# Need Advice/Help with my New Build Specs... ($2500-$3000 budget)



## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Hey everyone,

So I just happened upon this forum, and it seems like this would be a great place to get some help with my new build.  Years ago, I used to build my own PCs, but I've lost the drive to do so, so I've always had a friend help me with picking the best parts, and then building it for me. However, he's not around this time to help... so I thought I'd try and get some "experts" to help me out. ;-)

Basically, I have, as the title says, a pretty big budget for this new build. It's going to be used primarily for Gaming and Live Streaming as I game!  No video rendering, but maybe some photo editing.  As it stands, I only have some rough starting points, but am completely open to suggestions and any help you all might be willing to give me.  My end goal for this post is to have all the parts picked so I can go and find the best prices for each of them. So here we go...

Here are my current IDEAS for a few of the specs...
=======================================
CASE::
*Cooler Master HAF XM* -- _This case also has dust screens! (An absolute must!)_ -- (Newegg Price: $129.99)

CPU::
*Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz* -- _Recommended by forum members here!_ -- (Newegg Price: $339.99)

Heatsink Options::
_Open to suggestions!_

MoBo Options::
1) *ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77* -- _Recommended by friend_ -- (Newegg Price: $239.99)
2) *ASUS Maximus V FORMULA* -- _Recommended by forum members here!_ -- (Newegg Price: $279.99)

RAM Options::
1) *G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3 1600* -- _Recommended by forum members here!_ -- (Newegg Price: $114.99)
2) *CORSAIR Vengeance LP 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3 1600* -- _Recommended by forum members here!_ -- (Newegg Price: $119.99)

GPU Options::
1) *EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB* -- _Recommended by forum members here!_ -- (Newegg Price: $409.99)
2) *EVGA GeForce GTX 670 Superclocked+ 4GB* -- _Suggestion from my own Research!_ -- (Newegg Price: $459.99)

SSD::
*SAMSUNG 830 Series 256GB SATA III (SSD)* -- _Recommended by forum members here!_ -- (Newegg Price: $249.99)

PSU Options:
_Open to suggestions -- As long as it's fully modular!_
=======================================

Any and all suggestions are extremely appreciated... but if you have suggestions, I'd love to know WHY you suggest certain things.  I'm not PC newb, but I'm just not fully up to speed with ALL of the latest and greatest, so I like to discuss the options, and why they would be the best... whether its because it's the best price point, or just simply the best part hands down, etc.

Thank to anyone who take the time to read my thread and help me out!

CHEERS!

*NOTE::  I will EDIT this post and change the list of the current specs I'm looking at for this build, as I get recommendations and fine-tune this build to perfection! When I solidify I choice, I will say so!!*


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## spirit (Jul 25, 2012)

Had a very quick look over your post, just a few things to add (I'll say more later but in a rush now sorry).

Firstly the CPU is overkill, if you want an i7 get a 3770K and overclock it. Not only is the 3770K cheaper than the 3820, it's also faster at stock clockspeeds and you can overclock with the 3770K much better than you can with the 3820. You'd need an LGA 1155 board for the 3770K, a Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H or a UD5H would be great options. You'd need an aftermarket cooler if overclocking, I have the Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 - works fine with my 2500K oc'ed to 4.3! 

1866MHz RAM is a waste of money, just go for 1600MHz and overclock it if you like. I have the same RAM as you want but running at 1648MHz, runs very nicely!

I'd go for a GTX 670 or a 680 over the 580. The 670 is usually faster than the 580 and the 680 is definitely faster. Both of those cards are newer and more power efficient too.

PSU wise a Corsair TX 750 would be a good unit to choose for this build even if it is overkill. That would be a good unit to choose for SLI too.

There's probably more I can point but I need to quickly go now, but I'll be back!


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## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/517?vs=555
Self explanitory, but also compare 670/680 and the price diff. 

Corsair AX and Seasonic X for thier gold rating and modularity. AX comes with ncer cables and they offer a single sleeve set altho pricey imo even for a large budget. 3rd party single sleeve cables are available for either brand.


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> Had a very quick look over your post, just a few things to add (I'll say more later but in a rush now sorry).
> 
> Firstly the CPU is overkill, if you want an i7 get a 3770K and overclock it. Not only is the 3770K cheaper than the 3820, it's also faster at stock clockspeeds and you can overclock with the 3770K much better than you can with the 3820. You'd need an LGA 1155 board for the 3770K, a Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H or a UD5H would be great options. You'd need an aftermarket cooler if overclocking, I have the Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 - works fine with my 2500K oc'ed to 4.3!
> 
> ...



I guess I should have added... I'm not an OC'er. I have never had much luck with OC'ing, and it always makes me worry. So I just don't. I like my PC to run FAST at stock! 

But I DO appreciate the input... and will definitely consider it all!!!


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/517?vs=555
> Self explanitory, but also compare 670/680 and the price diff.
> 
> Corsair AX and Seasonic X for thier gold rating and modularity. AX comes with ncer cables and they offer a single sleeve set altho pricey imo even for a large budget. 3rd party single sleeve cables are available for either brand.



Ok... two people recommending looking at the 670/680, as opposed to the 580... Looks like I shall be looking at these now instead!  THANKS!!!


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## Jamebonds1 (Jul 25, 2012)

Here is tip.  Intel i7 sanity-E isn't only for gaming but it is for program that take 6 core such as video and picture edit.  If you do just for gaming, it is not fastest than LGA 1155 and is wasted of money.  It is not really worth it.  I would take look at hwbot.com if i were you.  While at hwbot go to compare videocard or CPU.  Then select any video card and CPU that you would plan and it will help you to finding right video card and CPU.  

Here is this link for video card 

http://www.hwbot.org/compare/videocards#1932_1,1913_1,1744_2,1913_2-29

...and CPU

http://www.hwbot.org/compare/processors#2493,2277,2471-3,7,14,15


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## spirit (Jul 25, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> I guess I should have added... I'm not an OC'er. I have never had much luck with OC'ing, and it always makes me worry.  So I just don't.  I like my PC to run FAST at stock!
> 
> But I DO appreciate the input... and will definitely consider it all!!!



Well even at stock speeds the 3770K is faster and cheaper than a 3820. The LGA 1155 boards which the 3770K uses are cheaper than the LGA 2011 boards which the 3820 uses too.

See here http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/551?vs=523

Definitely get a 3770K and an LGA 1155 board such as the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H.


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## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> I'm not an OC'er. I have never had much luck with OC'ing, and it always makes me worry. So I just don't. I like my PC to run FAST at stock!


With these newer Intel/AMD cpu's it's very simple and they are designed to be oc'd. Consider it for a performance boost for down the road, and nice to know it's there if you want/need it.


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## Jamebonds1 (Jul 25, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> I guess I should have added... I'm not an OC'er. I have never had much luck with OC'ing, and it always makes me worry. So I just don't. I like my PC to run FAST at stock!
> 
> But I DO appreciate the input... and will definitely consider it all!!!



Like vistakid and I say it is not worth to getting 3820 LGA 2011 since LGA 1155 kit is cheap and fastest.


