Getting ready for a PC build, need some advice!

A long while back I set a goal for myself, and that was with any extra money I was to make, that it would be saved up for my own personal computer build. Today when balancing my check book on-line, I noticed in my secondary savings account, that my goal had been reached! I wanted to at least save up $2500.00 and today with my latest deposit, I noticed that it's amount was now $2633.89!

So it's now time to start planning for this build! I've taken the past 6-8 hours studying what I might need for a decent build. This will be the third computer I build for myself, the last one built was close to three years ago and for the times was considered to be a small monster. It was an AMD system, which for myself, AMD seems to be the only way I swing.

Here's what I've been able to come up with so far! Just be aware folks, this is a rough draft and is totally open to suggestions, advise and recommendations!

Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 990FX AM3+ Motherboard ($149.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/6821096?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

AMD Phenom™ II 960 Black ($124.90)
http://www.frys.com/product/6901207

CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600MHz ($99.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/6952407?site=sa:Homepage:Spot1

(4) Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB SATA II Hard Drive Retail Kit'S ($79.99 Each)
http://www.frys.com/product/4812430?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Thermaltake Toughpower XT 775W Continuous-Delivery Modular Power Supply ($99.90)
http://www.frys.com/product/6301331

LG Internal SATA 12x Super Mult Blu Ray Writer ($99.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/6745005?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

(2) MSI ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB PCI-EXPRESS VIDEO CARD's ($129.99 Each)
http://www.frys.com/product/6139339?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Creative Lab PCI-E X-Fi Titanium FatalTy Champion Series Internal Sound Card ($179.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/5665331?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

PPA 5 PORT PCI/USB CARD ($14.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/3506204?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Logitech Wireless Wave Combo MK550 ($79.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/6356401?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Logitech Z506 5.1 Speaker System ($99.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/6306851?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 Full Tower Case- VN300M1W2N ($149.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/6639144?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

LD Dual 12" CCFL - Blue ($7.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/4636228

(3) LG E2442TC 24" Class Slim LED Backlit Monitor's - 1920 x 1080, 16:9, 5000000:1, 5ms, VGA, DVI-D, Energy Star ($179.99 Each)
http://www.frys.com/product/7191132?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

I know for years I've been sort of a die hard and loyal Microsoft Vista Ultimate (64-bit) fanboy! But with this computer I'm feeling that getting more in with the sign of the times may be in order. I'm willing to release my death grip I have on Vista Ultimate and jump to the following...

Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Full Version ($299.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/6023368

There, I think I'm done with this rough draft! In regards to any other various software I might need, I plan on throwing my copy of Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise onto the computer, also I plan on downloading and using Microsoft Security Essentials as my Anti-Virus program. Again everything here is open to debate, recommendation, substitution, advise, even constructive criticism. If you think something else might do me better, than please chime in and let me know about it! Or if you have a certain preference that differs from what you see here, and you think your preference will work better, please let me know. I plan on jumping in and starting most of this sometime in between August-12-2012 and August-15-2012.

"Thank you for your time here"!

Nice.

But no SSD, Zen?

Got any good recommendations? Seriously, your saying SSD, got any good ones in mind? For I've never used a SSD drive, all my personal and client builds have been with the use of either I.D.E. or SATA I or SATA II drives!

I have heard good things about Intel SSDs. My brother has one of these on his machine: http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Series-2-5-Inch-Solid-State-Drive/dp/B004TFXBMG. I honestly can't tell the difference between SATA III and SATA II SSDs in terms of performance.

Not too expensive, as well. Perhaps you can swap out two of your HDDs for one. But of course, if disk space is a consideration, then that would be a no go.

PS: There are better, of course, but I'd say you've got a pretty sensible budget going there so far and it's always good to keep it that way, in my opinion.

If you are thinking SSD's I recommend looking at the Samsung 830 series. I personally use one and it never fails.

Possibly a slight programming change here folks, I just got off the phone with a very geeky friend of mine and rolled down the list of options I documented earlier, he stopped me when I got to the processor I wanted, he recommended something different, the following is what he's telling me to run with...

AMD FX-6200 6 Core AM3+ Processor ($159.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/7018821?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

I kind of like what I had already picked, but I guess I can research this new recommendation a bit and see how it compares. And in regards to others recommending SSD drives, I'll start looking into those soon, still don't know what better job they will do for me, other than what I had already picked, but I'll look into it.

From my view everything looks good Zen.

Although I'm an Intel fan, the FX-6200 should serve you well. I wish you luck on the new build.

I hope everything looks good, for not a whole lot of people are jumping in here and backing this up, with saying the same! This is just very important to me and I don't want to blow it! Yeah, I can build clients computers everyday of the week and be able to keep my cool. But this one's for me, this is going to be mine, I'm oddly enough a little nerved out by it, which isn't my normal a fair!

