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My build for under $2,000. Advice and Suggestions welcome!

theseeg

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Jun 9, 2012
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Processor Intel i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6Ghz Quad Core
Motherboard ASUS P9X79 Pro LGA 2011
Cooling Corsair Hydro H60
Memory G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4x4 GB) DDR3 2133
Video Card(s) EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB
Storage SAMSUNG 830 128GB, Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB
Case Antec Eleven Hundred
Power Supply OCZ ZX Series 850W
Software Windows 7

theseeg

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Jun 9, 2012
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Processor Intel i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6Ghz Quad Core
Motherboard ASUS P9X79 Pro LGA 2011
Cooling Corsair Hydro H60
Memory G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4x4 GB) DDR3 2133
Video Card(s) EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB
Storage SAMSUNG 830 128GB, Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB
Case Antec Eleven Hundred
Power Supply OCZ ZX Series 850W
Software Windows 7
Joined
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What about one tier down? Would that still produce enough for gaming and CAD?
like gtx5XX?

That's not one tier down. That'd be two tiers minimum.

The 5xx series is built on older manufacturing tech. It is, necessarily, less power efficient, louder, and cheaper.

Dropping from a x7x to a x6x series is generally one tier. In all but the lowest end of cards, the underlying structure is likely to have changed (read: old 5770 AMD cards were rebranded to 6770, rather than updated), and thus this is only likely to be a slight drop in performance.


So, a 560 drops a minimum of two "tiers" when compared to a 670. You'll consume more power, and produce more heat. The 670 might be more up-front, but it'll likely do you way better in the future.
 

rectifryer

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I like all of it except for the fans. I would pick up some noctuas as I recently have due to advice from this forum and they are quiet. I'd probably opt for an aluminum Lian Li or NZXT case but thats just me.
 

theseeg

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Jun 9, 2012
Messages
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Processor Intel i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6Ghz Quad Core
Motherboard ASUS P9X79 Pro LGA 2011
Cooling Corsair Hydro H60
Memory G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4x4 GB) DDR3 2133
Video Card(s) EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB
Storage SAMSUNG 830 128GB, Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB
Case Antec Eleven Hundred
Power Supply OCZ ZX Series 850W
Software Windows 7
That's not one tier down. That'd be two tiers minimum.

The 5xx series is built on older manufacturing tech. It is, necessarily, less power efficient, louder, and cheaper.

Dropping from a x7x to a x6x series is generally one tier. In all but the lowest end of cards, the underlying structure is likely to have changed (read: old 5770 AMD cards were rebranded to 6770, rather than updated), and thus this is only likely to be a slight drop in performance.


So, a 560 drops a minimum of two "tiers" when compared to a 670. You'll consume more power, and produce more heat. The 670 might be more up-front, but it'll likely do you way better in the future.

I see your point... Now would you get a 2g 5XX or a 1g 6XX?

Ha they dont make 1g 6XX!
 
Last edited:

theseeg

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Jun 9, 2012
Messages
86 (0.02/day)
Processor Intel i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6Ghz Quad Core
Motherboard ASUS P9X79 Pro LGA 2011
Cooling Corsair Hydro H60
Memory G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4x4 GB) DDR3 2133
Video Card(s) EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB
Storage SAMSUNG 830 128GB, Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB
Case Antec Eleven Hundred
Power Supply OCZ ZX Series 850W
Software Windows 7

MxPhenom 216

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Location
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System Name Ryzen Reflection
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900x
Motherboard Gigabyte X570S Aorus Master
Cooling 2x EK PE360 | TechN AM4 AMD Block Black | EK Quantum Vector Trinity GPU Nickel + Plexi
Memory Teamgroup T-Force Xtreem 2x16GB B-Die 3600 @ 14-14-14-28-42-288-2T 1.45v
Video Card(s) Zotac AMP HoloBlack RTX 3080Ti 12G | 950mV 1950Mhz
Storage WD SN850 500GB (OS) | Samsung 980 Pro 1TB (Games_1) | Samsung 970 Evo 1TB (Games_2)
Display(s) Asus XG27AQM 240Hz G-Sync Fast-IPS | Gigabyte M27Q-P 165Hz 1440P IPS | Asus 24" IPS (portrait mode)
Case Lian Li PC-011D XL | Custom cables by Cablemodz
Audio Device(s) FiiO K7 | Sennheiser HD650 + Beyerdynamic FOX Mic
Power Supply Seasonic Prime Ultra Platinum 850
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No you wouldn't Evga FTW card is a better buy. its more reliable and my cousins is boosting to 1215 without touching anything. the DirectCU II GTX670 top cards are having a lot of issues. RSOD with GPUtweak and then not being stable at all at stock clocks.

