New PC build

So I'm looking at finally building a new PC and I was hoping to get a little feedback from some of the community members that have more experience than I do.

Gaming wise I will be using this for CoH, Guild Wars 2, Mass Effect and whatever else I end up getting hooked on, lol.

So far what I have is:

Case
NZXT PHAN-001WT Phantom Full-Tower Case

Motherboard
ASUS P9X79 PRO Intel X79 Motherboard

Processor
Intel Core i7-3820 Processor

CPU Fan
Phanteks Dual Heat Pipe CPU Cooler

Power Supply
Corsair CMPSU-850AX AX850 Power Supply

Memory
Corsair Vengeance Desktop Memory

Primary Drive
Corsair Force GT Series Solid State Drive

Data Drive
Seagate Barracuda 1TB Hard Drive

Video Card
EVGA GeForce GTX 570 SuperClocked

Disc Drive
LG 12X Internal Blu-Ray/DVDRW Combo Drive

Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64BIT OEM DvD


This ends up around $2150 CAN including shipping, from tigerdirect.ca

I'm not fully up to date on some of these parts so if anyone can see room for improvement I'd love to hear it.

Thanks in advance!

Comments about that HSF.
1) Never heard of the brand. Of course, that could just be me.
2) One of the reviews specifically states it's too wide and low to use with Corsair Vengeance RAM on certain motherboards. I think you should do some careful measuring/calculating to see if it will fit. I have a honking big heatsink myself (from Zalman) but it sits very high and my mobo doesn't crowd the CPU too badly.
3) I WAS going to say it seemed kind of pricey, but noticed your total says Canadian dollars..... and just looked up the exchange rate and see they're only like 3 cents apart... so it does seem pricey.

P.S. The site has the HSF I have and it's only $49.99.

Review on the heat sink for those interested.

My only concern with such a large heat sink is checking to see if the case can handle it.

I'll have to do some more checking on the viability of the heat sink, but other than that what do you think of the rest of the build?

Sounds like you are spending more money than you need to on a SB-E processor when Ivy Bridge is better and cheaper. (Certainly if you plan on getting a quad core SB-E)

SB-E motherboards are EXPENSIVE!

just my .02 INF

Actually at TigerDirect.ca, the i7-3770K is 40 loonies more than that Socket 2011 CPU.

But yes, for that amount of money I would go more with an Ivy Bridge setup with a GTX 670 than a SB-E with a GTX 570.

i7-3770K - $350

Asus P8Z77-V - $210

eVGA GTX 670 - $400 (about 1/3 faster than the GTX 570 plus uses less power)

That's $960 for those 3 parts Vs $955 for the Socket 2011/GTX 570 setup. You could even drop it to $950 if you went with the older Sandy Bridge i7-2700K, if you are looking to OC since Ivy Bridge has some power/heat problems as you push past 4.5GHz. Now I'm assuming you are looking to OC since you have that top dollar, 1.25Kg heat sink on your list.

For CPU Heatsink and fan I would say the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is more than good enough. I like the design because you can slide the fan up a little higher to clear memory if you have to. Its fairly inexpensive as well and you can add in a 2nd fan if you really need it. If the 212 Evo isn't enough then you are going to be spending huge bucks on a liquid cooling system.

I agree with Father.

The 3820 and x79 really isn't buying you a whole hell of a lot.

The 3770K and x77 should delivery every bit of the performance you're looking for and bumping from the 570 to the 670 should be a night-and-day performance enhancement.

The fact that the price is, for all intents and purposes, identical? Gravy

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

Hmmm, I don't absolutely have to OC the system, it was just an initial thought process. Taking some of your guys suggestions into mind, how does a build like this look:

Case: NZXT Phantom Full-Tower

Motherboard:ASUS P8Z77-V Intel 7 Series Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K

CPU Fan: Corsair CAFA50 A50 Air Series

Power Supply:Corsair AX850 Power Supply

Memory:Corsair CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9B Vengeance

Primary Drive:Corsair CSSD-F120GBGT-BK Force GT Series

Data Drive:Seagate ST1000DM003 Barracuda 1TB

Video Card:EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB

Disc Drive:LG CH12LS28 12X Internal Blu-Ray/DVDRW

A smaller HSF and this mobo doesn't crowd the CPU socket so much. Looks like you should be fine there. I actually downloaded the mobo specs for mine to make sure the HSF would fit.

I think the case is hideous but the inside layout looks good and they definitely get good reviews.

Top name brands on all the components. I've got an Asus mobo and Crucial SSD in mine.

Can't comment on the video card (aside from saying EVGA is a good brand, which I've bought in the past). Video cards change fast enough that I don't bother paying attention - I just research it when I'm planning a build.

Assuming you checked compatibility between the RAM and mobo, all should be fine.

Looks good to me.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

Thanks for all the input everyone. I really appreciate it!

PS. Ironblade, that isn't my final case choice. Its just a full tower case I'm using as a place holder at the moment. Any less hideous suggestions?

Everything looks good. Quite the price swing on the CPU cooler.

I don't like doors blocking my optical drives so looking at tigerdirect.ca I like any of these sub $200 full tower cases (since that's the style of case you have as a place holder).

Cooler Master Storm Trooper - $165 before rebate
Thermaltake Element V - $150 before rebate
Cooler Master HAF 932 Advance - $165

They each come with a lot of drive bays and nearly as many fans with space for more. The two Cooler Master cases also have USB 3.0 connectors on the front panel (well the HAF 932 is on a 3.5" front drive bay mount).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811139008
or the antec gaming line of case...there plan janes of cases.

Thanks again for all of the awesome advice on the build everyone!

Now that I have finally started getting parts together I have a couple additional questions. I have on previous occasions used both AVG and System Mechanic on my pcs but was wondering if anyone had suggestions on an anti-virus and system cleaning program.

I have heard both Avast and CCleaner are good programs but have never used them myself. Are they worthwhile or is there something that works just as good?

I use CCleaner to flush out the flotsam and jetsam every week and at least examine what it thinks is "wrong" with my registry once in a while.

For AV I've used Avira for years.

I completely agree that the Ivy Bridge is quite perfect for gaming, either the i5 or i7.
I currently have the Ivy i7 3770k at 4.5 Ghz with a cooler quite similar to your first choice and believe me that around 1.33+ volts it's very hard to maintain temps. under a full load.
However, depending on the 'luck of the draw', what is often referred to as the 'silcon lottery' you may find a chip that can do 4.5ghz at a much lower voltage; say around 1.25 or even 1.22volts. "Ivy hates voltage!" 'So to speak!' My chip is average with my Asus z77deluxe board it requires at least 1.34 to run 4.5ghz stable. My cooler is the Noctua DH-14 (which is a monster in size and in efficiency) and allows decent temps at this range while gaming and stress testing when ambient temps. are around 21-25 celcius.
It's my opinion that your last choice for a cpu cooler will surely allow you around 4.2Ghz with ease, furthermore most/all z77 Asus boards have a "TPU Switch" on the board itself. Click it and restart the pc and boom you're at 4.2Ghz. I've tried manual OC, TPU and even the Asus Turbo Evo software. I'm currently at 4.5Ghz with an offset of (I believe) 0.045. With LLC at Extreme, and power saving options completely off. I suspect I could do 0.040 and be stable at this frequency but just haven't focussed on it yet.
I've included a screenshot of my CPUID for a general reference.
http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=2438715