# [SOLVED] My new build



## Nato85 (May 28, 2012)

Hey Guys

I was thinking about this as my next build, probably being built in the next two weeks. 

Just wanted opinions 

M/B : ASUS Maximus V Formula 
CPU : Core i7-3770K 
GPU : ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP Edition 
RAM : Corsair Vengeance CMZ32GX3M4A1600C9 32GB 
HDD : Western Digital WD Black 2TB WD2002FAEX 
SsD : Vertex 4 Series SATA III 2.5" 128GB SSD 125GB 
PSU : OCZ Technology ZX Series 850W Power Supply 
Cooling : Intel RTS2011LC Liquid Cooling 
ODD : Liteon IHBS312 
Case : CoolerMaster CM Storm Trooper with Window 
Display1 : BenQ GW2460HM 
Display2 : BenQ GW2460HM


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

*Re: My new build*

First, what is the intended usage for this build? Gaming? Media encoding? CAD? You seem to have quite the budget available but if you're only interested in videogaming the i7 and the 32 GB of RAM are a massive waste of money. You could also go with a much cheaper mainboard.

I'm also fairly sure you're paying premium for diminishing returns on that GPU. It's also interesting that the high-end AMD cards come with 3GB of memory whereas the one you list only has 2, though I admit that I don't know how they would end up in a straight comparison.

It makes little sense to me that you'd go for a WD Black for your storage drive if you're also using an SSD. You can go for a green WD instead or Red/Blue if you don't like the aggressive spindown and lower performance of the green. People here are fond of claiming that SSDs aren't worth the cost of ownership but with your budget it's a more than valid pick.

As for the PSU, we recommend XFX or Seasonic over other brands. Either way, 850 watt will be overkill.

And finally, I'm not sure why you're going for liquid cooling. I assume you're into overclocking but with modern components, the most you'll do is get better benchmarks results, stress your components and void your warranties.

To sum up, it seems to me that you went for the most expensive items you could find. If money is not an object I suppose that's fine, though you could probably do better.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: My new build*

First recommendation should be to look over our suggested build list: http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...ams-recommended-new-builds-2012-a-668661.html

Hdd's over 1TB have been noted to have problems.
32GB of RAM is pretty much useless. 8GB is usually way more than enough.
OCZ PSU's are not recommended.
Liquid coolong offers no advantage over air and there is always a concern with leakage, the OEM CPU cooler is fine if no OC is applied and OC newer CPU's is pointless.
SSD's are not a good value ,at this time, considering the high cost and minimal advantage.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: My new build*

What will you be doing with the computer?

I would recommend saving a few bucks as buying a i5-3570.


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## Nato85 (May 28, 2012)

*Re: My new build*

@Vadicor My intended use for this computer is going to be gaming and video editing. Alot of people are telling me that 32Gb is wasted. So I have decided to use higher spec stuff maybe 8gb. The reason I want to choose the ASUS mainboard is that the last 3 builds have done have featured ASUS mainboards and I can say I never have had any issues. I like NVIDIA over ATI, every time i have brought an ATI, i have been extremely dissapointed due to the cards failing quicker. I was originally going to go for the 4GB model of the 680. But found that the TOP edition which was featured with 2GB to be better and cheaper. I have used WD Black drives in the past for storage and found them to have a good success rate. Some people have told me that 2TB are unstable, but thats the same thing they said about 1TB and Ive never had a problem with the 1TB. I am maybe considering buying 2 1TB and raiding them? I have also gone away with OCZ for my power supply as I have read a few people telling me that they are crap. I am currently running a Thermaltake 750W in my old computer and never had issues with that. What do you think about Thermaltake? The reason I was looking at Liquid Cooling as I notice that the i7's get quite hot. I have a friend who has brought that model cooler and he has noticed an instant 10-15 degree drop in CPU temps.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: My new build*

Theres no extra benefit from standard cooling or liquid. I would recommend using a standard fan.

As for the PSU OCZ isn't much better. Stick with XFX or Seasonic PSUs only for top quality.


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

*Re: My new build*

I'll second Masterchief on both his points. If you're not overclocking stick with the stock cooler. Going with an aftermarket cooler, whether air or liquid, will indeed drop your CPU temps further, but there's really no need to do so. They're designed to be run at the temperatures offered by stock cooling. Ivy Bridge runs marginally hotter than Sandy and is a bit less suited to OCing because of it, but that won't affect you.

And yes you should stick with ASUS for the motherboard (or Gigabyte), but I'm referring to the model, not the brand. You should be fine with a Z77X-D3H or similar which is less than half the price of the Maximus.

