New build, need some input.

[cliffhucker]

Thanks.

I have not built a rig in about 6 years and am ready to do it again.

I do not game but do a lot of photo and video stuff and run a lot of surveillance cameras etc. that take a lot of processing power. I will also run my music and multiple monitors from it. and set it up as a home server.

I did not think price was a factor (till I looked at prices) so I think I would start with a Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge

I will be overclocking it cuz I get bored. so I guess the next thing I want to figure out is a good solid motherboard for OC'ing that is not super pricy (~$2-300) and has decent features.

After that I will figure out GPU and PSU etc.

thanks for any input

 

[PP Mguire]

Motherboard:
ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

Will need a good set of RAM:
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M2A1600C9 - Newegg.com

Since you don't game, a very high powered GPU isn't necessary. Enough wattage to push an overclocked 3770k easy, run lots of HDDs, and will last quite a while.
SeaSonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com

What programs will you be using? That answer will dictate a recommended GPU due to what side the software takes advantage of.

Do you have water cooling?

 

[cliffhucker]

Thanks !

Motherboard:
ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com
What programs will you be using? That answer will dictate a recommended GPU due to what side the software takes advantage of.

Do you have water cooling?

I am going to go all new with everything.

cooling:
I have never water cooled but may do so or look for a good air solution and let it limit my OC'ing.

software:
I always have BlueIris running with 5-10 cameras. Photoshop, various video editing programs, CAD, some type of sound mixer. at least 2- 24" monitors etc. I also monitor remote cameras so I have lots of video going locally and remote.

 

[PP Mguire]

Well then I stand with the above and add these + the 3770k.

SSD:
Corsair Neutron Series GTX CSSD-N240GBGTXB-BK Solid State Drive - Newegg.com

Add amount of storage space you desire. Stick with 7200RPM Seagate Barracuda's or WD Black's.

For GPU:
EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2662-KR GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Newegg.com

Can utilize 4 monitors at the same time from one card. Easily usable on the Seasonic 550w PSU I linked before, plus OCing.

Case:
Corsair Obsidian Series 550D Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Newegg.com

You can go with whatever you want there, but I linked that for simplistic looks, and good cable management. Not too hard on the wallet either.

That's about it. I assume you have your own audio device already for your mixer, and your monitors + peripherals. I recommend Windows 7 if you don't already have it over Windows 8.

Instead of an air cooler I recommend this.
CORSAIR H80i Water Cooler - Newegg.com

 

[cliffhucker]

Thanks for the guidance PP!

I like the SSD. I did not even think about that. Do you run your Boot-OS and other programs off of that?

I like that case, nice and clean and I always liked Corsair stuff.

And I will definitely go with the water cooling since it is so easy these days. Does that fan/radiator mount in place of the rear exhaust fan on that case you linked to?

I am definitely going with Win7. I actually already ordered a copy last night since I know that is a for sure item in my build.

 

[PP Mguire]

I run everything off mine. I only use a small bit of a 1TB for my LAN party games which carry over for each format since I don't need to reinstall them (old games). If that wasn't the case, they would go on my SSD too. I have CS6 PS, few large games, Guitar Rig, Vegas Pro, and a few other basic small programs on my SSD with 28GB to spare. I should mention, that my Skyrim RAMDisk image is also on my SSD for faster booting times.

Yes I chose the h80i because it will fit in the back. If you went with something like the 300r that has 2 exhaust on the top you can run with the h100i if you like. Either one will give off a decent OC on the 3770k. Keep in mind, IB chips run a little warmer due to using TIM between the cores and the IHS instead of solder. So a decent OC on the 3770k would be something like 4.5GHz give or take.

 

[cliffhucker]

Yes I chose the h80i because it will fit in the back. If you went with something like the 300r that has 2 exhaust on the top you can run with the h100i if you like. Either one will give off a decent OC on the 3770k. Keep in mind, IB chips run a little warmer due to using TIM between the cores and the IHS instead of solder. So a decent OC on the 3770k would be something like 4.5GHz give or take.

