New Ivy Bridge Work Build $1,500

[josejones]

New Ivy Bridge Work Build $1,500

We need a new computer mostly for work (personal as well). We use Adobe CS, Word, Photo Shop, Office, XSite Pro and more almost everyday. We have to build our own websites create our own product description videos and DVD's and do fairly large uploads to our manufacturer.

I'm a bit confused with some of the new stuff out now and not sure what to get that would be best for our needs at a decent price. I don't know which would be best for us at this point between Intel or the AMD F1 or APU thing or what.

In following the article *How To Ask For New Build Advice*:

Purchase date: around June/July 2012 (after the bios, drivers and bugs have been worked out on the z77 & Ivy Bridge)

Budget Range: $1,000 to $1,500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: For work - Adobe CS, Office, Word, Photo Shop, XSite Pro, powerpoint lectures, making/rendering HD videos and music, watching movies, occasional minor online gaming.

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers... We got a new Asus VH222 monitor 1.5 years ago. 500g HD 6 months old but, would love a new SSD.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg is fine

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: Unsure, I think I want...

Case with removable dust filters, great air flow, quite
at least a quad-core CPU
8g minimum preferably 16g DDR3 1600 RAM

Overclocking: We will never overclock anything, we want a long lifespan.

SLI or Crossfire: We will never use more than one GPU

Additional Comments:

Quite, low energy consumption (we're always working), low heat &/or great air flow, reliable PC with no compatibility or downtime issues, lots of multi-tasking capability. It would be great if we could network between the desktop & a laptop (don't have laptop yet) at some point. We will need a laptop to do powerpoint lectures across several countries at the end of this year.

Price is an issue, I might be able to stretch to $1,500 max by July if it's really worth it (I'm curious about Ivy Bridge)... we'll see. I wanted the new, next generation hardware i.e. USB 3 (pretty standard now) and PCIe 3.0 (still not available by AMD). I was hoping for a mobo that included all gen 3 features and lose all the USB 2, PCIe 2 sata 2 etc and go all gen 3 since it's all backwards compatible but, that may not happen until Haswell.

 

[josejones]

^ Water cooling sounds expensive. I wasn't expecting that as an added expense. I may have to wait a bit longer. Or, at least until there are several more reviews of the i7 3770 to sus out what all can be done on the heat issue. I don't want to have a noise issue as a result of taking care of the heat issue.

 

[josejones]

i5-3550 Ivy Bridge review:

"The thing is i got this cpu today and i installed it onto my case. Then when i boot it up its fine and everything. Then after like 20 minutes it starts to have a black screen, i taught it was my power problem so when i got on, i check the asrock temp sensor in the bios. The temp was 85 and going up by the second by fives. Later did i know it became 100oC then my computer shutted down to keep my proccesor from over heating"

i5-3570K Ivy Bridge review:

"Wasn't expecting the heat

Pros: Fast, big upgrade speed wise from older core 2 duo I had before. Newest tech for reasonable price. Was expecting it to run cooler and more efficient due to hype about new transistors. Waited through Sandy Bridge for this release.

Cons: I'm a mild overclocker and was expecting to get a small over clock on the stock cooler without seeing 90C temps using stock voltages. That didn't happen, 4.0ghz = 90C for me. That's not even a 5% overclock.

They should price this unlocked boxed chip lower and not force users to buy the HSF if it can barely keep the chip cool at stock speeds. I hate paying for something just to have to throw it away.

Took an egg off for this heat issue and pathetic stock cooler.

Other Thoughts: I'm sure spending more money on a serious cooler I can get the temps down. I'm sure for a serious overclocker my complaint isn't a valid one. But I am slightly disappointed in this release given all the hype about being more efficient, then having to deal with this heat issue which seems pretty warm to me even at stock speeds. I was expecting it to run cooler than SB, not hotter."

