New Gaming/Video/Photo Editing Computer

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Fr3shM3at
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Joined: Thu May 09, 2013 10:21 am

New Gaming/Video/Photo Editing Computer

Post by Fr3shM3at » Thu May 09, 2013 10:39 am

I have been feeling the need to build a new Gaming/Video/Photo editing computer. My goal is to keep this as quiet as possible, suggestions on potential configuration changes are welcome.

Both drives will be mounted in the bottom of the case, within the 2.5" drive bay and the internal 3.5" drive bay will be removed to provide a little more space and hopefully improve air flow.

Case: SilverStone Temjin Series TJ08B-E Black Computer Case

PSU: SILVERSTONE ST55F-G 550W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Graphics Card: HIS IceQ X Turbo Radeon HD 7850 H785QNT2G2M Video Card

Motherboard: GIGABYTE G1.Sniper M3 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 Quad-Core Desktop Processor

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 92mm SSO CPU Cooler

HDD : SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD512BW 2.5" 512GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

DVD: External Blue-Ray Combo drive (Archgon MD-3102)

(Edit to update parts list 5/15/13)
Last edited by Fr3shM3at on Wed May 15, 2013 2:12 pm, edited 4 times in total.

CA_Steve
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Re: New Gaming/Video/Photo Editing Computer

Post by CA_Steve » Thu May 09, 2013 11:40 am

Welcome to SPCR.

CPU Cooler: Are you attempting to run the CPU passive with the HE02? I'm not a proponent of massive coolers when something smaller will work just as well and you won't have all that weight torquing on the mobo.

CPU: I think the S and T parts are pretty useless. All the quad cores use about the same power at idle and lightly loaded. When you need to run it heavily loaded (like when editing video) then your task takes longer...and in the end the task energy comes out about the same..or worse. If you plan to do a LOT of photo and video editing, then get the straight 3770. If you plan to OC, get the K. If you don't do tons of video work, then save $100 and get the 3570(K). Very few games make good use of hyperthreading.

mobo: The G1 has excellent power efficiency. Gigabyte's fan control is primitive. I'm not a Creative audio fanboy. If you don't plan to do crossfire/overclock, why pay extra for that support? Maybe there's a board with a lesser feature set that suits you.

case: decent mATX case. Also consider the larger Fractal Define Mini.

video card: Is the 7850 your sweet spot for your games at your monitor resolution?

SSD: Intel, yay. Sandforce, meh. Consider the Samsung 840 Pro as an alternative tier 1 performer, especially as you will be dealing with incompressible data.

HDD: This driveonly has 8GB of Flash and will mostly use it for read caching. So, not useful for scratch disk. Not so useful for games. Very useful if you are on a budget and can only have one drive in your laptop...

PSU: Your stressed load power is in the 250W range. So, 700W active PSU is overkill and won't be as efficient as a 500-550W one (or a 400W passive one).

frenchie
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Re: New Gaming/Video/Photo Editing Computer

Post by frenchie » Thu May 09, 2013 11:47 am

Welcome to SPCR Fr3shM3at !!

Get a PSU from the SPCR list, the one you have selected doesn't look like a good choice to me : Sparkle (not a well known PSU maker), only 1 year warranty (Seasonic PSUs have 5 years), not tested by SPCR ;)

CPU cooler, why not... but this the SPCR conclusion : "its rumored price of US$70 combined with its enormous size and lackluster fan-equipped performance makes it unworthy of consideration altogether." Get a better cooler with a fan from the recommended list at 900 rpm and you'll get no noise and MUCH better cooling.

For the video card, I'm not sure either... but looking at the pictures online, it's a blower style cooler that don't usually have great cooling (fast fan + tight fins = NOISE)

Hope it helps !

Fr3shM3at
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Re: New Gaming/Video/Photo Editing Computer

Post by Fr3shM3at » Thu May 09, 2013 1:40 pm

Thanks for your replies.

SDD: Great suggestion on the Samsung 840 - cheaper and faster. It has replaced the Intel SSD in my shopping cart.

HDD: This is mainly cheap storage option - I will be getting a NAS soon. The SDD will be my primary scratch drive.

CPU: Thanks for pointing this out - I had not done enough research yet to know what the different variants included. The S variant includes support for VT-d which is beneficial for Virtualized environments. I do use VMWare and may use HyperV in the future so it looks like I actually accidentally selected the correct version.

PSU: Yeah - the PSU is definitely overkill for my current setup. On the Pros side - it is pretty efficient at 85%. Since I won't be pushing the load much on this I doubt the fan will have to kick in very often. The price is right :) Sparkle has been around for a long time, they are a well know manufacturer, they actually OEM their PSUs to other vendors. Cons: More power than I need. Not modular. Only 1 year manufacturer warranty, I can extend through Newegg, but would have to consider that in the cost. I will need to think on this one a bit more.

Video Card: I originally was considering a slightly slower, but passively cool video card, but was concerned about a) video performance b) heat building up since the CPU and GPU are right next to each other. Performance wise, the 7850 is in the mid-range sweet spot for performance. I am hoping that the lower TDP (135W) will allow the 92mm GPU fan, along with the heat-pipe design cooler to keep the card cool enough under normal loads without having to run the fan at full speed. The card design blows the air out of the rear of the case which 'should' help to keep the internal case and CPU temps down. For what they are worth, user reviews claim that it is quiet.

Fr3shM3at
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Joined: Thu May 09, 2013 10:21 am

Re: New Gaming/Video/Photo Editing Computer

Post by Fr3shM3at » Thu May 09, 2013 1:49 pm

CPU Cooler: What about the Noctua NH-L12 CPU Cooler with on ly the 92mm fan installed?

