Need help for complete new intel build.

[johnspack]

Client has $1500 Can max. I need intel mobo, cpu, ram, case, psu and video card. I have some ideas, but I need more. My source will be http://ncix.com/ please do not suggest another. Prefer 1155, i5 or better, 8gbs fast ram, good mobo, preferably asus, psu at 750 gold rated or better, and a half decent case. Help?

[drdeathx]

[thebluebumblebee]

I want to know more about the client and what they'll be using the system for. Does noise matter? You did not list if you need an OS or a HSF. What about a SSD? Are they into OC'ing?

[drdeathx]

Originally Posted by thebluebumblebee

I want to know more about the client and what they'll be using the system for. Does noise matter? You did not list if you need an OS or a HSF. What about a SSD? Are they into OC'ing?

Obviously he does need a heatsink, and he gave a $1500 budget. This build even with some modifications is top notch for the budget. Where else you gonna go? Scale back to a 670 and add a heatsink.... he did not list he needed an OS.

[johnspack]

Client wants low noise. And thankyou drdeathx, that is actually a nice system. He is using it for htpc for now, but wants to game on it too. I'm thinking 660Ti to start for video card. I need to fit this all in $1500 can.

[Norton]

Originally Posted by johnspack

Client wants low noise. And thankyou drdeathx, that is actually a nice system. He is using it for htpc for now, but wants to game on it too. I'm thinking 660Ti to start for video card. I need to fit this all in $1500 can.

If you want low noise- take a look at the Fractal Define R4. It's as solid as a 1954 Buick and has heavy sound deadening on the side panels. I run one with an FX-8150 crunching 24/7 and I can't hear it at all when I turn the fans down to 50% and it runs cool (six fans running in total).

[drdeathx]

Originally Posted by johnspack

Client wants low noise. And thankyou drdeathx, that is actually a nice system. He is using it for htpc for now, but wants to game on it too. I'm thinking 660Ti to start for video card. I need to fit this all in $1500 can.

With that budget you can easily top a 660/ get a 670 or 7970. Maximize his hardware for $1500

[brispuss]

Assuming no overclocking.

Assumes one HDD, one SSD, and one DVD/CD writer added to system.

Allowance made for PSU derating over time also.

Understand system is for general purpose use and for some gaming.

CPU: Intel i7-3770

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP7

Video Card: EVGA GTX680 {part no. 02G P4 2680 KR}

RAM: Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2 x 4GB) PC14900 {part no. BLT2KIT4G3D1869DT1TX0}

PSU: Seasonic G-550 (550W). More than adequate for estimated ~ 400W using above components and with no overclocking.

[johnspack]

Think I may have left out.. silent case as well. Very good ideas so far though. I think he wants to be able to sell it to a gamer, as he feels that is a better market. He wants to use it as an htpc, but it should be gamer capable. See the fun I'm having?
Oh and he wants 16gbs ram....

[johnspack]

Don't ask, dude is way out on left field, and has a crap load of cash. I must make sure he at least gets a kick butt computer out of it.....

[thebluebumblebee]

*&!# you Johnspack! $1500 seems like a lot until parts are plugged in.
Edit:
How about:

• Intel Core i5 3570 Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail $209.99
• Gigabyte Z77X-UP4-TH Thunderbolt ATX LGA 1155 3PCI-E16 3PCIE-E1 HDMI SATA3 SLI USB3.0 Motherboard $199.99
• Corsair Vengeance CML16GX3M2A1600C10 Low Profile 16GB 2X8GB DDR3-1600 CL10 Dual Channel Memory Kit $99.98
• Fractal Design Define R4 ATX Tower Case Black Pearl 2X5.25 8X3.5INT No PSU Front 2XUSB3.0 Audio $119.99
• Corsair Professional Series HX650 650W ATX 12V 87A 24PIN ATX 80PLUS Gold Modular Power Supply $129.99
• Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H60 CPU Cooler System LGA1155 1366 1156 2011 AM2 AM3 FM1 & FM2 $59.99
• MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti Twinfrozr 1046MHZ 3GB 6.0GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI- *IR-$20* $329.99
• Corsair Neutron Series 240GB 2.5in SATA3 6GB/S LAMD Solid State Disk Flash Drive SSD $215.98
• Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM 64MB SATA 6Gbps 3.5in Internal Hard Drive - OEM $69.99
• YOUR TOTAL $1,435.89

And those are Canadian dollars as requested.

