Need some advice...

[xxthe_remedyxx]

Hey all - I'm building a new PC and was wondering if anyone can weigh in on the specs I've chosen. Any advice, changes, or comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot. BTW I'm buying via Cyberpower:

Price: $1,512.00

______________________________________________________________________


BLUETOOTH:None

CAS:Cooler Master Storm Trooper Full Tower Gaming Case w/ 200mm Fan, Integrated Fan Controller, Front USB 3.0 & X-Dock, and Easy Carry Handle [+4]

CASUPGRADE:None

CD:24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)

CD2:None

COOLANT:Standard Coolant

CPU:Intel® Core™ i7-3820 Quad-Core 3.60 GHz 10MB Intel Smart Cache LGA2011 (All Venom OC Certified)

CS_FANefault case fans

ENGRAVING:None

ENGRAVING_MSG:

FA_HDD:None

FAN:Corsair Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Dual Standard 120MM Fans (Push-Pull) [+9])

FLASHMEDIA:INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)

FREEBIE_CS:Cooler Master Storm Xornet Optical Gaming Mouse [+0]

FREEBIE_CU1:FREE! Tribes: Ascend Promo Pack ($60 value) [+0]

FREEBIE_MB:None

GLASSES:None

HDD:128 GB OCZ Vertex 4 SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 535 MB/s Read & 200 MB/s Write [+66] (Single Drive)

HDD2:None

IEEE_CARD:None

IUSB:Built-in USB 2.0 Ports

KEYBOARD:Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard

MEMORY:8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Quad Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)

MONITOR:None

MONITOR2:None

MONITOR3:None

MOTHERBOARD:* (3-Way SLI Support) GIGABYTE X79-UD3 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ UEFI DualBIOS, Dolby Home Theater 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 4 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI

MOUSE:XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse

NETWORK:Onboard Gigabit LAN Network

NOISEREDUCE1:Sound Absorbing Foam on Side, Top And Bottom panels [+29]

OS:None - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY [-83]

OVERCLOCK:No Overclocking

POWERSUPPLY:* 850 Watts - Corsair CMPSU-850TXV2 80 Plus Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready [+56]

RUSH:NO; READY TO SHIP IN 10~15 BUSINESS DAYS

SERVICE:STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT

SOUND:HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

SPEAKERS:None

TEMP:None

TUNING:None

TVRC:None

USB:None

USBFLASH:None

USBHD:None

USBX:None

VIDEO:NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card [+230] (EVGA Superclocked [+10])

VIDEO2:None

VIDEO3:None

WNC:None

XWNC1:ASUS USB-N13 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 300Mbps Wireless USB Adapter [+22]

 

[lehtv]

Welcome to AT

Could you answer all the questions in the sticky on top of this forum

CyberPowerPC will be more expensive than custom built and they have a very limited selection of components compared to newegg.com. You should consider putting it together yourself, it's not difficult at all, it's easier than assembling IKEA furniture. And when you've done it once, it becomes much easier to do upgrades on the PC or assemble a new PC whenever you need to.

 

[xxthe_remedyxx]

Welcome to AT

Could you answer all the questions in the sticky on top of this forum

Of course, sorry about that, I should have been more observant. Thanks for the welcome BTW


1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing. - PC will be used for everyday stuff, with moderate gaming. Mostly flight simulators like FSX and X-Plane 10

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread - $1700 Max

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. - I prefer Intel and nVidia products.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. - No current parts intended.

*

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. - Default speeds with some light OC'ing.

8. What resolution will you be using? - 1920X1080 and above.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it? - ASAP
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? - None

 

[lehtv]

You don't need to pay more than half that for the described uses. A $1700 build would be ridiculously overkill. For $1700 you could buy another two 1080p monitors and a setup to run those flight sims smoothly at 5760x1080 eyefinity/surround (Edit: and still have cash left over).

Just some additional questions - I take it you need to buy peripherals (monitor, kb, mouse)? How much storage space do you need/want? And are you interested in quiet computing?

 

[xxthe_remedyxx]

You don't need to pay more than half that for the described uses. A $1700 build would be ridiculously overkill. For $1700 you could buy another two 1080p monitors and a setup to run those flight sims smoothly at 5760x1080 eyefinity/surround (Edit: and still have cash left over).

Just some additional questions - I take it you need to buy peripherals (monitor, kb, mouse)? How much storage space do you need/want? And are you interested in quiet computing?

