★ ★ ★ I would like to take a moment before contiuning for saying thank you so much for all your help. You have already gone far beyond any thing I could of expected I would get from here, or even most places on the web. It's not much but if you can think of a modest game on like steam or something, let me know and I'll try and gift it to you.★ ★ ★
I have done my best to slim down and reorganize the discussion.
►General comments:
Round 3:
I've been doing non stop research this past week and a half on these things, the more I learn the more I have to ask.
►Motherboards /CPU / Ram / Overclocking:
I've decided that there isnt much reason not to OC to an average-above average level. I will be aiming to go with an OC to a is respectable level with out putting unnecessary wear and tear on the components. So pushing it to see what it can do with out trying to squeeze out it's absolute max, if that makes sense?
◘CPU:
I am pretty sure I'm going with the i5 4670k at this point, but if I change my mind again to go with the i7 4770k at this point, I dont think it's going to make a big impact on the over all build for my general goals?
◘Ram: I still have a rudimentary understanding of ram.
I've been hearing two main stances on what ram to use:
-One side says go with 1600, any thing more is basically pointless.
-The other says that going higher is better for stable overclocking.
Ram seems to be almost the same price no mater what it's speed is (1600 1866 2133). So if the mother board is compatible, why not go with higher?
-I made a parts list on PcPartPicker, and it had this notice at the bottom:
"G.Skill Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory operating
voltage of 1.6V exceeds the Intel Haswell CPU recommended maximum of
1.5V+5% (1.575V). This memory module may run at a reduced clock rate to
meet the 1.5V voltage recommendation, or may require running at a
voltage greater than the Intel recommended maximum."
Would that mean I should choose some slower ram, ram that doesn't need 1.6?
-Also Is 2 sticks of 8 better then 4 sticks of 4? Is there much of a differnce between 2x8 and 4x4?
The other thing a few people have said is that it is important that all the components have matching frequencies for overclocking? I'm not totally sure what they mean by that, and I'm not sure if they were talking about older hardware or if it applies to me?
◘Motherboard:
Once determine what speed of ram is right for me, and any other factors that would put requirements on the motherboard, my main concern in what a mobo has to offer is its ability to regulate the systems power depending on the demand.
I often leave my PC on all day to stream video from it or let something download. Leaving it over clocked under those loads consumes extra power and adds stress to the components, but going to the effort of turning down the clock is time consuming.
I know there is technology that would auto adjust the clock/power depending on what the PC is doing, is it universal over all mother boards or is it something I need to specifically look for?
Based on peoples suggestions and reviews: Can you please give me your opinion on these first choices for a mobo and ram:
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131989&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID
and
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...938566&SID
►Sound
-Found the manual and its the SR5003
►Cooling / PSU / Case:
◘One involving water cooling: Mounting a Radiator to the wall's intake vent, (80" away from the PC) then mount fans to the rad that suck air out of the room, and thru the rad into the wall vent. Requiring a large water pump, a rad, fans, a reservoir? some kind of control unit? and water blocks.
*I am slowly dismissing this option for the fact that, tho it would keep the CPU/GPU cool, and keep them from adding to the heat of the room like I want. The PSU would still be adding heat to the room, in addition to the AV receiver, HD Projector, and any other electronics in the system. Also it would cost a good amount and be a bit of a fragile system.
◘The other switching my entire electronics center to a server rack system, mounting everything but the projector into the rack and have it all vented into the wall intake vent via air thru something like a dryer hose using fans. This would be the only time I would consider ever giving my my beloved wood case. But it's also a very expensive concept that will need additional construction. Still doing research as to how easy I could do it and for how much, server racks come pretty cheap used some times. Tho, I have never worked with a server rack before.
*note these are just some abstract ideas at this time, and ether would probably make my budget plan brake at this time. There is a good chance at this point I will just go with a traditional air cooling system at this time and go with a better solution when the budget is renewed. I thought I would just share my concepts.
and some good pictures of a set up here: http://www.legitreviews.com/nmediapc-htp...ase_1114/4
For the next PSU, Do I need to look for one that is "Haswell compatible"?
