My Next Builds Specs - Parts Ordered, Pictures to come

[Sokar408]

Whatup everyone!

I haven't been on this forum a lot, but having researched a ton of hardware, and having been lead to this place several times by almighty google I figured I'd better go things are taking place these days.

Anyway I'll be building my next gaming rig in about a weeks time (My current build is a good 4 years old, sports a stable 3.6 GHz Q6600 stable OC and is still going strong, but given my work requires gaming, recording, and rendering, its just not up to peer anymore). Naturally I'm researching parts and making sure I'll be getting something that will hopefully last as long as this build has, and also have head run for some decent OC'ing (no crazy **** though).

I'll be making a very detailed list below, and I'd like your opinion on why these are good/bad choices, and any recommendation for changes, as long as you keep my needs in mind. Also keep in mind that the prices of the items are not going to be the same for as it is for you, as I'll be using stores in my country (Denmark), and some brand pricing are not necessarily the same as in the US.

EDIT: Parts are all ordered

This build is made to allow for these future upgrades:

Single Card => 2 way SLI
16 GB RAM => 32 GB RAM



Current Pieces:

CPU: Intel i7 3770K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501
Thought Note: Need as much CPU power as possible for rendering speeds

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018&Tpk=Noctua DH 14
Thought Note:

Mobo: MSI Z77A-GD65 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130643
Thought Note:

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2 x 8 GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233280
Thought Note: Vengeance is just a no brainer. It gives me the 2 x 8 I want for a low price. Only conflict is whether to go Low Profile or Regular.

GPU: MSI Gigabyte GV N670OC http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423
Thought Note: Great performance, great reliability, great price. Still thinking about going all out on a GTX 680 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125422 but don't know if I want to pay the extra bucks.

PSU: CORSAIR HX Series TX850 V2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139022
Thought Note:

Case: Cooler Master HAF XM Midi Tower http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119257
Thought Note: Great case, great price. Playing with the thought its bigger brother the HAF X Full Tower, but honestly I see why I'd need it.

HDD: Western Digital WD VelociRaptor WD6000HLHX 600GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136555
Thought Note: Salvage from my current rig. About 1 year old. Great Recording Drive

HDD: Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533
Thought Note: Need the extra space for damn sure, and I always had good experience with WD Hard Drives. Great Price aswell.

SSD: Corsair Neutron Series 120GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233340



Total Price: $1507 (Calculated from the shops I'll be using in my country. VAT removed)



Additionals I'd like to make, but find hard to justify:

SSD: Corsair Neutron Series 120GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233340
Thought Note: I'd really like this as an OS drive, and while price isn't the most important to me, I simply can't afford both this and the WD Black, and from what I understand this is the situation if I go with the SSD:

Pros:
Much faster speeds

Cons:
Shorter life span
Less reliable (more prone to errors)
Much less space



Now the way I see it, the speed doesn't make up for this, considering that its only load times we are talking about. If I could use it as a recording drive, that might justify it, but I have been told that SSDs aren't noticeable better when it comes to writing continuously, large files.

If someone can shed some light on this situation, if I'm completely wrong, please do this.

EDIT: Build Change List:
Changes: Alternative PSU change from 750W to 850W of the same model. Considering its a Bronze Certified PSU, I thought it'd be better to be on the safe side. That said I'm still keeping the HX750 as my primary choice for now.
Changes: Primary choice for GPU changed from MSI N660 Ti PE 2GD5/OC to GIGABYTE GV-N670OC 2GB
Changes: SSD added to build
Changes: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 switched for MSI Z77A-GD65 - A bit unnecessary, but the extra cash doesn't make much difference to me.
Changes: Zalman CNPS9900 MAX switch with Noctua NH-D14 - The lower noise and lower temps its gonna provide over the CNPS9900, coupled with a down haggled price with the store made it worth it.

 

[Kelushka]

One thing to really look into are temps that people are getting with that cooler and the CPU you will be using, also with overclocking in mind i assume. I have a full size case with Zalman 92mm fan and my 2500k seems to run a little hot at 4.4Ghz and 1.280 vcore. Maybe consider the 212 Evo like I have also.

I use a SSD for my rig and I swear by it. Load your OS and a few programs that you will be loading from often and it will greatly improve speed. you should greatly notice an increase in boot time, app load time, and shut down.

