What's the best value motherboard/RAM for this setup?

[Kadence]

I'm looking for a setup that includes the following:

• OS - Windows 8
• CPU - i7-4770K
• GPU - Gigabyte Windforce HD 7950
• HD - Crucial M500 960TB SSD
• Two DVD burner SATA drives
• Two to four more SATA hard drives (I'd like a mobo that has slots for at least two extra SATA hard drives, but preferably enough for four extra if possible...though I suppose I could also ditch one of the DVD burners if necessary)
• One 3.5" floppy drive

I'm not looking to overclock anything, so I don't need a board built for OCing. I'm keeping my 24" 1920x1200 monitor, if that matters.

I'm looking for the best value, but one that is still able to get the maximum potential out of this setup. I have no particular budget in mind, just looking for the most sensible option(s).

From what I've seen the best bang for your buck on memory comes from DDR3 2133 PC 17000 and DDR3 2400 PC 19200 RAM (that's just from limited browsing though, I'm certainly no expert). BUt I don't know however if getting a motherboard compatible with such faster speed RAM would be substantially more expensive than one compatible with slower RAM, or if such RAM speeds are standard now.

What motherboards and which speed RAM would get the most out of this setup?

 

[lehtv]

As always with build threads, fill in:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
Gaming and ???

2. What YOUR budget is.
???

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.

5. IF YOU have a brand preference.
???

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
??? (what do you own / have bought already?)

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
No.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
1920x1200.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
???

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
Windows 8.

- Why do you need a 960GB SSD? Those are insanely expensive.
- A floppy drive... ? OK...
- You didn't list a power supply or a case.
- Since you don't OC, you don't need an i7-4770K. And since you plan to use a discrete GPU, you might as well go with a Xeon E3-1230 V3 assuming what you use the PC for benefits from the extra threads compared to an i5.
- RAM speed doesn't impact performance noticeably. 1600MHz is the best bang for buck.

 

[Kadence]

My apologies -

1) Use - Mostly general use, some occassional gaming

2) Budget - No specific budget, very flexible in this area. Just looking to get the most of my build, without paying extra for OCing needs.

3) Country - Online from Newegg and Amazon

4) N/a

5) Brand - no preference

6) Keeping my 24" 1920x2400 HP monitor, Corsair 1000HX power supply, DVD burner drives, floppy drive, Antec Twelve Hundred Case

7) OCing - No

8) 1920x1200

9) As soon as possible

10) Will need to buy Windows 8

Why do you need a 960GB SSD? Those are insanely expensive.

I'd like the 960GB SSD because I want all my apps on my SSD, not just the OS. And I have the money for it. Can write it off as a business expense anyway 🙂

A floppy drive... ? OK...

Yes - I still have a floppy drive 🙂 Obviously not important, was just listing everything because I didn't want to leave anything out.

You didn't list a power supply or a case.

Corsair 1000HX and Antec Twelve Hundred, both of which I already have

Since you don't OC, you don't need an i7-4770K. And since you plan to use a discrete GPU, you might as well go with a Xeon E3-1230 V3 assuming what you use the PC for benefits from the extra threads compared to an i5.

OK I'll consider that, thanks.

RAM speed doesn't impact performance noticeably. 1600MHz is the best bang for buck.

If you want 2133 or 2400 RAM, do you need a higher level mobo? Or do most modern mobos offer those speeds?

 

[lehtv]

I just find it hard to believe you have nearly a terabyte worth of apps. Most people can fit all their apps on a 128GB SSD, and if they're gamers, they can fit their games too on a 256GB SSD. In addition, it makes even less sense to buy a big SSD for general use. Overkill, pure and simple. It also seems inconsistent that you don't want to spend extra for overclocking, but you're ready top dish out several hundreds of dollars extra on a huge SSD. The benefits just aren't there.

Only the highest end chipsets usually support overclocked RAM, for Haswell that's Z87. However since you don't OC, you don't even need Z87, unless you want SLI/Crossfire compatibility. For your 1920x1200 resolution, SLI/CF isn't needed... but if you're itching to spend some cash, I would recommend upgrading to 2560x1440. It's a much more tangible upgrade than a big SSD.

Xeon E3-1230V3 $255
Asrock H87 Performance $100
(for SLI/CF: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming $140 AP)
8GB Kingston 1600 $53 x2 = $106
Sapphire 7970 $280 AR
Samsung 840 250GB $170
Seagate ST2000DM001 $100 (add as many as you need for storage)
Reuse DVD-RW, PSU, Case

= $1011 AR or $1051 AR AP depending on motherboard

Optional: Dell U2713HM $612 27" 2560x1440 IPS

What about your other peripherals? What mouse, kb, speakers etc are you using?

 

[mfenn]

I'm in agreement with lehtv, we'll a use case a lot more specific than "general use" before a 1TB SSD and DDR3 2400 recommendation make sense. I mean, I can imagine such use cases, but they don't hardly fall into what I would call general use.

 

[Kadence]

Thank you for the advice, very much appreciated 🙂

What about your other peripherals? What mouse, kb, speakers etc are you using?

I'm using Logitech mouse and speakers, and a Microsoft keyboard.

 

[piasabird]

Well I think Anand wrote an article about building their server with multiple SSD's like in a raid and running in a virtual environment. This may not be what you want to do because it gets into server technology. At any rate say you do buy a high-end SSD, using more RAM will make it last longer. I am saying at least 16 gig. I wonder how the price compares to a enterprise level SSD.