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Jamebonds1 said:


> Here is tip.  Intel i7 sanity-E isn't only for gaming but it is for program that take 6 core such as video and picture edit.  If you do just for gaming, it is not fastest than LGA 1155 and is wasted of money.  It is not really worth it.  I would take look at hwbot.com if i were you.  While at hwbot go to compare videocard or CPU.  Then select any video card and CPU that you would plan and it will help you to finding right video card and CPU.
> 
> Here is this link for video card
> 
> ...





vistakid10 said:


> Well even at stock speeds the 3770K is faster and cheaper than a 3820. The LGA 1155 boards which the 3770K uses are cheaper than the LGA 2011 boards which the 3820 uses too.
> 
> See here http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/551?vs=523
> 
> Definitely get a 3770K and an LGA 1155 board such as the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H.



Ok, I understand why you are both stating to go with the LGA 1155 boards/cpus, but what about future upgrades?  Wouldn't going LGA 2011 NOW put me in a better position in the future so I wouldn't necessarily have to upgrade both the MoBo & CPU?


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## Jamebonds1 (Jul 25, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> Ok, I understand why you are both stating to go with the LGA 1155 boards/cpus, but what about future upgrades?  Wouldn't going LGA 2011 NOW put me in a better position in the future so I wouldn't necessarily have to upgrade both the MoBo & CPU?



Chameleon.  Have you every look at link I and vistakid posted?


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## spirit (Jul 25, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> Wouldn't going LGA 2011 NOW put me in a better position in the future so I wouldn't necessarily have to upgrade both the MoBo & CPU?


No, not really. There's likely going to be a new 'high-end' Intel platform coming down the line and the chances are those new CPUs will use a new socket and everything, so no, I wouldn't say LGA 2011 is any more future-proof than LGA 1155 really.

I could be wrong of course, but 1155 is a great platform.


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Jamebonds1 said:


> Chameleon.  Have you every look at link I and vistakid posted?



Yeah, I'm looking at them... and you guys ARE convincing me. I was just simply asking the question, to better understand why NOT to go with 2011.



vistakid10 said:


> No, not really. There's likely going to be a new 'high-end' Intel platform coming down the line and the chances are those new CPUs will use a new socket and everything, so no, I wouldn't say LGA 2011 is any more future-proof than LGA 1155 really.
> 
> I could be wrong of course, but 1155 is a great platform.



So yeah, seeing these benchmarks, and what you are saying here... I'm convinced! Taking the 3820 off the list! 

Hell... anything to save me some money, means I will have more in the end to possibly splurge on a bad ass new monitor!


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> With these newer Intel/AMD cpu's it's very simple and they are designed to be oc'd. Consider it for a performance boost for down the road, and nice to know it's there if you want/need it.



This is good to know also... and so I'll def. think about OC'ing as an option! Im sure I can get all the help I need from all your forum members!


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## Jamebonds1 (Jul 25, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> This is good to know also... and so I'll def. think about OC'ing as an option! Im sure I can get all the help I need from all your forum members!



Also Ivy chip have more clear wire than Santy Bridge which is why it is more fastest.


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Jamebonds1 said:


> Also Ivy chip have more clear wire than Santy Bridge which is why it is more fastest.



Yeah, I'm convinced... so would you guys absolutely recommend going with an i7-3770K?  If so, I'll lock that in as the CPU I'll be going with.

Also, which of the two MoBos that were recommended would be BEST?

Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H  or  Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H  ??


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## Jamebonds1 (Jul 25, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> Yeah, I'm convinced... so would you guys absolutely recommend going with an i7-3770K?  If so, I'll lock that in as the CPU I'll be going with.
> 
> Also, which of the two MoBos that were recommended would be BEST?
> 
> Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H  or  Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H  ??



Yeah. We was recommended i7 3770K.  Also what is different between UD3H and UD5H are number of SATA and audio.  UD5H have EAX 5.0 and X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity, plus dual LAN.  there are 8 SATA, one eSATA and firewire.  

UD3H is cheap but have 6 SATA and two eSATA.  Only one LAN.  Audio is VIA 2021 and not great unless you want AMP sound card.

PS.  DOn't plug keyboard and mouse into VIA port because it won't work.  So be sure to put it in USB 2.0/3.0


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> 1866MHz RAM is a waste of money, just go for 1600MHz and overclock it if you like. I have the same RAM as you want but running at 1648MHz, runs very nicely!



Yeah, also need to talk about what would be the BEST ram for this build. What I put up on the list, was really just an initial recommendation from a friend. But I'd love to have some more input on what ram to do with... and why...

Thanks again!


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Jamebonds1 said:


> Yeah. We was recommended i7 3770K.  Also what is different between UD3H and UD5H are number of SATA and audio.  UD5H have EAX 5.0 and X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity, plus dual LAN.  there are 8 SATA, one eSATA and firewire.
> 
> UD3H is cheap but have 6 SATA and two eSATA.  Only one LAN.  Audio is VIA 2021 and not great unless you want AMP sound card.
> 
> PS.  DOn't plug keyboard and mouse into VIA port because it won't work.  So be sure to put it in USB 2.0/3.0



So it seems like UD5H would be the better option if I don't want a stand-alone sound card?


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## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> So it seems like UD5H would be the better option if I don't want a stand-alone sound card?


The mb you choose will have a good sound card built in. Try it first even if you have high end speakers.

The UD5H also has better power distribution.


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## Jamebonds1 (Jul 25, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> Yeah, also need to talk about what would be the BEST ram for this build. What I put up on the list, was really just an initial recommendation from a friend. But I'd love to have some more input on what ram to do with... and why...
> 
> Thanks again!



For reason why vistakid say it would be waste if buying RAM with highest MHz.  If you compare lowest (1066 MHz)and highest (2800 MHz) clockspeed.  It didn't make biggest different of improve speed game, program and etc.  It only improve a bit.  Some RAM with highest clockspeed is unstable.  1600 MHz RAM is recommended for gaming and program.  Your friend might be little mistaken.  Just FYI.


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## Jamebonds1 (Jul 25, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> So it seems like UD5H would be the better option if I don't want a stand-alone sound card?



Yeah.  It would be better choose if you don't want stand alone sound card.  VIA is basic sound card.  UD5H have no AMP which is why i choose UD3H for cheap then buying Creative sound card later.


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Jamebonds1 said:


> Yeah.  It would be better choose.  VIA is basic sound card.  UD5H have no AMP which is why i choose UD3H for cheap then buying Creative sound card later.



What do you mean by no AMP?


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## Jamebonds1 (Jul 25, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> What do you mean by no AMP?



AMP stand for amplifier that come from sound card.


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Jamebonds1 said:


> AMP stand for amplifier that come from sound card.



Sorry, I don't think I was clear... I knew what it stood for, I'm just curious what you meant by UD5H having no amplifier? Or, in other words, what does this mean for me as a gamer who wants great directional sound when I play games?


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## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

The audio that comes built into these mb's are quite good.


