What would you do to build my machine?

[dhafir]

Hi all,
I am looking at building a new machine and struggling to settle on a motherboard ( currently cannot decide between Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H and Asus P877-V Pro).

What is the machine for?:
The machine is not for gaming but would be used to render HD home movies and for software development. I am intending to use the CPU built-in graphics (Intel's HD4000) on a 27" DELL monitor with 2560 X 1440 res and I am planning to get that resolution out of the motherboard, so a DisplayPort is a must.

What do I need also?:

• DisplayPort support to serve my 27" Hi res monitor (up to 2560 X 1440)
• USB3.0 and USB2.0 compatible ports.

My build will consist of:

• CPU : Intel i5 3570k,
• RAM : G.SKILL Ripjaws X 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600MHz (PC3 1 145.00 21.75 166.75
  12800) High Performance Desktop Memory 240-Pin
  Model F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL
• SSD : OCZ Vector 2.5" 256G 25nm MLC Solid State Drive (SSD) , Indilinx Barefoot3 SATA3 6Gb/s Flash Controller - for Win 7.
  
  All of my documents will be on a NAS system.

Cannot settle on the motherboard and I am not sure if there will be some compatibility issue with the RAM and SSD. No graphic card is intended because I want to use the CPU graphics.

I read enormous mixed reviews about these two motherboard but cannot decide on any. I like the Gigabyte price tag but worry about their Sound and USB drivers (unusual VIA) .


One more important question: For such build, how much power would I need from my PSU? Would 430W be enough?

Has any one experienced any issue with this configuration and what do you guys suggest I do?

Many thanks!

 

[Carson Dyle]

Why the ASUS P877-V PRO and not a less expensive ASUS socket 1155 board with DisplayPort?

I really like the stability of G.Skill's Ares RAM. It's not really "low profile," but it is better than a lot of others with tall, elaborate heatsinks.

If you're aiming for any kind of quiet, don't forget to add a 3rd party CPU heatsink/fan and pay attention to the efficiency rating and noise of the PSU.

In addition to the SSD, I like having a large, fast HDD in my desktop system rather than having work to across the network with large files. You can still use a network files server or NAS for storage, but you may find it a bottleneck for some tasks. Your SSD could be large enough to forego the need for more local storage, but in any case it's easy to add an HDD or additional SSD at a later date if you need it.

 

[dhafir]

Thanks Carson, indeed I am aiming for quiet system, for this I am planning to get Cool Master Silencio 650 Case and SeaSonic S12II 430 Bronze 430W.

Sorry, the RAM is not Ares but Ripjaws (my typo).
Why would I need third party heat-sink/fan for a quieter system? Any suggestions?

Which motherboard you think I should look at instead?


Thanks!

 

[Zap]

Unless the CPU is running at high loads for longer durations, the retail box cooler can be reasonably quiet if a silent fan profile is set in BIOS.

Regarding power usage, a stock clocked 3570K with one SSD and using integrated graphics will never draw over 100W even if you use synthetic torture tests. You can get a mini ITX board and use the Antec ISK 110 VESA case. Then, mount it behind the monitor, which will cut down noise a bit.

USB 3.0 should be built into the 7 series chipset, unless the manufacturer puts more than 4 (2 rear, 2 on headers). VIA is fine for audio. Heck, 13 years ago they purchased IC Ensemble, which made the M Audio sound cards which were considered professional level, as in they cost several times what SoundBlasters cost and were used by pros including radio stations that went digital. Prior to "HD Audio" on motherboards, the VIA Envy24T was a popular chipset to have on cheaper sound cards for those who cared about sound quality, but didn't care to pay more for a SoundBlaster.

 

[aarontpx]

Why would I need third party heat-sink/fan for a quieter system? Any suggestions?

If you are rendering videos your cpu will be at full load and thus your heatsink fan won't exactly be silent. Not that the stock cooler is bad but it would certainly be worth it to get an aftermarket cooler with better fans unless you are rendering very short videos.

 

[dhafir]

Thanks Zap, I don`t mind smaller case and even like the idea of behind the monitor case, but the Antec ISK 110 cannot take optical drive in it.
I didn`t mention this but I also use the machine for watching movies so I would need a dvd-br drive.

For itx MB, couldn`t find one with DisplayPort in it in the local market.
Thanks.

 

[Mars999]

Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H gets my vote, owned it and loved it.