Digital Art/Gaming Computer, Asus X79 Rampage IV Extreme | Core i7-3930k

[Thalass]

Digital Art/Gaming Computer, Z77 UD5H Core i7-3770k 32gig RAM

Alright, it looks like the day has finally come where I make a thread of my own. I've done my best to lurk the forums for weeks and answer my own questions, so hopefully I'm not wasting anyone's time with my remaining questions. I also appreciate the fact that much of the (usually quite well-informed) advice given around here is entirely free, so just let me say thanks for all the help this community has offered me already, and also for the specific advice I hope to receive in this thread. As a "TL;DR", I've Bolded the significant questions. Everything else provides context.

I'm looking at following this Golden build, so click here for specs.

I like the idea of following a golden build because I know it will work, and I've never built a hackintosh before so the step-by-step guides are extremely helpful.

The aim of this computer is two dual boot OSX 10.8 and Windows 7, running a variety of programs. The GPU must be able to run a minimum of 2 monitors, as the system will have a standard monitor hooked up to it as well as a Wacom Cintiq 21. Programs will include Photoshop CS5 (and the rest of the programs included in the CS5 suite), Corel Painter 11, Maya 2011, and possibly Pro Tools 10. All of the aforementioned programs will have to be run on the OSX side of things.

The windows side will mainly be used for gaming, and I'd prefer if the computer could run most of the latest games at the highest settings. Obviously all games are not made equal, but let's say the most demanding of the bunch will be Crysis 2 as a reference point.

Here are my concerns:

1) Aside from the parts outlined in the Golden Build, I'll need to purchase a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. With everything included, I'd like to keep the price around $2000USD (give or take a couple hundred dollars). The Golden Build, from my rough calculations, is nearly $2500, not including a monitor, keyboard, or mouse. Keeping my goals in mind, will I be able to downsize some components and still be able to run all the things I need to? I should mention that some of the Photoshop and Corel files can be quite large--large enough to cripple my poor MacBook Pro when those programs are in use (I have a 2009 model with 4 gigs of ram, 2.53ghz core 2 duo, and a 9400M graphics card). I've heard that RAM is especially important when dealing with Photoshop and Corel, but maybe 32gigs is overkill?

2) Could I benefit from an Ivybridge build instead? I'd use a i7 3770K rather than the 3930k Sandybridge listed in the build, and an accompanying motherboard as well (I've seen various suggestions for the MB that should work fine with the 3770k). If I did this, how closely could I still follow the Golden Build? Would the software installation be radically different? I'm looking for as few headaches as possible here.

3) Will the 6870 be enough to satisfy my gaming needs? I've seen benchmarks where it can run some pretty demanding games (including Crysis 2) at full settings, but certainly not at the same frame rates as the cutting edge cards. I'm interested in a 2560x1440 monitor, so resolution will likely play a factor as well since the games will have to be running at full resolution and then get further stretched to fit the screen size. Is there any more news on Mountain Lion support for the GTX 680, or the Radeon 7970? I recall someone saying that support for the GTX 680 card was more or less certain. Is this true now that ML has been released?


I'll leave it at that for now, my post is a wall of text already! Thanks again for any help you can provide.

 

[jester969]

I would stick with an Ivy Bridge build using the 3770K, load it with 32GB RAM, 6870 2GB or GTX 680 or Nvidia 5xx, 650W PSU, Crucial M4 or Sandisk Extreme 128GB, WD Blacks, Fractal R3 case, and Z77-UD5H board.

The 2011 LGA socket does not have sleep or power management. I have not seen anyone of yet install ML 10.8.
\

EDIT: One member on here has already but yet again no sleep functionality.

http://www.tonymacx86.com/golden-builds/50621-asus-x79-sabertooth-core-i7-3960x-successful-12.html

 

[Thalass]

Thanks, Jester, that was a huge help. Could you (and any other willing members) look over my updated spec list?

Spec List with Links



Motherboard:


Z77-UD5H


CPU:


i7 3770k


RAM:


G.Skill Trident 2400 32gb RAM


GPU:
Radeon HD6870 2gb


OR


Gigabyte GTX 680 OC



PSU:


Corsair HX650 Professional


SSD:


Crucial M4 128gb


HDD:


Western Digital Black 1TB


Case: (Sold out, but I've found alternatives)


Fractal R3

A Few More Questions:

1) In this thread, a few users mentioned that their GTX 680 (and 670) cards worked out of box. Can I count that has a confirmation that the GTX 680 is guaranteed to work with this specific build and with Mountain Lion?

2) What should I do about fans and coolers? Obviously this will depend on what case I get as well, but I'm not really familiar with what ones work well, etc. It looks like most cases support up to 7 120mm+ fans, how many of those slots should I expect to use? Are 7 fans really needed to keep things at an acceptable temperature during somewhat rigorous use? Let's say acceptable doesn't exceed 65 or 70 degrees during heavy use.

3) Should I expect to encounter any problems if I follow the software installation outlined in the golden build? Would it be drastically different for an Ivy build vs. a Sandy one?

 

[jester969]

Your parts are fine although the 32GB RAM is quite expensive. You can probably find cheaper 32GB kits then that one.

1. 6XX cards work with GE=NO in ML 10.8. They work. Both card options will work. The 6870 requires a different method to get working.

2. Four fans should be enough. Need more advice silentpcreview.com has more info. I am not knowledgeable on brands but a few like Gelid and Scythe Typhoon .

3. No problems should be encountered if you follow instructions well. If you get stuck anyone on here is capable of helping you with any issue whatsoever.

