Replacement parts/rig after a PSU blast

A

AlexisBV

n00b
Joined
Jul 7, 2007
Messages
30
About a week ago my 5-year-old HX620W decided to spill it's capacitor juices (luckily, contained in the PSU casing), but after replacing the PSU with a brand new one, it appears my mobo is kaputt as well. So I'm looking into building a new rig.


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Mostly gaming (TF2, Skyrim, FSX, other new-ish stuff). HD video editing.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

Hopefully not exceeding $1000 canadian

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.


Montreal, Canada

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

1 - CPU (3770K ?)
2 - Mobo (P8Z77-V Pro?)
3 - RAM - I got a feeling 16Gb will be fine, but would like to have room for more down the road.
4 - Maybe GPU - Thinking of getting a twin-monitor setup, though for that I need a new GPU as my current one only has one DVI output. It does have a unused HDMI output though…
5 - Maybe Case. I like my current one, but I'm extremely lazy with cable management, and I think I might have an easier time with a full-size tower. My NZXT Hush keeps things nice and quiet, but now I have a dedicated corner for the PC so it doesn't need to be uber-quiet anymore. But I don't like tornado noises either, so something well-ventilated with quiet (big) fans would be appreciated. If I get a new case, it'll be bought locally (microbytes, sohodiffusion, etc.), since my Hush got dents from shipping…

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

-A very new HX750W PSU
-Tuniq Tower that's currently on my Q6600. Can it be reused on the new CPU?
-2 not-so-young HDDs (SATA)
-DVD burner (it's not SATA though, so I might ditch it if the old interface isn't supported by the new mobo)
-Current GPU is a eVGA GTS250 1Gb
-Current case is a NZXT Hush.

6) Will you be overclocking?

Probably not enough to justify extra spending

7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

24" 1920x1080. Possibly will become a dual-monitor setup.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Within the next week or so, as my current rig is kaputt (blown PSU, looks like mobo as well though no visible damage to the second)

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.

No RAID, Firewire is so 2000's, Not sure about SLI though. It seems that not many games (other that FSX) really use more than one screen, and FSX is not really GPU-intensive. USB 3.0 would be nice, don't care about onboard video. Latest SATA support is a plus for future-proofness

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

I have a Vista 64 license, but for the new build I'm leaning towards getting a Win 7 OS (64 bit).


Let me know your thoughts...
 
Here's my suggestions....

3770k
Asus Sabertooth Z77
GSkill Ripjaws 4x4GB 1600 DDR3 1.5v
Saphire HD7950

Get the new NZXT Switch 810. I have one, and its one badass case. The cable managment is the best I've ever seen.

Vista? WTF? Get Win 7 64
 
LOL vista, don't touch that trash. WIn 7 64 Ultimate you will get OK :)
 
How much video editing are you actually doing? Like it takes up 50% or more of the time you've spend on the PC?

Do you actually need all of the extra features of the P8Z77-V Pro over the P8Z77-V or even the P8Z77-V LK? From what you've said so far, it appears that the Asus P8Z77-V LK should fit your needs fine.

As for your planned dual monitor setup, that GTS 250 can do dual monitors as is since you can connect a second monitor via the HDMI port. If the GTS 250 is currently meeting your gaming needs, then no need to replace it. If you want more gaming performance, I'd recommend the HD 7850 2GB at the minimum.

As for your current HSF, it's a yes and no situation: Yes you can reuse that HSF if you get the Tuniq LGA 1156 bracket/adapter for that HSF. Unfortunately, as far as I can see, that adapter isn't available in Canada. Hell it's hard to find that bracket/adapter here in the U.S. So you're better off getting a new HSF. I recommend the Coolermaster Hyper 212+.

Yes you will need to get a new SATA burner as your current mobo won't work with a lot of motherboards. Just get the cheapest SATA DVD burner you can find and you're set.

Definitely get Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit.
 
Thanks guys for the feedback, just back from a weekend away from civilization, will go through your suggestions to check the details.

Motley, how's the fan noise out of your NZXT 810? It seems to be designed with both air and water cooling in mind. Everything in life is a compromise, and since I don't plan on doing water cooling, I don't want to sacrifice any airflow optimizations for the sake of being water-cooling-compatible, which won't be a benefit for me.

