My First Over-Clock Project

[Crystalhaze]

Looking for input....

My dream has always been to build my own power rig. Finally, this year I will be able to do just that. However, I am still on a budget ($900 - $1,100). I plan to add improvements onto the system later but I want to get a solid build together for now for online gaming and various 3D modeling projects. I'm currently in college majoring in Digital Entertainment Development so I need a better system at home to make things easier. I would post my current PC specs but they are left over from WWII so I'll pass for now. Anyway, here's what I'm currently looking at to start with:

Hardware
Mobo - ASRock 990FX Extreme9 AM3+
CPU - AMD FX-8350 Vishera 8 core 4.0GHz
GPU - Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Overclocked Edition
RAM - Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 1600 ( 2 x 8GB )
PSU - Corsair CX750M 750w 80 Plus Bronze Modular
HDD - Western Digital WD Black 500GB
DVD - LG 24x DVD-Burner SATA

Case & Cooling
Case - Corsair Obsidian 650D
CPU Cooler - Corsair Hydro Series H100 Extreme Performance
Temp Monitor - BitFenix Recon Fan Controller

Current Setup Cost - $1,119.57 ( shipping inc'd )

I would love to get some insights from fellow community members on this particular setup where over-clocking is concerned. Any suggestions to possibly improve upon it within my current budget are certainly welcome.

 

[Crystalhaze]

Additionally, would you guys recommend Win 7 or Win 8 for this particular setup? I have read several reviews for these products and some have been reporting issues with Win 7 and Win 8.

 

[SavageCupcake]

If possible i think most people here would recommend a 3570k and z77 mobo instead . Other than that it looks ok Id try and get a small ssd and a slower hdd than the black but thats up to you

 

[Crystalhaze]

I was actually looking into the 3570k and z77 but they seem to be a bit outside of my price range. Is there a major advantage over the 8350 where performance is concerned? I'm sorry but I'm a bit out of the loop on current tech.

 

[Crystalhaze]

Update:

Ok, after doing a little research, it seems the i5-3570k does benchmark higher than the FX-8350 for the games and 3D applications I use. So with that in mind I adjusted my build to a z77 setup, however this has completely blown but budget but that just means I'll have to wait a while to get my new monitors. 2 21" will have to stay for now. Here are the following specs:

Hardware
Mobo - MSI Z77 MPower LGA 1155 Intel Z77
CPU - Intel Core i5-3570k Ivy Bridge
GPU - EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5
RAM - Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 1600 ( 2 x 8GB )
PSU - Corsair CX750M 750w 80 Plus Bronze Modular
HDD - Western Digital WD Blue 320GB

Case and Cooling remains the same.

So how does this setup look so far?

 

[UkGouki]

Update:

Ok, after doing a little research, it seems the i5-3570k does benchmark higher than the FX-8350 for the games and 3D applications I use. So with that in mind I adjusted my build to a z77 setup, however this has completely blown but budget but that just means I'll have to wait a while to get my new monitors. 2 21" will have to stay for now. Here are the following specs:

Hardware
Mobo - MSI Z77 MPower LGA 1155 Intel Z77
CPU - Intel Core i5-3570k Ivy Bridge
GPU - EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5
RAM - Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 1600 ( 2 x 8GB )
PSU - Corsair CX750M 750w 80 Plus Bronze Modular
HDD - Western Digital WD Blue 320GB

Case and Cooling remains the same.

So how does this setup look so far?

only 1 thing i would change and thats the gpu you can get a hd7870 Tahiti le for the same if not less than the 660 and it will out perform it... also to lower your budget drop to a msi gd55 motherboard has all the bells and whistles of the mpower for £50 less in the uk... thats about 80$ less.

 

[Crystalhaze]

Ok, thanks for the input. Before I hit the "Buy Me" button, which has been begging me too, here's an updated list of components going into my new rig. Let me know what you guys think.

System Specs
Motherboard: MSI Big Bang Z77 MPower
Processor: Intel Core i5-3570k Ivy Bridge
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB ( 2x 8GB ) DDR3 1600
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 (Overclocked)
Hard Drive: Western Digital WD Black 500GB SATA III
Power Supply: Corsair CX750M 750w 80 Plus Bronze Modular
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
Tower Case: Corsair Obsidian 650D Mid-Tower ATX
Optic Drive: LG 24x DVD-Burner Black

Final Cost: $1,223.99

A little over my budget but I have plenty of room for upgrades later and it should prove to be a solid build to start on.

 

[Feronix]

Swap out the H100 for an H100i? They're the same price but the H100i comes with better fans and tubing.

Also; this card might be worth taking a look at:
https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecial...raphics+Card+++4+FREE+GAMES!+?productId=54322

 

[Crystalhaze]

Ok, I upgraded to an H100i. As for the GPU, that card is about $20 more than the card I chose and I plan to Crossfire later down the line anyway so this will work for me for now.

Basically, I'm looking to add an additional GPU that I have listed, another 16GB of ram, a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Audio card, 128 GB SSD, and maybe a Blu-ray burner in about 3 months.

 

[SavageCupcake]

Looks good for now mate

 

[Crystalhaze]

Doesn't it tho! I can't wait to get the components and build it. You can imagine I'm going to be posting quite a bit of pics

Should have it by no later than Friday of next week.