New Ultimate rig

[simsimma4]

Hi guys,

I'm new to this forum but have heard and watched the youtube videos. I'm building a new rig (haven't built one for over 10 years!) and i thought i'd share what i am planning...

First i'll tell you a bit about myself. I'm not in the profession of computer science or engineering, i'm actually a pharmacist! I just have a passion for gadgets and technology, but i love building things. I'm also into home cinema setup's and car audio. My passion for computers (especially building them) is just an extension to that. Built my first computer while i was still studying for my G.C.S.E.'s. It's now turned into one of my hobbies, i think i enjoy building computers more than actually using them, though only a very little more.

When i started out i just wanted a decent quiet daily runner, good for all sorts and games, but as i got into it i got carried away and thought what the hell, might aswell go all out

So here is what i have planned:

CPU : i7 3820

Motherboard : MSI Big Bang Xpower II

RAM : Corsair Vengence LP 32gb

GPU : MSI N580GTX Twin Frozr II for now....

PSU : Corsair AX850

HDD : Corsair SSD (SATA3) 120gb X 2 (RAID-0) & Hitachi 1tb 7200rpm

Optical : LG Blu-ray rewriter

Case : Fractal design Define XL

CPU Cooler : Noctua NH-D14

Case fans : Noctua fans throughout the case, replacing existing ones and adding extra

Monitor : Samsung S27A850D

Keyboard : Logitech K750

Mouse : Logitech performance MX

I wanted to go quiet, hence why i went for the Fractal case and Noctua fans all around, and i hope it will be quiet. I'm about 50% through the build, installed all but the CPU and Motherboard. Reason for this is because i'm debating whether i should wait for the new stuff be get released in a couple months time and install that. But all in all i think it will be a solid rig regardless.

I just wanted your opinions, whether i should wait or get the stuff now and finish the build. And also what you guys think of the rig so far

I know a lot would say why not go liquid cooled, but i didn't want to go that direction yet, being a complete noob to water cooling i'd probably mess it all up. Perhaps the next build

Also i know it may be overkill to what i need it for, but hey why not

Anyway any thoughts would be appreciated,

Thanks,

Sim

 

[JackyBoy]

I like the idea of fractal case and all noctuas

I would recommend against going for that mother board though. If you watch toms review of it he says it is a good board but you may as well only get it if younare overclocking hard, which by the looks of things you won't be.

Personally I would stick with current gen CPU but save some money on the mobo and get a gpu from big greens next generation of cards. The performance difference between current and next gen cards should be quite large. Difference between sandy and ivy I don't think will be that great.

 

[TheOneHalf]

I like the idea of fractal case and all noctuas

I would recommend against going for that mother board though. If you watch toms review of it he says it is a good board but you may as well only get it if younare overclocking hard, which by the looks of things you won't be.

Personally I would stick with current gen CPU but save some money on the mobo and get a gpu from big greens next generation of cards. The performance difference between current and next gen cards should be quite large. Difference between sandy and ivy I don't think will be that great.

Pretty much my thoughts on this.

Getting a GTX 580 now seems odd to me as well since the 7970 is quite abit faster, if you must then wait for the new Nvidia GPU's if you don't like AMD

 

[simsimma4]

Thanks for your comments guys

Yeh the fractal case has some sound deadening, so it should work well with quiet fans, hopefully be ultra silent

Yeh I didn't know about the new GPU's coming out till a couple weeks ago. Any ideas of pricing on the nvidia ones? Only reason I thought of 580gtx is because of price, and still good performance. Plus apparently the twin frozr II is supposed to be quieter, in keeping with the rest of my build.

Reason I was thinking of that Asus board was because of the number of SATA 3 inputs and usb3 ports. And I heard it was a brilliant performer. What other board would you recommend then? Or shall I wait for the Z77 boards to come out? Only differrence I can see is native usb3 support and pci-e 3.0.

Thanks,

Sim

 

[simsimma4]

I have decided to go for a different monitor also. The Samsung S27A850D. Purely because i hear so much about it and i don't need 3D. Also i will wait for the ivy bridge and Z77 boards. And i will wait until MSI bring out the Twin Frozr version of the gtx 600 series.

 

[lewwatt]

I would get the Gigabyte Windforce 7970 as it is a custom card and should be around the same noise levels as a MSI Twin Frozr II GTX580 while giving more performance and using less power.

Why the i7 2700k? Just get a 2600k and overclock it.

I agree that the motherboard you've selected isn't the best choice. It doesn't even have PCI-e 3.0 which is vital for future proofing.

Not all 7200rpm drives perform the same, the really good ones that are quite popular is the Samsung Spinpoint F3 and the WD Caviar Black.

Also you should only need an AX750 - that will leave tons of headroom.

 

[simsimma4]

I would get the Gigabyte Windforce 7970 as it is a custom card and should be around the same noise levels as a MSI Twin Frozr II GTX580 while giving more performance and using less power.

Why the i7 2700k? Just get a 2600k and overclock it.

I agree that the motherboard you've selected isn't the best choice. It doesn't even have PCI-e 3.0 which is vital for future proofing.

Not all 7200rpm drives perform the same, the really good ones that are quite popular is the Samsung Spinpoint F3 and the WD Caviar Black.

Also you should only need an AX750 - that will leave tons of headroom.

I have edited my post with the revisions made.

Considering i have already got the GTX580 i will wait a while and see how it goes. Reason i went for AX850 is so i have options in future to add another GPU when/if i get into my gaming. The 7200rpm hard drive will only be a storage drive, it was going cheap hence why i opted for the Hitachi.

 

[simsimma4]

Having seen results of RAID-0 from others i decided i might aswell do this in my rig

Plus i picked up the SSD's fairly cheap. So have accordingly updated the rig itinerary. Show be a fast quiet beast. Thinking of calling it 'Stealth' due to the fact it'll be quiet, powerful, fast, yet look totally ordinary from outside

 

[badtaylorx]

i agree with the 2600k... the 2700k's have not prooven to be better overclockers or binned in any way

 

[simsimma4]

i agree with the 2600k... the 2700k's have not prooven to be better overclockers or binned in any way

Yeh i have binned the idea for sandy bridge altogether, waiting for the new ivy bridge. I hear brilliant things about the 3770K so i think i'll go for that!

 

[simsimma4]

Have changed my mind as i couldn't wait, plus i fell in love with the MSI Big Bang Xpower II! what a board!