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## Jamebonds1 (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> The audio that comes built into these mb's are quite good.





Chameleon said:


> Sorry, I don't think I was clear... I knew what it stood for, I'm just curious what you meant by UD5H having no amplifier? Or, in other words, what does this mean for me as a gamer who wants great directional sound when I play games?



My mistaken.  Anyway sound card on UD5H is good and clear sound.  There are chip that making amplifier sound but UD5H just have X-Fi and EAX 5.0 support.  Amplifier isn't really important for game and music.  So I don't think you really need one for game.


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> The audio that comes built into these mb's are quite good.



Yeah, okay. Thanks! 



Jamebonds1 said:


> My mistaken.  Anyway sound card on UD5H is good and clear sound.  There are chip that making amplifier sound but UD5H just have X-Fi and EAX 5.0 support.  Amplifier isn't really important for game and music.  So I don't think you really need one for game.



If I am understanding you... If I were to want to get into, say, DJing from my PC, this might be where I would need an AMP?  Though, this could be something I could get as a standalone card?


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## Jamebonds1 (Jul 25, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> Yeah, okay. Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> If I am understanding you... If I were to want to get into, say, DJing from my PC, this might be where I would need an AMP?  Though, this could be something I could get as a standalone card?



No, that's for headphone not DJ speaker.  Some speaker have AMP built.


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## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

I know you'll get to a SSD at some point. I want to show you this now because it's today only, or until they sell out which could easily happen.. Solid/reliable. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239045 More towards monitor


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## Jamebonds1 (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> I know you'll get to a SSD at some point. I want to show you this now because it's today only, or until they sell out which could easily happen.. Solid/reliable. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239045 More towards monitor



It was bit off topic but I would like to have this SSD but i have other part i need to buying  

I can use for like music backup.


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> I know you'll get to a SSD at some point. I want to show you this now because it's today only, or until they sell out which could easily happen.. Solid/reliable. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239045 More towards monitor



Already sold out. 

I guess that's what I get for using the restroom! Ugghhh... would so have bought it right then and there!


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

*So onto RAM discussion...*

I'm looking at these options right now:

1) CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) -- Newegg $97.99
2) G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) -- Newegg $94.99
3) G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) -- Newegg $109.99

All three of these sets are roughly same price, and ALL of them have 5 star reviews with over 100+ reviews each... What you all think?


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## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> Already sold out.
> 
> I guess that's what I get for using the restroom! Ugghhh... would so have bought it right then and there!


Danggg. A matter of minutes. I almost bought 1 and I already have 2 ssd's! Too bad. But hey, call NE and tell them your putting together a 2500 build from their site and the sale says ends today and nothing about "or sold out" and see if you can rain check it or something, even if you have to pay now-


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Anyone want to chime in on the 3 options (above) for RAM?

I know the opinions shared, thus far, is that 1600Mhz may be better than the 1866Mhz option, but if they are all roughly the same price, and all have 5-star stars w/ plenty of reviews... might it just be better to go with the "faster" RAM?

Thoughts / Opinions?


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## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

Looks good.
Ivy's native support is 1600 and the minor diff between 1600/1866 usually isnt worth the extra $. And your not OCing so 1600 would be a good choice. If I knew for sure the 1866 would have default install speed of 1600 I might go with it if price was very close. An option would be 1600 with 8-8-8 timings vs 9, but then the price/perf ratio comes into play again. In the end 1600 CL9 will perform just fine.


Get no taller than Ripjaws, Corsair has low profile, if your planning a 3rd party air cooler. 2x8gb allows adding more later if needed and costs less.


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> Looks good.
> Ivy's native support is 1600 and the minor diff between 1600/1866 usually isnt worth the extra $. And your not OCing so 1600 would be a good choice. If I knew for sure the 1866 would have default install speed of 1600 I might go with it if price was very close. An option would be 1600 with 8-8-8 timings vs 9, but then the price/perf ratio comes into play again. In the end 1600 CL9 will perform just fine.
> 
> 
> Get no taller than Ripjaws, Corsair has low profile, if your planning a 3rd party air cooler. 2x8gb allows adding more later if needed and costs less.



Well, given you had said that OC'ing isn't all that difficult these days, I'm more open to the idea!  

So the only thing I'm seeing with an 8-8-8 timing is:

1) G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) -- Newegg $56.99  _(Could get two sets of these possibly.)_
2) G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) -- Newegg $114.99 _(Not Ripjaws)_
3) G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) -- Newegg $114.99 _(what's the difference between X and Z series?)_

Edit... Also, what you mean by corsair has low profile?


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## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

With 16gb being plenty, you can go 4x4gb as I realize you did in the other post.
OCing cpu easy. There's more of an art to ocing memory but you can do it.
Altho 2 kits(sets) of the same RAM should work well together it's best to buy all dimms as a kit which means the manufacturer tested those dimms to work as a set, before leaving the factory.
Here's some suggestions, some of which are the same as you posted and they are all good choices.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...33-198^20-233-198-TS,20-231-547^20-231-547-TS


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## Jamebonds1 (Jul 25, 2012)

Also more important is make sure you find RAM at 1.5 voltage for stable overclock.


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Jamebonds1 said:


> Also more important is make sure you find RAM at 1.5 voltage for stable overclock.



Given what Benny Boy said...



Benny Boy said:


> OCing cpu easy. There's more of an art to ocing memory but you can do it.



I think I'll just stick with OC'ing the CPU, and leave the RAM as is.


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## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

Or this 1.35v 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...127 600006073 600000279&IsNodeId=1&name=1.35V


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

I think it's going to come down to these two... Looks like they have the best/most 5-star reviews::

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...33-143^20-233-143-TS,20-231-429^20-231-429-TS

The Corsair's have an $8 off promo code... might go with that, given it will be the cheapest... Though I've been reading that the heatsinks stick up a bit high... thoughts?


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## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

The heigth of that model Vengeance, when installed to the mb's memory slot nearest the cpu, will interfere with the installation of most cpu air coolers.


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> The heigth of that model Vengeance, when installed to the mb's memory slot nearest the cpu, will interfere with the installation of most cpu air coolers.



Yeah... I figured that'd probably be the case...

So I'm looking at these 4 options now::

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...31-429^20-231-429-TS,20-231-478^20-231-478-TS

EDIT::  I don't think I'd mind spending the slight extra $ for the better timing... if that would make much of a difference.


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## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

Can't go wrong with either one. I believe most enthusiasts go with GSkill. 
(and its blk/blue like the mb)


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## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

IMO, in this oder:
Western Digital BlacK(ending in FAEX) and has the best warranty.
Samsung F3 also. 1yr warranty. 
Seagate ok too. 1yr warranty

With os and programs on ssd, how much space do you want?


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> IMO, in this oder:
> Western Digital BlacK(ending in FAEX) and has the best warranty.
> Samsung F3 also. 1yr warranty.
> Seagate ok too. 1yr warranty
> ...



