Gonna be buying a new PC soon. I will be using it for audio editing, playing games, and watching HD video. And just for the fuck of it and because I got some money coming in, I'm going to get something that'll last me a while. I got a few questions, from general to very specific. Any thoughts on any of these matters could be helpful.
I am going for the 1155 socket, because that's the most recent one and I might be able to upgrade the CPU in the future without problem. Most other sockets are being phased out, and the new high-end Intel socket isn't being released till later this year. I'm not waiting that long so I landed on the 1155 socket. Technologically, it seems fine compared to 1366 (which is the one that will be phased out and replaced later this year, but is considered the high-end socket). What about the P67/H67 motherboard chipset vs. the newly released Z68 chipset? The new Z68 chipset seems to primarily benefit low end systems that have onboard graphics. Any reason I should go for a Z68 motherboard? So far I've landed on the Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD5-B3 which seems to be a pretty high-end motherboard at an affordable price.
For the processor, I'm getting the Intel i7 2600K with an unlocked multiplier. Fastest processor for the 1155 socket. I don't want any feedback on that, I just wanna say
Going for an SSD harddrive as a system drive, with 2x 2TB drives in RAID as a storage drive for things I never want to lose, then I will be getting an external harddrive case for regular sata-drives some time later. Out of all the various SSDs I've landed on OCZ's Vertex 3 series. I read a bit about Intel's 510 series, and heard about a new line of Corsair SSDs that are supposed to be pretty fast, but the OCZ drives do good in the reviews. Thoughts?
For my sound setup, I'm not sure what to do. The age of 24 bit sound cards is over unless you're building a studio computer. I might be hooking a USB keyboard up to this machine but that's as far as I/O requirements go for my sound editing. That's why I'm considering a setup with a DAC, a headphone pre-amp, and a pair of Sennheiser 750s or something. Thoughts on how to get good sound for music listening and a bit of "audio mixing" within the $1000-1200 range? And while we are at it, how do you make the euro sign on a standard keyboard?
RAM is almost free so I'm getting 12-16GB cause I can. The last piece of hardware I'm unsure about is the video card. I think I'm going nVidia. The GTX 570 series seems nice. I think the 580 and 590 are for the gaming enthusiasts. I'll play games so I want a good video card, but it's not my primary concern so I'm willing to compromise. For the 570 series, EVGA have a version of the card that's clocked from stock with, I think it was 8 years warranty. There are so many manufacturers of the cards though, they all have various differences in cooling and such. Any input from someone who know?
For the case I'm getting a Lian Li PC-A05NB. It's a Mini tower, but with the chassis of a Micro ATX. Which is pretty baller. The link is to the manufacturers website.
I will be modding the case by drilling a hole at the back of the top. The case has an air intake in the back, and an air outtake in the front. Both with 120mm fans. As you see on the picture, the front cover has lets the air out on the sides. The power supply is mounted at the bottom front of the case, with the motherboard at the back, putting the PCI slots on top of the back of it. The idea is to get another 120mm fan on the top cover for two air intakes. One to blow cold air into the CPU cooler (which will be the largest and best of them all atm, the Noctua DH-14 - a beast of a cooler) and another to blow cold air into the video card air intake. I'm not gonna go for watercooling because open solutions are way too expensive, and things like the H70 from Corsair makes bubble sounds like a waterbong. I'm replacing the standard fans with more silent ones. I'm getting a lot of various sound isolating and cooling things for mounting the harddrives, etc. The case already comes with a lot of sound isolation and sound reducting gadgets like screws with rubber suspension, clips, etc. I'm getting a modular power supply so I'm not forced to leave all the power cables I don't use hanging inside the case, blocking the air flow. I'm getting filters for the air intakes to minimize dust that gets into the computer. I'm getting sound isolating mats to put inside the case. I want to use this PC when I mix audio, so I need it to be powerful and quiet, and I like the idea that it could sit in the living room. I'm also getting a fan controller so I can turn down all the fans when I use it for simply watching a movie. The last bit I want feedback on is the cooling solution. I know if you have more fans sucking air out of the case than into it, you can end up with a lot of sound, like a vacuumer. That's why I'm using two intakes and one outtake. I'm getting a filter finish for the top fan I need to drill a hole for, to preserve the nice finish of the case. I found a fan filter/grill that's perfect.
