First time build, have rough parts list, need advice.

[mikeh1981]

I would like to build a quiet PC for photo editing and moderate gaming. I am not looking for a hardcore gaming pc but would like something that will handle flight simulator and strategy/simulation games well (MS Flight Simulator X, Sim City, Civilization, etc...). I want support for 2 monitors right away but would like to have the ability to easily upgrade to 3 in the future. I have no interest in overclocking.

I have not picked out a case, suggestions are welcome. I don't what the PC to sound like a wind tunnel when it is running, so if there are cases that are quieter than others I will prefer them. I also understand that the video card I have picked out may be noisy, please let me know if you know of a good card that will do what I want (2 monitors now, 3 later and handle moderate gaming) so I can keep the machine as quiet as possible..

I threw together a quick parts list and would appreciate some feedback. For simplicity sake I built the entire list using New Egg but have no problem shopping around. None of the hardware listed is set in stone, I am open to changing anything out. If you have a suggestion for a change please just let me know why I should make the change. My goal is to keep the CPU (without monitors) to under $1500.

I would also like a pair of monitors that will be really good for photo editing. I heard the NECs below are good. I don't want to spend more than about $450 each.

Post #9 has revised build plan

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) BX80623I72600K
Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
RAM x2: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-8GBRH
Hard Drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor WD4500HLHX 450GB 10000 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
BD Drive: SONY Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 8X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 8MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner BD-5300S-0B - OEM
Video Card:HIS H577FK1GD Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
Power Supply:SILVERSTONE ST1000-P 1000W ATX 12V v2.3 & EPS 12V 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Monitors x2: NEC Display Solutions P221W-BK Black 22" 8ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1

By the time I add a case and CPU fan I think this CPU configuration will put me just over $1500. I think if I shop around a bit for the parts I can do a little better on price though.

Be gentle, this is my first build and I am feeling a little overwhelmed. Looking forward to your input. Thanks in advance.

 

[Rifter]

Way way to big a PSU for your rig. look for a quality 500w Unit, good brands are Corsair, Antec, Seasonic, and the new XFX PSU's are pretty good.

That hard drive is not going to be quiet, look into a SSD for lowest(as in zero) noise.

That video card is quiet, if it does bother you look into a aftermarket cooler with a 120mm fan.

Generally speaking the larger the fan the quieter it is so look into tower coolers with 120mm fans when looking at CPU coolers. And cases with the biggest fans you can find.

Go with a quality IPS panel for photo work if you can afford to.

 

[fffblackmage]

Swap the Velociraptor for an SSD.

Severely overkill PSU... get something in the ~500W range, at most.
How about this?
$47 ($27 AR) - CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2

Case... take a look at the Antec P183 or Fractal Design Define R3.

Dunno about those NEC monitors, but these should be good: Dell U2311H

 

[birthdaymonkey]

Nobody has mentioned this yet, but the Sabertooth is probably a waste of money considering the OP's proposed uses for the system. I'm sure the regular P8P67 or even the LE version (or equivalent from MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock) would be fine and save $50 or more to put toward SSD, IPS panels, etc.

EDIT: If you want to play Civilization, you might want to look at an nVidia video card since they seem to do a lot better in Civ5. A GTX460 would probably be a good choice that's not much more than a 5770.

 

[mfenn]

Swap the Velociraptor for an SSD.

Severely overkill PSU... get something in the ~500W range, at most.
How about this?
$47 ($27 AR) - CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2

Case... take a look at the Antec P183 or Fractal Design Define R3.

Dunno about those NEC monitors, but these should be good: Dell U2311H

:thumbsup:

Nobody has mentioned this yet, but the Sabertooth is probably a waste of money considering the OP's proposed uses for the system. I'm sure the regular P8P67 or even the LE version (or equivalent from MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock) would be fine and save $50 or more to put toward SSD, IPS panels, etc.

EDIT: If you want to play Civilization, you might want to look at an nVidia video card since they seem to do a lot better in Civ5. A GTX460 would probably be a good choice that's not much more than a 5770.

:thumbsup:

OP, since you have a $900 budget for display, you might want to look into a single 27" panel like the U2711 instead of two smaller panels. Personally, I find that it's easier to organize my windows on a big monitor that two small ones.

 

[mikeh1981]

OP, since you have a $900 budget for display, you might want to look into a single 27" panel like the U2711 instead of two smaller panels. Personally, I find that it's easier to organize my windows on a big monitor that two small ones.

