New build choices!

[Alaa]

Going to build an ivy bridge system soon. Here is what I picked for it:

-Motherboard:
ASUS Z77-V DELUXE
ASUS Z77-V PRO

The thing about the deluxe is the dual band wireless and I am probably going to get a win8 tablet by the end of the year and I wanted to connect it to my PC using wireless connection. Is dual band necessary in this case? I am going to try to use the tablet as a 2nd screen at times. I also need front panel USB3.0 box as my A90 doesn’t have front USb3 and I think the deluxe contains one.


-RAM:
G.Skill Ripjaws X 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL
Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1866 MHz PC3 15000 CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9
G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) F3-14900CL9D-8GBSR​

SAMSUNG 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model MV-3V4G3D/US



Are these any better than 1600 MHz? Which one is more reliable?


-CPU Heatsink:
EVGA Superclock cooler
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus​

NZXT HAVIK 140​

Cooler Master V6GT​

I read that IB gets hotter than usual and I want to keep my CPU cool probably with a slight overclock if needed when I get a GPU. Should I go low profile 2 DIMMs RAM? I don't know where the first RAM slot lies, nearest to CPU or furthest?


Rest of the build:
Intel 3570K
Seasonic X850 – I am on 230V Grid: http://www.anandtech.com/show/2920/12
Thermaltake Armor A90
Samsung 830 128GB SSD
GPU in a few months. Perhaps GTX680 successor with higher TDP.


​

The powerful components are mostly for 1080p gaming.​

 

[Alaa]

NM.

 

[lehtv]

Please answer all the standard questions: http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=24043454&postcount=1

Are X79 motherboards going to support Haswell? I don't want to reach a dead end in 1 year!

X79 is the chipset in LGA2011 socket motherboards, while i5-3570K is an LGA1155 CPU. LGA1155 and LGA2011 will most likely not be compatible with Haswell. Also would expect Haswell to use DDR4 but we'll see.

 

[Alaa]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Gaming, web surfing, wireless connection to a tablet.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
~900$ without GPU.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
Egypt and import SSD from USA.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
250GB HDD, 2TB external HDD.

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

8. What resolution will you be using?
1080p.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
In 1 month.

 

[Alaa]

Is this going to work well with the MoBo: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006VK6BRY ?

 

[DSF]

Do you need 4 USB 3.0 ports in the front? Since you're already budgeting to spend 70+ on a case, why not just choose a case that has at least one front panel USB 3.0 port? Then you don't have to drop an additional $20 on a front bay piece.

 

[Alaa]

I already have this case. I like its style. The motherboard provides 4 front USB3.0, I think there is no point in wasting those ports since most gadgets are available in USB3 these days.

 

[lehtv]

Seasonic X850 – I am on 230V Grid: http://www.anandtech.com/show/2920/12

Two things. You won't need this much power for a single GPU. Since you game at 1080p, you won't ever need to SLI a GTX 680 so you don't need the wattage overhead to allow SLI. Buy a 650W unit max unless you intend to upgrade to a higher resolution monitor setup. Second, think hard before buying a Seasonic X - not that they're not pure awesome win when it comes to PSUs. But they're also hella expensive. You can find units that are comparable in reliability for half the price without the costly extras like full modularity, gold efficiency and hybrid fan control. You may notice that I own a Seasonic X-650 - I bought it for the hybrid fan as I intended to make my setup as quiet as possible (got a quiet case, a quiet cooler and also modded fan speed on my GPU...)

Are these any better than 1600 MHz? Which one is more reliable?

As with Sandy Bridge, memory speed won't make any noticeable difference outside of benchmarking. Memory in general is reliable as evidenced by the fact that pretty much all brands offer lifetime warranty.

I already have this case. I like its style.

You will still have USB3.0 in the back I/O panel. Unless you're going to be plugging and unplugging an USB3.0 external hard drive very often, you won't need USB3.0 in the front panel. And even then you may not need it, depending on where you put your case - mine is on the table and it's easy to access the rear panel.

 

[Alaa]

Two things. You won't need this much power for a single GPU. Since you game at 1080p, you won't ever need to SLI a GTX 680 so you don't need the wattage overhead to allow SLI. Buy a 650W unit max unless you intend to upgrade to a higher resolution monitor setup. Second, think hard before buying a Seasonic X - not that they're not pure awesome win when it comes to PSUs. But they're also hella expensive. You can find units that are comparable in reliability for half the price without the costly extras like full modularity, gold efficiency and hybrid fan control. You may notice that I own a Seasonic X-650 - I bought it for the hybrid fan as I intended to make my setup as quiet as possible (got a quiet case, a quiet cooler and also modded fan speed on my GPU...)

The problem is that there are no gold PSUs around here lower than 850W and shipping PSUs overseas is costly. I like how quiet this will be since I am going to put this PC in my bedroom.

