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ASRock Z77 Extreme6 + i7-2600K + ASUS GTX670

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How's this one looking?

Case- LIAN LI PC-A70F USB3.0 Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower $189.99
　
CPU- i7-2600K $299.99
　
MB- ASRock Z77 Extreme6 $169.99
　
CPU cooler- Scythe SCMG-3000 $49.99
　
GPU- ASUS GTX670-DC2-2GD5 $419.99
　
RAM- SAMSUNG 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $95.96
　
SSD- Crucial M4 2.5" 128GB SATA III $123.99
　
PSU- CORSAIR TX750 $109.99
　
OS- Win 7 Pro $139.99

Drive adapters- BYTECC Bracket 2.5" HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive Bay or Enclosure $14.97
　
SATA Cables- Rosewill 19.7" Serial ATA III $13.47

$1,628.32 + shipping 🙂
　
I have a 500GB 7200rpm Seagate Barracuda SATA 3.5" HD that was in an external hard drive case. I popped it open to see what was in it. I use it for storing 45,000 mp3s, pics and other stuff. I'll use it in this new build along with a couple 200GB 2.5" 5400rpm SATA HD's that I took out of a couple of laptops for misc storage. When I run out of room on the SSD for programs I will throw in another SSD.

oops, forgot my KB, mouse and card reader....I will have to add those in.
 
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Might be possible to shave a bit more off the Motherboard, also the ram that you listed, is that for 4x4GB since I sincerely doubt you're paying ~$100 for 1 stick 😵

If you can wait a few days on the SSD, there seems to be a promotion on every other day for the M4 (or if you get tired of waiting just pay its current price).

PSU is a bit overboard but I think its within the "reasonable" area, I'm assuming you're buying it because you want to be able to migrate it should you ever go with a new system?

I think a case as high end as the Lian Li will probably have a few 2.5" drive adapters but I could be wrong.

The SATA III cables make me actually question what type of cables I have currently running in my system with my SSD 😛

Otherwise looks good!
 
The price on the RAM is for four sticks.

With the PSU I can grow into it down the road.

Those SATA Cables support 6 Gbps, 3 Gbps, and 1.5 Gbps transfer rates. They have locking ends and one end is a 90 degree angle.

I found this info from a review on the case.

The accessories package includes a full complement of screws, tools, clips, brackets, and plates, as well as Lian Li product information. The included box for storing all of those parts not needed at the moment is a welcome surprise. Not everyone has ten hard drives to put in this case, so the extra screws end up being overkill for these people, and the box will make things much easier to find for when it comes time for another upgrade.


The PC-A70F accessories package contains the following:
  • Motherboard standoffs
  • Hex wrench for motherboard standoffs
  • Bracket for power supply mounting
  • Mounting bracket for SSI CEB/EEB motherboard
  • Buzzer
  • Screws for HDDs
  • Extra thumb screws for HHD cage
  • Cable ties
  • Rubber rings for HDD
  • Thumb screws spares
  • Power supply screws
 
Hard to believe there aren't any 2.5" drive bays/converters but it appears you are right, guess you'll be needing that bay converter after all.
 
Asus has superior cooling and you can manually overclock it to 1GHz. For $10 more you can buy Asus 670 TOP and get the best of both worlds - great cooling and 1058MHz factory clock.
 
I think I am done now! Don't gasp at the PSU...details on that at the bottom.