"... with CM Hyper212 evo, after installing drivers immediately went to 43x100mhx for 4.3ghz, no voltage change..hit 70c and started to worry about the heat issues."

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007671%20600315409&IsNodeId=1&name=Ivy%20Bridge

 

[josejones]

At least Intel had the integrity to admit that there was a heat issue with Ivy. Has Tom's Hardware asked Intel if they plan to make any necessary adjustments with their choice in thermal paste?

Ivy Bridge proven to suffer from poor thermal grease
http://vr-zone.com/articles/ivy-bridge-proven-to-suffer-from-poor-thermal-grease/15844.html#ixzz1uZnjChme

I'm also curious if there are any other issues with Ivy such as bios, drivers or any bug issues that also need to be worked out?

 

[josejones]

Here's a thread discussing some bios issues and bugs with the GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1692876

 

[Proximon]

Since June is just around the corner now I will take this on. My recommendations are going to be a bit different though.

Your 85C ambient temp is not something to agonize over. It's simply a consideration you can make allowances for if you wish.

Your choice of a Hyperthreaded quad is probably OK, given Adobe CS as your top priority. You have two options.

1. Start with the i7 2700K. If it's not enough power at some point, overclock it. Intel will allow that if you hand them a little extra:
http://click.intel.com/tuningplan/

2. Start with an i7 3770S. You will be locked into performance a little bit faster than the stock IB, perhaps, but the performance gains are roughly equivalent to the heat gains, for you.

Now, I know which way I would go, but you said you didn't want to OC.

■ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
■Antec Three Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Upgraded 2 x USB 3.0
■G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C10D-16GAO
Low profile RAM Speeds may impact some of your usage, so 1600 CL10 was selected over 1333.
■G.SKILL 4GB Micro SDHC Flash Card w/ SD Adapter Model FF-TSDG4GA-C4
This list will contain various free stuff newegg throws in.
■ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
The H77 chipset is a high end chipset for non OC folks.
■Intel Core i7-3770S Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 65W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770S
■Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM
Win 7 Pro provides features useful in an office environment. Specifically network backups and the XP virtual mode.
■ABBYY Finereader 9 Express - System Builder - OEM
■2x ZALMAN F3 FDB 120mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing Case Fan
Some extra fans for your case that should be good. can be controlled by a controller or the board.
■Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler
A CPU cooler that is very effective and very quiet. Just get it and have peace
■Monster Cable Model 128202-00 4 ft. Standard THX-Certified THX V100 HDMI Cable M-M
More free junk
■Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
TOTAL: $1,112.72

 

[josejones]

Thanks for that, Proximon - your recommendations are within my price range. I don't have $1,500 anymore due to things that have 'come up' since February. Now, I'm down to around the $1,000 range. I may have a couple hundred more in a few weeks though. We'll see.

 

[josejones]

I'm trying to figure out the best way to deal with a local computer shop in order to get the best deal for this new build. I could do some of the build myself but, I'm no pro and if there are any problems I'm screwed. That's why I'd just prefer a credible and competent computer shop do it and provide their warranty. This build is for our small business so, I can't risk screwing it up or anything going wrong.

Here's the shop, it's a family owned business and they've always done good work for us in the past - just not a new build: http://www.cybercenteronline.com/retail.html

I'd like to know if I can buy a couple things (or whatever I want) from an online retailer like Micro Center or Newegg to save money and then, let them build it? Of course, I'd have to deal with any possible RMA's myself though.

I'd love to get a combo deal at Micro Center with the i7 3770 with the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H. Right now, it says "$139.99 if purchased with the i5 3570K processor"

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0386359

but nothing about the i7 3770.

I'm just trying to maximize quality while trying to keep costs down as much as possible. How can I best save money in this case?

 

[Proximon]

That's up to them. They probably want to make money from your parts as well as labor, but if they are willing to discuss it with you perhaps you can work something out. Pay a little extra for using your parts, or get them to price match identical parts as part of the deal.

