Sandy Bridge set up

[mattg3]

I'm coming from a Core 2 duo 6600 overclocked to 3.33 for the last 5+ years. The machine has become a little unstable and rather than monkey with it, it's time to upgrade. On the fence between Sandy and Ivy. I like Sandy because: 1) been around for a while, more mature; 2) sounds like easier to achieve better overclocks; and 3) a little cheaper. Ivy has me a little tempted as it may be a little more future proof and and uses less power (and therefore less heat) overall.

Answering the standard questions:

1) mainly light use internet, e-mail, word processing, some light photoshop, some gaming (Diablo's back)- Games are probably the most demanding use as I would like to be able to play anything as I periodically get into different games (thinking about BF3 as a game to test out the new rig);

2) budget is not a huge factor- I'd like to be in the $1250 range;

3) buying parts in the US (I've typically New Egg'ed in the past);

4) no fan boy tendencies to speak of but I do place somewhat of a premium on reliability;

5) I plan to use keyboard, monitor, mouse and hard drives (Intel 150 gb SSD and a couple of Raptor 250s currently in a RAID 0 array); may also use DVD burner and floppy, if needed

6) I plan on overclocking on air with little/no voltage tweaking (I'd like to keep the system quiet as well);

6) current monitor is 1600x1200- might add a second monitor in the not too distant future- I like having two at work;

7) I plan to build more or less immediately.

Here's what I came up with-

Antec Performance One Series P193 V3 because, in general, I like my P180;

Radeon HD 7850- Seems like a good relative 'bang for the buck' card;

CORSAIR Professional Series HX750- wondering if this is too much power?

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL- this is really a shot in the dark for me

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard- I have somewhat of a ASUS bias but I'm willing to try new things

Intel Core i7-2600K- Again, still somewhat on the fence with Ivy

Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler- I realize this is a chunk of dough but the idea of top notch quiet cooling has me leaning in this direction with some concern about its size and potential ram interference.

Any thoughts on the picks or the choice between Sandy and Ivy? If Ivy is the way to go, is there a good Z77 board where I don't have to worry about potentially having to flash the bios just to get the thing going?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Matt

 

[bononos]

......
Here's what I came up with-

Antec Performance One Series P193 V3 because, in general, I like my P180;

Radeon HD 7850- Seems like a good relative 'bang for the buck' card;

CORSAIR Professional Series HX750- wondering if this is too much power?

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL- this is really a shot in the dark for me

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard- I have somewhat of a ASUS bias but I'm willing to try new things

Intel Core i7-2600K- Again, still somewhat on the fence with Ivy

Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler- I realize this is a chunk of dough but the idea of top notch quiet cooling has me leaning in this direction with some concern about its size and potential ram interference.
.......
Matt

Your ram choice is alright, 8Gb is the sweet spot and it runs on 1.5v.

Big power supplies are not in fashion anymore. A good 500W psu is plenty for you. Get an 80+ rated psu with active pfc from a reputable brand.

 

[malinois1]

If you like the P180 then wh not the p280? You could sve a few dollars and IMO it looks better.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129179

PSU XFX Core Edition PRO550W $79
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817207013

Ram OK.

Mobo ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 Cheaper and newer chipset. No reason to choose sandy If you arent on that platform already.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157293


CPU Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz $240 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116504 Should be plenty for gaming.

No input on VGA and Heatsink. I am sure someone will come along with suggestions.

 

[lehtv]

For a budget of $1200 without drives included, you should not limit yourself to a 7850 2GB. Let's see

CPU For your uses, 2600K is no better than 2500K. Since you plan on mild/moderate overclocking without overvolting, go with Ivy Bridge. 3570K $240

Cooler D14 is way overkill. If you just want quiet, you'll be fine with a Scythe Mugen 3 $50

Mobo Asrock Z77 Pro4 $120

RAM Patriot 2x4GB $44

GPU GTX 670 $400 (Gigabyte whenver it's in stock, Asus when it's released). If you need to buy immediately, go for Sapphire 7950 3GB $400. It'll overclock very nicely when needed (better than a stock 7970). Of course, 7850 2GB is a nice card too but it's underbudgeted, up to you

Drives reuse

PSU XFX 650W $68 ($53 AR)

Case P193 is expensive for what it is, IMO... there's no need to pay more than $100 for a quality case. Check out the Antec 1100 or Corsair 400R. 1100 is fairly big though, you may need a CPU cable extension to route it behind the mobo tray

Total = $1022, well under your budget even with the $400 video card

Ivy has me a little tempted as it may be a little more future proof and and uses less power (and therefore less heat) overall.

