# Advice & Suggestions on first build under $3k budget



## TBGAPowa (Jun 25, 2012)

--I have this question posted on multiple forums so bare with me here as my replies will be much slower.
-AS FOR THE PEOPLE recommending me WC I honestly feel intimidated by it. I chose an air cooling case but I still am not sure to choose a water cooling enabled one since I am not positive if I go WC in the future.
-I will order from mostly canadian sites but will order from other places if necessary. The preferred retailer list I posted isn't that vital.

UNAVAILABLE ON NEWEGG CANADA:

Monitor: Dell UltraSharp U2312HM 
CPU HSF: Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E
Headphones: Sennheiser PC 350 or 360
Tablet: Wacom Bamboo Splash 

This is my first build from scratch my gaming orientation leans on rpgs, mmos, action-adventure and rts for the most part and less so for fps and racing games. 

*Approximate Purchase Date:* 
By the end of July
*Budget Range:* 
Under $3k subtotal including everything base system, monitor, peripherals etc…
*System Usage from Most to Least Important:*
Extensive gaming and production/rendering in autodesk and other 3D/CG art software
*Parts Not Required:* 
Not planning on getting a custom water cooling system just yet
*Preferred Website(s) for Parts:* 
Newegg Canada 
TigerDirect Canada
Canada Computers
NCIX
*Country:*
Canada
*Parts Preferences:*
Nvidia, visuals for the most part 
*Storage Space:*
2TB minimum
*Overclocking:*
Likely
*SLI or Crossfire:* 
Possibly SLI
*Monitor Resolution:* 
1920x1080 or 2560x1440. I would like to have games on maxed settings, AA would be nice and what ever gaming technology optimization available
*Additional Comments:*
my newegg wishlist 

anything sold out on the list i will look for else where, as long as they have good enough return policy

Really looking for some of the top and latest support with longevity, durability and silence

the rig would be placed in the basement which is usually around 20C, during the humid summer it should be closer to 30C room temp but we almost always AC then. the only thing about the basement i am worried about is if airflow wouldn't be good enough for the rig

would a heatsink fan suffice for now? if i ever choose to SLI would water cooling be needed then?


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## popswala (Jun 25, 2012)

Why not a NZXT switch 810 case, Corsair Vengeance K90 keyboard, gelid or xigmatek case fans?


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 25, 2012)

NZXT 810 case is out of stock on newegg and may not be restocked, i am already purchasing a gameboard so i do not need additional function mmo keys on a keyboard just the basic and i don't know too much of the benefits varying from the fan brands you mentioned and the cooler master ones i plan on purchasing


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## Dent1 (Jun 25, 2012)

TBGAPowa said:


> This is my first build from scratch my gaming orientation leans on rpgs, mmos, action-adventure and rts for the most part and not so much on fps and racing games.



3k really? Your budget should be half of that.


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 25, 2012)

what about having the longevity of lasting 2 years, if i cut down by half how long would u think the rig would last in comparison to the former?


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## popswala (Jun 25, 2012)

The keyboard is mechanical which is way better then standard. Once you use one you'll see why. The fans I mentioned are higher speeds and more air flow and look nice. I've use both and I'm happy with them. I didn't notice if that case was out of stock but its worth looking into. Tons of features and looks great. I have the 932 and got bored over it quickly due to it just being boxie and plain. all this is just my opinion though.


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## Fourstaff (Jun 25, 2012)

Don't get the EVGA 670, get Asus Direct CU II 670 instead. 1200W is also overkill, 850w is more than enough, even for 670 SLi and also accounting for 3 year degradation. Cut the Logitech G13 too, and use the money to get a better keyboard. Get an IPS screen if you are doing some CG art, the colour should be a lot more accurate. Cut the controller, get a better mouse than the Razer Naga (unless you need lots of thumb keys), get a cheaper mousepad (if you need one at all), you can sub the Noctua D14 to something like Coolermaster CM 212+ if you don't mind the noise (judging by the 4 fans you bought, you don't really care about noise). And get the scanner when you need it.


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## cadaveca (Jun 25, 2012)

TBGAPowa said:


> Really looking for longevity and durability I chose a gtx 670 in hopes of being able to run graphic intensive art programs and gaming on high settings for at least two years before SLI/upgrade/new build.




