# New work/gaming computer



## Ricool (Nov 30, 2010)

Thinking of building a new PC, I took you recommended workstation intel build and made a few changes.

I use it every day for about 6-12 hours, my use is mostly for Adobe CC/Office/some 3D and gaming (i really like to turn up all the eye candy in games).

First off a diff. case went with the NZXT H630 because i do not want a lot of noise, + some extra case fans.

Second a bit more power, went with the Thermaltake Toughpower Grand TPG-850M.

Third some more space, my thinking is the 256GD SAMSUNG 850 Pro Series will be for the OS, 2 1TB SAMSUNG 850 Pro Series where one will hold all the 
programs/libraries/user data and the second will hold all the games. The WD hard drive would be only for storage (video/photos/files).
The reason for me to go with SSD's for OS/Programs/Games is not so much speed; I have in the past had trouble with hard drives after about 2 years (several times) 

where you could hear that is was getting corrupted (guessing that heat broke off small flakes of the surface or just bad production) and after a short while would 

crash completely.

I have built a few PC's back in the day, but the last 13 years or so I have just used sites where you can configure you build and they would build it for you, I am 

hoping this build will last me 3-4 years.

Any comments or recommendations are most welcome, also if there is anything missing please let me know (like cables, brackets, paste aso.)

1 ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $304.99
1 Intel Core i7-4820K Ivy Bridge-E Quad-Core 3.7GHz (Turbo 3.9GHz) LGA 2011 130W Desktop Processor BX80633i74820K $324.99
1 Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 140mm and 120mm SSO CPU Cooler $79.99
1 ASUS GTX780-DC2OC-3GD5 G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 780 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $479.99
1 CORSAIR Dominator Platinum 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model CMD16GX3M2A1866C9 $219.99
1 NZXT H630 CA-H630F-M1 Matte Black Ultra Tower Silent Case Includes 1 x 200mm Front, 1 x 140mm Rear 2 x USB 3.0 2 x USB 2.0 SD Card Reader $149.99
3 NZXT RF-FZ20S-02 200mm Case Fan $19.99
2 NZXT RF-FN142-RB 140mm 2nd Generation FNv2 Case Fan Series 140mm $12.99
1 Thermaltake Toughpower Grand TPG-850M 850W ATX 12V v2.3 & SSI EPS 12V v2.92 SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supply $179.99
1 SAMSUNG 850 Pro Series MZ-7KE256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $199.99
2 SAMSUNG 850 Pro Series MZ-7KE1T0BW 2.5" 1TB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $699.99
1 Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive - OEM $59.99
1 SAMSUNG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA Model SH-224DB/RSBS $19.99
1 Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM $139.99
1 Microsoft Office 365 Personal - 1 PC/Mac + 1 Tablet, 1-Year Subscription - Download $69.99
Total $3765.81

All the prices are from Newegg.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Hi and Welcome to TSF!

Those build are heavily crafted and only recommend the top quality and top recommended brands. As you can swap parts to your linking changing brands is NOT recommended.

First off, you're spending a lot of money for a computer. You should never spend over $2000 at a maximum! I would highly recommend you reconsider your thought on this PC.

The motherboard and CPU are fine but are server grade units. They will provide you with flawless processes between Adobe Products and other work you may do and listed.

As Noctua is a outstanding brand, the NH-D14 is the older model. Change this to the NH-D15. You can read my review of the NH-D15 on the front page of TSF.

The GPU is a fine choice, I see no reason to change it.

You should not be using 1866MHz memory on a Intel CPU. Anything over 1600MHz puts a load on the motherboard, change that to 1600Mhz. Plus it will be cheaper.

The case is fine, NZXT make a great case and are my personal favorite. However, the additional fans you have are not needed. The included case fans will keep the PC cooled. Save money and drop those.

You should not be changing brands of the PSU. XFX or Seasonic are top quality, top performance, and top branded PSUs. Thermaltake doesn't have nearly as good as a reputation. Stick with XFX or Seasonic brands only.

Why are you buying a 1TB SSD? SSDs are new technology, so I would highly recommend just saving the money and get a 2TB external hard drive. This will save you a LOT of money. I see no reason for the TWO 1TB SSDs.

Drop the other hard drive for the recommendation above.

DVD Player is a fine choice.

Do not buy Windows 7 Professional. Unless you need the Windows compatibility mode option found in Windows 7, it is a huge waste of money. Windows 7 Home Premium is what you need. Or better yet, stick with new technology and get Windows 8.1

Office 365 is a fine choice!


