Critique - New Build

[Kinesis]

Always looking for advice and recommendations from mfenn or others with a wealth of knowledge and experience. I have the unique opportunity of doing a new build for $1600 to $1900 CAD as my folks are taking my "old" system.

Case: Coolermaster HAF XM
Motherboard: Asus Maximus V Gene (Z77 chipset)
CPU: Intel i7-3770K (1155)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H90 Cooling SYstem
Ram: G.Skill RipjawsX 16 GB (2x8 GB) PC3-12800
Video : Asus GTX 660 2 GB DirectCU II OC
HD1 : Intel 335 SSD 250 GB
HD2 : WD 1 TB Blue 7200RPM
DVD/CDRW : Asus DRW-24B1ST
DVD/BluRay : Asus BC-12B1ST 12X
PSU: XFX 750W Full Mod PSU Black Edition

Main Use: VM Machines, Media Sharing, Gaming (majority) usually with VM's running, programming and database work.

Yeah bit of an Asus fan!

 

[Torn Mind]

Get a cheaper Z77 mobo and probably drop the DVD drive so you can get a stronger GPU. If you are tied to ASUS, the cheaper boards can be had for about $70 less, such as the P8Z77-V LX, P8Z77-M, or P8-Z77-V LK.

 

[Termie]

You have a big budget, and you're coming in at about $1,500-$1,600 by my estimation, so you're maybe slightly under-budget.

That being said, I'd probably make a few adjustments:
(1) skip the H90 and go for good air cooling like Noctua or ThermalRight, as it will be quieter and just as effective, unless you are doing extreme OCs.

(2) The Maximus V Gene is an excellent board, but you're not using an mATX case, so you might just go for a full ATX board.

(3) The HAF XM isn't a particular stand-out case. Have you considered the likes of the Corsair 500R, Fractal Design R4, or Antec 1100, all in the same price range and all superior in various ways?

(4) If gaming really is your main use, you might throw another $100 at the video card, for instance an HD7950.

And then the big question - any reason you're going with Ivy Bridge over Haswell? It might be a bit cheaper right now, but if you shop around you can probably find promotional deals on Haswell bundles.

 

[SKORPI0]

Parts look good. But if you plan on overclocking, why not go with a slightly faster DDR3? How about making it a Haswell system if you want to be current?

-Ivy bridge i7 3770 CPU+Asus Z77 mobo = $520 US.
-Haswell i7 4770k+Asus Z87 Sabertooth mobo= $582 US (Newgg combo).

 

[cbk]

You have a big budget, and you're coming in at about $1,500-$1,600 by my estimation, so you're maybe slightly under-budget.

That being said, I'd probably make a few adjustments:
(1) skip the H90 and go for good air cooling like Noctua or ThermalRight, as it will be quieter and just as effective, unless you are doing extreme OCs.

(2) The Maximus V Gene is an excellent board, but you're not using an mATX case, so you might just go for a full ATX board.

(3) The HAF XM isn't a particular stand-out case. Have you considered the likes of the Corsair 500R, Fractal Design R4, or Antec 1100, all in the same price range and all superior in various ways?

(4) If gaming really is your main use, you might throw another $100 at the video card, for instance an HD7950.

And then the big question - any reason you're going with Ivy Bridge over Haswell? It might be a bit cheaper right now, but if you shop around you can probably find promotional deals on Haswell bundles.

I agree, my $1000 build has a GTX 650 Ti Boost, only a step under the 660. The Corsair 500R is a great case, better than the HAF XM. Unless you really want to keep the i7, I would drop that to an i5 or AMD CPU (I would recommend the 8 core version in the FX Vishera series) and get a GTX 770, 780 or maybe a SLI or Crossfire configuration with 2 cards. I would get a full motherboard of this one, since you are going for an over the top OCed build. I don't think that there is. need to go for a Haswell chip, it would be just for bragging. A Ivy Bridge CPU will hold up extremely well with heavy gaming. Plus, the Ivy series will drop in price a lot when the Haswell boards and CPUs are being found everywhere, meaning you probably go for the i7! I have no opinion about the CPU heatsink, as I don't do any kind of OCing or anything else that would make it a really good idea to use something better than the stock fan. Use whatever you want to use on that. I also agree that you should get a cheaper Z77 board, it will allow more money for a graphics card, enhancing your PC's gaming preformance.

 

[cbk]

Parts look good. But if you plan on overclocking, why not go with a slightly faster DDR3? How about making it a Haswell system if you want to be current?

-Ivy bridge i7 3770 CPU+Asus Z77 mobo = $520 US.
-Haswell i7 4770k+Asus Z87 Sabertooth mobo= $582 US (Newgg combo).

That looks pretty good! I think I have changed my mind about the Haswell boards and CPUs being too expensive, but the Ivy might still drop in price.

