New Ivy Bridge Work Build $1,500

josejones

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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

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The current system to see what I'm dealing with here is ...

CPU: AMD 1.6 Sempron (upgraded to 2.1 Athlon 3200 two years ago)
GPU: onboard
Mobo: MSI RS480M
HD: WD 80g (upgraded to WD 500g last year)
RAM: 512 (upgraded to 2g two years ago)
PSU: 250w
OS: XP

I'd prefer:

MB: GIGABYTE z77 UD 3 or 5
CPU: Ivy Bridge i7 3770
RAM: 8 or 16g
SSD: Intel 520 Cherryville 120g or Mushkin?
HD: ?
GPU: ?
PSU: Seasonic or Coolermaster?
Case: Antec 302?
OS: Windows 7, 64-bit

Do Mushkin make great SSD's and RAM? What size wattage PSU would you recommend? I'm still trying to figure out if the Intel HD4000 integrated graphics will work fine for me or if I will need a discrete GPU like say for example an NVidia 650?
 

josejones

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Maybe Crucial would be a better choice for an SSD?

I was just looking at Newegg and noticed this Asus mobo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131804

"ASUS SSD Caching 3X faster performance at a click. SSD Caching from ASUS is easier than ever. At 3X faster, this feature boosts system performance by using an installed SSD with no capacity limitations as a cache for frequently accessed data. Harness a combination of SSD-like performance and response and hard drive capacity with just one click, no rebooting needed and instant activation for complete ease of use, and even prevent data loss with included backup functionality."

http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/P9X79_PRO/

I assume they will come out with a new board for the Ivy Bridge when it finally comes out, right?

It's probably overkill for what I need since I'm not a gamer and will never overclock anything since I want a very long lifespan. All I ever see is stuff for gamers. Where do I go to find stuff that meets my needs for my business/work without all the over kill features that I don't need and will never use?
 

josejones

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Update: I've been saving up so, it looks like I may actually have closer to $1,800 to spend.

If I go with Intel's Ivy Bridge CPU and an NVidia 650 at around 120 watts what wattage power supply would be just right?

CPU: Ivy Bridge

GPU: NVidia 650

MB:

SSD: 64g Crucial M4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441

Best SSDs For The Money: January 2012
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/m4-ssd-capacity-comparison,2957.html

RAM: 16g Crucial DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148545

PSU: Antec 520W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030



 

serialkiller

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bang for buck

intel i5 2400 or i7 2500
asus h61 mobo (as it has quick sync which would help tremendously for video editing and as u are not overclocking)

asus gtx 560 ti dcu ii
256 gb samsung 830 ssd
4x4 gb vengence ram
cm haf 912
 

serialkiller

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bang for buck

intel i5 2400 or i7 2500
asus h61 mobo (as it has quick sync which would help tremendously for video editing and as u are not overclocking)

asus gtx 560 ti dcu ii
256 gb samsung 830 ssd
4x4 gb vengence ram
cm haf 912
corsair 650 w 80+ psu

more performance

i7 3930k
asus sabertooth x79 or the mobo u chosen before
cm hyper 212+ or evo
cm haf x or cm storm trooper
and rest is same.
 

josejones

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I was under the impression the new Ivy Bridge coming out in April (desktop) was on the 2011 socket; is that a mistake? I've never had Intel before so I sure do get confused with all those different sockets. Do different sockets matter much with performance?

I'm waiting for Ivy Bridge so do I need to go with a z77 mobo with socket 1155 then? Or, will there be a new mobo out to go with the new release of Ivy Bridge?

Since all I've ever had has been AMD, what all do I need to know about Intel that will be better or be worse just so I'm fully informed of what I'm getting into by going with Intel this time?

I understand that there's been a delay with mass release of IB but, that's just the laptop/mobile sector, right? I've read a few articles on this delay and it's still not exactly clear if IB desktops will be out in April or not and for what price.
 

josejones

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I'm curious, when will the newer motherboards stop including the soon to be obsolete USB 2.0 and PCIe 2.0 and go with all gen 3? I don't even want a mobo with USB 2.0 and PCIe 2.0.

I'm just waiting for Ivy Bridge to come out and I'm considering going with a Gigabyte motherboard. I use most of these nearly everyday for work:

Adobe CS (I'll get the new CS 6 when it comes out soon), Office, Word, Photo Shop, XSite Pro (for building our own websites). I also create our own powerpoint lectures, and now we have to create/render our own HD videos. A bit of music, 3D graphics and 3D web design, Skype, watching movies, occasional minor online gaming.

Would you recommend the Z77 or the X79? Or will there be a new mobo out in the next month or two?

I was considering going with a GIGABYTE mobo z77 but, I don't even see one available here ... what's up with that?