From what I hear, nV is teh way to go for what you want to run.


I got a few issues with your parts though...


1200 W PSU?  Try _maybe_ a 750 W.

2700K?  How about you take the cash saved from the PSU, and get a 3770K?


Wacom Bamboo? I am not even a pro artist, and I got me an Intuos. You should too.


Fans? You don't need them.

Monitor? Why not IPS? I know it's more expensive, but it is for a good reason, IMHO.


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 25, 2012)

why should i get the Asus 670 over the evga ftw?


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## digibucc (Jun 25, 2012)

TBGAPowa said:


> what about having the longevity of lasting 2 years, if i cut down by half how long would u think the rig would last in comparison to the former?



yes, 2 years would be easy- it depends on what you do of course. 
but even if your budget is 3k, i'd spend half now and upgrade down the road(gpu specifically), that would get you the most longevity at the best price point.


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 25, 2012)

Quoted from a member named lehpron from the EVGA forums "But, in order to maintain your CPU stabilty; your RAM, HDD, motherboard, PSU, etc all have to be in sync and stable too. So while the CPU could theoretically take the punishment, total system stability depends on the other junk in the system."
http://www.evga.com/forums/fb.ashx?m=277197

updated the list

i hope the hhds would suffice, they do get great ratings i believe the others are good enough.


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 25, 2012)

what do you think think about this monitor?

Yamakasi Catleap 27" LED 2560x1440 WQHD S-IPS


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## [XC] Oj101 (Jun 25, 2012)

What about something like this:

Case
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Graphite grey and black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case - $99

Motherboard
ASUS Rampage IV Extreme LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard - $429

CPU
Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 2011 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor BX80619i73930K - $559

RAM
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM - $125 (this is CL-9)

GPU
EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2682-KR GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $520

Storage
Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $215

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARX 2TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $120[/font]

Optical Drive
LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXL Blu-ray Burner WH14NS40 - OEM $70

PSU
CORSAIR Gaming Series GS800 800W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC High Performance Power ... $125

Then add a nice monitor and you're sorted 

If you chop and change between NewEgg and Micro Center you can save more, for example the CPU is cheaper at MC.


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 25, 2012)

is 16 gb RAM 1600 enough or should I go higher 1866/2133/2400? i changed some of the parts again


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## cadaveca (Jun 25, 2012)

That board is overkill.

Try this one:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131799


My review of it is here:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/P9X79_Deluxe/


ANd you have an extra ram kit there. The 2133 MHz G.SKill kit is fine, get rid of the Corsair.


My review of the G.SKill ram is here(done using the P9X79 Deluxe):

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/GSkill/F3-17000CL9Q-16GBZH/


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## [XC] Oj101 (Jun 25, 2012)

I forgot to specify, four of those RAM kits for 64 GB. That board is one of a few that have eight DIMM slots, and it's about the best in its class hence my recommendation.


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## Random Murderer (Jun 25, 2012)

cadaveca said:


> That board is overkill.



Agreed. Unless you plan on extreme overclocking or benching for records, the Rampage IV Extreme is overkill. Take it from a guy who owns one. I'm still waiting on my CPU and VGA pots, then I'll be doing some sub-zero benching and attempting to break records for older video cards. 
Really, any of the P9X79 boards are great choices. If you're going X79, most of the boards I'd recommend would be Asus(X79 Sabretooth, P9X79 WS, P9X79 Pro, P9X79 Deluxe, Rampage IV Formula if having only 4 RAM slots doesn't bother you), with one or two ASRock boards(X79 Champion, X79 Extreme9) and then one particular MSI, the Big Bang XPower II.
Just be aware that if you do go the X79 route, you'll need at least an 800W PSU, more if you plan on running more than one graphics card and/or overclocking. My suggestion would be a decent 1000W PSU at the very least. Even the 4-core 3820 is very power hungry, and that power draw only increases when you add two more cores(the 3930k or 3960x) and even more when you overclock. A guy over at Anandtech did a few tests measuring the power drawn from the 12V CPU power cables only, and at stock his 3960x was drawing nearly 175W. A mild overclock to 4.4GHz pushed it to over 250W, and when he really started to push it, he stabilized it at 4.8GHz and it was drawing 350W! That's the processor alone, add in a high-end motherboard supporting that overclock and a high-end graphics card and you're already looking at 700-750W.
SB-E is incredible, I'm not saying otherwise, but it definitely surprised me just how power hungry it is.

