Build critique

[BubbaFett33]

Hi All,

Appreciate any thoughts or feedback on the following build. It's a generalist build that needs to excel at photo/video editing and Home Theater use (tower is in AV room, so noise not an issue). Secondary considerations, gaming, general PC use. Local store will pricematch online ads, so pricing is market-based (and not an issue).

Feedback welcome!

CPU - intel i2600K
Mobo - Asus P8Z68-V PRO
PSU - Corsair ax750 Gold
Patriot Gamer 2 Series, Division 2 Edition DDR3 8GB Enhanced Latency Kit
Case - Cooler Master HAF 932 (w/USB3)
SSD (O/S & apps) - OCZ Agility 3 120GB
Storage - 2x 1TB WD Caviar Black
CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
LG BH12 Super Multi Blue 12x Internal SATA Blu-ray Disc Writer, Black w/ Lightscribe
DVD-RW Drive - Asus DRW-24B1ST 24x , SATA, Black
Video - Asus EAH6850 DirectCU Radeon HD 6850 1GB v2

Thanks!

 

[fffblackmage]

Just get yourself a good quality ~500W PSU. 750W is just overkill and the Corsair AX is unnecessarily expensive.

Save some more money with the non-Pro version of the mobo.

Make sure the ram you've picked out runs on just 1.5V, not 1.65V. Latency doesn't matter.

 

[DesiPower]

I agree, you don't need more than 500 unless you are doing x-fire or SLI.
2 Caviar blacks will be nice to have but you will be OK with one black and one green too.

SDD size is good choice, after all the apps (not games) you should have enough room for caching!

 

[dma0991]

Yeah what fffblackmage just said is gold. You could drop the Core i7 2600K + Z68 for a Core i7 2600 + H67 if overclocking and the additional features that the Z68 offers is not required.

 

[DesiPower]

Yeah what fffblackmage just said is gold. You could drop the Core i7 2600K + Z68 for a Core i7 2600 + H67 if overclocking and the additional features that the Z68 offers is not required.

I think fffblackmage was referring to a less expensive Z68, I guess with the kind of build OP is going for, he can no way not have a Z68.

 

[dma0991]

I think fffblackmage was referring to a less expensive Z68, I guess with the kind of build OP is going for, he can no way not have a Z68.

Actually I was supporting fffblackmage's statement. The Core i7 2600 + H67 is my suggestion that OP should go with if OP wants a cheaper priced rig but almost similar performing rig. A 120GB SSD is in the list so most likely Intel SRT is not worth the trouble. A H67 or P67 could do just fine for the stated requirements.

 

[BubbaFett33]

Just get yourself a good quality ~500W PSU. 750W is just overkill and the Corsair AX is unnecessarily expensive.

Save some more money with the non-Pro version of the mobo.

Make sure the ram you've picked out runs on just 1.5V, not 1.65V. Latency doesn't matter.

Good point on the PSU, though I forgot to mention I have an Asus Xonar D2X sound card that will probably make the trip, plus I wanted head room for a third HD "just in case". (I grew my current rig to three HDs over time). Plus, some insurance headroom makes me sleep better at night! ;-)

The pro version was selected because it has 1394, extra 6Gb/s options, and DTS (the home theater bit....not sure if it's better than the xonar).....plus it's on sale! 😉

The ram is 1.65....I'm not overly technical on RAM specs...what will that mean for me?

Thanks!

 

[BubbaFett33]

Actually I was supporting fffblackmage's statement. The Core i7 2600 + H67 is my suggestion that OP should go with if OP wants a cheaper priced rig but almost similar performing rig. A 120GB SSD is in the list so most likely Intel SRT is not worth the trouble. A H67 or P67 could do just fine for the stated requirements.

Good point on the SRT. SRT will still help when accessing the 1TB drives though?

Again, performance with video (w/sound mixing) & photo editing with some pretty massive files is the goal...If SRT helps even a bit, it's worth it to me. Thoughts?

 

[fffblackmage]

I originally meant a less expensive Z68 mobo, but hey, if you find that an H67 chipset-based mobo has everything you need and it's cheaper, that works too.

