At last! New to the forum, new rig just ordered...

[LematLove]

Hi everybody! I'm Raul and I'm new to this forum, so let this post be my official presentation to the community.

English is not my mother language, but hopefully you won't notice (almost...

5 years ago I bought my last computer (a laptop), and I don't remember when I gave up reading the minimum requirements for the latest games, since I already knew my computer won't make it to the main menu.

So, a year ago I decided it was time to update my computer and invest on a brand new custom build. But I was about to face another problem, my girlfriend didn't understand why should I spend 1.000 - 1.500 € on a computer, she told me:

"You already have one, and we need the cash to buy a new wardrobe..."

A few days ago (don't ask me how) I finally convince her, so I rapidly came up (after months of undercovered research, of course...) with my new build (before she changed her mind)...


Today I've made the order, so I believe it's official. By the beginning of the next week I'll be putting all this parts together and I will be ready to play modern and good looking games again ...finally...


Now I'll introduce all the components I have ordered, and I know many of you won't agree with the build, or will think that I may have gone with other components, but prior to that, I'd like you to know my goals with this build:

- Use for gaming at max possible settings, web browsing like mad, a bit of general computing (word) and a little bit of programming...

- Aim for ultra-stability, planning some minimum overclock on cpu and memory but carefully since it will be my first time...

- Special focus on good cooling system, since the room where the computer will live is damm hot on summer time (right now...).


So, here it is:


CASE: NZXT Phantom White

PSU: Corsair HX-750

MOBO: ASRock Z77 OC Formula

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K

COOLING: Swiftech H220 Watter cooling kit

AD. FANS: 2 X Swiftech Helix fan PWM (120x120x25mm) (for radiator push/pull config.)

RAM: CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR3 - 2x4GB - 1600Mhz

GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 OC Boost Vapor-X 3GB GDDR5

HD: Seagate Barracuda 3.5" 2TB SATA3

SSD: Crucial M4 128GB SSD SATA3

DVD: ASUS DVD-R/+RW DRW-24B5ST 24X SATA

MOUSSE: Perixx MX-2000, Programmable Gaming Laser Mouse

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64 bits


Thats all, since I already have a good monitor and the keyboard will have to wait (I have a generic one).


I hope this presentation not to be as boring as it seems to me now...


I'll be posting comments and photos of the building process as soon as the components start arriving...




Of course, every single comment will be greatly appreciated. I guess that's the main reason to be posting this here.



Best Regards;

 

[Soulcatcher668]

Looks solid.

I would have steered you towards a Haswell build at this point but if the parts are on their way...

Post some pics when you get it going.

 

[dudleycpa]

Congrats! and

 

[Theocnoob]

You should have built with a 4770K. No good reason not to. Welcome to the Forum!

 

[Knufire]

Should've posted this before you ordered, not after.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Looks good, but we could have saved you some cash

 

[LematLove]

First Arrival!

Thank you all for your welcome messages and your comments!!

Looks solid.
I would have steered you towards a Haswell build at this point but if the parts are on their way...

You should have built with a 4770K. No good reason not to. Welcome to the Forum!

You guys are probably right, but the thing is that, almost until the last day, I was going to order the i5 - 3570K, but finally decided to invest 100 € more on the i7 - 3770K, so that seemed enough for me.

I saw a couple of the new i7 reviews, and some comparisons between the new i7 - 4770K and the 3770K, and almost the majority of them were not recommending the upgrade.

"So after running a small array of benchmarks we can see the results for ourselves. Is Haswell worth the upgrade from Ivybridge?

The short answer is no, and let me explain my thoughts and feelings about why I feel this way."

intel i3770k vs i4770k short review

Should've posted this before you ordered, not after.

I'll have to give you that one...

Looks good, but we could have saved you some cash

Not so sure if that would have save me cash, could have been the other way too...




Today the first of the components arrived direct from Germany:



(yes, I know the image is not exactly profesional...)


I bought those because they are the ones included with the Swiftech H220 cooling kit, and I will be putting 'em on a push/pull config.

The critics about this fans are quite good ones. They are supposed to give a decent high pressure airflow with a good valance of noise level. The ones you own 'em could probably tell better than me.


So far happy with the arrival despite being the smallest component of the build.


Airflow is never to be overlooked...



Regards;

 

[Theocnoob]

Dude, no. When they say is haswell a good upgrade from ivybridge and answer no it isnt, they are referring to people who already have ivybridge. If you already had ivy then haswell is not for you. Coming from anything else, you want haswell, you always buy the latest gen.

 

[Soulcatcher668]

Dude, no. When they say is haswell a good upgrade from ivybridge and answer no it isnt, they are referring to people who already have ivybridge. If you already had ivy then haswell is not for you. Coming from anything else, you want haswell, you always buy the latest gen.

Pretty much sums it up.

 

[Theocnoob]

Pretty much sums it up.

Thanks man. Toronto people have to stick together.

