New Build

[keezy]

This will be my first venture at building a computer from the ground up, and before I do so, I'd like to get some final critique from more experienced members. I will be using it predominantly for gaming at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 running on Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. Here's what I've compiled so far:

Case - COOLER MASTER HAF X
MB - ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1)
PSU - COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series (1000W)
CPU - Intel Core i7-2600K
CPU Cooler - Noctua NH-D14
GPU - HIS Radeon HD 6970
RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws (2 x 4GB)
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black (1.5TB)
SDD - Corsair Force Series GT (180GB)
DVD - ASUS DVD Burner

I've been told that this is overkill and would like to get some input. Is there a part of the same quality that's less expensive or of better quality that is the same price? I think I'm going to get an i5-2500k instead, but will this make a difference if I record videos? Additionally, I'd like to get a 850W PSU to save some money. Are there any modular ones that you guys recommend? I plan on getting a second video card or even upgrading to a 7970 in the near future so will an 850W PSU be able to power them? I also think I'm going to settle for a cheaper case. Is there any particular case you guys recommend with roughly the same cooling potential as the HAF X? Other than that, are there any other components I can change to save money yet maintain similar preformance? My goal is to be able to run Battlefield 3 on ultra at 60+ FPS.

I'm sorry for all the questions, but any help at all is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[PhoenixEnigma]

For gaming, the i7's not really worth the price premium over the i5. Unless you are doing a lot of media work, it's probably not worth it.

850W is tonnes. You really don't need 1000W unless you're, idk, running quad crossfire on an OC'd Bulldozer or something. 2x6970's will clock in with a system draw of around 600W according to Bench. I'd be looking for a 700w or 750W PSU.

Other thoughts from others, I am sure.

 

[lehtv]

It is indeed overkill in a lot of ways:

• Case Doesn't need to be a full tower. Corsair 500R offers great cooling, just one example.
• Mobo You won't probably need the Pro version of the motherboard (and Z68 would be the preferable chipset).
• PSU Way overkill, 850W would be enough for 6970 crossfire overclocked if you ever went that route.
• CPU 2600K is not worth $100 more than 2500K for gaming. Games don't even use more than 4 threads.
• Cooler D14 really is quite overkill, I know it's a fantastic cooler but it's just not needed. A cooler half the price (CM 212 Evo) would really be good enough for an overclocked Sandy.
• GPU Same GPU as in 6950 2GB but you pay 40% more. What separates them: 6970 has 5% more shaders and 10% higher core clocks. A 6950 will easily overclock to the same clocks, and many models can be BIOS flashed to the same shader count as well.
• RAM Good as long as it's ~$40 or so.
• HDD Depends on how much that costs. I'd expect Hitachi 7K1000.D 1TB to be better $/GB as well as faster.
• SSD Is 128GB not enough? (Also would prefer Crucial M4 or Samsung 830 over that, more reliable and just as fast.)

None of this has anything to do with quality, but offered features, performance and price - and their significance to you.

You could have a 2500K + 6950 2GB crossfire setup for less money and get over 60% better framerates.

Are you buying from the US?

 

[keezy]

It is indeed overkill in a lot of ways:
Case Doesn't need to be a full tower. Corsair 500R offers great cooling, just one example.
Mobo You won't probably need the Pro version of the motherboard (and Z68 would be the preferable chipset).
PSU Way overkill, 850W would be enough for 6970 crossfire overclocked if you ever went that route.
CPU 2600K is not worth $100 more than 2500K for gaming. Games don't even use more than 4 threads.
Cooler D14 really is quite overkill, I know it's a fantastic cooler but it's just not needed. A cooler half the price (CM 212 Evo) would really be good enough for an overclocked Sandy.
GPU Same GPU as in 6950 2GB but you pay 40% more. What separates them: 6970 has 5% more shaders and 10% higher core clocks. A 6950 will easily overclock to the same clocks, and many models can be BIOS flashed to the same shader count as well.
RAM Good as long as it's ~$40 or so.
HDD Depends on how much that costs. I'd expect Hitachi 7K1000.D 1TB to be better $/GB as well as faster.
SSD Is 128GB not enough? (Also would prefer Crucial M4 or Samsung 830 over that, more reliable and just as fast.)
None of this has anything to do with quality, but offered features, performance and price - and their significance to you.

You could have a 2500K + 6950 2GB crossfire setup for less money and get over 60% better framerates.

Are you buying from the US?

