Trying to build a new computer, help is appreciated.

[pkpkay]

Nothing is set in stone...I'm always open to new suggestions.
Last time I built a new rig was over 5 years ago so it's taking me a while to get caught up again.
Any thoughts on Ivy Bridges vs Sandy Bridges?

I'll be using this computer for gaming.
My budget is around $800. If I can get a significant upgrade, I'm willing to go up to 1000.
I'll be buying these items from Newegg (USA)
I do not have a brand preference but I heard Diablo plays better on AMD cards.
I may tinker around with overclocking, but after I do some more research on it.
My resolution will most likely be 1920x1080
I want to build this in time for DIablo 3, but I'm also thinking about delaying it a bit longer hoping for deals on Memorial Day.....haven't decided yet.
Does anyone have any input on the type of sales going on during Memorial Day?


Hard Disk
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136769

Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119197

PSU
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER (I thought this was a really good PSU for the price)

GPU (I heard the 7800 are about the same price as the 6900's but uses less power and is more efficient??)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102984

CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115072

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231445

MOBO (Not really sure about this part...open to ideas)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157304
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157271 (does anyone know why the Z68 is MORE expensive than the Z75?)

Heatsink
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

 

[lehtv]

Hello and welcome to Anandtech )

HDD Bad $/GB compared to 1TB drives. This is also quite a bit faster: Hitachi 7K1000.D 1TB $100
Case Good but lacks USB3.0. Lian Li PC-K9WX $64 AP
PSU Not a very good PSU, and way more powerful than you need. You could run 7850 Tri-fire comfortably off of a good 750W unit. PC P&C MK III 600W $57 AR AP (also more powerful than you need, but can't say no to that price, at least it's future proof!)
GPU Buy the no OC version and OC it yourself. Sapphire 7850 2GB $250
CPU Good [$220] + Hyper 212+ $20 AR
RAM Too pricey for what it is. Mushkin 2x4GB 1600 $45
Mobo You've got the right idea. I'd buy a Z77 board though, e.g. Biostar TZ77B $100, Asrock Z77 Pro3 $110 or Gigabyte Z77-D3H $120
DVD Samsung DVDRW $17

= $873 AR AP

If you want to get closer to $800... Well, you could get by without overclocking (H61 mobo, non-K CPU, no aftermarket cooler). And Diablo 3 would run smoothly with a HD6870. I would recommend the latter option as the GPU is always easier to upgrade, and overclockability of the CPU increases the longevity of that platform. Buy a 6870 now, upgrade when needed. XFX 6870 $160 AR

On the other hand, if you're willing to pay $1000, you've got two choices. Bump up the GPU to a newly released GTX 670 $400 which is a lot faster than 7850 at stock and thus will last a LONG time before needing an upgrade. Or treat yourself with a Crucial M4 128GB SSD $125. Nothing else in the build needs to change .

 

[pkpkay]

Thanks for the warm welcome
I went ahead and changed out the HD to the one you recommended. I also noticed the one you recommended has 32mB cache as oppose to 16mb. nice call and TY. But if storage space isn't a problem (i have an external 500 GB drives that I can use...do you think SSD drives are worth it for gaming? Maybe it's better to buy a regular drive and wait a while till SSD drive prices go down?

I was drawn to that psu due to the price after rebates (59.99).
Can you elaborate when you say it's not very good?

GPU: I've never overclocked anything before....Is it just as easy as changing a few setting in bios or GPU control panel?

memory - the cas timings are 9 as opposed to 8....will that make a huge difference?
Otherwise, I remember Mushkin from when I built my computer a while back! =D

mobo: I heard a lot of positive things about the Asrock, so I'll probably go with that.


Does AR AP mean After Rebate After Promotion?

 

[T_Yamamoto]

AR=After rebate
AP=after promotion
GPU overclocking is very easy, all you do is install a program (IE: MSI afterburner) and move a slider
PSU: PC&C is more reliable than that OCZ (you NEVER want to skimp on the PSU)

 

[lehtv]

But if storage space isn't a problem (i have an external 500 GB drives that I can use...do you think SSD drives are worth it for gaming? Maybe it's better to buy a regular drive and wait a while till SSD drive prices go down?

