Mesh
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Building an X2 + Gaming rig
Hi all, I'd like to have them both in this build, but primarily as a DAW. I'm not an "extreme" overclocker, but do like to have a 1 button-push-OCing machine/easy BIOS using an i7 3770k LGA 1155. I've been reading reviews on some of these Z77 boards and it's a bit hard to keep up with all the tech stuff going on, but I'm hoping you could help me decide on a decent Mobo (around $200...negotiable) that'll fit my needs. I'll be using Win7x64. I know ASUS and Gigabyte come highly reliable, but AsRock & MSI have been (as of late) coming up with some very good boards (for less) and seem to have features that only some the higher end ASUS/GB boards have. On the AnadTech site, the MSI Z77MPower got good reviews: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6694/msi-z77-mpower-review-the-xpowers-little-brother As well as the AsRock Z77 OC Formula: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6650/asrock-z77-oc-formula-review-living-in-the-fast-lane I'd like to have a board that's future compatibility where I can keep adding components as needed and one that will last. What are some other recommendations or ideas of building a machine that can house both? TIA
Platinum Gaming DAW: AsRock Z77 Overclock FormulaI7 3770k @ 4.5GHz : 16GB RAM G.Skill Ripjaws X 250GB OS SSD : 3TB HDD : 1TB Sample HDDWin 10 Pro x 64 : NH-D14 CPU Cooler HIS IceQ 2GB HD 7870Focusrite Scarlett 2i4The_Forum_Monkeys
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jjthomas
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/01 06:27:50
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I narrowed it down to either Asus or Gigabyte and finally decided on the Gigabyte. One thing I do not like are the chipset fans. My Asus chipset fan has been replaced twice. A little too much in 5 years. My other Asus motherboard has run faithfully for about 15 years. I have a Gigabyte motherboard that has five years on it and still runs great. My last build was the Gigabyte GA-77X-UD5H. I had one hiccup involving a bad driver. Thanks to the folks at the Windows seven forums, I got past that little issue, here. I flipped back and forth between Windows 7 and Windows 8 and finally settled on Windows 8 Pro. I did try to future proof the system as best as I could, but I have one eSATA port left and one USB port left. Oops. My one complaint is that there is only one old fashion PCI slot. I lot of the boards I looked at had none. And finally get an ESD strap. It will keep you from having headaches in the long run. -JJ
Windows 8 Pro x64. Sonar x2a, VS Studio One and FL ProducerIntel Core i7-3770K @3.5 GHz, GA-Z77X-UD5H w/32GBCorsair Hydro Series H55 Liquid CPU CoolerFractal Design Define XL R2 Case with 6 case fansCooler Master Silent Pro M - 1000W 80 PLUS BronzePNY GeForce GTX 680 4 GB, (2x)ViewSonic VX922Crucial SSD m4 256GB & 64GB SATA 6GbSeagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB x3 RAID 5 with the 64GB SSD as a cacheSeagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD SATA PreSonus AudioBox 44V
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DW_Mike
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/01 12:49:52
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☄ Helpful
+1 to the ESD Strap.
Well worth the $6 I paid for it at Radio Shack.
Out of the 2 board you linked to I tend to like the ASRock a little better.
Mainly for this:
"On the board itself we get integrated water cooling on the large VRM heatsink (like the ASUS Maximus V Formula), a liberal abuse of eight fan headers, 10 SATA ports (six SATA 6 Gbps), 8 USB 3.0 ports with 10 USB 2.0 ports for good measure, an ideal layout for dual-GPU setups, all the debug tools needed should anything go wrong, 13 (thirteen) onboard temperature sensors and even voltage read points for overclockers. Features not readily apparent include a multiple filter cap system to reduce electrical noise, and switches to enable/disable PCIe slots (reduce instability when not in use)."
The 6 SATA-6Gbps is nice. With SSD's and HDD's all offering 6Gbps now it's nice to have the ports to actually make use of the speed.
My board also came with the optional USB 3 front panel plate. I find it very convenient for connecting my external HD that is also USB 3.0.
As I mentioned to you before be sure that the board you get has ample headers for system fans, USB and SATA ports and whatever else you think you may need. I needed one more USB 2 header and fortunately found a cheap work-around.
And since you will be gaming too you will most likely be running at least one video card. These tend to put off some heat so the 8 sys fan headers will come in handy.
Just be sure to get a case that can accommodate more than 2 fans. Since heat rises it's a good idea to have the option to have a fan ventilate out the top of the case.
My case has a 120mm front fan - intake, a 140mm top fan - exhaust and the back fan location is used for my cpu cooler radiator that is sucking cool air in from outside. So I have cool air coming in from bottom front, mid back and hot air venting out center top.
I know this is more than what you've asked but I found that during my build all these things tie into MB purchase. I returned my first case because as I started to mentally put things together I found my case didn't have adequate ventilation.
