Advice needed for build

[The Mad God]

At long fucking last I have the dough necessary to buy and build my dream pc. Well, not fully, I'm selling something for 2 grand but it hasn't been completed just yet. But anyways.

So, my budget is around 3.5 grand and I don't plan to go cheap here so don't try to persuade me otherwise okay?

Here are the parts I have selected

CPU: I7 2700k

MOBO: Asus Maximum IV Extreme

RAM: Corsair dominater 16gb ddr3 - 2133 memory

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 7200RPM

GPU: 2 Gtx680's in SLI

Monitor: ASUS ProArt series PA246Q

Keyboard: Black widow ultimate edition (subject to change though)

Already owned:

128gb SSD

Windows 7

Performance MX mouse (might buy a new one)

In total that is about $2,700 but I'm missing several parts. I am undecided.

So, what case, cpu cooler, optical drive, power supply and mouse should I get?

Note: I already own a logitech performance mx mouse. I like it, but should I get a new one?

Also, should I get a sound card?

Any help would be appreciated.

[thesapien]

Do you mean you already own Win7 that hasn't been installed on any system yet? You can't build a new system use your old Win7 disc again, you know? Newegg as OEM versions for usually about half retail, if that's the case.

Newegg also had the most user reviews (with verified owners) for your MOBO. Lots of good reviews, not many in between reviews, and lots of horrible responses from DOA and other hardware problems as well as lots saying Asus customer supports is just people reading a script now. Tigerdirect only had 4 reviews, but one of the four claimed to be on their 3rd board after the first two being DOA. Could just be the few with problems talking louder, but a heads up.

I'm curious what others say about getting a sound card. Anyone who ask is probably not into pro production sound and won't ever notice the difference, if there is much of one, I'm guessing. I've read that it depends a lot on the layout of your MOBO whether not quality can be affected by heat or interference from nearby processes. But there is no reason regarding performance to buy a sound card, so they say.

That's my 3.5 cents for your 3.5K system.

[gregathit]

Well for a sound card I am have the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI Express Sound Card. I have never had any problems with it and it is fairly cheap at under 60 dollar US. You may even find it cheaper on NewEgg or Amazon.

As to your mouse - I would only get a new one if you don't like your old or it isn't working. Course that is just me. I have a Razor mouse and I just love it.

I do wonder why you are forking out so much money for GPU's however..... You could downgrade a bit there and NEVER have any issues, especially since technology changes so fast. A pair of 560ti's should do pretty much anything the 680's could do and a fraction of the price. Again this is just food for thought. You can look around at some of the reviews for graphics cards and make your own decision.

You could then take the money you saved and go with a case that has liquid cooling for CPU and your two graphics cards. Just a thought.

Also don't pay too much for your monitor. Hell Asus has a 3d ready 23" monitor that comes with the glasses for under $300 US. Again you may even be able to get that cheaper. I have a gateway 24" but I got it on special from Best Buy (open box for $100) and I just love this sucker! You should be able to get a 24" for between 120-300 depending on whether you want 3d or not. Point being look around and don't get stuck on just one manufacturer or one model number.

Cases......Go for something that has LOTS of fans and the more room inside the better! Air circulation is SO IMPORTANT! Of course it goes without saying that the case should be nice to look at but that should not be the primary decision making item.

Power supplies......well you will need a BIG DOG with a dual card setup so go first rate on this item. I would think you need something in the 750watt range or higher but someone more knowledgeable than feel free to jump in. Brand wise I have used Cool Master and Antec before without any issues.

Lastly optical drives....I don't think that you can go wrong going cheap here. Your main decision should only be what functions you want it to have (Blue ray recordable or not). Don't spend a ton of money buying a name brand that has the same features as the generic since they both do the same thing here. If anyone has had any different experiences feel free to jump in here but I have never seen any difference in my past computers. I generally build a new one for myself every 1 to 2 years.

Hope that helps and good luck!!!!

Greg

[gregathit]

Do you mean you already own Win7 that hasn't been installed on any system yet? You can't build a new system use your old Win7 disc again' date=' you know? Newegg as OEM versions for usually about half retail, if that's the case.

[/quote']

Actually if he junks his old system he CAN in fact install it to his new computer. He may have to call Microsoft and read them the information from the CD but that is it. I have done this several times myself. The phone call to Microsoft generally takes 20 minutes is the only hang up as you have to fight through the Indian idiot tech support dudes to get someone in the US.