As much as I can get at a reasonable price. My PC is basically just used for games. I don't normally keep too much when it comes to storage. So I can always buy a decent external HD for picture / music storage (mostly just pictures, as I hardly keep MP3s anymore, thanks to Internet Streaming).... So really, I want as much space as I can get so I can install lots of games. I use Steam, and my wife and I have a TON of games. We'll also probably getting into an MMO (or two) in the near future. 

I'm GUESSING that 250Gb SHOULD be enough for my needs... though that may even be more than I actually need. But I know that I absolutely want a SSD Harddrive. I'm tired of the regular types! haha


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

What about something like this...

*Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F180GBGT-BK 2.5" 180GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)* -- Price: $189.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-233-211


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## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

Sure. I would still get a hdd tho. Nice to be able to route docs, photos, and other things that don't benifit from the speed/pricey real estate.


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## spirit (Jul 25, 2012)

If you want an SSD go for a Crucial M4, SanDisk Extreme 120GB or a Samsung 830. All in order from slowest to fastest but all faster than the Force 3. 

Here's the 830, one of the fastest drives available right now http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147164

128GB is a nice size, 256GB would be great!


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## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> Sure. I would still get a hdd tho. Nice to be able to route docs, photos, and other things that don't benifit from the speed/pricey real estate.



Well, as it stands, I have an external 500Gb HDD hooked up to our network, so all our PCs have access to it... Plus, we use dropbox which gives us another 100Gb of storage.  So I don't think I need another extra HDD at this moment.

So I think I'll stick with the SDD for my PC build. And if I feel I need any further storage space, I can always get another internal HDD at a later time.


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> If you want an SSD go for a Crucial M4, SanDisk Extreme 120GB or a Samsung 830. All in order from slowest to fastest but all faster than the Force 3.
> 
> Here's the 830, one of the fastest drives available right now http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147164
> 
> 128GB is a nice size, 256GB would be great!



Added it to the list! Thanks for the info!


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

*So my next question is now about the GPU -- the GTX 680....* 

Which one to go with? I'm pretty partial to the EVGA brand... just seems like they are known to be the best. But there are so many different VERSION of the GTX 680. :/

I see there is a 2Gb version and a 4Gb version... and I've been reading that the 4Gb isn't all that much of an increase in performance, unless you have a surround monitor setup, or for like MAX settings in Crysis games. So I probably don't need the 4Gb version. Agree?

If so... there are still a few 2Gb version... what to go with?


----------



## spirit (Jul 25, 2012)

GTX 280? That's a card from 3 or 4 generations ago now. What's your budget for the graphics card?


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> GTX 280? That's a card from 3 or 4 generations ago now. What's your budget for the graphics card?



Typo... my bad... 680!  Changed it in that post! hahaha

Budget = Best Bang for buck... My FULL budget is MAX $3000 for ALL PC parts + Monitor!


----------



## spirit (Jul 25, 2012)

Ah, 680.  Yeah they're good cards, all the cool guys use 'em. 

EVGA is a great brand. Honestly if I were to go and buy an NVIDIA card tomorrow I'd go for an EVGA one. MSI, Gigabyte and ASUS are also good brands, but I like EVGA best. 

Don't bother getting an EVGA FTW or any sort of overclocked card though, they're a waste of money as if you want you can overclock the card yourself and get the extra performance without spending the extra.


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> Don't bother getting an EVGA FTW or any sort of overclocked card though, they're a waste of money as if you want you can overclock the card yourself and get the extra performance without spending the extra.



Well, what are your opinions of the 2Gb version vs. the 4Gb version?


----------



## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

Here's a couple more that are very reliable. 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167086
Most of what we see is the response time and read time. The write times don't factor into the experience as much. The differences in r/w specs on a lot of them won't make much diff in use.


----------



## spirit (Jul 25, 2012)

2GB is all you need for high resolutions right now but 4GB will be more future-proof. What resolution do you play at? Do you plan on gaming at a higher resolution or across multiple monitors in the future?


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> Here's a couple more that are very reliable.
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167086
> Most of what we see is the response time and read time. The write times don't factor into the experience as much. The differences in r/w specs on a lot of them won't make much diff in use.



The one that VistaKid shared had better reviews and was a bit cheaper. I'm thinking I might go with that one! 




vistakid10 said:


> 2GB is all you need for high resolutions right now but 4GB will be more future-proof. What resolution do you play at? Do you plan on gaming at a higher resolution or across multiple monitors in the future?



Well, right now, I have a piece of shit PC (Dual Core) with a crap monitor that only allows a 1980x1050 resolution. Or something close to that. 

As for the future... I do NOT plan to do any sort of multiple-monitor setup... but I DO plan to play at a HIGH resolution! 1080p or better!


----------



## spirit (Jul 25, 2012)

I'd say a 2GB card would be fine. Is there a massive price difference between the two? If the 4GB one is only a tiny bit more expensive it may be worth going for one of those just in case you decide to play at a massive resolution in the future.


----------



## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> If you want an SSD go for a Crucial M4, SanDisk Extreme 120GB or a Samsung 830. All in order from slowest to fastest but all faster than the Force 3.
> 
> Here's the 830, one of the fastest drives available right now http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147164
> 
> 128GB is a nice size, 256GB would be great!


He listed the GT not the Force 3. The GT is faster than the 3 you listed, but, see my other post.

Of the suggestions, the GT, 830 or 520 would be the one to get.


----------



## spirit (Jul 25, 2012)

If I've selected the correct drives, it would appear that the 830 is still sometimes faster than the Force GT which is the drive he originally chose, yes? http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/409?vs=533

Anyway, yeah, any one of those SSDs would be great. On paper they're all different speeds, but in the real world I doubt you'd really notice any difference. They're all very fast.


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> He listed the GT not the Force 3. The GT is faster than the 3 you listed, but, see my other post.
> 
> Of the suggestions, the GT, 830 or 520 would be the one to get.



Oh ok... Well, I've been doing some research, and I've found a LOT of people praising the Samsung 830 series. So, I figure it should be good enough for my needs.

One question, though, on this... Would it be best to just go with one 256 SSD and use it for OS and games?  Or would it be better to possibly get a smaller 64GB SSD as well, just for the OS, and use the bigger SSD for games?  What you think?


----------



## spirit (Jul 25, 2012)

Just get one big drive, go for a 256GB and save yourself some money. 256GB should be enough for everything really, and you can always install games on a hard drive as there isn't much difference between SSD and HDD gaming.


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> I'd say a 2GB card would be fine. Is there a massive price difference between the two? If the 4GB one is only a tiny bit more expensive it may be worth going for one of those just in case you decide to play at a massive resolution in the future.



Here are some price differences...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...30-798^14-130-798-TS,14-130-794^14-130-794-TS

Basically... There is only a $100 difference from 2Gb to 4Gb


----------



## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> If I've selected the correct drives, it would appear that the 830 is still sometimes faster than the Force GT which is the drive he originally chose, yes? http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/409?vs=533
> 
> Anyway, yeah, any one of those SSDs would be great. On paper they're all different speeds, but in the real world I doubt you'd really notice any difference. They're all very fast.


