Desktop build for college

[Terminator02]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
I'm going to be headed off to an engineering college soon. There was a convertible tablet requirement, so I went ahead and purchased the Lenovo Thinkpad Helix (the highest specced version w/o mobile broadband as you can see here) w/ an i7-3667U, 4M Cache, up to 3.20 GHz.

I have a desktop that I'm using right now that was bought ~2007 custom made from some shop. I'm not going to be using anything from my current build likely except my 3TB WD Green HDD and my 128GB Kingston SSD.

I will be running Windows 8 Pro and the current plan is to use Storage Spaces with a 2-way mirroring pool for my storage needs, for less demanding games, and all of my media. I would use my 3TB WD Green HDD in this pool and buy more to increase the space (thus I at least need another 3TB+ drive, and will probably add more in the future).

I'd like to upgrade my OS + critical apps + maybe a few games drive from my current 128 GB SSD to at least a 256GB SSD, I just need the extra space for all my stuff. I could then use my 128GB SSD in a separate volume for extra fast storage (likely dedicated to games).

I will be using this desktop for:
1. A media center (ideally hooked up to a 1080p TV) probably running MPC-HC w/ madVR & LAV Filters, might look into XBMC or Plex so I could stream to my laptop/Android smartphone from anywhere on campus.

2. Heavy BitTorrrent use (uTorrent 3.3 atm)

3. A computer for recording audio with a USB mic. For this reason (and for HTPC silence), I would like my desktop to be as silent as possible. Quietness is of very high importance for me.

I may upgrade to a mixer and some XLR microphones in the future.

4. Adobe Audition and Photoshop fairly heavily. I may dabble in Adobe Premiere Pro for the occasional project. I also use Audacity every once in awhile instead of Audition.

5. Gaming, I may buy the new consoles or may not. If I decide not to, I'd like this desktop to be able to play the latest games for at least 2 years. I'd like this desktop to last me for my 4 years of college with an upgrade after the original 2 years.

6. General engineering & computer science. This would obviously mean compiling code, probably some CAD, and whatever else (I'm not really sure what all this will entail).

Having the ability to either dual-boot to OS X as a Hackintosh or virtualizing the OS may be something important to me at some point for iOS development. I'd like to keep my options open (if this requirement severely limits other aspects of the build I'm willing to give this up, maybe the Helix can dual-boot to OS X?).

7. x264 encoding and then eventually whatever h.265 encoder. I will be encoding some Blu-Rays/DVDs probably so that I can keep the movies in my media center at a reasonable file size. I will thus need a Blu-Ray reading drive (w/ DVD & CD support obviously). Writing to Blu-Ray discs is not something I care about, but writing to DVDs & CDs is.

8. Using a PCIe capture card or a USB 3.0 capture card (or thunderbolt if possible) for capping from consoles, also possibly streaming this capture. I may also do this with FRAPS or similar for PC games.

9. My Helix won't have any sort of card reader, so I'll need to get a USB card reader. I figure this will take care of my card reading needs unless a SATA card reader offers significantly better performance.

10. General scholarly work e.g. word processing, excel, web browsing, etc.

11. IRC and Skype in combination with my Helix.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
I'd like to cap my budget at $1,500 but I can go either way on the budget to a reasonable degree if it's truly worth it.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
Virginia, US

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.
The only thing I really care about is having an nVidia GPU. For everything else I'll take the best product.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
128GB Kingston SSD
3TB Western Digital Green HDD

Corsair K90 keyboard
CST L-Trac 2545 5W trackball
USB Mic
Headphones
Dell U2412M 1920 x 1200 monitor
Dell E228WFP 1680 x 1050 monitor

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
I won't overclock if I'm satisfied with default speeds, but I'm open to overclocking if the benefits are worth it.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
2 monitors:
Dell U2412M 1920 x 1200 monitor
Dell E228WFP 1680 x 1050 monitor
I will hopefully at some point upgrade the 1680 x 1050 monitor to a 1920 x 1200 monitor or 1080p monitor optimized for gaming with LightBoost.

Also hooked up to one 1080p HDTV, although probably only when viewing media.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
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.
Later this month (July)

Edit: I will purchase the parts as soon as I've got my build together.