Very, very informative. Thanks. I'll have to check out some mid towers. I do like that Corsair though. As far as motherboards, what's the difference between p67 and z68? Is the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128523 good? Will I be able to fit my Noctua NH-D14 on a micro ATX board? Will it have room for a second graphics card eventually? I think I'm set on a 180GB SSD simply because I'd like to be able to have my OS along with my favorite games and applications on it. Does the Force Series GT not live up to it's specs? According to Newegg, it has 555MB/s read and 520MB/s write while the Crucial M4 has 500MB/s read and 175MB/s write. The IOPS is significantly lower as well.

P.S. I am buying from the US.

EDIT
This is my updated but not final setup so far:

Case - AZZA Toledo 301
MB - ASUS P8Z68-V (unless a cheaper micro ATX board will handle crossfire and my HUGE CPU cooler)
PSU - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850M (850W)
CPU - Intel Core i5-2500K
CPU Cooler - Noctua NH-D14
GPU - HIS Radeon HD 6970
RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws (2 x 4GB)
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black (1.5TB)
SDD - Crucial M4 (128GB) (still looking for SSD suggestions, however)
DVD - ASUS DVD Burner

 

[lehtv]

Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 (ATX) is $115 AR at the moment. Plenty of people on this board have that and can testify that it's a decent board, pretty much the best bang-for-buck Z68 board. It overclocks well and supports Crossfire/SLI. It does lack internal USB3 headers but that's a minimal loss for most people.

Sandforce drives have higher write speeds generally but write speeds aren't very important for SSD's. What matters is access time and read speeds. Sandforce has a reputation of being less reliable and hence the usual recommendations here are Crucial M4 or Samsung 830 which are not Sandforce based.

Again, 6970 is not worth it. Get Sapphire 6950 2GB for $80 less and OC to 880MHz. Also attempt to unlock it to 6970. It has a dual-BIOS switch for that purpose and often comes preloaded with the 6970 BIOS. If that fails you only lose 5% of performance - definitely worth saving $80.

Here's a good modular 850W unit for $110AR shipped: XFX 850W XXX

I would forget about the D14 and buy a Cooler Master 212 Evo or Scythe Mugen 3.

On newegg, that 1.5TB Caviar Black is $180. $0.12/GB. Hitachi 7K1000.D $120 is the same $/GB but faster. If you don't need 1.5TB of space right now, get the cheaper drive and add another when the hard drive prices drop back to normal.

 

[mfenn]

Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 (ATX) is $115 AR at the moment. Plenty of people on this board have that and can testify that it's a decent board, pretty much the best bang-for-buck Z68 board. It overclocks well and supports Crossfire/SLI. It does lack internal USB3 headers but that's a minimal loss for most people.

Sandforce drives have higher write speeds generally but write speeds aren't very important for SSD's. What matters is access time and read speeds. Sandforce has a reputation of being less reliable and hence the usual recommendations here are Crucial M4 or Samsung 830 which are not Sandforce based.

Again, 6970 is not worth it. Get Sapphire 6950 2GB for $80 less and OC to 880MHz. Also attempt to unlock it to 6970. It has a dual-BIOS switch for that purpose and often comes preloaded with the 6970 BIOS. If that fails you only lose 5% of performance - definitely worth saving $80.

Here's a good modular 850W unit for $110AR shipped: XFX 850W XXX

I would forget about the D14 and buy a Cooler Master 212 Evo or Scythe Mugen 3.

On newegg, that 1.5TB Caviar Black is $180. $0.12/GB. Hitachi 7K1000.D $120 is the same $/GB but faster. If you don't need 1.5TB of space right now, get the cheaper drive and add another when the hard drive prices drop back to normal.

:thumbsup: to all of this.

Another point regarding the SSD is that the numbers that you see quoted for Sandforce drives are usually in very compressible workloads. When you start using incompressible data (very often data that has already been compressed like h.264 movies and game data files), the performance drops quite a bit. Other drives like the Crucial M4 and Samsung 830 are not affected in this way.

 

[keezy]

Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 (ATX) is $115 AR at the moment. Plenty of people on this board have that and can testify that it's a decent board, pretty much the best bang-for-buck Z68 board. It overclocks well and supports Crossfire/SLI. It does lack internal USB3 headers but that's a minimal loss for most people.

Sandforce drives have higher write speeds generally but write speeds aren't very important for SSD's. What matters is access time and read speeds. Sandforce has a reputation of being less reliable and hence the usual recommendations here are Crucial M4 or Samsung 830 which are not Sandforce based.

