New build

[leblanc]

Hey guys,

Next weekend I am purchasing my first PC build in 4 years, and would like to know if you guys see anything wrong with my setup before I purchase this weekend.

Case: Raven R01 full tower case ( http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=35742&vpn=RV01B-W&manufacture=Silverstone Technology )
Mobo: Asus maximus IV ( http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=59315&vpn=MAXIMUS IV EXTREME REV 3.0&manufacture=ASUS )
CPU: Intel core I7 2600k ( http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=57960&vpn=BX80623I72600K&manufacture=Intel )
RAM: Corsair 2x4gb 1600mhz (x2) ( http://ncix.ca/products/?sku=59431&vpn=CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B&manufacture=Corsair )
SSD: Corsair force series (x2) 115gb 2.5in sata III ( http://ncix.ca/products/?sku=59022&vpn=CSSD-F115GB2-BRKT-A&manufacture=Corsair#CustomerReviews ) Im debating going raid 0 on this, still unsure if its worth it, anyone help me out on this?
GPU; evga 580gtx 1.5gb ( http://ncix.ca/products/?sku=56599&vpn=015-P3-1580-AR&manufacture=eVGA ) (only 1 for now, 2nd after i get the rest of the funds, most likely after the holidays)
PSU: OCZ 1000w modular PSU ( http://ncix.ca/products/?sku=44873&vpn=OCZZ1000M&manufacture=OCZ Technology )
CPU cooling: antec kuhler h20 920 ( http://ncix.ca/products/?sku=60587&vpn=KUHLER H20920&manufacture=Antec&promoid=1287 )
For storage I already have a 1tb HDD
and lastly Ive got a DVD drive that'll do for now
ill be running windows 7 64bit proffessionnal (got that for free )

Anyone see any problems that I might encounter with my build? Or anything on which I could save cash on? Or just any remarks I should know of in advance.

Would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

LB

 

[dearbeloved]

somes things i can suggest and by all means feel free to disagree,you type sata 3 but the crucial ssd you linked supports sata 2. with the board and processor youve got it seems like kind of an investment so i would suggest getting a sata3 optional ssd. i picked up a crucial M4 and i tested it with sata 2 and sata 3 and sata 2 gave me half the speed. it could just be my luck and others seem to argue what is "true" sata3 but it works for me.

another suggestion is the psu, you mention that you are getting a evga 580 (excited, mines in the mail as we speak) and will probably buy 2. correct me if im wrong but the 580s need 600Watts and when speaking to a nvidia sales rep (not some dude in india) he highly suggested something thats 1200watts if i was going to be running 2x 580s. i could be wrong and there could be people that are using 1000w psu while mashing 2x 580s but im going from what i was presented with by nvidia.

i know you may be looking to save money and by all means feel free to disregard but what you have up there seems like a pretty tight setup and a good investment so i suggest (because me personally) to get a higher rated ssd and psu. ive just never been the kind of guy to buy things twice.

hope this helps man.

 

[leblanc]

Hey,

thanks for the reply, thanks for pointing out the ssd to me, ive been looking at so many pages and parts, that sometimes something as simple as sata II and III can be forgotten. Now I can correct my selection for a sata III.
Any idea which would be a good 1200w psu available on the ncix site? Ordering everything from the same place, less cost in shipment .

Thanks again

LB

 

[Theocnoob]

My thoughts:

I have that CPU and MOBO. They are fantastic. 10/10. Do you NEED said mobo? No. I would argue the P8Z68V-Pro is all you need. It's not sexy, it has no ROG connect, but it'll get you to the destination at the same speed. Still, top tier parts are fun. Get the Maximus 4 Z not the 4 E as the Z is newer.

DO NOT buy hard drives atm. Just get SSDs. There was a flood and HD suppliers are in crisis. Prices have gone up 500% in certain cases, with an average of 300%. Not worth it.

I do not know corsair SSDs. I CAN say I'm very pleased after 8 months with my 120GB INTEL 510 ssd, and would purchase it again without a second thought.

Otherwise a very nice high end build. You may wish to switch PSU to the Corsair AX1200. It's a solid unit, you have the budget. Why not get a top tier PSU? Just an idea.

Cooler thoughts: Thats a nice cooler, but you don't need to spend so much. A Thermalright HR02 macho ($45) with a good fan on it will take you >5Ghz. Again though- can you overcool? Can you have too much RAM? No. Exactly. Just trying to help save money and shift it towards higher perf for you.

