It's that time of year... Tax Refund = New Build

[seanholland7]

Hello Everyone,

I must say, its a pleasure to be back on here with all of you lovely people. I was a regular on this forum years ago under another moniker... Unfortunatly life got in the way (job, wedding, kids); and I'm afraid I lost touch with my IT hobby and this community. Anyway, its great to be back and I can't wait to join the discussion again!

When I get my tax refund in a few weeks I'm interested in building a solid gaming rig. I've been out of the loop sometime and was hoping that you might be willing to look over the specs and offer some input? I'd be very grateful for any help. I also plan on using this machine as an ESXi host to do some VMware training.

Here is what I'm considering...

ASRock X79 Extreme6/GB ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 2011 Six-Core Desktop Processor

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

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

SILVERSTONE ST1000-P 1000W Power Supply

Intel PWLA8391GT PCI Desktop Adapter PRO/1000 GT

COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm sleeve CPU Cooler

XFX Radeon HD 7970 Black Edition FX-797A-TNBC Video Card

Also, does anyone know if Microcenter will build your PC for a fee? I know that it's the lazy man's way but I live in basically a water closet sized apartment with no room to built. That and working 12 hour days means it would just be easier to have it build.

Guys and Gals, any input would be tremendous and again, I would be very grateful!

 

[bullbearish]

Your MB has an Ethernet port, so unless your planning on running an output to a switch for a server or something, you won't need the PCI card. If this is your server, you'll need more HDD.

If you're intent is gaming, the 3930k is overkill unless you want bragging rights. A 2500k/2600k is plenty (but requires a LGA 1155 MB). Same for memory. 8Gb is plenty for gaming. A 1kW PS will run 2 of those video cards. You might want to step down a few watts if you'd like to save even more cash.

If you want to really fast machine, you've done that here. I'd build it for you if I was close. Looks fun.

 

[seanholland7]

Thanks for your input BullBear. The extra Ethernet card is for networking practice/work. I've been working on my CCNP and could use the extra port. I also plan on running VMs on this machine, hence the extra CPU & cores. If anyone were located in NJ I'd be happy to pay them to put this build together.

Thanks again for the input!

 

[mkmitch]

Most Microcenters will let you build yours right there. On weekends they will have tech support ppl helping you build. You need to buy the parts from them and make a reservation. Sounds like the ideal situation for you.

 

[seanholland7]

@ mkmitch... are you certain you need to source the parts from Microcenter. I see on their website that they do customer builds for 160 (unholy.. I know). At that price, I would think you could bring your own hardware.

 

[dfuze]

Putting together your first PC may seem daunting but it is really very easy to do.
One of the mods put together a great how to guide, take a look before you pay someone to do it for you.

Mechbgone's Guide

 

[seanholland7]

Thanks dfuze!

 

[lehtv]

The power supply is way overkill. 7970 consumes 200W, and 200W for the rest of the system. This is at combined full CPU and GPU load which practically never happens. You also shouldn't need a full tower for this build, whereas in comparison to its cooling capacity, the Hyper 212+ is a bit weak. I'd rather buy a bigger cooler and a mid tower.

Even if it's for vmware, is it worth the extra cost of the platform, and is the CPU worth double compared to 2600K? How often do you plan to upgrade the PC? Do you have a budget?

 

[seanholland7]

I guess that I just have this pent-up desire to go big... I've been cooped up in this Small Form Factor Desktop that I bought through work (IT reseller, got a steal at the time). I'd like to leave some power overhead to add another video card down the road. I also have several external HDDs that require USB power (no plug). My budget is pretty flexible, I'd like to bring it in at or under 2000 and 2500 is the absolute top of the line. Any suggestions are very welcome!

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

If you are going to stick big on a PSU, the Seasonic 860w is a solid PSU.

If you stick with a single GPU/card solution, I say go for the Kingwin Lazer Platinum 550w :wub:

 

[seanholland7]

@ BTRY. Wow, that PSU has glowing reviews... plus it's on sale. Thanks!

 

[lehtv]

I guess that I just have this pent-up desire to go big...

Going big is fine, going overkill isn't. When a gamer with a 1080p monitor goes big, I'd say he buys 2500K and a $300 video card. He doesn't buy 2600K and GTX580 SLI, that'd be overkill. Now I'm not saying for certain that a hexacore is overkill for you, I don't know much anything about vmware. But think about how much you use the PC, how much difference there is between the CPUs in terms of performance and weigh that against the cost difference, and think about what else you could buy with the saved money - upgrade sooner, perhaps?

I'd like to leave some power overhead to add another video card down the road.

Alright, but you won't need to unless you upgrade to a multimonitor setup or a 2560 wide monitor. 7970 is powerful enough for any game maxed out, and when games turn up that tax it too much, there will be more powerful single GPUs to switch to.

This PSU would be my choice for 7970 crossfire: XFX 750W XXX $100 AR. 80+ Silver, Semi-modular, Seasonic manufactured & 5yr warranty. Or perhaps the 850W version for $120 AR. These are excellent PSUs for this price, I'd say better than Corsair HX series but less expensive.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

@ BTRY. Wow, that PSU has glowing reviews... plus it's on sale. Thanks!

Those are some of the very best. You don't' have to necessarily get one of those PSUs but they are building blocks to help you understand what a good PSU is like, and then take it from there

 

[seanholland7]

@lehtv... Great advice man I really do appreciate it. I'm going to consider a few other options based on your advice

 

[lehtv]

@lehtv... Great advice man I really do appreciate it.

Glad I can help

 

[mfenn]

When I get my tax refund in a few weeks I'm interested in building a solid gaming rig. I've been out of the loop sometime and was hoping that you might be willing to look over the specs and offer some input? I'd be very grateful for any help. I also plan on using this machine as an ESXi host to do some VMware training.

Trying to use the same machine as general purpose desktop and an ESXi host isn't going to work out very well. Lehtv is guiding you down the correct path to building a more sane desktop. Take that extra money and put it towards a dedicated ESXi 5.0 box.