Looking for just a few parts.

[AprilMay]

Hi everyone,

Looking to upgrade my '08 desktop (C2D).

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

85% video editing, capturing, encoding and possibly transcoding/streaming. Music editing and input. 10% light gaming (World of Warcraft doesn't need to be on ultra) 5% virtualization software (virtualbox).

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

$500-600. I already have hard drive, optical drive and a HD6850 video card.

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

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.

Canada, but don't worry too much about this. I'll scour the internet for prices. Just pretend I get things at US prices but without specials.

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

I will need intel's VT-d functionality, so I can't use the "k" unlocked cpus from what I understand. I also have a HD6850 card I want to reuse so I guess I'm ATI for now. And I think I need gigabyte motherboard specifically for the virtualization.

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

I have an Asus DirectCU HD6850 video card. I think it's dual slot but I don't quite remember. I have hard drives and optical drives, monitors and keyboard mouse etc. I have Roxio usb 2.0 video capture device that I'd like to use though. Right now it's chugging on screen a lot during capture (but the video is fine).

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

I do not plan on overclocking anything.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

1920x1200 is what my screen is showing right now, but I shan't mind if it goes higher.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
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.

Before June 15th would be amazing.

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

I have a windows 7 pro so I should be okay.

At the end of the day it's your money. There's only so much we can do.

And thank you for that!

Questions:
1. Can I use H77/H87 motherboards if I have a dual slot video card?
2. Does video editing software take advantage of my video card?
3. Even within the H77/H87 motherboards, there are so many different cersions from the same manufacturer, and it's not just the form factor. How do I know which one is better?

 

[Torn Mind]

FX-8350 or i7 should be on your list. Is your RAM DDR2 or DDR3?

Dual slot refers to how many case slots the card will occupy, not the PCI-E slot on the motherboard. As far as I am aware, video cards only take up one mobo slot, even the big ones.

 

[Cerb]

85% video editing, capturing, encoding and possibly transcoding/streaming

As long as the transcoding does not need to be real-time, these basically don't matter, performance-wise.

Most importantly, for the money, is your Windows 7 license upgrade, OEM, or retail, and what will you do with your old PC?

And upgrade license or OEM license is only going to be good for that one computer (motherboard). A retail license can be moved to a new one, but then the old computer will be OS-less.

If going with a new 8-series chipset, IMO, stick to Asus and ASRock. AFAIK, we don't yet know about the DPC latency qualities of most 8-series boards, but both of those brands are always good about that.

1. Can I use H77/H87 motherboards if I have a dual slot video card?

Yes. All the dual-slot video card does is use up the slot below it, so if you might want to use that slot, you can't.

2. Does video editing software take advantage of my video card?

Some, and it's fast enough for a low-end gaming rig, much less video editing (low-end by today's prices, not as in being crap).

3. Even within the H77/H87 motherboards, there are so many different cersions from the same manufacturer, and it's not just the form factor. How do I know which one is better?

Minor differences and features, and marketing. If they figure they can make more money selling two different motherboards with two different feature sets than it will cost them to develop, make, and distribute another SKU, they will do so.

 

[Termie]

What you want is a Xeon processor, like the E3-1230 V2: http://ark.intel.com/products/65732/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3-1230-v2-8M-Cache-3_30-GHz

While you could use the non-K 3770, it's not cost-effective for your purposes, unless you know you can use Quicksync for video conversion, in which case you want the the 3770 or the E3-1245: http://ark.intel.com/products/65729/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3-1245-v2-8M-Cache-3_40-GHz

You need their built-in video to take advantage of Quicksync. I'd probably go with one of them just in case, since they aren't that much more expensive, especially the 1245.

I doubt your video editing software takes advantage of a discrete video card, but we'd need more specifics to be sure.

As for motherboards, typically the major advantages in a given manufacturer's product line using the same chipset would be:

(1) number of ports
(2) quality of heatsinks
(3) quality of capacitors and other electronic components

For your purposes, any H77 will do. Unlike with Z77/Z87, where overclocking is a consideration, the higher-end H77/H87 boards don't make a lot of sense.

