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Need config parts help for first gaming rig |
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Jmundy 
AVADirect Staff 
AVADirect Sales Joined: 08 Apr 2008 Location: AVADirect HQ Posts: 1333 |
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 Posted: 15 Jun 2012 at 11:33am |
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Hello Stayghost,
You're quite welcome!
Please excuse my previous recommendation, for a RAM kit at 1.65v. The 1155 socket strictly requires RAM kits with a 1.5v rating, otherwise you could overload the processor and cause many problems.
If you don't require specific BIOS settings, you could easily get away with a lower-cost board and see no difference in performance. Any of the ASUS boards, in my opinion, will do as we have great experience with ASUS boards.
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Joseph Mundy
Assistant Sales Manager 1-216-503-6361 joseph.mundy@avadirect.com |
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stayghost
AVADirect Noob 
Joined: 15 Mar 2012 Posts: 18 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 15 Jun 2012 at 4:38pm |
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MOBO: thanks - can you point out a specific board of the Asus models you think would be ideal then? (sorry, I know you said ANY but I'm OCD!)
FANS: Also - do you think i should add the extra fan to the top if I am considering SLI in the future? GPU: I can't find the 04G-P4-2673-BR you recommend, but I can find a 04G-P4-2673-KR which is the 4gig, superclocked Backplated model. Are you suggesting I buy this card instead of the base 2gig GTX670? The cost of this is card is only $7 less than the next level of the series, base GTX680. Thanks as always - your resident OCD consumer!  |
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Steve35
AVADirect Noob
Joined: 11 May 2012 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 9 |
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Posted: 16 Jun 2012 at 1:15pm |
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As someone who has recently ordered a custom build from here, I had to do a fair amount of research on on various components - video cards included. With that said, you may want to look into the 4gb version of the superclock 670 model because if it is anything like the standard 2gb superclock - stay away from it. I've been reading way too many reviews about high failure rates. Also, it appears that you won't find the standard superclock on evga's site anymore since they probably removed it due to those problems.
Evga does, however, have the 670 FTW card that has mostly favorable reviews. This is another superclock version, but uses the gtx 680 pcb (larger card size) and non-reference cooler (better quality cooler). The standard reference 670 from evga seems ok from a review standpoint although it's construction seems a bit ghetto for the price you have to pay. The 4gb version of cards won[t do you any good unless you use multiple monitors at high resolutions. You mentioned top end-ish for video cards. How much are you comfortable with spending? One gtx 680 at $450ish or you could SLI two 670s for like $560ish. One 670 depending on oem or retail is about $280.
Just noticed, but I guess he typo'ed the 4 instead of the 2. He recommended a single 2gb gtx 670 and then can always SLI with another 670 later if the performance isn't up to par with what you need. Edited by Steve35 - 16 Jun 2012 at 1:23pm |
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Jmundy
AVADirect Staff
AVADirect Sales Joined: 08 Apr 2008 Location: AVADirect HQ Posts: 1333 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 18 Jun 2012 at 5:05pm |
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Here are a few of the ASUS motherboards I recommend. It will all depend on your preference in terms of port availability, BIOS features (if those play on any importance for you) and expandability with the expansion card slots. If you decide on a mATX form-factor system:
If you prefer a standard mid- or full-tower system:
Extra fans on the top are really just going to help with supporting the natural air-flow of the case, since heat naturally rises. From our studies, side-panel fans make the biggest difference, but it also depends on the type of graphics card. If the card has a cooling structure designed to blow air at the heatsinks, then you will want a a side fan that will pull cool, fresh air into the case. If the graphics card is designed to exhaust heat out of the rear of the case, then you will want a fan the blows air out of the case. Now that other manufacturers have released their reference designs, I highly recommend looking into ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte GTX 670 designs. I previously purchased a Gigabyte GTX 560 Ti based on the fact that it had two fans cooling the card, as opposed to a single card like typical EVGA models; it was a beast, to say the least!