All and all the system sounds great and post pics of the build and keep us updated!

 

[Sokar408]

One thing to really look into are temps that people are getting with that cooler and the CPU you will be using, also with overclocking in mind i assume. I have a full size case with Zalman 92mm fan and my 2500k seems to run a little hot at 4.4Ghz and 1.280 vcore. Maybe consider the 212 Evo like I have also.

I use a SSD for my rig and I swear by it. Load your OS and a few programs that you will be loading from often and it will greatly improve speed. you should greatly notice an increase in boot time, app load time, and shut down.

All and all the system sounds great and post pics of the build and keep us updated!

Encouraging inform on the SSD, though like I said, speeds might not be enough for me to go for it, as there is still heavy cons to consider. Your post did put in the mood to do further reseach though, so thanks man

As for the cooler, the Zalman 92mm fan (Which I assume to be the ZALMAN CNPS9500A, though it could be a few other models), it is not really the same as the CNPS9900 MAX

As you can see in these reviews (and I have read many, these are just the two I could find the fastest):

http://www.overclockers.com/zalman-cnps9900-max-heatsink-review/
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/cm_hyper212_evo/3.htm

You can see that the Zalman CNPS9900 MAX gives better temps, at lower dBAs. That said it is considerably more expensive, though given what coolers cost, it isn't all that much in actual bucks, I'm a bit of a sucker for quiet systems, so thats why the Zalman is still winning out for me. Thought said, nothing is final just yet

 

[Knufire]

Hey, welcome to OCF!

When trying to recommend a build to you, there's some information that's extremely helpful for us to know. If you could answer these few short questions, we'd be happy to help!

• What are you planning to do with this compuer? Please be as specfic as possible.

• What is your budget?
  
  1. Does this include a copy of Windows?
  2. Does this include peripheals (a keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.)?
• Are you from the United States or a different country? Are you ordering from your own country or from across borders?
  
  1. Wherever you may be from, does the store that you are planning to order from have a website? It's okay if it isn't in English, we can manage.
  2. If you are from the United States, do you live nearby a Microcenter?

• Do you have any specific requests with the build?
  
  1. Do you plan on overclocking? If yes, do you have a specific goal in mind?
  2. Would you prefer the build to be particularly small?
  3. Would you prefer the build to be particularly quiet?
  4. In general, do you prefer this to be a computer that you can spend money on now and let it rest, or a box built for continuous upgrading?
  5. Do you ever plan on utilizing NVIDIA's SLI or AMD's CrossfireX technologies? These features, with a compatible motherboard, allow a user to link multiple identical graphic cards together for added performance. In real world terms, this lets you buy a second identical graphics card down the line as a relatively cheap and easy way to gain a fairly large boost in performance. However, this requires buying a SLI/CFX compatible motherboard and PSU now, which may result in slightly higher initial cost.

Once again, thank you in advance for taking the time to answer these, and I hope you enjoy your stay at OCF!

 

[Kelushka]

As for the cooler, the Zalman 92mm fan (Which I assume to be the ZALMAN CNPS9500A, though it could be a few other models), it is not really the same as the CNPS9900 MAX

Ya I realize they are different just a little input on what I have and what to look for in terms of what you will be doing with your rig.

I know when I built mine I wish I would have considered some more research on the temps I would be getting.

 

[manu2b]

Try a SSD and you'll never go back...

You have already 600GB of storage. Grab a 120GB ssd instead of the WD 1TB, and get a 2nd HDD when the Velociraptor is 80% full...

 

[Sokar408]

Hey, welcome to OCF!

When trying to recommend a build to you, there's some information that's extremely helpful for us to know. If you could answer these few short questions, we'd be happy to help!

• What are you planning to do with this compuer? Please be as specfic as possible.

• What is your budget?
  
  1. Does this include a copy of Windows?
  2. Does this include peripheals (a keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.)?
• Are you from the United States or a different country? Are you ordering from your own country or from across borders?
  
  1. Wherever you may be from, does the store that you are planning to order from have a website? It's okay if it isn't in English, we can manage.
  2. If you are from the United States, do you live nearby a Microcenter?

• Do you have any specific requests with the build?
  
