Dragon_Orb
New member
Hi everyone,
I'm in the market for a mostly new PC built from the ground up, excluding a few parts mentioned below, due to an unfortunately incident with my previous computer just earlier today. Quote from my intro thread about 30 minutes ago:
There's more story if you wanted to read the quoted thread but the long and short of it is that my mobo is now FUBAR.
This system will be my main rig and used for pretty much everything I need to do on a computer. Predominately gaming and web browsing. I tend to buy a high-spec computer and upgrade around every 3 years or so.
I will mention that I've never overclocked before however I will be looking to learn overlocking to do so with this system, hence the reason for some of my component choices.
Right, now that's all out of the way, here's the list of components I'm looking at. If you just want to read the list and comment that's fine, if you'd like to know why I chose the parts I did that'll be in the breakdown below:
CPU: Intel 3770k
MoBo: currently looking at either ASUS Maximus V Formula or MSI Z77A GD65
RAM: 2 x G.Skill Trident X F3-2400C10D-16GTX 16GB ( 2x8GB ) DDR3 10-12-12-31 for total 32 GB RAM.
GFX: Will be keeping my Inno3D GeForce GTX580 for now to save some money as this upgrade was unplanned and unexpected.
PSU: Corsair AX860i Platinum Power Supply
HDD: Sadly no new SSD's for the same reason as the GFX. Will have to come later when I've got the funds.
Case: Really not sure on this, perhaps the NZXT Switch 810 or Phantom 820 as I'm new to modding and won't have time to really learn or plan it for a while.
CPU/GFX Cooling: I will be water cooling in the future (planning 1x 360 + 1x 240 rads - thickest ones I can fit in the case) but due to the same reason as the GFX card the CPU will only be cooled by a H80i to start with as that's what I have here now and graphics card will just be stock air cooler.
Case Cooling: I'll most likely be swapping the case fans for Corsair AF 120 (or 140 where applicable) fans when I get to the water cooling, as I'll be putting the Corsair SP fans on the rads (unless something better comes out before then )
I'll do a bit of a breakdown on the reasons for choosing the components:
CPU: The 3770k is the top of the 1155 range, it's unlocked, it's reasonably priced and should do pretty much anything I want it to. The 2011 processors would be pretty awesome to have but they're a bit too expensive for me to justify it.
MoBo 1: I'm not sure which way to go on these. The ASUS Maximus Formula V appeals to me predominately for the fact it has a pretty decent built in sound (I have no add-in PCI sound card) and also the built-in water cooling functionality. My current MoBo does tend to get a bit hot if I run water cooling on it as it loses the airflow from the CPU fan. Also the ASUS UEFI is fairly easy to get around in for a noob/beginner overclocker such as myself. The only real downside is that it's pretty expensive.
MoBo 2: The MSI Z77A GD65 rocks in at just over half the price of the ASUS. That's a pretty damn good reason to get it just there :lol: At stock it seems to be pretty ordinary but my plans for this rig is to learn overclocking and then keep it overclocked and from what I've learned online the MSI Z77A GD65 can overclock at the same level as the ASUS board, if not a bit better. That's a lot to say for a MoBo that costs just over half the price.
The downside to this one is that I'm concerned with overclocking that it may get too hot without more active airflow from a CPU fan. My previous MoBo did get pretty warm after I removed the air cooler from the CPU and that airflow was no longer directed around the heatsinks there. I've had a bit of a look around and couldn't find anyone selling water cooling blocks for this one yet, so I'd love to hear any input from anyone who may have this board or tested it in the past regarding the temps when it's being pushed with overclocks. I also don't know much about the quality of the built-in sound on this one, which is one of the pluses on the ASUS board.
Note: for those thinking it's a bit odd that a MoBo may get warm, I'm in Australia where at the moment it's summer. In the area I live in we've recently had some temps around and over 40ºC lately and ambient has been reaching up to 31-33ºC inside my house while I'm at work during the day. Hence the reason for things getting a bit warm in the computer.