Peripherals I have, sorry I should have stated that. I also have a 1TB internal that I plan on using for storage. I also have a Synology NAS setup at home, so storage is not an issue. Quiet computing is a must. Cyberpower offers an option where they line tine entire case with decibel decreasing material, i chose the option for an additional $19.

Interesting that I can do all this for half... What type of hardware/manufacturer would be involved here? Also an important thing to mention here, although i can put the rig together myself, i just had a two year old and i have no time, lol!

 

[DSF]

Peripherals I have, sorry I should have stated that. I also have a 1TB internal that I plan on using for storage. I also have a Synology NAS setup at home, so storage is not an issue. Quiet computing is a must. Cyberpower offers an option where they line tine entire case with decibel decreasing material, i chose the option for an additional $19.

Interesting that I can do all this for half... What type of hardware/manufacturer would be involved here? Also an important thing to mention here, although i can put the rig together myself, i just had a two year old and i have no time, lol!

If you have a 1TB internal that you're planning to hook up, it sounds like you're reasonably comfortable working inside a computer?

If so, building the whole system yourself is not as big a leap as you might think. The only things I'd done before I built my own system for the first time were upgrade a video card and install a wireless NIC. Building your own from scratch should take less than 4 hours even for a beginner.

Heck, I teach middle school kids to take apart computers and put them back together, and some of them can disassemble the machine down to an empty case and put it all back together in under an hour.

I do sympathize with the childcare point (I'm at home with my 4-month-old while I'm on summer break) but it seems to me that if you have time to play video games you have time to build the computer. Bargain with the wife for a weekend afternoon, trade favors with a friend for some babysitting time, or even pay for the babysitting with money you save by homebuilding the rig.

Not trying to lecture you, just trying to win another convert to one of my favorite hobbies so I can live vicariously through your DIY system while I save up money for my own new rig.

As far as your other questions:

- You'll probably be buying from several different manufacturers, but generally through one or two websites or computer parts stores. Newegg.com, ncix.com and amazon.com are probably the three most popular online, and if you live near a MicroCenter brick & mortar store they have some great deals on CPUs and motherboards.

- Soundproofing material helps to a point, but it's no substitute for designing the whole system with quiet computing in mind. (Which, by the way, doesn't have to add a ton to the price tag for a surprisingly satisfying result.) For example, cases like the Fractal Design Define R3 come with a fan controller that lets you adjust the speed of your fans until you find the right balance of noise/airflow for you. Having your fans running at half speed reduces noise more drastically than some foam lining in the case.

 

[xxthe_remedyxx]

If you have a 1TB internal that you're planning to hook up, it sounds like you're reasonably comfortable working inside a computer?

If so, building the whole system yourself is not as big a leap as you might think. The only things I'd done before I built my own system for the first time were upgrade a video card and install a wireless NIC. Building your own from scratch should take less than 4 hours even for a beginner.

Heck, I teach middle school kids to take apart computers and put them back together, and some of them can disassemble the machine down to an empty case and put it all back together in under an hour.

I do sympathize with the childcare point (I'm at home with my 4-month-old while I'm on summer break) but it seems to me that if you have time to play video games you have time to build the computer. Bargain with the wife for a weekend afternoon, trade favors with a friend for some babysitting time, or even pay for the babysitting with money you save by homebuilding the rig.

Not trying to lecture you, just trying to win another convert to one of my favorite hobbies so I can live vicariously through your DIY system while I save up money for my own new rig.

As far as your other questions:

- You'll probably be buying from several different manufacturers, but generally through one or two websites or computer parts stores. Newegg.com, ncix.com and amazon.com are probably the three most popular online, and if you live near a MicroCenter brick & mortar store they have some great deals on CPUs and motherboards.

- Soundproofing material helps to a point, but it's no substitute for designing the whole system with quiet computing in mind. (Which, by the way, doesn't have to add a ton to the price tag for a surprisingly satisfying result.) For example, cases like the Fractal Design Define R3 come with a fan controller that lets you adjust the speed of your fans until you find the right balance of noise/airflow for you. Having your fans running at half speed reduces noise more drastically than some foam lining in the case.

Thank you for the excellent points. I've actually put together many PC's in the past. I've been in IT for a long time now. I'm actually just being lazy, lol...

I had another question regarding hardware. Here are the options for motherboards, what do you think?