  1. Do you plan on overclocking? If yes, do you have a specific goal in mind?
  2. Would you prefer the build to be particularly small?
  3. Would you prefer the build to be particularly quiet?
  4. In general, do you prefer this to be a computer that you can spend money on now and let it rest, or a box built for continuous upgrading?
  5. Do you ever plan on utilizing NVIDIA's SLI or AMD's CrossfireX technologies? These features, with a compatible motherboard, allow a user to link multiple identical graphic cards together for added performance. In real world terms, this lets you buy a second identical graphics card down the line as a relatively cheap and easy way to gain a fairly large boost in performance. However, this requires buying a SLI/CFX compatible motherboard and PSU now, which may result in slightly higher initial cost.

Once again, thank you in advance for taking the time to answer these, and I hope you enjoy your stay at OCF!

Most of your questions is answered to some degree in very top of the post, but I'll do through them and answer these in order regardless:

• What are you planning to do with this compuer? Please be as specfic as possible. I plan on using it for gaming, gameplay recording (AKA Youtube videos, gameplay, reviews, tutorials and so on. Since this is where I make most of my money these days), video rendering (although I might use my old rig for this, depending on the speeds), and just all around computer stuff. Basically it needs to have a good deal of GPU and CPU power.

• Does this include a copy of Windows?/Does this include peripheals (a keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.)? I have contacts in Microsoft and as such will be getting the Windows 7 Ultimate, Complete license, for free, so no worrying about the OS. Other then that I'll probably be getting 2 identical monitors for a dual setup, but I might wait a few months with this, and just use the monitors I already got. Keyboard, mouse are no issue.

• Wherever you may be from, does the store that you are planning to order from have a website? It's okay if it isn't in English, we can manage./If you are from the United States, do you live nearby a Microcenter? Like I said in the post, I'll be ordering all the parts from without my country, which is Denmark, as the prices are best for me when doing so. I could save a buck or two by order some parts from Amazon.co.uk but its not with the extra hassle. Remember that in Europe we have to pay VAT, so ordering from the US would probably end up costing me more, unless I attempt to avoid VAT, which is something I don't intend on doing. Though I have subtracted 20% of the total cost in my "Total price", so that the US people can better relate to the price.
  
  As for the store, I'll get it all from www.computersalg.dk or www.cinemagic.dk, as the are by far the cheapest, and I have had a great experience with both in the past. That said I might split the order up between different stores to get the best price in the very end.

• Do you have any specific requests with the build?

1. Yes I play on OC'ing like I always do. I don't usually have a specific goal in mind, because I know it varies from CPU to CPU (GPU to GPU), however I don't think getting the i7 3770k above 4.2 Ghz is unrealistic
   
2. The size of the rig is of no consequence for me.
   
3. Yes it being quiet is a most for me, which is why I'm willing to pay extra for the quieter Zalman CNPS9900 MAX over the Hyper 212 evo. I also know the case is quiet as a friend of mine has the same one, and he has several extra fans, which I'll be leaving out.
   
4. I think considering the parts that I'd say I'll spend money now, and have it last. However some upgrades has been taking into consideration, again these are mentioned in the very top of my post.
   
5. Again this has pretty much been answered. Yes I do plan on at least building the rig to be able to support 2 way SLI, although whether I'll ever get it or not is uncertain.

From the questions I'll assume you didn't read the post before asking me these questions, but regardless it is always good to have them all listed in an orderly fashion for future readers

Ya I realize they are different just a little input on what I have and what to look for in terms of what you will be doing with your rig.

I know when I built mine I wish I would have considered some more research on the temps I would be getting.

And I thank you for your input indeed, it can never hurt to be extra informed when it comes to building a rig

Try a SSD and you'll never go back...

You have already 600GB of storage. Grab a 120GB ssd instead of the WD 1TB, and get a 2nd HDD when the Velociraptor is 80% full...

Unfortunately as the SSD can't sevice as a dedicated recording drive, NOR an OS + storage drive, its not a matter of one or the other. Its a matter of getting it or not

 

[manu2b]

So... Get it!

 

[Knufire]

From the questions I'll assume you didn't read the post before asking me these questions, but regardless it is always good to have them all listed in an orderly fashion for future readers

It's an automated post.

I'll post a recommendation sometime in the next ~14 hours.