I agree with Steve35 on this recommendation. That factory GTX 670 superclock model, at least the original, was recently released to have some failure issues so I apologize for the previous recommendation! (Was not aware of this prior to recommending that card). It was always my experience that, if the price point is right, factory overclocked cards are great to consider since the manufacturer will improve the cooling design to accommodate the added clock speeds from overclocking. This usually gives end-users "peace of mind" when worrying about the added heat from overclocking a card. Plus, the warranty remains regardless.
 Feel free to keep posting any questions, we whole-heartedly support your OCD!
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Joseph Mundy
Assistant Sales Manager 1-216-503-6361 joseph.mundy@avadirect.com |
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MrLilGuy
AVADirect Noob
Joined: 14 Jun 2012 Posts: 5 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jun 2012 at 12:29pm |
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lot of people have had good results by downclocking certain superclocked cards and creating custom profiles. Is this recommended? What about the warranty?
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stayghost
AVADirect Noob
Joined: 15 Mar 2012 Posts: 18 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 21 Jun 2012 at 4:22pm |
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So sitting here in the midst of a Northeast heatwave (97F outside) in my non air-conditioned gaming room (80F right now) I'm trying to carefully consider the best card / cooling combo.
Regarding the GTX 670: MSI only shows reference model in configuator, not the Twin Frozr; so that's out. Both ASUS and Gigabyte are getting good reviews ( Gig better cooling, more issues reported though - Asus getting higher clocks, a bit warmer but seems more reliable)... These are keeping the vid cards much cooler than reference. However, both of them are dumping air directly into the case.
input greatly appreciated! |
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vikonic
AVADirect Admins 
Joined: 11 Nov 2011 Posts: 347 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 21 Jun 2012 at 4:59pm |
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stayghost,
Hot air blown from the card will not interfere with the 212 AS LONG as there's enough airflow in the case. Meaning, at least front and back fans in the intake-exhaust configuration. You will be ok with small to medium overclock. HAF X is nice, but not required to keep the temperatures at bay. Most important thing to remember is what the acceptable temperatures are in a computer system. Having many hot components may increase the ambient temps and the stagnant heat, but this doesn't mean that the components will overheat. As long as the component causing the heat is cooled properly, the discharge isn't much of a problem as long as you have proper airflow. For example, a video card may sit at idle around 40C, but under high load it will go into 80s and maybe even 90s. This isn't ideal, and will kill the card in a short period of time. Meanwhile, a video card may sit at 50c idle because of stagnant heat, however when the fans kick in and the card is under load, the temps are only 70c or less. The second scenario is much better for your system in the long term. Idle and low load temps are nice to look at, but they don't really mean much.
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Vedran Ikonic
Technical Support Manager 216-503-6374 Option 4 support@avadirect.com How To Guides - FREE Troubleshooting Help from AVADirect Problems with your Computer? - Post HERE |
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Age_of_Bundar
AVADirect Noob
Joined: 19 Jun 2012 Posts: 5 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 21 Jun 2012 at 5:55pm |
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I noticed some GPUS will blow air away form the heatsink, so that will blow hot air down. What about for cases that have the slots to install a fan on the bottom to help with removing heat from a case? I figure thats recommended, since heat rises naturally, but will that conflict with the cooling of the GPU?
A buddy of mine bought a system from you, a liquid cooling system, and said his temperatures are amazing. He overclocked his processor like crazy, through you guys, and says you really know your stuff. He's been tweaking processor and graphics card clocks ever since we both got into computers. The fact he trusted you guy to overclock it for him says a lot. I don't really want computer with water cooling to overclock but I would love it for peace of mind. What do you think...anyone else have experience with this, or have the want for a water cooling system like I do?
...man, theyre just so awesome looking!
BTW - nice showroom page! http://www.avadirect.com/showroom.asp
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vikonic
AVADirect Admins
Joined: 11 Nov 2011 Posts: 347 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 22 Jun 2012 at 2:29pm |
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It is recommended but up to a point. The idea is that too much turbulence will disrupt the airflow. A disrupted airflow isn't as effective, so chances are you will see higher ambient temps as well as higher load temps. Airflow and thermodynamics can be difficult to gauge when all you have are temperature sensors. Therefore it's always good do try something new and see if it works. If you get a case with the fan mounted on the bottom, let it run and test your temperatures. Turn it off half way and test again, and turn it off completely for the final test. If you find significant differences between the 3 setups, they will be able to tell you what's happening to your airflow with that bottom fan. If you notice no difference (most common) then you'll know that your airflow is adequate.