I should add that I am a software developer and I will be using this pc for that purpose too. I omitted that before because I find photo editing to be much more demanding on the pc than writing and compiling code (at least the code I write anyway). As a dev dual monitors are indispensable and I personally favor them over a single one.

 

[mfenn]

I should add that I am a software developer and I will be using this pc for that purpose too. I omitted that before because I find photo editing to be much more demanding on the pc than writing and compiling code (at least the code I write anyway). As a dev dual monitors are indispensable and I personally favor them over a single one.

That's no problem, I just figured that I'd mention that you have the budget for a very high resolution single monitor.

One other thing that I don't think that anybody's mentioned yet is that the RAM that you picked out is hugely expensive and runs at 1.6V. Check out this Mushkin Silverline instead.

 

[mikeh1981]

That's no problem, I just figured that I'd mention that you have the budget for a very high resolution single monitor.

Monitors are a very personal choice. No right or wrong answer really.

One other thing that I don't think that anybody's mentioned yet is that the RAM that you picked out is hugely expensive and runs at 1.6V. Check out this Mushkin Silverline instead.

As far as the memory goes I have made some revisions to my build, really a complete overhaul. I chose some different memory, still GSkill but a little cheaper and 1.5v.

As soon as new egg gets my public wishlist up and running I will post a link to it.

 

[mikeh1981]

Thank you everyone for your input so far. I have taken your advice, done some more research and put together a new build. I managed to include a case, double my ram, and still come in under budget. Take a look and see what you think.

Instead of linking to each part in the post I will let Newegg do it for me. Check my new configuration here:

Revised Build

 

[Campy]

16GB RAM is pretty overkill. Even running tons of programs at a time i can't see a scenario where you'd need more than 8GB. The i5-2500 processor is much better value than the 2600.
You could also still save a lot of money on the PSU, a unit like this is more than good enough for your use http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139028

Last, get the newest version of the Antec Nine Hundred case. it has washable air filters on the intake fans which is the only thing i really miss on my Nine Hundred, it's easily worth the price difference http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-097-_-Product

 

[mikeh1981]

16GB RAM is pretty overkill. Even running tons of programs at a time i can't see a scenario where you'd need more than 8GB.

16 is a lot I agree but I am willing to spend the money now and it fits in my budget so why not. I tend to use computers for 10+ years, maybe this will future proof me a bit.

The i5-2500 processor is much better value than the 2600.

Agreed but I am holding out hope that within the lifetime of this machine we will start to see many more applications that can fully take advantage of many cores. Maybe that will make the $100 more to have hyperthreading enabled worth it.

You could also still save a lot of money on the PSU, a unit like this is more than good enough for your use http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139028

One thing I really want is a modular PSU. To save a little more money I did make a change, went to a 650W. I might want to go SLI someday so I want to make sure I have SLI compatible and plenty of power.

Last, get the newest version of the Antec Nine Hundred case. it has washable air filters on the intake fans which is the only thing i really miss on my Nine Hundred, it's easily worth the price difference http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-097-_-Product

Thank you so much for pointing this out. I did not see this one when I was browsing for cases, definitely a better choice. Hopefully the filters will keep the inside of the case from looking like the inside of my vacuum canister.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

One thing I really want is a modular PSU. To save a little more money I did make a change, went to a 650W. I might want to go SLI someday so I want to make sure I have SLI compatible and plenty of power.

If you really want to spend that much on a PSU, you might want to consider something with an 80-plus gold rating for a few dollars more:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-088-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-098-_-Product

These (fully modular) Seasonics are the cream of PSUs and should last for a very long time, an important consideration if you're hoping to use this rig for ~ten years.

 

[mikeh1981]

Lot of talk about power supplies here. I am just a little worried about going less than 650W. I will probably add at least 1 large hard drive some time in the future as well as a second graphics card. The case I have chosen also has 3 big fans with led. When I add it up using various wattage calculators found around the net they say, with that extra stuff, that I should have an absolute minimum of 650W. Are those calculators just bogus or am I doing something wrong? I certainly don't ever want to wish I had more power and in my mind $20 - $40 more for a 700 -800 watt psu is a small price to pay for piece of mind. Please let me know what you think. If I am totally off base here someone set me straight.

 

[betasub]

Meh @ PSU wattage calculators.
Instead of taking efficiency & quality into account, they just pile on extra wattage "to be safe".

If you are really concerned about choosing the right PSU for a build that needs to long outlast the usual upgrade cycle, try JohnnyGuru's site.

 

[mfenn]

16 is a lot I agree but I am willing to spend the money now and it fits in my budget so why not. I tend to use computers for 10+ years, maybe this will future proof me a bit.

