(Hopefully) New Build Advice Needed

[Gunslinger08]

Hoping to build a new machine in the next month or so, pending wife approval.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Gaming. I play a mix of the latest games (just finished Deus Ex) and some older online/co-op games (Heroes of Newerth, TF2).

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

Under $1500. Closer to $1000 would be great.

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

USA

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.

Intel and ATI generally.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Nope.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

Yes, just doing a check on the higher end parts I'm planning.

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

Overclocking.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.

1680x1050. Might buy a new 1920x1200 or 1080 monitor sometime soon.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Hopefully in the next month.


Here's what I'm thinking:
2500k - Everyone here recommends this as the best value
ASRock Z68 Pro3 - There are way too many options. I know that Z68 is generally the recommended NB. I don't need anything special on my motherboard. Don't especially care about SLI/Crossfire, USB 3.0, RAID, etc.
Noctua NH-D14 - Looks like this is one of the highest rated air coolers that is supposed to fit in the P183 and work with the ASRock motherboard.
8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3 1600 - Best value 1.5V 1600 I could find.
Sapphire 6950 2GB Toxic
Crucial M4 128GB - Great reviews, new firmware that improves performance, enough space for OS and frequently played games.
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - In case I need more space.
Lite-on DVD Burner - Cheap.
Antec P183 - I have the P180 now. Like the layout a lot and it's quiet.
Antec CP-850 Power Supply - Supposed to be one of the quietest.
Windows 7 Home Premium OEM

 

[T_Yamamoto]

everything looks good BESIDES the PSU. you only need 500 watts!

 

[lehtv]

Would recommend XFX 6950 2GB dual-fan over Sapphire Toxic. XFX has lifetime warranty and better warranty service.

A high quality 500W would handle your system but I'd go for a bit more wiggle room. Seasonic PSUs are quiet, get the S12II 620W. Or if you want modular, then M12II 620W or Corsair TX650M if you can find it... Or, if you got the money, get the best: Seasonic X-650 80+ Gold.

I don't know where you're buying your components from, but G.Skill Value and Mushkin RAM is very cheap over at newegg ($41 for 8gb).

Also you don't exactly need a D14 to overclock 2500K properly. You'll get low temps sure but a cheaper cooler WILL get you a decent overclock. I'd recommend Scythe Mugen 3 (silent 300-1500rpm fan) for $50 or Coolermaster Hyper 212+ (only $25). The noctua would sure be nice to have though but IMO not worth the price for sandy bridge OC'ing.

 

[Ken g6]

Right, the PSU is way overkill. Here's a good 550W one for $45 AR.

Second, RAM speed doesn't matter for gaming. Try this RAM, $41/8GB!

If the wife wants to save more, cut the SSD to 64GB.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

If the wife wants to save more, cut the SSD to 64GB.

:whiste: Or not tell her about it

 

[lehtv]

Right, the PSU is way overkill. Here's a good 550W one for $45 AR.

Seasonic S12II 620W, though a bit more expensive, is a better quality unit than the OCZ, in all respects from efficiency and power quality to silence, and it has 5 year warranty. It's a good price on the OCZ but 3-year warranty on a PSU, when paired with a high quality gaming system, just isn't enough IMO. Besides, it's manufactured by some "Sirtec". Would avoid

 

[T_Yamamoto]

OCZ PSUs are fine. they arent the quietest of the bunch

also, buying some noisecanceling foam is good

 

[ARr]

To the person above, does that foam actually work?

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Fractal Design puts it in their cases and they all say that it does.

Im more than certain it will help out (if you have a loud GPU or something)

also, anti-vibration mats for the PSU

 

[mfenn]

Here's what I'm thinking:
2500k - Everyone here recommends this as the best value
ASRock Z68 Pro3 - There are way too many options. I know that Z68 is generally the recommended NB. I don't need anything special on my motherboard. Don't especially care about SLI/Crossfire, USB 3.0, RAID, etc.
Noctua NH-D14 - Looks like this is one of the highest rated air coolers that is supposed to fit in the P183 and work with the ASRock motherboard.
8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3 1600 - Best value 1.5V 1600 I could find.
Sapphire 6950 2GB Toxic
Crucial M4 128GB - Great reviews, new firmware that improves performance, enough space for OS and frequently played games.
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - In case I need more space.
Lite-on DVD Burner - Cheap.
Antec P183 - I have the P180 now. Like the layout a lot and it's quiet.
Antec CP-850 Power Supply - Supposed to be one of the quietest.
Windows 7 Home Premium OEM

Thoughts:
- HSF: The D14 is good, but it is absolutely massive. The U12P would be better if you want to stick with Noctua. Otherwise, the coolers that lehtv suggested are good.
- RAM: G.Skill DDR3 1333 8GB $41.
- GPU: Either get a normal 6950 2GB for $240 AR or get the MSI Twin Frozr III if you want a premium one.
- PSU: Way overkill. The 520C is more than enough and $35 AR right now.