Gpu thoughts: Be aware that a 6790 almost catches a 580 in performance and costs much less. Also, 2 6970s beat 2 580s. If you ever plan to multi card, go AMD. Their drivers are evil vs Nvidia, but you get more frames per dollar, undeniably. If you stick 580 please get 3GB not 1.5 I fly flight sims and in some of the super high end ones I run out of VRAM on my 1.5GB and have to turn down some features (These are HIGH end sims but hey, you never know and better safe than sorry). AMD has 4GB cards now. I recommend. or 3GB on Nvidia side.

Ram thoughts- I'd get 16GB of RAM. No real reason, it's just so cheap now that you wouldn't even notice the price difference. You can't have too much RAM . Get like a 2x8GB 1600 9 9 9 28 kit. Shouldn't cost much. No harm having all that RAM. Your system won't need a page file this way either.

Case thoughts: The RVO2EW had SUPERIOR (by far) airflow to the raven 1 and 3, IMO and the same cool look. Please watch youtube reviews of it before you decide. Also remember RAVENS restrict your video card length. Check your GPU length before you buy it.

Remember RAVEN series are very loooong cases. Make sure you have the desk/floor space. They are excellent cases. Silverstone does excellent work, and you have made a solid case choice. Just double check GPU lengths as I mentioned.

Here you see the raven 2. Long, yes, but the design is awesome and it moves the hot air out of your case super fast. I recommend this.

If you want to stay with 1 video card, for sure, and want a small case with an MATX board (still get a 2600K, still get the Maximus version board (but tiny), still get the 580, essentially, all the power, small size, look at this case. Also from silverstone

Hope I was helpful.

 

[snowbrd]

I actually have almost the same build. The rv01 is a awesome case but the cable management is kinda bleh, along with no cpu cutout. Take the time to do it correctly and it'll look awesome. I have two 580s in it except for the fact my 580s run quite hot for some reason. Anyway do as ocnoob suggests if ya wanna save some money. External hard drives well some of them haven't really gone belly up in price so if you can grab one and open it you can probably use the hd inside... All voids the warranty but you'll probably save like $120.

 

[leblanc]

Hey thanks for your thoughts,

This is the 3rd time im writting this, keep loading pages and losing my text XD

For the motherboard ill stick with the maximus, as I love the all things that come with it and will be able to tri sli if I want to one day. Although whats the difference between the E and Z? There is a 40$ difference between the 2.

Not looking to buy HDDs atm, already have a 1tb hdd I can use. Thanks for the heads up though.

As for the SSD, I have changed my mind and going for a single patriod 120gb sata III SSD http://ncix.ca/products/index.php?sku=63098&vpn=PP120GS25SSDR&manufacture=Patriot
Although I do have experience with corsair SSD and they have work flawlessly, no comments against them.

As for the PSU, I did a little shopping and found the silverstone 1200w http://ncix.ca/products/?sku=57626&vpn=ST1200-G&manufacture=Silverstone Technology
It is 45$ less expensive than the corsair you mentioned, is there anything wrong with the silverstone I should know about? Looks to be a solid PSU, with alot of features and japanese capacitors.

I dont personally have good experience with AMD GPUs. I tried 1 once and everytime I tried to start a game I would get a BSOB, although it was on a Nvidia/evga mobo. This new mobo though does mention its compatible with both companies. With this setup, would I encounter any sort of driver issues or incompatibilities? I am skeptical, but open minded. Ill check them out for sure as I am only buying this weekend to make sure all the parts will work.

And the ram, it will be 16gb, im getting the set I linked in the first post twice, so itll be 4x4gb 1600mhz.

Didn't know about the raven r02 getting better airflow cooling than the raven r01, ill check it out. Thanks

And last but not least, the cooler. Is the antec overkill? I am only looking to get a 4.3-4.6ghz overclock, if its less, meh I dont really mind. I checked Ncix website for the thermalright HR02 and they dont have it in stock. Is the corsair Hxx series a better choice for the price? Would like to keep it H20, takes less room and less weight hanging off the mobo.

Thanks alot for the inputs

Im doing my homework

LB

 

[leblanc]

snowbird,

how much more room do you have for video cards? How long can the cards be before they no longer fit? Got much head room on that? Im checking the 6970s and its 11.2 inches long, no idea if itll fit in the case. The 580s are 10.5in long if I recall properly, would another inch fit?