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Scythe SCMG-3000 74.2 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Newegg)
MB: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
SSD : Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Amazon)
GPU: ASUS GTX670-DC2T-2GD5 ($437.83 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian-Li PC-A70F USB3.0 ATX Full Tower Case ($189.99 @ Newegg)
PSU: CORSAIR HX850W ATX12V 2.3/EPS12V 2.91 80+ SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC ($157.49 @ Amazon)
DVD : Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) ($136.48 @ Amazon)
KB/Mouse: IOGEAR GKM551R Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Laser Mouse ($38.99 @ Amazon)
Other: BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive ($4.74 @ Newegg)
Other: BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive ($4.74 @ Newegg)
Other: BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive ($4.74 @ Newegg)
Other: BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive ($4.74 @ Newegg)
Other: Rosewill 19.7" Serial ATA III Cable Support 6 Gbps, 3 Gbps, and 1.5 Gbps ($4.31 @ Newegg)
Other: Rosewill 19.7" Serial ATA III Cable Support 6 Gbps, 3 Gbps, and 1.5 Gbps ($4.31 @ Newegg)
Other: Rosewill 19.7" Serial ATA III Cable Support 6 Gbps, 3 Gbps, and 1.5 Gbps ($4.31 @ Newegg)
Other: Rosewill 19.7" Serial ATA III Cable Support 6 Gbps, 3 Gbps, and 1.5 Gbps ($4.31 @ Newegg)
Other: Rosewill 19.7" Serial ATA III Cable Support 6 Gbps, 3 Gbps, and 1.5 Gbps ($4.31 @ Newegg)
Other: nMEDIAPC 3.5" All-in-one USB Card Reader w/USB 3.0 & e-SATA ($16.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1,767.18 (Prices include shipping) I am only $167.18 over budget. Not too bad.

I will use my two old PCI sound cards, SB Live & Yamaha DX.

Also using three 2.5" 200GB 5400 SATA HDs which are two Seagate & one Hitachi plus one 3.5" 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 SATA HD. I will use the 7200 for programs that I don't want to put on the SSD and the others will be used for MP3s, photo and misc. storage. I have them on hand so I might as well use them for now.

I raised the PSU up to a Corsair 850W modular. After looking at a power consumption calculator and seeing how much power I would need to run two of the GPUs plus everything else, I am going to go ahead and invest in the power supply now rather than have to upgrade it down the road when I add a second GPU. I upped the GPU slightly. I am going with Win 7 Pro 64 bit so that I can run older programs.

This build should be good for a couple years right? I have never in my life paid this much for a CPU, GPU or PSU. $75.00 was the most I have paid for a Aspire Apevia X-Cruiser Thermally Advantaged Case which is what I have now. It is why I dislike plastic doors.

A huge thank you to everyone that has helped me. I really appreciate your brainz! If I need more kicking in the butt on any of my choices, please feel free to do so.
 
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Some observations:

- Why Windows 7 Pro? Sorry if this has been answered before. But Home Premium supports up to 16GB RAM and you've got exactly that, and no more memory slots left on the board

- XFX 850W XXX edition is $130 ($110 AR) on ncix.us, it has similar specs to Corsair HX but it's built by Seasonic instead of CWT (which I'd consider a plus)

- What's with the quadruple SSD brackets...?

- Asrock Z77 Extreme6 is bundled with four SATA cables

This build should be good for a couple years right?
Click to expand...

No doubt about that!
 
lehtv said:
- Why Windows 7 Pro? Sorry if this has been answered before. But Home Premium supports up to 16GB RAM and you've got exactly that, and no more memory slots left on the board
Click to expand...

Win 7 Pro lets you run in XP mode to be able to run older software. Win 7 Home doesn't. It will also let me upgrade to 32GB RAM down the road.

lehtv said:
- XFX 850W XXX edition is $130 ($110 AR) on ncix.us, it has similar specs to Corsair HX but it's built by Seasonic instead of CWT (which I'd consider a plus)
Click to expand...

They are similar but I am not sure on their warranty. One page says thirty (30) days for RETAIL packages while another page says Five (5) year limited warranty. The Corsair has a seven year warranty.

lehtv said:
- What's with the quadruple SSD brackets...?
Click to expand...

For the one new 2.5" SSD and the three old 2.5" HDs. The Lian-Li case only has 3.5" and 5.25" slots. Lots of them but none for 2.5"

lehtv said:
- Asrock Z77 Extreme6 is bundled with four SATA cables
Click to expand...

Their website doesn't say what kind of cables they are. The ones I have picked out support 6 Gbps, 3 Gbps, and 1.5 Gbps transfer rates. I want to have all of my bases covered justincase. That board has 4 x SATA2 3.0 Gb/s connectors and 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors. I'd like for all of the cables to match as well.

