Getting ready for a PC build, need some advice!

Well in regards to liquid cooling, and after spending the past couple hours reading various web sites that offered decent honest reviews, I think it's something I'm going to run with. But this liquid cooling solution will be only for the CPU, that is the only thing that a stock Corsair H100 , non added onto system provides. So I am going to run with the Corsair H100 system! Also seeing that my computer case I'm getting is set up real nice for the Corsair H100 24cm radiator, it makes me want to do this even more.

Upon reading my final article tonight in regards to liquid cooling, and after making the choice to run with it, I then went to my on-line banking web site and transferred out of my business account $250.00 more towards this build. This now gives my budget a grand total of $2883.89! Now I can afford to throw this liquid cooling thing into the mix and more than likely that sound card I had originally wanted. I will make a final draft of my list within the next day or two as to get final thoughts, come Tuesday morning I'm off to Fry's to buy all of it, after that debating the parts list won't be possible.

Okay, as to try and make my build list complete, I am presenting what I deem to be the final list! Things on this list are still open to conversation, but I'm just wanting to make this as final as I can, as to button it up now, and give TechSpot members until Tuesday morning to try and convince me that something needs changing. Also be aware, that the budget has slightly gone up in regards to what I can now spend. I might be pinching penny's towards the end of this month, but I can still make all my bills and have a little food money to boot. Also this final list will be without hyperlinks, as was done with past lists, this is just going to the names of the parts I've had help picking. To get more info about each part, just Google them, search the Fry's Electronics web site or search for them in some of my prior lists for the links to the info.

New updated budget....$2883.89

(Case and components)

Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 Full Tower Case- VN300M1W2N ($149.99)
LD Dual 12" CCFL - Blue ($7.99)
Cooler Master Megaflow 200mm Blue LED Case Fan ($6.99)
Corsair H100 Liquid CPU Hydro Series CPU Cooler ($109.99)

(Motherboard and components)

Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 990FX AM3+ Motherboard ($149.99)
AMD FX-8120 8 Core ($159.99)
(2 Packs) CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600MHz - Total 32GB ($99.99 Each)

(Internal Drives)

Hitachi GST 0F12117 2TB CoolSpin SATA 3 ($99.99)
Patriot 128GB TorqX SF4 Solid State Drive (SSD) ($59.99)
LG Internal SATA 12x Super Mult Blu Ray Writer ($99.99)

(Power Solution)

Thermaltake Toughpower XT 775W Continuous-Delivery Modular Power Supply ($99.90)

(Video Solution)

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

(Sound Solution)

Creative Lab PCI-E X-Fi Titanium FatalTy Champion Series Internal Sound Card ($179.99)

(Network Communications Solution)

ZONET ZEW1642D WIRELESS-N PCI ADAPTER ($19.99)

(External Computer Components)

Logitech Wireless Wave Combo Keyboard & Mouse MK550 ($79.99)
Logitech Z506 5.1 Speaker System ($99.99)

(External Video Solution)

(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)

(Operating System Solution)

Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit (Full) - System Builder (OEM) version - DVD ($149.99)

(Misc.)

CyberPower USB 2.0 4 Port Amplified Hub ($17.99)
Microsoft LifeCam Cinema HD Webcam ($69.95)

So there we go people, I now feel that this final list is good to go! And if we add everything up, we get a grand total of $2542.69! Earlier I had transferred more money via on-line banking towards an increased budget, I guess I'll use that transferred amount towards state tax now, seeing that I pretty much made my original budget. So now would be the time to chime in on anything you see here that either catches your attention or sends up the red flag for you. If I don't hear any challenges towards this final list, I will take it to Fry's via a print out and hunt down everything on the list and buy them. Most likely I will proceed to Fry's this Tuesday, with the possibility it could be as late as Wednesday. As I depart, I would like to say that even if everything looks good, sometimes hearing that from people makes a person feel good about what their doing!

32GBs seems like a lot of RAM. I might stick with 16 and put the extra money towards a FX-8150. It outperforms a stock i5-2500k and costs less. But everything looks good I would be interested in hearing how it all comes together.

It appears some good suggestions came my way via Leeky and Ranger12!

Leeky: Great suggestion in regards to that wireless network card, I researched it a while and your probably right, reception in the back of the case isn't going to be all that great. So I'm going to pony up a little and purchase the one you've recommended. From what I can see it sits atop either your case or can be used atop ones desk with that multi-directional antenna plate. In regards to the question, am I going to use eyefinity for gaming, the answer, yes I am! So I guess with that being the case, a slight upgrade in my GPU pick has to take place. I did a side by side comparison of the 670 and the 680, in some slight areas they are pretty much the same, but in the areas that matter most, the 680 is the monster of the two. With purchasing a 680 and that wireless network adapter and upgrading my pick to the FX-8150, there's all the money, I'm tapped out, no more upgrades or revisions that would cost more money can be added to the list.