Good point on the PSU, though I forgot to mention I have an Asus Xonar D2X sound card that will probably make the trip, plus I wanted head room for a third HD "just in case". (I grew my current rig to three HDs over time). Plus, some insurance headroom makes me sleep better at night! ;-)

Well, if we're talking about power requirements, you shouldn't have to worry about HDDs consuming too much power, unless you're planning on running a server or something.

The pro version was selected because it has 1394, extra 6Gb/s options, and DTS (the home theater bit....not sure if it's better than the xonar).....plus it's on sale! 😉

Ah, I see.

The ram is 1.65....I'm not overly technical on RAM specs...what will that mean for me?

Intel specifies ram voltage should not exceed 1.65V, since a high ram voltage could potential cause damage to the CPU's Integrated Memory Controller. So technically, 1.65V should be fine (though it sits at the limit), but with so many options for ram out there, there's no reason you can't get DDR3 ram running on 1.5V for the same price or maybe even lower.

Good point on the SRT. SRT will still help when accessing the 1TB drives though?

Again, performance with video (w/sound mixing) & photo editing with some pretty massive files is the goal...If SRT helps even a bit, it's worth it to me. Thoughts?

I don't know too much about SRT other than just reading Anandtech Z68 review, but I'm wondering... The whole idea of the SRT cache is to move files to and from the cache at a high speed, instead of going directly to the slow HDD, right? So does it matter that you have a WD Black HDD anymore? Maybe you could replace it with a WD Green with double capacity for the same price without noticeable loss of disk performance, since the SRT cache would mask any slowness.

I'm not sure, but just a thought.

 

[mfenn]

There are three things in that build that are big wastes of money. (OK four, but people really like the HAF 932 for some reason).

- Motherboard: The GA-Z68X-UD3 has Firewire and extra SATA 6Gb/s ports for $145
- RAM: General rule of thumb: If the name is longer than the DIMM itself, you're being ripped off. Check out this 8GB DDR3 1600 Ripjaws kit in a killer combo with the mobo above. ($40 off!)
- PSU: Saved the most egregious for last. That system will draw somewhere in the neighborhood of 300W at full load, even with a bunch of HDDs. This Antec Earthwatts 430W is more than enough.

Oh, and since you have a nice 120GB SSD, don't bother with SRT.

 

[BubbaFett33]

There are three things in that build that are big wastes of money. (OK four, but people really like the HAF 932 for some reason).

- Motherboard: The GA-Z68X-UD3 has Firewire and extra SATA 6Gb/s ports for $145
- RAM: General rule of thumb: If the name is longer than the DIMM itself, you're being ripped off. Check out this 8GB DDR3 1600 Ripjaws kit in a killer combo with the mobo above. ($40 off!)
- PSU: Saved the most egregious for last. That system will draw somewhere in the neighborhood of 300W at full load, even with a bunch of HDDs. This Antec Earthwatts 430W is more than enough.

Oh, and since you have a nice 120GB SSD, don't bother with SRT.

Busted. Yes, the PSU is overkill...I admit it. I got it for $138 plus tax though, so it's only a modest extravagance!

...I've been shopping since my last post!

I got a combo pack on the mobo/ram/cpu for $500 even though, which makes it pretty competitive with the choices you list above from newegg...(and it's how I ended up with the RAM--it was included in the combo)

Thanks for the input on SRT. I have some reading to do on that one!

Cheers,

Bubba

 

[mfenn]

Hmm, I wonder how long your local shop can stay in business undercutting Newegg. His margins must be razor thin. Though I suppose he did make it up on the power supply! :awe:

 

[dbrons]

Nice build 🙂 I just completed mine last week. Very similar. Funny, I use my computer as well for video, home theater. I like the PS you bought. I considered it myself but got an HX-650 which has the flat modular cables that I was looking for, and that you have as well on the AX-750. Your PS has one of the highest efficiency ratings out there. Could you have saved a few bucks? Yeah but I don't build to get the cheapest rig possible. Your AX-750 will pay you back with high efficiency, improved airfloww and cooling, and just that good feeling you get from having a first class part.

The non-pro version of the board is only $20 less so no big deal there. I'm sure you'll love the Asus. The uefi bios is great and very easy to set up and monitor.

Your memory, yeah it looks like it wants 1.65 v but I'd assume the MB will set it up as it should be.