Perhaps you can show me where you pull this assertion from?

If there's some information that I am missing, please enlighten me. It sounds like you like EVGA, which is a 100% valid reason to buy a card. Anecdotal experience on overclocking a single card from "my cousin" isn't realistically reliable.

I guess what I'm trying to say is "sway me." W1zz does a fine job here, and I trust his results more than an unfounded assertion of superiority. I'd love to know more, at the expense of being wrong, but I don't see the support...
 

Aquinus

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Location
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System Name Apollo
Processor Intel Core i9 9880H
Motherboard Some proprietary Apple thing.
Memory 64GB DDR4-2667
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, 8GB HBM2
Storage 1TB Apple NVMe, 4TB External
Display(s) Laptop @ 3072x1920 + 2x LG 5k Ultrafine TB3 displays
Case MacBook Pro (16", 2019)
Audio Device(s) AirPods Pro, Sennheiser HD 380s w/ FIIO Alpen 2, or Logitech 2.1 Speakers
Power Supply 96w Power Adapter
Mouse Logitech MX Master 3
Keyboard Logitech G915, GL Clicky
Software MacOS 12.1
Since you have the extra money, I recommend spending a little more on the P9X79 Deluxe instead of the Pro. If you plan on overclocking and/or eventually upgrading to a 6-core (or 8-core if IVB-E ends up sporting that,) the Deluxe's 16 + 2 + 2 + 2 CPU Power VRMs will provide more consistent power. Voltage fluctuation on my Deluxe are practically non-existent and it is always happy to eat more power if it wants it. Also if the computer isn't going to be next to your router, the Deluxe comes with a Bluetooth and Wifi addon card that goes in with the I/O panel and it works very well and has Linux support out of the box if that is any interest to you. Also more VRM power phases means lower VRM temperatures.

Since you're already spending that much on the motherboard, I figured I might as well go with the nicest. I suggest the same since you have the a very wide budget with your current hardware selection and it will only cost something like 40 USD more than the Pro.
 

theseeg

New Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2012
Messages
86 (0.02/day)
Processor Intel i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6Ghz Quad Core
Motherboard ASUS P9X79 Pro LGA 2011
Cooling Corsair Hydro H60
Memory G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4x4 GB) DDR3 2133
Video Card(s) EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB
Storage SAMSUNG 830 128GB, Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB
Case Antec Eleven Hundred
Power Supply OCZ ZX Series 850W
Software Windows 7

theseeg

New Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2012
Messages
86 (0.02/day)
Processor Intel i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6Ghz Quad Core
Motherboard ASUS P9X79 Pro LGA 2011
Cooling Corsair Hydro H60
Memory G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4x4 GB) DDR3 2133
Video Card(s) EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB
Storage SAMSUNG 830 128GB, Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB
Case Antec Eleven Hundred
Power Supply OCZ ZX Series 850W
Software Windows 7
Thank you all for the input. I have put my order in today and here is my final build:

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

ASUS P9X79 PRO LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with USB BIOS

Intel Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 2011 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80619i73820

EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL9Q-16GBZH

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel ...

4 x Antec 761345-75024-0 120mm Blue LED Case Fan

Antec Eleven Hundred Black Super Mid Tower Computer Case

Seagate Barracuda Green ST2000DL003 2TB 5900 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128B/WW 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

3 x Antec Accent Lighting - Blue

OCZ ZX Series 850W Fully-Modular 80PLUS Gold High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7

total cost = $1,860.18

SUCCESS!!!!
 