Just some thoughts:

1. Don't buy a heatsink based on the fan included. You can always change out the fan on the Hyper212+ for something much quieter.
2. The HAF series is very performance oriented and on the louder side of cases. There are cases that are much quieter with noise reduction features built in
3. Don't need anywhere near 850W.
4. What's your budget in your own currency?

 

[Sokar408]

It's an automated post.

I'll post a recommendation sometime in the next ~14 hours.

Just some thoughts:

1. Don't buy a heatsink based on the fan included. You can always change out the fan on the Hyper212+ for something much quieter.
2. The HAF series is very performance oriented and on the louder side of cases. There are cases that are much quieter with noise reduction features built in
3. Don't need anywhere near 850W.

1. True, but given that the Zalman will do the job, and the EVO + a good, low noise fan, will probably cost the same, and still not outperform it, I don't see a reason for this. I'm open to suggestions if you got a specific combo in mind that makes it worthwhile.

2. Like I said, the sound of the case, even with additional fans are slim to none. I got a few buds with it, and its bigger brother, and the fans are barely noticable. Besides this the features the case overs, coupled with the price is just what I'm looking for.

3. Again like I said the build is designed to be future proof in form of 2 Way SLI. You could argue that even with the 2 way SLI a 750W is enough, but why settle for that when I can get the 850W for 10$ extra? If you insist that 750W will running 2x 660 Ti without going above 80% capacity, I'll go back to the 750W

 

[Knufire]

You could run dual 660Tis+overclocking on a 650W, actually. 650W is fine for dual cards except for the 7970, 7950, and 680.

Also, looking at the review, those are both manufacturer given specs, and there's no telling if they both measured dBA in the same way, from the same distance, etc.

What's your budget in your own currency?

I have built in several of the HAF series and can guarantee you there are cases that are much quieter. Quiet enough that you have to check for lights to make sure it's on. Fractal Design is one company that is known for making extremely quiet cases. The most recent case review on our front page also has many of these features built in as well.

 

[Sokar408]

You could run dual 660Tis+overclocking on a 650W, actually. 650W is fine for dual cards except for the 7970, 7950, and 680.

Also, looking at the review, those are both manufacturer given specs, and there's no telling if they both measured dBA in the same way, from the same distance, etc.

What's your budget in your own currency?

I have built in several of the HAF series and can guarantee you there are cases that are much quieter. Quiet enough that you have to check for lights to make sure it's on. Fractal Design is one company that is known for making extremely quiet cases. The most recent case review on our front page also has many of these features built in as well.

Well with speculation in mind, most things can be justified. If you have a good recommendation as for what fan I could get for the Hyper 212 Evo, which would achieve a 1-2 degree better cooling and less noise, it would be great.

It seems to be bad communication on my part. I don't mean silent, I just mean no mechanical background noise. I got an Antec 900 atm, and that noise level is adequate, and from my experience, the HAF XM should be less noisy then that. As always though, if you have a recommendation, please do list it

My budget I'd say is 10k Danish Kroner (With VAT). That is not to say I want to spend it all, nor that I won't go over that. It all comes down the what I find it the best solution from research and feedback. Atm the build costs 9,300 Danish Kroner (With VAT).

Also what is your thoughts on the GTX670? Every card I have seen, seems to have a 15-20% chance of being DOA or die within the first months of use. Is this just because of the customers with bad experiences happen to report it more then the satisfied silent segment in this particular case, or is there concrete date that the GTX670 series has stability problems?

 

[Knufire]

No concrete stability issues on the the GTX670s, as far as I know. Though the AMD 7970/7950 tend to offer better performance at the price, but at the cost of more heat/power consumption. Same heatsinks are used on both (for non-reference models), so I'd expect noise to be similar.

Fractal Design is well known for silence, with noise reduction foam in the front panel and other features like that. There was also a Nanoxia case recently reviewed who took great lengths to remain silent (never heard of the brand until the review was posted): http://www.overclockers.com/nanoxia-deep-silencer-1-case-review

What I look for in a case (other than looks, as every person has their own opinion on that):

• Cable managment holes
• Side facing drive bays
• Removable drive bay
• Removable dust filters
• Tooless drive bays/PCI slots
• Noise reduction foam
• Ample space behind motherboard tray for wires
• CPU Cooler cutout
• Zip tie mounts

It's slight speculation, but it's known that much of the manufacturer testing of fans isn't totally accurate. There is quite a bit of independent third-party testing, however:
http://www.overclock.net/t/724577/the-well-dressed-megahalems-65-fans-and-112-setups-56k-warning
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=709786&highlight=Fans

 

[Sokar408]

No concrete stability issues on the the GTX670s, as far as I know. Though the AMD 7970/7950 tend to offer better performance at the price, but at the cost of more heat/power consumption. Same heatsinks are used on both (for non-reference models), so I'd expect noise to be similar.