Ranger12: Your suggestion of possibly upgrading to the AMD FX-8150 8 Core processor is a good one. I've just completed a little bit of reading about it and it appears that it would be a better fit as to what I'm doing. Seeing I've got some extra money for this build laying inside the revised budget, I think I'm going to roll with the FX-8150.

And to both Leeky and Ranger12:

I know both of you are pretty much singing the same song as far as my pick with the RAM! You both feel that 32GB is way to much RAM and I should just settle with one pack giving my a total of 16GB. If it was any different period of time I would be inclined to agree, but personally for me, it's not that time. I'll open up a little to both of you, years ago when I built my mini monster of a computer I was ridiculed and be-little'd by some whom at the time thought all I was good for was building stripped down business machines, simple GPU's, small amounts of RAM, simple sound solutions, no thrill or no frills things. I know the path I've chosen years ago to walk down frowns upon one acting out of ego or vanity! But I need this, this is pre-path unfinished business, once and for all I need to build this mega powerhouse as so it can't even in the slightest be scoffed at, teased, be-little'd, or picked apart. Mainly I need to hand my nerdy Brother a nice warm cup of shut the "F" up! So the 32GB stays, if anything it will go a long ways as towards silencing some critics.

So this is it! The following is the final list and unless it's absolutely dire, it isn't open to change!

(Case and components)

Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 Full Tower Case- VN300M1W2N ($149.99)
LD Dual 12" CCFL - Blue ($7.99)
Cooler Master Megaflow 200mm Blue LED Case Fan ($6.99)
Corsair H100 Liquid CPU Hydro Series CPU Cooler ($109.99)

(Motherboard and components)

Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 990FX AM3+ Motherboard ($149.99)
AMD FX-8150 8 Core ($199.99) *Revised*
(2 Packs) CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600MHz - Total 32GB ($99.99 Each)

(Internal Drives)

Hitachi GST 0F12117 2TB CoolSpin SATA 3 ($99.99)
Patriot 128GB TorqX SF4 Solid State Drive (SSD) ($59.99)
LG Internal SATA 12x Super Mult Blu Ray Writer ($99.99)

(Power Solution)

Thermaltake Toughpower XT 775W Continuous-Delivery Modular Power Supply ($99.90)

(Video Solution)

EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card ($509.99) *Revised*

(Sound Solution)

Creative Lab PCI-E X-Fi Titanium FatalTy Champion Series Internal Sound Card ($179.99)

(Network Communications Solution)

NETGEAR WN311B Wireless-N PCI Adapter ($49.99) *Revised*

(External Computer Components)

Logitech Wireless Wave Combo Keyboard & Mouse MK550 ($79.99)
Logitech Z506 5.1 Speaker System ($99.99)

(External Video Solution)

(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)

(Operating System Solution)

Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit (Full) - System Builder (OEM) version - DVD ($149.99)

(Misc.)

CyberPower USB 2.0 4 Port Amplified Hub ($17.99)
Microsoft LifeCam Cinema HD Webcam ($69.95)

(Misc. Additions Already Owned)

Hewlett Packard Deskjet F4480 All In One (Owned)

Alrighty, I think this list can now be etched in stone! Again, if anyone out there see's something that might be dire for this build, you can still bring it to my attention. But I'm pretty much going lock down the list and come either Tuesday or Wednesday print it out and take it with me and have myself a kick in the pants of a good time! I'm just gitty with excitement! I can't wait until this mega monster is complete, but all the while having fun with each step of it's build. I've already picked out a decent and appropriate nick name for the thing, it's name is going to be named Titan!

Excellent list for a build, Zen.

You will have one hell of a "Look at my PC" thing going afterward.

I feel it safe to say that there will be indeed some overclocking taking place with the FX-8150, therefore the H100 will still come in very handy, I also think it's safe to say that the stock speeds of around 4.2Gig ain't going to last long. I'm thinking maybe something more so around 4.5Gig or maybe just slightly above. But either which way, like you and Clifford have eluded to, it's going to be hell of a machine, the fastest and most powerful computer I've ever built and owned. One question? I know pretty much everyone uses this game as some sort of industry benchmark..

