Transitioning from a laptop to a Man's Computer!

[MerlinDarkMage]

Greetings everyone. New guy to the desktop world. I've finally saved up enough to graduate from an old Sony Vaio laptap to a "MAN's" gaming system . Been reading some other builds and playing around with ideas. I will continue to read other builds while I get a little feedback on what I have thus far.

DA QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
What are you planning to do with this compuer? Please be as specfic as possible.
I plan on gaming when I'm not working at the bank. I would love to run dual monitors to watch some movies/youtube/stream netflix while I play WoW, League of Legends, Guild Wars 2.

What is your budget?
Around $1500 is ideal

Does this include a copy of Windows? Yes

Does this include peripheals (a keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.)? No, I have those already .

Are you from the United States or a different country? Are you ordering from your own country or from across borders? USA, USA, USA

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.
Computer I Want To Customize

If you are from the United States, do you live nearby a Microcenter?
Huh?

Do you have any specific requests with the build?
Like the i7's, thought about an SSD, really like Nvidia.

Do you plan on overclocking? If yes, do you have a specific goal in mind?
Not really.

Would you prefer the build to be particularly small? NO
Would you prefer the build to be particularly quiet? Don't matter too much
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?
Gonna let it rest a while before needing to upgrade.

Do you ever plan on utilizing NVIDIA's SLI or AMD's CrossfireX technologies?
Possibly if I save up to add more gcards to stream and multibox, short-term no.

All that being said: here is what I arrived at for now but am open to ideas and constructive criticisms!

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-3820 Quad-Core 3.60 GHz 10MB Intel Smart Cache LGA2011 (All Venom OC Certified)
HDD: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [-20] (Single Drive)
MEMORY: 8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Quad Channel Memory [-54] (Corsair Vengeance [+14])
MOTHERBOARD: * (4-Way SLI Support) GIGABYTE X79-UP4 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ 3D UEFI Bios, Ultra Durable 5, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 4 Gen3 PCIe x16, 2 PCIe x1 & 1 PCI [-5]
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card (EVGA FTW Edition [+84])

With all the toys and add ons it came to $1523 before shipping, which isn't too bad for my budget I suppose. Pretty sure this link will work for anyone to see all the super specifics. Finished Product
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1EGBH6

 

[MerlinDarkMage]

So, while doing my homework and finding other similar builds/questions. I see many folks are opting for the i5. Any certain reason for this vs. i7? Saving a few dollars, less heat, errr what is the secret? I also need help in making sure my Mobo is gonna work with my case?
Much love for the help

 

[jazon1]

for just gaming i would bump down to a Z77 board instead of the X79 like This one,
and get a intel i7 3770 Cpu instead of the 3820 as the 3820 to me is really only a place holder til the Ivy-E cpus come out later on,the 3770 will be slightly faster and cost less.
alos build it yourself or with the help of friends its pretty easy to do and there is plenty of help here if needed nothing against cyberpower but youll spend much less buying the parts yourself and taking a half hour to stick them together yourself. maybe use the money saved for a gtx 680 and SSD=)

 

[Soulcatcher668]

So, while doing my homework and finding other similar builds/questions. I see many folks are opting for the i5. Any certain reason for this vs. i7? Saving a few dollars, less heat, errr what is the secret? I also need help in making sure my Mobo is gonna work with my case?
Much love for the help

I think you might be a little bit confused on the I5 vs I7 thing.

The 3820 is the entry level I7 4 core processor in the X79/2011 platform. There is no benefit for you spending the extra money for the X79 platform if this is a gaming rig. If you do go with the X79, at least get a 3930K. The 3820 is a locked processor. It is possible to overclock it but it takes much more time and knowledge.

The I7 3770K is Z77/1155 platform. It is a 4 core processor with hyperthreading. Hyperthreading allows each core to process 2 threads making it a virtual 8 core porcessor. There are not many programs (and no games) that take advantage of this many threads.