 

[DSF]

I agree, my $1000 build has a GTX 650 Ti Boost, only a step under the 660. The Corsair 500R is a great case, better than the HAF XM. Unless you really want to keep the i7, I would drop that to an i5 or AMD CPU (I would recommend the 8 core version in the FX Vishera series) and get a GTX 770, 780 or maybe a SLI or Crossfire configuration with 2 cards. I would get a full motherboard of this one, since you are going for an over the top OCed build. I don't think that there is. need to go for a Haswell chip, it would be just for bragging. A Ivy Bridge CPU will hold up extremely well with heavy gaming. Plus, the Ivy series will drop in price a lot when the Haswell boards and CPUs are being found everywhere, meaning you probably go for the i7! I have no opinion about the CPU heatsink, as I don't do any kind of OCing or anything else that would make it a really good idea to use something better than the stock fan. Use whatever you want to use on that. I also agree that you should get a cheaper Z77 board, it will allow more money for a graphics card, enhancing your PC's gaming preformance.

No reason to be considering SLI for this build unless the OP's monitor is abnormally large. Also, the way the past few Intel releases have gone, it's unlikely for there to be a huge drop in Ivy Bridge prices right away. What might happen is you might find some good used deals as the early adopter crowd upgrades to Haswell.

 

[cbk]

No reason to be considering SLI for this build unless the OP's monitor is abnormally large. Also, the way the past few Intel releases have gone, it's unlikely for there to be a huge drop in Ivy Bridge prices right away. What might happen is you might find some good used deals as the early adopter crowd upgrades to Haswell.

You are right. I was also wondering if the builder could answer the questions on the sticky on the top of the General Hardware forum.

 

[Kinesis]

Thanks for all your comments, and recommendations. Looking at prices the difference to the new Z87 chipset is definitely a better (future consideration) plan...so I update the build and answered the questions from the top of the forum. I would really like to try a ROG board so I have left it on there. If in a month it is not available still I will have to reconsider.

Case: Corsair 500R Black (I have the white version already, love the case for the most part, but not 100% liking the cable ports as much as say the 650D)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero (Z87)
CPU: Intel i7-4770K (1150)
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler until 1150 coolers come out
Ram: G.Skill RipjawsX 16 GB (2x8 GB) PC3-12800
Video : Asus GTX 660Ti 2 GB DirectCU II OC
HD1 : Intel 335 SSD 250 GB
HD2 : WD 1 TB Blue 7200RPM
DVD/CDRW : Asus DRW-24B1ST
DVD/BluRay : Asus BC-12B1ST 12X
PSU: XFX 750W Full Mod PSU Black Edition



1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Programming, Running VM's, Gaming, Photo Editing (nothing professional, just family photos), File/Media Sharing

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread $1600-1900 CAD

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. Canada

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.Asus, Corsair, XFX and Coolermaster

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. Data Drive 500 GB WD Green

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.Initially Default, then OC as I feel the need

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using? 1920 x 1080 - Asus LED 22 Inch with the possibility of a second monitor

9. WHEN do you plan to build it? IN 1 month
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

 

[mfenn]

Case: Corsair 500R Black (I have the white version already, love the case for the most part, but not 100% liking the cable ports as much as say the 650D)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero (Z87)
CPU: Intel i7-4770K (1150)
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler until 1150 coolers come out
Ram: G.Skill RipjawsX 16 GB (2x8 GB) PC3-12800
Video : Asus GTX 660Ti 2 GB DirectCU II OC
HD1 : Intel 335 SSD 250 GB
HD2 : WD 1 TB Blue 7200RPM
DVD/CDRW : Asus DRW-24B1ST
DVD/BluRay : Asus BC-12B1ST 12X
PSU: XFX 750W Full Mod PSU Black Edition

First off, 1 month is too far away to suggest individual deals, so I will just address your parts selection generally.

My comments:
- Case: Good, but check out the 400R as well. You don't lose much.
- Mobo: Motherboards with aphoristic names are, more marketing than substance. That $230 board isn't doing anything that a $140 won't.
- CPU: OK
- Cooler: 1150, 1155, and 1156 all use the same mounting solution, so coolers are interchangeable. A simple Hyper 212+ will do what you need.
- RAM: Don't pay extra for fins. Get the least expensive 2x8GB kit from a good manufacturer.
- GPU: Much too weak for a gaming machine of this caliber. You should be looking at the 7970 minimum.
- SSD : OK, but has kind of been eclipsed recently. Check out the Neutron GTX for a drive that offers super-consistent performance.
- HDD : OK, but don't pay extra for the WD name.
- ODD : There is no need to get a separate BD-ROM these days. Burners are cheap enough.
- PSU: Good, but somewhat overkill. You could get the 650W version and be totally fine.

 

[Kinesis]

Thanks mfenn and everyone.

I have changed the Motherboard to the Asus Z87-A. Got good reviews so far, at the lower end price tag and bumped up the video card to GTX 680. Will re-adjust if by the end of the month the price doesn't hold ($399.99 CAD at the moment) otherwise either the GTX 670 or 7970.


And the case is still a flip flop for me. 500R (black) or HAF XM. Planned for the 500R again at the moment. 🙂

As for the ram changed it to the LP Corsair 2X8 GB Black to enable the EVO 212+ use with no clearance issues. $10.00 more than the finned sticks.

I also punched the SSD up to the Neutron GTX at $10.00 more than the 335 Intel.

Thanks again....

 

[mfenn]

Good changes!