Again, 6970 is not worth it. Get Sapphire 6950 2GB for $80 less and OC to 880MHz. Also attempt to unlock it to 6970. It has a dual-BIOS switch for that purpose and often comes preloaded with the 6970 BIOS. If that fails you only lose 5% of performance - definitely worth saving $80.

Here's a good modular 850W unit for $110AR shipped: XFX 850W XXX

I would forget about the D14 and buy a Cooler Master 212 Evo or Scythe Mugen 3.

On newegg, that 1.5TB Caviar Black is $180. $0.12/GB. Hitachi 7K1000.D $120 is the same $/GB but faster. If you don't need 1.5TB of space right now, get the cheaper drive and add another when the hard drive prices drop back to normal.

Definitely changing to that motherboard. Is USB 3.0 backwards compatible and does it increase the speed of USB 2.0 devices? If not, I wont be using it anyways.

I'm gonna go with the Crucial M4 and maybe get a second one eventually and run it in RAID0 format. I heard that by doing so, you lose TRIM support. Is this true and if so, how much does it effect performance? Is it worth it?

Unfortunately, I purchased the 6970 and the Noctua NH-D14 along with my RAM about a month ago. I just put those on the list as well to show the complete build. I wish I had waited...

I think I'm gonna go with the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139029&Tpk=CORSAIR%20Enthusiast%20Series%20TX850M power supply under the premises that Corsair has good reviews. It's only $139.99.

I always wondered why that 1.5TB HDD was less expensive then the 1TB Caviar Black, and it being slower like you say would explain it. Could you explain to me though? I don't know much about HDDs other then they are classified under their SATA connector speed, RPM and cache. What makes the Hitachi faster? Both have SATA 6GB/s and 7200RPM, and the WD actually has 32MB of additional cache.

Finally, will everything fit in the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517013&Tpk=azza%20toledo%20301 mid-tower case? Will there be enough room for the giant CPU cooler and 2 6970s? Is it even a good case to get? It was the cheapest mid-tower I could find with a good side fan for my GPU. It also has a 2.5" drive bay which is useful since the Crucial M4 doesn't come with an adapter. Still open for suggestion on this though.


Again, thanks for all your help, lehtv. I couldn't ask for more... but I probably will.

 

[lehtv]

Definitely changing to that motherboard. Is USB 3.0 backwards compatible and does it increase the speed of USB 2.0 devices? If not, I wont be using it anyways.

USB3.0 ports will work at USB2.0 speeds when connected to USB2.0 devices. You still get the rear panel USB3.0 ports with that board.

I'm gonna go with the Crucial M4 and maybe get a second one eventually and run it in RAID0 format. I heard that by doing so, you lose TRIM support. Is this true and if so, how much does it effect performance? Is it worth it?

Not having TRIM doesn't affect performance immediately, but it will over time. How much, I'm not sure... In any case I wouldn't bother with RAID. SATA III SSD's are already so fast that they fill their main purpose effortlessly (near-instant access time). In practice with RAID you get faster read/write which really only benefits you when processing large files. (I could imagine it being possibly worth it for something like a scratch disk for HD video editing. Not an expert on this though.)

Unfortunately, I purchased the 6970 and the Noctua NH-D14 along with my RAM about a month ago. I just put those on the list as well to show the complete build. I wish I had waited.

Ah, well that would've been useful to mention in the OP.

I think I'm gonna go with the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139029&Tpk=CORSAIR%20En thusiast%20Series%20TX850M power supply under the premises that Corsair has good reviews. It's only $139.99.

XFX has equally good reviews, so that's not a particularly good reason to prefer Corsair over XFX. TX850M is manufactured by CWT while XFX are manufactured by Seasonic. Corsair's CWT units are very good, but Seasonic's voltage regulation is a bit better. Both are well within spec though so whatever. XFX 850W XXX also has higher efficiency than TX850M.

Corsair may have better customer support, I'll give you that . And if you get that gift card and end up using it, it'll actually cost less after rebate than the XFX one.

I always wondered why that 1.5TB HDD was less expensive then the 1TB Caviar Black, and it being slower like you say would explain it. Could you explain to me though?

No that's not what I meant. I meant that Hitachi 7K1000.D is faster than a Caviar Black. The 7K1000.D is a new single-platter drive. 1TB of space on one platter means high density and hence fast reads and writes. Caviar Black has several platters (1TB = 2x 500GB, 1.5TB probably 2x750GB, not sure), so they have a bit lower density and hence slower reads/writes.