Sometimes the size makes a little diff. in the spec. Your right, they're pretty evenly matched, which relates to what it looks like on paper probably won't be noticed in use. I like the 830 choice. One of the reasons its so stable is because they make all the parts themselves, controller and all.:good:


----------



## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

Vista knows more about what 2gb model to get. Doesn't look like your planning to need 4gb model.


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

I'm thinking just going with this one -- probably best bang for the buck...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130768


----------



## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139035

Unless you want to go with bronze, semi-mod instead of full mod, and regular sleeved cables for around 90-100$.


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139035
> 
> Unless you want to go with bronze, semi-mod instead of full mod, and regular sleeved cables for around 90-100$.



For PSU, I'm going to have to wait till I solidify all my other choices, because I'm going to have to make sure that it has appropriate wattage and cables for all my selections.

650w seems a bit low...


----------



## Benny Boy (Jul 25, 2012)

The gpu is the big determining factor. Recommended for a 680 is 38A on the +12v rail. So, allowing headroom for that, all the info is needed unless your starting out with SLI. 650 quality watts is more than needed, but to get gold/full mod ya hafta go there. Seasonic has a bronze 620w semi mod for about $90-promo, and Corsair has bronze TX650 non mod for $90-promo or a mod TX for around 100 or so. PC Power $ Cooling has a 600w mod or 700w mod w/ promos.

Don't know that 680 vs 670 will be worth the $100. You decide. You can select games/settings on left, or compare the 2.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU12/400


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 25, 2012)

Benny Boy said:


> The gpu is the big determining factor. Recommended for a 680 is 38A on the +12v rail. So, allowing headroom for that, all the info is needed unless your starting out with SLI. 650 quality watts is more than needed, but to get gold/full mod ya hafta go there. Seasonic has a bronze 620w semi mod for about $90-promo, and Corsair has bronze TX650 non mod for $90-promo or a mod TX for around 100 or so. PC Power $ Cooling has a 600w mod or 700w mod w/ promos.
> 
> Don't know that 680 vs 670 will be worth the $100. You decide. You can select games/settings on left, or compare the 2.
> http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU12/400



Added to the list as an option... They are definitely quite comparable. I might just go with the 670 and save that extra $100, so I can use it for something else. We'll see.  Thanks for pointing that out!

I'm headed home from work now... so I won't be responding for a bit... BUT, I'd love some more suggestions on the following components...

PSU (Fully Modular), Cases (Must have Dust Filters on all intakes), and also CPU heatsinks!

I'll get back to the thread ASAP!  Thanks everyone!!!


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 26, 2012)

Well... looks like no one had anything else to add... I'm still definitely open for more suggestions!  I really enjoy chatting and discussing different build specs!

Anyways... thanks again!


----------



## spirit (Jul 26, 2012)

OK the Storm Sniper looks like a fairly good case, but I like the NZXT Phantom. It has mesh in front of all the fans so that should be fine for you. Here it is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146068 you can get it in white too if you prefer.

A few power supply suggestions for you.

Corsair HX 750 80+ Silver http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

Seasonic X650 80+ Gold http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

Either one of those or any other quality PSU in the 650-750W range would be fine.

As for CPU coolers, the CM Hyper 212+ is meant to be pretty good http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099 I use the Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 myself, it works fine (even with 4 full height RipJaws-X DIMMs installed) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186039. As you're going for 16GB of RAM viva 4x4GB it may actually be worthwhile picking up an all-in-one liquid cooler such as the Corsair H50 or H70 because then you can use all 4 bays on your motherboard without the heatsink getting in the way. Liquid cooling would give you better overclocks and temperatures too. There's an H70 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181019&Tpk=h70 there are cheaper models too such as the H60 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181015&Tpk=h60.

I see you're going for a single 670 now, that's a great choice of graphics card still. Get an EVGA one though.


----------



## Benny Boy (Jul 26, 2012)

I was going to suggest the Sabertooth early on but I didn't think you'd want to pay for the extra. It's obviousy a great board with a lot of features. The only thing is taking the shielding off to clean.

Ripjaws aren't as tall as as the tall Vengeance so Ripjaws will work with Hyper 212/others.

EDIT:
This gets my vote.


vistakid10 said:


> [URL]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010[/URL]


Seasonic built.
7 yr warranty.
Will run closer to 50% load than 650w.
Enough for a second 670 if you later on decide to.
The graphics will be correct whether its fan up or fan down. 
Nice cables. Modular so you only use the ones you need.
Net is only about $100.(NE)

A couple cases. Black/white/ one of them has military green.
If you find a case you really like but it needs filters, they are available.
Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 26, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> OK the Storm Sniper looks like a fairly good case, but I like the NZXT Phantom. It has mesh in front of all the fans so that should be fine for you. Here it is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146068 you can get it in white too if you prefer.



I've actually decided on going with the CM HAF XM. I really like the design, and it seems to have everything I want/need. 



vistakid10 said:


> A few power supply suggestions for you.
> 
> Corsair HX 750 80+ Silver http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010
> 
> ...



As a friend suggested, I should be going with a PSU that is at least 1000w. I happen to agree. Given I will be looking of going SLI in the future, I better be safe now, than sorry later.  So I need some suggestions for 1000w Modular PSUs...



vistakid10 said:


> As for CPU coolers, the CM Hyper 212+ is meant to be pretty good http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099 I use the Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 myself, it works fine (even with 4 full height RipJaws-X DIMMs installed) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186039. As you're going for 16GB of RAM viva 4x4GB it may actually be worthwhile picking up an all-in-one liquid cooler such as the Corsair H50 or H70 because then you can use all 4 bays on your motherboard without the heatsink getting in the way. Liquid cooling would give you better overclocks and temperatures too. There's an H70 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181019&Tpk=h70 there are cheaper models too such as the H60 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181015&Tpk=h60.
> 
> I see you're going for a single 670 now, that's a great choice of graphics card still. Get an EVGA one though.



As for Heatsinks, I don't think I'm going to go for a liquid cool solution, just because I've never had one, and everyone I've talked to says their really more hassle than they're worth.  I'll check out the normal heatsinks you mentioned. I think I may have to do some research on these. But thanks for the suggestions!

As for the GPU... a friend of mine actually suggested the ASUS brand, so I'm putting that on the list of options (more expensive, and bulkier, so I dunno!)  I think I'm going to do a bit more research on all these different brands/cards.




Benny Boy said:


> I was going to suggest the Sabertooth early on but I didn't think you'd want to pay for the extra. It's obviousy a great board with a lot of features. The only thing is taking the shielding off to clean.



Yeah, I looked into the Sabertooth, and it seems legit. A bit more expsnive, but I can afford it. As for cleaning, that is why I am going with a case that has dust filters. You should see the inside of my wife's PC after YEARS of use. Only ever needs an occasional Dust Off!  Otherwise, squeaky clean!



Benny Boy said:


> Ripjaws aren't as tall as as the tall Vengeance so Ripjaws will work with Hyper 212/others.



As for the RAM, both of the two options I have chosen as possibilities are low profile, so both will work just fine. I am going to do a bit more research on them before I decide. 



