New PC component combos: Need opinions and advice

[branch37]

Hello,

I am looking to get a PC custom built and am having some trouble deciding on the components.  I have a list of a possible build that I have been sitting on and would like to know what yall think about it.  Any opinions/recommendations are welcome. 

Case   Corsair   Vengence
Motherboard   Gigabyte   GA-Z77X-UD5H
Processor   Intel   i5-3570K
Heat sink/Fan   Corsair   H110
Memory   Corsair   Vengence 16GB (2 x 8GB)
Video Card(s)   XFX   FX-787A-CDFC
Power Supply   Corsair   GS 800
SSD(s)   OCZ   Agility 3 240GB
Hard Drive(s)   Western Digital   Caviar Black SATA III 1TB
DVD/BluRay(s)   Samsung   DVD/CD Combo drive
Operating System   Microsoft   Windows 7 Pro 64bit

[gyrene81]

i'm not personally a fan of gigabyte mobos, just because some of the chipsets they use for sound, network, etc...but, if you get a good one, it's going to be solid.

you may want to swap that ocz agility 3 for a vertex 4, crucial m4 or maybe a Samsung 840 pro series. the agility 3 doesn't seem to be as durable as the others.

[MADe]

I had issues with Corsair ram in past. Very finicky. I like Kingston ram. Make sure ram choice is on the mobos QVL list.

I use 2 gigabyte mobos, UD series, P45 and EX58 chipsets. I have had zero issues. Use website latest bios version, use website for chipset, sound and lan drivers. I also use Intel's site for chipset updates.
I use both OCZ and WD products. I will again. OCZ has best hardware help forum I have ever come across. Access to FW updates there as well as tips and help.
I use CoolerMaster, case, psu and cpu heat sink. No issues.
The case is important, it needs to breathe well, it needs to have room to work in while installing components.

goodluck

[BoilerDown]

Intel is coming out with new i5 and i7 CPUs on June 2nd.  You'd be well served to wait.  Even if you don't get the new ones, you'll be able to get the current ones for less.

[guncrasher]

intel doesnt really lower prices on cpu's once the new ones come out.  they may have 20 bucks off here and there but no drastic price reductions.


semp

[RTHolmes]

The onboard sound has died on every gigabyte mobo Ive owned bar one, they dont seem to have any protection built in. that said they are cheap to replace and sound cards are cheap so no biggie. otherwise Ive liked them.

[LeDragon]

I have 4 GB boards from 6-8 years ago still running strong, 0 problems. No sound issues.

[Debrody]

Well-balanced in most sides, way overkill on others.
The CPU-VGA-RAM-Mobo-SSD-HDD combo is the same i would buy.
But a 800W PSU is way too much for this machine. Even if you would like to build a crossfire later, a 650W corsair is enough. Otherwise an 550W one is what i would buy for this setup, that would still leave you plenty of room for OCing if you would like to.
Also the coolant, do you really need to water cool a 77W CPU? I use a Cooler Master Hyper212+ for my old PhenomII, 90W on stock, 120 when pulled, absolutely silent in every situation, the CPU temperature have never went over 65 degrees. Was 30$... Basically any heatsink from the same category would keep your CPU temp low and do it silently - of course, unless you have a specific reason for water cooling.

[Bizman]

+1 what Debrody said about the PSU. A too large PSU may cause many sorts of troubles, as stated in this comment: http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,342730.msg4525216.html#msg4525216

About the water cooler: A friend was looking for a new rig from a reputable builder shop, asking for my advice about the three candidates he had chosen. I chose the innards of one, the well breathing case of another and told him to ask to change the processor cooler to a regular one instead of the water version. He later told me that the representative of the builder shop had admitted that the small water coolers add more fancyness than real benefit... Not to mention the risk of them freezing apart on the way to a lan party in wintertime.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Not to mention the risk of them freezing apart on the way to a lan party in wintertime.

I thought it was standard procedure to add glycol in the coolant. It both improves cooling efficiency and provides antifreeze.

[Bino]

I thought it was standard procedure to add glycol in the coolant. It both improves cooling efficiency and provides antifreeze.

Nope.

"...
Pure ethylene glycol has a specific heat capacity about one half that of water. So, while providing freeze protection and an increased boiling point, ethylene glycol lowers the specific heat capacity of water mixtures relative to pure water. A 50/50 mix by mass has a specific heat capacity of about 3140 J/Kg C (0.75 BTU/lb F) three quarters that of pure water, thus requiring increased flow rates in same system comparisons with water. Additionally, the increase in boiling point over pure water inhibits nucleate boiling on heat transfer surfaces thus reducing heat transfer efficiency in some cases, such as gasoline engine cylinder walls. Therefore, pure ethylene glycol should not be used as an engine coolant in most cases.
..."

[gyrene81]

ethylene glycol? why in the world would you put that in a computer cooling system?

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Nope.

"...
Pure ethylene glycol has a specific heat capacity about one half that of water. So, while providing freeze protection and an increased boiling point, ethylene glycol lowers the specific heat capacity of water mixtures relative to pure water. A 50/50 mix by mass has a specific heat capacity of about 3140 J/Kg C (0.75 BTU/lb F) three quarters that of pure water, thus requiring increased flow rates in same system comparisons with water. Additionally, the increase in boiling point over pure water inhibits nucleate boiling on heat transfer surfaces thus reducing heat transfer efficiency in some cases, such as gasoline engine cylinder walls. Therefore, pure ethylene glycol should not be used as an engine coolant in most cases.
..."

Heh, the commercial 'water wetter' I bought last time included glycol. It also included UV reactants etc. so maybe glycol was added only for antifreeze.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

ethylene glycol? why in the world would you put that in a computer cooling system?

Some people use peltier coolers which take the surface temperature below freezing. Safer way to use peltiers is to put them to directly cool the coolant. More risky but effective way is to install the peltier between the CPU and the CPU cooler. But then if the peltier blows so will your cpu

[Bizman]

Apart of what kind of coolant liquid is used, I'm not 100% sure about the plastic tubing in sub-zero conditions. Although the coolant itself might not freeze, the tubing is made for room temperatures and above, let's say from 15 to 60 centigrade. The tubes have to be stretched over the metal nozzles of the cooler in order to be tight and who knows what kind of affects thermal expansion can cause in three different materials in out-of-range conditions.