Server / Desktop PC

[drewh09]

Hello,

I wanted to just add a few TB storage to my current desktop computer, but I don't think my current motherboard/case/PS will support extra drives. I always enjoy building a new computer, and I got a little extra cash, so I figured I would get some opinions.

My build needs to be able to function as the primary network storage for a few devices (HDMI dongle to TV's, laptop, etc). I also would like to be able to play games if I want to (used to play WoW, might get into it again sometime).

I started basing my search around the SharkyExtreme High-End gamer PC guide from May 12', but then wondered if there would be a better, more customized solution, so I thought I'd post here after reading a few buyers guides.

After reading the "best processor for the money" buyers guide, it seems the intel i5-3450 fit my situation the best, but I'm always open to suggestions. I don't expect anyone to pick out every part, I'm just looking for any input or links to previous builds that are closely related to my functionality.

Thanks.

 

[Nuclear101]

What's your budget?

Custom one: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/lnjr

Note: Doesn't have monitor, keyboard, or mouse. REALLY EXPENSIVE ($2858)

BUT!!!
Better processor
Liquid cooler
Great motherboard
Enough memory at good speed
15TB of storage (1 additional 1TB 10,000 rpm for os and important files)
Best single chip video card
Platinum grade modular power supply
Blu-ray burner
Windows 7 64-Bit

 

[Someone Somewhere]

That build is pretty overkill.

Liquid cooling is pretty pointless; most get outperformed by decent air coolers that are cheaper. Plus aftermarket cooling is only really necessary when OCing.

The motherboard is way overpriced. A Z77 Extreme4 will work about as well. Plus you get 8GB free RAM if you buy it from Newegg US.

Dominator RAM is overpriced. 8GB is enough for most tasks including gaming.

15TB just might be overkill. An SSD beats a 10K drive any day too.

A 680 is a bit overkill for WoW on a 1080p screen don't you think?

PSU is overpriced.

You could make a build that would be pretty good and do 90+% of the stuff that build can for maybe half to a third of the price. Fill out the form in my sig.

 

[drewh09]

I agree, that build seems very much like overkill. I filled out your sig:

-----------
Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: next few weeks

Budget Range: ~500-1500 After Shipping/Rebates. Building an appropriate system for my needs is what pushes the budget.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: surfing the internet/ms office, sharing backed up files to other networked computer (movies, tv shows, etc), gaming, watching movies

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: Entire "computer" (ie, not upgrading mouse, keyboard, mic, etc)

Do you need to buy OS: No; I plan to use Windows 7.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Location: Minneapolis, MN

Parts Preferences: Indifferent, but Intel seems to be what I'm looking for after reading reviews.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: I believe it's currently 1600x1200, but I'm not sure. I have (2) 22" LCD monitor if that helps (may go down to 1 if I still use the old computer in another locaton).

Additional Comments: Software: DVD/Blu-Ray Backup, MS Office, Internet browsing, torrent downloading, WoW (use to play, possibly in future), Media Center Classic.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My current computer is ~5-7 years old, and while it was good at the time is in need of replacement.
-----------

 

[g-unit1111]

What's your budget?

Custom one: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/lnjr

Note: Doesn't have monitor, keyboard, or mouse. REALLY EXPENSIVE ($2858)

BUT!!!
Better processor
Liquid cooler
Great motherboard
Enough memory at good speed
15TB of storage (1 additional 1TB 10,000 rpm for os and important files)
Best single chip video card
Platinum grade modular power supply
Blu-ray burner
Windows 7 64-Bit

Whoa, if you want an example of how not to do a build - this is it. The liquid cooler is a POS and isn't necessary. 15TB of storage??? Unless you've got the entire Library of Congress at your disposal, you don't need that much space (and even the LOC doesn't have that much material on file :lol: ). And 10K RPM hard drives are not worth purchasing when you could get a solid 128 - 256GB SSD. The 670 and 680 use the same GK109 processor and the 670 is $100 cheaper. And the Obsidian D isn't rated for XL-ATX motherboards. You'll need a Switch 810 or Cooler Master Cosmos II for that kind of board. I'd take this one back to the drawing board.

Here you go:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi Tower ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $925.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Add whatever monitor, keyboard, mouse you want and you're good to go. I don't suggest those things as they're entirely personal preference.

 

[drewh09]

Thanks for the response g-unit1111, I just have a few comments:

CPU: "If you don't plan to overclock, then we think that there's little reason to look past the Core i5-3450" Quote from TH Article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-4.html
Motherboard: I've done no research here, other then reading a very small amount about voltage management and needing a good RAID controller.
Memory: Do I need 8 gb of RAM given my storage size? (see storage below)
Hard Drives:
---OS: I want to go with a small solid state drive (Crucial M4 2.5" 128GB SSD was recomended on Sharky Extreme: http://www.sharkyextreme.com/features/pc-buyers-guide-for-gaming-enthusiasts-may-2012-page-2.html)
---Storage: (2) Seagate Barracuda 3 TB (ST3000DM001), based on a 2012 hard drive comparison article (sorry, no link)
------ Questions on storage: Should I use 2 hard drive's in RAID, or use one primary with one backed up via software? I've seen a lot of reviews on newegg of drives failing within a month (improper raid setup?). I know all the NAS use raid, but I don't know a whole lot about it.
Video Card: Radeon HD 7850 1 GB Recommended on TH: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-4.html
Case: I've done no research here.
Power Supply: I've done no research here other then hearing good power management is important.
Optical Drive: I've done no research here. I'm not even sure I would put an optical drive in this computer, I could always install one in my existing computer to backup my blu-ray and dvd's as necessary.
Operating System: Recommending Windows 8 already huh? I haven't looked into it much, I was just planning on using Windows 7

 

[g-unit1111]

CPU: "If you don't plan to overclock, then we think that there's little reason to look past the Core i5-3450" Quote from TH Article: http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 106-4.html

Yeah I agree with that. There's no difference between 3.2 and 3.3GHz.