Aquinus

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Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
13,147 (2.96/day)
Location
Concord, NH, USA
System Name Apollo
Processor Intel Core i9 9880H
Motherboard Some proprietary Apple thing.
Memory 64GB DDR4-2667
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, 8GB HBM2
Storage 1TB Apple NVMe, 4TB External
Display(s) Laptop @ 3072x1920 + 2x LG 5k Ultrafine TB3 displays
Case MacBook Pro (16", 2019)
Audio Device(s) AirPods Pro, Sennheiser HD 380s w/ FIIO Alpen 2, or Logitech 2.1 Speakers
Power Supply 96w Power Adapter
Mouse Logitech MX Master 3
Keyboard Logitech G915, GL Clicky
Software MacOS 12.1
Thank you all for the input. I have put my order in today and here is my final build:

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

ASUS P9X79 PRO LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with USB BIOS

Intel Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 2011 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80619i73820

EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL9Q-16GBZH

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel ...

4 x Antec 761345-75024-0 120mm Blue LED Case Fan

Antec Eleven Hundred Black Super Mid Tower Computer Case

Seagate Barracuda Green ST2000DL003 2TB 5900 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128B/WW 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

3 x Antec Accent Lighting - Blue

OCZ ZX Series 850W Fully-Modular 80PLUS Gold High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7

total cost = $1,860.18

SUCCESS!!!!

Just as a heads up, with that CPU and memory, you might have to flash the bios before the system will actually boot. You'll want to use the push-to-flash button on the motherboard before you do anything else after you put everything together, so don't freak out if it does't boot out of the box. This is what happened with me with the same CPU and Memory on the Deluxe, so I suspect the same might happen to you.

Good luck, you're about to build a beautiful computer. Throw us some pictures when you get the stuff and you start to build it. :toast:
 

theseeg

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Processor Intel i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6Ghz Quad Core
Motherboard ASUS P9X79 Pro LGA 2011
Cooling Corsair Hydro H60
Memory G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4x4 GB) DDR3 2133
Video Card(s) EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB
Storage SAMSUNG 830 128GB, Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB
Case Antec Eleven Hundred
Power Supply OCZ ZX Series 850W
Software Windows 7
Just as a heads up, with that CPU and memory, you might have to flash the bios before the system will actually boot. You'll want to use the push-to-flash button on the motherboard before you do anything else after you put everything together, so don't freak out if it does't boot out of the box. This is what happened with me with the same CPU and Memory on the Deluxe, so I suspect the same might happen to you.

Good luck, you're about to build a beautiful computer. Throw us some pictures when you get the stuff and you start to build it. :toast:

Will do pictures will probably be up next week!

What do you mean i have to flash the bios? Why do I have to do this?
 
Joined
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Location
Ohio
System Name Cogito Ergo Switch
Processor i7 3930K @ 4.8Ghz
Motherboard Asus Rampage IV Extreme
Cooling Custom Water (CPU/MB/GPU Blocks, 420+240rads PP)
Memory 16GB G.Skill Ripjaws Z 2133 9-11-10-27 @ 2380 9-10-10-28
Video Card(s) EVGA GTX670 FTW 2GB SLI @ 1344core/7648mem + EVGA 650Ti PhysX
Storage Samsung 830 256GB SSD (Boot) + 1TB WD10EZEX (Games/Apps) + 1TB WD10EALX (Prog) + 2x 320GB WD/HGST
Display(s) Dell U2412HM + U2312HM + 2x P2212Hbe + Viewsonic 21.5" 1680x1050
Case NZXT Switch 810 White - MODDED
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Titanium HD PCI-Express
Power Supply NZXT HALE90 850W - Custom Sleeved Cables (White, No Heatshrink)
Software Windows7 Pro x64
I like what you have set up so far for your build, and I too was torn between IVB and SB-E but I went for the latter and don't regret it for a second!
Have you considered any other cases? I imagine that you may entertain the idea of liquid cooling down the road, and if you do, there are better options in the same price range.
I am partial to the NZXT Switch 810, and their HALE90 series of Power Supplies are superb!
You may also want to consider stepping up a notch in equipment for air cooling, meaning better fans (not to sound like a fanboy, but nzxt fans are great; the Akasa and B-Gears are superb).

Right now you can get the WD Cav Black 1TB for 99 on Newegg, so you might check that out.

Everything else is pure, unadulterated Win! Good luck and enjoy in good health!
 

