Gaming Rig - Done with CPU, GPU, Mobo - What next?

[Warhero-Aura]

Hi All,

I have been trying to identify a few things that I need to complete building my new rig. At this point I am not considering over-clocking my rig. Pure stock.
Your suggestions are much appreciated


Here is what I have:
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K Processor
GPU: Gigabyte GV-N670OC-2GD
Mobo: Gigabyte G1.Sniper 3 (rev. 1.0)

Here is what I need:

1. Memory
I have been trying to pick G.SKill Ripjaws.
Looking for 4 * 8GB = 32GB
However, I can't find the correct Series / Module type for my Mobo

2. Storage
SSD and HDD Internal Drive
Please suggest a Brand and Size. I think I will be happy with 2TB of HDD. I am keen to have a high capacity SSD that is fast and reliable.

3. Case
Given that my machine will heat up pretty decently, I would like know about a a very good case that will take care of keeping my machine with optimal cooling. Please do note that my motherboard is E-ATX

Also, there is a chance that I might get a second GPU to have them in SLI

Please note, I don't intend to over-clock.

4. CPU Cooler
Do I need one for my CPU? If so, which one would best fit my CPU and Mobo combination. Please note, I don't intend to over-clock.

5. Optical Drive
I have hoping to get a Blu-Ray Writer. Any ideas on this?

6. PSU
A solid PSU for this rig with all the components listed above.

Please note, I don't intend to over-clock.

7. UPS
A Backup to support this machine. Would anyone know of a good UPS?

Please note, I would like to know about a UPS that will also be able to support a router and a printer.

8. Modem
I have a Cisco EA 4500 router. Would anyone know of a good modem, preferably, basic but reliable that can go with this router?

If you could consider suggesting mid-range to high-end that would be great

Thanks heaps.
Aura

 

[sun_tzu]

For ram, whatever is cheaper honestly since you aren't overclocking, basic ram is all you need.

Get a seasonic PSU, not too high as you wont be ocing. Probably a x750 or maybe a little more. Always good to have a little more in case you go SLI.

CPU Cooler is fine stock.

Since you will most likely be going air(and stock) get a high airflow case. I hear the HAF cases are built for that kinda thing.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Please fill out sticky.

From what I see, you're spending way too much on parts that you aren't going to use.

 

[DSF]

Please fill out sticky.

From what I see, you're spending way too much on parts that you aren't going to use.

This.

Unless you're planning to do some kind of number-crunching in addition to gaming you could probably save yourself at least $250 without losing any performance. Before we try to give any more feedback, please fill out the sticky.

 

[Warhero-Aura]

Hi, thank you for the responses.

Just to mention some of the essentials from the Sticky.

1. My PC will be used for quite a few things such as Programming, Gaming, Video Editing. I aim to make it a full fledged machine.
2. Budget-wise, I don't think that will be a constraint. I do want to make sure that the components that I am planning to buy are future-proof, at least for the net 3-5 years. At the same time, I will be keen on components that have value for money.
3. I could buy online retailers in the US. In some cases I might try locally, India.

Now, in response to the responses that I have received
Thank you.

I understand that I can go for a basic RAM since I am not ocing. However, I would like to get hold of RAMs that perform well given the above application. I noticed that G.SKill is highly recommended and is not too expensive. However, I don't which series / module of G.Skill suit my Mobo. I would be looking at 32GB.

If you recommend seasonic PSU, I will consider that.

Do you mean to say that the stock CPU cooler is fine since I am not ocing? In that case I don't have to invest on anything for this.

I am quite sure it will be a air-cooled case. My mother apparently has 5 fans in itself. I will look into the HAF cases. Any other that you could recommend?

What about the rest

Cheers,
Karthik

 

[T_Yamamoto]

You should have just gotten an i5 3570k and an ASRock z75 mobo. That would gave been enough
You wasted a lot of money imho

No oc? So here's a completely new build for you. Future proofing is when you upgrade you CPU (and motherboard if it call for it) every 2 years and GPU every 4 years.

I5 3450
H77 mobo
Hyper 212+
16gb 1600mhz 1.5v 2*8
1TB HDD
256GB system and program ssd
64gb scratch drive sdd
670 or 7850
500 watt PSU
Any case.

Some companies for PSUs have them.made from sea sonic like Antec, PC&C, OCZ, Corsair

 

[mfenn]

Yamamoto is being a little blunt, but I completely agree with his sentiment. You spent extra for a tweaker mobo and unlocked CPU, but you don't plan to overclock? Seems like a big waste of money to me. Can you return the items to the store?

EDIT: Like, literally 2.5 times too much on the mobo and 50% too much on the CPU (could have gotten a Xeon).

 

[Warhero-Aura]

Thank you.

Unfortunately, my cousin gifted me these. I cannot return them. I don't plan to overclock at this time, but could be a possibility in the future.

I am building such a system for the first time and I have very little time. I hope you will be able to guide me.

I have looked at the following:
RAM / Memory

G.Skill Ripjaws 4 x 8GB (32GB) X Series
http://www.gskill.com/products.php?index=423

Or

The Z Series
http://www.gskill.com/products.php?index=431

I don't know if these are compatible with my Motherboard. The X Series seems to have heat dispenser (or something of that sort) and hence may not be a low profile module. The Z Series on the other hand seems to be devoid of this. Could you please suggest if the X Series will cause some issues or if Z Series needs additional cooling.

Alternatively, could you please suggest a different brand? I am looking at 1600 MHz Intel XMP ready 4 x 8 GB. Please suggest if I should opt for a kit as they say the modules in a kit are more reliable than singles.