Ivy's is more tightly packed so although it produces less heat overall, the heat concentrates and increases the core temperatures more easily than Sandy Bridge. But that is only a problem if you start cranking up the volts.

 

[Zeze]

For a budget of $1200 without drives included, you should not limit yourself to a 7850 2GB. Let's see

CPU For your uses, 2600K is no better than 2500K. Since you plan on mild/moderate overclocking without overvolting, go with Ivy Bridge. 3570K $240

Cooler D14 is way overkill. If you just want quiet, you'll be fine with a Scythe Mugen 3 $50

Mobo Asrock Z77 Pro4 $120

RAM Patriot 2x4GB $44

GPU GTX 670 $400 (Gigabyte whenver it's in stock, Asus when it's released). If you need to buy immediately, go for Sapphire 7950 3GB $400. It'll overclock very nicely when needed (better than a stock 7970). Of course, 7850 2GB is a nice card too but it's underbudgeted, up to you

Drives reuse

PSU XFX 650W $68 ($53 AR)

Case P193 is expensive for what it is, IMO... there's no need to pay more than $100 for a quality case. Check out the Antec 1100 or Corsair 400R. 1100 is fairly big though, you may need a CPU cable extension to route it behind the mobo tray

Total = $1022, well under your budget even with the $400 video card

Ivy's is more tightly packed so although it produces less heat overall, the heat concentrates and increases the core temperatures more easily than Sandy Bridge. But that is only a problem if you start cranking up the volts.

Man, what a beast of a system. I wish I had that.

 

[N4n45h1]

There's some chance you may need to buy the CPU cable extension with the 400R as well. With my Seasonic X650 Gold PSU, I had no chance of routing the cable behind the mb without the 12in extension.

 

[lehtv]

400R is that big? I have no problem routing the cable with my X650, that's in a mid tower Fractal Design R3.

That said, XFX 650W has a 5cm longer EPS cable than X-650 according to jonnyguru reviews of the units.

 

[N4n45h1]

I can reach it if I don't route it, but the cable is just a bit too short to comfortably reach it when routed behind the mobo. Although, it might be able to reach it if it goes through one of the normal cable management holes. I'm trying to wire it through an opening on the top left of the 400R, right next to the 8pin connector on my Z77X-U3DH.

In this picture it's the top right hole that cables are being routed through:

 

[lehtv]

What about this little hole here?

 

[mattg3]

Thanks all. I appreciate the input. Definitely going to power down on the power supply and rethink cpu/mb combo-probably either 2500k or 3570k, leaning back towards Ivy.

CPU cooler needs to be tweaked as well, reading up on the
Cooler Master Hyper 212+ which seems like a reasonably quiet, good performing unit for significantly less money.

Have a hard time pulling the trigger on a $400 video card (which might end up being as much as the cpu/mb/memory combined) but I suppose it could be the best way to ensure I have the longest period of time before I get the itch/need to upgrade.

Still firmly on the fence with respect to the case. Having a low noise case with reasonable cooling is critical due to PC location. I don't want to waste money but I'm going to be bitter if the new machine is noisier than my old P180.

Matt

 

[lehtv]

I don't want to waste money but I'm going to be bitter if the new machine is noisier than my old P180.

Well, I suppose I could recommend the Corsair 550D. It's a bit pricier than Fractal Design R3 but it's probably the best quiet case at the moment.

edit: One thing the 550D lacks though is a fan controller. R3 includes a controller, so it is going to be quieter with downvolted fans than 550D with its three stock fans. The fan controller is a simple knob that installs into one of the expansion card slots, it supports three fans, two are included.

