New build

[dhaus]

When I last wrote about a new build, I thought I was going forward with it before thanksgiving.  Alas, when mentioning I was starting to buy parts, the dreaded wife ack said "why can't we get a laptop?"  So, based upon recommendations here, I took her to Worstbuy and got her an HP ENVY m6-1105dx on sale. She's pleased and all is well.  Fast forward and I'm going forward with my build because I want to.  (Is there really any other reason?)  I've already ordered the cpu cooler and Win 7 from Amazon. CPU, motherboard and case will be purchased from microcenter to get the in store sale price.  The rest will come from Newegg.  Only issue noted by pc part picker is the mb supports USB 3.0 in the front panel and the HAF 912 doesn't.  I can fix that by getting a usb 3.0 bracket from newegg for about $12.  Here is the parts list. Any comments before I finish ordering?  Use will be AH, web surfing, personal documents. 

case:  Coolmaster HAF 912  $59.99
cpu:    Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge $189.99
motherboard:  ASROCK Z77 Extreme 4 ATX LGA 1155  $94.99
cpu cooler:  Coolermaster Hyper 212+  $24.98
memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  $45.99
video card:  Saphire Radeon 7850 1GB $179.9
power supply: Seasonic 620W 80+ bronze $83.99
storage:  Samsung F3 Spinpoint 1Tb 7200rpm $88.98
cd/dvd burner:  ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS $24.98
OS:  Win7 home premium 64 bit  $89.99
Total:  883.87

Further questions: Is arctic silver worth it, or is the supplied thermal paste good enough?  I'm debating moving an existing HD over as a 2nd hd. It has vista on it. Can I uninstall vista without disturbing the other programs I want to keep?  If I don't uninstall vista, will it conflict with Win7on the primary drive? Will this be more trouble than it is worth?  The memory is low profile to prevent any interference with the Hyper 212.  Corsair claims it is compatible with the Extreme4.  Asrock does not list it.  Is that a concern?  Thank you for the help already given!

[Bizman]

The list looks good enough in my eyes...

For further questions:

• The supplied paste is good enough until the first service if you don't overclock
• The Vista wouldn't like to be moved to another computer.
• You might be able to make a dual boot installation, but you'd still have to de- and reinstall all drivers, reactivate Vista etc.
• In the worst scenario your Vista could stop co-operating both in the old and new rigs
• The programs you installed with Vista won't transfer to the new rig even if you removed Vista from the disk
• The best solution might be that you leave the Vista disk in the computer it is now in and use that puter for those programs.
• If you want to have those programs in your new rig, you'll have to install them. Some settings may be transferable.
• If Corsair says the memory is compatible, it most likely is. Asrock doesn't test all available variations. If the memory type, bus widht etc. is within specs, it should work decently.

Did I mention, that trying to move Vista to the new rig isn't worth the effort?

[dhaus]

Thanks!  So it sounds if overclocking is a possibility, the arctic silver is worth it.  I figured vista wouldn't play nice on the new build, but wanted to be sure.  Nothing that can't be loaded new as far as programs.  Documents I will look through.  New build will be using keyboard,  mouse, and monitor from the existing computer.  So not convenient to use it along with the new one. 

[Bizman]

If you're going the overclocking way, then the best paste is on the buying list. OTOH a good brand cooler may come with a decent paste for not ruining a good name. Check for temperatures, that's the only way to find out.

Speaking about using two computers conveniently with one monitor, keyboard and mouse, a KVM switch might be an inexpensive solution.

[dhaus]

After doing a bit of searching, sounds like my best bet on the hard drive is to write the old files to a Cd and just copy them over to the new computer.  I have the office program to install.  Thanks again!

[cattb]

Just a note on building. It is possible that your USB 3.0 port may not work until after you put the drivers in. Thats the way it is with Gigabyte. I used the 2.0 ports for installation of software and drivers. ( to use mouse and keyboard)

The other way if you really need the drivers in is to slipstream. Then thats another discussion.

I used the supplied paste, but then I am not benchmarking or running extreme OC. The 212 dropped my temps quite abit.

Good Luck on your build

[numb1]

Great build i have pretty much same setup except i have corsair power supply and his iceq 7850 2gb And a gigabyte mb.I also got liquid cooling for my 3570k.After i got my new comp i bought a intel ssd and thats the best thing i coulda done.

You might wanna get the 2gb 7850..

[Bizman]

After doing a bit of searching, sounds like my best bet on the hard drive is to write the old files to a Cd and just copy them over to the new computer.  I have the office program to install.  Thanks again!

Writing your files to a cd is the best thing to do if (or rather: because) you don't want to lose them, ever. So as a Christmas bonus you'll get backups of them for free while preparing to move them to the new rig.

Another way, without the backup option, would be to finish the new one and then temporarily attach the old hdd to the motherboard and copy from the old to the new one. There might be some hassle with changing the ownership of the files and folders, though, making the CD/DVD way most profiting. If you have more than 2 DVD's full of files (>8GB), an outboard HDD might be a good solution, too.

[Debrody]

Its a good system.
The VGA might be the bottleneck though, i would save 70 more bucks and try to get one of those Tahiti-based 7870s. True, i dont know what exactly you would like to do with that computer.

[dhaus]

Thanks again!  This will be mainly for aces high, web surfing, and personal documents.  Btw, Debrody, you recommended the 7850 in October as a step up from a nvidia 560, which it is!  I'm also bumping the top of my budget for this build, so an extra $60 or $70 on the vid card is not doable.

[Debrody]

I cant really remember, sorry. Just as i have looked at the specs of your puter, seen how strong and balanced it is, except the VGA what is a tiny bit weaker...
The 7850 isnt bad at all, actually clearly better than the 560, but i have heard there are some limited edition 7870s have came out with a clipped Tahiti chip and 1536 stream processors... If their price isnt much higher than the standard 7870s, i would give it a try.

This us the one im talking about, not the best brand, still: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131484

[Gatr]

Hi
I just rebuilt my system... I used a Samsung 840 250 GB SSD w/ Windows 8 and it runs great.. I have an older Asus MB w/ a X4 965 CPU...
The windows 8 runs flawlessly w/ the SSD...
Salute
Gatr

[dhaus]

Having received a nice gift card for Christmas, I upgraded the vid card to a Radeon 7870 - (Gygabyte GVR7870C-2GD) which seemed to be rated highly and have the best core clock and memory clock rates.  I checked and it will fit in the HAF 912 and the Seasonic 620 will power it well.      Thanks again for all the advice!