Motherboard: I've done no research here, other then reading a very small amount about voltage management and needing a good RAID controller.

You'll probably wind up purchasing the RAID controller separately. But the motherboard I recommended covers all the bases, has good expansion options, and is relatively inexpensive.

---OS: I want to go with a small solid state drive (Crucial M4 2.5" 128GB SSD was recomended on Sharky Extreme: http://www.sharkyextreme.com/featu [...] ge-2.html)

Any drive based on a Marvell controller - the M4, OCZ Vertex 4, Samsung 830, or Plextor M5S, is going to be infinitely better than any Sandforce drive you can get.

------ Questions on storage: Should I use 2 hard drive's in RAID, or use one primary with one backed up via software? I've seen a lot of reviews on newegg of drives failing within a month (improper raid setup?). I know all the NAS use raid, but I don't know a whole lot about it.

That's why I say you can't really rely on the Newegg reviews because a lot of people (ballpark, I'd say 75%) who try things like RAID setups are not professionals and don't know what they're doing. Of course that's going to lead to drive failure very quickly. If you're doing this you need to very carefully know your setup before hand or you'll end up with the same problems.

Video Card: Radeon HD 7850 1 GB Recommended on TH: http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 107-4.html

The 7950 I recommended is better and runs multiple displays better.

Case: I've done no research here.

The one I picked is great.

Power Supply: I've done no research here other then hearing good power management is important.

Actually good *CABLE* management is important. Other than that the main thing you need to look for in PSUs is one thing and one thing only: build quality. If it looks cheap, it most likely is cheap. If it looks solid it will last a long time.

Optical Drive: I've done no research here. I'm not even sure I would put an optical drive in this computer, I could always install one in my existing computer to backup my blu-ray and dvd's as necessary.

Yeah optical drives are going the way of the dodo. You need one for OS install though. Any $15 one will do.

Operating System: Recommending Windows 8 already huh? I haven't looked into it much, I was just planning on using Windows 7

Well the reason I recommend Windows 8 already is two things:

1. Yes Metro *CAN* (and should) be disabled and you can run it like normal Windows 7.

2. Microsoft has finally acknowledged system builders as a legitimate market and has extended the licensing agreement for the OEM version as such. It's a fully licensed, legal copy of Windows and is supported by Microsoft, where using Windows 7 you will have to jump through a few hurdles to get support for it.

 

[drewh09]

My data doesn't need to be backed up more then once every day or two or possibly even weekly, so I was wondering if I could use some kind of software backup instead of RAID? I've heard of drive problems/failing with RAID is the only reason I bring this up. If I do in fact need RAID, then could you recommend a decent RAID controller or MOBO with one stock?

After doing some research, (2) Seagate Barracude ST3000DM001 seems to be the best option I've found for storage drives.

 

[drewh09]

Below is my current build. Any feedback would be appreciated (please pick my build apart =D ).

-Any recommendations on a PSU (I do plan to add one more 3TB barracuda drive in the future)?
-Do I need an after-market CPU or GPU cooler?
-Corsair H50 cooler seems decent for $62 and almost no noise. Any thoughts?
-Do I need a RAID controller if I add a 2nd storage drive?
-Is there another option besides RAID? Weekly backup is fine.

Item:
1. ($70) Fractal Design Arc Midi
2. ($150) Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"
3. ($240) GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB
4. ($39) G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
5. ($115) ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
6. ($220) Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155
7. ($55) ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive
8. ($120) Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB
9. ($31) Intel PWLA8391GT 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI

Reasoning:
1. [rec. by g-unit]Minimalist, good reviews, quiet
2. Highest hard drive scores within price range, peer recommended.
3. [rec. by Tom's Hardware]
4. [rec. by g-unit], as well as good newegg reviews.
5. [rec. by Tom's Hardware], also Ability to OC in future.
6. [rec. by g-unit], decided I might want to OC in future.
7. Cheap blu-ray with good newegg reviews
8. Half the price of 256gb and only using for my OS drive.
9. Top rated on newegg

Link:
1. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352007
2. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148844
3. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125418
4. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231546
5. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
6. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
7. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247
8. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448
9. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106121

 

[drewh09]

I got all my stuff at Microcenter, that place is awesome! This is what I did, and it's worked out amazing.

FRACTAL ARC MIDI ATX CASE.............................$69.99
INTEL BOX INTEL CORE I5-3570K......................$169.99
ASROCK ASROCK Z77 EXTREME4.......................$94.99
GIGABYTE GTX660TIOC 2GB DDHDP PCIE ..........$239.96
ARCSLVR SLVR5 HD THERMAL CMP 3.5...............$7.99
COOLMAST HYPER TX3 UNIV CPU HSF................$21.99
PIONEEROE PIO SATA BD COMBO......................$49.99
KINGSTON KHX1333C9D3B1K2/8G DDR3...........$34.99 *Returned, got free GSKILL
BYTECC 2.5" HDD BRACKET UNV 3.5 ..................$3.49 *Returned, not needed
MICROSOFT WIN PRO 8 32/64 BIT.....................$38.88
SEAGATE 3TB 3.5 7200RPM INT SAT...................$129.99
PCPOWER 750W PCP&C SILENCER MK II...........$99.99
CRUCIAL 128G SSD M4 2.5 SATA6GB/S..............$109.99
SERVICENT 2 YR REPLACEMENT.........................$29.99 *Video Card

Subtotal » $1102.22
Tax » $78.06
Total » $1180.28