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Alright, Final Build Time

skeaserskeaser Member RarePosts: 4,205
in Hardware

This is a follow up to my last post. I think I've finally nailed down my new build and just wanted to see if our resident geeks would like to double check my work and make sure I'm not messing something up. So here it is...


1

CORSAIR Hydro H70 CWCH70 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler

CORSAIR Hydro H70 CWCH70 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler

Item #:N82E16835181013

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

1

XIGMATEK PTI-G4512 thermal grease with gold grade thermal matrix filler particles

XIGMATEK PTI-G4512 thermal grease with gold grade thermal matrix filler particles

Item #:N82E16835233069

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

1

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K

Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

Item #:N82E16819115070

Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy

1

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Item #:N82E16822136533

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

1

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) ATX Intel Motherboard

Item #:N82E16813157229

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

1

Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC256MAG-1G1 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC256MAG-1G1 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Item #:N82E16820148349

Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy

1

ASUS VE258Q Black 25" HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor w/Display Port & Speakers

ASUS VE258Q Black 25" LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor w/Display Port & Speakers

Item #:N82E16824236123

Return Policy: Monitor Standard Return Policy

1

CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9

CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory

Item #:N82E16820233143

Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy

2

SAPPHIRE FleX 100312FLEX Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

SAPPHIRE FleX Radeon HD 6950 100312FLEX Video Card with Eyefinity

Item #:N82E16814102929

Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy

1

CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX1200 (CMPSU-1200AX) 1200W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Certified 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX1200 (CMPSU-1200AX) 1200W Power Supply

Item #:N82E16817139014

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

1

IN WIN Dragon Rider Black 1.0 - 0.8mm SECC Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

IN WIN Dragon Rider Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Item #:N82E16811108376

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Sig so that badges don't eat my posts.


Comments

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,499

    A lot of the things that I look at, I thought, you're overpaying for that, and overpaying for that, and overpaying for that, and...

    ...and then I realized, oh, he's got a huge budget.  He's not cutting corners.  He's using a huge budget.

    There are two places that I think you should save some money.  First, the SSD.  Instead of that one, try this one:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148443

    That's basically a newer generation part of the same thing that you picked.  Same SSD controller, same SSD vendor, arguably better performance, though it isn't a dramatic difference, and $55 cheaper.  Even if they were the same price, there would be a decent argument for switching.  But to save $55 and give up nothing?  That's an easy switch.  It's cheaper for you to buy because it's cheaper for Crucial to build, as it uses 25 nm NAND flash rather than the older 34 nm, so it's much cheaper to produce the same capacity.

    -----

    Second is the memory.  Personally, I wouldn't get 16 GB at all.  But if you do want 16 GB, you can get two 8 GB kits with two modules each, rather than one 16 GB kit.  You could get exactly the same thing with a different color of heatspreader for $25 cheaper by getting two of these:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233180

    Or you could get the same specs and hence equivalent but not literally the same memory cheaper yet.  Short-term shell shocker deal for $65 per kit, though I'm not sure if you can get more than one:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220570

    Promo code to make it $60 per kit, though I'm not sure if you can apply the promo code to more than one kit:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416

    You don't want to mix memory of different specs, but that's all 1600 MHz DDR3 1.5 V 4 GB modules.  The Patriot memory kit doesn't specify stock latency timings, but the rest are 9-9-9-24, so even that doesn't vary.

    -----

    Some other things you should understand:

    First, the Sapphire FleX model is designed to be able to run three monitor Eyefinity with three DVI monitors.  Normal Radeon HD 6950s don't allow this, but make you use DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort or some such.  I'm betting that the card has an active DisplayPort to HDMI adapter built into the card, which is how this works.  If you're trying to use three monitor Eyefinity, then you found the right card.  If not, then it looks like that's a decent price on a premium 6950, so it's still a decent enough choice of video cards.

    Next, the Corsair Hydro H70 can get noisy, and it looks like it doesn't let you turn the fan down all that far.  It's very effective at cooling a processor, and is appropriate if you're looking for a huge overclock, but don't expect it to be silent.

