Hardware So I am finally building/getting my PC built, and need some part recommendations :V

Gundam Eclipse

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So after my last thread I decided to ultimately wait for Haswell and the 700 series, both of which seem kind of disappointing.
Finally building my PC now, or getting it built by Origin depending on the situation.

Feel free to recommend any parts while keeping the following in mind:
1. Will not be gaming on anything higher than 1080p. Will also not use any sort of anti-aliasing/filtering.
2. Games I plan to 'max out'(or play on high):
Witcher 2, Hitman Absolution, Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Sleeping Dogs, Dark Souls II, Witcher 3(hopefully?), Watch Dogs, Remember Me and probably a few others.
Will also be playing Skyrim with ENB. Been keeping away from it until I get my PC built >3>

Other requirements:
Optimal cooling. Cannot stress enough.

Here's my setup from the last thread, if needed:
  • SilverStone Raven 2
  • Standard Case Fans
  • ASUS Sabertooth Z77 (USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s)
  • Cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018&Tpk=noctua dh-14
  • Intel Core i5 3570K Quad-Core 3.4GHz (3.8GHz TurboBoost), 6MB Cache
  • 750 Watt EVGA NEX750G
  • Single 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GTX 670(To be changed to either a MSI or EVGA variant, undecided)
  • 8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1866Mhz (2x4GB)
  • Genuine MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Edition(Undecided between 7 and 8)
  • 3TB SATA 6.0Gb/s, 7200RPM, 64MB Cache
  • 128GB Samsung 840 Pro Series
  • 24X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability (No DVD Playback Software for Windows 8 Included)(To be removed)
  • On Board Audio(To be changed to this: www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006)
  • D-Link Wireless DWA-566 PCI Express Desktop Adapter
  • Logitech Gaming Keyboard G110
  • Logitech MX Optical Gaming Mouse
  • Microsoft Xbox 360 Wired Controller for Windows
  • ASUS 23" VH236H - (Official monitor of the MLG)
 

kai445

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Have you considered the Radeon 7970? The rest looks alright. Are you gonna substitute for a different CD/DVD burner or are you just not going to have one?
 
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Fishaman P

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Just a few thoughts:

1) Intel's Haswell processors launch tomorrow; the equivalent of an i5 3570K is the i5 4670K.
For one thing, overclocking on them is much easier and more granular.

2) Since the GTX 670 is now a generation old, its price might be dropping.
However, if you can find a GTX 760 for cheaper, you'll probably be happier with that.
As suggested above, a Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition would be a suitable alternative, and it has vastly better GPGPU capabilities.

3) You probably don't need a sound card unless you're a lunatic audiophile.
Onboard sound has come a long way, and even my $70 H55 mobo has 7.1 surround and uncompressed 24-bit, 96KHz audio support.

4) You don't need factory overclocked RAM; any decent RAM can reach those speeds for cheaper.
Since Samsung's wonder RAM is no longer sold, I recommend G.Skill Trident X.
Those chips are now shipping with Samsung chips on them.
To give you an idea of what those chips are capable of, many have no problem getting them to 2400MHz at 1.5v, 10-12-12. With no heat spreaders.

5) The Noctua NH-D14 is massive and hard to install; have you considered sealed liquid cooling, like the Corsair H100i?
With tower air coolers, if you move your computer at least once a year, you'll basically be hanging a brick off your mobo. Not good if you drop it, even from 1ft.
 

trumpet-205

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Speaking of RAM, you won't benefit much from DDR3-1600 and above on Intel setup. The opposite is true for AMD setup (very true for AMD APU). So I wouldn't go for expensive RAM set unless you are benching.

But yeah, Haswell is now released, so you may want to take that into consideration. For one you can get used Ivy Bridge CPU and motherboard cheap since sellers will be trying to clear them out. On the other hand Haswell is supposed to be easy to overclock due to integrated VRM and BCLK settings similar to SB-E. Though I don't know if Haswell is using soldered heat spreader or TIM-based solution like Ivy Bridge. If it is using TIM-based solution then you may need to de-lid it.