D:

I think I found your problem. Building a "future proof" PC today is impossible. Done. Period. Full Stop. 10 years from now, anything that you buy today will be so horribly outdated that it won't matter if you're running a i3 2100 or an i7 2600. Instead of spending $1500 every ten years, you're much better off spending $750 every five years.

Lot of talk about power supplies here. I am just a little worried about going less than 650W. I will probably add at least 1 large hard drive some time in the future as well as a second graphics card. The case I have chosen also has 3 big fans with led. When I add it up using various wattage calculators found around the net they say, with that extra stuff, that I should have an absolute minimum of 650W. Are those calculators just bogus or am I doing something wrong? I certainly don't ever want to wish I had more power and in my mind $20 - $40 more for a 700 -800 watt psu is a small price to pay for piece of mind. Please let me know what you think. If I am totally off base here someone set me straight.

Never trust a power supply calculator provided by somebody who wants to sell you a power supply. Instead, you should take a look at the real-world data. A single-GPU setup isn't going to need more than 650W, at least as long as PCIe is around. Statistically speaking, you're also very unlikely to ever add a second GPU after the fact.

Now, let's talk about the build:
- PSU: Holy moly is that overkill and expensive. I don't understand the fascination with modular power supplies, especially when you're buying a big case like the Nine Hundred. Step the power supply down to the more reasonable Antec HCG 520 (it's an S12II, so it's quite good quality).
- RAM: 16GB of RAM is way overkill and that particular RAM is expensive. Get the 8GB of Mushkin Silverline that I recommended earlier.
- MOBO: I'd grab the newer Z68 chipset instead of P67. The ASRock Pro3 is a good value.
- SSD : Here's one instance where I'd recommend spending more money. OCZ Sandforce SSDs do not have the best reliability track records lately. I'd grab the Intel 320 120GB instead.

Now, take all that money I saved you and put it in the bank for two years. At that point, you should look at upgrading this PC. Your overall user experience will be better that way. (Not to mention the fact that the changes that I suggested don't decrease performance.)

 

[mikeh1981]

Ok, mfenn, you are right, especially about overdoing it in the memory department. I guess it is silly to buy what I don't need today at a higher price than it will be when I need it. I will back down to 8Gb and look at upgrading in the future on an as needed basis.

I am a little worried about the latency on the Mushkin Silverline memory. It is 9 which seems pretty high to me. While this is not going to be a hardcore gaming rig I do want it to be fast and going with a lower latency ram seems like a good idea. I have added a different model of GSkill memory to my build that is much cheaper but still has CAS latency of 7. Is latency that important? Also, the memory I chose is not on my mobo's QVL, how important is it that I stick to something on their list?

Since the consensus is that my PS was too big and expensive I dropped it to the 650 W Seasonic that birthdaymonkey mentioned earlier. It is still modular (yes, even with a big case I don't care to have wires that I don't need), is 80 plus gold, and quite a bit cheaper than the PS I originally picked.

On advice from mfenn I switched from P67 to Z68 chipset. I like some of the features on the ASUS boards and I have always liked the ASUS brand so I stuck with them. I am fully aware that there are less expensive options. At this point I feel I am pretty rock solid on the CPU and Motherboard. Unless someone can give me a good reason other than that the ASUS is a little more expensive I will probably not be switching it up.

mfenn also recommended a ssd. I went with OCZ originally because I had heard a little about them but fully admit to not having a lot of knowledge in the ssd arena. Switched to the recommended Intel HD, it is not much more than the OCZ.

No one said too much about my GPU but I will note that I decided to switch to a GIGABYTE GV-N550OC. I feel like the single bigger fan will be quieter than the two smaller fans on the ASUS and it is cheaper too.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

Ok, mfenn, you are right, especially about overdoing it in the memory department. I guess it is silly to buy what I don't need today at a higher price than it will be when I need it. I will back down to 8Gb and look at upgrading in the future on an as needed basis.

I am a little worried about the latency on the Mushkin Silverline memory. It is 9 which seems pretty high to me. While this is not going to be a hardcore gaming rig I do want it to be fast and going with a lower latency ram seems like a good idea. I have added a different model of GSkill memory to my build that is much cheaper but still has CAS latency of 7. Is latency that important? Also, the memory I chose is not on my mobo's QVL, how important is it that I stick to something on their list?

Since the consensus is that my PS was too big and expensive I dropped it to the 650 W Seasonic that birthdaymonkey mentioned earlier. It is still modular (yes, even with a big case I don't care to have wires that I don't need), is 80 plus gold, and quite a bit cheaper than the PS I originally picked.