As with Sandy Bridge, memory speed won't make any noticeable difference outside of benchmarking. Memory in general is reliable as evidenced by the fact that pretty much all brands offer lifetime warranty.

I'll stick with the SAMSUNG then and operate on low voltage.

You will still have USB3.0 in the back I/O panel. Unless you're going to be plugging and unplugging an USB3.0 external hard drive very often, you won't need USB3.0 in the front panel. And even then you may not need it, depending on where you put your case - mine is on the table and it's easy to access the rear panel.

Well, I am skipping the front panel for now. I am placing mine on the table too.

 

[lehtv]

The problem is that there are no gold PSUs around here lower than 850W and shipping PSUs overseas is costly. I like how quiet this will be since I am going to put this PC in my bedroom.

But gold rating is not worth the extra money if all you want is for it to draw less power - it'll take ages to pay itself back. Gold rated PSUs do tend to be quieter though but in order to benefit from a quiet PSU, you need to make sure your case fans, CPU fan and graphics card fans are all very quiet as well.

 

[Alaa]

But gold rating is not worth the extra money if all you want is for it to draw less power - it'll take ages to pay itself back. Gold rated PSUs do tend to be quieter though but in order to benefit from a quiet PSU, you need to make sure your case fans, CPU fan and graphics card fans are all very quiet as well.

Power saving is an extra for me. I just like the modularity and noise reduction since I mostly leave my PC 24/7. The next step is to make sure all fans are running quiet as well.

 

[mfenn]

Power saving is an extra for me. I just like the modularity and noise reduction since I mostly leave my PC 24/7. The next step is to make sure all fans are running quiet as well.

The point is that there are plenty of quiet PSUs available that aren't super expensive. Any of the "lesser" Seasonics like the S12II or derivatives like the XFX Core series are very quiet. It's not like you need modular cables in a huge case like the Armor anyway.

 

[Alaa]

How's the M12II 620W? With voltage regulation and ripple in mind.

 

[mfenn]

How's the M12II 620W?

It's good, but try for the S12II or XFX if you can, they should cost less.

 

[Alaa]

There is a 520W version here. Again is this good with ripple control?

 

[mfenn]

There is a 520W version here. Again is this good with ripple control?

Yes.

 

[Alaa]

Well, I think I'll be buying a GPU on day one. Thanks. Any input regarding the motherboard and CPU cooler? I want the EVGA one.

 

[mfenn]

Well, I think I'll be buying a GPU on day one. Thanks. Any input regarding the motherboard and CPU cooler? I want the EVGA one.

Who knows about the mobo? Reliable reviews aren't out yet. I will say that anything from ASUS with "Pro" or "Deluxe" in the name is a probaby a waste of money.

As for the cooler, it looks like a pretty generic 120mm tower cooler to me. There are plenty of alternatives (Hyper 212/612, Mugen 3, etc.) available. Get whichever costs the least.

 

[Alaa]

Any use of dual band with a win8 tablet as a screen? I'd really like to try this out.

Are all coolers the same? Remember that I am in Egypt and summer is coming with >30 degrees Celsius and Ivy bridge is probably going to dissipate more heat than usual.

 

[lehtv]

Are all coolers the same? Remember that I am in Egypt and summer is coming with >30 degrees Celsius and Ivy bridge is probably going to dissipate more heat than usual.

No there are definite differences even for coolers that cost the same. What coolers do you have available, do you buy online? I would say Scythe Mugen 3 is among the best performers at the ~$50 price point, although the rather elusive Thermalright HR-02 Macho beats it for $10 less. For $25-35, it is generally agreed that Cooler Master Hyper 212+ or 212 Evo are the best.

Generally speaking, higher performance cooling comes with one or more of the following:
- faster RPM fan
- more fans
- heavier heatsink ~ more dissipation area
- more heatpipes

 

[Alaa]

The coolers I listed above are available here beside the hyper 612. Which one should I go with?

 

[lehtv]

NZXT havik is certainly the highest performing one as it's a 760g heatsink with two 140mm fans. According to the topmost newegg review it's "10-12c difference over my CM Hyper 212 EVO". It shouldn't be too noisy but the the hyper 212 would probably be quieter.

 

[Alaa]

What if I get a used GTX 580, will power be a problem?
http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph5699/45174.png

 

[lehtv]

No, a 650W unit would power it with plenty of room for overclocking and expansion (bar another 580). Used GTX 580 is ok if you can get it for less than a new HD7870 (assuming you have those available). As you can see from that graph you posted, 7870 consumes a lot less power, 650w with 4x pcie connectors would be enough for crossfire. But it performs nearly as well as a 580, and will surpass it when overclocked.

 

[Alaa]

I think the difference could be >100$.