Fractal Design is well known for silence, with noise reduction foam in the front panel and other features like that. There was also a Nanoxia case recently reviewed who took great lengths to remain silent (never heard of the brand until the review was posted): http://www.overclockers.com/nanoxia-deep-silencer-1-case-review

What I look for in a case (other than looks, as every person has their own opinion on that):

• Cable managment holes
• Side facing drive bays
• Removable drive bay
• Removable dust filters
• Tooless drive bays/PCI slots
• Noise reduction foam
• Ample space behind motherboard tray for wires
• CPU Cooler cutout
• Zip tie mounts

It's slight speculation, but it's known that much of the manufacturer testing of fans isn't totally accurate. There is quite a bit of independent third-party testing, however:
http://www.overclock.net/t/724577/the-well-dressed-megahalems-65-fans-and-112-setups-56k-warning
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=709786&highlight=Fans

Alright I think i'm going with a GTX 670 then, as it seems a bit more future proof. As for ATI, personal experience tells me to stay away from that. Naturally the experience I have comes from a younger age, and things have surely changed, but I have never had a problem with Nvidia Cards (except the GTX 280, which simply refused to play Diablo 3 without going completely wunko. Honestly I don't know how to describe the screen show I experienced there), so even though I hate fanboyish, I fall victim for it here myself

Been looking into those cases, and I just don't see a reason to switch from the HAF XM. It has so many features, the price is awesome, and like I said I have experienced the noise level, and its more then acceptable for me.

As for the fans, it looks like I'm in for a read!

 

[Knufire]

so even though I hate fanboyish, I fall victim for it here myself

What features? Could you provide some review or evidence to support your statement?

This case is quieter, has more features, and is cheaper than the HAF-XM:http://www.cinemagic.dk/shop/fractal-design-define-259795p.html

If you like the looks, then that's your choice. But based on price and features, there are most definitely better options out there. The Define R4 comes with those removable drive bays and noise reduction material that the XM doesn't. Unnecessary drive bays just block airflow from the front fan, and I doubt you're running 8 hard drives and are going to use them all. The only thing is that I don't think the R4 is quite as tool-less as the XM.

Sorry if I'm being pushy, but you're saying that you want a case for X, Y, and Z purposes, and buying a case that focuses on completely different purposes. Would the HAF XM be fine? Yes. Is it the absolute best case on the market for that price for your purposes? Not really.

These are also cheaper and will power dual 670s and a 3570K, all OCed, with zero issue. The GTX670 is 170W, maybe 200W OCed since NVIDIA really limited how far they can go. The 3570K is a 77W CPU, maybe 110W max if you OC it to the limit. The rest of the build won't draw more than 40W, you're looking at 550W for a GTX670 SLI system.
http://www.cinemagic.dk/shop/ocz-modxstream-pro-114514p.html
http://www.cinemagic.dk/shop/ocz-zt-series-214968p.html
http://www.cinemagic.dk/shop/antec-high-current-12842p.html
http://www.cinemagic.dk/shop/xfx-core-edition-114984p.html

And many, many more great PSUs in that price range. There's also many good, cheaper 1TB hard drives as well.

I'd definitely save money elsewhere to fit a SSD in the budget, it's more than worth it.

 

[Sokar408]

What features? Could you provide some review or evidence to support your statement?

This case is quieter, has more features, and is cheaper than the HAF-XM:http://www.cinemagic.dk/shop/fractal-design-define-259795p.html

If you like the looks, then that's your choice. But based on price and features, there are most definitely better options out there. The Define R4 comes with those removable drive bays and noise reduction material that the XM doesn't. Unnecessary drive bays just block airflow from the front fan, and I doubt you're running 8 hard drives and are going to use them all. The only thing is that I don't think the R4 is quite as tool-less as the XM.