 

[Cerb]

I would even go as far as B75, since RAID and SRT are most of what H77 gets you. But, IMO, being sure about the state of Windows comes first. That could be difference between AMD and Intel, much less Xeon v. i5, or IVB v. HSW.

 

[aigomorla]

NCIX <--- great place for you canadians...

Linus is also a friend of mine, met him a couple of times at CES.

What you want is a Xeon processor, like the E3-1230 V2: http://ark.intel.com/products/65732/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3-1230-v2-8M-Cache-3_30-GHz

i dont think so...

she's not building a full blown production machine hence why she inserted WOW at the end.
Xeon will just addon cost to her which she doesnt need to pay.

At the moment, seeing how the machine is light gaming duty, id get something mid-lower range on the gpu end (ATi is the best candidate here), and then build her an i5 system if possible around whats left.

She also stated she wouldnt overclock, however i suggest the OP to reconsider.... a slight overclock will give her much better returns on her investment in the machine, and again, thats totally not possible on a xeon.

OP, u have a C2D.
Those were easy to overclock back in the days.
Today's CPU's are even EASIER to overclock.

You dont need a monster overclock... a moderate bump to 4ghz will be suffice.
As you overclock the CPU on today's processors, you also overclock the PCI Bus and memory controller which has a cascading effect in performance.

And yes a 4ghz overclock is considered a very moderate overclock in today's standards.

 

[Torn Mind]

The E3 Xeon Termie mentioned is about only $15 more than a 3570K but it gets the guy Hyperthreading, which helps in the video encoding. Gaming is a secondary task for the dude, so the part chosen should maximize the benefits of the primary task, which is encoding and whatnot.

 

[AprilMay]

Thank you all for your suggestions!

FX-8350 or i7 should be on your list. Is your RAM DDR2 or DDR3?

Dual slot refers to how many case slots the card will occupy, not the PCI-E slot on the motherboard. As far as I am aware, video cards only take up one mobo slot, even the big ones.

Thanks. I guess I would lean towards the i7 for the VT-d. I guess you're right, because I definitely do not have two video cards, only one big one that takes up all the room.

As long as the transcoding does not need to be real-time, these basically don't matter, performance-wise.

It's kind of real time, but there's buffering in front and it's definitely not mission critical. So yup! Good point.

Most importantly, for the money, is your Windows 7 license upgrade, OEM, or retail, and what will you do with your old PC?

And upgrade license or OEM license is only going to be good for that one computer (motherboard). A retail license can be moved to a new one, but then the old computer will be OS-less.

I have the OEM WinXP 32-bit, but then I purchased the OEM Win7Pro. I am 90% sure it's not an upgrade because I reformat and install every half year or so on an empty hard drive and it's never asks me for my winxp info.

My old comp will be taken by my mom who wants winxp and not the new stuff. I also have an old nvidia video card for her so it should be okay. I have no problem getting another Win7Pro outside of the $500-600 budget.

If going with a new 8-series chipset, IMO, stick to Asus and ASRock. AFAIK, we don't yet know about the DPC latency qualities of most 8-series boards, but both of those brands are always good about that.

All the motherboards in the house are Asus. Also netbooks and tablets too. We love Asus at our house haha.

What you want is a Xeon processor, like the E3-1230 V2: http://ark.intel.com/products/65732/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3-1230-v2-8M-Cache-3_30-GHz

I actually don't know much about the xeon cpus. I only know they are "server grade" and most consumers don't have to worry about them. Are there xeon only advantages I should be aware of?

You need their built-in video to take advantage of Quicksync. I'd probably go with one of them just in case, since they aren't that much more expensive, especially the 1245.

I am currently using Sony Vegas 11 Platinum, which doesn't take advantage of Quicksync. We may be switching to Adobe Premiere CS6 later this year, but that's maybe 5 months away. Just did a quick check and it doesn't look like Premiere supports Quicksync either. let's assume we're not using it for now.

I would even go as far as B75, since RAID and SRT are most of what H77 gets you. But, IMO, being sure about the state of Windows comes first. That could be difference between AMD and Intel, much less Xeon v. i5, or IVB v. HSW.

