Another inevitable "Will it work!?" thread, warning: high verbosity

[TalkingBook]

Hey there, helpful people. I'm setting out on my first build (of any type) and would feel much more comfortable with a bit of reassurance before I hit the 'order' button. First I'll say what I'm looking for, then I'll give my tentative component list, then I'll ask some questions.

What I want:

This machine will be used primarily for general purposes (browsing, light gaming, typical student stuff, etc.) and audio recording/editing via Logic. I'd like a system which I won't have to update for a number of years. I much prefer stability and quietness to experimentation or getting every last bit of processing power out of the system. I have no intention of overclocking and will mostly likely be content to stick with on-board graphics. I'd like to be able to dual boot Windows. I need firewire for my audio interface. For the time being at least, I'm stuck using wi-fi.

[Updated] Parts

Intel i7-3770
Gigabyte GBT GA-H77-DS3H [returning, please see latest post]
Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3P [replacement]
Corsair XMS RAM 16GB (2x8)
Samsung 830 SSD 128 GB
Seagate Barracuda SATA 6Gb/s 2TB HDD
be quiet! Pure Power PSU 530W
Sony Optiarc AD-7280S
TP-Link TL-WDN4800 Wireless Adapter
Fractal Design Define Mini Tower
LG IPS224V-PN LED Monitor

What I'd like to know:

First off, anything look odd? Did I forget anything? Next, motherboards... There appear to be some issues getting firewire to work on newer GA motherboards at the moment. I'm still trying to get a clear picture of things, but it seems that the consensus is that firewire cards with TI chipsets are the way to go, but they may still cause sleep/powerdown issues. The Syba firewire card is not easily available to me here in Europe, but the EXSYS card I've listed has a TI chipset. Anyone had any experience with these cards and current GA motherboards? To be honest, I'm a bit lost as far as motherboards go in the first place. I've read that the H77 is a good choice if not overclocking, and it looks to have all the ports I'll need. Thoughts on this? Any other comments? Any weak links? i5 or i7? Vanilla or chocolate? East or West? Tomato or tomato?

Many thanks in advance. This site and forum are an amazing resource, and I'll definitely be tossing something in the collection tray on the way out once my prayers have been answered. Speaking of which, does the site have a reference program for the German Amazon store (amazon.de)? I'll most likely buy almost all components there and would love it if Tony & co. got a piece of the pie.

 

[nobodynose]

What I have:

LG IPS224V-PN LED Monitor
Fractal Design Define Mini Tower
Samsung 830 SSD 128 GB

What I'm considering buying:

Intel Core i5-3570k or i7-3770K
Gigabyte GBT GA-H77-DS3H
Corsair Vengeance DDR3-RAM (PC1600, CL9) 8GB or 16GB
Corsair CX500 V2 PSU (500 watt)
Seagate Barracuda SATA 6Gb/s 1TB HDD
Sony Optiarc AD-7280S
TP-Link PCI Express Wifi Adapter
EXSYS EX-16415 PCI-E Firewire card (???)

What I'd like to know:

First off, anything look odd? Did I forget anything?

No, everything looks good as far as I can tell.

Next, motherboards... There appear to be some issues getting firewire to work on newer GA motherboards at the moment. I'm still trying to get a clear picture of things, but it seems that the consensus is that firewire cards with TI chipsets are the way to go, but they may still cause sleep/powerdown issues. The Syba firewire card is not easily available to me here in Europe, but the EXSYS card I've listed has a TI chipset. Anyone had any experience with these cards and current GA motherboards? To be honest, I'm a bit lost as far as motherboards go in the first place. I've read that the H77 is a good choice if not overclocking, and it looks to have all the ports I'll need. Thoughts on this? Any other comments?

My experience with Firewire is limited. That said, I do have a Syba TI-based Firewire card in a Gigabyte motherboard, and that build is having no problems sleeping (it doesn't wake up sometimes, but I don't think that's related to the firewire). The motherboard is an older Z68 model though, so it probably has no bearing on this discussion.

i5 or i7?

If the price difference isn't a problem, go for the i7 of course!

 

[TalkingBook]

Thanks for your response. I'm most likely going to go with the i7. I thought that someone might jump in and say it's overkill for what I want. Usually I'm the kind of person who would rather spend a bit more now in order to put off upgrading for longer, so that's what I'll probably end up doing here. I guess I'll start buying stuff, unless anyone else has anything to add about motherboards / firewire / etc.? One more question: will the power supply be enough even if I end up adding another drive or two at some point?

