your feedback and valid questions.

First, I need to specify what I hope to garner with this amalgamation of computer components. I am NOT a gamer and don't see myself playing them on my new computer. I do work with Photoshop regularly and that is a task intensive program and I don't want to have to wait for access to Adobe Bridge--it should be almost instant, and so should every process I execute in Photoshop. I will most certainly have multi programs and my browser open all at the same time. Second, I value quietness almost above everything else. I want/need a silent as possible computer. Yes, I know there will always be some noise but I definitely want to limit noise to below 30 decibels @ a max.

I intend on using the OCZ 128GB SSD as my boot drive and the WD 1TB Green or Blue drive is simply for storage. I had read shortly after posting this list that a better WD drive choice would be to go with the BLUE version. Any thoughts on this and does it matter that much if I am using the drive as a storage drive. Yes, I want to be able to recall data quickly, so should I go with Green or Blue? BTW, I wouldn't consider the Black version because I have repeatedly in reviews that it is a noisy drive.

Originally I had planned on having a RAID 1 configuration with two identical 1TB drives but as my overall price of the build broke far above the original $1250.00 that I had imagined would be enough than this build the RAID 1 mirroring setup seemed more an excessive luxury. I have never had an internal drive fall on me though two external failed on me but that was many years ago. So no RAID setup for now but I do have another 2.TB of external drive space so I can back up the essentials to these drives. For the ultimate protection I plan on burning a sizable amount to disc as that it definitely a secure way to good for the preservation of data.

Regarding the Corsair H100 liquid cooler that is a recent addition added only a few days ago. I switch it in and removed my first choice for a CPU cooler and that was the very dependable and very quiet Zalman fan, specifically the CNPS9900MAX-B Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler w Blue LED priced @ an insanely reasonable $59.99 on Amazon.

There are reasons for the change to the Corsair H100. First, after watching a number of YouTube videos with my Asus MB and my CPU working together it wasn't too difficult to push the CPU up to 4.8GHz and maintain a stable system. I don't believe I would push it much past 4.5GHz but that is still 1.1GHz higher than its stocked setting. I was thus concerned that the Zalman FAN would NOT be able to keep the system cool enough if I was running the CPU @ 4.5MHz. However, if the consensus is that the Zalman Fan can handle that load than I would likely go back to the Zalman Fan.

The second reason for the H100 over maybe the H80 or H60 both of which could probably handle my tweaked CPU is that my computer case a Corsair 600T Mid Sized computer case is designed perfectly to fit the H100 radiator on the top of the computer case and the top 200mm exhaust fan can be changed to two 120mm fans that fit very nicely in the space. So, yes, the H100 might be overkill but it fits and looks a lot nicer in the case the lower models.

As for dropping the DDR3 RAM down to 8GB that seems low if I am using Photoshop not to mention that DDR3 RAM is not that expensive. Now if I was in the position where I had a CPU cooler that was so big that it encroached on my RAM space than I might see the point of using just 2 RAM cards. True, I would save $40 or so but I am on the wagon about lowering to below 16GB.

As for the sound card, I pretty much figured that it might be extraneous based on my MB choice but as I have always had a separate sound card I added to the list. If you say it is unnecessary components than I will remove from my list of components.

As for my video card, u and someone else commented on it. As I said I am NOT a gamer so I don't need a $200-300 vide0 card. It would be overkill. I like and think the Asus NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 w 1TB DDR5 is a good fit and very fairly priced unit. I have never not worked with NVIDIA, so not Crossfire experience, but I don't think it matters if I am not playing games. But if you have another suggestion, shoot away...

As for driving to MicroCenter, I suppose I could do it. But I only see two items on my list that are each about ten dollars less than the Amazon price, so I am not sure what the advantage would be visit. There was the mention of them creating combo deals with MB & CPU. Actually the store is only been in my area for a few months. It's a new space. So I may take your advice and head over to the store BEFORE buying anything on Amazon. I don't see how could hurt.

So, please reply to this response so I know whether I am making any sense or not with my retorts to your suggestions. Thanks again.

 

[captainsky]

Can someone who knows whether the components i have selected make for a very good build based on my needs. U need to read the response above this one where I explain myself and address the suggestions from other members.

I would really appreciate some sound feedback and perhaps an alternative component if u think it makes more sense than what I have chosen by myself. What do u think about other peoples' suggestions. I think they r not on the mark because I forgot to explain in the original post what I wanted from this new build.

Since, for instance, I'm not a gamer so I think my Asus GeForce GRX 550 TI 1GB video card is a good choice for my build. I like Asus and the video card is very reasonably price for what I'm getting in it.

Moreover, because I will be overclocking my unlocked CPU by 1.2GHz from 3.4GHz stock speed, I'm thinking that liquid cooling may be the way to go for better cooling and a much quieter computer. Also, as I cited above, the Corsair H100 fits nicely into my Corsair 600T computer case. I watched a video on YouTube showing the installation of the flat radiator and two 120mm fans above it.

I am repeating my question about the CPU cooling as it is cited in the above post, but there r other questions for which I would like or need help in the above post.

As for cost issues I will make an effort to visit MicroCenter on Thursday to see if I can buy components that r less expensive. The difference between Amazon and MicroCenter is nominal is most cases. Nevertheless if I can save $50 or more by visiting MC then I will do it.

Here is a link to a list of my chosen components. Http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xPPH

If the link doesn't work as I typed it in than the link in the very first post definitely works.