I just want all these parts to be totally compatible with each other, I know for the most part they will be, but I guess my nerviness side needs to hear this from others!

Damn, it's not like me to be this way, all second guess'y and such!..............I need a beer!

In this instance, I believe silence is a good thing. That means they agree with you. I'm sure if there was an issue with your list, you would be hearing from everyone.

Okay, I see where your going here, sounds pretty logical and sound, I guess I agree that if there were any "red flags" going up in regards to the list, someone might have chimed in about it. Sorry, just very excited and scared all at the same time, when it comes to building crap for myself I can get this way!

But I don't know, I've been going over the "Video" section of our forums, and I've noticed more people complaining about ATI Radeon cards more so than Nvidia ones, I'm still going to roll with my first pick, but just surprised that I'm sticking with a card company that gets more complaints, than any other company I've seen.

I agree with pretty much everything Leeky said, especially the OS - the retail version is a complete waste of money. And unless you're a total audiophile and have an expensive sound setup you won't notice the difference between a $180 sound card and a $50 one. The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer is great for the price (it's $30 refurbished, couldn't find a new one on that site).

But I have to ask... why AMD? The 3570K is only $70 more and a Z77 mobo is around the same price.

If you're planning on gaming on those 3 monitors you'll need at least a GTX 680 or HD 7970.

Wow, Leeky, thank you so very much for your input here! It is very much appreciated and I have decided to roll with some of the items you've recommended. But be aware, this is still a work in progress, were still in the draft stage of the game here and items here after are still open to debate, suggestion or recommendation! But I do feel that we are indeed getting close to making this rough draft "final"!

So here's what I've got so far, also note and the end of every option I am putting an "ATP" as I add it up as we go! The "ATP" stands for "at this point"!

Here we go...

Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 Full Tower Case- VN300M1W2N ($149.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/6639144?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

LD Dual 12" CCFL - Blue ($7.99) (ATP = $157.98)
http://www.frys.com/product/4636228

Cooler Master Megaflow 200mm Blue LED Case Fan ($6.99) (ATP = $164.97)
http://www.frys.com/product/6233530?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Thermaltake Toughpower XT 775W Continuous-Delivery Modular Power Supply($99.90) (ATP = $264.87)
http://www.frys.com/product/6301331

I know Leeky you pointed out another power supply, but I feel more comfortable with a 775 Watt unit!

Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 990FX AM3+ Motherboard ($149.99) (ATP = $414.96)
http://www.frys.com/product/6821096?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

AMD FX-8120 8 Core ($159.99) (ATP = $574.85)
http://www.frys.com/product/6820696

I decided on going with the CPU that you recommended Leeky, it makes more sense than my original pick!

(2 Packs) CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600MHz - Total 32GB ($99.99 Each) (ATP = $774.84)

http://www.frys.com/product/6952407?site=sa:Homepage:Spot1

Hitachi GST 0F12117 2TB CoolSpin SATA 3 ($99.99) (ATP = $874.82)

http://www.frys.com/product/6718445

Patriot 128GB TorqX SF4 Solid State Drive (SSD) ($59.99) (ATP = $934.81)
http://www.frys.com/product/6064158?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

The Hitachi will be used to host everything from my games to my music files, my video files and just misc. stuff! And the Patriot will be used to host Windows 7, Office 2007 and all O.S. specific software!

LG Internal SATA 12x Super Mult Blu Ray Writer ($99.99) (ATP = $1034.80)

http://www.frys.com/product/6745005?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB GPU ($389.99) (ATP = $1424.79)

http://www.frys.com/product/7169052

As long as we think that one video card can cut it, I'm willing to roll with it, but if we need to step up and possibly get another one of the same, I'm okay with that as well.

PPA 5 PORT PCI/USB CARD ($14.99) (ATP = $1439.78)
http://www.frys.com/product/3506204?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

(3, Yes 3) LG E2442TC 24" Class Slim LED Backlit Monitor's - 1920 x 1080, 16:9, 5000000:1, 5ms, VGA, DVI-D, Energy Star ($179.99 Each) (ATP = $1979.75)

http://www.frys.com/product/7191132?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Logitech Wireless Wave Combo MK550 ($79.99) (ATP = $2059.74)

http://www.frys.com/product/6356401?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Logitech Z506 5.1 Speaker System ($99.99) (ATP = $2159.73)

http://www.frys.com/product/6306851?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit (Full) - System Builder (OEM) version - DVD ($149.99) (ATP = $2309.72)
http://www.frys.com/product/6028118

I decided on running with the Windows version you described, seeing that I'm defiantly getting the hardware, the OEM version makes more sense.