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Vedran Ikonic
Technical Support Manager 216-503-6374 Option 4 support@avadirect.com How To Guides - FREE Troubleshooting Help from AVADirect Problems with your Computer? - Post HERE |
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stayghost
AVADirect Noob
Joined: 15 Mar 2012 Posts: 18 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 22 Jun 2012 at 4:00pm |
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Ok guys, I think I'm ready to pull the trigger ... Just a final pass by Joseph and Vedran and I'm taking the plunge! Here is what I came up...
GAMING PC Core™ i5 / i7 Z77 2-way SLI® / CrossFireX™ Custom Gaming System
Edited by stayghost - 25 Jun 2012 at 3:44am |
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Jmundy
AVADirect Staff
AVADirect Sales Joined: 08 Apr 2008 Location: AVADirect HQ Posts: 1333 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 25 Jun 2012 at 6:21pm |
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Hello Stayghost,
The extras can be taken care of after you place your order. You can feel free to either reach out on the forums, after you place an order, or you can call/email me directly. Switching to the ASUS Sabertooth would take care of my above concern, should you plan to expand the system beyond basic upgrades. It would definitely help with overclocking, since the ASUS Sabertooth motherboard models tend to have, not only a cleaner look to the board design, but also increased flexibility with BIOS options relevant to overclocking. I don't feel it would necessarily help you with heat. Heat would be in direct relation to the heatsink and cooling setup of the case, in which you have selected solid choices to remedy that concern entirely. Definitely, your case choice is one of the most solid cases we offer by Cooler Master. Sure, there are other manufacturers with just as solid cases (Antec, Lian Li, Bit Fedinx, Fractal Design) but cost is also a factor and that's part of the reason Cooler Master's HAF XM case is excellent. Your friend makes a solid point, and I also recommend this method of "wait for the date, then overclock". Your system is going to be packed with the most recent hardware available. That being said, performance will be more than the maximum, recommended requirements for practically anything you plan on immersing yourself in. There's nothing wrong with running your system at stock speeds initially, then overclocking once you begin to see your system bog down from becoming outdated. This will also improve the life of your processor, considering it would not have 3-5 years of a constant overclock under it's belt. I also recommend this method for those who want the most out of their overclock, so it really all depends on what you prefer. I'm sure this will leave you with a lot of questions to ask yourself, so feel free to post once you're done thinking. |
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Joseph Mundy
Assistant Sales Manager 1-216-503-6361 joseph.mundy@avadirect.com |
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stayghost
AVADirect Noob
Joined: 15 Mar 2012 Posts: 18 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 26 Jun 2012 at 1:56am |
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awesome thanks
I've spent the past 3 hours researching cases from the companies you mentioned and still Jekyl and Hyde'n between the quality / cooling and utility of the HAF XM and the slick styling of the 600t White Edition... lol Pretty sure the XM is the way to go. Just have to quit over analyzing and take the plunge!   |
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Jmundy
AVADirect Staff
AVADirect Sales Joined: 08 Apr 2008 Location: AVADirect HQ Posts: 1333 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 26 Jun 2012 at 11:53am |
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Yeah, cases can get you caught up for hours, easily....just remember three basics: 1. Style (preference)
2. Air flow (definite requirement)
3. Expandability (for future upgrades)
Whichever case fits the bill best go with it!
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Joseph Mundy
Assistant Sales Manager 1-216-503-6361 joseph.mundy@avadirect.com |
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stayghost
AVADirect Noob
Joined: 15 Mar 2012 Posts: 18 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 26 Jun 2012 at 5:39pm |
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Say in theory I was going to splurge a bit and treat myself to a real nice case
 - what would your top 3 picks be for an air cooled mid tower?
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Jmundy
AVADirect Staff
AVADirect Sales Joined: 08 Apr 2008 Location: AVADirect HQ Posts: 1333 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 27 Jun 2012 at 11:04am |
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Good questions...Hmm...I'd have to say my top picks are as follows:
http://www.avadirect.com/product_details_parts.asp?PRID=21368 (If I didn't care about owing a behemoth!)