Storage

My motherboard supports 1 mSATA. I have read a very small article on mSATA vs SATA. Could you recommend how I can make use of either mSATA or SATA. Which one is a better option. Further, should I be using this for the OS only? If so what is the brand and storage size and physical size (2.5" or 3.5") that I should be looking at?

I also need a regular internal hard disk. Any recommendations on a good 7200 rpm 64MB cache HDD? Preferably 1 TB but if the price difference between 1TB and 2TB is not much I happy to bump it to 2TB.

PSU
CORSAIR HX Series HX850 850W or SeaSonic X Series X-850. These are a couple of PSU's I have come across. I believe this is should be sufficient for 2 or 3 way SLI as well. Any recommendations?

Finally, a case. I don't know what kind of a case I need for such a set up. What I do know is that my motherboard is E-ATX and I will possibly be having a 2 or 3 way SLI in the future. Any recommendations for a good case?


PLEASE NOTE:
I would not be overclocking at this time. Should I be taking care of some type of cooling for the CPU, RAM, GPU or anything else? I prefer to keep it simple with ample room and fans in the case. Will the above components along with the CPU, Mobo, GPU make my system complete. Am I missing anything.

Your suggestions are much appreciated. Thanks heaps.

 

[mfenn]

We need some more information to make a reasonable recommendation:
- What games do you play?
- Do you do any other intensive tasks besides gaming?
- What is your monitor's resolution?
- What is your overall budget for the remaining items?

Some things that I can tell you right now:
- 32GB is about 4 times what you need for gaming.
- mSATA and SATA are exactly the same electrically, they just have different physical form factors. Since you will have to get a big E-ATX case, there is no reason to limit yourself by looking at mSATA drives
- An 850W (especially those 850W) power supply is extremely expensive for something that you might possibly do at some nebulous time in the future.

 

[Warhero-Aura]

Sure. Here is what I intend to do

Games like, Crysis for sure and preferably in the highest of settings
I also look to do video and sound editing
I am yet to plan on the monitors. Obviously, I will be looking at high end monitors in the next few weeks. Not 3D, but definitely very good ones. I might end up with at least 2 to start with.

Budget-wise, as I mentioned earlier, I prefer value for money. I will be ok to spend a bit more if the performance and future proofing come into picture

Thank you for all the information.
I was only looking at 32GB since I am told that when we buy them as kits, they work best. Especially with XMP. Hence I thought of getting 32GB as 1 single kit. I know that I may not to use it in the near future, is it too much too soon?

I think if that's the only difference between mSata and Sata, I will be happy to go for Sata itself.

If you think 850W is too much, could you please recommend something that is lower but of very good quality. As long as it can support 2 or 3 way SLI, I think I will be ok. As I mentioned since I am not over-clocking at the moment (or in the near future) I won't be going after any cooling mechanisms. I will prefer to use stock. We can take this in to account to come up with a PSU.

I came across this case
IN WIN Dragon Rider Black 1.0 - 0.8mm SECC Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

I suppose I could just make use of the fans for air cooling and that should suffice. Or is this an overkill..

Thanks for your feedback.

Cheers

 

[riversend]

Ok, so here is the sticky questions which I will try to fill in for you:

PLEASE when you POST threads asking for input on system builds tell us...

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing. Gaming mostly. Some video and sound editing (How much, what software)

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread - no minimum

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

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc. None

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K Processor
GPU: Gigabyte GV-N670OC-2GD
Mobo: Gigabyte G1.Sniper 3 (rev. 1.0)


*

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. Default only.

8. What resolution will you be using? Minimum of 2560x1440, possible multi-monitor

9. WHEN do you plan to build it? ASAP (Although this is not clear why you are in a hurry)
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? Not an issue

Let us know if anything there changes.

Again, you probably only benefit from 8GB of RAM depending on what you might be doing video editing. Get any decent 1.5v DDR3 1600MHz sticks
(or 1333 for that matter). If you really need to, then put in a 2x8GB set for 16GB.

Crysis 3 sounds like it will be brutal. Given you multi-monitor future, definitely SLI. Don't lock yourself into multi 670s though, you may want to take that out and reconfig video with the next gen cards for that game. Just a guess on my part. Either commit to multi-monitor and multi-GPU, or maximize single monitor performance and specs. If you truly have no budget limits, then build what you want, but realize that most folks answering questions here are giving advice on bang for buck. If you do not care about money in any way, shape, or form, then say so.

Stock cooling is fine with no OC.

 

[lehtv]

RAM 2x4GB G.Skill Sniper 3528 Rs
HDD Seagate 2TB 6523 Rs
SSD Where the heck are all the Samsung, Crucial and Intel SSD's on flipkart? Anywhere else you can buy?
Case HAF 932 12159 Rs
Cooler Stock
Blu-ray Can't find any on flipkart...
PSU Seasonic X-760 9800 Rs

 

[mfenn]

RAM 2x4GB G.Skill Sniper 3528 Rs
HDD Seagate 2TB 6523 Rs
SSD Where the heck are all the Samsung, Crucial and Intel SSD's on flipkart? Anywhere else you can buy?
Case HAF 932 12159 Rs
Cooler Stock
Blu-ray Can't find any on flipkart...
PSU Seasonic X-760 9800 Rs

:thumbsup: Good start given what we know.

OP, we really need to nail down how much you intend to spend because there is a pretty big ($800-1000) gap between what makes sense for high-end and what "makes sense" (using the term loosely) for ultra high end.

For example, there is absolutely zero point in planning for SLI/Crossfire unless you also have the budget for a 2560x1440 or greater primary monitor. Throwing an extra $400 at an SLI setup to just run at 1080p makes no sense unless you can also throw another $400 at a high res monitor.