I actually had one Indian tech support idiot that told me I had to buy a new version of Win7 even though my laptop had died. I asked him that if my car battery dies, do I have to go and buy a new car? That finally shut him up....

[gregathit]

Do you mean you already own Win7 that hasn't been installed on any system yet? You can't build a new system use your old Win7 disc again' date=' you know? Newegg as OEM versions for usually about half retail, if that's the case.

[/quote']

If it OEM he can't use it but if it's a retail he can as long as he not using the old one no more.

Yep. I should have clarified that. You have to have a physical CD for this to work.

[Ark of Truth]

Do you mean you already own Win7 that hasn't been installed on any system yet? You can't build a new system use your old Win7 disc again' date=' you know? Newegg as OEM versions for usually about half retail, if that's the case.

[/quote']

Actually if he junks his old system he CAN in fact install it to his new computer. He may have to call Microsoft and read them the information from the CD but that is it. I have done this several times myself. The phone call to Microsoft generally takes 20 minutes is the only hang up as you have to fight through the Indian idiot tech support dudes to get someone in the US.

I actually had one Indian tech support idiot that told me I had to buy a new version of Win7 even though my laptop had died. I asked him that if my car battery dies, do I have to go and buy a new car? That finally shut him up....

Greg is correct you can get away with installing it as long as he either trashes the old system or formats the old drive to a secondary. My Windows 7 has been on 3 drives but there will still in the same machine.

There can't make you buy a new copy of Windows 7 if you already own one. The only time you need a new Windows 7 is when your product key is listed as being shared outside your household. Normally because it gets blacklisted if you can't prove it's yours.

[The Mad God]

Thanks for the help guys. If someone could give me some more specific examples, thst would be excellent, bu I still do appreciate the help.

I'm gonna be staying with the 680's but thanks for the suggestion. Also, I'm going with the proart series because it's a P-ISP monitor rather than a TN monitor. The isp has much better coloring, plus it had a 6ms response time which is pretty good for gaming. For me, it's either ISP or 120hz but since I'm not a huge competitive pc FPS player I don't really need the faster response time with 120hz monitors.

So a full tower case is what I'll need right? How will I know if there are any incompatibilities?

What CPU cooler should I get?

And also, what is the SSD used for? I foolishly bought one thinking that it would work with my laptop but it doesn't so I have a free SSD. What is it used for?

[gregathit]

SSD are most generally used for your OS as this gives the most payout especially with Win7 64bit.

As to incompatibilities for cases.....this should not be a problem with a full tower case since it should have loads of room to work with. Generally the incompatibilities arise from getting a small case that only has room for a small motherboard and often doesn't have room for some of the big GPU's.

Most of the gaming monitors today have between a 3-8ms response (I use on that has 5ms and I have never yet seen any tearing. Unless you are doing some high end graphics design it should not be an issue. There is no reason to was money going the 120hz route...

I HIGHLY recommend going the liquid cooling route for your CPU even if you stick with conventional air cooling for your GPU's. A liquid cooling unit designed only for your CPU should be fairly cheap.

What exactly are you looking for on the specific examples?

[Symon]

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 7200RPM

This is your weak point. A system is only as good as it's slowest component and this is it. From personal experience RAID will pay big dividends. Use two or better yet four identical drives and go for RAID 0 or 1 or RAID 1+0 with four drives.

Nominally, raid 1+0 will give you two times write speed and four times read plus protection from a hard disk failure. That's the setup I have and I've never regretted it.

As an alternative, I hear Solid-state drives are worth investigating but I have no personal experience.

Oh and as a general point, watch out for on-board sound. Some of it is lousy and a real processor hog. Even a cheap real sound card is better.

[thesapien]

Do you mean you already own Win7 that hasn't been installed on any system yet? You can't build a new system use your old Win7 disc again' date=' you know? Newegg as OEM versions for usually about half retail, if that's the case.

[/quote']

Actually if he junks his old system he CAN in fact install it to his new computer. He may have to call Microsoft and read them the information from the CD but that is it. I have done this several times myself. The phone call to Microsoft generally takes 20 minutes is the only hang up as you have to fight through the Indian idiot tech support dudes to get someone in the US.

I actually had one Indian tech support idiot that told me I had to buy a new version of Win7 even though my laptop had died. I asked him that if my car battery dies, do I have to go and buy a new car? That finally shut him up....

Well, fuck me.