This will be the first really nice computer I have built. All of the others were ok but nothing like this one.
 
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In most scenarios you won't even be capable of maxing out a 3Gbps cable with the SSD as you have nothing that can supply it data fast enough to make it crave more bandwidth.

XFX has some nice customer support, enjoyed their products so I'd recommend them on that basis along with the aforementioned Seasonic build. Longer warranty =/= less prone to defects/breaking down.

And yeah your build is pretty solid for the next few years at least. In terms of gaming I think your system should be fine for roughly 5-7 years as long as you're ok with turning down settings (unless there's a big evolution in game engines/computer hardware that lets all developers do what they want with their games).
 
doesn't_compute said:
They are similar but I am not sure on their warranty. One page says thirty (30) days for RETAIL packages while another page says Five (5) year limited warranty. The Corsair has a seven year warranty.
Click to expand...

The XFX PSU has five year warranty, that's what it says on the NCIX page and on the manufacturer's website.

Their website doesn't say what kind of cables they are.
Click to expand...

They're SATA cables so they work with SATA devices. The SATA revision 3.0 did also include a new cable type, but that had nothing to do with bandwidth, it only added clips to the cables for securing them in place. You'll get full 6gb/s from the cables included with the mobo.
 
One thing I am going for is to be prepared for what is coming next in addition to what there is today and was yesterday. The SATA cables will cover that. I'll have extra cables from the MB to add more things.

I got the idea for this build based on Diablo 3. The last time I built anything it was for a video game. I am far from being a hardcore gamer but sometimes I see one I want to play so I build something to meet the requirements of the game.

My multi-tasking heavily is another reason for doing this. I always have a lot of programs running at the same time along with surfing and the more pages I am loading the slower everything goes until I get frustrated.
 
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I am now switching out the PSU and dropping three of the SATA cables. I had seen the NCIX name but wasn't sure about buying from them but since they are being recommended it brings a few prices down.

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Scythe SCMG-3000 74.2 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
MB: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
SSD : Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Amazon)
GPU- ASUS GTX670-DC2T-2GD5 ($437.83 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian-Li PC-A70F USB3.0 ATX Mid Tower Case ($189.99 @ Newegg)
PSU: XFX 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
OD : Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) ($136.48 @ Amazon)
KB/Mouse: IOGEAR GKM551R Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Laser Mouse ($38.99 @ Amazon)
Other: BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive Bay or Enclosure ($4.74 @ Newegg)
Other: BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive Bay or Enclosure ($4.74 @ Newegg)
Other: BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive Bay or Enclosure ($4.74 @ Newegg)
Other: BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive Bay or Enclosure ($4.74 @ Newegg)
Other: Rosewill 19.7" Serial ATA III Cable Support 6 Gbps, 3 Gbps, and 1.5 Gbps ($4.31 @ Newegg)
Other: Rosewill 19.7" Serial ATA III Cable Support 6 Gbps, 3 Gbps, and 1.5 Gbps ($4.31 @ Newegg)
Other: nMEDIAPC 3.5" All-in-one USB Card Reader w/USB 3.0 & e-SATA ($16.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1,711.75

That dropped the prices by $55.43 so now I am only $111.75 over budget. Even better.
 
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You seem to have shopped around quite a bit, and while it isn't updated constantly you could try using PCPartPicker as they have a pretty good set-up for most items that don't fluctuate in price. Special deals and such are hard to find through the system though as its not really updated to reflect promo codes/very limited time offers.
 
I just learned of PCPartPicker this morning and have been using it. They don't have my GPU listed so I had to add it into my list along with the small parts. I always shop around for the best prices and will watch for sales. I still have a little time before I start placing all of the orders. On most of my pricing I didn't count the sale prices or rebates so I will probably come in on budget, I hope.