    The power supply you've picked out is really great.  But you can also get something really great of a lower wattage with plenty of power for your system:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139015

    At stock speeds, you'll probably never pull 500 W from the power supply.  If you're going to give the processsor and video cards large overclocks, then maybe you do want the higher wattage power supply.

    -----

    The motherboard is out of stock.  If you want some alternatives, try these:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128478

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131703

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130574

    Also, you will lose a bit of performance by only having x8/x8 PCI Express bandwidth rather than x16/x16.  That is avoidable on some high end motherboards like this:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131714

    Or you could just wait for the motherboard you picked to come back in stock.  If you do, then make sure that you hook up the SSD to an Intel SATA 3 (SATA 6 Gb/s) port, and not a SATA 2 port or a Marvell SATA port.  It's not a huge deal, but it is better that way.

    -----

    I don't see an OS license in there.  If you have a legal Windows 7 64-bit license from another source, then go ahead.  But don't forget about it, or plan on reusing one from another computer.

    I don't see an optical drive, either.  If you're salvaging one from an old computer, then go ahead.  But if not, then they're cheap:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

  • skeaserskeaser Member RarePosts: 4,205

    Originally posted by Quizzical

    A lot of the things that I look at, I thought, you're overpaying for that, and overpaying for that, and overpaying for that, and...

    ...and then I realized, oh, he's got a huge budget.  He's not cutting corners.  He's using a huge budget.

    There are two places that I think you should save some money.  First, the SSD.  Instead of that one, try this one:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148443

    That's basically a newer generation part of the same thing that you picked.  Same SSD controller, same SSD vendor, arguably better performance, though it isn't a dramatic difference, and $55 cheaper.  Even if they were the same price, there would be a decent argument for switching.  But to safe $55 and give up nothing?  That's an easy switch.

    -----

    Second is the memory.  Personally, I wouldn't get 16 GB at all.  But if you do want 16 GB, you can get two 8 GB kits with two modules each, rather than one 16 GB kit.  You could get exactly the same thing with a different color of heatspreader for $25 cheaper by getting two of these:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233180

    Or you could get the same specs and hence equivalent but not literally the same memory cheaper yet.  Short-term shell shocker deal for $65 per kit, though I'm not sure if you can get more than one:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220570

    Promo code to make it $60 per kit, though I'm not sure if you can apply the promo code to more than one kit:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416

    You don't want to mix memory of different specs, but that's all 1600 MHz DDR3 1.5 V 4 GB modules.  The Patriot memory kit doesn't specify stock latency timings, but the rest are 9-9-9-24, so even that doesn't vary.

    -----

    Some other things you should understand:

    First, the Sapphire FleX model is designed to be able to run three monitor Eyefinity with three DVI monitors.  Normal Radeon HD 6950s don't allow this, but make you use DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort or some such.  I'm betting that the card has an active DisplayPort to HDMI adapter built into the card, which is how this works.  If you're trying to use three monitor Eyefinity, then you found the right card.  If not, then it looks like that's a decent price on a premium 6950, so it's still a decent enough choice of video cards.

    Next, the Corsair Hydro H70 can get noisy, and it looks like it doesn't let you turn the fan down all that far.  It's very effective at cooling a processor, and is appropriate if you're looking for a huge overclock, but don't expect it to be silent.

    The power supply you've picked out is really great.  But you can also get something really great of a lower wattage with plenty of power for your system:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139015

    At stock speeds, you'll probably never pull 500 W from the power supply.  If you're going to give the processsor and video cards large overclocks, then maybe you do want the higher wattage power supply.

    -----

    The motherboard is out of stock.  If you want some alternatives, try these:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128478

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131703

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130574

    Also, you will lose a bit of performance by only having x8/x8 PCI Express bandwidth rather than x16/x16.  That is avoidable on some high end motherboards like this:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131714

    Or you could just wait for the motherboard you picked to come back in stock.  If you do, then make sure that you hook up the SSD to an Intel SATA 3 (SATA 6 Gb/s) port, and not a SATA 2 port or a Marvell SATA port.  It's not a huge deal, but it is better that way.

    Wow, thanks for taking the time on all that.