 

[Isaiah4110]

Thanks for that, Proximon - your recommendations are within my price range. I don't have $1,500 anymore due to things that have 'come up' since February. Now, I'm down to around the $1,000 range. I may have a couple hundred more in a few weeks though. We'll see.

I've been working out a build for myself that I wasn't going to post until I read this comment you made because you were initially looking in the $1500 range. Given that your budget has dropped, I'll post the link here as a starting point:

Newegg ~$1200 Gaming PC Wishlist

Admittedly that build is configured for a different purpose, but I think it is a good starting point and would make a great PC for your purposes with just some minor tweaks.

The motherboard has a combo special at MicroCenter with the Core i5-3570K. I think that should be ok for your purposes. My understanding is that hyper-threading is still the only real difference between an i7 and i5 processor. That might give you a slight performance increase, but I doubt that it would be worth the cost.

The case and video card are overkill for your purposes, and you can probably shave $200 off the total price by downgrading those two components.

The RAM can be swapped out to something less expensive without sacrificing performance as well. All told, my final recommendation would look something like this:

From MicroCenter:
$190 Intel Core i5-3570K (no need to overclock it. It just provides a nice deal with the MB)
$90 ASRock Z77 Extreme4
$40 HyperX blu 8GB DDR3-1600
From Newegg:
~$50-70 Case (Others on here usually have good recommendations for high airflow with low sound levels)
~$100-150 video card (sounds like you don't need anything too crazy, maybe something like the XFX Double D HD-685X-ZDFC for $135)
$230 Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe MKNSSDCR240GB-DX
$61 CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 Power Supply ($90-10% promo code, -$20 MIR)
$100-140 Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional (your pick, OEM version)

Total Cost: $971 (using the higher prices where a range is given)

You could even choose a lower end video card to save money and lower noise levels and power consumption if you wanted to. If I remember correctly, I frequently see 3 cases recommended here, one from Lian-Li, one from Corsair, and one from Cooler Master. I believe they each fall into the $50-70 range, but I don't know the specific models.

For photo, video, and music storage, you should reuse the 500 GB hard drive as a storage drive in this PC. Install Windows and all your programs to the SSD.

 

[josejones]

I'm waiting to see if the new Gigabyte Z77Z-UP5 TH is worth waiting for - not just because of the two thunderbolt ports but, because of the alleged lower mobo temps, which I'm concerned about with our 85F indoor temps. I await a serious review. These new boards are supposed to be available by the end of June:

Gigabyte's Hardcore Thunderbolt Demo with GA-Z77Z-UP5 TH Motherboard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deImUH8aUHQ

Gigabyte Ultra Durable 5 at Computex, shows much lower temperatures
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLggGetNR14

http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/tech-news-gigabyte-announces-thunderbolt-enabled-motherboards-computex-2012-updated-video

Gigabyte Ultra Durable 5
http://www.gigabyte.com/press-center/news-page.aspx?nid=1128

 

[josejones]

Here's where I'm at now - it's almost time:

MB: Gigabyte z77 UD5 or Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH (waiting for it to come out)
CPU: Ivy Bridge i7 3770
RAM: Mushkin 16g DDR3 1600
SSD: Mushkin 120g
HD: WD 1T 7200 RPM
Case: Antec 302 or 1
OS: Windows 7 Prof, 64-bit

PSU: Seasonic or Kingwin

I'm waiting to find out if the new Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH mobo is worth getting or if it's too pricey. I've got to chose a PSU too - what wattage would you suggest? I may end up getting a decent GPU at some point too - possibly an NVidia 650TI or 660TI. Should I get for the build above - a 550w, 650w or 750w?