I took your advice, and that place is super handy for making a shopping list.
Thank you once again for your help, I look forward to your next reply.
I have done my best to slim down and reorganize the discussion.
►General comments:
Quote:Please take a few things into account when making your decision.I understand and I think I'm alright about keeping a balancing. I'm not being totally efficient, but I'm not being overly wasteful ether.
Performance and performance per dollar (cost efficiency). Cost efficiency continues to increase exponentially as price increases up until a certain point, then it begins to reverse. This apex point is the "sweet spot" of maximizing performance per dollar.
Quote:Well I recently bought an asus rt-N66U ($140). I like it a lot and it has great range. It's dual band 802.11n. I would advise testing both bands on the shield before determining which one to use. While is may sound like 5GHz is better than 2.4GHz in most cases 2.4GHz will give you better signal strength. Try both out before you decide.Thank you for the suggestions and the added information, I will be making note of this come the time about getting a router, if my current wont fit my needs.
The asus rt-ac66U ($190) is basically the same router except it supports 802.11ac. Which will replace 802.11n in the future. So it's more future proof. Truth be told it's still going to be a few years until 802.11n replaces 802.11g in most devices and even longer for 802.11ac to begin replacing 802.11n so you certainly have a lot of time.
Round 3:
I've been doing non stop research this past week and a half on these things, the more I learn the more I have to ask.
►Motherboards /CPU / Ram / Overclocking:
Quote:In my opinion asrock has overtaken asus in quality and features. Asus, asrock, biostar, gigabyte, and msi all make good z87 boards though.◘Overclocking:
Now that the VRM has been integrated into the cpu die there is almost no difference between different z87 motherboards in terms of overclocking potential. Unless you're going for competitive level overclocks which you aren't.
I've decided that there isnt much reason not to OC to an average-above average level. I will be aiming to go with an OC to a is respectable level with out putting unnecessary wear and tear on the components. So pushing it to see what it can do with out trying to squeeze out it's absolute max, if that makes sense?
◘CPU:
I am pretty sure I'm going with the i5 4670k at this point, but if I change my mind again to go with the i7 4770k at this point, I dont think it's going to make a big impact on the over all build for my general goals?
◘Ram: I still have a rudimentary understanding of ram.
I've been hearing two main stances on what ram to use:
-One side says go with 1600, any thing more is basically pointless.
-The other says that going higher is better for stable overclocking.
Ram seems to be almost the same price no mater what it's speed is (1600 1866 2133). So if the mother board is compatible, why not go with higher?
-I made a parts list on PcPartPicker, and it had this notice at the bottom:
"G.Skill Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory operating
voltage of 1.6V exceeds the Intel Haswell CPU recommended maximum of
1.5V+5% (1.575V). This memory module may run at a reduced clock rate to
meet the 1.5V voltage recommendation, or may require running at a
voltage greater than the Intel recommended maximum."
Would that mean I should choose some slower ram, ram that doesn't need 1.6?
-Also Is 2 sticks of 8 better then 4 sticks of 4? Is there much of a differnce between 2x8 and 4x4?
The other thing a few people have said is that it is important that all the components have matching frequencies for overclocking? I'm not totally sure what they mean by that, and I'm not sure if they were talking about older hardware or if it applies to me?
◘Motherboard:
Once determine what speed of ram is right for me, and any other factors that would put requirements on the motherboard, my main concern in what a mobo has to offer is its ability to regulate the systems power depending on the demand.
I often leave my PC on all day to stream video from it or let something download. Leaving it over clocked under those loads consumes extra power and adds stress to the components, but going to the effort of turning down the clock is time consuming.
I know there is technology that would auto adjust the clock/power depending on what the PC is doing, is it universal over all mother boards or is it something I need to specifically look for?