I wouldn't throw sound card away. Xonar DX is miles away from onboard sound card. I can notice a difference (clarity) between Xonar D1 (PCI version of DX) and Realtek 898 even on a cheap Logitech speaker. Although for $90 Xonar DX is a bit expensive. At that price I'd go with Soundblaster Z due to integrated headphone amp.

The only instant I would throw away sound card is: 1. You are on budget, 2. You are after surround sound (in which case you use optical out or HDMI audio to a receiver, not analog output).

Also if cooling is a concern why not go extra miles on Swiftech H220 or XSPC water cooling kit?
 

natkoden

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Series 700 dissappointing? What? The GTX 770 costs the same as the GTX 670 and performs 20% better.

And haswell, well... you could wait a little more and see for yourself. Seems to me like you're wasting your money.
 

Lanlan

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Another vote for Radeon here, I think a 7950 or 7970 would be better, especially a 7950. They overclock like champs. Plus, lots of GPGPU stuff like mentioned above works very well on Radeon cards, like mining or folding. And you really don't need a "gaming" sound card. I think only audiophiles and musicians should justify the purchase of a sound card.
 

Fishaman P

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Yeah, I probably should have read the whole post, not just the parts list :/

But yeah, now that I think about it, a 7970 or even a GTX 670 would be overkill for 1080p with no AA/AF. A 7850 or GTX 660 would be more appropriate.
The thing I stress most is the Corsair H100i cooler. If that's too extreme, try the H80i.
 

Chhotu uttam

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  • SilverStone Raven 2 :- You should look into Silverstone fortress Ft02 or even wait for the FT04(SS says it has better air cooling).
  • Standard Case Fans
  • ASUS Sabertooth Z77 (USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s) <--- Asus maximus gene is a better alternative.
  • Cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018&Tpk=noctua dh-14 <--- One of the best, no doubt.
  • Intel Core i5 3570K Quad-Core 3.4GHz (3.8GHz TurboBoost), 6MB Cache <--- wait for the 4670K's review
  • 750 Watt EVGA NEX750G <--- Seasonic , IMO is the most reliable company for PSUs, but since Silverstone had compatibility issues with huge PSUs in the raven rv03 , get a silverstone PSU.
  • Single 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GTX 670(To be changed to either a MSI or EVGA variant, undecided) <--- Try to get the HD7970 if you can get it cheaper.
  • 8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1866Mhz (2x4GB)
  • Genuine MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Edition(Undecided between 7 and 8) <--- Windows 8.1 update is at the end of the June so you might wait(rumours say they are bring back startmenu and stuffs).
  • 3TB SATA 6.0Gb/s, 7200RPM, 64MB Cache <--- I read somewhere that 3TB HDD fail more than any other HDD ( or maybe it's just Seagate :\ ).
  • 128GB Samsung 840 Pro Series <--- Best SSD in the market for that storage space
  • 24X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability (No DVD Playback Software for Windows 8 Included)(To be removed)
  • On Board Audio(To be changed to this: www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006) <--- IF you're into gaming, go with creative cards ; if music , do with asus. http://www.overclock.net/t/1014902/ocns-most-recommended-audio-products that might help you
  • D-Link Wireless DWA-566 PCI Express Desktop Adapter
  • Logitech Gaming Keyboard G110 <--- Why not a mech keyboard?
  • Logitech MX Optical Gaming Mouse <--- There are many good mouse in the market now, check out http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/peripherals/ for reviews
  • Microsoft Xbox 360 Wired Controller for Windows
  • ASUS 23" VH236H - (Official monitor of the MLG)

Now the only thing is left to tell that if your pc could run games on 4k :tpi:
 

Gundam Eclipse

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Why did I say 700 series was disappointing D: I BLAME SLEEP DEPRIVATION.
I might end up waiting one final week till the 8th to see if the 760 Ti releases, should be coming out then apparently.