The 6970's are ALOT cheaper then the gtx580s I really hope they work with my setup. Should work with intel right? Dont have a good experience with AMD, so thats why im asking.

Thanks.

LB

 

[Knufire]

Massive overkill is all I'm saying. Tri GPU gains are minimal, and no person needs a motherboard that costs more then $180.

With dual 6970s, you'd be perfectly fine on a 750W PSU. If you get the MSI Lightening versions and OC the crap out of them, then 850W.

If you want a AIO liquid cooling set, my vote goes to the H80. However, Sandy Bridge doesn't output that much heat at all. You'll hit a multiplier limit WAY before a thermal limit with a Thermalright MUX-120 or a HR-02 Macho.

 

[snowbrd]

The 6970s will work really well and I believe they will fit. I can take some measurements tommorow when I have free time. But I think it is like 2-3" extra headroom.

 

[dearbeloved]

if your spending 200 on a ssd then id say get the crucial m4 128gig. its in that price range and i love the speeds on mine. reliability is also awesome so far. just had to plug in and go.

 

[Horrerblade]

yup either go for an intel ssd if you cant find the M4 but that's what i recommend get a better psu and go for a 6990 or 6970s

 

[leblanc]

Looking the at the M4 120gb, and it doesn't specify TRIM support, keeps the ssd fast for a long time. Although I might have missed something. I have no idea if all SSD's support or not or its a passive program that does it.

Just changed my motherboard choice to a maximus gene-Z, about 130$ less expensive, and still a great mobo, I seriously doubt doing tri-sli one day. I can more easily imagine gpu water blocks and entire w/c system just for cards, and OC the heck out of it!

As for the GPUs, im going to think about it till the weekend, on one hand the 6970 is alot less expensive and could most likely afford both of them now, but I am skeptical because of my experience with the product line, bad drivers, everytime I started a game I got BSOD. Anyways, I shouldn't have any problems now, still though, its like an ich I cant scratch. Also, the lower temps and power consumption are really interesting, alot more head room to overclock (correct me if I am wrong or missed something). As for the 580's already run really hot, leaving little room for additional OC w/o a good after market cooler, either it be air or w/c. The 6990 is out of the question though, lol, thats alot of muhlla for 1 card.

If I run the dual 6970's, I can most likely reduce my PSU as well to something smaller and less expensive. 1kw should be plenty of head room for my OCs and future upgrades right?

This may sound like a silly question, but is the I7 2600k that i ll be getting, is it for sure its second gen? I would assume so, but I can you can never be safe enough and just ask and check right?

Thanks for your inputs,

LB

 

[Knufire]

1KW is IMO, crazy overkill if you're not going triple CFX/SLI. A nice 850W should serve you fine for any dual GPU solution. 850AX would be my choice. The 6990 is only ever so slightly less performance then dual 6970s.

IMO, RAIDing SSD's is a waste. A single one is so fast that improvements are basically unnoticable. And you lose TRIM in RAID, regardless of what SSD or controller you're running on.

 

[manu2b]

1KW is IMO, crazy overkill if you're not going triple CFX/SLI. A nice 850W should serve you fine for any dual GPU solution. 850AX would be my choice. The 6990 is only ever so slightly less performance then dual 6970s.

IMO, RAIDing SSD's is a waste. A single one is so fast that improvements are basically unnoticable. And you lose TRIM in RAID, regardless of what SSD or controller you're running on.

+1 +1

GTX580 does not pull 600W on it own. That's the full system power consumption with a hungry CPU:
2600K is a 95W TDP (180 when OC'ed@ 4.8/5 GHz) and the GTX580 is a 244W GPU (maybe 300W when 10/15% OC'ed). Add roughly 50W for (tons of) fans, drives and you barely hit 550 when everything (high OC'ed) is at full load.
As Knufire says, even for SLI, a 850W PSU would be enough.
I have a 1000W PSU thinking "future proof, blah blah"... but the fact is that CPU's get less and less hungry: 145W... 125W... 95W... and so on.

 

[Crimson]

My thoughts:

I have that CPU and MOBO. They are fantastic. 10/10. Do you NEED said mobo? No. I would argue the P8Z68V-Pro is all you need. It's not sexy, it has no ROG connect, but it'll get you to the destination at the same speed. Still, top tier parts are fun. Get the Maximus 4 Z not the 4 E as the Z is newer.