(3-Way SLI Support) ASRock X79 Extreme 4 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ UEFI bios, XFast LAN, Charger, & USB Technology, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified) [-111]

(SLI/CrossFireX) ASRock X79 Extreme4-M Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 mATX w/ UEFI bios, XFast LAN, Charger, & USB Technology, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16 & 1 PCI (All Venom OC Certified) [-121]

[3-Way CrossFireX/SLI] Biostar Tpower X79 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ UEFI Bios, Toverclocker, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI (All Venom OC Certified) [-126]

(3-Way SLI Support) GIGABYTE X79-UD3 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ UEFI DualBIOS, Dolby Home Theater 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 4 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI (Extreme OC Certified) [-111]

(3-Way SLI Support) GIGABYTE X79 G1 Assassin 2 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ UEFI DualBIOS, Creative 20K2 HD Audio, Killer E2100 LAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI (All Venom OC Certified) [+30]

(SLI Support) MSI X79A-GD45 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ UEFI Bios, Winki 3, OC Genie II, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16 & 4 PCIe X1 (Extreme OC Certified) [-68]

------------------------------- 8 MEMORY SLOTS X79 MOTHERBOARDS --------------------------------
(SLI/CrossFireX) ASUS P9X79 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ UEFI BIOS, 7.1 HD Audio, Intel GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI (All Venom OC Certified) (All Venom OC Certified) [-101]

(3-Way SLI Support) ASUS P9X79 Pro Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ UEFI BIOS, BT GO, SSD Caching, 7.1 HD Audio, Intel GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 4 Gen3 PCIe x16 & 2 PCIe x1 (All Venom OC Certified) (All Venom OC Certified) [+4]

(3-Way SLI Support) ASUS P9X79 Deluxe Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ UEFI BIOS, BT GO, SSD Caching, 7.1 HD Audio, 1x Intel & 1x Realtek GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 4 Gen3 PCIe X16 & 2 PCIe X1 (All Venom OC Certified) [+73]

(SLI Support) ASUS Sabertooth X79 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ TUF Armor, UEFI BIOS, SSD Caching, 7.1 HD Audio, Intel GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)

(4-Way SLI Support) ASUS Rampage IV Extreme Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ ROG Connect, UEFI BIOS, BT GO, OC Key, Subzero Sense & 7.1 HD Audio, Intel GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 5 Gen3 PCIe X16 & 1 PCIe X1 (All Venom OC Certified) [+142]

(3-Way SLI Support) GIGABYTE X79-UD5 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ UEFI DualBIOS, Dolby Home Theater 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI (All Venom OC Certified) [-56]

(SLI Support) Intel DX79TO Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen3 PCIe X16, 3 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI (Extreme OC Certified) [-94]

(SLI Support) Intel DX79SI Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ BT/WiFi Module, 7.1 HD Audio, Dual GbLAN, SATA-III RAID, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI (All Venom OC Certified) [+8]

 

[lehtv]

Interesting that I can do all this for half... What type of hardware/manufacturer would be involved here?

All reliable and high quality manufacturers and components. Here's a quick build outline:

CPU i5-3570K $215 after promo
Mobo Asrock Z77 Pro3 $75
RAM 2x4GB G.Skill 1600mhz $46
GPU Gigabyte GTX 670 $400
HDD Reuse $0
DVD Asus DVD-RW $17
PSU PC Power & Cooling MK III 500W $68 after promo ($48 after rebate)
Case Lian Li K9WX $80 after promo

= $901 ($881 after rebate). Note you could push this down another $160 with a HD7850 2GB

Optionals:

SSD Crucial M4 128GB $130
Cooler Scythe Mugen 3 quiet cooler $http://redirect.anandtech.com/r?url...duct.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099&user=u0000068750
SLI Compatibility Asrock Z77 Extreme4 +$40 and NZXT Hale82 650M +$23

i just had a two year old and i have no time, lol!

I was going to say congrats but realised you probably had him/her two years ago so it's a bit late... xD

I had another question regarding hardware. Here are the options for motherboards, what do you think?

Those are X79 motherboards meant for high end hexacore processors. You don't need a high end hexacore processor, you're not doing heavily multithreaded productivity work for a living.

 

[mfenn]

I agree with Lehtv, you should definitely drop the LGA 2011 platform in favor of the LGA 1155 platform for gaming purposes. CyberPower has a Z77 platform that you can build off of.

I can sympathize with not having time to put it together yourself. Realistically, CyberPower is going to add $200-300 to the cost of the machine plus the opportunity cost of not having as wide of a component selection. There's nothing really wrong with them as long as you understand and accept those two facts.