Overall, for $3000, you should be able to build one hell of a system, SB-E or not.


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## erocker (Jun 25, 2012)

TBGAPowa said:


> what do you think think about this monitor?
> 
> Yamakasi Catleap 27" LED 2560x1440 WQHD S-IPS



They're great (picture quality wise). The stands on them are horrible and wobbly, but that's what you're going to get for a sub $400 dollar high resolution IPS monitor. There is also no warranty on them.


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## TheMailMan78 (Jun 25, 2012)

12" Intuos? Waste of money. 8" is enough. Also if you are working off this computer and such stay away from the overclocking. Nothing worse then a simple little minor hiccup that will corrupt days worth of work.

See my rig?
<<<

I make my living as an artist with it.


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 26, 2012)

direct quote from member lehpron from the EVGA forums, sorry its huge but this sums up why i chose the type of mobo, GPU and CPU. but of course still subject to change

"Most modern games are threaded for between 2-4 cores, and it has been a slow progress adoption since quads have been around for six years, duals for eight years. meaning, a 6-core won't make a difference today. New games take 2-3 years to make from the ground up, so in that time, it will make a quad that much more important. Only get the 6-core for your professional work, not for gaming. 

3770K is a 22nm quad and half the die area (thus half the actual power and thermals if set at the same frequency) as 32nm i7-3900's 6-cores; mathematically, they should overclock better, but Intel differed from tradition of soddering the CPU die to the IHS (integrated heat spreader) by using a thermal grease with Ivy Bridge which tends to artificially raise temperaturess. This prevents anyone from really being able to push it except for those using cryogenics; so in the end, all Sandy and Ivy processors reach a max of approx 5GHz regardless of number of cores. 

So it all comes down to the board really; X79 can support up to 4-way SLI (in quad x8, or a pair of full x16) configs while Z77 is limited to just dual x8's. If you're serious about longitivity in terms of having the room for future graphics cards and not change the board (which definitely need more bandwidth than current), then X79 is the only option. For CPU, either get quad 3820 or 6-core 3930K depending on how often your professional uses need 12-threads or not. 

BTW, as for the GTX670's, get the 4GB card. We'll soon see a new standard for mainstream monitors that used to be the reign of medicial professionals, their total single display res equals to a modern multi-display setup. So if you intend on at least one in the next two years and not upgrading graphics for it, then you should plan ahead with a 4GB model and get 3-way SLI by then to compensate. 

TBGAPowa

Really looking for longevity and durability I chose a gtx 670 in hopes of being able to run graphic intensive art programs and gaming on high settings for at least two years before upgrade/new build.
This part will require an edit for realism. 

In two years, a pair of GTX670 will have the performance equivalency of a future mainstream card (i.e. "GTS850" )and unable to run those games appearing then at high details without having the frame rates dip whatever is high-end at time. So either plan to get into 3-way or 4-way SLI (meaning you need to get a 4-way capable board in the first place, i.e. X79), think about upgrading your graphics card much earlier than two years, or settle for less visuals as times passes especially if you plan a higher resolution monitor someday. Most games are GPU-intensive, so if your resolution doubles the pixels, you cut your frame rates in half.

The only way you can truly have longivity is if your expectation is much lower than what is available for purchase. If you want max detail at smooth rates, then that is only possible today, it isn't possible next year with this year's configuration running next year's games. Just so you know, many folks on enthusiast websites like these upgrade often as a hobby, they choose to keep up with technology in order to maintain their preference level in every new game; I personally see it as a hassle. So you have to decide your upgrade tendencies beforehand and plan ahead, beyond this upcoming build. "

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?high=&m=1650704&mpage=1#1650704


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## Aquinus (Jun 26, 2012)

Dave recommended the P9X79 Deluxe for my rig and I've been loving it. Since I initially flashed the BIOS I haven't had a single issue with this board. It will scream no matter what SB-E chip you drop into it.



TheMailMan78 said:


> Also if you are working off this computer and such stay away from the overclocking. Nothing worse then a simple little minor hiccup that will corrupt days worth of work.