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## Ricool (Nov 30, 2010)

Thank you for your input, OK so here is a revised list.

The reason for win7 pro is that i from time to time do work with SharePoint Enterprise (2010 and 2013) and also Webmatrix and if i remember correct there will be 

some issues with home editions, i like a lot of the features in win8 but i really don't like it when the metro interface pops up 

Also i may have to go with Office 2013 pro, also due to SharePoint.

So this list leaves me missing storage for programs/files/games, can you suggest a server grade HD of 2TB?

As to the SSD for OS, i have that in my current system (almost 3 years old) and it has performed really well without any issues.

1 ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $304.99
1 Intel Core i7-4820K Ivy Bridge-E Quad-Core 3.7GHz (Turbo 3.9GHz) LGA 2011 130W Desktop Processor BX80633i74820K $324.99
1 Noctua NH-D15 SSO2 D-Type Premium CPU Cooler, NF-A15 x 2 PWM Fans $99.99
1 ASUS GTX780-DC2OC-3GD5 G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 780 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $479.99
1 CORSAIR Dominator Platinum 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model CMD16GX3M2A1866C9 $219.99
1 NZXT H630 CA-H630F-M1 Matte Black Ultra Tower Silent Case Includes 1 x 200mm Front, 1 x 140mm Rear 2 x USB 3.0 2 x USB 2.0 SD Card Reader $149.99
3 NZXT RF-FZ20S-02 200mm Case Fan $19.99
2 NZXT RF-FN142-RB 140mm 2nd Generation FNv2 Case Fan Series 140mm $12.99
1 XFX P1-850B-BEFX 850W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply $149.99
1 SAMSUNG 850 Pro Series MZ-7KE256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)	$199.99
1 Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive - OEM $59.99
1 SAMSUNG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA Model SH-224DB/RSBS $19.99
1 Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM $139.99
1 Microsoft Office 365 Personal - 1 PC/Mac + 1 Tablet, 1-Year Subscription - Download $69.99
Total $ 2305.83


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

My first recommendation would be to look over our Suggested Build List: http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/tsf-hardware-teams-recommended-builds-2014-a-668661.html
As noted by Masterchiefxx17, go with 1600MHz RAM.
650W is plenty for a GTX780.
The OEM CPU heatsink/fan is fine for normal use.
One 120mm fan in front & rear should be all the case cooling needed. Too many fans can disrupt the desired front to rear airflow and will most certainly increase noise level.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

You didn't make many changes here. You're still spending WAY to much than needed.



> some issues with home editions, i like a lot of the features in win8 but i really don't like it when the metro interface pops up


Windows 8.1 Update 1 Version 2 fixes all of these issues. I have Windows 8 running Classic Shell and I cannot remember the last time I even entered the metro interface. Do not worry about that.



> 1 ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $304.99
> 1 Intel Core i7-4820K Ivy Bridge-E Quad-Core 3.7GHz (Turbo 3.9GHz) LGA 2011 130W Desktop Processor BX80633i74820K $324.99


I'm confused on why you assist on server grade components. Why not go with the 1150 socket instead?




> 1 Noctua NH-D15 SSO2 D-Type Premium CPU Cooler, NF-A15 x 2 PWM Fans $99.99


This is fine. Keep this.



> 1 ASUS GTX780-DC2OC-3GD5 G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 780 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $479.99


Overkill IMO. A GTX 770 4GB will go the job just fine.



> 1 CORSAIR Dominator Platinum 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model CMD16GX3M2A1866C9 $219.99


Change the memory speed to 1600MHz otherwise you put the load on the motherboard.



> 1 NZXT H630 CA-H630F-M1 Matte Black Ultra Tower Silent Case Includes 1 x 200mm Front, 1 x 140mm Rear 2 x USB 3.0 2 x USB 2.0 SD Card Reader $149.99
> 
> 3 NZXT RF-FZ20S-02 200mm Case Fan $19.99
> 2 NZXT RF-FN142-RB 140mm 2nd Generation FNv2 Case Fan Series 140mm $12.99


There are more than enough fans inside the system. Why are you buying more???



> 1 XFX P1-850B-BEFX 850W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply $149.99


This is fine. Keep this.



> 1 SAMSUNG 850 Pro Series MZ-7KE256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $199.99


Didn't you just say you had a SSD in your old system? Why are you buying another?



