Yikes! That costs almost as much as the system I just bought.
I went with the Intel Core i7-4771 Haswell 3.5GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116941).
Also:
RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104304
LIAN LI PC-9F Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112304
SeaSonic X Series X-850 (SS-850KM3 Active PFC F3) 850W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151102
Western Digital Red NAS Hard Drive WD20EFRX 2TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236343
Intel Core i7-4771 Haswell 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4600 BX80646I74771
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116941
Intel 335 Series Jay Crest SSDSC2CT180A4K5 2.5" 180GB SATA III
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167151
EVGA 02G-P4-2760-KR GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130938
ASUS Z87-PLUS LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131980
Optical:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106390
I hope you don't mind that I split your post into a thread where we can discuss your build. I'll put it back if you prefer.
It seems an awesome build. THere are a few measures you took that certainly save costs, but I'm interested to hear your motivation for them.
1. You decided to save $20 to get the "locked" version of the i7 processor that won't overclock. At the same time you went for the i7 that is hyperthreaded to give more multi-processor performance. Usually few enthusiasts go that and they save a little more by going for the quad-core i5 that is unlocked. Then it's possible to overclock it and few games need that level of multi-tasking usually. THings like video editing, Photoshop, etc.. that's a different story and then they go for the one you have.
Note that the 4820 processor in the IVB-E line (in my post that you referenced (http://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=13921.0)) goes for $317. Admittedly the motherboard will be more expensive, but then you get 40 PCI-e lanes more and you get double the memory bandwidth with quad-channel memory.
2. I'm interested in why you chose the "Red" version Western Digital hard drive. I've spent hours to try abd puzzle out the specific differences between WD's Green (economy), Blue (consumer), Black (Enthusiast) and Red (NAS) lines and I can't really tell what makes them that much different - judging by how many times that question comes up when I Google, I'm not the only one. :D
3. The graphics card is just a slice of awesome.
I would be really interested in seeing your final pricing if you'd care to share.
Edit: Fixed a couple of typos.
The red doesn't power down (perfect for a RAID set), but otherwise is the same as the black from what I know. Black is faster than blue, and green just uses as little power as possible (Might make it slower than blue as a side effect).
Quote from: miquelfire on September 05, 2013, 09:34:00 AM
The red doesn't power down (perfect for a RAID set), but otherwise is the same as the black from what I know. Black is faster than blue, and green just uses as little power as possible (Might make it slower than blue as a side effect).
Good to know. I knew most of what you mentioned, but not that the Red never powers down. I also didn't know it had the same high-end performance of the Black version.
Quote from: Grauniad on September 05, 2013, 08:56:34 AM
I hope you don't mind that I split your post into a thread where we can discuss your build. I'll put it back if you prefer.
Thank you for moving this & creating a new thread. I wasn't sure if that was appropriate (but now I know).
It seems an awesome build. THere are a few measures you took that certainly save costs, but I'm interested to hear your motivation for them.
1. You decided to save $20 to get the "locked" version of the i7 processor that won't overclock. At the same time you went for the i7 that is hyperthreaded to give more multi-processor performance. Usually few enthusiasts go that and they save a little more by going for the quad-core i5 that is unlocked. Then it's possible to overclock it and few games need that level of multi-tasking usually. THings like video editing, Photoshop, etc.. that's a different story and then they go for the one you have.
Note that the 4820 processor in the IVB-E line (in my post that you referenced (http://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=13921.0)) goes for $317. Admittedly the motherboard will be more expensive, but them you get 40 PCI-e lanes more and you get double the memory bandwidth with quad-core memory.
2. I'm interested in why you chose the "Red" version Western Digital hard drive. I've spent hours to try abd puzzle out the specific differences between WD's Green (economy), Blue (consumer), Black (Enthusiast) and Red (NAS) lines and I can't really tell what makes them that much different - judging by how many times that question comes up when I Google, I'm not the only one. :D
3. The graphics card is just a slice of awesome.
I am very fortunate to have a good friend who has been an MS MVP (Hardware) for many, many years. My knowledge of hardware starts and about ends with the assembly and/or replacement of parts and overclocking is just not in the cards for me. I told him that I wanted to build a nice system for gaming that would also be good for my normal computer work - and this is the list he gave me. He did mention very specifically that he is not a gamer, but thought this would do nicely.
