New Build for 2013


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So Now that I got the case out of the way (It's the NZXT Phantom 820 btw lol)

I'm looking to build a new system for 2013, my old system I build in 2009 and is starting to show it's age (hey it's AMD...)

My current build:

Processor: AMD Phenom II Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs)

Memory: OCZ Gold Series 8GB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz

Hard Drive: 2x320GB SATA 1x500GB SATA 1x 1TB SATA

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6870

Monitor: Acer 23in LED Monitor

Sound Card: Realtek High Definition Audio

Speakers: Logitech X-540

Keyboard: Razor Arctosa

Mouse: Logitech G700 Cordless Gaming Mouse

Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_rtm.090713-1255)

Motherboard: MSI K9N2 SLi Platnium nForce 750a

Computer Case: CoolerMaster HAF X

So this time I'm willing to spend a little extra and go Intel.

The parts I choose so far are (All prices are in Canadian Dollars):

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UP7 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard - $389.99

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K - $329.99

Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H110 Water Cooler - $124.99

RAM: 2x G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C10D-16GAB - $127.49

SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - 249.99

PSU: COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series RSC00-80GAD3-US 1200W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - 239.99

Media: 2x LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXL Blu-Ray Burner with SW, 3D Play Back - BH14NS40 - $100.99 (One is for the old system)

Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100355-1GOCL Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card OC Version - $189.99 (Subject to change)

Case: NZXT Phantom 820 CA-PH820-M1 Matte Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case - 249.99

I'm open to all suggestions, remember this is for a Gaming rig.

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I dont understand why you got all this fancy stuff then you decide a 7850 0_0

Is there a reason you want the unlocked i7?

Motherboard? Do you see yourself needing everything it has??

I heard maybe to wait for the 110i, but im not into liquid cooling..

Are you still planning on using your original SATAs right? I think prices arent there yet to spend that much on a 256GB

1200W is overkill, but hey I would suggest bumping down a tad to save like $100 and make sure you get a FULL MODULAR PSU

and btw the memory modules you choose are incompatible with your mobo

You choose:

RAM: 2x G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C10D-16GAB - $127.49

Your board:

Memory

Number of Memory Slots 4?240pin

Memory Standard DDR3 2400+ (OC)/1600/1333/1066

Maximum Memory Supported 32GB

Channel Supported Dual Channel

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PSU is overpowered

Buy the 'k' version of 3770 only if you want to overclock and run benchmarks on it. If its purely for gaming, then get i5-3570k and overclock it.

Extra money from the above two, get a 7950 or a 7950 boost, if possible. That is a good buy

16 GB RAM is overkill again. 8 GB will do just fine

That motherboard is way too expensive, if you wont use all it has to offer

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Don't worry. I have same RAM and Mobo and the RAM will work just fine. You just need to set it to operate at higher speeds in your bios for it to show up as 1866 Mhz in Windows.

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Don't worry. I have same RAM and Mobo and the RAM will work just fine. You just need to set it to operate at higher speeds in your bios for it to show up as 1866 Mhz in Windows.

Cool glad someone kicked it, I usually stick to what the specs say :p, but you own both.

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If you you're gonna spend that much then going for an x79 LGA2011 platform would be better. They will be compatible with the upcoming Ivy Bridge-E cpu's. If you decided you wanted a six-core processor then you can upgrade to those. Advantages are more pcie lanes for better sli/crossfire, quad channel memory, 64GB max limit for ram. Cons are no native usb3 support so they require 3rd party controllers and no onboard video. Something like i7 3820 and ASUS Sabertooth x79 will come to around $600.

But if you want something that's good for gaming right now and the near future then a 3570k and a cheaper motherboard like a Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H or ASUS P8Z77-V LK would be good. Combined total would be about $350.

1200w psu is overkill unless you plan to go triple sli/crossfire nvidia titans or something. I suggest 850w if you plan sli/crossfire. 650w is good nuff for a single graphics card. You can save $100 cutting back on the wattage.

Upgrade to an AMD 7950. That's the best bang for the buck right now especially with the 2 free games. I suggest sapphire dualx or gigabyte windforce version. Nvidia 670 would be the equivalent in performance. You could probably get 2 cards for sli/crossfire with the money saved cutting back on cpu/motherboard/psu. If you get a crossfire computer from a system builder like cyberpower/ibuypower you can get 6 free games. http://sites.amd.com...reloaded.aspx#5

I don't mind the 16GB ram, its never bad to go overboard on ram IMO. I got burned before thinking 2GB was enough 7 years ago. Boy I was wrong. Who knows what the future holds for gaming especially with the PS4 having 8gig gddr5. Also prices of ram is going up and not going down anytime soon. When it gets phased out by ddr4 its gonna more expensive. Better 16GB now or never.