This is from someone's newegg review on the Hitachi:

Crystal Diskmark performance:
Sequential Read : 186.281 MB/s
Sequential Write : 184.397 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 57.347 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 78.583 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 0.638 MB/s [ 155.7 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 1.527 MB/s [ 372.8 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 1.391 MB/s [ 339.6 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 1.391 MB/s [ 339.5 IOPS]
Test : 1000 MB [E: 0.0% (0.1/931.5 GB)] (x5)

That's really fast for a HDD.

But the Caviar is fast too. From another newegg review (can't really find pro reviews on either...):

-Sequential read/write 150mbs new "CrystalDiskMark"

I noticed the Caviar does have 5 year warranty though so maybe go with that. With an SSD in your system, HDD speed is kind of a seconary issue anyway.

Finally, will everything fit in the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517013&Tpk=azza%20toled o%20301 mid-tower case? Will there be enough room for the giant CPU cooler and 2 6970s? Is it even a good case to get?

I wouldn't buy it... I mean sure it looks like a tempting deal, a lot of cooling for that price. But I very much doubt the construction quality is going to match Corsair, Cooler Master, Antec, Lian Li, Silverstone etc. brands that have an established reputation of quality. (The big side fan will probably interfere with a tall CPU cooler.)

If you want a big side fan to cool dual GPUs, but with enough room for D14... Corsair 500R is not very wide but possibly D14 won't interfere with the side fan. Cooler Master Storm Sniper should be wide enough: Googling provides some evidence that D14 will fit. Another option is Silverstone Raven RV02, the vertical airflow and 90 degree turned motherboard is great for GPU cooling. But it's a bit expensive.

Happy new year!

 

[keezy]

Not having TRIM doesn't affect performance immediately, but it will over time. How much, I'm not sure... In any case I wouldn't bother with RAID. SATA III SSD's are already so fast that they fill their main purpose effortlessly (near-instant access time). In practice with RAID you get faster read/write which really only benefits you when processing large files. (I could imagine it being possibly worth it for something like a scratch disk for HD video editing. Not an expert on this though.)

I'm gonna go ahead and get the Crucial M4 (128GB) SSD and possibly get a second one in the future. Not going to put it in Raid0 though.

No that's not what I meant. I meant that Hitachi 7K1000.D is faster than a Caviar Black. The 7K1000.D is a new single-platter drive. 1TB of space on one platter means high density and hence fast reads and writes. Caviar Black has several platters (1TB = 2x 500GB, 1.5TB probably 2x750GB, not sure), so they have a bit lower density and hence slower reads/writes.

I see, I see. That makes sense. Does the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840 have a single platter? I just like the fact that it has 64MB cache. I know cache isn't a big deal, but it would make me feel better, haha. It's significantly cheaper then the Caviar Black just like the Hitachi.

I wouldn't buy it... I mean sure it looks like a tempting deal, a lot of cooling for that price. But I very much doubt the construction quality is going to match Corsair, Cooler Master, Antec, Lian Li, Silverstone etc. brands that have an established reputation of quality. (The big side fan will probably interfere with a tall CPU cooler.)

Thanks for that warning. I think I've decided on a case. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811553002 with one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835553003 for the side panel. It comes to a total of $115. I know it's not a major brand, but the reviews speak for themselves and it's the biggest bang for the buck full-tower on Newegg. Even with the additional fan.


Here's the final setup:

Case - COUGAR Evolution
Case Fan - COUGAR CF-V14H
MB - ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
PSU - XFX ProSeries XXX (850W)
CPU - Intel Core i5-2500K (3.3GHz)
CPU Cooler - Noctua NH-D14
GPU - HIS Radeon HD 6970 (2GB)
RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series (8GB)
HDD - Seagate Barracuda (1TB) (if this is a single-platter HDD)
SDD - Crucial M4 (128GB)
DVD - ASUS DVD Burner


I can't thank you enough for all your advice.

P.S what's the difference between CrossFireX certified and CrossFireX ready in regards to power supplies? Just for future reference.

 

[lehtv]

I see, I see. That makes sense. Does the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840 have a single platter? I just like the fact that it has 64MB cache. I know cache isn't a big deal, but it would make me feel better, haha. It's significantly cheaper then the Caviar Black just like the Hitachi.