Mike
Sonar X3 ~ Scarlett 18i6 ~ Home Build DAW
GA-Z77X-UD5H
Intel i7 3770k 4.2GHz
32GB RAM Crucial Ballistix Elite (4x8)
2x Samsung 250GB SSD
1TB WD Black HDD @ 7200RPM 6Gb/s 64MB
Corsair H80i Liquid cooler
Noctua Silent Fans ~ 3x120mm ~ 1x140mm
Seasonic Platinum 760w PSU
Windows 7 Pro 64Bit.
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Mesh
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/01 18:46:18
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Thanks for the replies JJ & Mike. Excellent tips on the fans Mike. I was thinking of an air cooling system rather than water as I'll be a light gamer and won't try to stress the system on a regular basis. As far as graphics cards are concerned, I already have an NVIDIA GeForce GT 240 video card that I'll remove from my current machine and use in the new build. I'm not sure if I'll need another or not......but, I'm planning on having dual monitors. I was planning on using my older mid tower case (Coolermaster AMMO 533) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119098 (discontinued). I haven't decided on a mobo yet, so I'm not sure if this case will work or not. As exciting as it is to build a high flying DAW/gaming system, the more I research on things, the more confusing it becomes....LOL. I think if I can get a good mobo to go with the i7 3770k, then it should be easier to build from there on.
Platinum Gaming DAW: AsRock Z77 Overclock FormulaI7 3770k @ 4.5GHz : 16GB RAM G.Skill Ripjaws X 250GB OS SSD : 3TB HDD : 1TB Sample HDDWin 10 Pro x 64 : NH-D14 CPU Cooler HIS IceQ 2GB HD 7870Focusrite Scarlett 2i4The_Forum_Monkeys
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Mesh
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/01 19:08:05
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<<<Duplicate...>>>
post edited by Mesh - 2013/06/01 22:15:54
Platinum Gaming DAW: AsRock Z77 Overclock FormulaI7 3770k @ 4.5GHz : 16GB RAM G.Skill Ripjaws X 250GB OS SSD : 3TB HDD : 1TB Sample HDDWin 10 Pro x 64 : NH-D14 CPU Cooler HIS IceQ 2GB HD 7870Focusrite Scarlett 2i4The_Forum_Monkeys
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DW_Mike
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/01 20:00:29
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My case measures 508(D) x 207(W) x 479.3(H)mm (20" D x 8" W x 19" H)
I was able to fit an ATX (full size) mobo if thats any help to you.
Any smaller than that and the ATX would not have fit.
Mike
Sonar X3 ~ Scarlett 18i6 ~ Home Build DAW
GA-Z77X-UD5H
Intel i7 3770k 4.2GHz
32GB RAM Crucial Ballistix Elite (4x8)
2x Samsung 250GB SSD
1TB WD Black HDD @ 7200RPM 6Gb/s 64MB
Corsair H80i Liquid cooler
Noctua Silent Fans ~ 3x120mm ~ 1x140mm
Seasonic Platinum 760w PSU
Windows 7 Pro 64Bit.
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vladasyn
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/01 20:17:00
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jjthomas
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/02 04:55:12
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I went with the Corsair Hydro Series H55 Liquid CPU Cooler. I don't plan to do any overclocking, either. But given how crowded everything is around the processor and that how tall my RAM sticks were, the liquid cooler made more sense. There is a youtube video on how to install the cooler. I really took my time, it was my first cooler, but it was installed without a hitch.
Other than the processor, everything else is air cooled. I did go crazy with the case fans, 5, plus the radiator fan for the cooler and the power supply fan.
I'm not sure how your budget is, but I would upgrade the case. It makes it a lot easier to install the motherboard in a new case. I went with the Fractal Design Define XL R2 Case, it is big, heavy and quiet, very quiet.
I went with the 3770k because it has been around and is tried and tested.
I knew as soon as I got my computer going Intel would release a new processor!
I've been on the bleeding edge through many projects, there is something to be said for tried and tested.
-JJ
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DW_Mike
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/02 13:23:47
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I knew as soon as I got my computer going Intel would release a new processor!  Me too. But coming from an off the shelf HP laptop with an i3 chip, I am so ok with my 3770k. Mesh, here comes more info you didn't ask for  . If you do decide to get a new case (and you don't have to. I kind of like yours) I bought THIS ONE and it really is quiet. My laptop makes more noise than my desktop. Mike
Sonar X3 ~ Scarlett 18i6 ~ Home Build DAW
GA-Z77X-UD5H
Intel i7 3770k 4.2GHz
32GB RAM Crucial Ballistix Elite (4x8)
2x Samsung 250GB SSD
1TB WD Black HDD @ 7200RPM 6Gb/s 64MB
Corsair H80i Liquid cooler
Noctua Silent Fans ~ 3x120mm ~ 1x140mm
Seasonic Platinum 760w PSU
Windows 7 Pro 64Bit.