Is it true that I won't have to worry about SRT if my main drive is SSD? Or rather, I only have to worry about SRT if I'm using an SSD as a cache to the main drive and not if my main drive was SSD?

Unfortunately I need the VT-d feature of intel cpu, so I won't be able to do AMD or unlocked "k"s.

The E3 Xeon Termie mentioned is about only $15 more than a 3570K but it gets the guy Hyperthreading, which helps in the video encoding. Gaming is a secondary task for the dude, so the part chosen should maximize the benefits of the primary task, which is encoding and whatnot.

That's excellent. I did not realize that. And the Xeon also has the VT-d things I'm looking for too. Thanks!

 

[Termie]

If you want the latest and greatest, you can jump on a Haswell-based server chip, like this Xeon E3-1230V3. You get hyperthreading and VT-d, plus 3.3GHz cores, for $270: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116906

This one doesn't have built-in graphics. Compare that to the Haswell i7-4770 for $320: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116900

Basically, you give up 100MHz of speed and built-in graphics and save $50.

It will actually be faster than the $265 Ivy Bridge-based E3-1240V2, which has higher clock speed but lower efficiency: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819117285

You can pair the Haswell-based server chips (or the 4770) with this $80 ASRock H87 motherboard and you'll be all set: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157385

 

[Cerb]

My old comp will be taken by my mom who wants winxp and not the new stuff. I also have an old nvidia video card for her so it should be okay. I have no problem getting another Win7Pro outside of the $500-600 budget.

Well, if you put XP on it and acted dumb on the phone, you could probably get away with it, but you really should get another Windows license . But, if it doesn't need to be counted, that makes things easier.

I actually don't know much about the xeon cpus. I only know they are "server grade" and most consumers don't have to worry about them. Are there xeon only advantages I should be aware of?

The desktop ones basically give you Hyperthreading, and a little more L3 cache. They support ECC, but you need a workstation/server chipset to use that, so they're mostly used to save money, instead of getting a Core i7.

I am currently using Sony Vegas 11 Platinum, which doesn't take advantage of Quicksync. We may be switching to Adobe Premiere CS6 later this year, but that's maybe 5 months away. Just did a quick check and it doesn't look like Premiere supports Quicksync either. let's assume we're not using it for now.

If you want quality results, don't worry about Quicksync.

Is it true that I won't have to worry about SRT if my main drive is SSD? Or rather, I only have to worry about SRT if I'm using an SSD as a cache to the main drive and not if my main drive was SSD?

SRT is using the SSD as a cache for the hard drive. With an SSD OS drive and HDD data drives, you won't be using SRT. With SRT, you don't ge the space of the SSD (or, at least what you've allotted for SRT use), just the speed when writing (and reading anything that is currently on the SSD).

The one thing I'd worry about, right now, is that none of the consumer boards seem to officially support the Xeon E3 V3 CPUs, by model. Video encoding can definitely make use of HT, enough to be worth the cost, usually, but even boards that list "Xeon" support don't list model numbers. I'd be pretty bummed to rec a Xeon and then the board needed a firmware update that's due in a couple weeks to POST, or install the OS, on it, or something like that--or worse, that it needed a physical revision. I have had issues like that building machines, so, yes, it happens.

P.S. The following from Newegg.ca (used for my convenience ) comes to 534 CAD subtotal, 637 CAD total. This is far from a "buy this!" parts list, but something to start criticizing and changing around.