On advice from mfenn I switched from P67 to Z68 chipset. I like some of the features on the ASUS boards and I have always liked the ASUS brand so I stuck with them. I am fully aware that there are less expensive options. At this point I feel I am pretty rock solid on the CPU and Motherboard. Unless someone can give me a good reason other than that the ASUS is a little more expensive I will probably not be switching it up.

mfenn also recommended a ssd. I went with OCZ originally because I had heard a little about them but fully admit to not having a lot of knowledge in the ssd arena. Switched to the recommended Intel HD, it is not much more than the OCZ.

No one said too much about my GPU but I will note that I decided to switch to a GIGABYTE GV-N550OC. I feel like the single bigger fan will be quieter than the two smaller fans on the ASUS and it is cheaper too.

Looking better, Mike.

Going from 7 latency memory to 9 latency memory might make a difference of a 1-5% in FPS (sometimes it doesn't make any difference at all). Usually it's not worth the significant price increase that memory makers charge for "high performance" RAM. The experienced builders around here will just suggest you get the least expensive 1333 or 1600 1.5v RAM from a reputable brand that you can find.

The GTX 550 isn't a great choice. It tends to perform worse than a 768MB GTX 460. (Anand's review: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4221/nvidias-gtx-550-ti-coming-up-short-at-150). If you want an nvidia card that will last a couple years, the Galaxy 560Ti that's going for $189 (after rebate) is pretty nice. It's got a custom cooler, overclocks well, and is very quiet, as well as being cheaper than the majority of reference 560 Ti's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-074-_-Product

 

[fffblackmage]

Is latency that important?

No.

Also, the memory I chose is not on my mobo's QVL, how important is it that I stick to something on their list?

The QVL is not exhaustive. There are so many models of DDR3 out there that the QVL only has a mere fraction tested and qualified. If you really really really feel that you need something guaranteed to work, sure, go for something in the QVL. However, I would expect all ram that meets JEDEC standards to work just as well.

Since the consensus is that my PS was too big and expensive I dropped it to the 650 W Seasonic that birthdaymonkey mentioned earlier. It is still modular (yes, even with a big case I don't care to have wires that I don't need), is 80 plus gold, and quite a bit cheaper than the PS I originally picked.

Well, at least it's much better than what you had before, in terms of cost for the quality/performance, even if it is somewhat overkill still (especially for just a i7-2600K and mid-range GPU like the 5770).

 

[mfenn]

Your new build is a lot better than the first one, but it still has some pretty poor choices in it to be honest.
- CPU: If you game more than you do photo editing, you should switch this to the i5 2500K. The i5 2500K is $90 less (difference should be put into the GPU) and performs the same in games.
- PSU: Still an incredible level of overkill. Have you ever used a modular power supply before? You should realize that you're going to have to store the extra wires somewhere and you've got a nice big case to put them in. If you absolutely must have a modular supply (I really don't get it), at least get this XFX 650W for $69 AR.
- GPU: Poor choice as others have noted. Take the $70 I just saved you on the PSU and put it towards this 560 Ti for $210 AR.
- RAM: As others have said, latencies don't really matter. A key thing to remember is that latencies are relative to the memory's operating frequency. The DDR3 1066 CAS 7 you picked out works out to 6.5 ns whereas DDR3 1333 CAS 9 works out to 6.75 ns. DDR3 1333 has more bandwidth than DDR3 1066, so it's a no brainer to go for a DDR3 1333 kit like this G.Skill.
- Mobo: $210. No, just no. There is no systemic difference in quality between the Big 3 + ASRock. The ASRock Pro3 is a steal at $120.

OP, we're trying to help you make better decisions here. It doesn't help anybody for you to draw arbitrary lines in the sand in front of certain components. As you said yourself, this is your first time doing this, whereas the people posting in this thread alone have probably decades of combined experience.

 

[mikeh1981]

OK, still refining things here.

If you game more than you do photo editing, you should switch this to the i5 2500K. The i5 2500K is $90 less (difference should be put into the GPU) and performs the same in games.

I will be doing more photo/video editing and programming on this machine than gaming. I completely forgot to mention that I do my programming in a VM and it is likely that I will at times have at least 2 virtual machines spun up at the same time (I am sorry I didn't mention this sooner, completely spaced it). I really think I can take advantage of the I7.

Still an incredible level of overkill. Have you ever used a modular power supply before? You should realize that you're going to have to store the extra wires somewhere and you've got a nice big case to put them in. If you absolutely must have a modular supply (I really don't get it), at least get this XFX 650W for $69 AR.