The I5 3550K is basically the same without the hyperthreading. There are small differences but you would not notice the difference in gaming.

The 'K' at the end of the processors means that the multiplier on the CPU is unlocked, making overclocking very easy.

Save your money and go with the I5. Put an SSD in there and you will still have money left over for an amazing GPU (the most important part of a gaming rig).

Build it yourself, computers are about as close to plug and play as they can get these days.

As for the case. 99% of retail cases will fit standard ATX boards. So no worries there.

 

[LiquidHard]

howdy.

would you like to consider AMD processor? I find them more bang for the buck.
Save some off the processor and motherboard, and place the savings for a better graphics unit or a SSD or nicer processor cooling on air.

 

[PolePosition]

To the Overclockers forums!

Seems like you've made some solid choices and taken the future into consideration as well as the newest tech on the market. It does cost a bit more to go with X79 LGA 2011 but personally, I myself really like it and didn't mind spending more. By going with the 3820, you've let yourself open to possibly upgrade to a 6 core 3930k sometime in the future when CPU prices drop. Can't say I blame you for not wanting to spend $569 for a CPU alone at this time.

Getting an SSD for a boot drive is probably the smartest move you can make for performance and speed with loading the OS and apps.
You can save a lot more money by shopping at Newegg.com rather than Cyberpower.

 

[Soulcatcher668]

To the Overclockers forums!

Seems like you've made some solid choices and taken the future into consideration as well as the newest tech on the market. It does cost a bit more to go with X79 LGA 2011 but personally, I myself really like it and didn't mind spending more. By going with the 3820, you've let yourself open to possibly upgrade to a 6 core 3930k sometime in the future when CPU prices drop. Can't say I blame you for not wanting to spend $569 for a CPU alone at this time.

Getting an SSD for a boot drive is probably the smartest move you can make for performance and speed with loading the OS and apps.
You can save a lot more money by shopping at Newegg.com rather than Cyberpower.

I understand that you like your X79 build but it is not for everyone. You also have some misinformation here.
Z77 is newer tech than X79.
The past has proven that Intel prices do not drop for old tech. The 990X processor was still selling for over $1000.00 when you could still find it.
Six cores will do nothing for gaming and by the time it does the system will in all likelihood be obsolete.

I'm not trying to bag on your system but I just don't see X79 being a benefit for the additional cost here.

 

[PolePosition]

I understand that you like your X79 build but it is not for everyone. You also have some misinformation here.
Z77 is newer tech than X79.
The past has proven that Intel prices do not drop for old tech. The 990X processor was still selling for over $1000.00 when you could still find it.
Six cores will do nothing for gaming and by the time it does the system will in all likelihood be obsolete.

I'm not trying to bag on your system but I just don't see X79 being a benefit for the additional cost here.

Fine then, you have your opinions, I have mine.
It should also be noted that the OP didn't express any interest in OCing too.
Z77 is a smaller platform w/ dual channel memory lanes, not quad channel as with the X79.
I'd rather go green by having a faster platform at stock speeds than having a smaller platform where I have to tax it, using more energy, creating more heat to achieve the same performance.
The 990x was discontinued in favor of the 6 core 2011 platform, so it barely remained on the market a year.

 

[PolePosition]

I'm not here to argue or debate with anyone and my post(s) are always directed at the OP, not the other replies. I'm not always about changing the OP's mind unlike many. Of course we have a lot of strong egos here where "mine is better" always comes into play.
It would be better if people would just express their thoughts and leave it at that instead of attacking other member's thoughts directed at the OP.

 

[PolePosition]

some people like to help save people money instead of spending money on something they wont need or use.

Fine, they can make those points and direct them to the OP, as is what a thread is designed for, and not ATTACKING other members because their opinions differ, which I believe is a violation of TOU.

