New machine, would appreciate input

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gheedorah

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Nov 9, 2011
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I'd like to build my own machine, and learn all the ins-and-outs of a lot of concepts of hardware operations, but I'm a very slow learner, and right now just isn't the right time for me to undertake a task like this. So, that being said, I am buying a machine today, and have gone as cheap as possible on the motherboard (ASUS P8Z77-V LX), and want to know from you resident experts here whether that will in any way negate:

Paying for a mild overclocking of the 3770k
Splurging for the 7970 HIS IceQ X2 GHz Edition

And if so, what is the lowest-cost motherboard to sub in?

I cringe when my lady buys a new Mac every other year (omg you're throwing money away), and I'm assuming that would be the same reaction to the aforementioned paying for the OCing, but like I said, that's where I am right now.

Thanks for any feedback.

Also, if necessary for answering my question, the rest of the build is:

8 GB 1866Mhz RAM
128GB SSD
1TB 7200RPM HDD

Sufficient power supply, lots of fans, etc.

(P.S. would I see any gain going beyond 8 gigs of RAM?)

BTW, this will be for random gaming (I have phases of MMO's for a few months at a time- Rift or Aion or Secret World or whatever), as well as Photoshop/Illustrator/Indesign/Captivate/some light video editing.
 
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If you don't know how to overclock, I suggest you don't do it. Or at least not start on an expensive processor.

You don't need CrossFire 7970 for video editing. You can even go cheaper than a 7970. 16GB would be nice for video editing. As for the motherboard, I'd pick a Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H.
 
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Not doing it myself- ordering through cyberpowerpc. Just paying a little extra to get a little extra oomph out of it, since I'll likely not do it myself in the future.



Re: GPU, I could go cheaper, but I'm splurging a little bit. If I did downgrade the 7970, what would you recommend?

Re: RAM, I'll bump it up to 16 GB. I have read a lot of reviews that there will be pretty nominal difference between 1600 and 1866 Mhz, but its also a pretty nominal price difference, and since I don't need to purchase any peripherals, I figured I'd spend the extra whatever, 20 bucks. Any compelling reason not to?

Re: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H, I've seen a lot of great reviews for this motherboard. Will I gain performance from it, or does it simply have more features (that I may potentially never use)?

Thanks for your quick response, btw.
 
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You're splurging with a video card but you're looking for the lowest cost motherboard, to which every single component is connected? Not very rational. Heck, for your needs (casual gamer, video editing, etc.) that card doesn't even come close to being necessary, if I were you I'd invest in a better mobo and offset the cost to a more appropriate video card.

8GB of memory is generally quite sufficient. At the reasonable cost of memory these days, I'd say go ahead and get more - it won't necessarily speed things up, but depending on what video editing software you use, the extra RAM may come in handy; same deal with Photoshop (depending on version).

Good choice on the CPU - it will overclock well (again, with a good motherboard...) and it has highly respectable benchmarks.

Just out of curiosity, which PSU did you decide to go with?

 
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I'm aware everything connects to the motherboard =)

I'm the "can change a tire or do an oil change" version of a computer guy- I get the basics. In all of my attempts at researching/comparing motherboards, all I could find were references to random features, mostly that I would never have any use for. It is surprisingly difficult to find information regarding differences in actual, benchmark-able performance between boards. Anyway, this is why I was double-checking here!

Would you second ksham's suggestion (Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H)?

I know I could go cheaper- much cheaper- on a GPU. I'm splurging, and I'd like a card that will swallow-whole any game I might randomly throw at it, as well as handle very quickly any Adobe CS apps. Two suggestions to downgrade the GPU- any specific cards suggested in place of it?

PSU = Thermaltake Smart Series SP-850M 80 Plus Bronze Modular Power Supply. Excessive perhaps? Maxing out fans and getting a closed loop water cooler (my present machine is still clunking along with max fans and a GTX 285, which gets hot very quickly in my stuffy baltimore rowhouse). I figured I'd rather pay an extra 20 - 40 bucks for juice I don't need, than try to skimp down to the bottom limit and have any problems.
 
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Zero interest in running Mac OS. I squeezed every last drop out of my G3 in college, and then made the jump to PCs- no going back. The woman is a lawyer, makes six digits, can afford to buy her fancy schmancy macs as she likes- no need to save money or partition or whatever.