 

[nobodynose]

Thanks for your response. I'm most likely going to go with the i7. I thought that someone might jump in and say it's overkill for what I want. Usually I'm the kind of person who would rather spend a bit more now in order to put off upgrading for longer, so that's what I'll probably end up doing here. I guess I'll start buying stuff, unless anyone else has anything to add about motherboards / firewire / etc.? One more question: will the power supply be enough even if I end up adding another drive or two at some point?

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine says you need 434W even if you add 2 additional hard drives AND a high-end GPU (I used the NVidia GT 660 Ti as an example). So I think you'll be fine with the 500W power supply.

 

[jeffcarrera]

Recording with Logic Pro and light gaming was also my goal when I chose my components, I knew that i7 will be overkill as I only do video editing once in a while, and i5 was the way to go, but got an i7 anyway. I'm happy. HD4000 is very good for light gaming, was able to run CS Global offensive quite well without discrete graphics. check out my build http://www.tonymacx86.com/user-buil...770k-ga-z77-d3h-8gb-ram-gt640.html#post502350

 

[TalkingBook]

Thank you both for the very helpful responses. I'll stick with the 500w PSU then. Jeff, your build looks great. I was considering getting the Startech card as well, but the shutdown issue would be far too annoying for me to deal with I think. I'll put off ordering the Firewire card until last and hope someone puts a fix out for the Startech before I order. How has your system been working out for recording in Logic?

 

[jeffcarrera]

Thank you both for the very helpful responses. I'll stick with the 500w PSU then. Jeff, your build looks great. I was considering getting the Startech card as well, but the shutdown issue would be far too annoying for me to deal with I think. I'll put off ordering the Firewire card until last and hope someone puts a fix out for the Startech before I order. How has your system been working out for recording in Logic?

Except for the sleep/shutdown issue caused by the firewire card, my system has been very stable, no kernel panics, no hangs, and Logic Pro 8 works as it should. You might also want to consider the gigabyte boards with thunderbolt as others have reported success using their firewire devices using a thunderbolt to firewire adapter, which will eliminate your need to get a firewire card should it work. If it doesn't, then you can make use of a thunderbolt drive to store your audio content and sound libraries.

 

[TalkingBook]

Another inevitable "Will it work!?" thread; UPDATE: woe is me.

Hello again, it's update time (parts list in OP has been updated as well). All the parts arrived intact and in tact; and I set out two nights ago to make my digital dreams a reality. Things were going well enough for my first computer build - the 'external build' showed the processor, ram and MB to be posting correctly. I mounted the PSU and my drives, and was just getting around to mounting the motherboard when it struck me that I had made a rather stupid beginner's mistake: I was trying to put an ATX board into a micro-ATX case. Oops.

As I bought the case used and can't really return it, I've decided to return the MB and get a mATX model. I've settled on the GA-B75M-D3P, as it has all the features I anticipate needing, is reported to work for the most part out-of-box, and is relatively cheap. Does anyone here have anything to add about this choice? Am I overlooking any other stupid beginner's mistakes by going with this board?

One more question: will I need to remove the pre-applied thermal paste, which is now spread out from installing the CPU during my external build, and reapply? Or should it not matter?

Thanks again folks.

 

[Going Bald]

One more question: will I need to remove the pre-applied thermal paste, which is now spread out from installing the CPU during my external build, and reapply? Or should it not matter?

Thanks again folks.

You should definitely clean the old paste off and re-apply. I use a paper coffee filter as they are strong, cheap and lint free. Be very careful of the pin side of the CPU when cleaning the top. First, wipe as much off as you can with just the paper, then apply some cleaning solution and wipe cleaner until you get it all off. When it is as clean as you can get it apply the surface prep solution and wipe dry. Do this for both the CPU and the cooler heatsink.

http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Thermal-Compound-ArctiClean/dp/B001FVI91U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358168761&sr=8-1&keywords=arctic+silver+cpu+cleaner

Apply the thermal compound per the instructions.

 

[TalkingBook]

I was afraid that might be the case. Thanks very much for the information and link. Twenty applications per tube... I should be able to get it right if I don't scrap the CPU first.