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Building new PC, feedback welcome

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Hi!

So I think time has come for me to purchase a new rig, this one (E5200, 9800GT Green, dp35dp) just doesn't cut it anymore. I would consider upgrading, but seeing as the LGA 775 top-end CPUs are still expensive (and second-hand at that), mobo has no USB3 support, DDR2, PSU is too weak, GPU as well...does make sense to get a whole new box of gear.
I'm after overall solid performance + decent gaming experience. Nothing fancy, altho I will be softly playing around with clock speeds.
//This choice of mobo stems from possibly upgrading to SLI in the future and it should be okay with OCing the CPU and perhaps the GPU.

Don't suggest ASUS or eVGA =)). MSI and GB are the only ones I can get.

And I know that GTX 780 Ti is better, but the list below consists of components that already stretch my limits a bit.

Also - I have an SSD on standby already, so no need for that.

After much deliberation I've come up with a list of components that I feel will do the trick.

*EDIT*
  • i5 4670k + Hyper 212 Evo
  • GigaByte GTX 770 OC 2GB
  • MSI Z87-G43
  • DDR3 2x4GB 1600C9 Kingston HyperX Blu
  • 700W Chieftec GPS-700A8 (OEM - CWT)

Now, I was considering GTX 760 instead of 770, any input on that? My line of reasoning was that since I want okay performance in, say, 2 years, I should get the latter. However I'm still having doubts as to whether the ~30% price increase justifies the ~25% higher performance.

Any thoughts or constructive criticisms are very welcome!

Miniamba

Go for the Z87-GD65....better stability, feature set, and should overclock higher if you interested.
 
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Go for the Z87-GD65....better stability, feature set, and should overclock higher if you interested.
The retailer I'm buying from doesn't have that model. Also I wouldn't use all the capabilities it has to offer. My choice has narrowed down to the G43 by this point TBH.
 
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Don't buy that terrible trashy PSU. It's the one component you don't cheap out on. You'd be better off buying a quality oem bronze rated psu of 550w. Even if it means getting lower spec on something else. Never ever buy a less than quality psu for such expensive hardware. I recommend the sea sonic g series or the xfx core 550w
 
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Don't buy that terrible trashy PSU. It's the one component you don't cheap out on. You'd be better off buying a quality oem bronze rated psu of 550w. Even if it means getting lower spec on something else. Never ever buy a less than quality psu for such expensive hardware. I recommend the sea sonic g series or the xfx core 550w
Well, I've used Chieftecs for 14 years now and haven't had a problem yet. And I should've mentioned I've changed it to APS-650SB, OEM of which is Sirtec, which has a decent reputation as a PSU maker. The APS-650SB is 80+ Bronze certified.
I would go for a very high reputation PSU of course, but the retailer doesn't have them. Chieftecs are faultless in my book at least.

*EDIT*

Now I've become worried about my choice of case...Zalman Z1 has front and rear vents with premounted 120mm fans, bottom mounted PSU with a bottom filtered air intake and a possible second front fan (possible because even tho it's not mentioned in the official specs there is a mount structure, however it is perhaps blocked by the usb/audio ports...). Is this enough for this build (airflow/cooling) or have I made a bad choice?
 
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Ye right, 770 is super cool gpu a specially if you would play in nv optimized games, Nv field is mmo/competitive gaming oriented. All other stuff is okay too.
 
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I would say the case is decent with rather limited airflow but I think it would work with your components, even though I would choose blower style cooler for the GPU to get rid of heat coming from GPU from within the case.
 
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Ye right, 770 is super cool gpu a specially if you would play in nv optimized games, Nv field is mmo/competitive gaming oriented. All other stuff is okay too.
770s run hot as hell, 80*C is typical. If you want it to stay at boost clock goal is to keep it under 80*C.

770 is a good choice though, I can max out 1080p games with mine
 
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I would say the case is decent with rather limited airflow but I think it would work with your components, even though I would choose blower style cooler for the GPU to get rid of heat coming from GPU from within the case.
The only 770s that have blower coolers are made by PNY and eVGA afaik, neither of which I can get.
The GPU is the one I'm worried about...
Sent an e-mail to Zalman, maybe they can tell me something, altho I doubt it.
Well, I guess I'll have to try it out, haven't found any clear answers to my question. Sadly by the time this becomes clear I won't be able to return the case.
 
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I wouldn't worry too much about having limited airflow like in your case. I have about 4 intake fans with only 1 exhaust fan on the rear and it still runs cool.
You are going to get the 770 with windforce cooler, right ? That cooler itself is way more than enough to cool a 770. I would love to have one on my card but it wasn't available at the time I bought mine.

But if you are able to return the case I would recommend getting something better airflow-wise like the Source 210 :clap:
 
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I wouldn't worry too much about having limited airflow like in your case. I have about 4 intake fans with only 1 exhaust fan on the rear and it still runs cool.
You are going to get the 770 with windforce cooler, right ? That cooler itself is way more than enough to cool a 770. I would love to have one on my card but it wasn't available at the time I bought mine.

But if you are able to return the case I would recommend getting something better airflow-wise like the Source 210 :clap:

Yes, I'll be getting the WF version. Asked the question on other forums as well, if the replies will be negative I'll be looking at Zalman Z3 Plus (2 front fans, 2 top, 1 back), it's only 6€ more expensive. But then the MSI Z87-G43 has only 3 sysfans, which means the 2 left over would have to be connected straight to the PSU, running at full rpm, which in turn increase the noise level. And the usb ports on the case are located at the top, which just doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

AND I'd have to wait again because of the shipping times. Getting really impatient, lol.
 
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Nah, that is way better as hot air tends to rise so that you can put that top fan slots to use. Use slow speed fan at about 800 - 1000 rpm and it would be silent as whisper from 1.5 meter away like mine :pimp:
Oh well, you win some and lose some but better airflow is always nice to have.

Your patience will pay off very well, trust me ;)
 
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Yeah, that's what I'll do actually. Get the Z1 exchanged for a Z3 Plus. Found out it has a built-in fan controller for 2 fans, so I'm all set =)).

Well, well. That seems to be it then.

All that remains is:

1. Wait for the case (again)
2. Install all the goodies
3. ...
4. Post results on techpowerup

Once I get it up and running I'll make a quick overview of the temps, performance and the overall impression. Maybe I'll even do a side-by-side comparison with my current rig, who knows (might be quite pointless).
 
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Both R9 290's are available, but 25% more expensive than the 770. And since I already REALLY stretched for that instead of the 760, it's unacceptable to me. Also I don't see 25% more on the benchmarks from the 290.
 
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ha, if we talking about real world fps, 25% performance for 25% price is super justified, the thing is what game we talking about


besides, 290 hot, not so well overclocking potential for games, noisy.... Okay i go pay 30% more, why not? maybe 295x2 at once?1500$ for another 25% fps.... in the end of the day, where is my g-sync? (silence)
 
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Exactly. In my situation the GTX 770 is definitely the best choice.
 
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