Case: Corsair 200R - good, not great...a Fractal Design Core 3000 would be a better case, IMO, but is also a fair bit more expensive, especially counting the $20 MIR for this Corsair (and, how much does it matter?)
PSU: Corsair CX430 - good, not expensive, but if you do rebates, the CX500 is actually a little cheaper, right now
CPU: Xeon E3-1230V2 - a nice one, and not too expensive, but also not the latest and greatest, and a bit more than an i5
RAM: 2x8GB Corsair 1600MHz 1.5V 9-9-9
Motherboard: Asus P8B75-M LX Plus - good low-end board
HDD, ODD, video card, OS: N/A

If the $600 was to be before taxes and shipping, the above could be improved on in terms of features/performance (otherwise, maybe drop to an i5). Going down to 8GB RAM would allow for a ~120GB SSD, but I'm not sure if that would be worth it, with video editing and VMs in the mix. My 8GB is getting awfully tight, these days. Also, since you're already used to re-installing Windows, going to an SSD down the road wouldn't be a hassle (just disconnect your HDD(s), and let the Windows installer handle the rest). Dropping back from a Xeon to an i5-3470 ($40 less) could also allow for a ~120GB SSD, though, with $600 as the subtotal target.

I didn't see any compelling deals, except on the Corsair parts that would be in there even without them. Someone else can probably find ways to cut down cost and/or increase value better, with the motherboard being the first part to change (I was worried about getting near $600, and I don't really have time to go about comparing more parts, right now).

 

[Termie]

Cerb has a good point about the new Haswell chips and consumer motherboards.

Maybe I'd go for the 1245 I linked to earlier: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115082

...plus an H77 board that at least one Newegg user successfully used with it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157303

If you are concerned with using server chips, just get the board above and spend a bit more on a 3770 ($290): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116502

I would not bother with the 4770 at $320 right now. That's not a good price for it.

 

[Torn Mind]

VT-d's equivalent for AMD CPUs is called AMD-Vi. Based on web searches, it performs worse than Vt-d, but it still does what VT-d essentially does. You will need a supporting chipset and BIOS, however.

 

[Torn Mind]

Cerb has a good point about the new Haswell chips and consumer motherboards.

Maybe I'd go for the 1245 I linked to earlier: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115082

...plus an H77 board that at least one Newegg user successfully used with it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157303

If you are concerned with using server chips, just get the board above and spend a bit more on a 3770 ($290): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116502

I would not bother with the 4770 at $320 right now. That's not a good price for it.

Manufacuturers are rather forthcoming about Xeon support in the 7 series boards, but not the 8 series.

 

[Cerb]

Manufacuturers are rather forthcoming about Xeon support in the 7 series boards, but not the 8 series.

They all just came out, and most still don't have product pages for all the boards they are selling. Most will likely support them, unless Intel has done something different this time around, but the manufacturers themselves might still be in the process of verifying support for the Xeons, along with soon-to-come i3s, and we don't know what will happen, if board X gets a CPU plugged into it that it can't ID (yet). With Intel revising the chipsets, I wouldn't be surprised if many of them have had their QA folk and engineers on hectic schedules, for this release.

 

[mfenn]

I will need intel's VT-d functionality, so I can't use the "k" unlocked cpus from what I understand.

Why do you need VT-d? I don't see any hardware on this list that exposes PCIe VFs. Do you have a 10GbE or FC infrastructure you're not telling us about?

 

[AprilMay]

Thanks for all the replies! Learning a lot here.

She also stated she wouldnt overclock, however i suggest the OP to reconsider.... a slight overclock will give her much better returns on her investment in the machine, and again, thats totally not possible on a xeon.

You dont need a monster overclock... a moderate bump to 4ghz will be suffice.
As you overclock the CPU on today's processors, you also overclock the PCI Bus and memory controller which has a cascading effect in performance.

And yes a 4ghz overclock is considered a very moderate overclock in today's standards.

My main concern with overclocking is the wear and tear on processor and my lack of expertise when it comes to cooling. We don't change computers that much and we kinda pass our computers around at home ... Mom is still using a P4 2.66ghz (hence her taking my C2D). I'm okay with not overclocking

Well, if you put XP on it and acted dumb on the phone, you could probably get away with it, but you really should get another Windows license . But, if it doesn't need to be counted, that makes things easier.

Oh dear. Well, technically, there are two licenses attached to that motherboard: WinXP and Win7Pro. Hopefully it'll work out. To be honest, I have 16gb of ram in my current machine. It will be really sad because the old WinXP is 32 bit :/ I don't have the specs of that extra ram off the top of my head, but I'm guessing it's DDR2.