GIGABYTE
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/main.aspx?s=42
 

serialkiller

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would post every component tommorow have a*hectic day

better go with i7 2600 or i7 3820
ive bridge is not a big upgrade
go for x79 has quad channel 40 pci lanes flagship could upgrade to 6core extreme edition and easy overclocking without or voiding warrante

if u are waiting for ib then wait for kepler and will decrease prices down:)
 
From what you have now, a $1500 budget will be a massive upgrade.

You would do well with sandy bridge now, but, unless your need is urgent, I would wait for ivy bridge. Last I heard, April 8 is launch and availability date.
The new cpu's will be priced in the same ranges as current sandy bridge offerings. But, because of 22nm vs 32nm construction, they will be 10% faster per clock, and will run cooler.

In the mean time continue your research and perhaps do some shopping for components that will not change.

Here are some of my thoughts:

1) Motherboard size: How many expansion slots do you really need? A full ATX motherboard has 7. A Micro-ATX has 4 and a mini-ITX has one.
All will have a pci-e x16 slot for a discrete graphics card. No doubt, we will see a full gamut of cases launched with ivy bridge.

2) I do not see a need for a discrete graphics card. A discrete graphics card is needed for fast action gaming. The current sandy bridge integrated graphics is fine for Playing HD video, and other normal work. It will be about the equivalent of a $50 discrete graphics card, and suitable for casual gaming.
Only for fast action racing sims or shooters would a discrete card be appropriate.

More importantly, the current integrated graphics will support two 1920 x 1600 monitors. A second monitor is one of the most productive options for any type of work.
Ivy bridge will improve on the integrated graphics in speed, greater number of monitors, and higher resolutions.

3) You can shop for a quiet case now. A good resource for this is www.silentpcreview.com For quiet, you want larger, slower turning fans in your case.
If you go for a full ATX motherboard, look at the Antec solo2.
I use a Silverstone TJ-08E m-atx case. It's 180mm intake fan is very quiet, offering plenty of cooling.
Both cases have washable intake air filters

4) You really don't need more than the stock cooler that comes with the cpu. But I would get one anyway. It need not be expensive, $30 buys you a cm hyper212 or Xigmatek gaia. Their slow turning 120mm fans will keep your cpu quieter and cooler under load.

5) 64 bit enabled editing apps can make great use of ram to avoid work file i/o. Sandy bridge,(and presumably ivy bridge) is insensitive to ram speeds. Since ram is so cheap, I would consider a 16gb kit of ddr3-1333 or 1600. Today, 4gb sticks are 2/3 the price of 8gb sticks, but that is changing. If you want more that 16gb, you will need windows 7 pro or ultimate, and plan on using 8gb sticks. Defer on the ram, since it is getting cheaper, and you will want to check on motherboard compatibility.

6) Get a SSD for the os and some apps. A SSD is 50x faster in random i/o than the fastest hard drive. That is what the os does mostly. It is also 2-3x faster in sequential i/o. If you can afford the capacity to hold all your normally used work files, that is the way to go. Otherwise use a hard drive for storage and overflow. 60gb is enough for the os and a few apps. 120gb is probably much better. Today, I would not buy anything but intel or samsung for reliability. Defer a SSD purchase, since prices are still coming down.

7) ivy bridge is compatible with the current sandy bridge. So, expect that the motherboards will be similar. Since you will not need a discrete graphics card, pci-e 3.0 or whatever is irrelevant. Even with the single fastest discrete card available today, there is no meaningfull difference in fps between pci-e 2.0 and 3.0.

8) You can shop for a psu today. Without a discrete graphics card, you will only need about 300w. It turns out that stronger 400-500w psu's do not cost any more. Whatever, buy a quality psu. My short list of quality psu's would include Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, PC P&C, and XFX. If you buy a gold rated psu, it will cost a bit more, but the fan will hardly run, and it will be exceptionally quiet.
Here is an example: of a seasonic 560w unit:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151098
The unit is strong enough to power a discrete graphics card as strong as a GTX570 or 7970.
 

Tavo_Nova

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for a 1800$ system, if you can add another 100 or 200$ go for sandy bridge-E

i7 3839K system, (with that you can even have x2 gtx570) but since its for work you wouldn't need that, just any cheap gpu is good enough, the RAM you will need, just grab a corsair vengeance/g.skill ripjaws Z, for 32gb (8X4GB) then a corsair h100 for cooling, a asus mobo if not msi mobo x79a-gd45 (or the small ones) depends on what you like if not get the gd65(8D) then some nice SSD but not really needed so you can just go for a HDD, and you will have more to spare then a 750W seasonic psu (just in case you want to upgrade and add a lot of other stuff and if by some reason you happen to get into gaming or what not then its good) for GPU you can also choose cheap ones or get a gtx560ti with your budget, no need for holding back get what you can and go extreme ^_^
 

josejones

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Big thanks, geofelt!