I love being corrected. (no sarcasm intended)

Edit: Then reading further down the thread... Oh, that all sounds familiar now. I always get the OEM verions (on a disc (is there one not on a disc?)). It makes sense that a retail version would allow it since you're buying it as just software. The OEM is supposed to be preinstalled on purchased hardware.

[The Mad God]

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 7200RPM

This is your weak point. A system is only as good as it's slowest component and this is it. From personal experience RAID will pay big dividends. Use two or better yet four identical drives and go for RAID 0 or 1 or RAID 1+0 with four drives.

Nominally' date=' raid 1+0 will give you two times write speed and four times read plus protection from a hard disk failure. That's the setup I have and I've never regretted it.

As an alternative, I hear Solid-state drives are worth investigating but I have no personal experience.

Oh and as a general point, watch out for on-board sound. Some of it is lousy and a real processor hog. Even a cheap real sound card is better.

[/quote']

So you're suggesting that I get a SSD for my Hard Drive? I already have a 128gb SSD but that isn't enough for my hard drive. I'm also confused on what Raid is. What's the difference? Is there an example you could give me (sorry for asking)?

[gregathit]

Raid is basically hooking several hard drives together and some configuration of course.

Rather than throw up a wall of text here are some wiki links you can read:

1. Definition - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID

2. Further info - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_RAID_levels

Basically its purpose is to speed things up, plus it gives you protection if one drive fails you don't loose any data as it is also stored on the other disk(s).

Raid might be a cheaper alternative to getting a large SSD as they care very expensive.

[Symon]

Thanks Gregathit, that's what I was recommending.

I have no personal experience with SSD, but others have raved about it so I suggested investigating it.

As you have the funds I'd seriously suggest four identical hard disks of a chosen size and RAID.

[The Mad God]

So you recommend that I buy 4 500gb hard drives instead of 1 2tb hard drive? Will that take up a lot of space and how do I configure it so that it's in RAID 0,1 etc?

I heard that RAID 0 gives better performance but if one hard drive fails, all the data is lost which scares me. Should I use RAID 0 or 1?

[Symon]

OK, although some motherboards support on board RAID, some of those controllers are a bit poor. I'd suggest a dedicated hardware RAID controller that can handle at least four drives. Should cost about the same as a sound card.

I'd go for RAID 1+0 BUT you have to remember that with a mirror setup, 4x500GB gives you 1TB of usable space. You are mirroring so half your space is 'lost'. However, if a drive fails, you'll be glad of the mirror.

I have 4x250MB, which gives me a 500GB drive as far as the o/s can see it.

However, the mirror isn't wasted because on reads, at theoretical max, a single file will be read four times as fast as a quarter of the file will come from each drive. Head movement and disk rotation are the bottlenecks on a hard drive and four drives reading simultaneously is faster than just one.

Result= performance + redundancy.

[thesapien]

Best of both worlds, speed and storage, meaning go with an SSD for your systems files, apps, and games, and go with a SATA Drive (RAID 0) for media and all the rest. Or, is that overkill? If it were me, I'd get a bigger SSD, like 256 GB or 512 GB, so to be sure my games would fit, and just one SATA Drive for all my media. Movies and such don't need to be on fast drives because they only play at one speed anyway. Maybe get a second SATA Drive for backup, though I kind of prefer having my backup drive be external and completely outside and independent of the system.

I'm personally waiting just a little longer for my next system because I want to go the SSD route and am still remember the early adopter problems for these. Though I hear the tech is pretty much now all ready and awesome, I'm still giving the prices a bit more time to come down.

[The Mad God]

So what should I do with my 128gb ssd that I already have? Can I somehow "combine" it with another ssd?

[gregathit]

I'm personally waiting just a little longer for my next system because I want to go the SSD route and am still remember the early adopter problems for these. Though I hear the tech is pretty much now all ready and awesome' date=' I'm still giving the prices a bit more time to come down.

[/quote']

All of this depends on what type of user you are and how many games you have installed.

For example: I have 864GB of Apps and games on my C drive which rules out me getting an SSD since a 1GB SSD drive is over $2,000 US. This doesn't include my main games drive which has just over 1TB of games\mods installed. Sure I would love to have the speed of SSD, but hell I don't want to have to sell my motorcycle to get it....

You can buy four 1GB for $80-130 US (depending on sales) and have crazy fast speed with a built in backup, if you set things up as Symon is saying at raid 1+0.