The one thing I'd worry about, right now, is that none of the consumer boards seem to officially support the Xeon E3 V3 CPUs, by model. Video encoding can definitely make use of HT, enough to be worth the cost, usually, but even boards that list "Xeon" support don't list model numbers. I'd be pretty bummed to rec a Xeon and then the board needed a firmware update that's due in a couple weeks to POST, or install the OS, on it, or something like that--or worse, that it needed a physical revision. I have had issues like that building machines, so, yes, it happens.

To be perfectly honest, thank you so much for bringing that up. This is going to be my first attempt at putting a machine together. My local computer store used to do it for free after I pick the parts, but they've gone out of business and their competitor charges for the service. I'd be really stuck if I put everything in and turns out it wouldn't boot up. :/

Case: Corsair 200R - good, not great...a Fractal Design Core 3000 would be a better case, IMO, but is also a fair bit more expensive, especially counting the $20 MIR for this Corsair (and, how much does it matter?)
PSU: Corsair CX430 - good, not expensive, but if you do rebates, the CX500 is actually a little cheaper, right now
CPU: Xeon E3-1230V2 - a nice one, and not too expensive, but also not the latest and greatest, and a bit more than an i5
RAM: 2x8GB Corsair 1600MHz 1.5V 9-9-9
Motherboard: Asus P8B75-M LX Plus - good low-end board
HDD, ODD, video card, OS: N/A

Look good! I don't really mind how the case looks as long as everything fits and I have enough room for upgrade cards, like how I got a USB3.0 card for my current comp. It was a life saver. I think I had trouble figuring out which case and PS to choose, so this definitely helps.

When it comes to choosing ram, how important is the MHz aside from matching it to the motherboard? I see 2x8GB Corsair 1333MHz for $119.99 and 1600MHz Vengeance for $10 more, then 1866MHz Vengeance for $10 on top of that ($139.99) ... Is this a super big deal?

Why do you need VT-d? I don't see any hardware on this list that exposes PCIe VFs. Do you have a 10GbE or FC infrastructure you're not telling us about?

edit: boy do I feel dumb. I'm supposed to be looking for VT-x not VT-d. looking at Intel's "To VT-d or not to VT-d" made me realize I was wrong.

 

[Torn Mind]

Is that competitor store a Micro Center?
nvm, remembered you're in Canada. LOL

 

[Termie]

Thanks for all the replies! Learning a lot here.



My main concern with overclocking is the wear and tear on processor and my lack of expertise when it comes to cooling. We don't change computers that much and we kinda pass our computers around at home ... Mom is still using a P4 2.66ghz (hence her taking my C2D). I'm okay with not overclocking



Oh dear. Well, technically, there are two licenses attached to that motherboard: WinXP and Win7Pro. Hopefully it'll work out. To be honest, I have 16gb of ram in my current machine. It will be really sad because the old WinXP is 32 bit :/ I don't have the specs of that extra ram off the top of my head, but I'm guessing it's DDR2.



To be perfectly honest, thank you so much for bringing that up. This is going to be my first attempt at putting a machine together. My local computer store used to do it for free after I pick the parts, but they've gone out of business and their competitor charges for the service. I'd be really stuck if I put everything in and turns out it wouldn't boot up. :/



Look good! I don't really mind how the case looks as long as everything fits and I have enough room for upgrade cards, like how I got a USB3.0 card for my current comp. It was a life saver. I think I had trouble figuring out which case and PS to choose, so this definitely helps.

When it comes to choosing ram, how important is the MHz aside from matching it to the motherboard? I see 2x8GB Corsair 1333MHz for $119.99 and 1600MHz Vengeance for $10 more, then 1866MHz Vengeance for $10 on top of that ($139.99) ... Is this a super big deal?

...

OP - you won't be able to run anything higher than DDR3-1600 on a B75 or H77 board, so definitely just get an inexpensive set of DDR3-1600. Look for 9-9-9-24 timings and 1.5v or less. That is a fairly standard configuration, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding it. I'd probably recommend paying $10 extra for 1600 vs. 1333, especially when both are so expensive.

