Building a new system, need hardware advice

[snowbrd]

You could save a ton of cash and just get something like the hyper 212+ or evo etc. You really don't need the h100 in terms of price for cooling.

 

[Sentential]

Sniper does not have room up top for a radiator; I can confirm that for you as I tried to mount an H100 up there.

Ive always wanted a raven case tbh, see here and here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163173

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163180&Tpk=rv03


My current case (due to my PSU length) is this (it will mount an H100; using one right now)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216

My second consideration Corsair 650D (also will mount H100):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139006&Tpk=650d

Honestly I went with the 690II Advanced, and that was purely based upon reviews I read. She ain't a looker but it is argued to be *the* best ATX case you can buy for the money. It may seem counter intuitive but the 690II has the highest airflow of any case short of a Raven which is why I went to it.

Your case:
230 Incoming; 230mm outgoing top; 140mm side; rear 120

Corsair 650D:
230 Incoming; 230mm outgoing top; rear 120

Corsair 690II Advanced:
140mm incoming, 2 140mm side, 2 140mm top, 1 rear 120mm, 1 80mm side, 1 120mm bottom

Silverstone Raven RV03
1 top 120mm, 3 180mm bot, 1 120mm rear, 1 120mm side (opt 3 120mm front)

 

[grumperfish]

I tweaked my wishlist a bit. Here's the update..

Case - After looking over the sniper, i thought the HAF did have a better layout, and has room for a 120.2 radiator up top.
Powersupply - The modular connections arn't as clear as OCZ's (ie not labeled) but im hoping the book will clear it up and ill just label them myself.
Motherboard** Asus Link here - When it comes out. I cant bring my self to trust brands i dont know.
CPU - Unchanged
Memory - Unchanged
ATI Videocard vs Nvidia Videocard - Subject to change as price/product will likely upgrade by the time im ready to buy. Still poking around for a comparable nvidia card.
HDD - unchanged
SSD - Going to give this a shot with ISR running and the Win7 on it.
Soundcard - unchanged
CPU Cooler - Still debating this in my head.
Rom Drive - Not going to worry about Blu-ray just yet, as it takes good software to get it working from what ive read.

So there it is. Updated list. Bit more than i originally had planned, but still doable i think.

Looks pretty good, though:

Switch the SSD to this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

The performance will be identical (coming from a mechanical HDD) and there's no point in spending a premium for the Intel as the Crucial M4 is a very highly-rated drive.


Get this 6950 instead (you could save even more with a 1GB version, but since you want multi-monitor gaming maybe at some point, stick with a 2GB model). This is $40 less than the MSI linked and Sapphire's a top tier brand for ATI:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102945

I like the way the HAF looks better than the Sniper, and the layout is very good, so it's a good pick.


The 212+ will be more than fine for overclocking the 2600K (and you can attach another fan for better cooling), so you should stick with it rather than the Corsair WC kit.
Re-treading old ground, but you only really need a 2500K for gaming if you want to save some bucks, but the 2600K might last you longer.

 

[Lyian]

I read a fair number of reviews stating that Sapphire has pretty poor support, which is what turned me off of the brand.

and i picked the Intel SSD because they are rated the most reliable/longest lasting. The Intel also specs faster than the crucial on sata 3.

 

[Theocnoob]

Yup. If you want to be sure you'll have decent support you should buy an EVGA product. I have no faith in returns or warranties on pretty much any electronic product in our modern era and am prepared to accept, albeit begrudgingly, that stuff will eventually explode on me. If you aren't though, you're right for sticking to stuff that has good support. I don't. See my sig (rimshot).

 

[Lyian]

Yup. If you want to be sure you'll have decent support you should buy an EVGA product. I have no faith in returns or warranties on pretty much any electronic product in our modern era and am prepared to accept, albeit begrudgingly, that stuff will eventually explode on me. If you aren't though, you're right for sticking to stuff that has good support. I don't. See my sig (rimshot).

EVGA doesnt make ATI cards tho lol

And i hear ya. Most company's, if you have to deal with a warranty wont send you back a new product, but a referb, which who knows how much life those have left on them or what the previous owner did to it. Thats why i dont like buying used computer parts unless its something that naturally had a long life, or its cheap enough to not matter. I wont go near used Harddrives, cpus or video cards. but i digress.

As for the CPU cooler, i did put that in H100 in there, but im on the fence about it still. I like that i moves the bulk out of the way and off of the mobo, but i like the price of the 212+ better, just dont like the bulk of it. I saw one video where they just poped in the H100 in a case and tried to bench it, and they say it ran hot or whatever. and they keep recommending a NH-D14, but that is far too big for my taste.

im also looking around for Fan Controller/Temp monitor panels (not that i think i really Need one, it would be more for the coolness of it, but if i did get one, id like it to function well too)

Few models i was eying were NZXT SENTRY 2, and Aerocool Touch V12XT / Aerocool Touch 1000 controllers. Al though on all of these people seem to have some pretty significant grips about them. So im not sure if i should even try it. But i know if I do want one/need one, i want to do it While im initially building this so i don't have to redo wiring.

I know grumperfish linked a cheap controller in the other thread, but i wouldn't mind getting something a 'bit' more flashy if it worked just as well (cause they also tend to monitor temps and keep an eye on fan speed as well)

 

[grumperfish]

Yeah the Rheobus recommendation was because they handle fan voltage controls easily. I assumed you'd be using something like HWiNFO64 on another monitor for monitoring (it's partially why I keep dual monitors kicking).

The NZXT Sentry 2 is pretty good if you want monitoring, or maybe something from Lamptron.

 

[Lyian]

Yeah the Rheobus recommendation was because they handle fan voltage controls easily. I assumed you'd be using something like HWiNFO64 on another monitor for monitoring (it's partially why I keep dual monitors kicking).

The NZXT Sentry 2 is pretty good if you want monitoring, or maybe something from Lamptron.

Checked out the Lamptron and the Sentry 2. The Sentry 2 does look good display wise, better than the Lamptron, but the voltage per channel is kinda low. And while i may not plug enough in to tax it right away, i like the 'buffer' the Lamptron Touch gives me that i can plug just about anything into it and not worry about blowing it up lol.

It doesn't look nearly as good as the others, but looking at the the stats, it appears like it would functionally work better. I just wish they made one with a color display, that showed more overall information like the Aerocool's do. The only major issue im having with the Lamptron Touch controller is Finding where to buy it. newegg seems to have zero lamptron controllers, and Amazon doesnt have the Touch.

 

[grumperfish]

Not sure about the Lamptron Touch controllers, but these sites have a good selection:

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l2/g47/c17/list/p1/Fan_Accessories-Fan_Controllers.html

http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...=36_48&zenid=aad319fd367ffdae1b6a7b57679b00ce

http://www.jab-tech.com/Fan-Speed-Control-c-42.html

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/fancontrollers.html


FrozenCPU is probably your best bet for Lamptron units. These are the go-to sites for fans, watercooling, and case parts as well.

 

[Lyian]

Well, i was all ready to buy this setup last week, then got ****ed because for some reason my credit info didnt get updated when i moved. So now i have to wait till mid January for that crap to be updated, which means the no-intrest promo will be long over, and most of the prices on this list have alerady shot back up.

Thanks *******s at the credit bureau for not keeping my credit up to date. Now ill have to wait even LONGER to build this **** till this crap goes on sale again or they run another credit promo. Youd think me renewing my drivers licence and changing my address on like 5 accounts would trigger this change long before now.


SOOO pissed offfff...