Yes, that's also a nice 1TB platter drive with read/write speeds averaging 156mb/s according to the official data sheet. Good find.

Thanks for that warning. I think I've decided on a case. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811553002 with one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835553003 for the side panel. It comes to a total of $115. I know it's not a major brand, but the reviews speak for themselves and it's the biggest bang for the buck full-tower on Newegg. Even with the additional fan.

It doesn't look that big to be honest. Full towers normally are a bit taller than that and support larger than ATX motherboards which that one doesn't. And you only get two 120mm fans with that case, probably one of the reasons it's so cheap; I'd expect a full tower to come with more fans than that, and bigger ones. E.g. Rosewill Thor V2 comes with three 230mm fans and a 140mm rear fan.

When choosing a large case you need to make sure the power supply has long enough cables. Corsair is pretty much the only high quality brand whose PSUs have long enough cables even for the biggest full towers. The XFX should do for a big mid-tower though.

If you want a mid-tower + 140mm side fan: Corsair 400R + 140mm fan on the lower side slot. Guaranteed that 400R is a better case than the Cougar.

RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series (8GB)

Out of stock already, it seems. Here

 

[mfenn]

I see, I see. That makes sense. Does the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840 have a single platter? I just like the fact that it has 64MB cache. I know cache isn't a big deal, but it would make me feel better, haha. It's significantly cheaper then the Caviar Black just like the Hitachi.

I'd still get the 7K1000.D 1TB. It is less expensive and the extra cache does not make a damn bit of difference.

Case - COUGAR Evolution
Case Fan - COUGAR CF-V14H
MB - ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
PSU - XFX ProSeries XXX (850W)
CPU - Intel Core i5-2500K (3.3GHz)
CPU Cooler - Noctua NH-D14
GPU - HIS Radeon HD 6970 (2GB)
RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series (8GB)
HDD - Seagate Barracuda (1TB) (if this is a single-platter HDD)
SDD - Crucial M4 (128GB)
DVD - ASUS DVD Burner

Looks OK, but the PSU is still a big waste. Coming from experience here, there is a 95% probability that you will never go Crossfire. I know that you're excited about building a PC right now and are dreaming about the upgrade possibilities, but once you get it and use it for a while, you will almost certainly be satisfied with the single 6970. By the time you're ready for a GPU upgrade, you will find that it is hard to justify buying a new 6970 when the 8970 (or whatever) is out.

Same goes for the SSD, you will not need to get another one until you run out of capacity. At that point, you will be able to buy a completely new series of drive with better performance and cost/GB.

 

[keezy]

If you want a mid-tower + 140mm side fan: Corsair 400R + 140mm fan on the lower side slot. Guaranteed that 400R is a better case than the Cougar.

I like that 400r a lot. The only thing holding me back right now is the case. I saw another thread where the Fractal Arc Midi was suggested. I still can't decide. I'm more for functionality then aesthetics so it's not the appearance that will make or break it. Which one would you guys suggest? I'm mainly concerned about my CPU cooler. Since I already bought the NH-D14, I need to find a case that it can fit comfortably in. Will both of those suit it's huge size? Even if I add side panel fans? Another concern after reading a few things is the NH-D14 and my RAM sticks. Will there be room for my RAM?

Looks OK, but the PSU is still a big waste. Coming from experience here, there is a 95% probability that you will never go Crossfire. I know that you're excited about building a PC right now and are dreaming about the upgrade possibilities, but once you get it and use it for a while, you will almost certainly be satisfied with the single 6970. By the time you're ready for a GPU upgrade, you will find that it is hard to justify buying a new 6970 when the 8970 (or whatever) is out.

I'm gonna take your word for it and buy a 750W Corsair PSU, unless there's a better one for less. Will I be able to run the next gen AMD 7000 series cards at that?


I'm gonna buy everything mid-February, so I have plenty of time to change things up and find the best setup.

 

[lehtv]

Since I already bought the NH-D14, I need to find a case that it can fit comfortably in. Will both of those suit it's huge size? Even if I add side panel fans?

That was me btw not mfenn. NH-D14 is 160mm tall, it'll fit both cases. Arc Midi fits coolers up to 180mm tall but you probably won't be able to use the side panel fan slot. As mentioned, on the 400R you should only populate the lower side panel fan slot.

Will there be room for my RAM?

Yes.

Will I be able to run the next gen AMD 7000 series cards at that?

750W is enough for two 7970's. 7800 series will use less power than 6800 series, you could probably run 7850 crossfire on a 550w unit.