On the issue of overclocking, just do what you're comfortable with. Modern CPUs are so fast that you probably wouldn't even notice the difference if they were 30 percent faster!

If this is your first build, let's keep it simple and have you use the 3770. I wish the 4770 weren't so expensive right now, but it is, and it's probably not worth $30 more.

You should check what the RAM is in your current system - 16GB is a lot of DDR2, and yes it would got to waste in a WinXP 32-bit system, but also it's possible its DDR3. You have a "late-model" C2D that might have supported it.

FYI - I bought a Fractal Design Core 3000 and didn't like it at all, so IMO, the Corsair 200R is the superior choice...but there is always room for multiple opinions on tech gear! And let me strongly advise you to consider Corsair's new CX430M power supply - the thin modular cables will make your build much cleaner, and it's plenty of power for the system you're building.

 

[Cerb]

Look good!

It's a MicroATX board w/ 2 slots, just chosen to keep the price somewhat low. A full-size one with 4 slots would probably be better. Also, if $600 is before taxes and everything else, you might want to consider going with an i5-4570 or 4670(K?) and an SSD for the OS (Samsung, Plextor, Corsair?). It woud require you keep big programs and data on a different drive, due to space, but it would make anything using the SSD much faster.

When it comes to choosing ram, how important is the MHz aside from matching it to the motherboard? I see 2x8GB Corsair 1333MHz for $119.99 and 1600MHz Vengeance for $10 more, then 1866MHz Vengeance for $10 on top of that ($139.99) ... Is this a super big deal?

For Intel CPUs, it doesn't really matter. At best, very high speeds gain like 3-5% in AI and physics simulation type work, and the difference is typically more like 0-0.2% for everything else. Any 1333 or 1600 with timings of 8-8-8 or 9-9-9, and rated for 1.5V or lower, will be about the same as anything else (In case you were to run into anything that was actually a bit memory-bound, not getting loose timings, like 11-11-11 could be prudent, but voltage is more important).

Do check your current system's RAM. If it is DDR3, that could be $70, right there (buy 4GB, to swap them). Even if it's not the fastest, most of that $70 going to an SSD and/or faster CPU would make up for it, if it were DDR3-1066 (AKA PC3-10600).

 

[aigomorla]

My main concern with overclocking is the wear and tear on processor and my lack of expertise when it comes to cooling. We don't change computers that much and we kinda pass our computers around at home ... Mom is still using a P4 2.66ghz (hence her taking my C2D). I'm okay with not overclocking

take a little trip to our overclocking section...
http://forums.anandtech.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

If u follow the proper advice.. and keep within safe values... your cpu will still last longer then u will need it.

Also have good aftermarket cooling on the cpu, and u can extend the life on the cpu longer then if it was on stock with stock cooling.

every 10C u take away in temps you effectively double your life of the processor.

a 4ghz bump from base on any K cpu, is a moderate overclocking.
My Gulftown has been at 4.4 for almost 2 yrs now.. the only thing stopping me is the lack of a cpu to replace it to.

A overclocked 600 dolllar computer will perform on equal grounds as a 900 dollar computer... hence why i said u get the most out of your budget.

Just do the proper overclock with the proper heat sink... and the machine will last.
There is no other reason to make a prebuilt, as Dell will have what these guys are listing for CHEAPER, and eliminate most possibility of you upgrading..
But with the price on Dell, who cares about upgrading.. REPLACE!!!

So if ur really not intent on overclocking... look at presystem deals.... u can get more then what ur asking for as a system deal then piecing it out together if ur not going to overclocking.

My last advice...
STAY AWAY FROM HASWELL
Its not looking very good... and i have a big feeling intel will go OOPS.. lets fix that with a new stepping.... here...
And not say sorry to the earily adopters... meaning no RMA.
(Intel i7 920 Fiasco they pulled.. is happening all over again)

LGA1150 aka Z87 board is also having issues with the SB controller and USB3.0.
The board is still riddled with problems like when lga1155 first came out.