Benny Boy said:


> EDIT:
> This gets my vote.
> Seasonic built.
> 7 yr warranty.
> ...



Again, as I said above... I'm going to want to go with a 1000w Fully Modular PSU. 



Benny Boy said:


> A couple cases. Black/white/ one of them has military green.
> If you find a case you really like but it needs filters, they are available.
> Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
> 
> Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case



Doesn't look like either of these two cases have dust screens/filters built in... This is why I'm almost certain I'm going to go with the CM HAF XM. Thank you both for the suggestions though!

Really, I just need to select the right PSU and Heatsink now... and do a bit more research on the specs that I have a couple of options for.


----------



## spirit (Jul 26, 2012)

You don't need a 1000W PSU, that's overkill, even for SLI. I'd say for 670 SLI 850W is the most you need. If you really must have a 1000W modular PSU, here you go http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256068 that's an 80+ Gold fully modular 1000W unit from Silverstone. 

The Sabertooth board is good. Usually I don't recommend it because of the cost, but if you're prepared to pay the extra for it, then go for it. 

As for coolers, one brand I forgot to mention was Noctua. Their coolers are quiet, cool very well (apparently) but they are huge, so you'd definitely need low profile RAM. Something like this would be cool (no pun intended  ) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608016 or something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608024 but yes they are massive as you can see from the photos!

If the EVGA graphics card is cheaper and not as bulky as the ASUS I'd say get the EVGA. EVGA make some of the best NVIDIA cards out there anyway, they're who I recommend.


----------



## Benny Boy (Jul 26, 2012)

PS:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-670-review/8
http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-670-2-and-3way-sli-review/19
750w allows 2x670 + cpu/gpu's oc'd + headroom. With 850w being more yet,,,I see no reason to go higher than 850W(except price). If a person wants more thats up to them but I wouldn't suggest it requires it. If your contemplating multiple high res monitors and 3x sli to make more use of 1000w(still more than needed), then you might want to go with the 4gb card. Regardless, you can't go wrong with Seasonic or, Corsair branded but Seasonic built, PC Power & Cooling is another one, so is XFX. Seasonic makes a lot of the rebranded respectable ps's. Channell Well builds good units too and also makes some Corsair units. ..



Chameleon said:


> As for Heatsinks, I don't think I'm going to go for a liquid cool solution, just because I've never had one, and everyone I've talked to says their really more hassle than they're worth.


 
All-in-one liquid coolers are an easy install and require no more maintanence than air cooler. Water loops are a different story.
HS: 
Take a look at,
CM 212+/EVO
CM V6 GT
CM TCP -812
Noctua D14
For allinone you basically have to go H100 or bigger to get better than a good air cooler but H70/H80/H2O 920 are good performers.
http://www.frostytech.com/

EDIT: and Silverstone ^ :good:


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 27, 2012)

Thanks for all the input...

Given what I'm seeing as far is price range right now with the parts I have selected, I may actually go buck-wild and do SLI right away with 2x GTX 680s (or maybe 2 670s)!  We will see, it's going to depend on what I get to in price before adding that last gpu onto the list.

EDIT-- Though, then another option, is to simply go with a single 670 now, wait til they drop their next line of gpu's and SLI something from that line, and give the 670 then to my wife (and possibly get a second, as at that time the price might have dropped). This is also a very viable option I'm contemplating.  So I'll just be deciding what to do when it comes to purchase time! 

But as for what my buddy said, 850w would more than likely be fine, but it's always better to have some buffer room. And it can never hurt. My wife has a 1000w, and it's never once had issue.


----------



## spirit (Jul 27, 2012)

Yeah a 1000W PSU would be fine, it's just it would be a waste of money. 850W would be fine for SLI'ing two 670s or 680s I reckon.

I'd just go for two 670s or 680s now if you want to SLI. No point really waiting, there's gonna be another year or maybe longer until the 7xx series gets released.


----------



## Jamebonds1 (Jul 27, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> Yeah a 1000W PSU would be fine, it's just it would be a waste of money. 850W would be fine for SLI'ing two 670s or 680s I reckon.
> 
> I'd just go for two 670s or 680s now if you want to SLI. No point really waiting, there's gonna be another year or maybe longer until the 7xx series gets released.



I agree.  Crysis 2 playing so well on GTX 670.


----------



## G80FTW (Jul 27, 2012)

I hate to just jump in here on page 9....

but $3000 budget?  Can you not just get almost the best hardware for that kind of money?  I mean, in hardware I only spent $1,500 on my computer and its by no means slow...

Id say if you got that kind of money, go for this:

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=19885852

$700 to spare.  EDIT


----------



## Jamebonds1 (Jul 27, 2012)

G80FTW said:


> I hate to just jump in here on page 9....
> 
> but $3000 budget?  Can you not just get almost the best hardware for that kind of money?  I mean, in hardware I only spent $1,500 on my computer and its by no means slow...
> 
> ...



Your link is not work.  it show log in.


----------



## G80FTW (Jul 27, 2012)

Jamebonds1 said:


> Your link is not work.  it show log in.



IB 3770K
ASUS Maximus V
EVGA Signature 690 4GB
Antec HCG 900W
Corsair Vengeance 16GB 1600MHz
Fractal Design R4
OCz Vertex 4 128GB SSD
Western Digital 2TB HDD

Total = $2,372.92


----------



## spirit (Jul 27, 2012)

If you saw the first post that's pretty much what we specced for him. We've got a better SSD than that Vertex 4 as well (Samsung 830) and a 680 SLI setup possibly.


----------



## G80FTW (Jul 27, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> If you saw the first post that's pretty much what we specced for him. We've got a better SSD than that Vertex 4 as well (Samsung 830) and a 680 SLI setup possibly.



But wouldnt a 690 be better for the money? If he buys 2 680 2GBs for SLi, that will run him $1,000 for the reference models which is the same price as a 4GB 690.


----------



## Jamebonds1 (Jul 27, 2012)

G80FTW said:


> IB 3770K
> ASUS Maximus V
> EVGA Signature 690 4GB
> Antec HCG 900W
> ...



As you see. We already recommended some hardware.


----------



## spirit (Jul 27, 2012)

G80FTW said:


> But wouldnt a 690 be better for the money? If he buys 2 680 2GBs for SLi, that will run him $1,000 for the reference models which is the same price as a 4GB 690.



680 SLI is usually a tiny bit faster than a single 690, see here http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/585?vs=586 but of course he could get two 690s later on and SLI them, but that'd set him back 2 grand.

It's a tough decision.


----------



## G80FTW (Jul 27, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> 680 SLI is usually a tiny bit faster than a single 690, see here http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/585?vs=586 but of course he could get two 690s later on and SLI them, but that'd set him back 2 grand.
> 
> It's a tough decision.



That 690 is also clocked lower than the 680s.  So if they were clocked the same, then they should be identical if not on the 690 side.

Im saying though, that if he spends the grand on the 690 he gets 4GB of VRAM (which will prove MUCH more useful than 2GB very soon) and it will take up less space and I think even save power.  