RAM: I'll be honest, I don't know much (or anything really) about what the timings and such all mean with RAM. The G.Skill RAM is pretty fast at 2400 MHz and it's fairly reasonably priced - I looked at the Corsair Dominator Platinum 2400 MHz and it was exactly double the price of the G.Skill, way outside the budget unfortunately
CASE: Probably will go with a NZXT Switch 810 or NZXT Phantom 820, gun metal in either case. I like the fully featured Phantom 820 but the side window/mesh is abysmal, I couldn't stand that. If I could find out if the 810 and 820 gun metal shades were the same I'd consider swapping out the sides, otherwise I'll probably just go with the 810, set the noise reducers on the fans and run them on molex cables and further down the track add some LED strips in when I do the water cooling. I'm extremely new to case modding and won't have time to do any major modding projects for a while. Either of these cases would pretty much fit everything in with minimal if any modding required (including future water loop) and they're both reasonably priced. I am open to suggestions though if anyone wants to make any.
GFX, HDD/SSD's & Cooling Solution: Unfortunately I'll just have to recycle my old parts for these (GTX580, 500GB & 2TB mechanical HDD's & Corsair H80i). This upgrade is unplanned and unexpected so I just don't have the funds to spare to replace them. As mentioned above I will be adding a custom water cooling loop in the future - at this point probably either an XSPC RX 360/240 combo or an Alphacool UT60 360/240 combo (or monsta rads if they'll fit) with a D5 pump and bitspower pump top with tube reservoir. Waterblocks & fittings TBD closer to the date, though if I use the Alphacool parts I'd consider if I could make a copper themed water cooling scheme work I think.
If you've managed to make it this far I would love to hear any feedback or suggestions on these parts! I appreciate any time and input given.
I will have to order this system within a few days time as my old system is completely FUBAR, I can't get any display out of it at all and as computers are my drug of choice, I find myself lost without one
I'm in the market for a mostly new PC built from the ground up, excluding a few parts mentioned below, due to an unfortunately incident with my previous computer just earlier today. Quote from my intro thread about 30 minutes ago:
There's more story if you wanted to read the quoted thread but the long and short of it is that my mobo is now FUBAR.
This system will be my main rig and used for pretty much everything I need to do on a computer. Predominately gaming and web browsing. I tend to buy a high-spec computer and upgrade around every 3 years or so.
I will mention that I've never overclocked before however I will be looking to learn overlocking to do so with this system, hence the reason for some of my component choices.
Right, now that's all out of the way, here's the list of components I'm looking at. If you just want to read the list and comment that's fine, if you'd like to know why I chose the parts I did that'll be in the breakdown below:
CPU: Intel 3770k
MoBo: currently looking at either ASUS Maximus V Formula or MSI Z77A GD65
RAM: 2 x G.Skill Trident X F3-2400C10D-16GTX 16GB ( 2x8GB ) DDR3 10-12-12-31 for total 32 GB RAM.
GFX: Will be keeping my Inno3D GeForce GTX580 for now to save some money as this upgrade was unplanned and unexpected.
PSU: Corsair AX860i Platinum Power Supply
HDD: Sadly no new SSD's for the same reason as the GFX. Will have to come later when I've got the funds.
Case: Really not sure on this, perhaps the NZXT Switch 810 or Phantom 820 as I'm new to modding and won't have time to really learn or plan it for a while.
CPU/GFX Cooling: I will be water cooling in the future (planning 1x 360 + 1x 240 rads - thickest ones I can fit in the case) but due to the same reason as the GFX card the CPU will only be cooled by a H80i to start with as that's what I have here now and graphics card will just be stock air cooler.