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Joseph Mundy
Assistant Sales Manager 1-216-503-6361 joseph.mundy@avadirect.com |
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stayghost
AVADirect Noob
Joined: 15 Mar 2012 Posts: 18 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 28 Jun 2012 at 12:32pm |
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question - I'm deciding between two video cards:
Gigabyte Windforce GTX 670 Asus DC2 (Non-Top) GTX670 Do you guys have any experience preference between the two? I read that the Gigabyte runs slightly cooler. The Asus comes with a backplate. I'm not sure if the backplate feature matters if I'm air cooled. Does the backplate help prevent sag? Or would it make it sag more? (heavier) |
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vikonic
AVADirect Admins
Joined: 11 Nov 2011 Posts: 347 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 28 Jun 2012 at 1:10pm |
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stayghost,
I have personally bought gigabyte cards in the past. I currently have a Gigabyte HD 6950. In my opinion, Gigabyte does a good job with the fans and the cooling solutions on their cards. Asus, they sometimes have good cooling, but most of the time they're not that great. I also personally believe that backplate has little to no effect on cooling therefore it would not be a deal breaker. However, I think that Asus has better support. Their turn around time is typically shorter than Gigabytes for about a week. They also offer advanced replacements on majority of their product line-up while Gigabyte doesn't. In either case, I think that the differences are minimal, you'll be ok with either card as long as you dont plan on overclocking them or adding anything major like liquid cooling. I went with Gigabyte due to a simpler cooler design that allowed to me mount a universal GPU cooler, although I'm sure that same can be done with the Asus cards.
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Vedran Ikonic
Technical Support Manager 216-503-6374 Option 4 support@avadirect.com How To Guides - FREE Troubleshooting Help from AVADirect Problems with your Computer? - Post HERE |
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stayghost
AVADirect Noob
Joined: 15 Mar 2012 Posts: 18 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 28 Jun 2012 at 2:52pm |
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Well, it's been a long journey but you guys helped me every step of the way ... order has been processed and authorization faxed over. I can now say I'm an official AVA custom system owner. BOOYAH!
Thanks again to Joseph, Vedran and the whole community for all of your invaluable help. Here you can get a MUCH better system than you can at the pre-made boutique vendors. Better value for your money, the ability to choose each component exactly to your liking and the hands on support ( and patience ) to walk builders and non-builders alike through the process to create a perfect system for our needs.  |
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vikonic
AVADirect Admins
Joined: 11 Nov 2011 Posts: 347 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 29 Jun 2012 at 2:52pm |
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stayghost,
I'm glad to hear you've finally pulled the trigger. I'm sure you won't be disappointed with your system choice. As always you're welcome to post about it here on the forums and continue to be an avid AVADirect forum member. We value your opinion and I'm sure that the rest of the community is also going to appreciate your input as well for future systems they might be considering as well. Should you run into any issues or problems with your system, don't hesitate to contact the technical support line in my signature below or post your questions on the forums like you've been doing already. Also don't forget we also have a customer showroom section where you can post pictures and other media of your system, should you decide to show off a little :) I hope you enjoy your system and its performance. Have a wonderful day stayghost
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Vedran Ikonic
Technical Support Manager 216-503-6374 Option 4 support@avadirect.com How To Guides - FREE Troubleshooting Help from AVADirect Problems with your Computer? - Post HERE |
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Jmundy
AVADirect Staff
AVADirect Sales Joined: 08 Apr 2008 Location: AVADirect HQ Posts: 1333 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 29 Jun 2012 at 3:04pm |
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You're very welcome, Stayghost! It was a pleasure to assist you in any way possible, we're happy to help anyway we can.
Do feel free to contact me, during your order's processing period, and ask me any questions you like. I'm available on here, through email, or our message board system; whatever is most convenient for you!
I can't wait to see your system come to life, and you must DEFINITELY follow up with us once you have a chance to take it for a spin.
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Joseph Mundy
Assistant Sales Manager 1-216-503-6361 joseph.mundy@avadirect.com |
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