Win win if you ask me.

If you ask me, there is no need for SLi 680s or a 690 right now but if you got the money then go for it!


----------



## spirit (Jul 27, 2012)

Hmm yeah that would probably a good route to go, remember you can overclock the 680s though.

OK so OP, go for a single 690 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130781 there's an EVGA one.


----------



## G80FTW (Jul 27, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> Hmm yeah that would probably a good route to go, remember you can overclock the 680s though.
> 
> OK so OP, go for a single 690 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130781 there's an EVGA one.



You can overclock the 690 too 

I have no idea what someone could possibly be doing right now that would warrant the need to overclock either a 680 or 690 though.


----------



## Jamebonds1 (Jul 27, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> Hmm yeah that would probably a good route to go, remember you can overclock the 680s though.
> 
> OK so OP, go for a single 690 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130781 there's an EVGA one.



Plus.  Sometime overclock on SLI mode can be more unstable than single video card.  Good news is gigabyte have SATA power on motherboard for stable power.  Plus it can connection wire on motherboard for check voltage.  It was used for overclocked 7 GHz.


----------



## Chameleon (Jul 27, 2012)

G80FTW said:


> IB 3770K
> ASUS Maximus V
> EVGA Signature 690 4GB
> Antec HCG 900W
> ...



So I've seen all the input on the last two pages, and I'm going to consider it all... also, thanks for the complete build suggestions above. Gives me some more pieces to check out!

Seems the GPU is where I need to put a lot of thought into.  I've come to the point where I'm going to try to cap my budget at right about $2800 actually. And I'm going to be needing a brand new 27"+ 120Hz monitor.  So that will also be a factor in all my decisions...

But back to the GPU... Now that I've seen the comparison between 2 680's SLI and one 690... given that would roughly be the same price ($1k), I definitely agree that a single 690 would be the way to go!   HOWEVER, I'm still going to weigh all my options and make my decision when I'm about to make all the purchases.  But I totally appreciate the input. I don't think I would have even considered the 690 until you all brought it up. So thank you again!




G80FTW said:


> If you ask me, there is no need for SLi 680s or a 690 right now but if you got the money then go for it!



So what would you suggest (right now), given you don't think there is a need for SLI 680s or a single 690?  (Just out of curiousity)... and why do you think this? (Again, I'm just curious)


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## spirit (Jul 27, 2012)

An SLI 680/single 690 setup is very powerful indeed and is probably overkill but still good t have. Really something like a 670 is all you'll ever need for a long while.


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## Chameleon (Jul 27, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> An SLI 680/single 690 setup is very powerful indeed and is probably overkill but still good t have. Really something like a 670 is all you'll ever need for a long while.



Yeah... which was kinda my mindset.  Especially given that I could just spend like $400ish on a single 670 now (which will be BEAST as is, and save me money); then, later down the line, I can look into nvidia's new 7xx series and see about upgrading at that point. As opposed to going all-out right now with a single $1k 690, which would probably just be overkill, especially in the $$ department.

I mean, dx12 looks like it may be coming out next year, so I might just want to wait and see if that will coincide with the 7xx series. 

Anyways... thanks for the thoughts!


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## Chameleon (Jul 27, 2012)

G80FTW said:


> ASUS Maximus V



Ok, so I've actually added the *ASUS Maximus V FORMULA* to my MoBo options. It's a bit more expensive, but it has better onboard audio.  I've been reading that the Realtek ALC892 chipset is "MEH" when it comes to audio (not horrible, but certainly not the best). So, if I go with the Sabertooth, I might have to spring for a better standalone sound card... the only thing that is REALLY grabbing me about the Sabertooth, is the plastic covering on the whole thing. Basically, given we have two cats and a lot of dust where we live, I am really going for as CLEAN of a build as I can (hence the dust screens in the case). So anything that will help keep the inside AS dust/cat hair-free as possible is a plus. BUT, given I am an avid audiophile, the onboard audio option on the Maximus may just be a better solution... Though, a standalone sound card is not necessarily out of the picture...

What are your guys' opinions on both of these MoBo's as well as the onboard audio/soundcard options?


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## spirit (Jul 27, 2012)

Onboard audio is fine really, you probably wouldn't need a sound card even with the Sabertooth. 

I'd say save the money and get the ST.


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## Chameleon (Jul 27, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> Onboard audio is fine really, you probably wouldn't need a sound card even with the Sabertooth.
> 
> I'd say save the money and get the ST.



Yeah... you're probably right. And hell, given I'm a DJ, and plan to start using my PC for digital DJ'ing, I may very well need a better sound solution than even the Maximus MoBo will be able to give me. So I'd probably have to get a standalone card anyways!  So yeah... I'm heavily leaning toward the Sabertooth still, as I don't see anything (other than the audio difference) that would sway me to spend that bit extra on the MoBo.

As for GPU... I think I may have found the card I'll go with (which I've added to my list of options). Seems like this one has the best of all worlds... It's in the $450 range, and it has 4Gb!

*EVGA GeForce GTX 670 Superclocked+ 4GB* -- (Newegg Price: $459.99)

Thoughts?


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## G80FTW (Jul 27, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> So what would you suggest (right now), given you don't think there is a need for SLI 680s or a single 690?  (Just out of curiousity)... and why do you think this? (Again, I'm just curious)



Well, technically a GTX 670 will do just fine right now for any game.  But the important thing to remember is that there are 5 new game engines coming out the beginning of next year and may or may not be more demanding (judging from the console driven gaming development world we sadly live in).  

So, I would still suggest the single 690 over SLi 680s.  Reason being, Iv never been one for SLi or even dual GPU cards.  I just dont believe there is any reason to need that kind of power.  But, if I had the kind of money you do then there is no reason not to get a 690.  Because in the long run it will last you much longer.


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## spirit (Jul 27, 2012)

Yep go for the Sabertooth board and add a sound card if you want one.

The 670 is a great card. 4GB of V-RAM should keep you up and running for years. Very few games actually use more than about 1.5GB at high resolutions right now, so 4GB should be fine for any resolution!

@G80 - the 690 is a dual-GPU card.


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## G80FTW (Jul 27, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> @G80 - the 690 is a dual-GPU card.



Yes I know  

I was just saying that I generally dislike them, but I would pick a dual GPU card over SLi because I think its just too show-offy to have more than one video card


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## spirit (Jul 27, 2012)

G80FTW said:


> Yes I know
> 
> I was just saying that I generally dislike them, but I would pick a dual GPU card over SLi because I think its just too show-offy to have more than one video card



Ah right ok, sorry my misunderstanding.

To the OP, it really depends how much you want to spend on the card. A 670 is half the price of a single 690 or two 680s and will be fine for a long while yet, a 690 or an SLI'ed pair of 680s would last you longer though. Remember though that 670 SLI is always an option for the future.

How much would you ideally like to spend on the graphics card?