I just got the idea to build a computer about 4 days ago. I haven't built one in almost 8 years and I am way behind on the technology. This old thing I am still using is hanging on by a thread. It has an AMD Sempron 3000+ 1.8 GHz with 2 GB of RAM on an ASUS K8N-E MB.
 
doesn't_compute said:
I raised the PSU up to a Corsair 850W modular. After looking at a power consumption calculator and seeing how much power I would need to run two of the GPUs plus everything else, I am going to go ahead and invest in the power supply now rather than have to upgrade it down the road when I add a second GPU. I upped the GPU slightly. I am going with Win 7 Pro 64 bit so that I can run older programs.
Click to expand...

Power consumption calculators are pretty much pure bullshit. Even a GTX 680 SLI setup draws something like 550W from the wall when paired with an i7. 750W is more than enough.
 
PSU lowered to 750W. Knocked of another $10.00.

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Scythe SCMG-3000 74.2 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
MB: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
RAM: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
SSD : Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Amazon)
GPU: ASUS GTX670-DC2T-2GD5 ($437.83 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian-Li PC-A70F USB3.0 ATX Mid Tower Case ($189.99 @ Newegg)
PSU: XFX 750W PRO750W XXX Edition($119.99 @ NCIX US)
OD : Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) ($136.48 @ Amazon)
KB/Mouse: IOGEAR GKM551R Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Laser Mouse ($38.99 @ Amazon)
Other: BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive Bay or Enclosure ($4.74 @ Newegg)
Other: BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive Bay or Enclosure ($4.74 @ Newegg)
Other: BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive Bay or Enclosure ($4.74 @ Newegg)
Other: BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive Bay or Enclosure ($4.74 @ Newegg)
Other: Rosewill 19.7" Serial ATA III Cable Support 6 Gbps, 3 Gbps, and 1.5 Gbps ($4.31 @ Newegg)
Other: Rosewill 19.7" Serial ATA III Cable Support 6 Gbps, 3 Gbps, and 1.5 Gbps ($4.31 @ Newegg)
Other: nMEDIAPC 3.5" All-in-one USB Card Reader w/USB 3.0 & e-SATA ($16.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1,701.75

Now only 101.75 over budget.
 
In reading the manual for the ASRock Z77 Extreme6 MB, I have to have an Ivy Bridge CPU to be able to use the PCI Express 3.0 slots as 3.0 slots. The GPU I am getting is 3.0. Otherwise they will just be 2.0 slots If I use the i7-2600 Sandy Bridge.

Now I have to either go with the i7-3770S 3.1GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) or the i7-3770K 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo).

I am not sure what the difference is other than the normal speed and wattages of 65W for the S and 77W for the K.
 
PCI-E 3.0 is just an increase in theoretical bandwidth that has no real use as cards can't max out PCI-E 2.0's bandwidth in the first place. You'll be fine with the 2600K, it won't affect your video card's performance, it's just an emerging new "standard" but unlike USB 3.0 it's not even that useful yet.
 
doesn't_compute said:
In reading the manual for the ASRock Z77 Extreme6 MB, I have to have an Ivy Bridge CPU to be able to use the PCI Express 3.0 slots as 3.0 slots. The GPU I am getting is 3.0. Otherwise they will just be 2.0 slots If I use the i7-2600 Sandy Bridge.
Click to expand...

Yes, they will work as PCIe 2.0 slots with a Sandy Bridge CPU. It doesn't matter at all though because PCIe 1.1, 2.0, and 3.0 are all forwards and backwards compatible. PCIe 3.0 just gives you some (pretty useless) extra bandwidth.
 
Is there anything even out yet that can use the bandwidth of PCIe 3.0? The ASUS GTX670-DC2T-2GD5 GPU says that it is PCIe 3.0 so I don't quite get why they say that if the card doesn't use the higher bandwidth.
 
doesn't_compute said:
Is there anything even out yet that can use the bandwidth of PCIe 3.0? The ASUS GTX670-DC2T-2GD5 GPU says that it is PCIe 3.0 so I don't quite get why they say that if the card doesn't use the higher bandwidth.
Click to expand...

They say that it supports PCIe 3.0 because it does indeed support it. That has no bearing on whether or not you will actually get any benefit from the increased bandwidth though.
 
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