Last but not least, I'm gonna try a Filco Tenkeyless keyboard. It's a mechanical keyboard that got great reviews. I'm getting the brown switch.
Masta?
I am going for the 1155 socket, because that's the most recent one and I might be able to upgrade the CPU in the future without problem. Most other sockets are being phased out, and the new high-end Intel socket isn't being released till later this year. I'm not waiting that long so I landed on the 1155 socket. Technologically, it seems fine compared to 1366 (which is the one that will be phased out and replaced later this year, but is considered the high-end socket). What about the P67/H67 motherboard chipset vs. the newly released Z68 chipset? The new Z68 chipset seems to primarily benefit low end systems that have onboard graphics. Any reason I should go for a Z68 motherboard? So far I've landed on the Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD5-B3 which seems to be a pretty high-end motherboard at an affordable price.
For the processor, I'm getting the Intel i7 2600K with an unlocked multiplier. Fastest processor for the 1155 socket. I don't want any feedback on that, I just wanna say
Going for an SSD harddrive as a system drive, with 2x 2TB drives in RAID as a storage drive for things I never want to lose, then I will be getting an external harddrive case for regular sata-drives some time later. Out of all the various SSDs I've landed on OCZ's Vertex 3 series. I read a bit about Intel's 510 series, and heard about a new line of Corsair SSDs that are supposed to be pretty fast, but the OCZ drives do good in the reviews. Thoughts?
For my sound setup, I'm not sure what to do. The age of 24 bit sound cards is over unless you're building a studio computer. I might be hooking a USB keyboard up to this machine but that's as far as I/O requirements go for my sound editing. That's why I'm considering a setup with a DAC, a headphone pre-amp, and a pair of Sennheiser 750s or something. Thoughts on how to get good sound for music listening and a bit of "audio mixing" within the $1000-1200 range? And while we are at it, how do you make the euro sign on a standard keyboard?
RAM is almost free so I'm getting 12-16GB cause I can. The last piece of hardware I'm unsure about is the video card. I think I'm going nVidia. The GTX 570 series seems nice. I think the 580 and 590 are for the gaming enthusiasts. I'll play games so I want a good video card, but it's not my primary concern so I'm willing to compromise. For the 570 series, EVGA have a version of the card that's clocked from stock with, I think it was 8 years warranty. There are so many manufacturers of the cards though, they all have various differences in cooling and such. Any input from someone who know?
For the case I'm getting a Lian Li PC-A05NB. It's a Mini tower, but with the chassis of a Micro ATX. Which is pretty baller. The link is to the manufacturers website.
I will be modding the case by drilling a hole at the back of the top. The case has an air intake in the back, and an air outtake in the front. Both with 120mm fans. As you see on the picture, the front cover has lets the air out on the sides. The power supply is mounted at the bottom front of the case, with the motherboard at the back, putting the PCI slots on top of the back of it. The idea is to get another 120mm fan on the top cover for two air intakes. One to blow cold air into the CPU cooler (which will be the largest and best of them all atm, the Noctua DH-14 - a beast of a cooler) and another to blow cold air into the video card air intake. I'm not gonna go for watercooling because open solutions are way too expensive, and things like the H70 from Corsair makes bubble sounds like a waterbong. I'm replacing the standard fans with more silent ones. I'm getting a lot of various sound isolating and cooling things for mounting the harddrives, etc. The case already comes with a lot of sound isolation and sound reducting gadgets like screws with rubber suspension, clips, etc. I'm getting a modular power supply so I'm not forced to leave all the power cables I don't use hanging inside the case, blocking the air flow. I'm getting filters for the air intakes to minimize dust that gets into the computer. I'm getting sound isolating mats to put inside the case. I want to use this PC when I mix audio, so I need it to be powerful and quiet, and I like the idea that it could sit in the living room. I'm also getting a fan controller so I can turn down all the fans when I use it for simply watching a movie. The last bit I want feedback on is the cooling solution. I know if you have more fans sucking air out of the case than into it, you can end up with a lot of sound, like a vacuumer. That's why I'm using two intakes and one outtake. I'm getting a filter finish for the top fan I need to drill a hole for, to preserve the nice finish of the case. I found a fan filter/grill that's perfect.
Last but not least, I'm gonna try a Filco Tenkeyless keyboard. It's a mechanical keyboard that got great reviews. I'm getting the brown switch.
Masta?