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I dont understand why you got all this fancy stuff then you decide a 7850 0_0

Is there a reason you want the unlocked i7?

Motherboard? Do you see yourself needing everything it has??

I heard maybe to wait for the 110i, but im not into liquid cooling..

Are you still planning on using your original SATAs right? I think prices arent there yet to spend that much on a 256GB

1200W is overkill, but hey I would suggest bumping down a tad to save like $100 and make sure you get a FULL MODULAR PSU

and btw the memory modules you choose are incompatible with your mobo

You choose:

RAM: 2x G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C10D-16GAB - $127.49

Your board:

Memory

Number of Memory Slots 4?240pin

Memory Standard DDR3 2400+ (OC)/1600/1333/1066

Maximum Memory Supported 32GB

Channel Supported Dual Channel

you did notice the little (subject to change) on the video card right? And I do plan on making use of that board and CPU.

And it does support 1866

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Can you answer the other questions?

Reasoning for i7 unlocked?

I prefer air cooling because youre going to have expensive equipment too lol..

old SATAs still gonna have purpose?

1200W is still overkill.

8GB memory is fine for me, but to each their own..

And yes I did notice that, but the whole point of the comment was you are spending all this extra you dont need and then low ball a GPU.

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Well I don't see anything wrong spending a premium on parts if you can afford and have a use for it. It's just the mid tier video card is the only thing thats wrong with that build. For gaming, GPU is the top priority.

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Well I don't see anything wrong spending a premium on parts if you can afford and have a use for it. It's just the mid tier video card is the only thing thats wrong with that build. For gaming, GPU is the top priority.

welp got a suggestion for the video card.
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If you got the bread, a GTX 690, if not a 680

If you want to stick with ATi then 7970 or 7950

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Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100355-1GOCL Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card OC Version - $189.99 (Subject to change)

Up this to a 680 or Titan and you'll be happy.

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If you got the bread, a GTX 690, if not a 680

If you want to stick with ATi then 7970 or 7950

see I've had some really bad experiences with nvidia cards before so ill probably stick to ati
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see I've had some really bad experiences with nvidia cards before so ill probably stick to ati

Get the 7970 then. The GTX 680 is a much much better card though.

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see I've had some really bad experiences with nvidia cards before so ill probably stick to ati

Thats unfortunate, but I wouldnt let that hold you back!

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I may actually hold off on getting the video card altogether and shove my 6870 in there for the time being

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Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UP7 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard - $389.99 <- Anything above a UD3R is pretty much overkill for what you want.

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K - $329.99 <- If you just plan to game, the i5 is a better choice. If you plan to do media work, keep this. Could save you more on the motherboard as well..

Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H110 Water Cooler - $124.99

RAM: 2x G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C10D-16GAB - $127.49

SSD: SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - 249.99

PSU: COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series RSC00-80GAD3-US 1200W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - 239.99 <- 650W ought be tons for what you want. 700 if you plan to crossfire 7970's (double check that to be sure though)

Media: 2x LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXL Blu-Ray Burner with SW, 3D Play Back - BH14NS40 - $100.99 (One is for the old system)

Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100355-1GOCL Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card OC Version - $189.99 (Subject to change) <- Use the money you save above to buy a 7970.

Case: NZXT Phantom 820 CA-PH820-M1 Matte Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case - 249.99

I'm open to all suggestions, remember this is for a Gaming rig.

You're buy a ton of top end gear and buying a middling video card.

Lose some of the top end and get a serious video card >.< Personally I would stick with ATI as well. The 680 isn't worth the price premium given the Ghz edition 7970 out performs it pretty much across the board (and most providers now overclock their 7970's to 1Ghz out of the factory).

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Thats another good idea and see what is coming up, is that your plan?

im thinking that's the plan for now.
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Get a quad-channel board if you are gonna spend that much on an i7, and don't skimp on the memory. 16GB will be more than enough, but get higher speed memory.

I have 48GB of Triple-Channel memory (6-DIMMS) running at 955MHz (10-11-10-30-2T), and I use it plenty between VMs and a RAM disk to reduce the wear on my SSD.

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I would also recommend an Asus motherboard since you are getting an unlocked i7

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