    For the SSD; good catch, less money, better performance. No one can argue that.

    For the RAM I got Corsair just for the XMP. Yeah, it's gimmicky, I know, but I like automation.

    For the video card, yeah, the flex is actually lower priced with the best ratings I could find. Sure it's made for a triple monitor setup, which I'm not going for, but it'll still do the trick.

    On the hydro, that's surprising, I figured it would be fairly quiet, guess I'm going to have to check up on some cooling options, although I'm not too concerned since the beast I'm using now sounds like a vacuum cleaner.

    I may go ahead and jump down to the 850W PSU. I am looking at O/Cing the CPU but I doubt to the extreme level of power consumption.

    CRUD! The mobo was in stock! This is what I get for waiting! I'd been looking at the ASRock Fatal!ty (or however he spells it) line as well but I really, really don't want some dude's ugly mug in my UEFI. That ASUS is pretty sexy though, I may just go with it. I've always like ASUS anyway and never got ASRock before, was just going off of research and recommendations without ever having used them. I hate brand switching. Kills me to get an ATI card too, I've been a NVidia/EVGA fanboy forever.

    Again, thanks for the input, I appreciate it.

    Sig so that badges don't eat my posts.


  • skeaserskeaser Member RarePosts: 4,205

    Aaaaaaaaaand, it's ordered.

    Damned holiday means I have to wait though!

    Big thanks to Quiz for getting me a better SDD for less $$.

    Sig so that badges don't eat my posts.


  • RidelynnRidelynn Member EpicPosts: 7,383

    For noise considerations, you have a couple of options. The cheaper option would be dropping to the Corsair H50 or H60 or Antec Kuhler 620 or 920 - all offer good performance, but a bit quieter.

    The H70 is the flagship single 120mm option, but it's set up with dual fans (push-pull), and they are set for performance cooling. The other option is just to unplug one of the two fans: the unit will perform about the same as the H50 in that case, but be significantly quieter, and still have the option to kick it into overdrive without fidgeting with the heat sink later on.

    The H50/H60 are similar setup, but a bit thinner radiator and only a single fan. The H60 is a bit quieter than the H50, but both perform about the same. The Antec Kuhler 620 is made by the same OEM manufacturer as the Corsair H50 model but with a single fan The Antec 920 from the same OEM as the Corsair H70 (even has the same dual fans), but has a software driver for configuring the fan profile, which can go from high performance/noise to pretty quiet. All of these coolers install and look darn near the same, the only real difference is the thickness of the radiator and number of installed fans.

  • CatamountCatamount Member Posts: 773

    I'm inclined to think that the noise from the H70 won't be any serious issue anyways. I mean, it's probably still less noise by far than a 6950 will put out (especially if you're getting 2 of them, which it sounds like you are).

     

    Besides, if noise from the H70 really got that bad, then you could probably just buy a couple quieter fans. Newegg has 120mm fans from Corsair that move almost 70CFM, at only 19dba. Guru3d, on the other hand, measures the H70 at over 40dba. Now, I freely admit I know next to nothing about sound energy (and even less when you get to A-weighing), but I'm pretty 40dba, however it's broken down between its two fans, is a hell of a lot louder than two 19dba devices are when put together.

    Now, I suppose it's possible that the H70's fans each somehow move a lot more than 70CFM (even though that's fairly good), but since it looks like they're roughly 2000RPM fans, as are the ones I looked at on Newegg, I doubt there'd be any huge discrepency there.

  • BarbarbarBarbarbar Member UncommonPosts: 271

    You should have a look at the Antec Kuhler.  It's made by Asetek just like Corsairs H series, and it is the third generation stock water cooler from them (H50-H70 was first, H60 was second). It got the H50-70 head and the H50 radiator. It's tubing is improved, it's thicker and more bendable and allows for a bigger flow. It has the performance of a H70, and the noiselevels of a H50.



    http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=Mjc2OA==&lan=us

    In this review it pushes the H70 aside:

    http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=694&Itemid=62

    As you can see new fans improves it quite alot, whereas the H70 radiator doesn't care too much for better fans.

    These should be good fans:

    http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/casefans/gt-120-1850

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