Based on peoples suggestions and reviews: Can you please give me your opinion on these first choices for a mobo and ram:
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131989&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID
and
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...938566&SID
►Sound
Quote: And I'm assuming that what you did was wire the internal spdif output on the sound card to the internal spdif input on the graphics card. Then used the graphics cards spdif passthrough feature to pass the spdif signal out through one of the dvi ports. As far as I know this is the only way to get digital audio output from a GTX 260 reference design.-Exactly what I meant.
"Digital coax" makes it sound like you used an actual coax cable. And I have no idea what a "sound hookup" is so I'm assuming that's what you meant to say.
Quote:I am well aware of what ohms are. I study computer science. I'm surprised you stuck with auzentech for as long as you did given their reputation for crummy drivers lately (as you've seen first hand).-I didnt want to come off as condescending or rude about the ohms, just want to be clear.
Please be sure. It should say the model number somewhere on the receiver.
-Found the manual and its the SR5003
►Cooling / PSU / Case:
Quote:What do you mean by this? Do you mean how much more power would you need if you installed a better HSF? Almost nothing. Fans only use a few watts of power at the most.-I meant going with a more exotic cooling system, that would probably require a notable amount of power. My small 11'x12' bedroom where everything is, including my space heater of a projector, is very stuffy. I have an AC in the room, tho works well, is quite loud and it would be nice to not rely on it so much. So I've been thinking of doing a cooling system that would cool the components with out venting the heat back into the room. As it is, with only the PC on, and at idle, it makes my room about 5*F warmer then the rest of the house, adding the AV reviver + projector + human body heat makes it a sweat lodge with out the AC constantly running.
Keep in mind stronger PSUs will be quieter since the PSUs built in fan increases its speed as the power draw increases. More power draw produces more heat and therefore requires more cooling. PSUs rated for higher wattages will be under less load and will require less cooling. I do think an 850 watt PSU would be fine for you though.
◘One involving water cooling: Mounting a Radiator to the wall's intake vent, (80" away from the PC) then mount fans to the rad that suck air out of the room, and thru the rad into the wall vent. Requiring a large water pump, a rad, fans, a reservoir? some kind of control unit? and water blocks.
*I am slowly dismissing this option for the fact that, tho it would keep the CPU/GPU cool, and keep them from adding to the heat of the room like I want. The PSU would still be adding heat to the room, in addition to the AV receiver, HD Projector, and any other electronics in the system. Also it would cost a good amount and be a bit of a fragile system.
◘The other switching my entire electronics center to a server rack system, mounting everything but the projector into the rack and have it all vented into the wall intake vent via air thru something like a dryer hose using fans. This would be the only time I would consider ever giving my my beloved wood case. But it's also a very expensive concept that will need additional construction. Still doing research as to how easy I could do it and for how much, server racks come pretty cheap used some times. Tho, I have never worked with a server rack before.
*note these are just some abstract ideas at this time, and ether would probably make my budget plan brake at this time. There is a good chance at this point I will just go with a traditional air cooling system at this time and go with a better solution when the budget is renewed. I thought I would just share my concepts.
Quote:By "drive bay storage" you mean the 3.5" bays for HDD?Here is a video walkthrough of the wood case(2:54): http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pla...59HY&t=174
And
yeah I would expect a full sized ATX chassis to be quite roomy which is
why I'm surprised you had to use a smaller HSF (heatsink + fan). Can you
snap a photo of the inside so I can see how much space you have? I'm
going to have a look at your case's manual later on to see how much
height clearance is listed for it in there.
and some good pictures of a set up here: http://www.legitreviews.com/nmediapc-htp...ase_1114/4
Quote:How old is thePSU is about 2years old.
PSU? Even good units eventually die. Especially when they are regularly
put under heavy load.
You should check out this site when you're planning your build: https://pcpartpicker.com/
It's a great resource for compiling everything.
For the next PSU, Do I need to look for one that is "Haswell compatible"?
I took your advice, and that place is super handy for making a shopping list.
Thank you once again for your help, I look forward to your next reply.