If your current storage needs are met with the external hard drive, I would definitely buy an SSD. At $125 for 128GB, the price is already low enough that there's little point in waiting for further price drops.

GPU: I've never overclocked anything before....Is it just as easy as changing a few setting in bios or GPU control panel?

It's as easy as tuning volts and clocks in driver software or third party software like MSI Afterburner. For a mild to moderate OC, you won't need to touch the volts - just increase MHz on core and memory as far as it goes while staying stable under stress testing (OCCT).

I was drawn to that psu due to the price after rebates (59.99).
Can you elaborate when you say it's not very good?

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2008/11/12/ocz_700w_modxstream_pro_power_supply/4

In HardOCP's stringent ~50C testing temperature, the PSU failed to provide its full rated wattage cleanly. Later on HardOCP lowered the testing temperature and was able to get it to work at full power. But temperatures inside a rig that actually needs a 700W PSU can definitely rise high enough for the original test to be an accurate measurement of quality.

The +12V output is not rated very high for a 700W unit - only 46A = 552W. The PCP&C unit is rated for the same +12V output despite being only a 600W unit.

Efficiency wise it's certified for 80 Plus, most units these days including PCP&C are 80 Plus Bronze. It's a small difference, but still a factor that should be considered. The higher the efficiency, the less waste heat is produced, which in theory decreases the wear on the PSU and/or the noise made by the cooling fan.

It's manufactured by Sirtec and comes with only 3 years of warranty. You can expect more solid build quality and higher quality components from a 5-year warranty Seasonic build like PCP&C MK III. For example, one of the most common failure points is the fan because it's the only moving part in a PSU. In ModXStream, the fan operates on a sleeve bearing which is good for quiet operation but not as good for reliability. The fan in the Seasonic built unit is a ball bearing fan which is more reliable although not as quiet at high loads.

 

[pkpkay]

Awesome! Thank you for those responses lehtv.
So it looks like I'll be going with the...

SSD : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148442
GPU : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102986
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820226191
PSU : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817703036
CPU + HS : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103065
MOBO: still not 100% sure but i'm leaning towards http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138352


If I could upgrade just a bit anywhere else....any recommendations?
Anyone else have any input?

 

[mfenn]

I think that the i5 3570K is worth the $15 over the i5 2500K, but otherwise the build looks good to me.

 

[pkpkay]

I think that the i5 3570K is worth the $15 over the i5 2500K, but otherwise the build looks good to me.

It seems the IB gives better PCI 3 support?
Also uses less power?
Leaning towards the 3570k as well...

 

[cmdrdredd]

It seems the IB gives better PCI 3 support?
Also uses less power?
Leaning towards the 3570k as well...

Yes to both. Not to mention IB at the same clockspeed is faster than SB. If I remember right, a 4.2Ghz 3570k is about the same as a 4.4Ghz 2500k

 

[pkpkay]

I just learned about Microcenter and found out that one is fairly close to me (Orange County / Tustin about 30 miles away).
Since Newegg just went out of stock on a few items, and I want to build this rig ASAP, I decided to head over there this weekend and buy as much as I can. If Newegg has the superior deal, I can still order from them.
I'm also hoping that they'll have some mothers day sales.

With that being said, what do you guys think of this revised list?
I decided to go with the 3570k for the lower power usage and PCI3 support.

CPU: i5 Core 3570k
GPU: I couldn't find any HD 7850 vid cards... Does anyone have an alternative?
SSD : Crucial M4 128GB SSD (a bit more expensive than new egg..but not by much)
PSU: Silencer Mk III Series 600 Watt ATX
MOBO: ASRock z77 Pro3
CASE: I have no idea....Any suggestions / preferences?
RAM: Suggestions?

Again, open to suggestions and changes
Thanks so much!

 

[theory816]

Bro if you want a decent pc gaming system then its gonna be at least 1k. I think if you go in 500-800$ range you hold yourself back from a good pc gaming experience other then that just get a ps3. Just my 2cents

 

[pkpkay]

Bro if you want a decent pc gaming system then its gonna be at least 1k. I think if you go in 500-800$ range you hold yourself back from a good pc gaming experience other then that just get a ps3. Just my 2cents

The games I'll be playing are Dota2, Diablo 3, League of Legends, SC2, etc.
I'm mainly building a new rig for Diablo 3.
I think the parts I listed above can easily handle these games as well as other "higher end" games that I might play in the near future.
I saw some benchmarks that the 3570k and HD 7850 have been giving out and they look pretty promising....