 

[blazenarrow]

Good luck with the build, but from this point on come here before pressing the buy button.

EDIT: (I did the same thing, but ended with the haswell)

 

[LematLove]

New commers!!

Dude, no. When they say is haswell a good upgrade from ivybridge and answer no it isnt, they are referring to people who already have ivybridge. If you already had ivy then haswell is not for you. Coming from anything else, you want haswell, you always buy the latest gen.

Pretty much sums it up.

Good luck with the build, but from this point on come here before pressing the buy button.

EDIT: (I did the same thing, but ended with the haswell)

Come on guys... it's really not that bad.


Ok, it is a newer and better processor than the 3770K, but bear in mind that I'm upgrading from an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26Ghz (laptop), so I will surely feel the difference.

For me, it's not so important if the 3770K is no longer the front line product, since it is powerful enough for what I plan to use it for and it will most likely do the job for some years.

Anyway, I understand your comments and really appreciate them


New commers!!!





I've been carefully unboxing and checking each and every peace of hardware and I'm very pleaced with it.


I'll share with you my first thoughts on some of the components I've been looking at. Please bear in mind that, until now, the only place I have seen this kind of hardware is trough my computer monitor:


Corsair HX-750: It's big and heavy and feels like built with very good quality and materials. After reading and hearing about the Corsair brand so many times, I finally see trough my eyes why they earned such reputation on the market.
The box is huge and the cables and accessories look very good finished.

Great looking power supply, can't wait to have it supplying...

ASRock Z77 OC Formula: First look at it and I think "waw!", incredibly good looking and finished, very high end sensation to me. Every detail seems to be placed there with care. The CPU socket seems sosmall (looks bigger on the screen)!!

The case is nice and comes with a lot of accessories, including a high quality thermal compound (GELIC-GC) which I'll be using for the CPU.


Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 OC Boost Vapor-X 3GB GDDR5: When I open the box and see the card, It is massive!! Of course, the majority of the card is the big heat dissipation system.

Perixx MX-2000, Programmable Gaming Laser Mouse: One of the things that caught me more (probably because it is the only one I've been able to test so far) is this mousse. For 30 €, I got a very precise and very well finished mousse, with multiple configuration options and illuminated leds:



I do not know if you know this brand or model. If you don't, here's a taste of the features:


• 11 Button Laser Gaming Mouse
• 500/1000/1500/2000/3000/4000/5000 dpi Resolution with dpi Switch
• 150ips & 30G Surface Tracking Speed
• Ergonomic Design with Soft-touch Rubber Black Painting
• 11 Independently Programmable Buttons
• Adjustable weight Cartridges
• Braided USB cable
• Gold Plated USB 2.0 Connector

Here a review:

"At a price point of around $35, the Perixx MX-2000 is an exceptional value, offering a taste of high-end features and top-tier comfort few mice in its price range can match."


I'm afraid I can not hide the urge of getting all the remaining parts together so that I can begin the building of the computer. Hopefully next Monday I'll have all the parts, at last!!


I'll keep on sharing this experience with you.



Best Regards;

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Shiny! Looks nice.

 

[Ajay57]

Welcome to OCF Forums, but your build is not quite right as far as i can see. This is what everyone is thinking in this thread, but dare not to say it out of respect for you OP!! AJ.

1, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157328

You have this @ $229.99_ I would of purchased one of these Motherboards!! @ $208.99 or $159.99.

2, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157371

2a, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157369

You have this CPU $299.99 I would have purchased this instead @ $264.99

3, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116502

3a, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116899

Well LematLove yes you have your nice new parts, but its old Tech and by look of it a little bit more expensive as well!

So shall we do the Maths guy's on this build??

Old Tech $459.98c or New Tech $473.98c or $424.98c yes not much difference in prices!! But a saving is a saving to spend else where.

Wow Gosh its cheaper for the "HASWELL BUILD" But wait he has already the parts there!! AJ.

"THIS IS NO WAY A ATTACK ON ANYONE BUT A LEARNING EXERCISE FOR OTHER NEW MEMBERS AND VISITORS LOOKING INTO THIS THREAD TO SEE."

ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU BUY THANK YOU.

 

[LematLove]

Ok. Apparently you all are willing to focus on the Ivy vs Haswell matter, lets do it...

...your build is not quite right as far as i can see. This is what everyone is thinking in this thread, but dare not to say it out of respect for you OP!!

Really? I believe almost every post on this thread talks about going Haswell style...



I know that Haswell is a brand new gen processor. Believe it or not, I knew it before I made the order of the components. Then, why I choose to buy an Ivy instead? I'll do my best to explain it:




- When I first compared the Ivy vs Haswell processors, I decided to gather information on the Haswell performance increase, so I started reading reviews and analysing comparisons. This are some of the statements I came across:


First thing is the performance increase, it really isn’t that much of a noticeable improvement overall,

At average, the Core i7-4770K shows a 5-10% IPC improvement over its predecessor


The Core i7-4770K, specifically, is a bit faster than the -3770K it replaces—but only because of IPC improvements. It runs at the same 3.5 GHz and sports the same four cores otherwise.