Sorry if I'm being pushy, but you're saying that you want a case for X, Y, and Z purposes, and buying a case that focuses on completely different purposes. Would the HAF XM be fine? Yes. Is it the absolute best case on the market for that price for your purposes? Not really.

These are also cheaper and will power dual 670s and a 3570K, all OCed, with zero issue. The GTX670 is 170W, maybe 200W OCed since NVIDIA really limited how far they can go. The 3570K is a 77W CPU, maybe 110W max if you OC it to the limit. The rest of the build won't draw more than 40W, you're looking at 550W for a GTX670 SLI system.
http://www.cinemagic.dk/shop/ocz-modxstream-pro-114514p.html
http://www.cinemagic.dk/shop/ocz-zt-series-214968p.html
http://www.cinemagic.dk/shop/antec-high-current-12842p.html
http://www.cinemagic.dk/shop/xfx-core-edition-114984p.html

And many, many more great PSUs in that price range. There's also many good, cheaper 1TB hard drives as well.

I'd definitely save money elsewhere to fit a SSD in the budget, it's more than worth it.

My my you are an opinionated one aren't you Not a bad quality to have, but you must realize that your approach would put most people on the defensive, and reject your advice despite you probably being right.

Luckily I'm not prone to let personal pride get in my, and you made a valid recommendation and as with everything I'll check up on it to make sure I'm making the right call, given my own preferences.

the i5 3570K would be nice, but the i7 3770K supposably destroys it when it comes to rendering in Adobe Premiere, which is very important for me considering I'll be rendering/encoding videos on a daily basis. Thats another reason to use Nvidia, as CUDA support also seem to make a big difference here. Although I will admit that due to my limited interest in ATI, I haven't read up on their Stream processors. My assumption that CUDA > Stream processors is admitably based on a biased point of view.

As for the PSUs you listen, decent examples, but they all somewhat poor user reviews, and prone to issues. Also I simply won't go below 750W. Sure I'll probably never need it as you yourself said, but you never know, and this way I won't have to think about whether my PSU will to able to handle whatever I through at it over the next many years.

I have seriously considered the TX 750W/850W though, but as you probably guessed, I'm quite paranoid when it comes to the PSU. Either way your recommendations have made me realize I might be too paranoid.

 

[Knufire]

Sorry, the 3570K instead of the 3770K was a mistype. They're the same rating power consumption-wise either way.

You can't really directly compare AMD and NVIDIA cards in any way. Which one performs better is pretty much based on how the software is written. We'd need to know exactly what software and version you use to determine which one is better for your uses.

Reviews for the PSUs I recommended:
XFX Core - http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story9&reid=216
OCZ ZT - http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&file=print&reid=262
OCZ ModXStream - http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/OCZ-ModXStream-Pro-600-W-Power-Supply-Review/936/9
Antec HCG - http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=211

Good PSU review sites are rare, the 4 that come to mind are Jonnyguru.com, Hardwaresecrets.com, HardOCP.com, and our own in-house reviews by Bobnova. Proper PSU reviews usually require a lot of electronics knowhow and some pretty expensive equipment.

Don't stick to these four by any means though, looking through the site, there are lots and lots of good choices within this price and power capacity range.

 

[Sokar408]

Sorry, the 3570K instead of the 3770K was a mistype. They're the same rating power consumption-wise either way.

You can't really directly compare AMD and NVIDIA cards in any way. Which one performs better is pretty much based on how the software is written. We'd need to know exactly what software and version you use to determine which one is better for your uses.

Reviews for the PSUs I recommended:
XFX Core - http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story9&reid=216
OCZ ZT - http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&file=print&reid=262
OCZ ModXStream - http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/OCZ-ModXStream-Pro-600-W-Power-Supply-Review/936/9
Antec HCG - http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=211

Good PSU review sites are rare, the 4 that come to mind are Jonnyguru.com, Hardwaresecrets.com, HardOCP.com, and our own in-house reviews by Bobnova. Proper PSU reviews usually require a lot of electronics knowhow and some pretty expensive equipment.

Don't stick to these four by any means though, looking through the site, there are lots and lots of good choices within this price and power capacity range.

Thank you very much for all the recommendations, even though I stayed stubborn with most of my build. I tested the Wattage I'd need via http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp and the total was 660W at full load. To have extra room I went with a cheaper 850W.

I have ordered the parts, and the parts I went with is now updated