I don't know how you could get that combo for $500 unless open box 🙂 The mb goes for 209, the cpu for 314, the ram 74. If you did kudos great deal.

If you're going to get a collection of blu-rays you'll probably end up adding hds I have 5 2tb drives and my ssd.

I think you'll really like the system, mine is running great.
Dave

 

[fffblackmage]

Your AX-750 will pay you back with high efficiency, improved airfloww and cooling, and just that good feeling you get from having a first class part.

No. Just no. The AX is so expensive that it'll be waaaay beyond the lifetime of the rig before you'll hit price parity with the electricity saved compared to a cheaper, though less efficient, PSU. I'm not talking about ~70% versus 90% efficiency. There are a lot of good PSUs that are at the very least, 80 plus certified, even bronze certified, so it's only a mere few percent.

Airflow should be roughly the same, regardless if you paid twice as much for a PSU.

The AX is definitely top-of-the-line, so no arguments there.

I'm not saying don't get the AX (well, I guess I am), but there's just not much bang for the buck.

 

[mfenn]

Nice build 🙂 I just completed mine last week. Very similar. Funny, I use my computer as well for video, home theater. I like the PS you bought. I considered it myself but got an HX-650 which has the flat modular cables that I was looking for, and that you have as well on the AX-750. Your PS has one of the highest efficiency ratings out there. Could you have saved a few bucks? Yeah but I don't build to get the cheapest rig possible. Your AX-750 will pay you back with high efficiency, improved airfloww and cooling, and just that good feeling you get from having a first class part.

The non-pro version of the board is only $20 less so no big deal there. I'm sure you'll love the Asus. The uefi bios is great and very easy to set up and monitor.

Your memory, yeah it looks like it wants 1.65 v but I'd assume the MB will set it up as it should be.

I don't know how you could get that combo for $500 unless open box 🙂 The mb goes for 209, the cpu for 314, the ram 74. If you did kudos great deal.

If you're going to get a collection of blu-rays you'll probably end up adding hds I have 5 2tb drives and my ssd.

I think you'll really like the system, mine is running great.
Dave

Hey, if you like wasting money, that's your own business. But don't try to argue that you'll make up the cost in other areas.

 

[dbrons]

I don't consider it wasting money though I know you'll only save a few cents in power. Like I said, I considered the AX750 but got the HX-650 instead because it also had the flat modular cables. The cable routing I was able to do was worth a few extra dollars to me.

Dave

 

[BubbaFett33]

No. Just no. The AX is so expensive that it'll be waaaay beyond the lifetime of the rig before you'll hit price parity with the electricity saved compared to a cheaper, though less efficient, PSU. I'm not talking about ~70% versus 90% efficiency. There are a lot of good PSUs that are at the very least, 80 plus certified, even bronze certified, so it's only a mere few percent.

Airflow should be roughly the same, regardless if you paid twice as much for a PSU.

The AX is definitely top-of-the-line, so no arguments there.

I'm not saying don't get the AX (well, I guess I am), but there's just not much bang for the buck.

Yup--I agree the AX750 is overkill, and I have no intention of counting the pennies I save. At the price I paid ($138), I'm still probably paying more than I need to for a PS in this rig. That said, it is a form of insurance for me. All in all, reliability was a key factor in my build, and I believe this PSU will help accomplish this.

Thanks to all for your feedback! Stuff's all piled up awaiting assembly, so we can shift towards hints and tips in that category of you have any! ;-)

 

[mfenn]

Yup--I agree the AX750 is overkill, and I have no intention of counting the pennies I save. At the price I paid ($138), I'm still probably paying more than I need to for a PS in this rig. That said, it is a form of insurance for me. All in all, reliability was a key factor in my build, and I believe this PSU will help accomplish this.

Statistically speaking, you'd be better off buying two of the 430CX's that I linked that you are buying one "uber" PSU.

Corsair's marketing dept: 1
BubbaFett33's wallet: 0

:awe:

Thanks to all for your feedback! Stuff's all piled up awaiting assembly, so we can shift towards hints and tips in that category of you have any! ;-)

No real gotchas that I can think of off the top of my heat. Just take your time and be careful. Also, mount the CPU, HSF, and RAM on the mobo before you put it in the case.