As for Haswell, from skimming this: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=573649&page=7
From what little I understood, Haswell seems to get hotter much more quickly, which is why I thought I might as well get an Ivy Bridge one instead, not to mention things like USB 3.0 not working properly. If I am misunderstanding this(more than possible), feel free to clear it up :3

Also, I am going with a air-based cooler since I have literally no experience with water coolers.

Finally, I am leaning towards NVIDIA more since my experience with Radeon drivers...has been less than satisfactory, to say the least. Has the situation regarding this changed?
Going with a 670 or 7970 to slightly future-proof btw, I might not be able to upgrade very soon so yeah :V

Gonna check out the rest of your suggestions/recommendations later soon as I get some time, thanks a ton guys! Much appreciated <3
 

trumpet-205

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The USB 3.0 errata is exaggerated by media (if your computer goes to sleep then wake up USB 3.0 might disconnect, simply unplug and plug it in again to use it again). It is not a serious bug (not as serious as SATA 3.0 Gbps errata for Sandy Bridge B2 stepping chipset). Truth to be told every chips, be it CPU, GPU, or chipset comes with a lot of erratas (most went unfixed). Media loves to pick a couple of them and make a field day out of it.

I'd give 2 more weeks to decide whether Haswell is a "hot" chip. If Haswell is using TIM-based solution like Ivy Bridge than you may need to delid it to have acceptable temperature during overclocking.

Cooling wise which is why I recommend Swiftech H220, a per-assembled water cooler. With Corsair H100i you likely need to change Corsair stock fan for it to surpass NH-D14.

Driver wise I tend to find Nividia being more troublesome, but this is purely opinion. Whenever a new GPU lineup is introduced it tends to have bad driver support. It does take couple months for driver to be polished.
 

Lanlan

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Finally, I am leaning towards NVIDIA more since my experience with Radeon drivers...has been less than satisfactory, to say the least. Has the situation regarding this changed?
Going with a 670 or 7970 to slightly future-proof btw, I might not be able to upgrade very soon so yeah :V

Had quite a bit of experience with an A8-3870k (AMD APU with built in graphics), Radeon 6770. 6870, and 6950, and I've never had any driver problems at all. I think the driver problems people always bring up with Radeon are from a very long time ago. AMD's had their act together as of late, at least from what I've experienced.
 

natkoden

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Why did I say 700 series was disappointing D: I BLAME SLEEP DEPRIVATION.
I might end up waiting one final week till the 8th to see if the 760 Ti releases, should be coming out then apparently.

As for Haswell, from skimming this: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=573649&page=7
From what little I understood, Haswell seems to get hotter much more quickly, which is why I thought I might as well get an Ivy Bridge one instead, not to mention things like USB 3.0 not working properly. If I am misunderstanding this(more than possible), feel free to clear it up :3

Also, I am going with a air-based cooler since I have literally no experience with water coolers.

Finally, I am leaning towards NVIDIA more since my experience with Radeon drivers...has been less than satisfactory, to say the least. Has the situation regarding this changed?
Going with a 670 or 7970 to slightly future-proof btw, I might not be able to upgrade very soon so yeah :V

Gonna check out the rest of your suggestions/recommendations later soon as I get some time, thanks a ton guys! Much appreciated <3


it wans't that bad... but I hear it's a lot better nowadays

and yes, haswell was a total dissappointment... 20% hotter and no significant increase in performance

but if you're building a new pc, you might as well go with the flow and futureproof. Skylake will use the same socket.
 

trumpet-205

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it wans't that bad... but I hear it's a lot better nowadays

and yes, haswell was a total dissappointment... 20% hotter and no significant increase in performance

but if you're building a new pc, you might as well go with the flow and futureproof. Skylake will use the same socket.
Haswell is hotter because of integrated VRM (you now only have to deal with two voltages when you overclock, Vcore and Vram, instead of 5 voltages). Broadwell should cut down the heat problem.

Most interesting aspect about Haswell is AVX2 and TSX. x264 shows 10% improvement on AVX2 preliminary, the number will increase as x264 moves form SSE to AVX2. TSX should make multi-thread programming easier for developers.

Overall, disappointment for gamers, improvements for others (biggest improvements goes to mobile CPU as always).
 

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