GrantSP's new build project

[paradoxbound]

My current machine and the next couple of upgrades in no particular order. Usually I give my old graphics cards to friends and family. Disks go into a big ZFS storage array I built. The FX9590 and Sabretooth will probably go to Ebay since they are tough to support. Any server kit I own surplus to requirements gets maxed out with parts from Ebay and donated to Open Source projects I use and support as Jenkins slaves and are hosted at Positive Internet.

 

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/paradoxbound/saved/#view=BHHQzy

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/paradoxbound/saved/#view=n9bzK8

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/paradoxbound/saved/#view=jQ3kcf

[TechAngel85]

If you use Nvidia and unless you know someone that needs an upgrade, I recommend keeping your old card. Use the new one as the main GPU and use the old card as a physics processor. You'll see new life in your games that you couldn't use physics on before due to performance degradation and you'll see gained performance in those games that were using it. If you do this, turn your physics up too high in your games that support it. You'll be surprised at how the little details it add, adds to the game.

[Nozzer66]

Good idea. Forgot about that.

[GrantSP]

Come upon a hitch with supply of the motherboard. Decided to go with an ASRock Z97 Extreme6.

Good choice or not?

[Greg]

I recommend the ASUS Z97 Sabertooth Mk 1. It includes two optional fans for cooling the chipsets and whatnot that I installed in mine to keep things cool. One goes in horizontally where the cover is between the PCiE connector and the CPU and the other goes in vertically where the cover is next to the external connections. It's a bit more expensive than the ASRock, but I've never gone wrong with ASUS so far (knock on simulated wood grain).

[Nozzer66]

Greg speaks the truth. That is a very good Mobo, especially if you happen to be gaming in hot, humid Aussie summers.

 

Though I'm not an ASRock user, all the reviews I've seen on the board you've gone with are minimum 4 star, so it's likely to do the job OK. :)

Edited August 8, 2015 by Nozzer66

[phazer11]

Can't go wrong with a Sabertooth if the price is acceptable, probably the only motherboard I have never had to RMA because someone or something stupid happened to it, gave my last one to my mom when I upgraded to Haswell (I mean downgraded) from Sandy Bridge and it's still under warranty. I also like my Maximus VI Hero motherboard, good for the money, they have a VII version that's not much more.

[Nozzer66]

Yep, as a Maximus VI Hero user I have no hesitation in recommending it, either.

[GrantSP]

The supplier that couldn't get the Asus MB also doesn't have any Sabretooth MBs, so I'm getting them to price the ASRock.

 

Being in Tassie means I have to try and get most of the parts in one delivery to cut down freight, I can't just drive to town and get them myself. Hence my effort to get the four best suppliers to try and provide everything, or at worst, two suppliers.

 

I also like the Maximus VI Hero but it's a little too pricey at the moment, around $299.

[z929669]

Agree that power supply needs to be at least 600+ W (I would go 800 Cooler Master for scaleability and assurance of amicable power leads for all future components).

 

DX12 ... how many (relevant) games are written to DX12 standards? It would be nice to have the most relevant display adapter, but this is an easy future upgrade (whose price will constantly decrease). $450-ish seems way too pricey for me. I would go for the Radeon HD 7970, which is quite powerful, with 3 GB VRAM, and easily can accommodate all relevant games right now ... probably less than $200 at this time.

 

Also, consider a full tower case for low noise and lots of room for upgrades ... I use and highly recommend CM HAF series, which accommodates anything and should be pretty future proof. You can also fit a huge fan in there (I use a V8) if you plan to OC.

[GrantSP]

Keep in mind the prices here are in AU$ not the 'good ol' greenback'! A Radeon HD 7970 is about AU$460 at the moment.

As for cases the Corsair is big enough and the HAF series are currently twice the price of it and only marginally bigger.

 

My rationale is to get the biggest 'bang for buck' in the video card I can justify and the R9 390 fits that bill at the moment.

 

The biggest problem I face now is having this build pushed back till late Sept. Massive plumbing bill for essential works on our water supply has just come in and the missus is feeling the pinch. Ah well.

[phazer11]

All good Zed obviously hasn't been following. Let us know when you're readying to get the parts next time and we'll help you repick the parts based on what's current then.

[GrantSP]

Ok people, I'm back in the market for my system. Bit upset I didn't win that Fractal Design case and USD1000 from Amazon, but hey, what were the odds?

 

So the current build is here.

 

I've dropped the optical drive and peripherals as I can probably source those later and make do with some 'hand me down' stuff for the time being.

 

I've gone for 2x4Gb RAM for the dual-channel and dropped the HDD for now, I have a 1Tb portable for storage if needed, again I can easily add a HDD if needed later.

I'd like some input on the need for extra case fans also. Was using a cheap pack of 4x120mm fans but I'm thinking maybe 1 or 2 better quality ones with the idea of more if needed.

The CPU, GPU, motherboard and monitor are pretty much settled I think, as is the case. I am open to other views if you think I've really stuffed up.

 

One big selling point for me is that everything comes from the one place so I should be able to wrangle a bit of discount on the listed prices.

 

About the only downfall now is the Aussie dollar has just dipped below US 70c so I'm going to be hit with a slight increase over the prices from a month ago. Can't be helped though.

[Guest]

1000 watts I said. Are you powering Tasmania with that? :: AMD is a good choice since NVidia can't be bothered with decent DX12 performance for a few years. That is futureproof son.

[Greg]

You might treat that 1TB portable with kid gloves. Every portable drive I've owned has died horrible death after a short time due to cheap electronics in the enclosure. Having said this, I haven't used any portable hard drives in a few years because they were too unreliable.

 

The 1000W power supply is overkill, but that's a fairly cheap price for a 1000W modular power supply. It looks as if prices on power supplies is really coming down from when I bought mine last year.