Aquinus

Resident Wat-man
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
13,147 (2.96/day)
Location
Concord, NH, USA
System Name Apollo
Processor Intel Core i9 9880H
Motherboard Some proprietary Apple thing.
Memory 64GB DDR4-2667
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, 8GB HBM2
Storage 1TB Apple NVMe, 4TB External
Display(s) Laptop @ 3072x1920 + 2x LG 5k Ultrafine TB3 displays
Case MacBook Pro (16", 2019)
Audio Device(s) AirPods Pro, Sennheiser HD 380s w/ FIIO Alpen 2, or Logitech 2.1 Speakers
Power Supply 96w Power Adapter
Mouse Logitech MX Master 3
Keyboard Logitech G915, GL Clicky
Software MacOS 12.1
Will do pictures will probably be up next week!

What do you mean i have to flash the bios? Why do I have to do this?

I'm not sure exactly what the BIOS that comes with the board has trouble with but when I booted it on my Deluxe, it was getting stuck of DRAM initialization. It's really Easy, just follow the instructions and it's as easy as plugging a USB drive into the motherboard and pressing the button. It can even do it without the CPU or RAM installed.

I like what you have set up so far for your build, and I too was torn between IVB and SB-E but I went for the latter and don't regret it for a second!
Have you considered any other cases? I imagine that you may entertain the idea of liquid cooling down the road, and if you do, there are better options in the same price range.
I am partial to the NZXT Switch 810, and their HALE90 series of Power Supplies are superb!
You may also want to consider stepping up a notch in equipment for air cooling, meaning better fans (not to sound like a fanboy, but nzxt fans are great; the Akasa and B-Gears are superb).

Right now you can get the WD Cav Black 1TB for 99 on Newegg, so you might check that out.

Everything else is pure, unadulterated Win! Good luck and enjoy in good health!
He already bought the hardware. Also I'm perfectly happy with every Antec case I've bought.
 

theseeg

New Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2012
Messages
86 (0.02/day)
Processor Intel i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6Ghz Quad Core
Motherboard ASUS P9X79 Pro LGA 2011
Cooling Corsair Hydro H60
Memory G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4x4 GB) DDR3 2133
Video Card(s) EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB
Storage SAMSUNG 830 128GB, Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB
Case Antec Eleven Hundred
Power Supply OCZ ZX Series 850W
Software Windows 7
I'm not sure exactly what the BIOS that comes with the board has trouble with but when I booted it on my Deluxe, it was getting stuck of DRAM initialization. It's really Easy, just follow the instructions and it's as easy as plugging a USB drive into the motherboard and pressing the button. It can even do it without the CPU or RAM installed.


He already bought the hardware. Also I'm perfectly happy with every Antec case I've bought.

so instructions on how to do it come with the Mobo?

And yeah im stoked with this antec case i have heard good things
 

theseeg

New Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2012
Messages
86 (0.02/day)
Processor Intel i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6Ghz Quad Core
Motherboard ASUS P9X79 Pro LGA 2011
Cooling Corsair Hydro H60
Memory G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4x4 GB) DDR3 2133
Video Card(s) EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB
Storage SAMSUNG 830 128GB, Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB
Case Antec Eleven Hundred
Power Supply OCZ ZX Series 850W
Software Windows 7
Need help from all to start brainstorming names for this lil beast im about to put together
 
Joined
Mar 26, 2012
Messages
231 (0.05/day)
Location
Ohio
System Name Cogito Ergo Switch
Processor i7 3930K @ 4.8Ghz
Motherboard Asus Rampage IV Extreme
Cooling Custom Water (CPU/MB/GPU Blocks, 420+240rads PP)
Memory 16GB G.Skill Ripjaws Z 2133 9-11-10-27 @ 2380 9-10-10-28
Video Card(s) EVGA GTX670 FTW 2GB SLI @ 1344core/7648mem + EVGA 650Ti PhysX
Storage Samsung 830 256GB SSD (Boot) + 1TB WD10EZEX (Games/Apps) + 1TB WD10EALX (Prog) + 2x 320GB WD/HGST
Display(s) Dell U2412HM + U2312HM + 2x P2212Hbe + Viewsonic 21.5" 1680x1050
Case NZXT Switch 810 White - MODDED
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Titanium HD PCI-Express
Power Supply NZXT HALE90 850W - Custom Sleeved Cables (White, No Heatshrink)
Software Windows7 Pro x64
Actually I was considering the 1100, it's not a bad case by any means. I just felt like it didn't have the expansion I'd need.
 
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