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
These purchases are not factored into the proposed budget. (AKA I've already got this taken care of)

 

[Essence_of_War]

Hmmm...we could certainly help you put something together, but if you're not planning on ordering for several weeks, it'll be tough to take advantage of special deals. It might be a good idea to come back when you're almost ready to order.

Also, are you in NoVa? Is the Fairfax/NoVa or Rockville (MD) Microcenter within a reasonable distance from you?

 

[xeledon20005]

If your interested in lightboost your limited on the type of monitor you can get. Here is a good guide on lightboost: http://www.blurbusters.com/zero-motion-blur/lightboost/

 

[Cerb]

For a start, if you want quiet, you will want to give up graphics power. High video card performance and low noise only really go together with custom cooling. I would be leary about anything more power-hungry than a HD 7870, even with a fancy cooler on it (such as with an Asus or MSI).

Aside from that, $1500 offers a lot of room to play in, with no peripherals. But, definitely answer Essence_of_war's question about Microcenter.

IMO, a good start should probably be a Silverstone Temjin case, Thermalright Macho CPU cooler (the Temjin and PS07 have a nice little support for big coolers like that built in, on top of just being nice cases), and nice Seasonic PSU.

SATA CF readers can offer higher performance, but tend to be actual SATA<->PATAadapters, so are often finicky about hot-plugging (or maybe it's the cards?). Anything but CF will need to be USB 3.0, anyway.

 

[Terminator02]

Hmmm...we could certainly help you put something together, but if you're not planning on ordering for several weeks, it'll be tough to take advantage of special deals. It might be a good idea to come back when you're almost ready to order.

Also, are you in NoVa? Is the Fairfax/NoVa or Rockville (MD) Microcenter within a reasonable distance from you?

I'm planning on ordering as soon as I've got all of the components picked, by later this month I didn't necessarily mean at the end of the month, just whenever I've got everything figured out.

I am in NoVa (Manassas), the Fairfax Microcenter is about 36 minutes away from me according to Google Maps, so I could definitely go there if the savings are worth it.

Edit: There's an H.H. Gregg very close by as well.

If your interested in lightboost your limited on the type of monitor you can get. Here is a good guide on lightboost: http://www.blurbusters.com/zero-motion-blur/lightboost/

I know about that site, I actually linked to it in my OP.

For a start, if you want quiet, you will want to give up graphics power. High video card performance and low noise only really go together with custom cooling. I would be leary about anything more power-hungry than a HD 7870, even with a fancy cooler on it (such as with an Asus or MSI).

Aside from that, $1500 offers a lot of room to play in, with no peripherals. But, definitely answer Essence_of_war's question about Microcenter.

IMO, a good start should probably be a Silverstone Temjin case, Thermalright Macho CPU cooler (the Temjin and PS07 have a nice little support for big coolers like that built in, on top of just being nice cases), and nice Seasonic PSU.

SATA CF readers can offer higher performance, but tend to be actual SATA<->PATAadapters, so are often finicky about hot-plugging (or maybe it's the cards?). Anything but CF will need to be USB 3.0, anyway.

Are you saying I can get both if I get a custom cooling solution or that this theoretical custom cooling solution would be too insane to consider?

I'd be willing to give up a little on the noise front in order to still be able to play current games as I stated in the OP.


Since I want this desktop to be a media center, it looks to me like the regular ATX Mid Tower will be the way to go.

So we're talking:
SilverStone Temjin Series SST-TJ04B-E
I can't find a Thermalright Macho CPU cooler for sale
SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold


Sounds like I'll just stick with a USB card reader.

 

[Cerb]

Are you saying I can get both if I get a custom cooling solution or that this theoretical custom cooling solution would be too insane to consider?

Both. While fine if done carefully, I don't necessarily like the idea of taking a $300 video card, and immediately making it unreturnable (including for legit warranty grievances) by replacing the factory cooler. Up to a point, the good factory coolers will be sufficiently quiet when idle, but getting to 7950, 7970, GTX 780, etc., territory, that just doesn't work out as well.