Thank u for your feedback.

 

[JMer806]

If you'll be doing a lot of photo editing, you're right that 16GB RAM would probably be better. You might even consider the i7 3770k, though that would add to your price tag considerably.

Tom's recently ran an article comparing the performance of CL water coolers to the "best" air cooler (Noctua D14). Overall they found that while some of the water coolers did indeed have better cooling performance, they difference in temperature was far less than the difference in price would seem to justify. Their summation was:

Yielding CPU temperatures just a few degrees warmer than Corsair's top-performing H100i, generating less noise than the extra-quiet Enermax ELC240, and selling for less than any of the closer-loop liquid coolers in today's story, Noctua’s NH-D14 looks like the surprise winner in our analysis of value.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/h100i-elc240-seidon-240m-lq320,3380-14.html

Other coolers, while perhaps not as good as the D14, are still great performers at a very reasonable price.

As far as your GPU, the 550ti would be fine for your needs, I believe - I don't know if there are any GPUs that are better for the specific work you're doing or not.

I would still say to consider taking the sound card out unless you're going to be running surround sound off the rig or you are an audiophile with very high-end speakers. Otherwise I doubt you'd notice the difference TBH.

 

[captainsky]

Thanks for your reply.

Tom's recently ran an article comparing the performance of CL water coolers to the "best" air cooler--Noctua D14. Overall they found that while some of the water coolers did indeed have better cooling performance, they difference in temperature was far less than the difference in price would seem to justify. Their summation was:

With what this article you cited stated I reconsidered going with an CPU Cooler that runs with a Fan. In my initial computer components configuration I had chosen to go with the Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler Blue LED. I have used Zalman CPU Coolers over a number of upgrades. They have worked great for me and also been extremely quiet. I could not believe how quiet a cooler could be until I install a Zalman Cooler.

In case anyone is interested, this is the link to the one on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-CNPS9900MAX-B-Long-Bearing-Cooler/dp/B004CZ48DE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=25AY3YOVD2D0L&coliid=I22YEIAZZ4W8YW

It was only after watching a number of YouTube videos on overclocking the Asus P8Z77-V Pro and the Intel 15 3570K w a stock speed of 3.4GHz in which in all cases the CPU could be overclocked @ a minimum of 4.5GHz and even pushed to 4.8GHz and still have a stable running computer system. One video was in fact created by Asus for this MB and I found it extremely enlightening as to the true potential of my MB and CPU working together. But this is when I became concerned that overclocking the CPU by 1.1GHz over the stock speed that I worried that the Zalman Fan CPU Cooler might not be able to handle such a bump in GHz.

So I decided to play it safe and go with liquid cooling. I selected the H100, probably much more they I needed but its design with a long radiator and two 120mm fans and another exhaust fan would fit very well in my Corsair 600T computer case. I watched a YouTube video on too. With the H60 or H80 cooler they didn't have the long radiators and as such didn't fit into the Corsair 600T case so seamlessly, and as the case as a window to display the internal components appearance was a definite consideration in the choice of the H100.

After reading the last post to my questions on this issue, I looked up the the specific Zalman CPU Cooler that I had originally selected for my new build. I don't know why I didn't look up a review on how it handled overclocking but I actually and ironically found one such test that was posted on an earlier TomsHardware forum question. It should that the my Zalman not only handling the overclock of the CPU very well though I must say that it was not as much an overclock as I have intended for it. To my pleasant surprise even with the overclock in this test it was the quietest CPU Cooler and that is important. I haven't deal with the sound of fans running endlessly.

If anyone who reads this post thinks differently about the Zalman CPU Cooler that I have selected to go with my build than by all means speak now or forever hold your peace and I intended to purchase the components starting this upcoming Monday. I have taken advice about visiting MicroCenter in person to see if they will be able to offer a respectable discount on any of my components. I had NOT intended to go to MicroCenter as it was a forty minute drive but as was suggested by someone on the forum, wouldn't it be worth it if I could save approximately $100 or so on my build cost because MicroCenter oftens offers very good combo deals especially on MB and a CPU. Anyway the MicroCenter store in my area only opened a couple of months ago so it should be interesting at the least to look around.

Otherwise, every single component for my new rig is going to be purchased thorough Amazon that offers competitive prices over TigerDirect which I have used often in the past and over NewEgg that actually charges for shipping on certain items that cost over $100. Maybe I am spoiled but this doesn't seem so great a business plan. I am an Amazon Prime member so I get free two-day shipping on every single item I am purchasing and that sweetens the deal to know that I will receive everything on the same day.

As an FYI, if you are a student or have access still to your college .edu email address then you can sign up for a FREE six month trial of the Amazon Student Prime program, which is the one I am signed into because I am in school. After six month, it costs only $39.99 for a year and that is half the price of their regular Amazon Prime cost. If you use Amazon, sign up for the program as you can easily cancel out of it before it reaches the six month point. But u might find yourself spoiled as such speedy two-day and sometime next-day delivery of your online purchases from the Amazon.

Finally, I will include a link to the PCPartPicker site that lists all most computer components. Here's the link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xWsv

Feedback is always welcome if you want to offer an alternative as a possible consideration for me than I am into it. These are the last days before I commit totally to the my components, so the time is now to voice any opinion or suggestions.

 

[JMer806]

The build looks great!

I can't comment on the specifics of the cooler you've selected, but I think you're making a good choice based on the information that you gave.