Springbok82

Do you think one thick 240 rad will do the trick for full WC? I mean for cpu and GPU together? Which fans would you recommend for quiet performance. I'm also looking at the Phobya DC12-220 and EK Res combo DCP 2.2 bundle. Nice, cheap and easy to work with.

Thanks for the replies, all sounds so positive! As I'm not into collecting HDDs, I think those sata ports will be enough. The crucials will go on the sata 3 ports and the hdd on the sata 2. I also see a lot of good feedback regarding the ASrock z77, I'm going to look into that one, cheers! May I ask why you both have chosen the ASrock over the Asus? Ah, the white Prodigy! I looked into the white vs black thing: white looks nicer and avoids dust rings. I wonder what the difference is in the cooling as the air gets sucked in around the sides of the front panel. Either way, it looks really nice! Also thinking of ripping off the cooler on the GTX680, slamming a waterblock on it and just WCing the whole thing with 2 rads. I guess there's time for that later with a bit more saved. And the PSU, I'm not going to keep the 1000w obviously, but will find an alternative that fits well. Any recommendations on this one? Keep us posted on those pics, I will definitely upload mine if I go ahead with the build (which seems like it may well happen).

Hi all, I'm considering downsizing from the X58 system to one of the tasty little Mini ITX Z77 builds. I don't even use half of the features on my current board, am not considering going SLI in the near future and newer tech is never a bad thing. My current rig's highest function is gaming and everything lower like watching movies (bluray quality, due to monitor size), browsing the internet, music etc. My main reason for this line of thinking is I'm all for downsizing, streamlining, powersaving, newer tech (SATA 3, USB 3 blah blah). I reckon after I've sold all my stuff (mobo, psu, memory, case, cpu) I can pick up everything I need with the money I make back (sort of) and transfer the GTX680, SSD's, HDD and H80 to the new build without losing much cash, so there shouldn't be a problem. This, and the fact that I find the latest Mini-ITX boards and the Bitfenix builds quite intruiging. My main concern is losing performance when swapping to Mini-ITX. Do you guys think this something I should think long and hard about? My current rig kills nearly everything I throw at it and this is something I don't want to lose out on. The build I am considering: Bitfenix Prodigy (I'm quite fixated on this one and don't mind the size) Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe Core i5 3570k or I7 3770k whichever you guys recommend (overclocking it reasonably high, no broken records though) H80 (got it) or H100 (recommendations welcome) EVGA GTX680 SC (got it) Crucial M4 128gb (Windows) and 256gb (Games) (got 'em anyway) Samsung Spinpoint F3 (got it) Memory: Possibly 16gb RipJaws PSU: Suggestions please! As mentioned before, based on the above info, and considering I have a U2711 monitor to power, do you guys think I will see a drop in performance overall if I make the move to mini-ITX Z77? This machines highest function will also be a gaming machine. Thanks!

Thanks for the welcome. Good to be here. I found another good thread about how to set it up properly through the registry, which is something I didn't do for current setup. Very helpful. Cheers!

HA! Just read an article here: http://www.bit-tech.net/blog/2013/02/08/it-s-time-to-bin-your-optical-drive/ Interesting read. I've had a bluray drive for a while now and hardly ever use it. I have recently decided, due to cabinets and drawers ram packed with games, dvd's and blurays, to opt for downloads (Steam, Origin, Game, etc) instead of buying stuff in store. This will eventually negate the use of optical drives anyway, as the article above refers to.