I would be really interested in seeing your final pricing if you'd care to share.
I told my friend that the budget was between $1,500 -2,000 and it came in at $1,352 - plus shipping & tax
BTW - this is all YOUR fault. Somehow, I got into a brief discussion of systems with you a couple of days ago and before I knew it, I was looking around up at Newegg and contacting my friend.
;)
If I forgot to thank you, I'll do it now.
Quote from: Helper on September 05, 2013, 11:04:21 AM
If I forgot to thank you, I'll do it now.
You're welcome. Nobody deserves a 32-bit PC in this day and age. :)
You could have tested us and asked here for build suggestions. Then see how it stacked up with what your friend suggested. Good learning experience all-around.
Quote from: Grauniad on September 05, 2013, 12:05:25 PM
You could have tested us and asked here for build suggestions. Then see how it stacked up with what your friend suggested. Good learning experience all-around.
Still learning my way around this part of the forum - plus - I got on a roll and kept going.
The old system will be re-loaded as Win7/64 Bit and turned into a bench system for my repair shop.
The data drive on that one is a Caviar/Black and used to shut down when not in use. I was storing some of my CW3 files there and would have to wait for it to spin up when saving/re-loading a game.
I figured out some way to leave it always up, but just went back into the Properties and couldn't figure it out again.
Just found out a the '10' release and need to do some catching up over there.
i have a 64 bit machine, but can only afford a 32 bit OS
sad :(, but i'm not up for linux, and i have better things to spend money on at the moment than another £70 copy of windows (should be a loyal user discount, never ripped off a software product, freeware or paid for all the way!)
There is no price difference between the 64- and 32-bit versions. If you buy a retail copy, you get both versions in the same package.
Quote from: Grauniad on September 05, 2013, 02:18:39 PM
There is no price difference between the 64- and 32-bit versions. If you buy a retail copy, you get both versions in the same package.
G- good catch. I read tek's comment and missed that.
tek - if you have the install media, you can save all your data and re-load to 64 Bit - using the same Win7 license as your 32 Bit.
If you bought the system pre-loaded, there are legitimate ways to get the OS install disks - if you're up for that.
H
you mean win XP???
cos the CD i have in front of me says WIN XP pro 32 bit.
i don't see a 64 bit option on it.
hmmm time to go info hunting! ::)
Quote from: teknotiss on September 05, 2013, 03:46:58 PM
you mean win XP???
cos the CD i have in front of me says WIN XP pro 32 bit.
i don't see a 64 bit option on it.
hmmm time to go info hunting! ::)
Nooo!!
Win XP 64-bit was not a really good option. I forgot that a good 35% of the world population is still running an operating system that is rapidly becoming obsolete and from next year will not even get security updates anymore.
Helper, where did you source your components from? I just did a quick check on Newegg and not including rebates, etc. I come to $1,250 excluding shipping. I think there should be about $40-75 of rebates in there if one looks a bit harder.
@G -
Just looking at the first post and the RAM wasn't included up there.
That was another $144:
Kingston HyperX 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
I'll look through all the items again, but didn't see any rebates the first time.
There are two freebies though:
($50) Batman Arkham Origins, and
($10) Intel DIE' NAMIC (free code to try to win something).
OK, the memory will push my price higher than the price you mentioned. Still, where did you buy? Newegg?
Quote from: Grauniad on September 05, 2013, 04:20:37 PM
Newegg?
Almost always (or Crucial for just RAM).
My friend sent me the actual links for each of the items, so all I had to do was click on the links, then click on 'Add to cart'.
Total no-brainer (fortunately) on my part.
I'll edit the first post to include the RAM and add the links.
Quote from: Grauniad on September 05, 2013, 03:50:51 PM
Quote from: teknotiss on September 05, 2013, 03:46:58 PM
you mean win XP???
cos the CD i have in front of me says WIN XP pro 32 bit.
i don't see a 64 bit option on it.
hmmm time to go info hunting! ::)
Nooo!!