> 1 Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive - OEM $59.99


If you want a high quality 2TB HDD, then go with a 2TB WD Black.



> 1 SAMSUNG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA Model SH-224DB/RSBS $19.99
> 1 Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM $139.99
> 1 Microsoft Office 365 Personal - 1 PC/Mac + 1 Tablet, 1-Year Subscription - Download $69.99


This is all fine.


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## Ricool (Nov 30, 2010)

OK thanks.

Well the MB/CPU/RAM/GPU on the list are all from your recommended intel workstation build list, and i am looking for a workstation that can handle gaming too.

So here is a 1150 socket list @ just under 2000

1 Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor $339.99
1 Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler $89.99
1 Asus Z97-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard $177.99
1 Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $204.99
1 Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $187.98
1 Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $137.62
1 Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB DirectCU II Video Card $429.99
1 NZXT H630 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case $129.19
1 XFX ProSeries 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply $119.99
1 Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer $15.98
1 Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit $128.98
$1942.69

EDIT: forgot, my current SSD will go with the box when i give it to a friend.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

650W is plenty for a GTX780.
2x4GB of RAM should be more than plenty.
The OEM CPU heatsink/fan is fine for normal use.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

I think we've gotten it to a reasonable point. :smile: I think its a keeper. As Tyree mentioned above, there some more money you can save, but it doesn't hurt to have the power if you can spend the money.

Also where are you getting your prices from? That 2TB HDD is over priced:

Western Digital Red WD20EFRX 2TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Newegg.com


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## Ricool (Nov 30, 2010)

Thanks guys for all the suggestions, I will see if I can get some good labor day deals on the components.

Just a suggestion, maybe it is time to revise the parts in you'r $1800 Intel Workstation build?

Thanks again


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Any time. Let us know how it goes.

Also, there's no reason to revise it. Our $1800 Workstation build compared to your is no different. :smile:


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## Ricool (Nov 30, 2010)

Update:
So i build the new box, no problem, but i have big problems with win 8.1, text and images are blurry (it is not much but too much for graphics work) and jpg artifacts are much more pronounced, have done all the steps i could find, turns out when i contacted windows support about it they just pointed me to the same steps i already tried, I get a headache after working for about 1 hour  so i will have to downgrade to win 7, meaning i have to buy a new win 7 and the win 8.1 full i can put in the trashcan.
All drivers updated, set scaling to 100%, ran the clear text program, resolution as recommended for my IPS monitor, checked for corrupt and missing files, color calibrated with my colormunki, nothing helps


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Let's slow down for a moment. I think you jumped the gun for buying Windows 7.

Format the drive and reinstall Windows 8. Once Windows 8 is installed download ALL of the Windows 8 (Not Windows 8.1) drivers from the motherboard manufacturer.

Once that is done, go ahead and run Windows Update, download all updates that are provided. You will need to do this multiple times until clicking on "Check for Updates" no longer provides you with any updates.

Keep notes on where the text and image may become distorted it mismatching colors.

Then take your time and upgrade to Windows 8.1. Download and install ALL of the Windows 8.1 drivers that go with your system. Then do the same for the updates.


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## tanveerahmed2k (Jan 25, 2011)

It's better in my opinion to just buy/download windows 8.1 as that includes all the updates and saves the hassle of doing those updates manually.


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## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

How did you build the system? When you built it initially did you set "optimized defaults" in the bios? Did you set XMP for the memory? Also did you try unhooking the PSU connections and re-hooking them up firmly?

So you have a GTX 780 right? that takes two 8 pin GPU connectors usually, did you make sure you used two connectors from two different PSU wire strands and not two from the same PSU cable?

Since you have built a rig with all parts directly from the recommended techsupport forums build list can we see a picture of how your GPU is connected to the PSU?

The problem isn't with Windows 8.1 - it's something with your build, or a PSU connection issue or a faulty or marginal part somewhere, or a configuration issue. It could be a combination of the power connectors/and/or windows 8.1 GPU driver issue possibly since it's mismatched colors and sketchy text as you say.


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## Ricool (Nov 30, 2010)

Well i installed win7 (btw. the win 8 i got was win 8.1 full) and i don't have the issues with the blurry text/images anymore, i did not touch anything in the box between the 2 ver. so it was not a hardware issue, so it must be a win8 or driver problem in win8. When i had win 8.1 installed i also updated all drivers/software, nothing helped. But i am happy with win 7 so not that big a deal.
I do however have a windows 8.1 full (32 and 64 bit) for sale now


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