Review this build

[greyclear@gmail]

Want to make sure I got everything in hand here. I couldnt make up my mind on video I wanted one with three outputs but a lot of the reviews on EVGA were pretty bad.


COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x
GIGABYTE GV-N560448-13I GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 448 Cores (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...
Thermaltake TR2 TRX-1200M 1200W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 80 PLUS
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866
ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 ...
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel ...
Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3K5 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)


I missing anything?

 

[EarthDog]

Looks ok...

Things I would change or ask you are...

1200W PSU for a single card is way too much. That system would EASILY run on a 550W PSU. A high quality unit like Seasonic X560 would be perfect for that PC and run ANY single GPU card out there if you decide to upgrade later. If you plan to SLI in the future with that 560ti, grab a Seasonic X760 which will also handle 2 of almost any card out there. If you want to save a few dollars go Corsair CX600 or 750TX v2. Not as good of quality (still good, just not as good as the Seasonic's above), but there are no worries with them (they are NOT modular however).

Instead of AS5, grab MX-2,3 or 4. Its a bit better.

16GB of ram... do you need that much? 1866 speeds...I wouldnt bother with unless you are benchmarking. Unless you know you need over 8GB of ram, I would go with DDR3 1600Mhz CAS9 ram 1.5v and call it a day.

Asus MIVE-z... its a top end board and really made for some extreme clocking so a lot of the features you are paying for you likely wont use. Most any midrange board will reach the clockspeeds you are likely shooting for. Asrock Z68 Extreme4 is solid, As well as Gigabyte Z68XP UD3H, and a lower Asus model like P8Z68-V. Just make sure they have all the ports etc you need.

The only thing missing I see is a storage drive.

 

[Mjolnir]

+1 to everything Earthdog said. But what res do you plan to game at and do you ever plan to SLI? If you don't wanna SLI, Stick to a 500-600 PSU. Think Seasonic, Antec or Corsair for brands.

 

[greyclear@gmail]

Wondered why I couldnt log in just noticed my user lol crap. anyways

I am purchasing everything off of new egg and so many to choose from I just want to make sure I have enough power. I will have 4 other sata drives that I will be plugging in and I have a spare DVD combo drive as well. I have external drives as well I juuuuuuuuuuust want to be safe and not meet the bare min. I looked on newegg they are out of stock on those brands http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151103

The ram? Yes. I run a lot of virtual stuff and depending on the OS type or how many I power on the ram usage of my host goes up so if I want to minimize it and look at something else I don't want to worry about being slow or bothered by I/O so I have dual SSDs in that order and suffcient ram. I still run legacy games in Windows XP lol.

Far as resolution goes I been rocking a 9600GTX for quit a while now. Most games I need to run lower resolutions or turn off certain shaders or there is some lag so I want to get the most out of my gaming experience and starting playing games like I never have before.

I picked the ASUS board because it gives me a little more control on overclocking it appears. Also has dual lan ports so I can run an internal LAN on 1Gb and WAN on the other. Also has 2 esata ports lol. Plus in total Ill have almost six drives hooked up and it has 6 sata ports. Over kill yes but itll suffice.

So what I can change in this build is the video card and power supply? I will SLI in the future but it might be on my next build so if I am doing without a SLI Something in the 550 watt range would be fine?

 

[EarthDog]

You are safe... by a country mile like more than double what you would need with single GPU. HDD's and Opticals, 5 of them will really only be 10-30W use or so, maybe a bit more on spinup.

Ok cool, VM's and such can get memory hungry for sure. Id still stick with 1600Mhz CL9 ram.

9800gtx or 9600gt? The 560ti 448 is a solid card. But if the best gaming experience is your goal, Grab a GTX580 or 6970.

RE: The Asus board, thats kind of what Im saying, the controls it offers you wont be using really unless you are a competative bencher. Its just going to be multi, vcore, setting ram timings. Seriously.. thats all it is. There are other boards that cost less that have the features you need too. Dual GB LAN is common a step or two up the chain and all have 6+ SATA ports.

Yes, that correct. 550W Will be plenty if you dont SLI but have all those drives running at the same time while playing games and overclocked . The Seasonic 560W model is there...

 

[greyclear@gmail]

This video card? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125364 lol $500 yikes but thats ok want to go all out here how loud is that sucker going to be haha

 

[EarthDog]

This video card? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125364 lol $500 yikes but thats ok want to go all out here how loud is that sucker going to be haha

Yep. Or others..most are likely to be quieter than the one you have linked due to the larger fans. Id get (already own) this one. SUPER quiet. Worst part is 3 slot cooler. Otherwise, that giga one looks like it would do well too.

See thats what Im saying, you can save some coin on other parts and go bigger where you want to, the GPU . With the 580, if you overclock both CPU and GPU, I would look in to a 650W PSU though. Still with a 650W PSU and less of a mobo you can afford that.

 

[greyclear@gmail]

While I am thinking about it.. I live on a dirt road and dust is a problem around here. While its never destroyed any of the computers in the house it is a shock when you open the cases. This case has fans in it and Id ont guess getting a cover for it would be a good idea?

 

[Mjolnir]

Asus Direct CU II GTX 580

I would pick this model personally. I have it; I love it. It's cool and quiet. Cheaper too. Probably better built XD. Just bare in mind it's Triple-slot. And yes you can still run it on on the Seasonic 560W PSU. It'd be the perfect PSU for it really for a single card setup. Has dual PCI-E 6+2 pin connections; which this card takes.

If you'd like a newegg build cart; can do that? What's your absolute budget?