Can you elaborate on the video editing? Will this be consumer or professional level? If it's the latter, an option would be going for the AMD FX-8350, which reaches i7 performance in fully multi-threaded scenarios. Otherwise, go for an i5 3470 or 3570. AMD also has some budget processors that offer good value for the money but they may rarely bottleneck in CPU-intensive games at standard resolutions.

For the HDD, go with Black if you want the performance, Green if you want the capacity. Frankly, Black isn't really worth the premium if you have an SSD for boot/applications. A 7200/10000 RPM is only useful in special cases where you need to strike a balance between capacity and performance.

As for RAID, what configuration are you thinking of? If you want RAID0 for speed, get a larger SSD instead. If you want redundancy with RAID1, mirror your files to an external drive or network share instead.

Finally, 8GB RAM is generally what we recommend here. I personally run 16GB but it's overkill for almost all applications. Stick with 1600mhz and CAS9, you won't notice any difference with higher clocks but they'll cost a great deal more.


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## Nato85 (May 28, 2012)

*Re: My new build*

Ok so no watercooling then, that will save me $80.00

Consumer level for video editing

I was thinking striped config for Raid

Timings on ram i was looking at was 1600Mhz 9-9-9-24


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: My new build*

What type of RAID? With new HDDs you won't see too much of an improvement.

The RAM is fine as long as its either Corsair or G.Skill.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: My new build*

Have you looked over the suggested build list?
For video editing, going with 2x8GB of RAM may prove beneficial.
RAID is not for the inexperienced, offers very little advantages and can result in more trouble than it's worth.


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## Nato85 (May 28, 2012)

*Re: My new build*

Was only considering RAID if people believe 2TB Hard Drives are unstable

Don't use RAID myself. Did not know if it would prove more stable having 2 1TB raided drives over a 2TB drive


Can anyone tell me what the difference is between dual channel and quad channel ram, and also, for the board that I had initially picked, what is better, dual or quad


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

*Re: My new build*



Nato85 said:


> Was only considering RAID if people believe 2TB Hard Drives are unstable


HDDs are inherently unstable. Always backup your data and expect a drive to fail at any moment. If you need the capacity, just go for a 2TB drive.



Nato85 said:


> Don't use RAID myself. Did not know if it would prove more stable having 2 1TB raided drives over a 2TB drive


It's much less stable as you'll double the likelihood of catastrophic data loss: each drive has a failure chance and if one fails the entire array is lost.



Nato85 said:


> Can anyone tell me what the difference is between dual channel and quad channel ram, and also, for the board that I had initially picked, what is better, dual or quad


When applied to RAM *modules* that's little more than a marketing term. Triple and quad channel architectures on motherboard RAM slots are another matter: they increase the available memory bandwidth. Triple-channel is available on LGA1366, quad-channel on LGA2011, both are high-end mainboard specifications well outside your needs. Just get any Corsair or G.Skill four-module 16GB kit (4x4GB) at 1600 MHz with CAS9/24 and you'll be fine.


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## Nato85 (May 28, 2012)

*Re: My new build*

Was thinking about making the following changes

Have been reading a lot of info on using 2 X 8 GB Sticks instead of 4 X 4GB Sticks

Thoughts?

The changes I have thought about making are

My second look

Changing to Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M2A1866C9 16GB RAM

Changing to Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB SSD Retail Box 

Changing to Seasonic M12II 750W Power Supply


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

*Re: My new build*

Using 2 sticks of RAM rather than 4 puts less strain on the CPU and memory controller, but this is only important when you want to overclock your RAM. Doing so is not recommended as you'll get no noticeable performance improvement, you'll void your warranty and perhaps destroy the RAM. Because two sticks take less resources there's more room to push the overclock. Supposedly some mainboards also restrict overclocking possibilities when all RAM slots are filled.

In short, go for whatever is cheaper. The only valid reason to go with 2 slots would be upgrading in the future, but 16 GB should be more than enough.

As for the SSD, there are varying performance levels but all will prove a vast upgrade from a mechanical drive. Going for the Pro version of the 840 may not be worth the cost. The regular 840 250GB is recommended by Tom's Hardware as a very good low-budget high-cap SSD and is what I have installed.

That power supply will do fine. You could get away with a 620W as well if you can find it cheaper.


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## Nato85 (May 28, 2012)

*Re: My new build*

Im never been one to overclock really as I believe it decreases the life of computer equipment. But I am guessing less strain in the controller and CPU is always good 

Just out of curiousity, I have been looking around for cases and 99% of the ones I find to be good quality is to have the hdd slots with the openings where the side of the case, not like the traditional slide in slots that cheaper cases have. Is there a reason why case manufacturers have gone this way?


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

*Re: My new build*

What precisely is your preferred budget?