- Ok, I said, it performs better, but, at what cost?

...So shall we do the Maths guy's on this build??

- Believe it or not, I did the maths several times. The maths you did are well done, but those prices are for United States, and, as far as I know, newegg doesn't ship to spain...

I wish to have a shop like newegg here, but we don't. Still, we have some quite good websites, but overall their prices can not compete with amazon Spain (where I bought the majority of the components), so the prices on my maths will be done with prices from this website.


Intel Core i7-3770K - EUR 280,13

Intel Core i7-4770K - EUR 352,40

We are facing a 25% increase on the price but between a 5% and a 10% on performance.

Next step, as I'm planning to do some overclocking (for my first time I must add), I look for information on the new platform and how it performs. I come pretty fast to the conclusion that there is a lot more information out there about overclocking an Ivy than the available for the new platform, which is logical, but, for me (that I know nothing about it and I'll be needing all the possible information and tutorials I can get), it's a real disadvantage.


Anyway, I keep on looking, and I find this:


All indications point to overclocked Haswell processors requiring more aggressive cooling than their Ivy predecessors

Performs insignificantly faster in all program types and is Less energy efficient...

The other downside to Haswell is the insane temperatures when overclocking.

Haswell is a definite and sometimes significant improvement over Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge. Somehow the PC enthusiast and overclocker in us hoped for more, though, and it seems we'll once again be hampered by temperature when it comes to overclocking.


Ok, so it can be overclocked, but there is less information to do it and it will produce more heat (If you read my first post you'll know that one of my concerns with the build was the heat because, where I live, it is VERY hot in summer).


Finally, I end up analysing the mobos, because, if I want the new processor, I'll have to go with a new mobo too.


I already had the AsRock OC Formula in mind, after several reviews and comparisons, so I compared the Z87 version of this mobo with the Z77:

Again maths my friends, and again prices from Amazon Spain:


ASRock Z77 OC Formula - EUR 221,70


Asrock Z87 OC Formula/ac - EUR 334,07


The mobo for the new Haswell turns out to be 34% more expensive that the Ivy mobo.


Of course, you'll say that I would have been able to go with the Z87 Extreme 4 or 6 to save some cash but, why not to get a top class mobo, or more exactly, the mobo you are itching to have?

So, the final maths will look like this:

3770K:

CPU: 280,13
MOBO: 221,70

_______________
TOTAL: 501,83 €


4770K:

CPU: 352,40
MOBO: 334,07

_______________
TOTAL: 686,47 €


The 4770K build will have cost me 184,64 € more, but, honestly, the decision to go with the Ivy processor was not only based on mathematics. If I had thought that the Haswell option was better, I would have buy it. The reasons for not doing so are already explained.


In conclusion, is the Haswell better and newer processor? YES, obviously.

And,

Is the Haswell the best option for me, bearing in mind my circumstances, goals and concerns?

I DON'T THINK SO


Regards;

 

[blazenarrow]

Well, after you explained the cost difference I agree with you. If you were paying the same for each system, then I would say obviously go with haswell. But since you saved that much money, I think you made a smart and wise decision. That system will run great for you! Enjoy it friend...

 

[Knufire]

Should have gone with a cheaper motherboard. An ASRock Extreme4 or Gigabyte UD3H will take that chip as far as it will go on ambient temps.

Cooler is drastic overkill, even with high ambient temperatures. You should overclock further to actually take advantage of the cooler.

PSU is overkill. Even if you add a second 7950 and overclock both and the CPU, you won't even get to 650W. Corsair HX is solid, but their TXM line tends to be cheaper and just as good for the average user.

The Crucial M4 is an older SSD and on the slower side.

I really hope that you didn't buy W7 Ultimate as the only difference is enterprise stuff that you'll never use....

Remember, it's a computer, not a toy.

 

[Ajay57]

I would be the first to say you can buy and build what ever you want Raul!

"5 years ago I bought my last computer (a laptop), and I don't remember when I gave up reading the minimum requirements for the latest games, since I already knew my computer won't make it to the main menu."

But your coming from a "Laptop a 2 core Duo etc," so when you say there is no difference between Ivy and Haswell sorry that's not quite correct!

"You said there is no Overclocking Info for Haswell, that is also not correct!"

The parts you have chosen are for what you need are Overkill, but your right Raul to have your own opinions. But also we have, when someone asks for advice and help from us. Best Regards AJ.

1, http://www.overclockers.com/3step-guide-to-overclock-intel-haswell

This is one of the top Haswell OC Guide produced by the members of OCF!

2, http://www.overclockers.com/reviews

Anyway i am finished in this thread its up to the Members to decide one way or the other respect AJ!

 

[LematLove]

Parts arrived at last!!!



Meet the family!!


The build begins...

 

[EarthDog]

You overspent for your needs by a ton, but, nice rig... enjoy!