My budget is whatever, but I've sort of settled into the under-1800 zone. I can go more than that, but from all the responses here, it sounds like just the 1600 I'm currently looking at paying is overkill.

To reiterate, I won't be building this myself, I'll be paying a retailer to build it for me- so, I'd happily take your suggestions re: build, but if you were going to give me a shopping list, it will be for naught.

 
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Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: Today? Asap. Next few days.

Budget Range: 1500 - 2000 (rebates irrelevant but helpful)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Graphic design (Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign/Captivate/Lectora/Premiere); Gaming; Web design (Flash/Dreamweaver); Websurfing; Laundry Folding; Dishwashing; Hot tub parties

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: N/A (buying pre-built)

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: N/A (buying pre-built)

Location: N/A (buying pre-built)

Parts Preferences: CPU - Intel; GPU - no preference; Motherboard - no preference

Overclocking: Yes, by the good folks at the store

SLI or Crossfire: Nope

Your Monitor Resolution: 920x1200

Additional Comments:

Why Are You Upgrading: Because I can. And because my current machine is on its last leg.
 
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Uh .. what country do you live in? What currency is the 1500-2000?

When you say pre-built, do you mean you want an already assembled computer? Or buy parts so that you can, or someone else can, build it?

Is your monitor resolution really 920x1200? So weird. You don't need a high powered computer at that resolution. You probably want to get a new monitor. I know you said "no" but in your task, I'd highly recommend it.
 
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I wasn't trying to be facetious about the everything connects to the mobo - sorry! The thing about motherboards though is that it really does matter what you get, not because of the feature set, but also because of such issues as the type (quality) of caps used, the quality of the PCB, the power phase solution used, the type of chokes, etc etc - yes it might all look similar, or even the same to most people, but those things all add up to quantifiable outcomes. Cheaper boards use cheaper parts (hence why they're cheaper), so you will get lower OC potential, lower longevity (can be argued, but generally true), lower power efficiency, and so on. At times we strike gold with "budget" priced motherboards that are actually high-quality; but this is the exception, not the rule.

Anyways, the Gigabyte board is good - they use good parts, with a good PCB. I would actually suggest the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 which is the same price and essentially the same quality, but the ASRock has a better audio chip, better passive cooling solution and a better VRM power-phase.

The PSU is OK, actually it is a little excessive, and it's not as efficient as I think you should be looking into. I'd hands down recommend this: CORSAIR HX series HX650 650W, but again, the Thermaltake will do the job well.
 
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Edited the build at cyberpowerpc per some comments here, and its coming in at $1527, including building and shipping, and not reflecting mail-in rebates.

I believe the cost of the link above does not include the 40 build cost, plus shipping costs, and does reflect rebates.

CAS: Apevia X-Dreamer4 Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ Side-Panel Window, USB 3.0 & Temperature Display

CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-3770K 3.50 GHz 8MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1155

CS_FAN: Default case fans

FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan

FREEBIE_CU: FREE 500GB External Hard Drive with Intel® Core™ i7 or Intel® Core™ i5 based PCs

FREEBIE_VC: Free Crysis 3, BioShock Infinite and Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon Games Coupon

HDD: 128GB ADATA SP900 SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 550 MB/s Read & 520 MB/s Write

HDD2: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD

MEMORY: 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory

MOTHERBOARD: [CrossFireX/SLI] GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, Ultra Durable4, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, Display Port, 3x Gen3 PCIe X16, 3x PCIe x1 & 1 PCI

NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network

OS: Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Premium

POWERSUPPLY: 750 Watts - EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750B 80 Plus Bronze Modular Power Supply

RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT

SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

VIDEO: AMD Radeon HD 7970 3GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card [+341] (Major Brand Powered by AMD)

_PRICE: (+1527)
 
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Ha. Typo that I didn't notice. 1920 x 1200, not 920 x 1200.
 
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Ha ha, no worries- I wondered if you were (being facetious), but even if you had been, you were still being helpful.

Yeah, I wanted to learn more about motherboards and what to look for, and couldn't really figure much out (still unsure what "PCB" means/is).

And:

[CrossFireX/SLI] ASRock Z77 Extreme4 Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Lucid Virtu MVP, XFast Technologies, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 3x PCIe x16 (2 Gen3, 1 Gen2), 2x PCIe x1 & 2 PCI

Comes in at 6 bucks cheaper than the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H, so that's an easy decision.

