Advice & Suggestions on first build under $3k budget

[TBGAPowa]

-I have this question posted on multiple forums so bare with me here as my replies will be much slower.
-AS FOR THE PEOPLE recommending me WC I honestly feel intimidated by it. I chose an air cooling case but I still am not sure to choose a water cooling enabled one since I am not positive if I go WC in the future.
-I will order from mostly canadian sites but will order from other places if necessary. The preferred retailer list I posted isn't that vital.

UNAVAILABLE ON NEWEGG CANADA:

Monitor: Dell UltraSharp U2312HM
CPU HSF: Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E
Headphones: Sennheiser PC 350 or 360
Tablet: Wacom Bamboo Splash

This is my first build from scratch my gaming orientation leans on rpgs, mmos, action-adventure and rts for the most part and less so for fps and racing games.

Approximate Purchase Date:
By the end of July
Budget Range:
Under $3k subtotal including everything base system, monitor, peripherals etc…
System Usage from Most to Least Important:
Extensive gaming and production/rendering in autodesk and other 3D/CG art software
Parts Not Required:
Not planning on getting a custom water cooling system just yet
Preferred Website(s) for Parts:
Newegg Canada
TigerDirect Canada
Canada Computers
NCIX
Country:
Canada
Parts Preferences:
Nvidia, visuals for the most part
Storage Space:
2TB minimum
Overclocking:
Likely
SLI or Crossfire:
Possibly SLI
Monitor Resolution:
1920x1080 or 2560x1440. I would like to have games on maxed settings, AA would be nice and what ever gaming technology optimization available
Additional Comments:
my newegg wishlist

anything sold out on the list i will look for else where, as long as they have good enough return policy

Really looking for some of the top and latest support with longevity, durability and silence

the rig would be placed in the basement which is usually around 20C, during the humid summer it should be closer to 30C room temp but we almost always AC then. the only thing about the basement i am worried about is if airflow wouldn't be good enough for the rig

would a heatsink fan suffice for now? if i ever choose to SLI would water cooling be needed then?

[TBGAPowa]

Quoted from a member named lehpron from the EVGA forums "But, in order to maintain your CPU stabilty; your RAM, HDD, motherboard, PSU, etc all have to be in sync and stable too. So while the CPU could theoretically take the punishment, total system stability depends on the other junk in the system."
How Long Before Failure ?

i hope the hhds would suffice, they do get great ratings i believe the others are good enough.

is 16 gb RAM 1600 enough or should I go higher 1866/2133/2400?



what do you think think about this monitor?

Yamakasi Catleap 27" LED 2560x1440 WQHD S-IPS

[Agent-A01]

Dont get an IPS if you are into fast paced games. they all have a high input lag

also ill work on a cart for you just give me 5 mins or so

[TBGAPowa]

yeah i am having major trouble with finding a good screen on the newegg canada website they seem to be lacking compared to US and i appreciate your time and consideration thank you very much

[Agent-A01]

images are in the spoiler, not going to resize.

 Click to show spoiler

and

i think this would be a better gaming pc overall.

[---TK---]

Originally Posted by Agent-A01

images are in the spoiler, not going to resize.

 Click to show spoiler

and

i think this would be a better gaming pc overall.

huh lol

[TBGAPowa]

when i click the spoiler nothing shows up for me unfortunately wouldn't it be better to provide a link?

[Agent-A01]

weird works for me. hold on

logged off and i still could view it, also tried my phone and it also saw the images. so not sure what the deal is for you.

try these links
http://s18.postimage.org/9co05cfd3/untitled2.png
http://s7.postimage.org/yvyhrozc9/untitled3.png

[---TK---]

when I click on the spoiler I just see the word "and"

[TBGAPowa]

direct quote from member lehpron from the EVGA forums, sorry its huge but this sums up why i chose the type of mobo, GPU and CPU. but of course still subject to change

"Most modern games are threaded for between 2-4 cores, and it has been a slow progress adoption since quads have been around for six years, duals for eight years. meaning, a 6-core won't make a difference today. New games take 2-3 years to make from the ground up, so in that time, it will make a quad that much more important. Only get the 6-core for your professional work, not for gaming.

3770K is a 22nm quad and half the die area (thus half the actual power and thermals if set at the same frequency) as 32nm i7-3900's 6-cores; mathematically, they should overclock better, but Intel differed from tradition of soddering the CPU die to the IHS (integrated heat spreader) by using a thermal grease with Ivy Bridge which tends to artificially raise temperaturess. This prevents anyone from really being able to push it except for those using cryogenics; so in the end, all Sandy and Ivy processors reach a max of approx 5GHz regardless of number of cores.

So it all comes down to the board really; X79 can support up to 4-way SLI (in quad x8, or a pair of full x16) configs while Z77 is limited to just dual x8's. If you're serious about longitivity in terms of having the room for future graphics cards and not change the board (which definitely need more bandwidth than current), then X79 is the only option. For CPU, either get quad 3820 or 6-core 3930K depending on how often your professional uses need 12-threads or not.

BTW, as for the GTX670's, get the 4GB card. We'll soon see a new standard for mainstream monitors that used to be the reign of medicial professionals, their total single display res equals to a modern multi-display setup. So if you intend on at least one in the next two years and not upgrading graphics for it, then you should plan ahead with a 4GB model and get 3-way SLI by then to compensate.

TBGAPowa

Really looking for longevity and durability I chose a gtx 670 in hopes of being able to run graphic intensive art programs and gaming on high settings for at least two years before upgrade/new build.
This part will require an edit for realism.