16gb is definitely overkill. I've capped out my 8gb before, but only while heavily multitasking and from programs that "pad" themselves by predictively utilizing available RAM to prevent load times. There's no performance loss when that happens. If you want to eliminate the slim possibility of slight stuttering during the heaviest multitasking situations, a 2x8gb kit will cost about ~$50 more. IMO it'd be less of a waste than water cooling :lol:

A 2x8gb kit is a much better idea than 4x4gb since all of your memory would be allocated to a single channel, as opposed to two. Cost is the same or less.

This G.Skill kit would be a better value than the Corsair you linked. Both brands are top quality.
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM - Newegg.com



Aftermarket CPU cooling isn't necessary if you're not overclocking, but lower temperatures are always a good thing. You can get 90% of the cooling of an expensive water/liquid unit from the $34 Hyper 212+. I overclock with that very HSF and consider it the best value on the market. There are worse ways to waste money.



At this budget, an SSD is a good idea. I would recommend the Crucial M4 lineup over Samsung because they are considered highly reliable, which is often a problem with SSDs.

I recommend the 256gb version if you play a lot of different games (my Steam folder is over 128gb on its own):
Crucial m4 CT128M4SSD1 Solid State Drive - Newegg.com
Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 Solid State Drive - Newegg.com



As for your video editing needs, I can tell you that I'm very satisfied with my setup's encoding performance (my 2500k is running at 4.2Ghz). Unless you expect to regularly encode HD videos longer than 10 minutes, an i5 and 8gb of RAM won't disappoint you.



The ASUS Maximus lineup is made up of high-end motherboards designed for heavy overclocking and SLI/Crossfire setups, neither of which would be recommended by any tech here at TSF. There is no difference between them and something under $150 from a good brand like ASUS or Gigabyte.

Some good boards for the cost:
GIGABYTE GA-Z77-HD4 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS - Newegg.com
GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com (if you want to be able to overclock in the future)



For PSU, it's good that you're picking a higher wattage but for the same cost you can get a SeaSonic X650 (the X lineup is one of the highest quality in the industry) and still exceed your wattage needs.



A lot of builders seem to prefer sideways HDD mounts. I imagine the convenience comes from having more clearance between the GPU and the HDD cage, but I've no experience with any of those cases. I wouldn't spend any extra money on that feature.



RAID setups aren't a practical choice for conventional uses. 1tb HDDs are now the standard size, and 2tb+ drives have come a long way as well. Just make sure to select a reliable brand like WD or Seagate. Just put Windows, your games, and your startup applications on an SSD and you'll see more benefit than any RAID setup could ever offer you.



For GPU, if you're playing at 1080/1200p, 2gb of memory is excellent. Resolutions like Nvidia Surround or 2560x1440 are the only cases where 4gb is needed. The 680 2gb should be more than satisfactory for you.



I think I touched on everything :grin: hope it's useful.


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## Nato85 (May 28, 2012)

*Re: My new build*

@toothman $2400-$3000

Deciding to use a 2x8gb kit 

Decided to not use water cooling. Even though it does look good on my friends PC. The CPU heat is still well within standards

Depending on prices at the time, I will look at getting a 250gb over the 128gb. the 64gb i have at the moment just does not cut it.

I have always used WD hard drives. Never gone wrong with them


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

*Re: My new build*

If your budget is that high, get the 256gb drive. Will you be using Fraps with the intention of making long, HD videos? I ask because Fraps is usually involved when builders say gaming _and_ video editing.

If so, a 500gb Velociraptor like this would be a good investment. Its higher write speeds enable full quality 60-fps recording. A normal 7200 will stutter if you attempt to record at 60 fps.


By my count, assuming those BenQ monitors you listed in post #1 are $200 each (can't find that particular model for sale anywhere yet), your budget will come out just over $2,400 after everything if the Velociraptor is included.


Under a normal budget (~$800-1200), much of the above advice would be poor. Generally, the more you spend the less benefit you get per dollar. At this range I'd just like to avoid seeing anything genuinely wasteful.


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## Nato85 (May 28, 2012)

*Re: My new build*

i did initially look at a velociraptor but when i ran it side by side with a 500gb wd black using MHDD, i saw very small performance gain with the velociraptor, but couldnt justify paying the extra for something that didnt seem to be that much better


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

*Re: My new build*



Nato85 said:


> i did initially look at a velociraptor but when i ran it side by side with a 500gb wd black using MHDD, i saw very small performance gain with the velociraptor, but couldnt justify paying the extra for something that didnt seem to be that much better


I was only suggesting it if you plan to use Fraps. Gaming + video editing usually means that.


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

*Re: My new build*



toothman said:


> A 2x8gb kit is a much better idea than 4x4gb since all of your memory would be allocated to a single channel, as opposed to two. Cost is the same or less.