Creative Lab PCI-E X-Fi Titanium FatalTy Champion Series Internal Sound Card ($179.99) (OPTIONAL) (Possible ATP = $2489.71)

Personally, I'm on the fence in regards to the sound card! Seeing that the motherboard alone has a pretty decent 5.1 surround sound setup, I'm starting to think there might not be a need for an additional sound solution! What do you think?

Also, how do we feel about possibly running with a wireless network interface card? For I've installed those on several of my clients computers and they report back that they love the option to move the computer around their home, without the need of worrying about an RJ-45 cable. Just wondering if we should roll with that? If so, I think I'll go with the following option...

D-Link DWA-525 Wireless N 150 Desktop PCI Adapter ($34.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/6310241

If not that NIC card, maybe something close to it!?! Because I wouldn't mind the luxury of being able to move my computer where ever I wanted, and not have to worry about gosh darn cables and cords.

Well I think this just about does it for this draft, again I think this draft is pretty close to being "final"! I'm feeling very good with everything that is so far on the list. But again, it's all open to suggestion right now!

Also I'm curious to know how you, or anyone else feels about stock cooling solutions? I know with the likes of that AMD processor, it will come with it's very own stock cooling fan and mounting socket, but is stock good enough here, should I think about possibly going exotic with some sort of CPU cooling solution, or is stock just fine? I know when I build client computers I just use the stock out of the box stuff, but that's for basic systems, not ones like we are building here................"just curious"!?!

Update:

Just got off the phone with my older "know it all" nerd'y Brother, he advised when it comes to my question in regards to CPU cooling, I shouldn't go with just a stock cooling solution, he said I should go with liquid cooling! I told him that Fry's Elctronics is going to be my total supplier for this build, so he quickly with me on the phone, e-mailed me the following option...

Corsair H80 Liqd Cooler ($99.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/6756095?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

So I am in very much need of some input here! I've built 100's of computers, but not a one of them ever got built with using liquid cooling. So I am man enough to admit when I don't know something, and when it comes to liquid cooling, I know nothing. My Brother is all the rave about it, he was sure being the liquid cooling salesman on the phone and making very convincing pitches. He told me numbers like 20 degree's cooler with liquid than cooling fans, yada, yada, yada!

So any advise on this would sure be very much welcomed. Is this something that needs to be put on my prior post list?

You might as well go ahead and get the Corsair H100 for $10 more. The Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 supports a 24CM radiator which the H100 uses.

Found it!

Corsair H100 Liquid CPU Hydro Series CPU Cooler ($109.99)
http://www.frys.com/product/6792655?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

I did take notice when first reviewing the case I picked that it supported an actual 24cm liquid cooling radiator! But I guess what I'm getting at here, is liquid better than air? I don't mind taking a little money out of my business account and transferring it to my petty account to buy this sort of thing, but I just want to know if it's worth the cost?

I'm afraid my knowledge is as limited as yours on that topic.

It all depends on how sophisticated the liquid cooling set up. If your running one of those single closed loop Corsair coolers. Then it can be argued that some AIR coolers will perform on par or even better then that of the liquid one. But if you running liquid to multiple components I have always known it to better then air. But it does come with cons such as maintenance and a pretty hefty premium in cost. In your case, either will probably do and provide satisfactory results. I personally would recommend the Corsair H100 or H80 over any traditional Fan HS. Fan HS tend to be really large,loud, and heavy. Something Id rather keep out of my case. Those liquid coolers not only will keep the components cool, but it keeps the case neat and relatively silent. In regards to the price. I think its pretty fair, especially considering how much a quality fan HS will run you. If you were to get something comparable to the H80 or H100 on the air side. Something like the Noctua NH-D14 will still run you about $85. I personally use a H80 and Its keep my I7-2600k OC'd at 4.6ghz 24/7 and Its rarely sees above 60c.
Ultimately, it just comes down to what you are comfortable with. Sorry for all the edits lol. I keep making ridiculous typos.

Water cooling will definitely keep your system cooler, however, it introduces a lot more variables to the build and with those extra variables come more potential for things to go wrong. If you setup your own watercooling loop then you have to make sure you get all the right waterblocks for each piece of hardware in the loop. Then youve got to make sure everything is sealed right otherwise you end up with water leaking in your system which is obviously very bad. Also I dont know how well watercooling works with dual videocards as one of them would be blocked by the second videocard. You may find this interesting though:
http://www.frys.com/product/6556993
I think I'm going to stop by Frys next weekend and pick one of those up and see how it goes. It's factory sealed so there shouldnt be any leakage problems and it seems to perform really well for how quiet it is.

Fry's also carries the H80 and H100 as blkfx1 mentioned. In the reviews I read the H60 was quieter than the H80 and H100. However the H80 and 100 both have adjustable fan speeds while the H60 has only one setting I believe.