But how well do you think a system like the one I'm to build will play something like Crysis? lol

It's so refreshing to see someone go for a higher-end AMD CPU rather than the usual 2500K or 3570K
As for Crysis, the 680+8120 OC'ed will absolutely demolish that game, heck any game you can throw at it.
Regarding the H100, I've read quite a bit about it and there seem to be many reports of some sort of noise issue with the pump with many of the units. If you are unlucky enough to snag one of these units, be sure to RMA it. Also the stock H100 fans are rather weak. it'd be well worth it to upgrade to some Scythe GT's or Noctuas. Also, just a tip, when installing the H100, grab some paper towels and wrap them around the waterblock then use some rubber bands to secure the paper. This is basically just so when that thing is dangling around inside your case, with you trying to install it, it's likely that the metal waterblock is gonna get dinged around a bit inside the case, which could damage not only the waterblock, but also any other components you may have residing in the case at that time. If you wrap it in a bit of paper you minimise the risk of damaging/scratching anything.

apart from all that jargon^ I truly hope you enjoy the build, and even more so the resulting rig, because that thing is going to be a monster!

maybe video it and make a 'how to build a pc' tut? those are generally received well on Youtube plus I know that I, for one, would definitely watch it. I love watching/helping people build their PC's, and it's so awesome when you punch the power button for the first time and it actually works . If you're not keen on documenting it, then perhaps a buildlog?

ah I ought to stop suggesting things. I get excited when people build beast rigs hahahaa

anyway, I truly wish you luck and hope you enjoy yourself!

It wouldn't at triple monitor resolutions, you'd just about get playable framerates. If you want 60fps+ at ultra settings on all games then you'd need SLI 680's.

I know 32GB RAM might be good bragging rights but unless you run loads of memory intensive applications at the same time it's a total waste. 8GB is more than enough for almost everyone. Put that $100 into the SSD, get a 256GB Crucial m4 or Samsung 830 as they are widely regarded as the best SSD's out there. The 256GB ones are slightly quicker than the 128GB versions, and you'll find that 128GB fill up very quickly especially as games are getting larger and larger nowadays.

Hmmm true. It seems in my haste I forgot to take VRAM into consideration, my apologies. A quick check confirmed that BF3 will consume up to 2.5GB VRAM on 3 monitors, whereas the GPU Zen chose only has 2GB.
although even then, a 680 is very capable of playing any single game on the market right now at very playable FPS, 1 screen or 3.
plus you could always OC it to add a bit more kick to the equation.

also as for the SSD's I'd have to agree, the Samsung 830 series look sooooooo nice :3 I'm a sucker for the dark brushed metal look.

Well as I had already stated, the Hitachi 2TB drive will be only be allowed to host games, music files, video files and any misc. non operating system specific software. The 128GB Patriot is only going to host Windows 7, Office 2007, Microsoft Security Essentials and any other operating system specific software, nothing more.

And in regards to the issues of the RAM, and people saying I'd do "ok" with just 8GB, no way, ain't going to happen! If anything I am entertaining the notion of scaling down a bit and maybe being satisfied with just 16GB of RAM. And taking the money savings with ditching the extra 16GB's and possibly throwing that into some sort of extra cooling solution device or devices. And in regards to dropping the AMD FX-8150 and going back down to the FX-8120, that could be doable. But I need to know up front, what would be the safest overclocked speed that I could take that chip to? Will it truly if overclocked out perform the FX-8150? And in regards to having to overclock my video card's GPU, would overclocking to a safe increased speed be possible? Can I overclock the video card to the point that I don't have to worry about such things as being "taxed" about anything? I've heard numbers like I would like 2.5GB speed for the three monitors, can the video card be pumped up another 500MHz without damaging the card? You might think I'm stupid for asking all of this, but in all my history of building computers, I've never once had to overclock a video card. So I'm only asking all this because I wouldn't want my $500.00+ investment going "boom"!

So far I've got...

Drop the FX-8150
Go with the FX-8120
Drop the RAM count
And get more cooling solutions

All very much doable! But I still need the above questions answered first, before I alter what I thought to be the "final list", I just want to make sure everything is going to be fine!

The GTX 680 has something called GPU Boost which automatically overclocks the card when it's running under load. You might be able to get 100-150Mhz more but the voltages are locked so you won't be able to go much higher. But locked voltages also means there's no risk of frying your card, as long as you monitor the temps and set an appropriate fan profile.

Zen if I were in your shoes, I would probably keep the FX-8150 and drop the RAM down to 16GB.

I have 8GB RAM at the moment and rarely ever use 4GB. In fact on an average day my RAM usage never exceeds 2GB.

As far as OC'ing the FX-8120, you would likely be able to OC the FX-8150 just as much.

I think my brain is on thermal meltdown!

As to honor the opinions of some, who think that I should change my pick and run with the AMD FX-8120, I invested a lot of my time today doing research, to see if once and for all if those who say I should go with the FX-8120 are either right, or wrong!