Win XP 64-bit was not a really good option. I forgot that a good 35% of the world population is still running an operating system that is rapidly becoming obsolete and from next year will not even get security updates anymore.
i wasn't going to buy xp 64... ::) i'll have to wait for a spare £70/80 and get win7.
but since few viruses are targetted at XP anymore security ware should be good enough.
plus of course microsoft might find it tricky to stop updates for a product if the european court thinks otherwise. i wonder if they'll get another big fine or they have an agreement already.
not an issue for me since i'll be getting win 7 at christmas if not before
Quote from: teknotiss on September 05, 2013, 04:40:59 PM
but since few viruses are targetted at XP anymore security ware should be good enough.
Don't kid yourself. Win XP is fertile ground for viruses and the user population is large enough. When last did a month go by that you didn't get security updates? They will stop updates for browsers, Office Flash, everything that could be vulnerable and exploited.
I don't think the European court has much say in that, unless you have a link to a relevant news article?
Quote from: Grauniad on September 05, 2013, 04:44:11 PM
Quote from: teknotiss on September 05, 2013, 04:40:59 PM
but since few viruses are targetted at XP anymore security ware should be good enough.
Don't kid yourself. Win XP is fertile ground for viruses and the user population is large enough. When last did a month go by that you didn't get security updates? They will stop updates for browsers, Office Flash, everything that could be vulnerable and exploited.
I don't think the European court has much say in that, unless you have a link to a relevant news article?
Someone mention malware?
@tek - that is what I do for a living.
XP is actually more vulnerable than (ugh!) Vista or any flavor of Win7.
You should probably be running an alternate (to IE) browser and keeping a really close eye on Java and all Adobe product updates.
If you're not running a good solid AV product (I like MS MSE - free - and Malwarebytes Pro), plus a modified HOSTS file and really scrunched down browser settings...you're likely to have a visit from some very unpleasant people.
Quote from: Grauniad on September 05, 2013, 04:44:11 PM
Quote from: teknotiss on September 05, 2013, 04:40:59 PM
but since few viruses are targetted at XP anymore security ware should be good enough.
Don't kid yourself. Win XP is fertile ground for viruses and the user population is large enough. When last did a month go by that you didn't get security updates? They will stop updates for browsers, Office Flash, everything that could be vulnerable and exploited.
I don't think the European court has much say in that, unless you have a link to a relevant news article?
i haven't had a virus or malware issue for several years and don't allow my machine to auto update. having forgotten to do it for a while (i've been ill), i'm not "covered" by microsoft as is, and no issues, same as most safe web users, but i'll have to get it updated today.
it's going to dangerous web pages and dl'ing things without using virus checkers that cause all the problems on people machines that i usually fix.
and the EU court has a habit of making companies honour their contracts, so we'll see if the challenge gets anywhere. my MEP is part of the commitee that covers software law, he was part of the efforts to get games companies to stop ripping off europeans on price and when the EU slapped microsoft the last time.
this will take time to process (you think the US seneate is slow? try the EU parliment 27+ languages on top of politics!), but i know Mr Vauhgn will be interested in this
but we're getting off topic....
and i tried to post but helper beat me to it.
Quote from: Helper on September 05, 2013, 04:54:03 PM
Quote from: Grauniad on September 05, 2013, 04:44:11 PM
Quote from: teknotiss on September 05, 2013, 04:40:59 PM
but since few viruses are targetted at XP anymore security ware should be good enough.
Don't kid yourself. Win XP is fertile ground for viruses and the user population is large enough. When last did a month go by that you didn't get security updates? They will stop updates for browsers, Office Flash, everything that could be vulnerable and exploited.
I don't think the European court has much say in that, unless you have a link to a relevant news article?
Someone mention malware?
@tek - that is what I do for a living.
XP is actually more vulnerable than (ugh!) Vista or any flavor of Win7.
You should probably be running an alternate (to IE) browser and keeping a really close eye on Java and all Adobe product updates.
