Project Reality Forums

Hello,

in few months I'll be able to afford a new, proper, computer and I'm pretty new to this so I need some help.

Here's the hardware I gathered so far (in my head, not for real).

CPU:
Intel i7 3,5Ghz 4770k

GPU:
nVidia GTX 670- MSI N670 PE 2GD5/OC

I'm not sure about the exact model so I'll need some recommendations. Keep in mind that it'll be used for SLI bridge in the future.

RAM:
Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M1A1600C10 8 GB DDR3 1600 Mhz PC3-12800

HDD:
I'd like to use my old one: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500410AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"

Sound card:
Creative X-Fi Titanium HD (already have it)

Motherboard:
I have no idea what to use, I need it to be SLI compatible and to be able to host 2xGPU + Sound Card (PCI-e slot) + at least one more slot in case I add something else.

PSU:
Whatever is sufficient, advise me whether to buy a stronger PSU now, or when I decide to buy a second GPU.

Case and cooling:
Whatever is sufficeint, need advice.

Thanks for the help!

I use the cm storm trooper case which has a, imo, shit design buz awesome space and ventilation for its price.
I use the h100i as my cooler - its alright but a thermalright one would do too, probably.

Microwaife wrote:I use the cm storm trooper case which has a, imo, shit design buz awesome space and ventilation for its price.
I use the h100i as my cooler - its alright but a thermalright one would do too, probably.

I couldn't care less about the design, might as well look lika a giang hairy D as far as I'm concerned. I see that cm storm trooper costs 150$ on newegg, is this aprox. how much decent cases cost these days?

Well for a bigtower with the features it has its a damn good price.
You could get a midi tower aswell but you probably cant build a big mobo in there which is usefull fur SLI so that cards wont sit on top of each other.
In the end just be sure to have enough space.
Also if you are unsure about your PSU get one with around 850w. That should be more than enough for 2 graphicscards in the future. Also be sure to buy a quality PSU, it can kill your system if its badly manufactured. Be quiet! Is very good for example. But not the cheapest.
As for the mobo i'd look at eATX ones so that you have, as I already said, enough space between the cards in the future.

As for the graphics card i'm really happy with my asus gtx680 dc2t so i guess i can recommend the gtx670 dc2t aswell. Its a little more pricey than the other versions though.

There are ways to do this on the cheap, and still get the quality gaming experience.
as for the GPU:
I suggest getting as much VRAM as possible, so for the GTX670 line, get the 4GB model instead of the 2GB model. This will cost more up front but will extend thelife of your eventual SLI setup by as much as a year, saving you money in the long term.
Also, when closer to your actual purchase date, consider the GTX 760 (and the possible launch of a GTX 760Ti) , again the model with the largest VideoRAM. NOone knows which will have better value in a few months , so check closer to purchase.

rest of my response is a discussion on Price vs performance, and

For the cooling,
if you're on a tight budget, a COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 with a second CoolerMaster 120mm PWM fan Model R4-P2B-12AK-GP, (same as the one that comes with the cooler kit) Cooler Master: PWM Fan 120mm , and a cheap PWM splitter cable, is the cheapest OC solution that is going to work with the 4770k.
An example of a cheap PWM splitter: Newegg.com - Silverstone Model CPF01 3.94" PWM Fan Splitter Cable
The splitter you can even make your own if you're interested.

PSU: You do not need more than 750W, I suggest something that is 80Bronze certified at minimum. You are like me and could really care less what thecase and the interior case looks like, save money and skip the modular cable PSUs, it adds another 30 Euros to the price.

Case: You should be able to find cases for as little as 50 Euros, really just look for integrated USB3 front ports, and an interior that doesn't have sharp edges. Cases that come with decent case fans are a plus. Any feature after that is nice, but not needed.

RAM: The Corsair memory is fine, you might find the Crucial memory cheaper. Crucial Ballistix, Crucial Sport, etc.

Motherboard: You are spending enough money on CPU and components you don't want to cheap out on this. BUT... ask again closer to purchase, prices change, and new MoBos for the i7-4770k are still being released.

Thanks for the input!

I was able to find some nice components in one of the German eBay stores (I can forget buying this stuff in Slovenia and I'm expecting at least free postage if I buy from one seller).

CPU:
Intel i7-4770K - Socket 1150 (BX80646I74770K) 3,5 GHz CPU Haswell
326e

GPU:
ASUS GTX670-DC2-4GD5
365e

RAM:
Crucial RAM DDR3 8GB / 1600MHZ BALLISTIX SPORT VLP
62e

CPU cooler:
Cooler Master CPU K 775/AM2 CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo
32e

Motherboard:
If I were buying it now, which one would I get? It needs to be SLI compatible+ extra PCI-e x16 slot is needed and it would be great if there was still some room left after that. Is there anything acceptable here?

Case:
No idea what to buy yet, if somebody would please pick out a decent cheap one from here that'd be great.

Additional Fans:
Again, no idea how many/ which ones. Based on prev. input I have narrowed it down to this list of 120mm PWM fans.

Additional equipment:
I'll use my old HDD and DVD/RW player, am I missing anything crucial, like some cables or something?

Thanks for the help!

I'd love to tell you what this all is, but I don't read German so,...

Mid-Tower case, Sharkoon VS3-V

From what I can see, it has at least three fan mounts, one in front, one on the side, assuming one on the back. Don't know about a mount on the top though for a watercooler.

about 23 Euros


AeroCool Strike-X

Little gimmicky imo, but hey, it's a case. At least 5 mounts for fans if you want to go that far. Space on the top too. Added bonus, there appear to be USB 3.0 ports on the front.

~28 Euros.


Just a pair, hope they help point you in a direction you want to go. I'm not familiar with either brand, and I don't read German so I don't know what the reviews and such say XD

Have fun, best of luck.

Cheers,

Thanks for the input, there were tons of cases so I had no idea what to choose.

In the end, I think this one has everything I'd like:
AeroCool Aerocool Vs-3 Advance
-2x USB 3.0 front panel ports
-space for 3 12cm fans at the front (1 included)
-space for 1 12cm fan at the back (included)
-space for 2 12-14cm fans at the side
-space for 1 12cm fan at the bottom
-space for 3 12cm fans at the front of the motherboard
37e

So, if there's 1 fan at the front and 1 at the back will I need any additional ones?

Also, still need help with which PSU (is 750W enough for future SLI and is any of thesegood?) and motherboard to get.

Edit 2: given the price of decent 750-850w I'd rather stick to simple 550w until I actually decide for the SLI. Any decent ones here?