The system I'm building actually looks very similar to the rig you're currently using.

 

[pkpkay]

Here's an updated list

CPU: i5 Core 3570k
GPU: I couldn't find any HD 7850 vid cards... Does anyone have an alternative?
SSD : Crucial M4 128GB SSD (a bit more expensive than new egg..but not by much)
PSU: Silencer Mk III Series 600 Watt ATX
MOBO: ASRock z77 Pro3
CASE: I have no idea....Any suggestions / preferences?
RAM: Samsung DDR3 1600 1.35V

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Source 210 Elite.
Sexy case IMHO

 

[lehtv]

Microcenter has 3570K for $190 and (I think) you get $50 off on Z77 boards. You could get a Z77 board for as low as $60. Ask about it in store.

Everything else is the same price on microcenter as on newegg but the selection is worse, so on newegg you often find better deals on some components, like the PCP&C power supply. I'd buy 3570K + Z77 + Samsung RAM from MC and everything else from Newegg.

 

[mfenn]

Bro if you want a decent pc gaming system then its gonna be at least 1k. I think if you go in 500-800$ range you hold yourself back from a good pc gaming experience other then that just get a ps3. Just my 2cents

Be quiet. The build the OP is proposing will do well for his needs.

 

[mfenn]

Here's an updated list

CPU: i5 Core 3570k
GPU: I couldn't find any HD 7850 vid cards... Does anyone have an alternative?
SSD : Crucial M4 128GB SSD (a bit more expensive than new egg..but not by much)
PSU: Silencer Mk III Series 600 Watt ATX
MOBO: ASRock z77 Pro3
CASE: I have no idea....Any suggestions / preferences?
RAM: Samsung DDR3 1600 1.35V

Looks good to me. It looks like the Orange County store is out of stock on 7850's, but other MC stores have them. I would honestly just get a 7850 from Newegg or Amazon, but the GTX 560 Ti is a lower-cost, lower-performance alternative that is in stock at your MC.

 

[theory816]

The games I'll be playing are Dota2, Diablo 3, League of Legends, SC2, etc.
I'm mainly building a new rig for Diablo 3.
I think the parts I listed above can easily handle these games as well as other "higher end" games that I might play in the near future.
I saw some benchmarks that the 3570k and HD 7850 have been giving out and they look pretty promising....

The system I'm building actually looks very similar to the rig you're currently using.

Lol yea i like my rig. Not bad for a first time pc builder huh. I mainly building it for gaming and program use. It ran me around 1k witout decent monitor.

 

[pkpkay]

woo hoo, got most of my parts, rest I'm waiting on Newegg....
But I'm trying to get a head start on stress testing / benchmarking / general checklist.
Does anyone have a good website/link that has some tutorials I can read up on.
I stumbled across one while I was researching my new computer but I misplaced the link.

I'm trying to compile a checklist of things I need to do.
Here are a few that I know of, but any input will be appreciated.

Install Windows 7
check to see if TRIM is enabled on new SSD drive
Install Microsoft Security Essentials (should I install anything else? I heard MSE is pretty good by itself)
Install Graphics Drivers

3 tests to make sure no faulty hardware
Memtest 86 for ram (5-6 passes?)
Prime95 for CPU (never tried this)
Furmark for GPU (heard this could damage some GPU's from overheating?)

Install all microsoft updates
OC CPU / GPU / RAM. (Is there a specific order that is the most efficient?)
Use CPU-Z to check stability / timings

Does anyone have a link to a good free program to measure computer temperatures?

 

[mfenn]

Your general steps are fine, TRIM will be automatically enabled if you have a TRIM-capable drive (you do) and you set the SATA controller to AHCI. So:

Step 0. Make sure AHCI is enabled for your SATA controllers.

I use HWMonitor check temps (and a lot of other things). You shouldn't have to worry about burning out anything with a stress test. Modern components will throttle/shut down before damaging themselves (usually D.