I'm still learning but, folks here at Tom's have been a huge help. My selection of hardware is nearly complete.

I'm definitely going to wait for Ivy Bridge and the z77. I'll wait for a few reviews too. I'm stoked over the 22nm resulting in lower TDP and lower heat plus an increase in performance and the PCIe 3.0, all for a fair price.

1. I will only need about 3 expansion slots 4 at most.

2. I'm hoping the HD 4000 will be just fine for me for now until GPU prices on the 6xx and 7xxx come down. I wonder how the HD 4000 compares to the MSI RS480M with the onboard ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Series I've been using, just for fun?

3. I have my eye on the new Antec 302 case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129180

4. I will keep those CPU coolers in mind.

5. I definitely wanted DDR3 1600 ram. If I can get a good deal I'll go with 16g instead of 8g.

6. I plan on getting a 120g SSD for OS & programs. To save money I'll have to use my 500g HD for now too, at least until prices come down more. I had been considering an Intel SSD for reliability.

7. Makes sense.

8. Well, I'm glad you brought that up because I'm still struggling with my decision on a PSU. I can get by on the HD 4000 for now but, I don't want to screw myself down the road if I decide to get a decent GPU. I definitely don't want to have to buy a new PSU just so I can add a GPU - which is pretty much what happened with my current system w/ a 250w PSU. I was considering at least 400w up to about 550w. That 560 PSU sure would be nice if I decided to get a nice GPU. I had been thinking about an NVidia 650 or a 7890 down the road when prices come way down.

My local computer shop recommends Cooler Master due to their own experience with low return/issue rate:

Cooler Master GX-550W
http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6641

COOLER M GX 450W
http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/category.php?category_by=1&category_id=1676&category_name=GX

Is Cooler Master a wise choice for PSU's?
 
2. When sandy bridge was announced, I remember the graphics capability as being comparable to a $50 discrete graphics card. The HD4000 is supposed to be considerably better.

5. Sandy bridge(and presumably ivy bridge) is insensitive to ram speeds. More is better than faster.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3
Also, 1.5v ram does not really need any heat spreaders.

6. I agree with Intel for reliability. With the introduction of the 520 series, the 510 and 320 series may start to see some good rebates. I recently bought a 80gb 320 for $80 after rebate. For random i/o, which is what the os does mostly, the 320/510/520 will perform equally in a normal desktop environment. Also check out Samsung 830 which also seems to be quite reliable.

8. There are lots of 500-650w psu's in the $65-$90 range. From what I can tell, coolermaster has been mixed, depending on the particular model. Personally, I would go with the best I can find. jonnyguru is one of the most respected test and review sites, do some research there.
It is not wrong to overprovision your psu a bit so that under maximum load, the fan will not spin up and become noisy.
 

adgjlsfhk

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Ivy Bridge is a big update if you care about power efficiency, ram speed or graphics. I would recommend the I5-3750
 

josejones

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geofelt, jonnyguru appears to be quite impressed with that PSU you recommended:

jonnyguru Reviews - Seasonic X-560 560W

For this new Ivy Bridge build, I refuse to put a cheap PSU in there. I'm going with a quality PSU this time for sure.

So, just to reiterate, it won't "hurt" anything in my new system if I have far more wattage from my PSU than I need? So, even if I put a 750w PSU in with a system that didn't require more than say about 400w, my other hardware would still be fine?
 

morgoth780

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yes, having more than enough wattage in the psu won't hurt anything, but having not enough possibly will
 


A psu will draw only the wattage that is demanded of it, regardless of the maximum wattage rating.

If you care, a psu will operate most efficiently in the middle third of it's range.
That is why I suggest a bit of overprovisioning.

Also, a quality psu will be able to deliver it's advertised wattage continuously, not just at peak which cheap psu's advertised. In fact, a quality psu will often be able to deliver more than it's rated power if it needs to.

 

josejones

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Thanks morgoth780

Excellent, because I'm really liking the quality of that Seasonic 560w PSU - I wonder if I can get it for under $99 without the high dollar velvet bag I will never use? I also like how the fan only spins when it needs to, which extends its lifespan. It's big though so I hope it will fit in the Antec 302 case I'm considering.

My only issues with the Antec 302 case would be not having a place for a couple SSD's in the bay area where I'd prefer them to be but, there are those two oddly placed spots so, I guess that'll have to do. Wish the case came with a fan in the front. Also, an all black interior and side window would've been an extra bonus. The price is right though so, can't really complain.

Here's a video review of that Antec 302 case: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubX0pKrtZiI

geofelt, I do care about that "middle third of it's range" - ie the sweet spot. So, would I still be in the sweet spot if I did eventually get a GPU such as a NVidia 650 or AMD 7890? They're only around 120 watts. If so, I may go with your recommended PSU or an equivalent. I've gone through a few reviews of it and it's an all around kick-arse PSU, no doubt.