$159 KINGWIN LZP-650w PLATINUM Certified
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121092

REVIEW: Kingwin LZP-550w
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/03/01/kingwin_lzp550_550w_power_supply_review/9

---

$139 (regular $179) SeaSonic X Series X-650 Gold
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

$159 (reg $189) SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087

REVIEW: Seasonic X Series: X-750
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/09/25/seasonic_x_series_x750_power_supply_review/1

 

[Isaiah4110]

Here's where I'm at now - it's almost time:

MB: Gigabyte z77 UD5 or Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH (waiting for it to come out)
CPU: Ivy Bridge i7 3770
RAM: Mushkin 16g DDR3 1600
SSD: Mushkin 120g
HD: WD 1T 7200 RPM
Case: Antec 302 or 1
OS: Windows 7 Prof, 64-bit

PSU: Seasonic or Kingwin

I'm waiting to find out if the new Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH mobo is worth getting or if it's too pricey. I've got to chose a PSU too - what wattage would you suggest? I may end up getting a decent GPU at some point too - possibly an NVidia 650TI or 660TI. Should I get for the build above - a 550w, 650w or 750w?

$159 KINGWIN LZP-650w PLATINUM Certified
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121092

REVIEW: Kingwin LZP-550w
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/03/01/kingwin_lzp550_550w_power_supply_review/9

---

$139 (regular $179) SeaSonic X Series X-650 Gold
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

$159 (reg $189) SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087

REVIEW: Seasonic X Series: X-750
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/09/25/seasonic_x_series_x750_power_supply_review/1

Just FYI: Right now (on both Newegg and Amazon in the US) it only costs $35 to upgrade from their best 120 GB model to their best 240 GB model. Would be definitely worth considering in my book, especially with how much software it looks like you will be installing.

Also, you just missed a great deal yesterday on the 128GB Samsung 830 for $90 on Newegg.



As far as the PSU wattage goes, if you only add one solid GPU later and don't plan on doing any major overclocking then I would expect a good quality 550W PSU (single 12V rail) would be good enough for you. If you want to OC then I might lean more towards the 650W, and if you want to CF/SLI then 750W.

 

[Proximon]

I would personally buy the Kingwin out of curiosity But building for someone I would likely go with what I know... Seasonic.

 

[Isaiah4110]

Here's where I'm at now - it's almost time:

MB: Gigabyte z77 UD5 or Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH (waiting for it to come out)
CPU: Ivy Bridge i7 3770
RAM: Mushkin 16g DDR3 1600
SSD: Mushkin 120g
HD: WD 1T 7200 RPM
Case: Antec 302 or 1
OS: Windows 7 Prof, 64-bit

PSU: Seasonic or Kingwin

I'm waiting to find out if the new Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH mobo is worth getting or if it's too pricey. I've got to chose a PSU too - what wattage would you suggest? I may end up getting a decent GPU at some point too - possibly an NVidia 650TI or 660TI. Should I get for the build above - a 550w, 650w or 750w?

$159 KINGWIN LZP-650w PLATINUM Certified
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121092

REVIEW: Kingwin LZP-550w
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/03/01/kingwin_lzp550_550w_power_supply_review/9

---

$139 (regular $179) SeaSonic X Series X-650 Gold
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

[strike]$159[/strike]$119!!! (reg $189) SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087

REVIEW: Seasonic X Series: X-750
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/09/25/seasonic_x_series_x750_power_supply_review/1

Another FYI: This weekend (72 hours, Fri-Sun) 80Plus Gold 750W Seasonic PSU is only $119 with free shipping from Newegg.

I can't say I've monitored every PSU deal on Newegg for the past year or anything, but this has to be easily the best deal I have seen. Seasonic is also listed by most people as the PSU brand to get. It is also kinda hard to beat that 5 year warranty. I would jump on this deal if I were you.

 

[josejones]

Holy-moly - great finds Isaiah4110, you are right - the Mushkin 240g SSD is only $35 more than the 120g!!!And, that Seasonic 750w on sale for $119 is a great deal!!!

The money I'm saving on the PSU can be used for that bigger SSD!