If it's really that important you should be running a Xeon with ECC memory if you really don't want corrupted data. Honestly SB-E can push reasonable clocks without a hick-up, you just have to ensure its stability first and not go too gung-ho on the voltages and clocks. Either way an OC shouldn't be needed, a 6-core SB-E will throw down just about any CPU currently out with these workloads any day and really is worth it. Just imagine what IVB-E will be able to do when that comes out as well.

With all of that said, I have a 3820 and I'm perfectly happy with it and its a good option if you don't want to spend twice as much for only 2 more cores or if you plan to move to IVB-E when that comes out but if you're going to be using this professionally, just invest in the 3930k.

I guess my question is: You said that you will be using this for not just gaming but for various other applications that utilize more cores/threads very well. What will you primarily be using this for? Is it going to be a work machine that you professional use with occasional gaming, or will it primarily be for gaming with occasional CAD and CG?


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## cadaveca (Jun 26, 2012)

TBGAPowa said:


> direct quote from member lehpron from the EVGA forums, sorry its huge but this sums up why i chose the type of mobo, GPU and CPU. but of course still subject to change




I don't agree with most of that post. Like 90% is wrong, IMHO. Maybe even 100%.

That Rampage Extreme board is made for LN2 overclocking.

The P9X79 Deluxe is a mainstream product, with nearly all the bells and whistles of the Rampage board, but supports less cards, and doesn't have the extreme overclocking features. Choosing the P9X79 board over the Rampage will NOT limit overclocking in any way, unless you plan on running LN2.

Based on the needs you listed, it's the better choice, both for longevity, but also for your wallet. Part of the reason for the high price is in inclusion of the "OC KEY", which, you'll probably enver use..that's an overclocking tool for benchers.

HEre's ASUS's bullets on it:

•X-Socket - Get more life out of your LGA1366 CPU coolers
•OC Key - The key to real time monitoring and overclocking!
•Subzero Sense - Find out how cold your board is
•VGA Hotwire - Hotwire your system


Do you need those features? And how much extra does it cost to make the most of them?


Extreme overclocking, obviously, was the Rampage's focus. That doesn't mean it's a better board...it's just better if you plan on trying to break world record benchmark scores. IF that's what you are after, then maybe you should consider that board, but if not, then don't. I'll never suggest that something that costs more is better...and in this instance, it really is not the case. It's jsut differnt, and those differences do come at a cost. BAsedo nwhat you've said, none of those differences will benefit you.

As to game performance between platforms, most titles are console ports, and will continue to be for some time. New consoles aren't out yet, nobody knows the exact specifications of those consoles either, so trying to cover performance needs noone knows anything about, well...isn't going to get very far.

I do agree that planning to buy another VGA in a year or two is prudent..that's the one thing i agree with. So save your money now, as in a couple of years, you might want to upgrade.

When it comes to gaming today, there is virtually no difference between a 3960X @ 4.6 GHZ, and a 3770K at 4.6 GHz. I have both, so have checked the performance of both, used both for gaming for many weeks, and even swapped from one to the next and back again, all while playing with TPU members on our BF3 teamspeak. Either one will give you the same end performance, one will cost more to buy, and cost more to run, too.


Oh, and a quick comparison for you.


3DMark 11, 3960X @ 4.6 GHz, 16 GB @ 2133 MHz 9-11-10-28, dual 6950's @ 840/1325:

10341 3DMarks

http://3dmark.com/3dm11/3586074


3770K @ 4.6 GHz, 16 GB @ 2133 MHz, 9-11-20-28, dual 6950's @ 840/1325:

10462 3DMarks

http://3dmark.com/3dm11/3678198


So where's the benefit from the extra cores? Most people will tell you, when it comes to gaming, there is none, except for just a couple of titles. And it seems that 3DMark 11 agrees. Of course, I still have both systems, so I could post more benchmarks if needed, but I don't really think they are.

Oh, and one last thing...I review motherboards and memory here on TPU, which is why i have access to such systems so easily. Please do take the time to read my motherbnoard reviews here, and come to your own conclusions.


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## [XC] Oj101 (Jun 26, 2012)

I didn't know about the P9X79 Deluxe, somehow my Googling missed it. Thanks 

The Gigabyte GA-X79-UD5 is also an option.