I like the PSU you picked out, bronze certified and a large (hopefully quiet) fan. Not sure how I missed it, thanks for turning it up for me. If I go non modular but would like gold certified what should I look at?

Poor choice as others have noted. Take the $70 I just saved you on the PSU and put it towards this 560 Ti for $210 AR.

Switched to the 560 Ti, no argument from me on this one.

As others have said, latencies don't really matter. A key thing to remember is that latencies are relative to the memory's operating frequency. The DDR3 1066 CAS 7 you picked out works out to 6.5 ns whereas DDR3 1333 CAS 9 works out to 6.75 ns. DDR3 1333 has more bandwidth than DDR3 1066, so it's a no brainer to go for a DDR3 1333 kit like this G.Skill.

I was away from the computer most of the weekend and did not have time to shop for memory after the responses about latency. I have changed to the G.Skill sniper. It is only $10 more than the chip you picked out and it has better reviews.

$210. No, just no. There is no systemic difference in quality between the Big 3 + ASRock. The ASRock Pro3 is a steal at $120.

As far as the mobo goes, the AS Rock Pro3 is a great value. It has most of what the ASUS has but lacks some expandability. I am also afraid that it might be a little more difficult to tinker with. My original goal of just building a PC and using it without modification might be changing. This whole process has got me fired up and thinking that I may sometime int he future want to learn about and attempt overclocking. I am not really interested in that right out of the gate but once the machine has a year or two on it I might want to give it a try. When it comes to overclocking, the ASUS seems to have a lot of user friendly features built in. Will the ASUS be easier for me to cut my teeth on?

I would like to add that I am so appreciative of everyone's support. This is a great community of people who are obviously very passionate about hardware. I feel that everyone has been kind and thoughtful in their responses. I may seem a little difficult at times but I put a lot of thought in to all of the responses I have received. Thank you for being patient with me.

 

[LuluTheMonk]

For your displays, how about the HP ZR24W?

 

[SniperWulf]

OK, still refining things here.



I will be doing more photo/video editing and programming on this machine than gaming. I completely forgot to mention that I do my programming in a VM and it is likely that I will at times have at least 2 virtual machines spun up at the same time (I am sorry I didn't mention this sooner, completely spaced it). I really think I can take advantage of the I7.

With this statement, your initial 16GB of RAM would be worth looking into, as well as the 2600K. The RAM and extra threads will help those VMs alot, expecially since you usually have 2 or more running.

Also, with sandy bridge, memory speed > latency.
For Reference: http://techreport.com/articles.x/20377

You might also want to make sure you have space on your SSD for those VMs. It makes a WORLD of difference compared to a standard hard drive. Hell it might not be a bad idea to toss in a 1TB Samsung F3 for your OS/Data and use the SSD exclusively for your work.

 

[mikeh1981]

With this statement, your initial 16GB of RAM would be worth looking into, as well as the 2600K. The RAM and extra threads will help those VMs alot, expecially since you usually have 2 or more running.

I agree. I may still hold off on going 16gb for right now. Memory is easy to add later but I don't want to have to swap processors.

Also, with sandy bridge, memory speed > latency.
For Reference: http://techreport.com/articles.x/20377

Thanks, very informative!

You might also want to make sure you have space on your SSD for those VMs. It makes a WORLD of difference compared to a standard hard drive. Hell it might not be a bad idea to toss in a 1TB Samsung F3 for your OS/Data and use the SSD exclusively for your work.

I think I have a couple of 500+ gb hard drives hanging around. I plan to use them for secondary drives for a while. Eventually I will get something bigger for a secondary drive.

 

[mikeh1981]

Switched to Antec 300 case. Don't think I really want the side window. It still has washable filters and the layout seems good. It has a lot of high ratings on new egg. Only thing I really liked on the 900 v3 was the front usb port. Don't think it is worth $50 dollars just for that.

 

[mikeh1981]

:thumbsup:



:thumbsup:

OP, since you have a $900 budget for display, you might want to look into a single 27" panel like the U2711 instead of two smaller panels. Personally, I find that it's easier to organize my windows on a big monitor that two small ones.

My wife says she would rather have a single large monitor. It will probably be better for playing games too. Someone said IPS is the way to go for photo work and I am not sure the U2711 is IPS. I am looking in to it more. Any other suggestions for a 27-30" monitor? There is some talk about IPS having color issues from one side of the screen to the other but people still seem to think they are the way to go. Ideas, suggestions?