 

[jellowiggler]

Quiet and from corsair = Obsidian 550D.

 

[mfenn]

Well, I suppose I could recommend the Corsair 550D. It's a bit pricier than Fractal Design R3 but it's probably the best quiet case at the moment.

edit: One thing the 550D lacks though is a fan controller. R3 includes a controller, so it is going to be quieter with downvolted fans than 550D with its three stock fans. The fan controller is a simple knob that installs into one of the expansion card slots, it supports three fans, two are included.

I just upgraded from a P182 to a 550D and the 550D is definitely quieter. One caveat is that I transferred my Noctua S12B's over from the P180, so I can't say what the stock Corsair fans are like. With the 550D, Noctuas, a Mugen 3, and a 6950, my HDDs are the most noticeable noise producers. I attribute the reduction in noise levels to the 550D's internal layout which provides better airflow and means that the fans don't have to work nearly as hard as they did in the P182. I did have to use an EPS12V extension cable in order to run that around the back though.

 

[mattg3]

Thanks for the info. I think I'll try the 550D. My updated component list is:

Corsair Obsidian Series 550D
XFX Core Edition PRO650W

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO

Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Still deciding on video card between 7850 and gtx 670.

Matt

 

[mfenn]

Parts look good to me! Both the 7850 and GTX 670 are pretty good cards, it just comes down to how much you want to spend.

 

[mattg3]

A few changes but the order is in:

Asus GTX 670 (didn't get to Newegg quick enough to get the Top version)

Cooler Master HAF X case- reread the Corsair 550D review here and decided it might be a little flimsy-also combo special for the HAF and memory plus $20 rebate

ASUS P8Z77-V LK Z77 motherboard which ended up being 130 after rebate

Kingston HyperX 8 Gig DDR 3 1600- low profile memory that combo'ed with the HAF X

XFX Core Edition Pro650W power supply

Ivy 3570K

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO cooler

All in I'm at just about $1160 on the nose including shipping with $55 dollars in rebates coming and a $10 gift card. I think I definitely ended up with a better build for less money than I would have without the input here (particularly lehtv and mfenn). Thanks for the help.

Matt

 

[lehtv]

TOP wouldn't be worth the premium anyway, you can OC it yourself

HAF X is a bit overkill in terms of cooling, and it's not going to be nearly as quiet as 550D. It's also huge, I doubt XFX 650W cables are long enough.

Asrock Extreme4 is better bang for buck than Asus P8Z77-V LK. I'd stick to the parts list outlined in #14.

 

[mattg3]

HAF X was a late decision. Obviously plenty of cooling. From the reviews, seems like its not too noisy but I've not heard one in person. From experience though, bigger fans seem subjectively less noisy (or the noise doesn't bother me as much). We'll see.

XFX cable length was a concern although one Newegg review said it was fine for that person's HAF 932 with a Z68 board so....

Asrock may well be better bang for the buck. Ultimately, I was willing to pay a little premium for the 'comfort' of ASUS which I've worked with before without incident.

Matt

 

[mfenn]

A HAF X is a decent bit bigger than a 932 though. You can probably make the cables reach (except for maybe the EPS12V), but you won't be able to take advantage of any cable routing.

 

[mattg3]

Well, the parts are in and the computer is up and running.

My only major concern going in was whether the HAF X was going to be too loud or present cabling issues with my XFX 650 watt power supply. I'm happy to report that while the HAF X is probably overkill in terms of size and air flow, it is quieter than my old P180 with replacement fans and cable length was not a problem (I was able to run all power cables underneath the motherboard).

The only negative so far is that I wish my motherboard had four case fan headers so each fan that came with the HAF X could be plugged into its own header.

Thanks again for all the input. Maybe this weekend I'll start to play with some overclocking.......

Matt

 

[mfenn]

Glad you like it!

 

[lehtv]

My only major concern going in was whether the HAF X was going to be too loud or present cabling issues with my XFX 650 watt power supply. I'm happy to report that while the HAF X is probably overkill in terms of size and air flow, it is quieter than my old P180 with replacement fans and cable length was not a problem (I was able to run all power cables underneath the motherboard).

That's good to hear :thumbsup: