My post deployment reward build.

[apslao]

Hey guys. I've been a member for a long time, but have just never posted. I've successfully built and OC an older P45,C2D system back in 2010, and now I'm wanting to reward my return from Afghanistan (alive) with an ivy bridge build. Here are my list of parts, with the explanation after.

 

Coolermaster Elite 120 case?

Asus Maximus V Gene Z77 mATX MB

Core i5 3570k

EVGA 660 ti

Seagate Momentus XT 500GB

Kingston HyperX 3K 120gb

8gbp ddr3 ram ( whoever has the best deal)

 

*Parts scavenged from C2D build*

PC power and cooling S75CF 750w quad PS

ANTEC 900 steel ATX case

PLEXTOR PX-850SA supermulti drive

Corsair Hydro series H60

 

Ok, my goal is to game on a 23" to 27" single monitor on 1680x1050, or 1920x1080 res. I dont plan to heavily oc either cpu, or gpu. I plan to play Skyrim, GuildWars2, FF14, and whatever WH40k game that comes out . I do plan on ripping and encoding movies also. My main question is the Asus MB combo with my two cases in mind. I have my original Antec 900 case thats still good. Its kinda big/bulky. I liked the idea of the Coolermaster Elite 120 mini iTX case, but i cant seem to find any reviews on it. Also, i dont quite understand the difference between mATX and mini ITX.

Are they compatible?

Should i just stick with the older Antec tried/true case?

Will i have any problems with the Antec 900 and Asus Maximus V gene board?

Btw, i still have my old radeon 4850...what to do with that?

 

If i get the coolermaster case,i might get froggy, and just rebuild my C2D rig for my GF. Do they even sell 775 Crossfire boards still? (My original msi p45 platinum board is suspected to be bad btw).

Lots of questions, and horribly typed on a samsung tablet with afghanistan internet speeds. Im hoping for some solid input. Thank you much in advance.

[SpeedCrazy]

mATX is smaller than mITX so from what i understand putting a mITX boarad in an mATX should be fine.

Reviews: I didn't have any trouble finding some. http://www.legitreviews.com/article/2003/ , http://www.anandtech.com/show/6110/cooler-master-elite-120-advanced-case-review-little-in-almost-every-way

 

Sorry I can't help you too much, but let me thank you for your service. *salute emote*

[Waco]

mATX is larger than mITX. So a mITX board will fit in a mATX case but not the other way around.

[EuroFight]

This is just personal preference, but I personally prefer standard ATX motherboards rather than microATX or similar.

 

This is because standard ATX boards generally offer more expansion slots and are easier to install, however if you are comfortable with mATX, I see no reason to change to standard ATX

 

 

Good luck

[davemonkey]

i just wanted to say welcome home from Afghanistan ! what you guys go through out there is unimaginable and i truly respect all of you servicemen for what you do back to topic now , go with an atx board as the others have said it offers more upgrade potential and is a lot easier to work with

[apslao]

Ok, i decided to look into that asus maximus v gene board due to the favorable reviews here. Then seeing the coolermastercase kinda really got me intersted in pairing the 2 due to a smaller footprint in the house. Now i CAN forgo the coolermaster case snd save me $50+...gotta look into an atx z77 board then. Any current boards for best bang for the buck atm? Oh, and how would the Seagate Momentus XT 750GB hybrids perform in raid? Is it any faster than putting 2 regular 7200rpm HD in raid? Would it complicate anything with the OS SSD? Why is the sky blue?...err nvm.

Last...my C2D build at home apparently died during my deloyment (another reason for the build). Prior to dying, I freshly installed the 64 bit windows7 premium. Any way i can salvage that OS for my new build? Id hate to waste another $100 .

[davemonkey]

if the hdd on your old system still works , you could clone it i guess ?

[Stonerboy779]

Still have the disc and/or product code then just fresh install windows no issues at all.

[apslao]

Still have the disc and/or product code then just fresh install windows no issues at all.

Awesome! I'm still in country...so I'm trying to do all the research I can and get to it when I get home.

[Fogel]

Go with ATX if you can, if not stick with mATX for board and case.

 

Deals change weekly and sometimes even daily, so I would have a couple motherboards in mind and then wait till you get home when you are able to purchase them. If your GF is able to purchase the stuff for you (best sites are Newegg and Amazon) then we can help you out with some research.

 

What's your target range budget for this build?

[apslao]

Go with ATX if you can, if not stick with mATX for board and case.

 

Deals change weekly and sometimes even daily, so I would have a couple motherboards in mind and then wait till you get home when you are able to purchase them. If your GF is able to purchase the stuff for you (best sites are Newegg and Amazon) then we can help you out with some research.

 

What's your target range budget for this build?

Kinda funny as you mention all this...but I've been watching prices on the various parts from Amazon, and have seen no movement in price for the last 2 months. Amazon also charges sales tax per TX =/. Just last night, after much research, I ended up buying these from newegg due to free shipping, and no sales tax.

ASrock Z77 Extreme 4

Core i5 3570k

Patriot Intel extreme master limited edition 8gb, DDR3 1600,12800 ram.

 

Was looking to pick up the Asus 660ti, but they don't have them in stock at newegg atm...was VERY tempted to buy the msi version. As you can see,I decided ti listen, and go with the ATX board. My budget is $1000 atm...but keep in mind, I already have an Antec case, corsair H60 water cooler, a Dell 23" monitor,700w PS, DVD drive, a 120GB SSD, and a HDD( but it runs at 5400rpms..I can't have that lol). With the current items bought, that brings me to around $400, $300+ for the 660ti, = $700...$300 more to spend, and I'm thinking mechanical keyboard, faster mechanical drive (or SSDs)...anyone know of a reputable wireless mouse/keyboard that CAN be wired? I appreciate wired reliability for gaming...GF hates clutter...

[Fogel]

I buy most of my stuff on Newegg but Amazon is getting more competitive so I still check there. Sales tax is definitely something to consider though.

 

Right now Amazon has a daily deal of SanDisk Extreme SSDs:

 

120GB - $80

240GB - $155 <<<

 

You could build a brand new full system easily for $1000 so if you are bring parts in that makes it much easier.

 

I'm still waiting for a keyboard to wow me so I have nothing I would recommend at this time. For mouse I prefer wired, so Corsair M60 is my favorite at the moment with the Logitech G500 being my second fav.

 

Right now I would say the HD 7950 is a much better deal for slightly more cash. AMD is starting to be very competitive with pricing.