AMD FX-8120 vs. FX-8150 (Side by side speed ratings)



Initially I was looking at all kind of benchmark graphics, chart, pie sheets, heck, even a couple You Tube videos as to get my own answer. But in the end on a very nice web site that pits processor chips against one and other, the image above was the most helpful. The FX-8120 starts with a stock base speed of 3.1GHz, which the FX-8150 starts out at a base speed of 3.6GHz, so in this department the FX-8150 is the clear winner. Now things get interesting when the Turbo mode of the processor is activated, the FX-8120 can Turbo to a base speed of 3.4GHz, where the FX-8150 Turbo's to a base speed of 3.9GHZ, still in this second department the FX-8150 is the clear cut winner! But in the third department, my brain got a little rocked! With the "Max Turbo" option the safe top speed ceiling limit of the FX-8120 is 4.0GHz! Where the FX-8150 safe top ceiling max turbo limit is 4.2GHz, again it's clear, the FX-8150 wins in the third department as well, but does it?

I might not be the best certified computer person on the planet, but I don't even think a God like computer person is going to notice a 200MHz speed difference in regards to 4.0GHz vs. 4.2GHz, I just don't think it's going to be noticeable! Now I saw some pretty impressive numbers out there, by those who choose to take both the AMD FX-8120 and the AMD FX-8150 chips beyond safe tolerance levels. I was seeing numbers like the FX-8120 was pumped to 4.8GHz, with an upswing to 5.0GHz! And I saw the XF-8150 having numbers like 5.0GHz, with an upswing to 5.5GHz, which was advertised as "unsafe"! But looking beyond those Disneyland numbers and getting back to the safe published speeds for both processors, I don't really see with the safe baselines that I should dive more expense into the FX-8150!

So it's official, I am changing my pick, I'm removing the FX-8150 from the list and replacing it with the FX-8120, for only 200MHz of speed difference between the two, I'll save the money and invest the saving elsewhere inside the computer.

You are 100% right about this all making sense! And I do indeed plan on overclocking the FX-8120, I plan on taking it to 4.0GHz but really no further. Also when searching for reviews in regards to the FX-8120, the Corsair H100 and cooling, most reviews gave the 8120 and H100 combo good marks. Most web sites said the H100 will more than handle the heat generated by a safely overclocked FX-8120! So I'm not planning on overclocking to Disneyland numbers, just to numbers that are verified safe by the manufacturer.

Well it's official, as of 30 minutes ago, I did my last mouse clicks in regards to ordering all the required hardware and software on-line. I choose on-line ordering because a Fry's employee notified me over the phone, that more savings and rebate programs are offered on-line vs. coming into a store. I was just calling to find out out if they had some of the stuff in stock, and I'm being told by a pretty honest salesman that I would see a greater saving on some of the items if I ordered on-line, talk about a nice guy. And come to find out the employee was right, I was offered 2 more mail in rebate's than I would have gotten by way of the store. Also on some items there were instant on-line discounts offered, like an example, the video card, I took advantage of the $25 instant rebate, so we went from $509 to $484, I'm all smiles! That's just one of several savings offers I took advantage of. I first quoted a total build price of $2542.69, well the actual final price for everything with the rebates, offers and sale prices now included came to $2334.69! Also some here I think will be please with some last minute changes to the list, hello Leeky, you got your hard drive!! So now seeing that the money has been spent, all I need to do now is wait around 8 to 10 business days for the stuff to hit my front door. Lastly, I would like to personally thank everyone for their participation in this process! It sure was fun putting this system together on paper, now it should be even more fun putting this together for real.

So the following is everything I got today, the revisions are included.


(Case and components)

Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 Full Tower Case- VN300M1W2N ($149.99)
LD Dual 12" CCFL - Blue ($7.99)
Cooler Master Megaflow 200mm Blue LED Case Fan ($6.99)
Corsair H100 Liquid CPU Hydro Series CPU Cooler ($109.99)

(Motherboard and components)

Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 990FX AM3+ Motherboard ($149.99)
AMD FX-8120 8 Core ($159.99) *Revised*
(1 Pack) CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600MHz ($99.99 Each) *Revised*

(Internal Drives)

Hitachi GST 0F12117 2TB CoolSpin SATA 3 ($99.99)
Crucial RealSSD M4 series 128GB SATA 3 SSD ($109.99) *Revised*
LG Internal SATA 12x Super Mult Blu Ray Writer ($99.99)

(Power Solution)

Thermaltake Toughpower XT 775W Continuous-Delivery Modular Power Supply ($99.90)

(Video Solution)

EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card ($509.99)

(Sound Solution)

Creative Lab PCI-E X-Fi Titanium FatalTy Champion Series Internal Sound Card ($179.99)

(Network Communications Solution)

NETGEAR WN311B Wireless-N PCI Adapter ($49.99)

(External Computer Components)

Logitech Wireless Wave Combo Keyboard & Mouse MK550 ($79.99)
Logitech Z506 5.1 Speaker System ($99.99)

(External Video Solution)

(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)

(Operating System Solution)

Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit (Full) - System Builder (OEM) version - DVD ($149.99)

(Misc.)

CyberPower USB 2.0 4 Port Amplified Hub ($17.99)
Microsoft LifeCam Cinema HD Webcam ($69.95)

I cant' wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!