Having a larger PSU than I'll ever need is okay because it doesn't hurt anything at all - right? It probably just gives me more energy efficiency to cruse at around the 50% load range, right?

Thanks for having my back, Isaiah4110 - I probably would never have noticed!

 

[josejones]

So, I'm in the middle of trying to place an order for that Seasonic - do I really have to sign up for that 30 day trial thingy in order to get the free shipping?

 

[josejones]

^ Okay, so I ended up NOT having to sign-up for that 30 day trial thingy.

I did, however, just buy TWO Seasonic 750w on sale for $119!!!

 

[Isaiah4110]

Having a larger PSU than I'll ever need is okay because it doesn't hurt anything at all - right? It probably just gives me more energy efficiency to cruse at around the 50% load range, right?

Thanks for having my back, Isaiah4110 - I probably would never have noticed!

Yes to the first part. If I remember correctly, PSUs hit their optimum efficiencies at right around 50% load. The closer you can get to having your typical draw be around that level, the better your efficiency will be.

And no problem on letting you know about the deals. I'm a big budget-er myself, so saving money like that is huge to me.

 

[Isaiah4110]

^ Okay, so I ended up NOT having to sign-up for that 30 day trial thingy.

I did, however, just buy TWO Seasonic 750w on sale for $119!!!

If the 30-day trial to which you were referring is the one I think it is, then you are correct that you didn't need it. If it is what I am thinking then I think it is roughly Newegg's equivalent to Amazon's Prime membership.

 

[josejones]

^ Yeah, I think you're probably right about that 30-day trial thingy.

BTW, I did score free 3-day shipping with those 2 Seasonic 750w on sale for $119 PSU's. I assume that may have saved me another up to $20 for two PSU's.

 

[Proximon]

Most very efficient PSUs have efficiency profiles that are pretty good in the lower range. You CAN get into trouble sometimes if you use a very large PSU (1200W +) with a very low power system... they just aren't designed to produce good power at those levels. Only applies to SOME large PSUs.

What GPU are you using?

 

[josejones]

I was planning on getting the NVidia 660TI but, it won't be out until Q3, apparently.

http://videocardz.com/nvidia/geforce-600/geforce-gtx-660ti

These guys seem to operate a very rigorous review and it still won the top award - REVIEW: Seasonic X Series: X-750
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/09/25/seasonic_x_series_x750_power_supply_review/1

 

[Isaiah4110]

Holy-moly - great finds Isaiah4110, you are right - the Mushkin 240g SSD is only $35 more than the 120g!!!And, that Seasonic 750w on sale for $119 is a great deal!!!

So..... If you haven't already ordered your SSD, Newegg just dropped their prices on Mushkin's best SSDs. The 120 GB MKNSSDCR120GB-DX is now only $190 and, you'll hate this if you already ordered, the 240 GB MKNSSDCR240GB-DX is only $200!!!!!


If I had the money to be buying for my new rig right now I would jump on that price. It actually makes me kinda sad that I don't. I just have to keep telling myself that the prices will have come down even more by the time I can finally build.

 

[josejones]

Well crapola, I wonder why there are so many 1 star reviews at Newegg for the Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 240g?

What's up with that? One person comments:

"You may want to wait until the SF-2281 controller is fixed before buying."

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-226-226&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo

What's the warranty on these?

Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe - DX 120g $189
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226225

Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe - DX 240g $199
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226226

 

[Isaiah4110]

Well crapola, I wonder why there are so many 1 star reviews at Newegg for the Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 240g?

What's up with that? One person comments:

"You may want to wait until the SF-2281 controller is fixed before buying."

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-226-226&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo

What's the warranty on these?

Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe - DX 120g $189
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226225

Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe - DX 240g $199
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226226

These drives come with a 3 year manufacturer warranty. You can find that information on the details tab of the Newegg product page.

I already threw a detailed reply over on your other thread, so I'll just link it rather than paste the entire thing here.