Cyberpower PC specs for prospective build

[imported_browsing]

I was going to upgrade my gaming notebook but since I can make due with it and it's already a beast of an outdated desktop replacement, I decided to go with a desktop instead. I'd like to do water cooling this time and I really don't want to build it myself. I know I could, I just don't want to deal with the hassle of putting it all together and checking each component, only to find out I've got something DOA or I messed something up. I also don't have the patience for cable management that I did when I was younger. The thrill is gone. My budget is 2-4 thousand for a single 23" monitor setup. I'd like something I could upgrade in a few years but that will readily last me for at least 3+ when it comes to gaming without totally sacrificing detail and resolution. I haven't played with anything since C2D so apologies in advance if any of this seems completely over/underkill. I also do a lot of DVD/media encoding and some casual photoshopping. I'd like a more subdued case and something as small as possible that can still integrate the watercooling with USB 3.0.

Case: * Corsair Obsidian Series 650D Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ dual 200mm fans, integrated fan controller, front USB 3.0 Port & Side-Panel Window [+124]
Neon Light Upgrade: 12in Cold Cathode Neon Light [+10] (Red Color)
Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default case fans
Noise Reduction Technology: Sound Absorbing Foam on Side, Top And Bottom panels [+29]
Power Supply Gasket [+5]
Anti-Vibration Fan Mounts [+9]
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-3770K 3.50 GHz 8MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified) - While Supply Last [+136]
Performance Tuning Protection Plan by Intel: Intel® Core™ i7-3770K Performance Tuning Protection Plan by Intel [+29]
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: Extreme OC (Extreme Overclock 20% or more) [+49]
Cooling Fan: CyberPower Xtreme Hydro Liquid Cooling Kit 240MM w/ Dual Fan(CPU & GPU Liquid Cool Capable, Extreme Overclocking Performance + Extreme Slient at 18dBA) [+63]
Coolant for Cyberpower Xtreme Hydro Water Cooling Kits: High-Performance Coolant powered by Koolance [+19] (Clear Color)
Motherboard: [CrossFireX/SLI] Asus Sabertooth Z77 Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Lucid Virtu MVP, TUF Thermal Armor, 7.1 HD Audio, Intel GbLAN, Display Port, 3x PCIe x16 (2 Gen3, 1 Gen2) & 3x PCIe x1 (All Venom Ultimate OC Certified) [+166]
Memory: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory [+145] (Corsair Vengeance [+30])
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB 16X PCIe 3.0 Video Card [+571] (EVGA Superclocked [+13])
Power Supply Upgrade: 850 Watts - Thermaltake Smart Series SP-850M 80 Plus Bronze Modular Power Supply [+96]
Hard Drive: 512 GB OCZ Vertex 4 SATA-III 6.0Gb/s - 535 MB/s Read & 475 MB/s Write [+674] (Single Drive)
Data Hard Drive: 2TB (2TBx1) SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+169] (Single Drive)
Optical Drive: LG 12X Internal Super Multi Blu-Ray Rewriter [+72] (Black Color)
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
Network: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
Keyboard: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
Mouse: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
Extra Thermal Display: NZXT Sentry LX Aluminum High Performance Fan Control, Clock, & Temperature Display [+69]
Flash Media Reader/Writer: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
Internal USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Premium [+104] (64-bit Edition)
Ultra Care Option: Ultra Enhanced Packaging Solution - Protect Your Dream System During Transit [+19]
Cooler Master Thermal Fusion 400 Extreme Performance CPU - Thermal Compound Optimized for Thermal Dissipation [+10]
Professional Wiring for All WIRING Inside The System Chassis - Minimize Cable Exposure, Maximize Airflow in Your System [+19]
Service: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Rush Service: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 10~15 BUSINESS DAYS
Price: $3,379.00

I'd like to get any feedback if possible. I was worried about things I hardly know anything about anymore, like PCI speed if I decided to SLI later on and get a 2nd monitor, etc. I was bummed they didn't have the Samsung 830 line as I threw one in my notebook a few months ago and have been really pleased with the performance. Other than that, I got no clue beyond the desire to spend my money since I had been telling myself to wait till Ivy Bridge came out. Thanks in advance!