Also a GTX 580 at 1080p will run everything maxed out for a while to come. So SLI isn't required. You'd only need to replace it perhaps after 1-2 more generations come out.. For a more efficient, more powerful card (by then).

 

[EarthDog]

While I am thinking about it.. I live on a dirt road and dust is a problem around here. While its never destroyed any of the computers in the house it is a shock when you open the cases. This case has fans in it and Id ont guess getting a cover for it would be a good idea?

Get a case with dust removeable dust filters on the intake (Antec 1200 comes to mind for a full tower).

I wouldnt 'cover' any computer case, especially with overclocking and considering a more powerful GPU like that 580.

 

[Mjolnir]

While I am thinking about it.. I live on a dirt road and dust is a problem around here. While its never destroyed any of the computers in the house it is a shock when you open the cases. This case has fans in it and Id ont guess getting a cover for it would be a good idea?

Far as I know; the CM Haf series don't come with dust filters by default.. You'd need to additionally buy some Demi-Flex dust covers for that case to effectively protect it better. Honestly I don't like the HAF series at all.. But cases are a very personal choice so it's all up to you ^^.

 

[Mjolnir]

If you plan to stick single-card; I recommend this mid-tower case.
Lancool PC-K63

If you can stand the look of the HAF, surely you wouldn't mind this. Has dust filters in the front and under where the PSU sits. Comes with all the fan slots covered; and the fans are quiet (I've used this case for a friends build). And it's fair priced. Solid construction. I recommend this if you don't require a full-tower case. (fair warning; doesn't come with a fan controller; but at the low sound levels all the fans produce; you don't really need one lol)

Also; it's great for cable management; and has a side window (duh) to show off your pretty little insides (the computer I mean... ).

 

[greyclear@gmail]

Alrighty then changed out the PS to SeaSonicX650 and GTX580, MX2. Forgot I need a new burner. $2,530.85 give or take a few bucks for shipping and taxes lol Research cases later on I just happen to see that one because its bigger I dont want everything compact or tight. Want some air to move thru.

Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[Mjolnir]

Just because a case is bigger; doesn't mean the airflow is better. That being said the HAF series IS designed for it.. But with no dust filters.. Eh. Consider; perhaps; the Corsair 600T? or 650D? Mid-range towers; but trust me they have plenty of room. Of course it depends if you want flashy lights or not...

I also picked the Lancool because it has no issues with airflow.. 2 front intakes; 2 top exhausts; and a rear exhaust.. The airflow is pretty direct.

 

[EarthDog]

*COUGH* Antec 1200 *COUGH* Full tower, not as...styled... as HAF series DUST FILTERS.

 

[Mjolnir]

Haha I think Earthdog is trying to say something! . Here's a build I just put together.. But if you want a more flashy case that's cheaper and great for airflow and has a side-window; definitely go with ED's choice with the Antec 1200. Sorry for the split images; but I'm on my macbook air lol. Not a lot of res to work with! I even threw in a top sound card! =D. (changing to the 1200 also keeps the price closer to 2K). I changed my cart to fit the 1200. Price is $2005. - Whatever in rebates. If you want; however; you could change the CM Evo to something ridiculously overkill like the Corsair H100? XD. (Another edit... Now that I think about it I'm not sure the Antec 1200 suits that Rad? Perhaps the H80 then? Or just stick with the evo.. With the amount of airflow that case puts through; you could easily run 24/7 4.5ghz and keep temps WELL in check).

 

[greyclear@gmail]

I reviewed mine again and the price is 2,010.87 I had two GPUs on there LOL thats why it was $500 more. Definately looking over yours here. Does onboard sound vs a card really make that much difference? My sound is plugged into a sound system of its own already 5 speaker setup with sub.

The case I am not looking for any flashy just make sure everything has breathing room and good airflow.

 

[Mjolnir]

Stick to the Antec 1200. And yes the difference is HUGE. But it's really more for people who use headphones a lot; and have quality speakers. What 5.1 system are you running?

I own the ST version of the sound card I included. I love it. But I use Shure SRH 840 headphones (I don't use headsets; i use a USB mic for communication). They're not top-end; but they're great overall studio headphones that scale well with the built-in headphone amp.

But if you don't use headphones much; and you're not an audiophile; and you're happy with your current sound; onboard is fine. I believe Asus usually have onboard X-Fi on their top-end boards... I wonder if this stays true with this model...

EDIT: Checked the site; runs a normal Realtek chip for sound.. But with a bit of tweaking I'm sure you'll be fine. ^^

 

[EarthDog]

If you have external sound like that, I would want better audio. Its not that the onboard realtek is bad, there are just better. If you stick to onboard, just make sure the board you get has an optical output (assuming your receiver has optical on it of course). In audio, your sound is only as good as your worst component. In this case, that would be the sound card.

That said, if you have only used onboard, you will be perfectly happy. You do not need a $150 sound card though... This one would work great at around half the cost. If you arent an audiophile onboard will be fine, there is just better out there.

 

[Mjolnir]

If you have external sound like that, I would want better audio. Its not that the onboard realtek is bad, there are just better. If you stick to onboard, just make sure the board you get has an optical output (assuming your receiver has optical on it of course). In audio, your sound is only as good as your worst component. In this case, that would be the sound card.

That said, if you have only used onboard, you will be perfectly happy. You do not need a $150 sound card though... This one would work great at around half the cost. If you arent an audiophile onboard will be fine, there is just better out there.

^

But... I'm an Asus fanboy (not really; just not a fan of Creative Sound cards..) So.

Asus Xonar DX Is my suggestion. In the same price bracket as mentioned above.