Desktop Build Ok?

Blieb

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2000
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Home PC bit the dust. I've played around for a week or two with configurations and have landed on the following. Last time I did a build (2006?) I had a hell of a time getting the memory timing correct with an ASUS board (memory hole fixed in later bios rev).

I'm not doing any gaming or overclocking, mostly surfing and light programming. Run a few VMs from time to time. I've steered toward the I7 for VMs and performance. Don't need OC or power save.

Reusing my old case. Also have 2 data drives Raid 1 that I'll be moving over.

Added video card for dual monitor and TV out.

Looking for last minute opinions or compatibility issues. Thanks!

ASUS GeForce GTX 650 Ti GTX650TI-OC-2GD5 Video Card

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX Intel Motherboard

Thermaltake SMART M Series SP-850M 850W Power Supply

5 x OKGEAR 18" SATA 6 Gbps Cable, Straight to Right Angle W/Metal Latch, UV Blue

ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS

SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive Bay or Enclosure

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory

Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 Quad-Core Desktop Processor

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TV - I've wanted another digital box but don't want to pay Comcast $20/mo. Buddy at work described his setup with a Ceton card, so I'd like to give it a try. 4 Channel card and dedicated 1tb drive:

Ceton InfiniTV 4 Quad-tuner Card for Watching Digital Cable TV on the PC, PCI-Express x1 Interface

Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"
 
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Sleepingforest

Platinum Member
Nov 18, 2012
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You don't need to get another 16GB of RAM since the motherboard comes with an 8GB stick; just complete the set with a matching stick for $62. That power supply is way too big for your build. 500W is more than enough. There's a slightly cheaper (after the promo code) DVD burner that comes with free shipping here. A Xeon E3 will have 95% of the i7's power (including multithreading) for 75% of the price. A 7750 will power 2 monitors and a TV for far less money(it's got D-Sub, HDMI, and DVI out). Don't get a WD Black; a WD Blue or Seagate Barracuda has basically equal performance, while costing far less (you're paying extra for 3 more years of warranty).

You don't need a bracket converter; you can tape down the SSD almost anywhere you'd like since there are no moving parts (taping it within the drive bay or another cooler part of your case is advisable). You shouldn't need SATA cables; your old ones should work fine still , and the motherboard comes with 2 SATA cables.
 

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
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What is the case?

Are you using software RAID, or motherboard RAID?

What was your last rig's CPU? I really wonder if the i7 wouldn't be overkill, as well.

For PSU, get a Corsair CX430 or CX500. That Thermaltake is far above your needs, without multiple high-end video cards.

Added video card for dual monitor and TV out.
Do you use three displays? What, exactly, is the configuration? For more than 2 outputs, it can get complicated, and AMD backed out of supporting 3 outputs on almost all their chips, which was awesome. You can add monitors across different GPUs, but that won't always work well if windows from a single program have to change GPUs. A GTX 650 Ti seems like a bit much (7750, or GT 640?), but that depends on the inputs you need to be able to use concurrently.

Re: DVD burner (I got ninja'd): if you need it to rip audio CDs, get the Asus 24x, regardless of cost. If that's a low priority, get whatever's cheaper.
 
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Blieb

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2000
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Thanks for taking the time to help! Old rig was built in 2007, Intel dual core 2.4 ... 8gb ram ... Radeon xt1950 I think. Old cables seem finicky so I figured replace would be best.

Raid - On-board NVIDIA raid 1 for my data drives. 2x 1tb currently in raid 1.

Planning to reuse my Antec NineHundred case, or I have an older Lian-Li PC60?

Awesome savings on the E3, suppose I wasn't going to use the on-board video anyways.

Power Supply - I went overboard! Totally ignorant on usage, just that video said 150 and cpu ~75.

Currently I have 2 monitors hooked up (2x dvi), but want to use HDMI out for a TV (that's the 3rd display). That's why I picked the ASUS 650Ti. Asus Site said it could do HD across 3 displays. I used to play a lot of counter-strike - but as the PC aged I didn't keep up the hardware so I basically lost interest and time.
 
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Termie

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
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www.techbuyersguru.com
The Corsair CX430 is currently $18AR with code EMCXRVW246. I'd snap that up right away:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139026

You can definitely find a cheaper video card for 3 displays. Like the HD7750, as mentioned above.

By the way, you really don't need that $135 motherboard - you'd be just as well off with a $70 B75 board like the Pro3-M: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157329

Of course, if you need the free RAM that comes with the Extreme 4, then it's a wash. I don't see any other great boards with that RAM deal for less.

As an aside, I'd strongly suggest moving on from the Antec 900 to a newer case with modern features - like an SSD mount (so you don't need to buy one), USB 3.0, and a better layout. The Antec 900 is very hard to build in. Consider this Fractal Arc Midi R2, currently on sale for $70: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352031
 

Blieb

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2000
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In terms of all around processor - is the Xeon less suitable than I7?

I remember building in the 900 and it definitely wasn't as nice as the Lian-Li before it.

I don't need "free" RAM, but I do need RAM.
 

Termie

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
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In terms of all around processor - is the Xeon less suitable than I7?

I remember building in the 900 and it definitely wasn't as nice as the Lian-Li before it.

I don't need "free" RAM, but I do need RAM.

8GB of RAM goes for around $60 now, so the "free" RAM is a very good deal. Just go ahead and pick that up, and getting a matching stick as Sleepingforest suggested.

The Xeon has the exact same guts as the i7 - it just won't overclock, doesn't have built-in video, and it's 200MHz slower than the 3770. That's it. For some, that's a perfect compromise for the price. It's up to you, but it seems you don't need the features of the 3770, and you probably won't miss the 200MHz of speed.
 

Blieb

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2000
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Thanks for the help!!! I made some changes and placed the order!

With any luck most of the stuff will be here by Friday ... otherwise I have to wait through the long weekend.

Last time I was buying PC parts, Newegg was just average in terms of price... seems like they're doing much better now.
 

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
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Raid - On-board NVIDIA raid 1 for my data drives. 2x 1tb currently in raid 1.

The array is almost certainly not going to transfer over. You should make a backup of all your data and restore it when you recreate the array on the Intel board.