Thanks,

What do you think about the i7-3930K ? does the extra cache help and does it OC any better

 

[PP Mguire]

Those are SB-E. The IB based 3770k is faster per core (clock for clock) but the 3930k is 6 core. If you want to go that route, doing what you do it would actually be quite a leap in performance. The 3930k will OC to around 4.5 or 4.6 under the h80i. The heat differences between the two are almost matched due to it having 2 extra cores.
If you decide to go with that instead, I recommend the exact board I'm running right now. It's pretty awesome.

Edit: In case you didn't know, I'll clarify. IB or Ivy Bridge is the 3rd gen Core i series, where as SB or Sandy Bridge is 2nd gen. SB-E is the enthusiast platform, which runs on socket 2011 boards. Ivy Bridge is currently only on the mainstream platform, but IB-E will be released holiday season this year. There will be only a 10% gain over the current SB-E lineup, and there will not be any 8 cores. Meaning, not exactly worth the extra 500 upgrade.

 

[cliffhucker]

Those are SB-E. The IB based 3770k is faster per core (clock for clock) but the 3930k is 6 core. If you want to go that route, doing what you do it would actually be quite a leap in performance. The 3930k will OC to around 4.5 or 4.6 under the h80i. The heat differences between the two are almost matched due to it having 2 extra cores.
If you decide to go with that instead, I recommend the exact board I'm running right now. It's pretty awesome.

Edit: In case you didn't know, I'll clarify. IB or Ivy Bridge is the 3rd gen Core i series, where as SB or Sandy Bridge is 2nd gen. SB-E is the enthusiast platform, which runs on socket 2011 boards. Ivy Bridge is currently only on the mainstream platform, but IB-E will be released holiday season this year. There will be only a 10% gain over the current SB-E lineup, and there will not be any 8 cores. Meaning, not exactly worth the extra 500 upgrade.

Right on; that is some great info! I do not like the idea of fans ontop so I will stick with the H80i. Other than going with an "extreme" chip like you have is there any other chips i should/could be considering from the 3930K and 3770K ?
If the 3930 and 3770 were the same price would you always recommend the 3930?

What about RAM? should I increase that if I go for the 6core chip?
You have a crazy amount of ram, does that all get used gaming?

Why not use 10K RPM drives as back up?

What about a sound card? I have always used onboard but always wanted more options. Does the ASrock have good onboard sound?

thanks

 

[PP Mguire]

Besides the 3960/70x and the Xeons (which can't be OC'd, also need an SR-X or server board) the 3930k, 3570k, 3770k, and 2500/2600k chips are the ones to get.
If they were the same price it would be a gamble, but I would still tell gamers to get the 3770/3570 over the 3930k simply due to the fact that games take more advantage of the faster IPC on the IB chips over the extra 2 cores of the SB-E. Your case is different, so I'll have to say the 3930k is the chip for you if you are willing to pay the price.

No, not really. I recommended 16GB because you are going to be doing a ton of multi-tasking, and actually using your computer. I still recommend 8GB for game rig.
No, without a RAMDisk I never use more than 8GB at any time. I only have this kit because it was a review sample, as well as the 32GB Patriot kit I have. My own cash paid for an 8GB 1600MHz kit and otherwise I wouldn't ever get anything else until the time came.

10k drives are too hot and don't provide enough gain for the price/heat/performance ratio. A good 7200RPM drive like a Barracuda XT or WD Black with 64MB cache will mostly keep up with the Raptors. It's my personal belief that the Raptors were a very niche thing just before SSDs came around.

Do you have high end cans, home theater setup, or speaker setup? If not, onboard is 100% fine. I'm using mine now for my 2.1 setup. Yea this board has a good sound setup. The Extreme 11 X79 actually has onboard Creative Record 3D sound.