Everything about haswell is telling me... someone who typically uses intel... to STAY AWAY FROM IT.

 

[Cerb]

TBH, I would probably avoid Haswell for this just due to the cost v. performance gain, at the moment. Pricing it up, it doesn't look so good on a budget, for what it offers, ATM.

 

[AprilMay]

OP - you won't be able to run anything higher than DDR3-1600 on a B75 or H77 board, so definitely just get an inexpensive set of DDR3-1600. Look for 9-9-9-24 timings and 1.5v or less. That is a fairly standard configuration, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding it. I'd probably recommend paying $10 extra for 1600 vs. 1333, especially when both are so expensive.

Got it. I'll try and get at least 1600mhz

Do check your current system's RAM. If it is DDR3, that could be $70, right there (buy 4GB, to swap them). Even if it's not the fastest, most of that $70 going to an SSD and/or faster CPU would make up for it, if it were DDR3-1066 (AKA PC3-10600).

Unfortunately, my RAM is indeed DDR2-800. But it's actually only 8GB (4x2GB) and not 16GB as I had previously thought.

take a little trip to our overclocking section...
http://forums.anandtech.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

If u follow the proper advice.. and keep within safe values... your cpu will still last longer then u will need it.

Also have good aftermarket cooling on the cpu, and u can extend the life on the cpu longer then if it was on stock with stock cooling.

Thank you for the advice! I think maybe what I'll probably do. I will get spend the extra $50 and get the "k" and a Z77. That way in the future when I'm really hurting for speed, I can still squeeze a bit more out of it. And I'll definitely take a look at the aftermarket cooling. That's the part that scares me the most: I'm not sure how to put it on yet.

There is no other reason to make a prebuilt, as Dell will have what these guys are listing for CHEAPER, and eliminate most possibility of you upgrading..
But with the price on Dell, who cares about upgrading.. REPLACE!!!

So if ur really not intent on overclocking... look at presystem deals.... u can get more then what ur asking for as a system deal then piecing it out together if ur not going to overclocking.

The one thing that really saved me from having to upgrade my old C2D desktop earlier was being able to open it up and switch out the dying optical drive, put in some eSATA and USB 3.0 ports in the back and installing the old video recording card I had. That's one of the biggest incentives for me not to get built systems. Most of the i7 systems here are for "gamers" and are all $1000+. I can save the money from not rebuying the video card, the hard drive and the optical drive.

STAY AWAY FROM HASWELL

Got it. I'm also fine staying away from Xeon. Xeon sounds like it can save me maybe $50, but I'm not sure about getting support for Xeon from boards, etc. I have no urge to get multiple processors, and the consumer line seems to get more support from people on forums and so on. So if it's okay, I'll stick with the i-series.

I'm also purposely leaving out SSD for now. I know it's awesome, but I'm find saving up money for it later down the road, maybe when the price/GB is a bit nicer.

Here is my updated list, and if it's not too much trouble, it'd be great if you can take a quick look at the links and see if I got the right ones (mostly the RAM i'm unsure of):

• i7-3770k ($329.99, Newegg.ca, $299.99 after $30 off)
• Gigabyte Z77-DS3H ($89.97, Tigerdirect.ca)
• Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL10 DIMMs ($109.99, Canada Computers)
• PS CX430 ($45, NCIX)
• Corsair 200R ($56.99, Newegg.ca)

Gives me a grand total of: $601.94 before tax and $680.20 after tax (tax is heavy here) T_T

Alternatively, the i5-3570k is available at Tigerdirect.ca for $209.97, resulting in $511.92 ($578.46 after tax).

Questions:

• Do you guys think the i7 is worth it for the additional $90?
• How is the Noctua NH-D14 as a third party cooler? Will it be sufficient for cooling, before and after overclocking? It adds another $75 to my build I also like how they have a compatibility chart with how nice it plays with RAM.

Again, thank you so much, everyone here. I am learning lots.

 

[Torn Mind]

Ivy Bridge Xeons are clearly stated in many manufacturers' support lists and function practically the same as an i7. It's just a chip; the reason you don't see people begging for help about their "Xeon system" is that don't know the Xeon option existed, not because there is a magical difference between it and consumer chips. When a chip doesn't work, it usually is never the chip's internals, but something else, such as bad RAM or the bottom being scratched.