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 26, 2012)

Aquinus said:


> I guess my question is: You said that you will be using this for not just gaming but for various other applications that utilize more cores/threads very well. What will you primarily be using this for? Is it going to be a work machine that you professional use with occasional gaming, or will it primarily be for gaming with occasional CAD and CG?



i've decided to go with 3770k + z77 over the former 

as for the computer i later down the road i will be working primarily on 3d/cg but for now i may invest a bit more time into gaming as 2d art work will be involved as well. by the time i reach the level of professional usage i would likely have a newer build


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## cadaveca (Jun 26, 2012)

[XC] Oj101 said:


> I didn't know about the P9X79 Deluxe, somehow my Googling missed it. Thanks
> 
> The Gigabyte GA-X79-UD5 is also an option.



For multi-GPU, the Gigabyte GA-X79-UD5 is one of the best boards on the market, as it's one of maybe two or three that have all three PCIe slots wired directly to the CPU without anything in-between, giving the very best connection possible for multiple VGAs. It seems that boards that use bridge chips add latency to the PCIe with those bridges, and I'm talking about things like the ASM1440 PCIe bridges, not the PLX PEX8487! 

The problem with that board, though, is that the VRM cooling isn't the best, and when the board is populated with three VGAs, the PCH cooler gets hot...and is connected to the VRM with a heatpipe, so the VRM cooler gets hot as well.



TBGAPowa said:


> i've decided to go with 3770k + z77 over the former
> 
> as for the computer i later down the road i will be working primarily on 3d/cg but for now i may invest a bit more time into gaming as 2d art work will be involved as well. by the time i reach the level of professional usage i would likely have a newer build



Do keep us updated as you get the parts in, and start building. I do love a good build log.


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 26, 2012)

from the pureoverclock forum member Doctor_Death:

Skip the MS keyboard, and go eith the Corsair K90, also the Phanteks CPU coolers do out perform the D14. I'll tell you what, I have a brand new system that I built for Enermax with duel EVGA Classified GTX590s. I have the Gigabyte X79 UD7 installed, but if you perfer ASUS, I can swap it out for a new X79 Rampage 4 Formula. There's also a brand new Intel 3820, and a Lepa G1600 PSU. Blu-ray burner and a DVD burner, 16GBs of Geil 1600MHz, 240GB SSD and a WD 1TB drive. You can own this build for $1500 shipped

Here's a couple of photos, click to enlarge:

http://forums.pureoverclock.com/att...-build-under-3k-budget-fulmo-gt-build-001.jpg
http://forums.pureoverclock.com/att...-build-under-3k-budget-fulmo-gt-build-003.jpg


I can add a 3960X but not for $1500 lol if I switch out the UD7 and replace it with the Rampage 4 Formula, and add the 3960X I have to get at least $2200 which is still a hell of a deal. Just the Vision Tek Racer 240GB and the WD 1TB would set you back a little over $400, never mind the EVGA Classified GTX590s, beside the new GTX690s the 590's are still one of the fastest cards around.

http://forums.pureoverclock.com/gen...-suggestions-first-build-under-3k-budget.html

what do you think?


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## cadaveca (Jun 26, 2012)

Honestly, you're in Canada, right?

I bet that user is not, and shipping would be killer on a full rig from the US. NEvermind you'll liekly get dinged at the border for duty and such.

If ya don't mind me asking, where in Canada are you roughly?


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 26, 2012)

ontario, why?

updated the list again with additional notes


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## D007 (Jun 26, 2012)

OMG.. Please don't buy a crap monitor after buying all this goodness.. It'd be like you buying a lamborghini and putting and orange stand on it..
Go selling oranges in your lambo on the side of the road much?
No sir, no you do not..


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## Senupe (Jun 26, 2012)

Hi, i choosed all this parts from Newegg.ca, i tried to conservate the scheme color (blue-black) and at the same tried to stick with a reasonable price/performance ratio.