I can't find a Thermalright Macho CPU cooler for sale

The only seller in the U.S. for that one (and the smaller 120 version) right now is an Amazon seller, Nan's Gaming Gear. Thermalright U.S. availability has been odd, outside of the basic TRUE-derived models, for a few years now (so, I used to just recommend Scythe, but now they're not distributing anything here at all).
http://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-M.../dp/B009MS326U
http://www.amazon.com/ThermalRight-M...dp/B008SAOCHG/

For light overclocking and quiet, it's hard to beat. With a good case, the fan will be optional, even with the CPU mildly overclocked (but, it might not let you push the CPU to its max speed--there's a trade-off with using wide fin spacing). But, it's on the huge side of things .

Microcenter has the i7-4770K for $70 less than Newegg, and then you can get ~$30* off a motherboard (all standard ATX, which would require a different case than my favorites ). The motherboard selection is limited, but the Asus Z87-A combo would be hard to beat for a nice little overclocking setup, and the MSI Z87-G41 would be a more budget-friendly option (given the savings, I'd go for the Asus, and consider it getting a $150 board for $110). To get around those kinds of prices otherwise, you'd need to basically just give up overclocking (Xeon E3-1240V3 and ~$100 mobo).

* There are too many $10-15 combos at Newegg to treat it as the stated $40, IMO.

 

[DSF]

I disagree about the video card cooling. I've gone both routes.

On my previous build I bought an 8800GT with a warranty that allowed for cooler modifications and I slapped on a big passive cooler to make it totally silent. That was fine.

On my current build I went with a Sapphire HD7950 that has factory upgraded cooling (multiple slow-moving fans). It's inaudible when I'm just typing or surfing, and while it makes noise while I'm playing games, I still almost never hear it since there's sound effects and music going on. I do hear the fans for about a minute after I finish the game while they cool the card down to the point where they can spin down, but it's no big deal.

I'd certainly never recommend against a good video card in a rig that's going to be used for gaming.

 

[mfenn]

I somehow think that the computer will be the least of the OP's noise worries in a college environment. There are many "environmental noise factors" that will be completely outside of the OP's control. So I say go for a beefy GPU.

 

[Terminator02]

Both. While fine if done carefully, I don't necessarily like the idea of taking a $300 video card, and immediately making it unreturnable (including for legit warranty grievances) by replacing the factory cooler. Up to a point, the good factory coolers will be sufficiently quiet when idle, but getting to 7950, 7970, GTX 780, etc., territory, that just doesn't work out as well.

The only seller in the U.S. for that one (and the smaller 120 version) right now is an Amazon seller, Nan's Gaming Gear. Thermalright U.S. availability has been odd, outside of the basic TRUE-derived models, for a few years now (so, I used to just recommend Scythe, but now they're not distributing anything here at all).
http://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-M.../dp/B009MS326U
http://www.amazon.com/ThermalRight-M...dp/B008SAOCHG/

For light overclocking and quiet, it's hard to beat. With a good case, the fan will be optional, even with the CPU mildly overclocked (but, it might not let you push the CPU to its max speed--there's a trade-off with using wide fin spacing). But, it's on the huge side of things .

Microcenter has the i7-4770K for $70 less than Newegg, and then you can get ~$30* off a motherboard (all standard ATX, which would require a different case than my favorites ). The motherboard selection is limited, but the Asus Z87-A combo would be hard to beat for a nice little overclocking setup, and the MSI Z87-G41 would be a more budget-friendly option (given the savings, I'd go for the Asus, and consider it getting a $150 board for $110). To get around those kinds of prices otherwise, you'd need to basically just give up overclocking (Xeon E3-1240V3 and ~$100 mobo).

* There are too many $10-15 combos at Newegg to treat it as the stated $40, IMO.

Is the more expensive model worth it or should I stick with the 120?

I see that the Microcenter deal lasts til July 14, so I'll head over there and get the i7-4770K + ASUS Z87-A combo when its convenient.

I disagree about the video card cooling. I've gone both routes.

On my previous build I bought an 8800GT with a warranty that allowed for cooler modifications and I slapped on a big passive cooler to make it totally silent. That was fine.