Case Cooling: I'll most likely be swapping the case fans for Corsair AF 120 (or 140 where applicable) fans when I get to the water cooling, as I'll be putting the Corsair SP fans on the rads (unless something better comes out before then )
I'll do a bit of a breakdown on the reasons for choosing the components:
CPU: The 3770k is the top of the 1155 range, it's unlocked, it's reasonably priced and should do pretty much anything I want it to. The 2011 processors would be pretty awesome to have but they're a bit too expensive for me to justify it.
MoBo 1: I'm not sure which way to go on these. The ASUS Maximus Formula V appeals to me predominately for the fact it has a pretty decent built in sound (I have no add-in PCI sound card) and also the built-in water cooling functionality. My current MoBo does tend to get a bit hot if I run water cooling on it as it loses the airflow from the CPU fan. Also the ASUS UEFI is fairly easy to get around in for a noob/beginner overclocker such as myself. The only real downside is that it's pretty expensive.
MoBo 2: The MSI Z77A GD65 rocks in at just over half the price of the ASUS. That's a pretty damn good reason to get it just there :lol: At stock it seems to be pretty ordinary but my plans for this rig is to learn overclocking and then keep it overclocked and from what I've learned online the MSI Z77A GD65 can overclock at the same level as the ASUS board, if not a bit better. That's a lot to say for a MoBo that costs just over half the price.
The downside to this one is that I'm concerned with overclocking that it may get too hot without more active airflow from a CPU fan. My previous MoBo did get pretty warm after I removed the air cooler from the CPU and that airflow was no longer directed around the heatsinks there. I've had a bit of a look around and couldn't find anyone selling water cooling blocks for this one yet, so I'd love to hear any input from anyone who may have this board or tested it in the past regarding the temps when it's being pushed with overclocks. I also don't know much about the quality of the built-in sound on this one, which is one of the pluses on the ASUS board.
Note: for those thinking it's a bit odd that a MoBo may get warm, I'm in Australia where at the moment it's summer. In the area I live in we've recently had some temps around and over 40ºC lately and ambient has been reaching up to 31-33ºC inside my house while I'm at work during the day. Hence the reason for things getting a bit warm in the computer.
RAM: I'll be honest, I don't know much (or anything really) about what the timings and such all mean with RAM. The G.Skill RAM is pretty fast at 2400 MHz and it's fairly reasonably priced - I looked at the Corsair Dominator Platinum 2400 MHz and it was exactly double the price of the G.Skill, way outside the budget unfortunately
CASE: Probably will go with a NZXT Switch 810 or NZXT Phantom 820, gun metal in either case. I like the fully featured Phantom 820 but the side window/mesh is abysmal, I couldn't stand that. If I could find out if the 810 and 820 gun metal shades were the same I'd consider swapping out the sides, otherwise I'll probably just go with the 810, set the noise reducers on the fans and run them on molex cables and further down the track add some LED strips in when I do the water cooling. I'm extremely new to case modding and won't have time to do any major modding projects for a while. Either of these cases would pretty much fit everything in with minimal if any modding required (including future water loop) and they're both reasonably priced. I am open to suggestions though if anyone wants to make any.
GFX, HDD/SSD's & Cooling Solution: Unfortunately I'll just have to recycle my old parts for these (GTX580, 500GB & 2TB mechanical HDD's & Corsair H80i). This upgrade is unplanned and unexpected so I just don't have the funds to spare to replace them. As mentioned above I will be adding a custom water cooling loop in the future - at this point probably either an XSPC RX 360/240 combo or an Alphacool UT60 360/240 combo (or monsta rads if they'll fit) with a D5 pump and bitspower pump top with tube reservoir. Waterblocks & fittings TBD closer to the date, though if I use the Alphacool parts I'd consider if I could make a copper themed water cooling scheme work I think.
If you've managed to make it this far I would love to hear any feedback or suggestions on these parts! I appreciate any time and input given.
I will have to order this system within a few days time as my old system is completely FUBAR, I can't get any display out of it at all and as computers are my drug of choice, I find myself lost without one
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