*CPU*: Intel Core i7 2600K (choosed it cause better overclockability than sandy due to high temps on then)
*RAM*: 16GB G.Skill RAM 9Cas Latency @1600MHz.
*GPU*: Nvidia Geforce GTX 670 (because it's close oc'ed performance to a GTX 680).
*SSD*: OCZ Agility 240GB SATA III (223.5GB effective).
*HDD*: Seagate Barracuda 3TB @7200RPM. (2793.96GB effective)
*PSU*: Corsair 750Watts (enough for GTX 670 SLI).
*Case*: Corsair Carbide 500R.
*Blu-Ray Burne*r: ASUS.
*Mouse*: Logitech G500.
*Keyboard*: Razer BlackWidow Ultimate.
*Motherboard*: ASUS P8Z77-V LK (ASUS never let me down in overclocking, they have nice features for that).
*Cooler*: Cooler Master Hyper 212EVO.
*Monitor*: BenQ XL 24" 120Hz Refresh Rate, 5ms response time (1080p).
*O.S*: Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64 Bits.

I also included a second fan for the CPU cooler @2500RPM

Total: $2450.36
Grand Total: $2512.00


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## TheMailMan78 (Jun 26, 2012)

There are better PSU's out there.


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 26, 2012)

D007 said:


> OMG.. Please don't buy a crap monitor after buying all this goodness.. It'd be like you buying a lamborghini and putting and orange stand on it..
> Go selling oranges in your lambo on the side of the road much?
> No sir, no you do not..



what monitor do you recommend?


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 26, 2012)

Are the headphones I listed nicely compatible with the soundcard? I wan't 7.1 surround and listen to music that is at mid range.


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## Senupe (Jun 26, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> There are better PSU's out there.


Yep, but it's a modular model, cable management it's gonna be a lot easier.

ASUS Xonar 7.1 Chanel it's gonna work, just be sure to put it on the PCI port on the left of the GPU.


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## TheMailMan78 (Jun 26, 2012)

Senupe said:


> Yep, but it's a modular model, cable management it's gonna be a lot easier.
> 
> ASUS Xonar 7.1 Chanel it's gonna work, just be sure to put it on the PCI port on the left of the GPU.



The TX is not modular.

Look for a Seasonic X-Series.


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## D007 (Jun 26, 2012)

TBGAPowa said:


> what monitor do you recommend?





cadaveca said:


> Monitor? Why not IPS? I know it's more expensive, but it is for a good reason, IMHO.





Nice on the 670 sli btw, that'll be a beast..
At higher res on a high res monitor, the 680 would be a bit better though.. 
Worth the extra cash?? I'm not so sure.. I doubt it...


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## Kreij (Jun 26, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> The TX is not modular.



The TX750M he listed is modular.


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## TheMailMan78 (Jun 26, 2012)

Kreij said:


> The TX750M he listed is modular.



Bah didn't see them "M". The regular TX isnt. Had one for years.

Anyway doesn't matter. Corsair PSU no good as of latley.


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## lilhasselhoffer (Jun 26, 2012)

cadaveca said:


> For multi-GPU, the Gigabyte GA-X79-UD5 is one of the best boards on the market, as it's one of maybe two or three that have all three PCIe slots wired directly to the CPU without anything in-between, giving the very best connection possible for multiple VGAs. It seems that boards that use bridge chips add latency to the PCIe with those bridges, and I'm talking about things like the ASM1440 PCIe bridges, not the PLX PEX8487!
> 
> The problem with that board, though, is that the VRM cooling isn't the best, and when the board is populated with three VGAs, the PCH cooler gets hot...and is connected to the VRM with a heatpipe, so the VRM cooler gets hot as well.



Take this advice with caution.  While Cadaveca makes an excellent point, the UD5 has had some rather substantial issues in my experience.

Random instability, power cycling for no discernable reason, and toasty VRM.  There's a good reason they went from version F6 to F10 of the BIOS in less than 4 months...  


I hate the UD5.  I'm on my second RMA, and my second CPU (3930k).  That Intel Tuning Plan paid for itself (hint, you might want to get it).  I just wish that the slightest of bumps anywhere didn't crash the board.  Getting my RAM, CPU clock, and boot options to all work together took a while (less than 4.00 GHz frequency, 125MHz Bclk).  This was followed up with a massive crash and no posting after removing power (unplug and store in closet) for 72 hours.  I just don't seem to have luck with it, and the nearly $300 price tag is somewhere north of what I would pay for it knowing what I know now.