On my current build I went with a Sapphire HD7950 that has factory upgraded cooling (multiple slow-moving fans). It's inaudible when I'm just typing or surfing, and while it makes noise while I'm playing games, I still almost never hear it since there's sound effects and music going on. I do hear the fans for about a minute after I finish the game while they cool the card down to the point where they can spin down, but it's no big deal.

I'd certainly never recommend against a good video card in a rig that's going to be used for gaming.

The second situation you describe sounds like it would work well enough for my needs. When recording audio or playing back h.264 content there isn't really GPU intensive work going on, as long as the machine doesn't get unreasonably loud when under load.

The first situation would definitely be ideal though if I could get something like that.

Would this Galaxy 67NPH6DV6KXZ GeForce GTX 670 GC 2GB be adequate for my needs or should I be looking for a better graphics card? Then if this card would be good enough, is its cooling going to be good enough how it is?


As of now I have:
Mobo: ASUS Z87-A ($110)
CPU: Intel i7-4770K ($280) + ThermalRight Macho cooler (~$50)
RAM: ???
GPU: Galaxy 67NPH6DV6KXZ GeForce GTX 670 GC 2GB ($280)???
256GB+ SSD: ???
3TB+ HDD: ???
Blu-Ray reading drive: ???
PSU: SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ($150)
Case: SilverStone Temjin Series SST-TJ04B-E ($150)

Total so far: $1020 out of $1500


Edit: @mfenn You may be right, I'm not really sure how loud the dorm will be just by nature. I'd like to believe that I will be able to hear my desktop right at my desk.

The audio recording that I'll be doing will be spoken word, not music. So it doesn't need be an absolutely perfectly quiet situation, just quiet enough that it's not distracting.

Edit 2: Also I'd like to keep this computer for all 4 years like I said, and I won't be in the dorm environment all 4 years, so through the years the noise will be of more importance to me.

 

[Cerb]

I somehow think that the computer will be the least of the OP's noise worries in a college environment. There are many "environmental noise factors" that will be completely outside of the OP's control. So I say go for a beefy GPU.

3. A computer for recording audio with a USB mic.

That's what has/had me concerned. If the OP is going to be living in a dorm, frat house, etc., then there would be no hope of <45dB over more than a couple minutes, probably. If alone, w/ parents, single nice apartment, etc., that could be different. So, yeah, with any communal living, or cheap near-campus apartments, quiet of any kind will likely be a pipe dream.

 

[mfenn]

Is the more expensive model worth it or should I stick with the 120?

I see that the Microcenter deal lasts til July 14, so I'll head over there and get the i7-4770K + ASUS Z87-A combo when its convenient.

Microcenter has been doing some variation on the CPU + mobo deal for about 2 years now, so the chances of it ending soon are low. They do refresh it from time to time though.

As for mobo choice, I it sounds like the Z87-A has you covered in terms of features. There's no need to get anything more expensive IMHO.

 

[Terminator02]

That's what has/had me concerned. If the OP is going to be living in a dorm, frat house, etc., then there would be no hope of <45dB over more than a couple minutes, probably. If alone, w/ parents, single nice apartment, etc., that could be different. So, yeah, with any communal living, or cheap near-campus apartments, quiet of any kind will likely be a pipe dream.

I edited my last post, basically it will be communal the first year, but after that I will possibly move to a more secluded environment and at that point the noise would mean more to me.

Microcenter has been doing some variation on the CPU + mobo deal for about 2 years now, so the chances of it ending soon are low. They do refresh it from time to time though.

As for mobo choice, I it sounds like the Z87-A has you covered in terms of features. There's no need to get anything more expensive IMHO.

Cool.

When asking if I needed the more expensive version I was referring to the CPU cooler, whether I needed the 140 fan or if the 120 fan would work well enough.

 

[Cerb]

Is the more expensive model worth it or should I stick with the 120?

The more expensive is bigger, by almost an inch per side, and cools a little better. That also makes it heavier, though. If you don't plan to really push the CPU, either should keep it at good temps, and probably without a fan if staying under 4GHz (maybe even then, but I'm not so sure). The 140 is 5.5x4", and about 6.5" tall, and so doesn't fit in some cases. But, it will cool a little better. Honestly, either should be good enough, if you're not going to try to push the CPU to its limits on air. At stock, with either case below, you won't even need the included fan on the heatsink (I would hook the exhaust fan up to the CPU fan header, which would make the mobo happy, and allow it to adjust for temps).

