NZFF

Hi all.
I'm finally going to bite the bullet and commit to a new build. One could wait forever for hardware to improve to be able run the FSX/P3D
sliders fully to the right. In the meantime my poor old overclocked Q6600 (which has done very well) just can't really cut the mustard
anymore. I thought that I could get away with using my old case (Antec 900) but it doesn't have the USB 3 header panel and a H100i is going
to struggle to fit without removing all the drive bays. A shame as I really like the case.
Interested in yr thoughts, experiences or recommendations.

So here goes.

CPU: I7-4770K
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX780OC - Rev2 (hopefully)
Mobo: Asus P87 Pro
Ram: G.Skill TridentX 4x4 GB (F3-2400C10Q-16GTX)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410
PSU: Corsair RM850 850W Gold
Hard disk: SSD Samsung 840 PRO 256 MB
Probably a Raptor 1 TB for the sim stuff (yet to be decided as I need to
research this one a bit more in terms of either this, a Hybrid or a SSD - I could go smaller for the primary disk and just use it for the op sys).
Cooling: Corsair H100i
Win 7

Steve , I had a 1TB Raptor HD put in, a Western Digtal 1TB Raptor 2.5" SATA3 , cost $360NZ and has a five year warranty .

Nice system.
Curious why you are using 4 sticks of memory.

Waste of time getting more than 8gig of ram, unless you heavy into video editing etc, and quiet often if you use 4 sticks you may run into instability issues at those clocks.

mjrhealth wrote:

QUOTE (mjrhealth @ Feb 5 2014,9:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Waste of time getting more than 8gig of ram, unless you heavy into video editing etc, and quiet often if you use 4 sticks you may run into instability issues at those clocks.

Yes I must admit the ram choice is not really 100% nailed down yet. That is probably the most difficult choice to make. I'd like to try and future proof my self a little with respect to P3D. Not sure what that might turn into especially when it eventually goes 64bit.
There is all sorts of recommendations on ram with some suggestions that a Z87 i7 rig goes best on 3 sticks!
I'm open to recommendations on the ram.

Ian how does the raptor drive go? Have you compared it to a Hybrid drive?

Leaning towards this ram:

TridentX 2 x 8 GB 2400

Yeah the 4 sticks was not well thought thru. 8 GB would do but ram is so cheap really that I'll just go for the 16 GB and be done with it. Who knows what I'll be running on it in the future.

cowpatz wrote:

QUOTE (cowpatz @ Feb 5 2014,11:02 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ian how does the raptor drive go? Have you compared it to a Hybrid drive?

I'm guessing the hybrid drive is a SSD ? .. recommend not to use for anything other than your OS , save data/files/information on a SSD and it dies on you you loose all the information .

cowpatz wrote:

QUOTE (cowpatz @ Feb 5 2014,11:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Leaning towards this ram:

TridentX 2 x 8 GB 2400

Yeah the 4 sticks was not well thought thru. 8 GB would do but ram is so cheap really that I'll just go for the 16 GB and be done with it. Who knows what I'll be running on it in the future.

I have done some research in this area & you will find it pretty hard to find direction on exactly which memory will be best for yor build.

Ian Warren wrote:

QUOTE (Ian Warren @ Feb 5 2014,1:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm guessing the hybrid drive is a SSD ? .. recommend not to use for anything other than your OS , save data/files/information on a SSD and it dies on you you loose all the information .

The SSD's did have teething issues in the beginning with a particular controller chip. You'd go to use it and find everything gone. They're reliable now, having said that I personally would stay away from OCZ SSDs as they were the ones having the issues.
I have a 240GB Samsung 840 for OS and FSX + FS Stuff (REX), and a 128GB SSD that I put P3D on (this was my primary when I built it). A 1TB HDD for everything that doesn't need to go fast including other games and downloads.

I wouldn't bother with fast HDD (over7200RPM for FSX), go SSD if you can. The Samsung 840 EVO's are a great price (not sure what the difference there is apart from price with them and the PRO's).

I went for 1600Mhz ram, 8GB just Ripjaw or something...up to you.

The only thing I would consider is the next model down from the top of the line GPU? You'll save a few hundred dollars and potentially not lose much performance. I'm not going to recommend anything because it's your choice, but another thing to think about.

Ian Warren wrote:

QUOTE (Ian Warren @ Feb 5 2014,1:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm guessing the hybrid drive is a SSD ? .. recommend not to use for anything other than your OS , save data/files/information on a SSD and it dies on you you loose all the information .

The hybrid drive is a combination of SSD and HDD. The small NAND is used as a fast cache. Could be quite good for FS. Volume at a reasonable $ and fast.

Xmas has come early at the Cowpatz household
Oh and the case isn't white.
A real mission sourcing parts...does every computer parts retailer use the same wholesale supplier?
I think I have the last Z87 pro mobo in the country. No 16gb kits of G Skill trident x 2400 or Kingston hyperX beast available either.