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## Chameleon (Jul 27, 2012)

G80FTW said:


> Well, technically a GTX 670 will do just fine right now for any game.  But the important thing to remember is that there are 5 new game engines coming out the beginning of next year and may or may not be more demanding (judging from the console driven gaming development world we sadly live in).
> 
> So, I would still suggest the single 690 over SLi 680s.  Reason being, Iv never been one for SLi or even dual GPU cards.  I just dont believe there is any reason to need that kind of power.  But, if I had the kind of money you do then there is no reason not to get a 690.  Because in the long run it will last you much longer.





vistakid10 said:


> How much would you ideally like to spend on the graphics card?




Well, I'll just put it this way... I do have a huge budget... but I don't necessarily WANT to spend ALL of it. The wife has also been begging me for a new Refrigerator! (LOL)

So I may just opt for a single 670 for now... and, like I said in a previous post, just wait for nvidia's next 7xx line of gpus, and see if there is anything enticing there... especially given the advent of dx12 coming out next year possibly! 

EDIT-- I don't usually budget each individual piece. I just have an overall budget, and then try and work all parts into that budget.


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## G80FTW (Jul 27, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> Well, I'll just put it this way... I do have a huge budget... but I don't necessarily WANT to spend ALL of it. The wife has also been begging me for a new Refrigerator! (LOL)
> 
> So I may just opt for a single 670 for now... and, like I said in a previous post, just wait for nvidia's next 7xx line of gpus, and see if there is anything enticing there... especially given the advent of dx12 coming out next year possibly!
> 
> EDIT-- I don't usually budget each individual piece. I just have an overall budget, and then try and work all parts into that budget.



Where did you hear about DX12 coming out possibly next year?  Iv heard no word on it even being worked on.

They still have yet to really touch on DX11 features whats the point of DX12?


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## spirit (Jul 27, 2012)

I don't DX12 is going to come any time soon really. As G80 said, most games barely take advantage of DX11 right now, let alone DX12.

I had figured that you wouldn't want to use all of your budget. Anything you choose now would be a good option, they're all great cards we have in mind for you now.


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## Chameleon (Jul 27, 2012)

Sorry, I should have said that it was just a buddy of mine that builds PCs for a living that said he only speculates that dx12 may come out next year. Though, that could be completely wrong!

But yeah... I think I'm going to be going with either the EVGA 670 FTW 2Gb or the EVGA 670 Superclocked 4Gb. Both of those seem to be the best cards for the money!  And as I've said, it will allow me to save money NOW, and then give the 670 to my wife in the future if I later go with something from the 7xx line! (regardless of dx12, haha)


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## spirit (Jul 27, 2012)

I'd say get the 4GB one, unless it's way more expensive.

Is your wife a gamer too then?


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## Chameleon (Jul 27, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> I'd say get the 4GB one, unless it's way more expensive.
> 
> Is your wife a gamer too then?



On Newegg, the FTW 2GB is $409.99, and the 4GB is $459.99. I'm thinking $50 extra bucks for that extra 2GB is worth it!

As for my wife, yeah, she's a gamer!  She used to just play console games, but I got her into all things PC-gaming many years ago... started with L4D, and onto things like L4D2, Borderlands, etc etc etc... 

We've been playing the Arma 2 mod called DayZ lately... it's one of the craziest things we've played in a LONG time! haha


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## spirit (Jul 27, 2012)

Yeah I'd spend the extra money on the 4GB one just for that bit of extra future proofing, especially if you're going to give it to your wife to use when you upgrade to something else.

It's awesome that your wife is a gamer. Not many girls/women I know play games all that much. I have a few friends who do though.


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## Chameleon (Jul 27, 2012)

vistakid10 said:


> Yeah I'd spend the extra money on the 4GB one just for that bit of extra future proofing, especially if you're going to give it to your wife to use when you upgrade to something else.
> 
> It's awesome that your wife is a gamer. Not many girls/women I know play games all that much. I have a few friends who do though.



Hmmmm... I'm beginning to read that some of the 670s have a horrible whining noise from the fan. So many negative reviews on this issue!  Uggghhh!

Now I'm beginning to contemplate the single 690 option again! LOL...  I dunno, this is a decision I'm just going to have to weigh my options!


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## spirit (Jul 27, 2012)

Wouldn't worry about those user reviews really. Everybody's experience is going to be different. You could always get an aftermarket 670 such as this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423 or this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121637 or this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685 if you're really worried about fan noises. They're all 'only' 2GB cards though. 2GB is enough though.


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## Chameleon (Jul 27, 2012)

I have some things to think about, for sure!  Thanks for all the help... I think I'm going to wait to determine what PSU to go with, until I've finalized my choice as what I'm going to do GPU-wise.

As for heatsinks... I think I need to do some research on what will fit in my case, etc.


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## G80FTW (Jul 27, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> I have some things to think about, for sure!  Thanks for all the help... I think I'm going to wait to determine what PSU to go with, until I've finalized my choice as what I'm going to do GPU-wise.
> 
> As for heatsinks... I think I need to do some research on what will fit in my case, etc.



I have a Cooler Master Hyper 612 PWM.  Its probably the biggest heatsink Iv seen for a CPU and has 12 copper heatpipes which are direct to the CPU as opposed to most that are not so it will dissipate heat a little better than ones that are not direct.  It was also $65~ and depending on the motherboard configuration it could cause problems installing RAM/video card because of its size.  Mine fits just perfect though.


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## Chameleon (Jul 27, 2012)

G80FTW said:


> I have a Cooler Master Hyper 612 PWM.  Its probably the biggest heatsink Iv seen for a CPU and has 12 copper heatpipes which are direct to the CPU as opposed to most that are not so it will dissipate heat a little better than ones that are not direct.  It was also $65~ and depending on the motherboard configuration it could cause problems installing RAM/video card because of its size.  Mine fits just perfect though.



What I have in all our other PCs is... *ZALMAN CNPS9900ALED 120mm*

Not sure if that would be sufficient for the i7... what you all think?

EDIT--- Nevermind... just realized it't not for socket 1155.


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## G80FTW (Jul 27, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> What I have in all our other PCs is... *ZALMAN CNPS9900ALED 120mm*
> 
> Not sure if that would be sufficient for the i7... what you all think?



Should be enough for an i7 yea.  

Now, I dont know about the Ivy Bridge processors, but with my processor (which is six core as opposed to the quad core your looking at) is about 28c idle and under full 100% load its peaking around 82c.  Which is about as hot as my video card runs under full load.

Now, thats also with 2 more cores and an older fabrication process of 32nm as opposed the IB 22nm.  

With that said, Im not 100% sure but the IB should run much cooler than my 970.


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## Chameleon (Jul 27, 2012)

Wow... look at this beast!  *ZALMAN CNPS12X*

Most certainly overkill, and probably wouldn't even fit... but still, she's a beauty!!!


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## G80FTW (Jul 27, 2012)

Chameleon said:


> Wow... look at this beast!  *ZALMAN CNPS12X*
> 
> Most certainly overkill, and probably wouldn't even fit... but still, she's a beauty!!!



Yup. Thats about the size of the heatsink I have.


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