Would this Galaxy 67NPH6DV6KXZ GeForce GTX 670 GC 2GB be adequate for my needs or should I be looking for a better graphics card? Then if this card would be good enough, is its cooling going to be good enough how it is?

For Geforces, I would stick to MSI or Asus for quiet idling models. I don't know that that one isn't OK, but MSI and Asus consistently do well in terms of acoustics, with their larger non-blower coolers.

Case: SilverStone Temjin Series SST-TJ04B-E ($150)

It will do, but (oops) I was thinking of the TJ08, which, for whatever reason, is MicroATX (why not make that one a smaller number?). The TJ04 is much more like the Kublai than the smaller TJ08 Temjin, rather unfortunately, for the money (not bad, but tricky to build in, and I don't see getting much for the added cost).

Instead, for a full-size, take a look at the Fractal Design R4, and Corsair 550D. I would lean towards the Corsair, myself, due to the more open design (lower pressure for the fans to work against -> lower RPM -> quieter, less dust).

Edit: @mfenn You may be right, I'm not really sure how loud the dorm will be just by nature. I'd like to believe that I will be able to hear my desktop right at my desk.

You can definitely make loud PCs easily, and being close to you, you want to take some care, but yeah, "dorm," pretty much negates really quiet. It's still worth choosing parts making much less noise, but in that case, go for the beefier GPU, and just figure out a good place to position the PC so it's not 'shouting at you' so to speak.

 

[DSF]

The 670 is still a powerful card. I would just look up benchmarks for the games you plan to play and see if you're satisfied with how it stacks up. That cooler should be fine, the dual-fan style is generally better than the old-fashioned blower coolers. Galaxy isn't one of the first brands to come to mind in GPUs, but it has a three year warranty and you're planning to upgrade before that runs out.

Remind me why you're locked into Nvidia?

 

[Essence_of_War]

You should be able to put together a build that is fairly quiet for HTPC purposes, but that can get a little louder if you're playing graphically intense games.

Here's a sample build that you can use as a jumping off point:

CPU+MoBo (i7-4770K + Asus Z87-A ATX) = $414 pick-up after tax.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (Purchased For $225.00)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($125.43 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($255.66 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 550D ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $99.00)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $950.04
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-03 09:12 EDT-0400)

950.04 + 414 = $1364.04

Notes:

Pick-up the CM 212 Evo @ MC also. It isn't the quietest Air Cooler, nor is it the coldest air cooler, but it strikes a good balance for the cost. If you want to spend +$50 on the NH-D14 to eke out the extra dB/cooling performance, you have room to do so in your budget, but it seems like a pretty sharply diminished return to me.

Corsair 550D is built to be quiet and is $99 shipped after rebate at Newegg.

Samsung 840 Pro is $225 shipped at Amazon. You certainly don't NEED it if you've already got a Kingston that is working well, but you mentioned wanting to upgrade, and the 840 Pro RARELY goes on sale...

The MSI 760 has dual fans, so it should be a little quieter, and they should really only have to kick in when you're gaming. If you're willing to spend a few minutes tinkering with MSI Afterburner, you should be able to make the fan profile less aggressive if necessary. It should be a solid performer at 1920x1080. I know you said you wanted NVidia, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention the excellent deal on a sapphire dual-fan 7970, $310 shipped , +$55 from the 760 so still within budget, and an all-around better performer.

Edit:

Get this PSU instead, SeaSonix X650 Gold. It's strictly better. Better cost, better efficiency, etc.

 

[Terminator02]

That SeaSonic x650 Gold was what I was looking at earlier for $150, I just ordered it for $80 after rebate

I'm down with everything else on your list except the optical drive. As I said I'd like an optical drive that can write on at least up to DVDs and read up to Blu-Ray discs.