[brispuss]

Revised components list, with emphasis on entertainment/gaming.

Assumes no overclocking.

Assumes one HDD, one SSD, and one DVD/CD writer added to system.

Allowance made for PSU derating over time also.

CPU: Intel i5-3570K

Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth Z77

Video Card: PNY GTX 670

RAM: G.Skill RipjawsZ 16GB DDR3-2400 (4 x 4GB) {part no. F3-2400C10Q-16GZH}

PSU: Seasonic G-650 (650W). Allows for overclocking to ~ 4.5+ GHz and also allows for liquid CPU cooling (all in the future).

[johnspack]

Originally Posted by thebluebumblebee

*&!# you Johnspack! $1500 seems like a lot until parts are plugged in.

Well, this is an entire system from scratch... case, psu, mobo, cpu, ram, video card... and this thing will have to last him a looooong time. He won't get money like this again. So I have to build this thing right! A lot of pressure.....
Of course I just finished building a Maximus V Gene system for someone else, and it turned out okay... lots of money that isn't mine is all.

[terrastrife]

Everyone seems to have some nice ideas but have been forgetting the quiet aspect.
Get an Asus DirectCUII based video card, 660Ti or 670 for example, as quiet as you can get.

[drdeathx]

Originally Posted by johnspack

Think I may have left out.. silent case as well. Very good ideas so far though. I think he wants to be able to sell it to a gamer, as he feels that is a better market. He wants to use it as an htpc, but it should be gamer capable. See the fun I'm having?
Oh and he wants 16gbs ram....

Just cause he wants 16G of ram, with his list of what he uses, you need to tell him 16G is a major waste. He just will never use 16G yet 8G of memory.......

[AlienIsGOD]

16GB of DDR3 is relatively cheap. If the OP's friend wants 16GB then by all means go for it. Point in case, my build is using 6GB of 8. When my i5 IB build is complete, i will stick in another 8GB just because i can.

[johnspack]

I ended up going for this:

Good starter gaming box....

[johnspack]

Oh, and system ordered. Freaks me out a bit... first 1500can order I've done....
Edit: and it's for a client....

[McSteel]

It'll be fine, don't sweat it

If it were me, I'd have gone for a Dell 2312HM for about the same price as that BenQ. Apart from that, I'd probably have settled for a smaller PSU (~90$ good quality 550-650W unit) and 2x4 GB RAM, maybe even a smaller HDD, so I'd have some space to go for an SSD.

All in all, though, it's a nice build (and I especially like the CPU + MoBo combo deal), and it'll run games like crazy, while being more than competent for everything else one might throw at it.

[tokyoduong]

It's a great system except I think you could've chosen wiser.

First, you got an 850w psu gold spec. That's overkill or an i5 3570k with 660 ti. Even if you SLI, you don't need anymore than 750w gold. Otherwise, that is a rock solid psu.

Second, Why not 3770k? If you check microcenter their bundle with 3770k and board would cost you around $300. They will ship to Canada from what I know.

Third, why DDR3 2400?? If you are building for a client then I would not OC that high so this RAM is really unnecessary. DDR 1866 is more than enough. I'm sure your client who does not want to build a PC will not want to maintain a PC that much besides cleaning filters.

Benq monitor is meh. I guess it's ok but there's better choices out there.

The 1 TB WD black is a wonderful drive but for $1500 I would think you could fit in at least a 120GB SSD for cache or boot. The WD black is a good media drive in today's standards though. I don't think I can consider it performance anymore.

Also no DVD/BD drive? keyboard, mouse, etc...??

I assume you can download a copy of windows whether legally or illegally since you did not include it.

IMO if I was to part with $1500 and I received this PC, I would be pretty disappointed.

check out my sys spec and it cost me $600 total.