In two years, a pair of GTX670 will have the performance equivalency of a future mainstream card (i.e. "GTS850" )and unable to run those games appearing then at high details without having the frame rates dip whatever is high-end at time. So either plan to get into 3-way or 4-way SLI (meaning you need to get a 4-way capable board in the first place, i.e. X79), think about upgrading your graphics card much earlier than two years, or settle for less visuals as times passes especially if you plan a higher resolution monitor someday. Most games are GPU-intensive, so if your resolution doubles the pixels, you cut your frame rates in half.

The only way you can truly have longivity is if your expectation is much lower than what is available for purchase. If you want max detail at smooth rates, then that is only possible today, it isn't possible next year with this year's configuration running next year's games. Just so you know, many folks on enthusiast websites like these upgrade often as a hobby, they choose to keep up with technology in order to maintain their preference level in every new game; I personally see it as a hassle. So you have to decide your upgrade tendencies beforehand and plan ahead, beyond this upcoming build. "

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?h...page=1#1650704

[Agent-A01]

So it all comes down to the board really; X79 can support up to 4-way SLI (in quad x8, or a pair of full x16) configs while Z77 is limited to just dual x8's. If you're serious about longitivity in terms of having the room for future graphics cards and not change the board (which definitely need more bandwidth than current), then X79 is the only option. For CPU, either get quad 3820 or 6-core 3930K depending on how often your professional uses need 12-threads or not.

Not a issue with Z77. the i7 3770k will be faster for games, a 3820 plainly sucks imo, waste on X79 chipset. Also, A single gtx 680 hardly maxes out a 8x PCIe 2.0 slot. even though it Z77 its 8x/8x configuration it runs as pcie 3.0 which makes it double the speed of a 2.0 slot. Z77 PCIe 3.0 slot 8x/8x config will be equally as fast as X79 x16/x16 pcie 2.0 config.

3770k is slightly better regarding temps compared to review samples(ES samples) but yes they do use thermal paste instead of solder. Regardless, you should easily hit 4.6ghz and have respectable temps with the cooler i choose, i doubt you will be doing extreme OCs anyways. and when you go water, you can probably hit 5ghz, 6 core X79 probably produce as much heat anyways due to higher tdp and amount of cores. As of now all games are coded to use 4cores at best, with a handful able to use at most 8 threads, which see minimum improvements anyways. I dont see games uses 12 threads any time soon, gonna be at least 5 years or so as games are still based on consoles.

The config i made will allow you to easily max out majority of games for 3 years at least at 1080P with 60+ fps.

[Darkest]

Might want to slip a larger SSD in there for games if you're heavily into MMO's. Maybe at the expense of the soundcard if audio really isn't your thing (Although you could probably still slip a cheap DG in which should be an improvement over onboard). MMO's usually do benefit from being on an SSD. That's assuming you take Agent-A01's advice anyway.

That said, I'm a bit confused as to what the OP really wants considering:

Parts Preferences:
Nvidia, visuals for the most part not a keyboard or audio enthusiast

Yet he plays MMO's and has a higher end soundcard in his wishlist. I'm an avid MMO gamer myself, and without a keyboard with at least some macro options I'd recommend a good mouse such as a Razer Naga or Corsair M90. Getting used to one of those while playing most popular MMO's will make a difference to your gameplay.

[TBGAPowa]

yes i may not be an audio enthusiast but i've decided to go soundcard and headphones after trying out my friends setup

i think 256gb ssd would suffice, what do you think?

how long does the razer naga last? i hear it breaks down after 6 months

and if i go with the Corsair Vengeance K90 would naga still be nencessary?

[TBGAPowa]

from the pureoverclock forum member Doctor_Death:

Skip the MS keyboard, and go eith the Corsair K90, also the Phanteks CPU coolers do out perform the D14. I'll tell you what, I have a brand new system that I built for Enermax with duel EVGA Classified GTX590s. I have the Gigabyte X79 UD7 installed, but if you perfer ASUS, I can swap it out for a new X79 Rampage 4 Formula. There's also a brand new Intel 3820, and a Lepa G1600 PSU. Blu-ray burner and a DVD burner, 16GBs of Geil 1600MHz, 240GB SSD and a WD 1TB drive. You can own this build for $1500 shipped

Here's a couple of photos, click to enlarge:

http://forums.pureoverclock.com/atta...-build-001.jpg
http://forums.pureoverclock.com/atta...-build-003.jpg


I can add a 3960X but not for $1500 lol if I switch out the UD7 and replace it with the Rampage 4 Formula, and add the 3960X I have to get at least $2200 which is still a hell of a deal. Just the Vision Tek Racer 240GB and the WD 1TB would set you back a little over $400, never mind the EVGA Classified GTX590s, beside the new GTX690s the 590's are still one of the fastest cards around.

http://forums.pureoverclock.com/gene...3k-budget.html

what do you think?

[TBGAPowa]

Are the headphones I listed nicely compatible with the soundcard? I wan't 7.1 surround and listen to music that is at mid range.

[TBGAPowa]

updated the list. switched to sabertooth z77 motherboard, can’t choose between the two headsets so if any audiophiles could voice their opinions that would be great and i am still planning on downgrading to a 120gb ssd instead but don’t know if i should go with the lower iOPS. I chose the creative card over asus ones as most gamers have mentioned better clarity for gaming and movies, for music asus ones are better certainly but i’m not that big on music. which GPU 670/80 do you guys recommend since i won’t be hardcore OCing