 

[ggeorge]

Thanks, Jester, that was a huge help. Could you (and any other willing members) look over my updated spec list?
RAM:
G.Skill Trident 2400 32gb RAM

You are spending WWAAAAAYYYYY too much on that ram. You can max out your ram for $200 or less wt the 1600mhz stuff. The really high speed ram only helps if you are trying to massively overclock things, even then it doesn't make a significant difference when you get past the 1600mhz stuff.

Also the large heat sinks on that ram can cause problems with the top end (read large) air coolers.

GPU:
Gigabyte GTX 680 OC

I would go with a 670. A sufficiently overclocked model is as fast and $100 or so less.

1) In this thread, a few users mentioned that their GTX 680 (and 670) cards worked out of box. Can I count that has a confirmation that the GTX 680 is guaranteed to work with this specific build and with Mountain Lion?

To quote 12 Monkeys "Science ain't an exact, Science with these guys". If you have the exact same hardware and follow the guide, you should be fine, but there are always ambiguities to the descriptions and sometimes things are just different. Mountain lion has only been out a week and people are still experimenting.

I do have it working on my Asus Rampage IV Extreme - 3930k - Asus 670 CU II Top build.

2) What should I do about fans and coolers? Obviously this will depend on what case I get as well, but I'm not really familiar with what ones work well, etc. It looks like most cases support up to 7 120mm+ fans, how many of those slots should I expect to use? Are 7 fans really needed to keep things at an acceptable temperature during somewhat rigorous use? Let's say acceptable doesn't exceed 65 or 70 degrees during heavy use.

One of the advantages to a lot of fans, is you can run them at a slower speed, though you will need a fan controller to do that manually. Temperature comes down to the components and case design more than the number of fans.

Overclocking is a primary source of heat. So if you don't overclock things you don't have to worry about the heat as much.

3) Should I expect to encounter any problems if I follow the software installation outlined in the golden build? Would it be drastically different for an Ivy build vs. a Sandy one?

Completely different motherboard and cpu, means different guide. Basically, unless you know enough that you wouldn't need to ask these questions you should find a guide which does match your proposed build.

 

[Thalass]

You are spending WWAAAAAYYYYY too much on that ram. You can max out your ram for $200 or less wt the 1600mhz stuff.

Fair enough. I wasn't aware that there wasn't a huge difference. I chose that ram because it said it was optimized for the processor and motherboard I was using. Not an expert on this stuff, but usually higher Mhz means better performance (even if the listed timings are slower).

Is this a good substitute?

I would go with a 670. A sufficiently overclocked model is as fast and $100 or so less.

It turns out the difference is pretty minor for the equivalent OC 670 card from Gigabyte. I hadn't really considered the 670, so thanks for the heads up.

One of the advantages to a lot of fans, is you can run them at a slower speed, though you will need a fan controller to do that manually. Temperature comes down to the components and case design more than the number of fans.

I think I'll go with this case, which seems to perform well according to this article. I might get a fan controller as well, though I think a CPU cooler will be needed more. I was looking at the Hyper 212 EVO from Cooler Master. It seems to be reviewed well and is affordable... is it a good choice?


If I get the green light on the above items, it looks like I can start ordering the parts. Thanks for all the help so far, everyone.

 

[ggeorge]

Fair enough. I wasn't aware that there wasn't a huge difference. I chose that ram because it said it was optimized for the processor and motherboard I was using. Not an expert on this stuff, but usually higher Mhz means better performance (even if the listed timings are slower).

Is this a good substitute?

This is just as good and much cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231507

This is on sale if you are a subscriber to their daily email offers for IIRC $160.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231490

There isn't that much of a difference between the two. Mostly just different heat spreaders.

It turns out the difference is pretty minor for the equivalent OC 670 card from Gigabyte. I hadn't really considered the 670, so thanks for the heads up.

YW, the 670s are great cards. Though for some reason they are only supporting 2 monitors under OSX, even though the 650M in the new laptops will support 4 and they'll support 4 under windows.

We're probably going to have to wait for the next release of drivers from nVidia to get all 4 working.

I think I'll go with this case, which seems to perform well according to this article. I might get a fan controller as well, though I think a CPU cooler will be needed more. I was looking at the Hyper 212 EVO from Cooler Master. It seems to be reviewed well and is affordable... is it a good choice?

Both the case and the heat sink have gotten excellent reviews. The Hyper 212 is not a top cooler, but you do have to spend 2-3 times as much money to get something significantly better.

 

[Coupz]

Well I have a 6870 and a 2560x1440 monitor (Apple Cinema Display 27") and I play BF3 on full resolution on low with 60fps mostly. It never drops between 40fps. On medium it's like between 30 and 40fps, high is playable on single player but not really in multiplayer.
Haven't installed Crysis 2 yet, but try to find videos with this resolution on this card (youtube) .
Don't expect to play all games even on high at this resolution, you would need more like a 670 or a 680.

 

[Thalass]

Nearly all of the parts are in, I just need to pick up the motherboard, processor, and SSD from the post office tomorrow. Two more questions for now:

1) I didn't order a DVD or Bluray drive because many golden/user builds didn't feature them and I seem to rarely use the disc drive in my laptop. Are there any parts of the installation that will require a DVD/Bluray drive, or can I do it all via USB/digital download?

2) Can someone recommend a good hardware assembly guide? I've upgraded computers in the past and I'm sure I could figure it out with all the manufacturer's instructions and what not. But, with this being my first "from-scratch" computer build, the process would probably be pretty slow without a guide. Google yields lots of generic results, many from 10+ years ago. Does anyone have a go-to guide that they frequently recommend to new builders?

 

[Coupz]

1) Yes, you only need USB stick with your installation on it. (I don't have a optical driver too and don't need one!)
2) There are many guides on youtube, just type "how to build a computer"