Excellent post toothman, but could you elaborate on this? I've heard the same but can't find any hard data indicating a (non-OC) performance increase when RAM is limited to a single bank.



Nato85 said:


> Im never been one to overclock really as I believe it decreases the life of computer equipment. But I am guessing less strain in the controller and CPU is always good


Perhaps strain was a bad term to use, more correct would be load, as both the CPU and the controller are designed to operate efficiently at stock. It's only when you start to overclock that you'll need to take the added load into account. It's the same story when it comes to the stock CPU cooler: aftermarket cooling will drive your temperatures down but as they're designed to operate at their stock temperature it's simply a waste of money.



Nato85 said:


> Just out of curiousity, I have been looking around for cases and 99% of the ones I find to be good quality is to have the hdd slots with the openings where the side of the case, not like the traditional slide in slots that cheaper cases have. Is there a reason why case manufacturers have gone this way?


I have a case that has a removable and rotatable HDD cage that I don't use as well as a solid three-slot cage that opens to the side. I find the side-mount preferable as I have better access to the drives, the front panel doesn't need to come off and I can route my SATA cables underneath the cage to the right side-panel. In a classic configuration you'll likely end up routing the cables underneath and to the side of the motherboard instead. 

Frankly, both approaches are equally valid and given that you're only likely to spend a few hours of your case's lifetime working with the HDDs, it's not a feature I would really look for, let alone pay more for.

It's likely that you'll end up seriously under budget. In fact, I'd recommend going with a cheaper GPU as well. For half the price of that GTX680-DC2T-2GD5 you can get a GTX660 and spend the other half on an upgrade in 1 to 2 years time if you're desperate for better performance.

If you've got money to burn you can get a third monitor and a triple-monitor mount to truly feel like a king. Of course if you want to game across multiple monitors you'll need a better GPU.


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## Nato85 (May 28, 2012)

*Re: My new build*

@toothman

Not looking to start using FRAPS at the moment 


@ Vadigor

I mean yes, having the side mounted drive cages do provide some benefit. The CM case that I am looking at getting seems to have a rotatable drive cage to flip it around if i want so its not an issue. The only thing that I dont like is all these little plastic clip in things that secure the hdd's. I dont believe they work well and I would much rather use an old fashion set of screws to screw it into the case


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: My new build*

I've never used that case for a build, primarily because of it's too many fans, but "most" cases will allow you to use screws in lieu of the clips, that actually work very well, to secure drives .


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

*Re: My new build*



Nato85 said:


> I mean yes, having the side mounted drive cages do provide some benefit. The CM case that I am looking at getting seems to have a rotatable drive cage to flip it around if i want so its not an issue. The only thing that I dont like is all these little plastic clip in things that secure the hdd's. I dont believe they work well and I would much rather use an old fashion set of screws to screw it into the case


Like Tyree said, you should be able to screw them in place. There's no info on CM's site but based on some promotional photos, the hard drive modules seem to be sleds that you screw the drive into after which you insert the sled into the HDD cage. Can't vouch for their build quality though.

The ones I can vouch for are those in the Fractal Design Define R4. That case offers a removable drive cage and all HDD modules/sleds are actually solid metal. Screw the drive in with the anti-vibration screws and it'll be as vibration-free as you can get it without going to work with elastic cable. On the plus side it's cheaper, virtually silent, built like a rock and doesn't look like the illegitimate lovechild of HAL 9000 and Darth Vader.


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## Nato85 (May 28, 2012)

*Re: My new build*

ha ha ha ha. doesnt look like it at all.

Well guys. I think I have all the info I need to purchase now.

Thank you very much to all who contributed


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

*Re: My new build*

To each their own. :grin:


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Let us know if you run into any problems!


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

*Re: My new build*

We're always glad to help 



Vadigor said:


> Excellent post toothman, but could you elaborate on this? I've heard the same but can't find any hard data indicating a (non-OC) performance increase when RAM is limited to a single bank.


Performance-wise, without any overclocking, there's very little difference between the two configurations with a slight lead for one dual-channel kit. Once you start overclocking, there are a few issues that lower your potential.

The 2x8gb kits are usually a little cheaper ($10 for G.Skill).

Filling up all four slots leaves you more prone to voltage issues and no room to work with if one of your slots goes bad.

Twice as many sticks means twice the failure rate.

No room for expansion, should you ever be inclined to add more beyond 16gb.


Using a 4x4gb kit isn't like asking for trouble, but it is just an inferior option to 2x8gb. The only exception is the LGA 2011 platform, which employs quad-channel memory configurations. But it's stupidly expensive.


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

Thanks for the extra info toothman, now I kind of wish this had been brought up in my own build thread. But I guess it matters little in the end. 


Apologies for going somewhat off-topic Nato85, good luck with your build.


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