First Build! - Advice or suggestions?

[Falcons721]

Hi, everyone. This will be my first computer build. I plan on using it mostly for gaming. And some streaming media (movies, music, etc.). I do plan on overclocking in the future. My budget is $1500. Here's the list of the components:

Case: Coolermaster HAF XM
Motherboard: ASrock Z77 Extreme 4 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157293)
CPU: Intel Core i5 3570k
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 16gb (2x8gb) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233280)
Graphics: Gigabyte GTX 670 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125423)
Hard Drive 1: Crucial m4 128gb SSD
Hard Drive 2: Seagate 2tb 7200rpm
Power Supply: Rosewill hive series 750 watt (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817182133)
Mouse: Logitech G9x mw3 edition
Keyboard: Logitech G110
CD Drive: Asus DVD Burner Sata
Cooling: Coolermaster Hyper 212 evo
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium

Everything is just under $1500 total. I will be purchasing everything from either newegg or amazon.com. Whichever has the cheaper price. It would be greatly appreciated if someone could look everything over and make sure it's a good build or not! Oh, and I plan to run every game at the highest settings. Here are some questions I had:

Will it be somewhat easy to install Windows 7 on the SSD? I have read that there are a couple of settings you have to change and what not.

Is everything compatible?

Will the memory (Corsair Vengeance) clear the heatsink? I have seen on some builds that the two would touch. That's why i went with the low profile versions.

Any other advice or suggestions?

Thank you very much! Have a nice day!

 

[DSF]

Are you trying to prepare for going with two graphics cards? If not, you could save a significant amount of money by stepping down the motherboard and PSU.

I also don't see much point in the HAF case, I think there are options that are at least as good for what you're doing for less money. Are you really sold on that case in particular?

I'm also not sure why you need 16GB. 8GB is plenty for gaming and would save you around $50. If you decide you need more down the road, which is unlikely, you can always pop in another pair of sticks.

 

[Falcons721]

Down the road, yes, I do plan on purchasing a second graphics card. I was just trying to do a little future-proofing, so I could utilize that capability, in the future.

Honestly, I like the HAF case because it has an awesome cable management set-up, it will be easy to work with; considering how big it, and I like the case design, in general. The original case I was going to purchase for this build was the Corsair 500r white, although in the same price range as the HAF, I just didn't entirely like the case design. What cases did you have in mind?

And good point on the RAM. I just wanted to top it off at 16gb, because Windows 7 Home Premium cannot exceed 16gb.

 

[mfenn]

Down the road, yes, I do plan on purchasing a second graphics card. I was just trying to do a little future-proofing, so I could utilize that capability, in the future.

If "down the road" is less than 6 months from now, you should just get the second GPU from the get go so that you can work out any bugs while parts are still returnable. If "down the road" is further than that, don't bother because your optimal upgrade path will be faster then-current gen CPU.

So in short, either grab another GTX 670 or ditch the Extreme4 for the Pro3 and the Hive 750 for an XFX Core 550W.

Honestly, I like the HAF case because it has an awesome cable management set-up, it will be easy to work with; considering how big it, and I like the case design, in general. The original case I was going to purchase for this build was the Corsair 500r white, although in the same price range as the HAF, I just didn't entirely like the case design. What cases did you have in mind?

A HAF's cable management isn't particularly better than a good Corsair or Antec. As for large cases being easier to work in, that is true to an extent, but cable management is much harder in a full tower case because you often have to buy extensions or avoid using the built-in cable management altogether (i.e. stuff is just too far apart).

And good point on the RAM. I just wanted to top it off at 16gb, because Windows 7 Home Premium cannot exceed 16gb.

That doesn't mean that you'll really be getting any benefit from 16GB though.

 

[Falcons721]

I did not think about this, that being, the products not being returnable What are the differences between the two boards? (Extreme4 vs. Pro3). And do you have any other power supply suggestions, besides the XFX Core 550?

Would you say that the Corsair 500r white would be easier to work with? I know the Corsair puts out excellent and reliable products. Not doubting that.

And I am going to change to 8gb. I got ahead of myself, thinking that 16gb, being a bigger number, would be better in performance. Thank you for the advice.

 

[CoDLolcopter]

SSD Tweak guides

http://www.overclock.net/t/1133897/windows-7-ssd-tweaking-guide
http://www.overclock.net/t/700470/tutorials-real-world-windows-7-ssd-tweaks-and-optimization
http://www.overclock.net/t/1156654/seans-windows-7-install-optimization-guide-for-ssds-hdds

On first setup, install as normal, don't worry about the repair.

 

[riversend]

OP,
If you are deadset on SLI then go with the Extreme 4. Otherwise there is not much difference other than the Extreme 4 has additional PCIe and SATA connections.

 

[Falcons721]

SSD Tweak guide

http://www.overclock.net/t/1133897/windows-7-ssd-tweaking-guide

On first setup, install as normal, don't worry about the repair.

Thank You!

OP,
If you are deadset on SLI then go with the Extreme 4. Otherwise there is not much difference other than the Extreme 4 has additional PCIe and SATA connections.

Do you happen to know how many fan connectors the Pro3 board has? Being a cheaper board, can it still have a stable overclock?

 

[riversend]

Pro 3 has fan connectors as follows: 2x CPU fan, 2x Chassis fan, and 1x Power fan connector. I am not sure if the power fan is controllable in the BIOS or not, but CPU 1 and Chassis 1 are controllable in the BIOS using an Auto mode. CPU 2 and Chassis 2 have either a Full On or Manual setting available.

 

[Termie]

With a gaming build in this price range, I would absolutely get the Extreme4 over the Pro4. You're talking $25 total out of $1500, and you're gaining the ability to use PCI3.0 x8/x8 SLI or Crossfire plus more usb3 ports and better sound: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...157%2D293%2DTS.