I'm gonna buy everything mid-February, so I have plenty of time to change things up and find the best setup.

In that case keep your eyes on this XFX 750W for $60 AR: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=596...anufacture=XFX. "Usually available in 1 to 2 weeks"

 

[keezy]

Then 400r it is. Thanks for clearing that up.

Ughh... it's too far away. I want to build it now

 

[theattrox]

Noctua D14 fits in my 500r just fine.

 

[lehtv]

@ theattrox, out of curiosity how does it align with the side fan? is the cooler simply not tall enough to touch the fan, or is the fan situated low enough vertically?

 

[theattrox]

It's not tall enough to touch the fan, there's a couple centimeters of space. My only complaint is if I ever want to change my ram I have to unscrew the cooler since it's so sharp and covers almost everything.

 

[mfenn]

I'm gonna take your word for it and buy a 750W Corsair PSU, unless there's a better one for less. Will I be able to run the next gen AMD 7000 series cards at that?

A 650W like the XFX Core 650W is what you want for a single card, including the 7000 series. 750W is enough for 6970 Crossfire. 850W is only really needed for GTX 580 SLI or 7970 Crossfire.

Ughh... it's too far away. I want to build it now

Make sure to bump this thread when you get close to building, the good deals will have most likely shifted all around.

 

[keezy]

Make sure to bump this thread when you get close to building, the good deals will have most likely shifted all around.

The time has come! I'm gonna order everything either tomorrow or the next day. Before I do so, I'd like to get some final input to see if anything's changed. Better deals, newly released hardware at the same price, etc.

Here's what it boils down to:

Case - Corsair Carbide 400R
Mobo - ASRock Z68 Extreme3 (Gen3)
CPU - Intel Core i5-2500K
PSU - CORSAIR Professional (750W; 80 Plus Silver)
HDD - Seagate Barracuda (1TB)
SSD - Crucial M4 (128GB)
ODD - ASUS DVD Burner
OS - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (OEM)

I already have the GPU, CPU Cooler, and RAM.

Thanks.

 

[mfenn]

You're probably paying too much for the HX750 (currently $140 AR on Newegg). Get something reasonable like the XFX Core 750W or XXX 750W. Also, the Barracuda may or may not be a good deal depending on where you're buying it, don't pay more than $125 for a 1TB HDD.

 

[keezy]

I built it! In fact, I'm on it right now. Was fairly easy. The NH-D14 is a bitch though. Got in the way multiple times, haha. Runs good and everything. I just wanted to get suggestions on programs to check all my hardware and make sure everything is running to it's potential. Would also like temperature programs and references to show what other people are getting with the NH-D14. Thanks guys for all the help.

 

[fffblackmage]

If it turns on and you're not experiencing any issues, then it's more than likely perfectly fine.

There are a number of programs for stress testing the cpu, but it's not really necessary until you start overclocking. OCCT, LinX, and Prime 95 are a few I know of.

You can stress test the video card with Furmark.

Test the memory with memtest86+.

 

[mfenn]

If it turns on and you're not experiencing any issues, then it's more than likely perfectly fine.

There are a number of programs for stress testing the cpu, but it's not really necessary until you start overclocking. OCCT, LinX, and Prime 95 are a few I know of.

You can stress test the video card with Furmark.

Test the memory with memtest86+.

:thumbsup: to this. LinX is especially a killer since it performs an operation (solve a linear system of equations) for which it is very easy to check the result. Not only does the OC have to be stable enough to not crash the PC, it has to be stable enough to give the correct answer!

 

[keezy]

Thanks guys

I'll look into tests after I overclock my i5. I have no experience doing so, however... Are there any guides showing how to overclock an i5 on a ASRock mobo?

Is it worth it to overclock a 6970 graphics card, and if so, are there any guides for that?

Is it worth it to overclock my RAM?

Finally, should I look for something to test my solid state drive and make sure it's running how it's supposed to?

I appreciate all the help guys!

 

[mfenn]

Comprehensive guide to overclocking an i5 2500K
Step 1. Go into BIOS
Step 2. Set multiplier to 40 - 44.
Step 3. There is no step 3.

:awe:

Overclocking the GPU via CCC is pretty easy and can net you linear speedup in games, but it of course comes at the cost of increased heat an noise. Overclocking the RAM is also possible, but not worth it.

As for the SSD, run some benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark and AS SSD and post the results here.