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## cadaveca (Jun 26, 2012)

lilhasselhoffer said:


> I hate the UD5. I'm on my second RMA, and my second CPU (3930k). That Intel Tuning Plan paid for itself (hint, you might want to get it). I just wish that the slightest of bumps anywhere didn't crash the board. Getting my RAM, CPU clock, and boot options to all work together took a while (less than 4.00 GHz frequency, 125MHz Bclk). This was followed up with a massive crash and no posting after removing power (unplug and store in closet) for 72 hours. I just don't seem to have luck with it, and the nearly $300 price tag is somewhere north of what I would pay for it knowing what I know now.



Interesting, for sure, and good info.


I'll be honest. Obviously, you got the board before the BIOS recall in specfic areas(BIOS F7 was the "fixed" BIOS).

Perhaps the board did some damage prior to the fix.


Then agian, perhaps not. Still very good info though. I do not have any similar issues with mine, fortunately, but I do not use it often. I did when that whole recall thing happened, and i used it for several months @ 4.6 GHz and 32 GB @ 2048 MHz without any problems. Perhaps I'll re-insatll that one, and give it a go for a few months and see if it flakes out. Gigabyte emphatically denies any problems with the board, so if it does die, it'd be quite interesting to see how they handle it.


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## Fourstaff (Jun 27, 2012)

You can cut the case fan, onboard sound is not going to be much worse than the discrete unless your audio setup is competent. Also, don't get the Razer Black Widow Ultimate, it has a documented problem about the spacebar failing pretty rapidly. Get something else instead, like Zowie Celeritas or something from this list: http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mechanical-keyboard-guide

Not sure how you managed to be talked into the 2600K, I thought the memory bandwidth of the 2011 platform and the 3930K should be significantly better than the 2600K in Photoshop and other media work. If that is your final choice its still very respectable though.


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## lilhasselhoffer (Jun 27, 2012)

cadaveca said:


> Interesting, for sure, and good info.
> 
> 
> I'll be honest. Obviously, you got the board before the BIOS recall in specfic areas(BIOS F7 was the "fixed" BIOS).
> ...



I got the board, and didn't install and run it until the F8 BIOS came out.  After seeing videos of the things lighting up, I didn't want a processor fried for no reason.

The initial setup generally worked, then after a couple of weeks the instability started to creep in.  Given the mild overclock, I was hoping that the F10 would help.  Two days of stability, then back to crap.  This eventually led to power cycling at startup (not even getting to BIOS), after 72 hours without power.  

The first criticism would be that the backup BIOS should solve this.  No dice.  The CMOS should be reset.  Nope, no dice.  The backup features didn't solve the problem, so what good were they?  Testing generally doesn't last long, so Gigabyte could skirt that without a problem.  Check out some of the other general users, and you're likely to find the same results (though trusting Newegg reviews and online posts may be questionable at best...).  Add to this the fact that Gigabyte is quick to offer RMA for these boards, and I see a painful pattern.  The VRM seems to be a common failure point, and it isn't exactly a well hidden secret.  


This may just be my ramblings, but on the third board it's more than just a pattern.  I'm done with Gigabyte for the time being, given that 2 of the last 5 different boards I got from them had substantial errors (2 more had small errors), I'm done.  I'm on my third board as of this writing, which means that I've had 5 of 6 boards with some error.  Gigabyte QC has failed me, and its time to move on.  I wish I had better news, because it seems like just ripping on a company.  Sigh...


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## micropage7 (Jun 27, 2012)

TBGAPowa said:


> is 16 gb RAM 1600 enough or should I go higher 1866/2133/2400? i changed some of the parts again



return to what you need, but for ram. more is better some come in one package like triple channel ram
for timing tighter is better but if you cant find it just take the standard timing coz they little bit cheaper


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## cadaveca (Jun 27, 2012)

TBGAPowa said:


> ontario, why?



No real reason ,jsut curious about local shopping options.



lilhasselhoffer said:


> I wish I had better news, because it seems like just ripping on a company.  Sigh...



Yeah, unfortunate. I would hazard to say though, that Ggiabyte does tend to repair products, not repalce them, so chances are you've stil lgot the same board. You may have got news ones, for sure, but if they feel they can repair, they generally do, as it saves greatly on costs.


At least I can safely say that the Z77 series of products are a completely different animal, and all OEMs seem to have really excellent products out. Of course, I typically receive review parts direct from Taiwan, and I certainly hope they pre-test products before sending them to me considering it's my job to critique and tell people about things I find amiss.