If you're not running a good solid AV product (I like MS MSE - free - and Malwarebytes Pro), plus a modified HOSTS file and really scrunched down browser settings...you're likely to have a visit from some very unpleasant people.
a fellow software monkey! :D
i used to do PC repair full time, now i just do it about 3 days a week.
and malware fixing is my main business (people just can't seem to learn if it's too good to be true it isn't true!).
i run firefox with adblock plus (this has stopped alot of problems for people once i installed it for them ::), i believe it also protects the host file, but i'll need to reread their info), and i don't have java installed (don't need it, don't use it) i use AVG free with Zonealarm and ASC free as the tuning utility. i also have a load of other anti virus malware and specialist removers installed or stored for the fixing i do.
and as i said i'll be getting Win7 soon(ish) so no worries anyway.
sorry for hijacking your topic, i was just trying to add an amusing aside
Status update:
UPS status is "Out for Delivery" (finally)!
The Memphis warehouse had some kind of meltdown in the order assembly process. I could have driven there and got the stuff faster.
Updates to follow.
Interrogatory:
My plan is for Win7-Pro/64.
Any reason to go with a different flavor?
I have licenses for all varieties of Win7.
wow, finally. I have something called "Shoprunner" and it gets most of my Newegg orders delivered with free 2-day shipping. Not sure if that could have bypassed some of the warehouse meltdown issues.
Windows 64 Pro is my personal OS of choice. I give the Home version to ordinary users that don't know much about Windows and won't need some of the extra features and can use the cost savings. If cost isn't an issue, then Pro. the Ultimate version has nothing I'd want and in most PCs for sale on Craigslist, if they have Ultimate, it's a dead give-away that the software has been pirated.
Not sure what happened. The RAM and case were delivered in 2 days, everything else got SNAFU'd. I saw the 'Shoprunner' link up there, but didn't pay any attention. I'll go back and check it out.
Thanks for the Pro comments. I beta-tested Ultimate, but have since loaded Pro on all our new systems. I think it's plenty for what I need and do.
New system up and running (screaming!), but the WD Red data drive just sat there humming at me.
I RMA'd it to Newegg for a refund and will be looking around for a replacement. Looking through the reviews at Newegg, that DOA appears to be a way too common problem with WD.
I was too beat to do much of anything with it last night, but plan on doing some Beta testing today - just to see how it handles some of the larger games.
The big guys (Seagate, WD, Toshiba, Samsung - Hitachi got swallowed by one of those after swallowing the old IBM drive manufacturing operation) mostly have equal issues with drives. It has been years since there was a real reliability problem in one drive manufacturer's products over another's. Frankly, I look at my price point and I buy whats available on Newegg.
Another nice thing about that Shoprunner thing I mentioned, return shipping is free.
I have a 1TB Black/Caviar that I can put in the new system.
My preference would be WD (made in Thailand).
I'll keep trying the Red until I get one that works.
I'm finishing up the installation of CW2/3 and want to run some of the more processor intensive games.
Any nominations come to mind?
well, today's Newegg Shellshocker deal is a 3TB Seagate NAS drive with a free router (value $24) for $145. I personally won't put a NAS drive in my general use PC, but then, you already had the NAS-oriented drive. :)
Irritating...the WD Black I installed came up with a SMART error this morning.
I ran the WD diagnostic and it cannot repair the problem. At least the NAS Red drive had the courtesy to fail before I installed it.
Looks like a Black Friday buying visit.
Any recommendations on a 1-2 TB internal HD? I know there were some thoughts given last month, thought I'd check for any updates.
Pretty good deal on the Western Digital WD Black 1TB for $80. - and they do have a warranty, you know? :)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533
Promo code: EMCWWVV22
Or a Seagate Barracuda 2TB for $100.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148910
@G - thank you.
I'll go through the warranty/RMA process, but what a PITA! This box has only been up for a little over a month.
The ratings (NewEgg) on both of those suggest that I buy two to ensure getting one that works.
I'm not a hardware kind of guy, but I don't recall HDD reliability being such a major problem in years past.
H
For reliability stats, see this: http://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=14691.0
Nice links - thanks.
According to hardware.fr - my situation is really unusual:
Failure rate:
- 1.45% Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2
- 1.45% Western Digital Red WD20EFRX
How heartening to know I am in the top 2% of something (or is that the bottom 2%?)
Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times investigate your environmentals.
Good advice.
The NAS red was DOA. I plugged it into the power cables and it just sat there...didn't even click at me.
I've used the Black's frequently through the years and this is the first I can recall having a problem.