Who is to say what others need or don't need now or in the future?
Money may be an issue for some while it is not for others, all things considered. The biggest difference in price is with the motherboard ($150 more+-). A 3770k and 3820 CPU are pretty close in price. All the other components are needed/used on both platforms. Granted, $150 can make the difference in a budget getting a high end GPU compared to a midrange GPU, but GPUs become outdated much more faster, prices drop more rapidly, and it is much easier to swap out a GPU than a whole system down the road.

My logic in computer building/upgrading is just different from most. It doesn't follow the norm or mainstream, but that doesn't make it any better or worse.

 

[Soulcatcher668]

I'd rather go green by having a faster platform at stock speeds than having a smaller platform where I have to tax it, using more energy, creating more heat to achieve the same performance.
.

I am in no way trying to attack anybody. I was just trying to inform the OP of his/her choices.

3820 is a 130 watt draw
3770K is 77 watt draw

These are the things that I am trying to clear up.

 

[PolePosition]

I am in no way trying to attack anybody. I was just trying to inform the OP of his/her choices.

3820 is a 130 watt draw
3770K is 77 watt draw

These are the things that I am trying to clear up.

Regarding the 3770k, is that running at stock speed or overclocked to the max to reach 3.6Ghz?

 

[Knufire]

Those are the TDP of both CPUs, at stock settings. Even overclocked/overvolted to say, 4.5GHz/1.3V, I doubt the 3770K would hit 130W. Probably 110Wish.

It's quite simple. If you need hexacores, lots of RAM bandwidth, or 3+ video cards, go X79. If you don't, go Z77.

 

[MerlinDarkMage]

All right, all things considered, I see everyone's point of ordering and assembling myself. Think I am just scared due to nice words like static discharge I really do appreciate the info and will research more to make the right decision. Thank you for the time and effort you put into your responses!

 

[PolePosition]

All right, all things considered, I see everyone's point of ordering and assembling myself. Think I am just scared due to nice words like static discharge I really do appreciate the info and will research more to make the right decision. Thank you for the time and effort you put into your responses!

Static discharge is always a concern, especially for new builders, but most of the time its over rated, and a few simple precautions can rest your mind at ease such as touching the case or PSU before handling sensitive components such as the motherboard. You could also wear a wrist strap as an extra precaution, but many builders find it gets in the way or is aggravating.

By all means, take your time and do some research to decide what is best for YOUR needs and fits within YOUR budget.

 

[Soulcatcher668]

Static discharge is always a concern, especially for new builders, but most of the time its over rated, and a few simple precautions can rest your mind at ease such as touching the case or PSU before handling sensitive components such as the motherboard. You could also wear a wrist strap as an extra precaution, but many builders find it gets in the way or is aggravating.

+1

 

[Knufire]

Do you live nearby a Microcenter ?
http://microcenter.com/site/stores/default.aspx

 

[MerlinDarkMage]

There is one an hour away in Denver, CO. I live in Fort Collins, CO

 

[jazon1]

I understand that you like your X79 build but it is not for everyone. You also have some misinformation here.
Z77 is newer tech than X79.
The past has proven that Intel prices do not drop for old tech. The 990X processor was still selling for over $1000.00 when you could still find it.
Six cores will do nothing for gaming and by the time it does the system will in all likelihood be obsolete.

I'm not trying to bag on your system but I just don't see X79 being a benefit for the additional cost here.

personally i see the x79's as a more powerful platform and more future proof as we will be able to go to Ivy-E fairly soon and have 40 lanes of PCI 3,

but for the OP i dont really see any point in him having a x79 if he will be only using it for gaming a Z77 system would be a better choice for him money wise.

while i agree the Z77 is slightly newer its also the end of the line for 1155 chipset were lga 2011 will have at least one more major upgrade and is currently top of the line.

not to mention the current lga1155 Ivy cpu's tend to run very hot as were you can be sure that will be addressed before they ad them to lga2011.

 

[wagex]

Here you go, from Newegg.com:

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links dont work brosef!