Only in the computer hardware world would I trust complete strangers to give me buying advice- and follow that advice- that I've proven incapable of discerning on my own.

 
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ok heres what i would have to say about it

-case is total junk. no where near cases from a major brand
-crap liquid coolers dont come close to proper heatsinks even though they cost a fair bit more for the same performance
-the 128gb sp900 is no where close to a 256gb plextor m5s
-the ud4h is a better board than the ud3h
-you cant expand with 4x4 gb kit.
-evga unit is no where near the xfx gold.
-you are getting a reference 7970. it sucks beyond measure. coil whine is nasty

you arent getting much with a custom builder. go do a custom order at us,ncix instead
 
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If the case has proper ventilation and is able to support the hardware, and fans, and circulate air, what is the difference? (Not being smug- really asking, what benefit I gain from a case like the one you suggested). My current case is also from Apevia, and has done just fine for the last 5 years- am I missing out on something?

I can skip the water cooler, and order the heat sink/have my dad help me put it in.

I will upgrade to a larger SSD- why am I doing so? I thought 128 GB was already excessive, since I figured I'd only use it for OS, and maybe an app or two- everything else will be on the HDD, and superfluous files would be on my external drive anyway? Again, not being smug- what do I need the 256 for (what would I use it for, besides OS and an app or two? Virtual memory?)

Upgrade to that card is +50. I can afford this, but, is this diminishing returns or is it sufficiently better than the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 Intel Z77?

I've read a lot of forums that people pay too much money for "gold" or "platinum" PSUs, and that bronze cert is sufficient. I don't understand what the differences are anyway, but, what will I gain from this upgrade?

I downgraded the card to match what I thought you had in the cart there. I was on the HIS IceQ version.

If I order a build from these guys, how much extra will they charge to ship it? On top of $40 to build it? Will they give me 3 year warranty on their work? Part of ordering a prebuilt for me is getting customer service in case something goes wrong.
 
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Also re: SSD-

Would I notice a difference in speed (520/390 for Plextor vs 550/520 for ADATA)? Is this noticeable difference or no? Is Plextor superior for being 256 GB vs only 120 GB?
 
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The case is just a poor quality build. It also isn't nice to work with. Why spend so much money on your parts just to stick them in a crappy box? But the case is your preference. It is important that you like it. Not me; not TheBigTroll.

I think 120-128GB is good enough.

As for the motherboard, the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 is a great motherboard. Gigabyte's UD3H is on par with it. The UD4H is better. But you won't be disappointed with any of the three.

The PSU certification badges are for efficiency. PSUs in silver are more efficient in energy input than bronze. The hierarchy goes like: regular (80 plus) < bronze < silver < gold < platinum. The efficiency doesn't go up by much in each tier. A few percentages.
 
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the thickness of the steel, the cabling room, and overall rigidness. if it feels solid, then it is built properly.

fair enough. more work for you

128gb is tiny. once you start filling it with games, you will realize its tiny. and my rig is the same price as yours, yet it has double the capacity. why not?

coil whine will annoy the crap out of you. and it changes depending on what you are looking at as well

if i can afford a board that is much better for the same price, why not go with it

more efficiency, silent fan operation at idle loads and the fact that the gold unit is the same price as the bronze unit maikes it a no-brainer

ncix gives you a 1 year warranty. the rest goes to the manufacturer. the parts themselves with the manufacturers range for 3 years to 5. thereby making the 3 year warranty directly from a boutique builder mute.
 
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Yes; you would notice that difference, but only in writes. Superior in what way? If you mean faster? No.
 
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I just clicked "Pick as answer" when I was trying to reply- so, no offense to anyone else! I was just trying to reply and clicked inaccurately.

I didn't think of putting all apps on the SSD. I thought, given the prohibitive cost vs. HDD, that I'd just prioritize (OS +...Photoshop/Illustrator) on the SSD. I like thinking of having as much as possible on the SSD. Good call.

I've never heard water cooling aside from one friend's very ugly alienware computer a while back. Its that bad? Worse than whirring fans?

Alright, nearly all of your reasoning is compelling. How long is the turnaround on their building/shipping?
 
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