When I get the replacement(s), I'll plug them into my bench computer and do some testing. Any problem with having 500GB partitions? I remember way back when there were literal size limits, but haven't heard of anything like that lately.
Any suggestions on testing tools for checking these things out before installing them?
I don't partition drives unless the OS does not support the native size of the drive. Hard partitions just make it more difficult to decide how to use available drive space. I can manage user data in folders as easily as data in partitions. Installed programs can't be transported anyway, so only data matters.
As for testing, no clue. But I'd check my A/C power and check out the PSU. If you have a UPS powering the computer, I'd check if that is sending good power the the PSU. Some of the newer PSUs require sine wave power and older UPS systems don't do that. You may need to read up on that - it gets complicated. Look for the issue around Active PFC on the PSU and interference by the UPS.
Helper, if you've not yet bought a replacement drive, then Newegg has a 3TB hard drive on the daily deals for just $105. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=22-149-408
However, the reviews of the drive is poor and it may be that they're just trying to clear out stock of something terrible. Caveat emptor.
Thank you.
Typical situation. I held off buying until I could get the 'best deal', then two days later there is a better 'best deal'.
:)
I bought two of the WD Black 1TB - figuring that the odds are one of them will NOT be DOA. I've had good luck with them. Quiet, fast, and run cool. They should arrive today.
The new system has room for one more internal HDD (four total), and I might experiment with some other brands/models - so please keep watching for good deals.
Thanks.
H
And here's a 4TB for just $140.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178338
At a price per Terrabyte it's an incredible steal...
Quote from: Grauniad on November 28, 2013, 01:13:43 PM
And here's a 4TB for just $140.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178338
At a price per Terrabyte it's an incredible steal...
Dang, I could totally use that for my dedicated recording drive, let me record in 1080p @60fps without worries...
Quote from: Grauniad on November 28, 2013, 01:13:43 PM
And here's a 4TB for just $140.
Any idea where that version of Seagate is manufactured? (There's a certain place I try to avoid when making purchases.)
Hey Helper, I thought of you! :)
How's your replacement drive doing?
I was looking to get a 4TB NAS drive and I noticed that the WD Red model on Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236599) has terrible reviews, with large numbers of customers complaining about DOA drives. A few also comlain about the drives failing drive diagnostics. The Seagate 4TB NAS model (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178393) seems to have much better reviews.
Grauniad -
At least three of those terrible reviews are mine. Note also that the HDD's shipped by Newegg are 'bare drives', just dumped in some packing peanuts or bubble wrap. No way to know if you're the first or fifty-first person to try to plug it in.
[ has people monitoring the reviews and they cut/paste in the same comment for every bad review. The phone number is garbage - nothing but the basic 'contact' number at WD that gives you the computerized menu options for doing an RMA. As hard as I tried, I could find no way to talk to an actual human person at WD.]
2xDOA on the WD NAS Red, so I gave up.
I plugged in a spare 1TB WD Caviar HDD I had on hand and it went bad after six weeks.
Being both dumb and a glutton for punishment, I ordered another NAS Red and TWO of the 1TB Caviars.
The Red was DOA; as was one of the Caviars.
The second Caviar has been working fine and I ordered an NAS Red from Amazon that has also been working fine. Note that the drive from Amazon actually came in a real packing box from WD.
I've been a dyed-in-the-wool Newegg fan for a very long time, but all of my purchases for the past month have been from Amazon.
H
Good to know. I'm looking onto a NAS setup (including drives) and I must say it's still a niggling question in my mind why you'd put one into a desktop PC. :) While not immediately apparent, there are a number of differences in design and specifications. I'm still digging into this and as with most other things, I doubt I'll ever have a full understanding.
My knowledge of this stuff peaks out at how to mount them and plug them in to the mother board.
:)
I ordered these on the recommendation of my good military buddy who has been an MS MVP (hardware) for about the past 20 years.
He says he likes them because of the faster data transfer rate, low heat, and low noise.
I can ask him for some technical details, if you like.
H
Thanks for the offer. Much appreciated, but no need. I've basically performed my due diligence and am set to go. Since I am looking at a NAS, a NAS drive is logical, and for desktops, I'll go with SSHD drives next time I build. :)