CA_Steve
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Re: New Gaming/Video/Photo Editing Computer

Post by CA_Steve » Thu May 09, 2013 4:26 pm

Both the 3770 and 3770S support VT-d and VT-x. The 3770K supports VT-x but not VT-d.

SSD: Just to be clear, the 840 Pro is faster, but probably close to the 335's price. The 840 is slower and definately cheaper than the 335. If video and photoshop are hobbies, then get the 840. If it's for work, I'd spend a bit more and get the 840 Pro.

PSU: I guess I look at it slightly different - my PSU lasts through many CPU/motherboard/video cards changes. Why lowball something that might outlast everything but the case? Take a look at the Seasonic G 550 for a few more bucks.

Gfx: nods. I don't think the blower style coolers remove a lot of heat from the case. I did a quick check, it seems comparable to MSI for temps and noise. Here's cheat sheetfor reviews, btw.

Cooler: Oh, something else to think about with the Temjin...wide cpu coolers might conflict with the HDD. Maybe not with a 2.5" drive :) The Noctua L-12 is a great little cooler. I'd use both fans, though..unless the upper fan is a clearance issue in that case? Another potential cooler is Thermalright TRUE Spirit 120m with a Nexus fan.

Abula
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Re: New Gaming/Video/Photo Editing Computer

Post by Abula » Fri May 10, 2013 9:26 pm

Fr3shM3at wrote:Case: SilverStone Temjin Series TJ08B-E Black Computer Case
Really nice small factor case, the frontal fan is massive and very effective, but be warned that its very loud at full rpms, and with the built in fan switch to low (900rpm) its still very loud, below 600rpm starts to become decent and still does a decent job cooling the hole setup, not sure how it will do passively though, but i have seen some with HR02 and no fan. As an alternative the PS07 is very similar (front is plastic) but twin 120mm fans.
Fr3shM3at wrote:PSU: SPARKLE 85+ Green 700 R-SPI700ACH5B 700W Power Supply
This i would switch to another psu, Kingwin Striker 500 and LZP series, Seasonic X and G series would be my choice. I really like Steve suggestion, for $80 imo the G550 is a very good offer if you get it before 5/12, btw amazon also has it at $80 with free shipping.
Fr3shM3at wrote:Graphics Card: HIS IceQ X Turbo Radeon HD 7850 H785QNT2G2M Video Card
I would look into the Powercolor passive, my guess is that 180mm fan can cool it fine as its very close, else add a 120mm fan to it.
Fr3shM3at wrote:Motherboard: GIGABYTE G1.Sniper M3 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
I prefer ASUS Maximus V for the FanXpert2, but the Sniper is fine mobo if you like Gigabyte better.
Fr3shM3at wrote:Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory
Nice choice i just build a PS07 with it and HR02 macho, really nice as it really so low that allow the the fan to placed very low.
Fr3shM3at wrote:CPU: Intel Core i7-3770S 3.1GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 Quad-Core Desktop Processor
As other suggested go for the standard 3770 or K if you wish to OC later.
Fr3shM3at wrote:CPU Cooler: SILVERSTONE HE02 CPU Cooler
Im not totally sure about this one, have no experience with it, but i have build an TJ08E and PS07 with HR02, wonderful cooler for the money. Just as a warning, the HR02 is very close to the first slot of the pci express so i prefer to use the hdd cage as support for the gpu so they dont touch, but you need a 9''+ videocard or wont reach the cage.
Fr3shM3at wrote:Primary HDD (OS): Intel 335 Series Jay Crest SSDSC2CT240A4K5 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
As other suggested, i also recommend Samsung 840 pro
Fr3shM3at wrote:Secondary HDD (Applications)Seagate Solid State Hybrid ST1000LM014 1TB 64MB Cache 2.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s Laptop Hard Drive -Bare Drive
I would get a bigger ssd for apps, and just a standard hdd for storage, WD Caviar green or red, both TJ08-E and PS07 can store a standard hdd in the bottom cage with an ssd on the floor of the case, the top cage i leave empty.
Fr3shM3at wrote:DVD: LG Black 12X Blu-ray Combo Drive SATA Model UH12NS29
Just be careful with the optical drives + psu as in some cases it will make difficult to manage with the instalation as they are very close with the factor of the case. Personally i no longer use opticals, and have an external usb optical for sporadic use.

This is just a picture of the recent build i did for a friend on PS07 + Seasonic G550 + HR02 Macho + i5 3570 + MSI Z77MA-G45 + Crucial Ballistic low profile ddr3 1600 + MSI Twin Frozr GTX660Ti + Samsung 840 250gb

Image

Fr3shM3at
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Re: New Gaming/Video/Photo Editing Computer

Post by Fr3shM3at » Mon May 13, 2013 2:12 pm

Not a bad idea on skipping the internal optical drive and using an external drive going forward. I can go months without using it, but when you need it, it is nice to have it there. I will need to price that out.

I don't want to use the internal 3.5" internal drive bays unless I really need to, that is why I have selected the 2.5" hybrid drive. Both drives will fit neatly within the 2.5" bay enclosure at the bottom of the case.

Fr3shM3at
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Re: New Gaming/Video/Photo Editing Computer

Post by Fr3shM3at » Wed May 15, 2013 2:14 pm

Parts are ordered - I have updated the list to reflect what I ended up purchasing. Thanks for everyone's input, I will post pictures once of my build once everything is ready.

CA_Steve
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Re: New Gaming/Video/Photo Editing Computer

Post by CA_Steve » Wed May 15, 2013 5:00 pm

Have fun with your build!

Fr3shM3at
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Re: New Gaming/Video/Photo Editing Computer

Post by Fr3shM3at » Sat May 18, 2013 2:24 pm

Almost done - still waiting on the RAM, happy with how everything has come together so far.

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