 

[Termie]

AprilMay - your new build looks great. If you are truly interested in overclocking, then of course the 3770K is your best choice, and no, for your purposes, I would not get the 3570K.

As for coolers, the Noctura NH-D14 is stellar, but entirely overkill for your needs. You will never tap into its cooling power. I'd suggest a cooler at half the price (and around half the size), for instance a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo.

 

[Cerb]

I'm also fine staying away from Xeon. Xeon sounds like it can save me maybe $50, but I'm not sure about getting support for Xeon from boards, etc. I have no urge to get multiple processors, and the consumer line seems to get more support from people on forums and so on. So if it's okay, I'll stick with the i-series.

The Xeon E3 series are the same chips, just named and configured slightly differently for marketing reasons. No multiple CPUs with them or any of that. They basically offer a slower no-overclocking alternative to the i7. The real server and workstation CPUs don't start until the Xeon E5 series.

Intel loves to try to have a separate product for every niche they can think of, instead of a few broad SKUs (sometimes they will literally show grids with parts on one axis and market needs on the other, in their presentations). Board support is no problem for them. The E3-12xx V2 are well-supported across most 7-series boards. It's specifically the latest E3-12xx V3--Haswell--that are potential unknowns, at the moment.

However, want to overclock? You'll get, at best, a few hundred MHz out of a Xeon E3, even with a Z-series board (I think they're all limited to +400MHz). If not overclocking, they can be a good value if you can make use of HT, typically only costing $30-45 more than a similar-speed i5. But, it won't take much overclocking to make up that difference. So, if you want to overclock, the i5 K with an aftermarket cooler would be better for the same cost. However, if you want to have a higher chance of using your computer without screwing up capture, or use your computer for something else while transcoding video in the background, HT would definitely improve the experience of using the PC, even if your particular software won't get huge performance improvements from HT.

FI, here's the CPU support list for your selected board (which should be a good one):
http://www.gigabyte.us/support-downloads/cpu-support-popup.aspx?pid=4147

And, here is one from a Z87 one, which is what that whole bit near the start of the thread was about:
http://www.gigabyte.us/support-downloads/cpu-support-popup.aspx?pid=4489

Do you guys think the i7 is worth it for the additional $90?

No, at least not if you plan to run stock speed. If you want to overclock, and are up against your budget, you'd be better off to put the money into an i5-3570K, and a good cooler, like a Cooler Master Hyper212+ Evo (performance/budget), Xigmatek Gaia (quiet/budget), or Xigmatek Dark Knight II (better than either of the prior two, more expensive, but not too much, easy to source, and easy to install). However, if you want to get an i7 and an aftermarket cooler to overclock it, go for it . It is the only way to be able to get a substantial overclock and have HT, and that's part of the reason it costs more than both the Core i5 and Xeon E3.

Basically, staying under budget with an i5-3570K+HSF for overclocking it would, well, keep you under budget and offer good value; but going over budget with the i7-3770K+HSF would very likely offer you tangible performance gains, especially during any times the CPU is churning on video work, but well, be going over budget by a fair bit. If no overclocking is in the offing, a Xeon E3-1230V2 or E3-1240V2 offer good bang/buck, but again, only if you don't want to try overclocking them.

And, just so you know, it's a lot simpler with AMD's CPUs, but they are much slower and hotter, these days . This is complex because Intel wants to divide the non-OEM CPU market into many little pigeon holes .

How is the Noctua NH-D14 as a third party cooler?

Good, and quiet, but expensive for what it offers, and if you take the time to reduce noise sources to get quiet, you'll want a different cooler, as some others will perform better when given no fan or only a very slow fan (Thermalright Macho, FI). It's good performer, but the bang/buck is fairly low.

P.S. I just saw this:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...401&amp;CatId=1078
If you're up for rebates (such as for the motherboard), that's hard to beat, and it consolidates shipping to one less store.