[RCoon]

Buy 1600/1866 ram, 2400 is negligible performance increase, not worth the money.
PSU is fine.
Dont buy bundles, they are cheaper to buy seperately.
If someone gave me a 660ti and told me it was for future gaming, i would laugh at them.
gtx 670 or 7970.
I have two benq monitors, they are fine.
also an SSD IS A MUST BUY, just a standard 500read/write 120gb

[tokyoduong]

Originally Posted by RCoon

Buy 1600/1866 ram, 2400 is negligible performance increase, not worth the money.
PSU is fine.
Dont buy bundles, they are cheaper to buy seperately.
If someone gave me a 660ti and told me it was for future gaming, i would laugh at them.
gtx 670 or 7970.
I have two benq monitors, they are fine.
also an SSD IS A MUST BUY, just a standard 500read/write 120gb

you're right the PSU is fine but unnecessary. I don't want to start a long discussion but just add up total power consumption for all his parts and you'll see that even in worst case scenario he is only at 50% or less. That is overkill and a waste of money. If he was running SLI then yes but even a 750w is more than enough for 2 660ti.

Great that you have 2 benq monitors and I think they are fine too but not great. For $1500 I would expect something better. There's just too many good choices to be choosing Benq at this price range. That's all I'm saying.

Bundles are not good most of the time but you just can't beat the microcenter bundle as they let you choose the motherboard and CPU instead of a fixed bundle like most places.

I agree with all your other comments.

[RCoon]

Originally Posted by tokyoduong

you're right the PSU is fine but unnecessary. I don't want to start a long discussion but just add up total power consumption for all his parts and you'll see that even in worst case scenario he is only at 50% or less. That is overkill and a waste of money. If he was running SLI then yes but even a 750w is more than enough for 2 660ti.

Great that you have 2 benq monitors and I think they are fine too but not great. For $1500 I would expect something better. There's just too many good choices to be choosing Benq at this price range. That's all I'm saying.

Bundles are not good most of the time but you just can't beat the microcenter bundle as they let you choose the motherboard and CPU instead of a fixed bundle like most places.

I agree with all your other comments.

You're right, PSU is waaaaaay overkill.
I'd rather have the Benq monitor and a get a half decent GPU, 16gb of 1600mhz ram and an SSD, then see how much he has left to play with, to see if he can get a better monitor.
Looks like hes ordered the stuff though. His client is going to get a very strange mid to high end pc with epic ram and an almost high end GPU, and yet will have to wait 30+seconds for windows to boot.

[tokyoduong]

Originally Posted by RCoon

You're right, PSU is waaaaaay overkill.
I'd rather have the Benq monitor and a get a half decent GPU, 16gb of 1600mhz ram and an SSD, then see how much he has left to play with, to see if he can get a better monitor.
Looks like hes ordered the stuff though. His client is going to get a very strange mid to high end pc with epic ram and an almost high end GPU, and yet will have to wait 30+seconds for windows to boot.

You can get a decent Samsung monitor that would put the Benq to shame when it comes to color calibration and accuracy. LGs are pretty good along with viewsonic and it'll cost him maybe $20-30 more. Dell is a better choice than Benq too.

Had he chosen wisely to save money, an SSD and velociraptor combination is well within budget and the thing will boot in 10 secs and resume from sleep in about 2 secs. Not to mention all the updates, installs and such goes so much faster. Games will load well before everyone else and that is a good advantage especially in RTS.

[johnspack]

Well, I have a thing about psus... better is always better. He won't have this kind of money again for a long time, so everything has to last. The psu has a 7yr warranty. He is stepping up from a pentium d with a 7600gt, and he plays diablo 2 is the most demanding game. I'll actually have to introduce him to modern games. The ram is overkill, but it was on a really good sale, and cheaper than the slower ram. I'll probably run it at 1866. And up here, 24" monitors usually go for $200. I actually did look for separate mobo and cpu, but the combo deal was better. I did get the best bang for the buck for $1500 can as far as I can see. So far, I'm only set up for instant funds transfer for ncix.com, so I'm pretty much stuck buying from them when someone wants stuff fast.....