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Mesh
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/02 22:10:07
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chefmike8888
I knew as soon as I got my computer going Intel would release a new processor!
Me too.
But coming from an off the shelf HP laptop with an i3 chip, I am so ok with my 3770k.
Mesh, here comes more info you didn't ask for .
If you do decide to get a new case (and you don't have to. I kind of like yours) I bought THIS ONE and it really is quiet. My laptop makes more noise than my desktop.
Mike
LOL....the 4770k is definitely making me rethink (especially if the cost isn't that much different), but I'm not sure how much testing/stability it is been done one these Z87 boards and specifically w/X2?? I'm totally for building a state of the art rig that'll keep me going for some time, but it has to be first of all stable/practical. I even like the Thundebolt/Wifi/Bluetooth support etc....as I might be able to take advantage of some of these, but again, the stability is the important factor. I read another head to head review of the MSI Mpower vs. the AsRock OC Formula, and the MSI board came out slightly higher in every category they tested : http://hothardware.com/Reviews/Z77-Motherboard-Shootout-MSI-vs-ASRock-/?page=1 ....but, I don't really know if those differences are enough to make one board better than the other. I think what I really want is all the features of the higher end boards at the price of a mid-range board without compromising on stability.....:)) Has X2 been tested with these Haswell processor's yet? (Aiyy Carrumba.....more research....)
Platinum Gaming DAW: AsRock Z77 Overclock FormulaI7 3770k @ 4.5GHz : 16GB RAM G.Skill Ripjaws X 250GB OS SSD : 3TB HDD : 1TB Sample HDDWin 10 Pro x 64 : NH-D14 CPU Cooler HIS IceQ 2GB HD 7870Focusrite Scarlett 2i4The_Forum_Monkeys
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jcschild
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/03 09:49:41
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"""Has X2 been tested with these Haswell processor's yet? ""
software in itself has nothing to do with it, of course it will work.
my preliminary tests show the Haswell right under the 3930k at stock speeds for both
Scott ADK Home of the Kentucky Fried DAW!
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The Maillard Reaction
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/03 10:17:33
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It seemed like, on the specs listing, that the 3770k and the 4770k are very similar... which I though was the result of the 3770K being an early release of the 22nm tech.
Are you saying that the performance on the 4770k is similar to having an extra 2 cores like on the 3930k?
I was thinking that when the 6 core 22nm came out that the primary benefit would be power savings rather than a performance increase. Are you suggesting that the latest 22nm 4 cores lurched forward in performance?
Thanks.
best regards,
mike
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jcschild
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/03 14:04:08
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Scott ADK Home of the Kentucky Fried DAW!
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The Maillard Reaction
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/03 14:31:00
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spacealf
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/03 15:12:39
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I don't play computer games that need all that horsepower, because what I do with Sonar does not need but just a normal computer. I play XCOM and Civilization about only and some older other games and a super-duper computer is not needed for any game I have. I will not let a game decide for me what kind of computer I can use, and since everything else I do even with Sonar is normal general computing, super this or super that is not needed.
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Mesh
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/03 15:59:37
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spacealf
I don't play computer games that need all that horsepower, because what I do with Sonar does not need but just a normal computer. I play XCOM and Civilization about only and some older other games and a super-duper computer is not needed for any game I have. I will not let a game decide for me what kind of computer I can use, and since everything else I do even with Sonar is normal general computing, super this or super that is not needed.
More power to ya!!  At leas you Super-size your fries at McDonald's.....right? 
Platinum Gaming DAW: AsRock Z77 Overclock FormulaI7 3770k @ 4.5GHz : 16GB RAM G.Skill Ripjaws X 250GB OS SSD : 3TB HDD : 1TB Sample HDDWin 10 Pro x 64 : NH-D14 CPU Cooler HIS IceQ 2GB HD 7870Focusrite Scarlett 2i4The_Forum_Monkeys
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jcschild
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/03 17:43:32
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hey Space,
I play Skyrim on my home theatre rig..
still has a 285 video card and a 760 intel processor with 8 gig ram...
I think about updating it once in awhile but hey it still works..
just played Tomb Raider 2013 on it with no issues at all..
and it drives a 55" lcd no issues.
Scott ADK Home of the Kentucky Fried DAW!
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spacealf
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Re:Building an X2 + Gaming rig
2013/06/04 16:58:08
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Ah, you know that they are making games for consoles and XBox also. They do not have the resolution, and even the new ones coming out at the end of the year about, will not be all that much better. A computer was always better for playing games and now, the game has to be programmed for about everything - iPhone, iPad, iOS - I think, whatever that is, and well just about everything. On a more serious note though - McDonalds is out.Oh, looky the colors.
post edited by spacealf - 2013/06/04 17:00:12
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