Goooooolly look at those Easter Eggs ... Yummy

cowpatz wrote:

QUOTE (cowpatz @ Apr 9 2014,3:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A real mission sourcing parts...does every computer parts retailer use the same wholesale supplier?
I think I have the last Z87 pro mobo in the country. No 16gb kits of G Skill trident x 2400 or Kingston hyperX beast available either.

Where did you buy your parts from. I never seem to have problems

I use price spy to source the parts and get a good indication of price. Then i will look at all the cheaper vendors to get quotes on combo deals but of course the problem is that they generally don't stock all of the parts.
To get some parts I would just have to pay a huge premium.
The places i bought from were:
PB technologies: Ram, SSD's, CPU and DVD writer
PB technologies (Wellington and a different company): Mobo
PC Online shop: Case, Pwr supply
DTC systems: H100i water cooler

I really don't think I could have got the parts any cheaper....or possible with a undefined waiting period which I'm not interested in.
If you are going to get quotes on parts make sure that they have them in stock. I spent many, many hours researching what I needed, and from where, and at what price.
The ram is the only item I had to change from my original choices.

Have you tried to find 2 x 8Gb of the ram choices I mentioned in my post? It is not available anywhere (lesser speeds yes but not 2400)

cowpatz wrote:

QUOTE (cowpatz @ Apr 9 2014,8:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I use price spy to source the parts and get a good indication of price. Then i will look at all the cheaper vendors to get quotes on combo deals but of course the problem is that they generally don't stock all of the parts.
To get some parts I would just have to pay a huge premium.
The places i bought from were:
PB technologies: Ram, SSD's, CPU and DVD writer
PB technologies (Wellington and a different company): Mobo
PC Online shop: Case, Pwr supply
DTC systems: H100i water cooler

I really don't think I could have got the parts any cheaper....or possible with a undefined waiting period which I'm not interested in.
If you are going to get quotes on parts make sure that they have them in stock. I spent many, many hours researching what I needed, and from where, and at what price.
The ram is the only item I had to change from my original choices.

Have you tried to find 2 x 8Gb of the ram choices I mentioned in my post? It is not available anywhere (lesser speeds yes but not 2400)

Available here
http://www.pp.co.nz/Memory-DDR3-DualChannel.php

G.Skill TridentX Series 16GB Dual Channel kit 2x 8GB PC19200 DDR3 (2400Mhz) Memory CL10-12-12-31 (F3-2400C10D-16GTX) Lifetime $292

Kingston HyperX Predator Beast 16GB Dual Channel kit 2x 8GB PC19200 DDR3 (2400Mhz) Memory CL11-13-13 (KHX24C11T3K2/16X) Lifetime $332

A-Data XPG Gaming Series v2.0 16GB Dual Channel kit 2x 8GB PC19200 DDR3 (2400Mhz) Memory CL11-13-13-35 (AX3U2400GW8G11-DG2) 3 Years $297

cowpatz wrote:

QUOTE (cowpatz @ Apr 9 2014,3:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Xmas has come early at the Cowpatz household

Very nice !!! ... but you better send the graphics card back, it has a ripped box
We demand build (during, and post build) photos !!!

deeknow wrote:

QUOTE (deeknow @ Apr 9 2014,10:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

... but you better send the graphics card back, it has a ripped box

Kids and their Easter Eggs ..... about those photos, no Chocolate on the MOBO or case please

dbcunnz wrote:

QUOTE (dbcunnz @ Apr 9 2014,9:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Available here
http://www.pp.co.nz/Memory-DDR3-DualChannel.php

G.Skill TridentX Series 16GB Dual Channel kit 2x 8GB PC19200 DDR3 (2400Mhz) Memory CL10-12-12-31 (F3-2400C10D-16GTX) Lifetime $292

Kingston HyperX Predator Beast 16GB Dual Channel kit 2x 8GB PC19200 DDR3 (2400Mhz) Memory CL11-13-13 (KHX24C11T3K2/16X) Lifetime $332

A-Data XPG Gaming Series v2.0 16GB Dual Channel kit 2x 8GB PC19200 DDR3 (2400Mhz) Memory CL11-13-13-35 (AX3U2400GW8G11-DG2) 3 Years $297

I guess a week is a long time in computer speak. As of a week a go NO one had it. Paradigm weas one of the stores I was looking at dealing with.
Might see if I can return the sniper as I would prefer the CL10 instead of CL11. Probably not much difference but it would be nice to complete the build to my original spec.

deeknow wrote:

QUOTE (deeknow @ Apr 9 2014,10:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Very nice !!! ... but you better send the graphics card back, it has a ripped box
We demand build (during, and post build) photos !!!

Yes unfortunately unknown to me the packing tape had become stuck to the box. Eagerness might have also been a factor in the equation.

I was looking at a rig called the "Silverback" on mighty ape today ..... but the beamer needs an oil change , so i forgot it

Highly recommend www.computerlounge.co.nz for computers and parts. Not the cheapest but very competitive and extremely good after sales support. Highly regarded as the best store in NZ by the online gaming community.