Hi all, I have decided to stick with my Rampage III Extreme despite it's craptastic Marvell Controller and SATA II. I have been convinced to run the two SSD drives on SATA II instead of Marvell. The alternative would be to upgrade or "sidegrade" to X79 or Z77 just for SATA III. This has been pointed out to me by the friendly folk in the mobo, cpu and memory thread. No money for that right now and probably not worth it. Current setup: Asus Rampage III Extreme I7 930 @ 4GHZ EVGA GTX680 Superclocked Edition 12gb Corsair Vengeance (installed yesterday, upgraded from 6gb Corsair GT) Crucial M4 128gb SSD (running off Marvell Controller, seems ok) Windows 7 installed on SSD 1 TB Samsung spinpoint F3 27inch Dell U2711 I'm so in love with Crucial that I just purchased a 256gb version. After a fresh reinstall of Windows 7 I would like to add the 256gb to the system and use it as follows: 128gb M4 - Windows 7 256gb M4 - Games (of various flavours; offline, mmo etc) Spinpoint - Documents, photos, movies etc. What I am thinking is after windows installs, that th eMy Folders section will appear on the 256gb, allowing Windows to have complete free reign on the 128gb and focus on what its gotta do. So, for example, save games and other gaming related stuff is usually written to the "my folder" section which is currently setup on my Spinpoint, now it will be on my 256gb making that data available much quicker due to it being an SSD, of course. The Spinpoint will then act as a place to store all non game related stuff like videos, photos etc. and will be accessed "as is" from my computer. I like a little organization, you see. Does this make sense? Does it sound too overkill for and old X58 beast? Or should I dump the 128gb and use the 256gb for Windows and Games and be done with it? Obviously, I will be tweaking the drives to remove any buildup of junk on the drives over time. Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks, I will definitely give it a try. Thanks for the input! With regards to the drive setup I will move to another thread. Cheers!

The Intel Controller is SATA II. Again, would this make any real world difference? Would I notice that the drives aren't operating at full spec. Perhaps someone who has taken the plunge and changed platforms due to this can shed some light on this.

Thanks for the response. Trust me, I'm over benchmarking! So that's not important. I just want all the parts working in harmony. The ideal solution is this: As mentioned above, I already have an SSD 128gb, I'm not swapping it for the 256gb. I'm ADDING the 256gb so that I will have 1 SSD for windows, 1 for gaming. I fear that this is where the performance issues will crop up due to the marvell controller. I guess I could just use the 256 for windows and gaming, but I would like to keep windows on its own, clean drive and optimize/tweak the drives individually. Does it matter? So is Marvell such a crutch that I would need to look to another architecture? Do you think the really world performance would be that visible, or not? In addition, my question of the correct drive configuration has not yet been answered. Should I trust Marvell or just pop it in the Intel controller? Perhaps this is shifting towards the Drives forum. Sorry....

Hi all, I have read many forums but never taken part so please go easy on me . My question sounds straighforward and you may think "NOT AGAIN!" but I assure you it is relevant as I have found hardly any answers and only confusing outcomes on other forums. So here goes: I'm currently on an X58 system: Asus Rampage III Extreme I7 930 @ 4GHZ EVGA GTX680 Superclocked Edition 12gb Corsair Vengeance (installed yesterday, upgraded from 6gb Corsair GT) Crucial M4 128gb SSD (running off Marvell Controller, seems to be doing okay last year or so) Windows 7 installed on SSD 1 TB Samsung spinpoint F3 27inch Dell U2711 This is where my dilemma comes in: I purchased a Crucial M4 256gb to run my games off (obviously after a clean install of Windows 7). I have not installed this yet as I am afraid of the SSD degrading over a shorter time due the "marvelous" Marvell Controller issue. Ideally I want Windows 7 running off the 128gb, games running off the 256gb, and all the other stuff on my F3. This would be perfect except I'm not sure how I would arrange these drives for the best performance. Would running both SSDs off the Marvell cause slower performance? This comes to the upgrade questions: 1. Is it worth it to upgrade from an old dragon like this to a newer architecture mainly for the peace of mind that my SSDs will work and perform at their best without any headaches? 2. The highest function for the machine is Gaming and watching Bluray movies, then browsing and mucking about. So if an upgrade is the best, what would be more future proof, Z77 or X79. 3. My budget is kinda limited... This is not a general "should I upgrade now" question, but it mainly relates to making full and better use out of my SSDs and opening up a future upgrade path. I have looked at either the X79 with 3820 which is a little more than the Z77 with 3770k. Bear in mind, if I can still use the SSDs in my current rig at maximum without having to "sidegrade" then that would be good. Im just annoyed that the legendary X58 is crippled by this SSD/Marvell flaw. Then I wouldn't be buggin you guys with this question! However newer tech is never a bad thing. And NO, buying a card/controller for the SSDs is not an option I want to look into. Sorry for the long post, thanks in advance for any help!