 

[lehtv]

Pff. If the PSU vibrates enough for you to notice there's seriously something wrong with it

 

[T_Yamamoto]

haha.
but the foam is good though

 

[Gunslinger08]

For the heatsink and power supply, I just want to be sure I have something that will be quiet and still let me overclock well. I have the Tuniq Tower on my current Core2Duo, so I'm not averse to huge heatsinks that require a backplate. If the suggested heatsink and PSU can accomplish that, I'm all for saving $100 or so.

 

[lehtv]

The fan that comes with Scythe Mugen 2 and 3 is pretty silent, and so are Seasonic's PSUs. I don't personally have experience with CM 212+ but no one says they're loud, so I guess they're average (you get what you pay for). If you really want the Noctua though that's going to achieve several degrees better temps than the Mugen, but there's that price premium.

 

[zCypher]

How much are you planning on overclocking and how quiet do you want it to be?
The 212+ cooler will definitely work, I've never heard anyone complain about it being too loud. Great performance considering the cost.

The power supply is the last thing you want to cheap out on. Antec makes good quality power supplies, but I agree that the unit you listed is too much for your build. I second the suggestion of going with the Seasonic, they are hard to beat.

Everything else looks great. The RAM is fine depending on how much you're paying for it? If it's a lot more than $40 then I say go with one of the $40 1333 offerings, you'd be hard pressed to notice a difference.

 

[mfenn]

The 520C is no longer heavily discounted, so you can get something like the HCG-520 for $58. It's a Seasonic build IIRC.

 

[lehtv]

^ Yes, it's based on Seasonic S12II 520W.

 

[Gunslinger08]

Think 520W is enough for the system in question, overclocked to 4.5 to 5.0 with the Toxic 6950 overclocked to 6970+ speeds?

The P183 case has a separate area for the PSU that doesn't work well with a top or bottom fan. That's why I was looking at the Antec PSU made specifically for their cases. It blows straight through the PSU.

I think I will swap the Noctua for the Scythe Mugen 3. The Mugen 2 is one of the highest rated coolers by SPCR and I can't imagine they regressed with the newer revision - hopefully.

 

[lehtv]

I stand by my 620W Seasonic S12II recommendation - though the Antec HGC which is based on that very platform is much cheaper. $50 for a 620W HGC at newegg atm. $25 off from the original price, and a $20 rebate on top of that, awesome deal.

AMD recommends min. 550W for 6970, and with a heavy OC on a 2500K, 520W would be a bit on the tight side, while 620W would be perfect.

 

[Gunslinger08]

I stand by my 620W Seasonic S12II recommendation - though the Antec HGC which is based on that very platform is much cheaper. $50 for a 620W HGC at newegg atm. $25 off from the original price, and a $20 rebate on top of that, awesome deal.

AMD recommends min. 550W for 6970, and with a heavy OC on a 2500K, 520W would be a bit on the tight side, while 620W would be perfect.

I'll give it a shot. Saving $77.37 after shipping and MIR sounds good to me.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

if you dont like it, you can always return it

 

[mfenn]

Think 520W is enough for the system in question, overclocked to 4.5 to 5.0 with the Toxic 6950 overclocked to 6970+ speeds?

You'll have to throw a ton of voltage at your Sandy to get it to hit 5.0, so yeah a ~650W would be better in this case. Also, the TFIII is still better and in stock. Luckily the HCG-620 now has a hefty MIR!

The P183 case has a separate area for the PSU that doesn't work well with a top or bottom fan. That's why I was looking at the Antec PSU made specifically for their cases. It blows straight through the PSU.

Not really true. The PSU has a dedicated platform that it sits on that has a hole cut in the bottom for the fan. I have a P182 with the same arrangement and it works great. I can literally never hear my PSU.