Computer Hope

Other => Computer Hope groups => Self Built Computer Club => Topic started by: iskoristena4 on October 19, 2012, 05:54:39 PM

Title: Opinions on new build!
Post by: iskoristena4 on October 19, 2012, 05:54:39 PM
Sorry if this is inappropriate but I had a similar thread earlier, however the build i uploaded on it was very trashy/rough and i had to have A LOT of modifications made to it (0 original parts remaining lol). With the help of some really Great people from this community i have created a completely different build. So as this build is just so different i thought it may be appropriate for a new thread? Anyways here is what i am thinking so far: BTW i am using www.pccasegear.com to build this rig, so try and refer to that site for upgrades/changes if possible.
CPU
- Intel Core i7 3930K
MotherBoard
- ASUS P9X79 Motherboard
Graphics
- 1x ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II Overclocked - I was told this is a good card, and after doing some research it appears that it really is. Although im not yet 100% convinced that theres not something better out there! P.S in 3-4 months i will be buying a second graphics card, keep this in mind.
RAM
- Corsair Vengeance Red CMZ16GX3M4X1866C9R 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3
SSD
- 1x Samsung 830 Series 256GB SSD Retail Box
Hard Drive
- 1x Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000 1TB 7200RPM 0F15632
Optical Drive
- Pioneer DVR-220LBKS Black 24xDVDRW OEM
Case
- Not decided yet, if you have any ideas i would LOVE to know!
Power supply
- Corsair AX1200 Gold Power Supply - 1200w Really? well to be honest this component scares me the most because i have no clue what power supply i will need? however i'm thinking just buy a very powerful one right off because it will be able to support the upgrades i am planning in the future e.g. 2x Graphics, multiple,e hard drives/SDD etc.
CPU Cooler
- Corsair Hydro Series H100 CPU Cooler - Reasons for such a power cooler are that i will be keeping my computer inside of a desk cupboard, with the back cut out, and so i dont want to run any risks of overheating. If i notice that even this cooler, is unable to cool the computer in this environment i will probably make a new table or something lol. On the other hand If you guys dont believe i need such a powerful cooler even in these circumstances then feel free to suggest one (Earlier i was told to go with a much cheaper cooler, however i didnt tell the person where i would be keeping the rig).
Operating system
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64bit with SP1 OEM
 Aus$2457 without case or additional fans. Budget of $2800
Note: This build will be used for high end gaming and 3D modelling/rendering with V-ray.
Please give me AS MUCH feedback as you possibly can :P i love hearing what you guys have to say!
Title: Re: Opinions on new build!
Post by: Calum on October 20, 2012, 04:48:32 AM
The 1200W power supply is unnecessary, you only need a 650W at most for that system.  A 750W PSU will give you enough headroom to add another GTX 680 later on for SLI.  The Corsair AX750 is a good 750WPSU if you want the Gold efficiency and is also fully modular.
As far as the graphics card goes, personally I only ever buy reference design cards as they tend to be more reliable.  The Asus DirectCU cooler is supposedly pretty good, but the GTX 680 runs cool anyway for a high performance card.  If the slightly better cooler is worth $100 to you, then fair enough.
Personally I'm not a fan of Corsair Vengeance memory, when it first came out I found it very unreliable.  If I remember rightly I went with 32GB of RAM for the system I originally specced up for you, mainly because that's what you had originally chosen.  At the very least I would go for a 2x8GB kit rather than a 4x4GB kit, as that will leave you 2 slots free for further expansion if you don't want to get 32GB right away.  Memory speed is irrelevant as it provides no performance increase, so don't be fooled by the higher numbers.  One thing I did make a mistake on - you will need Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate to use over 16GB of memory, Home premium will not address anything over that amount. You'vealready addressed that so that's cool.
The Corsair H100 is pretty noisy and only as effective as a top end air cooler.  The Noctua NH-D14 is cheaper, quieter and cools just as well - it does need a big case but it doesn't require 2x120mm fan spaces as the H100 does.  I am really not a fan of the all-in-one liquid coolers as they're just more expensive and louder than a good air cooler.
As for a case, that's partly a personal decision, depends what you want it to look like.  I'm a fan of the Bitfenix Shinobi and Shinobi XL, the Fractal Define XL, Corsair 600T, Coolermaster HAF 932 and HAF X, Silverstone Fortress FT02, or maybe take a look at some of the Lian Lis - they're expensive but very high quality.  The PC-P50, PC-Z60, K-62, PC-90, A-71and B-25 are all good cases.
Title: Re: Opinions on new build!
Post by: iskoristena4 on October 20, 2012, 06:14:17 AM
Ok so ive got rid of the 1200 and added a 850 instead, Corsair AX850 Gold Power Supply, only $20 more then the 750 so i thought why not?
Ive also found three cases which i'll list in order of preference (1 being the one i like the most) only problem i have here is which would be the most efficient? money is no concern when it comes to this component.
1. NZXT Phantom 820 Case Matte Black (9 days till release)
2. CoolerMaster CM Storm Stryker Case
3. CoolerMaster HAF X Case
I'm also thinking about adding in another 4x4gb ram set? to get up to 8x4gb for 32gb total? I think the Motherboard supports 8x DIMM (not entirely sure if that means i can use 8 cards of ram or not?) and ive been told corsair is very good,however i trust your judgement a lot more then some of the other people i have heard from so what brand have you found to be the most reliable?
My latest setup would come to $2707 with the change in power supply, choice of case number 2, a 2TB Hard drive and finally 8x4gb corsair vengeance.
Additionally what are your thoughts on an extra $60 for this graphics card instead: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1377&products_id=20326
Title: Re: Opinions on new build!
Post by: Calum on October 20, 2012, 06:34:02 AM
I've not used the NZXT obviously as it's not released, but I do like the HAF X as a case.  I don't like the looks of it myself but it's nice to build in, cable management is pretty easy and it does cool well.
You can use 8 slots, correct, but I would still go with 4x8GB rather than 8x4GB because that leaves you with room for expansion rather than filling all your slots from the off.  Having room to upgrade without having to replace your current RAM would be sensible.
Corsair is a decent brand on the whole, but like most companies they do make some not so good stuff.  I've never had good luck with Vengeance memory myself so I'd go with almost anything but that.  I'm a fan of the newer Kingston memory as it's proved very reliable, but I can't find the exact stuff on PCCaseGear.  I've used G.Skill memory in the past and it's been just fine so I would go with their 32GB kit for $149.  They do have some faster rated RAM for a little more, but there will be no difference in performance between them.
Again on the graphics card it's entirely up to you.  That specific card uses a 3 slot cooler so you won't be able to go SLI later on that board as it will block your slots.  I would buy the Zotac as the other cards offer nothing over and above what it does other than costing more.  All GTX680 cards have what's known as boost, so every card will in fact overclock to a certain level which differs from card to card, so even the factory overclocked cards won't necessarily even have a higher clock speed than a non-overclocked card.  therefore the only difference is in PCB layout and coolers, and being as the GTX680 standard cooler is already very good, there's not a whole lot to be gained from that.  Reference layout cards also tend to be more reliable.