 

[lehtv]

I would get Arctic i30 instead of Hyper 212 Evo, it's quieter and performs the same (thanks to a heavier heat sink). 300-1350 RPM, 6 year warranty. Everything else looks great

Here's Blu-ray reader / DVD burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135247 $57

 

[mfenn]

You can definitely make loud PCs easily, and being close to you, you want to take some care, but yeah, "dorm," pretty much negates really quiet. It's still worth choosing parts making much less noise, but in that case, go for the beefier GPU, and just figure out a good place to position the PC so it's not 'shouting at you' so to speak.

I'd say that while you can still make a PC that gets loud under load, recently it has gotten harder to make one that is loud while idle (or nearly idle). Grabbing an aftermarket heatsink (pretty much any), and making sure that your fans have some sort of speed control (voltage, PWM, whatever) gets you 90% of the way there.

 

[Cerb]

I'd say that while you can still make a PC that gets loud under load, recently it has gotten harder to make one that is loud while idle (or nearly idle). Grabbing an aftermarket heatsink (pretty much any), and making sure that your fans have some sort of speed control (voltage, PWM, whatever) gets you 90% of the way there.

Every GB, Asus, and ASRock mobo I've used in the past 7+ years has has sufficiently good fan control just through the BIOS, too (the only occasional catch being some mATX boards lacking more than 1 chassis fan header), so IMO, take case reviews, running fans at 12V (or lower, on some integrated resistor switch) while everything idles, with a grain of salt, as well (I also avoid cases that use molexes on the fans, and don't include fan controllers--yes Antec, I'm talking about you!).

Most of it is the case and PSU, for idle, now that CPUs all idle so low, and 2-slot video card coolers are common. Everything after that comes down to cost v. benefit (FI, stock cooler v. $30 aftermarket v. $50 aftermarket v. $70 aftermarket; and then which one). You can't fix a case that's flimsy, FI--HDDs and fans will resonate, almost guaranteed--and a case with a big open fan grill pointing right in your direction can be annoying, too.

With a good aftermarket CPU cooler, you can keep it whisper quiet, or even, "is it on?" quiet, if not in a studio or sound lab, right up until the GPU starts getting hot. I like the Xigmatek Gaia for its money saving (usually the same cost or cheaper, v. Hyper212+), but the AC i30 is good, too.

While finding good low-RPM fans has gotten more difficult because of it, the reduced activity over on SPCR I think can be directly attributed to it being so easy to keep things quiet enough when not under heavy load, now.

 

[mfenn]

Every GB, Asus, and ASRock mobo I've used in the past 7+ years has has sufficiently good fan control just through the BIOS, too (the only occasional catch being some mATX boards lacking more than 1 chassis fan header), so IMO, take case reviews, running fans at 12V (or lower, on some integrated resistor switch) while everything idles, with a grain of salt, as well (I also avoid cases that use molexes on the fans, and don't include fan controllers--yes Antec, I'm talking about you!).

Yes, I agree. "Some sort of speed control" includes mobo speed control (which is all I've used for the past 5 years).

 

[Terminator02]

Thanks for all your help guys, I've pretty much settled on the build Essence_of_war posted w/ lehtv's modifications.

I've already purchased the PSU, and will purchase everything else online tomorrow along with heading down to MicroCenter and getting the CPU + Mobo.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Let us know how it goes!

 

[vailr]

Having the ability to either dual-boot to OS X as a Hackintosh or virtualizing the OS may be something important to me at some point for iOS development.

A Gigabyte board is better choice for OSX:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/358-early-adopter-s-guide-intel-s-haswell-cpus-8-series-motherboards.html

 

[Terminator02]

A Gigabyte board is better choice for OSX:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/358-early-adopter-s-guide-intel-s-haswell-cpus-8-series-motherboards.html

Oh, so which model should I go for?

 

[vailr]

For an ATX board with an Intel LAN controller:
GA-Z87X-UD5H, GA-Z87X-UD3H, GA-Z87X-OC, or GA-Z87X-D3H (in that pick order) would be good "OSX friendly" boards.
Note: OSX 10.8.4 does not yet fully support Intel Haswell CPU's. Ivy Bridge CPU's are fully supported, however. A future OSX 10.8.5 update should provide better support, as well as OSX 10.9, a month or two from now.