DO NOT buy hard drives atm. Just get SSDs. There was a flood and HD suppliers are in crisis. Prices have gone up 500% in certain cases, with an average of 300%. Not worth it.

I do not know corsair SSDs. I CAN say I'm very pleased after 8 months with my 120GB INTEL 510 ssd, and would purchase it again without a second thought.

Otherwise a very nice high end build. You may wish to switch PSU to the Corsair AX1200. It's a solid unit, you have the budget. Why not get a top tier PSU? Just an idea.

Cooler thoughts: Thats a nice cooler, but you don't need to spend so much. A Thermalright HR02 macho ($45) with a good fan on it will take you >5Ghz. Again though- can you overcool? Can you have too much RAM? No. Exactly. Just trying to help save money and shift it towards higher perf for you.

Gpu thoughts: Be aware that a 6790 almost catches a 580 in performance and costs much less. Also, 2 6970s beat 2 580s. If you ever plan to multi card, go AMD. Their drivers are evil vs Nvidia, but you get more frames per dollar, undeniably. If you stick 580 please get 3GB not 1.5 I fly flight sims and in some of the super high end ones I run out of VRAM on my 1.5GB and have to turn down some features (These are HIGH end sims but hey, you never know and better safe than sorry). AMD has 4GB cards now. I recommend. or 3GB on Nvidia side.

Ram thoughts- I'd get 16GB of RAM. No real reason, it's just so cheap now that you wouldn't even notice the price difference. You can't have too much RAM . Get like a 2x8GB 1600 9 9 9 28 kit. Shouldn't cost much. No harm having all that RAM. Your system won't need a page file this way either.

Case thoughts: The RVO2EW had SUPERIOR (by far) airflow to the raven 1 and 3, IMO and the same cool look. Please watch youtube reviews of it before you decide. Also remember RAVENS restrict your video card length. Check your GPU length before you buy it.

Remember RAVEN series are very loooong cases. Make sure you have the desk/floor space. They are excellent cases. Silverstone does excellent work, and you have made a solid case choice. Just double check GPU lengths as I mentioned.

Here you see the raven 2. Long, yes, but the design is awesome and it moves the hot air out of your case super fast. I recommend this.

If you want to stay with 1 video card, for sure, and want a small case with an MATX board (still get a 2600K, still get the Maximus version board (but tiny), still get the 580, essentially, all the power, small size, look at this case. Also from silverstone

Hope I was helpful.

If you don't need that mobo, you will ever never need that much ram...

 

[manu2b]

If you don't need that mobo, you will ever never need that much ram...

What is the connection?
If you do video editing or heavy photo editing, you need a lot of RAM, nevermind which MoBo you use...

 

[leblanc]

hey guys,

Been searching alot again during the week, and here is my "new" setup. Alot of things changed but still basically the same. Changed mobo to the p8Z68, so I can fit dual Asus 570s. Changed my card selection so I can get both cards immediately and its on special, pretty good deal IMO 330$ for a 570gtx with a massive cooler on it. Anyone think it wont fit on the motherboard? The other board I had chose, the X16 pci-e slots were too close, although they seem further apart on the P8Z68, its never 100% sure till I get it... lol. Any thoughts or reassurances?

Also changed my PSU to a corsair 850w, should be plenty for my needs.

For the CPU cooler, ill stick with the antec H920, its still on special and should be plenty of cooling either way.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=59238
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=61183
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35742&promoid=1282
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=57960
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=57953
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=53719&promoid=1282
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=63093&promoid=1282
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=60587&promoid=1282

Let me know you re thoughts, buying tuesday nov 15th

Thanks

LB

 

[MorePower!]

I watched a video about important tips when building your own gaming PC. The guy said that the speed of the RAM is more important than the amount of the ram. So if you're going to spend so much on this computer, why not put in 2000 speed ram instead of 1600?

 

[manu2b]

I watched a video about important tips when building your own gaming PC. The guy said that the speed of the RAM is more important than the amount of the ram. So if you're going to spend so much on this computer, why not put in 2000 speed ram instead of 1600?

 

[Knufire]

I love that smiley xD.

Difference between 1333MHz and 2133MHz is like 2FPS at most. What you said is true for benchmarking, but benching and gaming are completely different.