And by the way, SLI/Crossfire is an incredibly effective way to pick up performance down the line, especially if it's more than 6 months out. Mfenn has a lot of good advice, but hey, we don't have to agree on everything.

I purchased one HD5850 in March of 2009, and a second in October of 2011. It was the best upgrade I've ever made in terms of performance/dollar. I only purchased a GTX670 to pick up some new features and lower energy use, but in the end crossfire was a much better bang for the buck solution, and would still be competitive today, a year after I set it up.

 

[riversend]

OP, did you give your current / future resolution?

 

[Termie]

By the way, in answer to your question regarding the Corsair low-profile RAM and whether it would clear the Corsair Hyper 212 heatsink, I think the answer is yes, but I'd instead recommend the Samsung 30nm 2x4GB set for $45: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233186

Compare to the Corsair set, which is $42: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233186

The Samsung set, in addition to being guaranteed to fit under the Hyper 212 (yes, that's my setup), is also a superior set performance-wise. While the stock timings are slightly more relaxed, the Samsung can easily sustain 1866 cas9 at under 1.45v, whereas the Corsairs would have trouble getting to 1866 at any settings. Even if you don't care about that, the $3 is worth it to guarantee they'll fit under your heatsink (which BTW doesn't matter if you use the second and fourth slot), but also for the lower power use.

 

[Falcons721]

And by the way, SLI/Crossfire is an incredibly effective way to pick up performance down the line, especially if it's more than 6 months out. Mfenn has a lot of good advice, but hey, we don't have to agree on everything.

Thank you, Termie, for your input! I greatly appreciate it. And thanks for the suggestion on the Samsung RAM; saved me some time and money!

 

[Falcons721]

OP, did you give your current / future resolution?

I plan to use a 1920x1080 resolution.

 

[riversend]

Ok, so at that resolution you would be getting crossfire/sli in order to potentially pick up a second card down the road a ways at a good price as in Termie's situation. No need for SLI at this time.

 

[mfenn]

With a gaming build in this price range, I would absolutely get the Extreme4 over the Pro4. You're talking $25 total out of $1500, and you're gaining the ability to use PCI3.0 x8/x8 SLI or Crossfire plus more usb3 ports and better sound: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...157%2D293%2DTS.

And by the way, SLI/Crossfire is an incredibly effective way to pick up performance down the line, especially if it's more than 6 months out. Mfenn has a lot of good advice, but hey, we don't have to agree on everything.

I purchased one HD5850 in March of 2009, and a second in October of 2011. It was the best upgrade I've ever made in terms of performance/dollar. I only purchased a GTX670 to pick up some new features and lower energy use, but in the end crossfire was a much better bang for the buck solution, and would still be competitive today, a year after I set it up.

If it was so great, why did you upgrade again less than a year later? (Please don't take this as snide, it isn't meant to be)

You're not providing a true accounting of costs. For example, you obviously either paid more up front for a multi-GPU capable board and power supply or upgraded to one later. Tack on an extra $100 to the cost of your 5850. (That was probably ~$150-200 at end of last year unless you bought used, but I'm just guessing since you declined to mention the price). Suddenly $250-300 doesn't look so hot when its compared to the latest and greatest.

And like you mentioned, you're paying a additional price in terms of power (and thus heat and noise) as well as lack of access to new features. Not to mention the extra driver complexity that is inherent in multi-GPU.

 

[riversend]

mfenn, actually it looks like he bought the second 2.5 years later (March 2009-October 2011).

 

[Termie]

If it was so great, why did you upgrade again less than a year later? (Please don't take this as snide, it isn't meant to be)

You're not providing a true accounting of costs. For example, you obviously either paid more up front for a multi-GPU capable board and power supply or upgraded to one later. Tack on an extra $100 to the cost of your 5850. (That was probably ~$150-200 at end of last year unless you bought used, but I'm just guessing since you declined to mention the price). Suddenly $250-300 doesn't look so hot when its compared to the latest and greatest.

And like you mentioned, you're paying a additional price in terms of power (and thus heat and noise) as well as lack of access to new features. Not to mention the extra driver complexity that is inherent in multi-GPU.

Well, because you asked:
March 2010 (sorry - not 2009) - HD5850 ($275), crossfire-compatible MB ($180)
March 2011 - 650w PSU ($100)
October 2011 - HD5850 ($150 NEW)

If someone is building from scratch, then certainly they have to factor in the cost of the crossfire motherboard and the PSU. I don't advise people building from scratch to buy all of that up front. But if someone is already purchasing a 750w PSU (as with the OP) and can upgrade to a crossfire motherboard for $25 (as with the OP), then all those extra costs you're talking about just aren't that significant or as great as you make them out to be.

As to why I upgraded, well I did it for the fun of it, not because I needed more performance.

 

[mfenn]

mfenn, actually it looks like he bought the second 2.5 years later (March 2009-October 2011).

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I was referring to him buying the GTX 670 less than a year after the second 5850.

 

[mfenn]

If someone is building from scratch, then certainly they have to factor in the cost of the crossfire motherboard and the PSU. I don't advise people building from scratch to buy all of that up front. But if someone is already purchasing a 750w PSU (as with the OP) and can upgrade to a crossfire motherboard for $25 (as with the OP), then all those extra costs you're talking about just aren't that significant or as great as you make them out to be.

I guess the point that I am trying to make here is that the OP shouldn't be buying a 750W PSU and a multi-GPU capable mobo in the first place. Obviously if one is locked in and unchangeable then the other starts to make more sense.

 

[riversend]

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I was referring to him buying the GTX 670 less than a year after the second 5850.

Ahhh.... got it now.