 

[T_Yamamoto]

256 SSDs are the fastest. So just buy 2 and raid?

 

[WhiskeyD]

I would probably go with the new Intel SSD's in RAID if I was going to drop that kind of money. But then again If I was going to spend that kind of money on a computer I wouldn't even considering having anyone else build it for me. Its kind of like building a race car, half the fun is building and tweaking it yourself...

 

[Meaker10]

No need to pay for the 20% overclock on the CPU.

 

[imported_browsing]

Thanks everyone for taking some time to check it out. I need to reorganize the list I got from the site so it's easier to read. I appreciate you deciphering it in the current form.

256 SSDs are the fastest. So just buy 2 and raid?

I always had an aversion to raid for fear of data loss but I've got a network server set up and if the max size is 512 anyway, I could easily back that up with the storage drive. I've never used it. Is it pretty easy to set up if something happens and one of the drives fail? I know that in RAID 0 that would mean data loss, but will the raid array be able to rebuild itself to be formatted, etc, without too much hassle? Last ASUS desktop mobo I had was not the friendliest thing to work in.

I would probably go with the new Intel SSD's in RAID if I was going to drop that kind of money. But then again If I was going to spend that kind of money on a computer I wouldn't even considering having anyone else build it for me. Its kind of like building a race car, half the fun is building and tweaking it yourself...

I felt that way for the first five or six computers I built but I've got a lot less free time these days and I'm now the boring guy who wants the fast car but only wants to know technical things that are as complicated as how to put gas in it. Plus I'm really, really unfamiliar with WC.

No need to pay for the 20% overclock on the CPU.

Would the ASUS mobo be easy enough to OC with? Will you guys all hold my hand if I try to work it out myself? FSB, memory selection, etc... I'm lost these days.

Is the 1600 ram fine? Is 8GB of 1866 that much better than 16GB of 1600? Will it match the CPU speed?

What is better Z77 or X79? Didn't the Z77 just get released with ivy bridge?

Also, is that Asus Sabertooth the best choice? I wanted to be positive that it would run 8/8 if I decided to go SLI later as well as be slightly futureproof processor-wise, even though I doubt another compatible chip would come out in time to me want to use a set up.

 

[hapylol]

Why are you spending so much money

Cyberpower has a bad habit of giving shitty components with the build. For example, I can guess your HDD will be the worst brand possible.

PSU is also poor compared other alternatives.

 

[imported_browsing]

Why are you spending so much money

Cyberpower has a bad habit of giving shitty components with the build. For example, I can guess your HDD will be the worst brand possible.

PSU is also poor compared other alternatives.

After looking over them as well as doing some configuring at other builders, I figure that its about a $1200 - $1500 premium. Nice to have a warranty and I wasn't under delusions regarding the extra cost. I wanted it built for me because I wasn't comfortable working with the watercooling myself. I was so out of the loop I didn't know about things like the h100. I can handle something like that. With it in mind I'll be building it myself now, any other component replacement suggestions out there? I'd still like to find a sealed liquid cooled gpu.

 

[Yuriman]

After running watercooling for 6 years, my next rig probably would be air cooled. I've not had any problems with it but I'm pretty certain I'd be happy enough with a good air cooler. Most people would probably say a top-end air cooler is better than any off-the-shelf closed-loop watercooler anyhow.

Perhaps consider waiting for one of the dual- or tri-fan 680's to come in stock before purchasing? I haven't looked into the aftermarket coolers for the 680 yet.

 

[DaveSimmons]

FYI, the GTX 680 is reasonably quiet with stock cooling. I have one with an i5-2500 in an Antec P280. I didn't spend much time on cable management beyond routing the cables behind the motherboard (I did need an 8-pin power extension for the motherboard aux power to do that).

Puget Systems is known for high-quality builds, though at a premium price, and they can put together either air or water cooled PCs:
http://www.pugetsystems.com/

 

[nardz84]

If you really want to spend that kind of money, I'd also take a look at Falcon NW http://www.falcon-nw.com/configure-falcon

 

[fixbsod]

I purchased my pc from maxforce pc (www.maxforcepc.com) and have been extremely happy. I was in the same boat as you -- not wanting to put together a system, but also not wanting to pay out the nose and looked at quite a few online places before selecting max.