Honestly, because X79, on Intel's part, was rife with issues(chipsets with disabled SAS support, CPUs with 6 cores or 4 cores instead of the actual 8 cores that's in each chip), I really do find it hard to directly place blame directly on OEMs for issues with that platform, as I do kind of expect odd problems to arise since the platform was launched neutered.

That said, my 3960X has definitely degraded.


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 27, 2012)

updated the list. switched to sabertooth z77 motherboard, can’t choose between the two headsets so if any audiophiles could voice their opinions that would be great and i am still planning on downgrading to a 120gb ssd instead but don’t know if i should go with the lower iOPS. I chose the creative card over asus ones as most gamers have mentioned better clarity for gaming and movies, for music asus ones are better certainly but i’m not that big on music. which GPU 670/80 do you guys recommend since i won’t be hardcore OCing


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## Fourstaff (Jun 27, 2012)

Either headphone is good, just get any. The 360 is a tad better, but you will not be able to tell with an untrained ear.

Oh, and you should know that both of them don't really sound the same, so it gets even harder to know which one is better. 

Have you considered getting a headphone and a mic separately? Lots more options to choose from, and usually cheaper (but more hassle)


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 27, 2012)

an AntLion ModMic with HD 555 for example? i listen to mid range music, movie sound is that great a deal for me and gaming should be good enough for both fun and competitive gaming


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## TBGAPowa (Jun 29, 2012)

i have listed the GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H as my motherboard but may switch back to an asus. though i do hear a lot about how crappy the asus rma is


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## Aquinus (Jun 29, 2012)

TBGAPowa said:


> i have listed the GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H as my motherboard but may switch back to an asus. though i do hear a lot about how crappy the asus rma is





TBGAPowa said:


> an AntLion ModMic with HD 555 for example? i listen to mid range music, movie sound is that great a deal for me and gaming should be good enough for both fun and competitive gaming



There is a little thing called the edit button. Don't double post as it's against the forum guidelines. Just saying since I've seen you do this numerous times, so I'm assuming you didn't know.


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## nleksan (Jun 30, 2012)

I really like NZXT power supplies and cases, but with your budget you could always get a Caselabs M8, one of the most drool-worthy cases around (with only Caselabs' own TH10 bettering it IMO). 

Anyway, here is my parts suggestions... (X79/Z77)
CPU: 3820 ($270) / 3770K ($350)
MB: P9X79-Pro ($275) or Rampage IV Formula ($350) / P8Z77-Deluxe ($290) or Sabertooth ($230)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws Z DDR3-2133 16GB 4x4GB ($125) or Corsair Dominator GT 2133 16GB ($300)
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB ($200 on sale) or either Corsair ForceGT 240GB ($230) or Performance Pro 256GB ($280)
HDD: Western Digital RE4 1TB 7200rpm ($120)
GPU: EVGA GTX670 FTW 2GB ($410)
PSU: NZXT HALE90 850W modular PSU ($160) or Seasonic Platium 850W modular PSU ($?) 
BD Drive: Lite-On Blu-Ray Burner ($55)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 ($160) or Caselabs M8 or M10 ($380-475)
Fans: Cougar 140mm fans ($11/ea on sale right now) or NZXT FX140LB 98cfm ($18/ea)
CPU Coolers - AIR: Phanteks ($90); CLOSED-LOOP H2O: Thermaltake 240mm Performance LCS ($100 and best on market); REAL H2O: XSPC RAYSTORM EX360 Kit ($260)

I am typing this on my phone so I apologize if my prices aren't accurate, but I know that the above parts are all very good. 
Spring for the 3930K if you do a lot of P-Shop/3D modeling; can't beat 12t/6c!


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## nleksan (Jun 30, 2012)

Oh crap, I forgot to mention the headphones and I apologize but I can't edit posts on my phone ;/

Don't buy "gaming headphones" if you do any real video or especially audio editing! 

I am quite the self-professed audiophile, but I do a lot of uncompressed audio editing and I STRONGLY recommend that you get a pair of Grado's. Get what fits your budget, the SR-80s are good and inexpensive, but step up to the SR225/SR325 sets and you will never be able to use anything else! You are looking at $75,$180,and $275 respectively but they are truly worth every penny!


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