Danny, I'll have a better look at the feature list for those models. Thanks for the pointers. Once again I don't need a whole lot of features but sometimes the top-of-the-line parts are better built as well, and that has more value to me than a ton of features. But you can't often dissociate those two (features and build/component quality)..

Too bad for the Tuniq Tower, I really like it, even though I cut my finger on it when I installed it... it's efficient, quiet and easy to clean. Same CPU temps today as when I got it 5 years ago.


PS: I'm feeling a lot of love for Vista here in the forums... :D
 
Looks like the P8Z77-V LK might be a good candidate. Not sure about how robust it is compared to the more expensive ones. Also, I remember ASUS as being a reliable brand, but from what I read from another thread here at HF looks like their customer service has gone to hell.

Just measured my desk, and as far as the case is concerned I'm limited to 54 cm height (it's an Ikea Galant desk with a Summera computer holder). Unless I set the case straight on the floor, which I'd rather avoid since it's in a basement and you never know if a big rain+power outage will flood your basement.. Unfortunately the NZXT 810 is too tall. Looking at other offerings from NZXT.
 
Skillz, with my late rig, something like 5-8 projects per year. A project will keep me busy for 2-4 weeks depending on complexity. If processing times can be reduced appreciably by better specs, I might do more. Not more than 50% of the total time though.
 
Well here is the deal.

That i7 3770k main feature over the i5 3570k is the fact that is has hyper threading. This hyper threading does nearly nothing for games; but for encoding/decoding videos it will provide a descent speed boost. If you are doing video editing as a job (IE you're getting paid for it) then it's definitely worth the extra cost over an i5, since the faster you get the job done the sooner you can get paid.

However, if you aren't being paid and/or do not do very much editing of videos then go with the i5 3570k. It will perform identical in gaming as the i7. It will also do video editing, but you'll get results a little faster with the i7.
 
Thanks for the input Skillz, much appreciated. I do get paid for my work, though it's something I do on the side as it's not nearly enough to make a living.

I'll have some thinking to do as the 3770K is significantly more expensive than the 3570K ($330 vs $230). I see there's a 3770 (not K) that's about $30 cheaper, but it doesn't say "unlocked" and is 3.4Ghz instead of 3.5Ghz. I wonder if it's worth it.

To summarize what's been suggested so far:

CPU: 3570K ($230)
Mobo: Asus P8Z77-V LK ($130)
RAM: 4x4Gb GSkill F3-12800CL9D 1.5V (2x $40 = $80)
GPU: Asus HD 7950 DC2T 3GD5 ($330)

0$ shipping

(prices rounded up from Directcanada.com)

$770 total

+ maybe new case
+ new air cooler
+ Win 7

Out of a budget of $1000

Sounds about right?

I think I could probably drop the GPU (and keep my GTS250) to put the money on other better components...
 
I would check out the 670 GTX. Its about the same price but performs better than a 7950 in most cases.

The non "K" version simply doesn't have an unlocked multiplier. Since you aren't overclocking, it's what we would recommend anyway. You can overclock it up to like 3.9Ghz or so, but above 4.0Ghz is a no go on the non "K" version. So you could get the non "K" version, overclock it to 3.5Ghz and be the same as the "K" version. Worth saving the $30 since you are not overclocking.

As for doing it on the side, guess it just depends how often you do it and how tight your deadlines are. If you're free to take a good while to get the job accomplished, I'd grab the i5. If they put a time limit on you of any sort, I'd probably opt for the i7.
 
Just got my parts in the mail yesterday, I'm not done reassembling things yet but so far so good.

However, I'd like to point out for anyone interested that the CoolerMaster Evo doesn't fit well with the Corsair Ripjaws RAM sticks if you leave the fan in the pusher configuration. With the Asus -LK mobo, the RAM slots are close enough to the CPU that there's (mechanical) interference between the fan and the top of the RAM heatsink.

So I'm switching the CPU fan to the other side of the cooler tower, to a pull configuration. Not sure it'll be as efficient though. I'll post temp results when all is up and running.
 
You can raise the fan a little bit to the point where it's essentially resting on top of the RAM. That'll work fine. In fact, I'm doing that exact same thing with that exact HSF and RAM.
 
Thanks Danny, I'll try that out.

I finished the basic assembly, and... the damn thing still won't turn on! I'm starting to wonder if my new PSU is defective? The symptom is that when I hook everything up, and press the power button, the case LED will flash once for a fraction of a second, and that's it. If I try again nothing happens. I need to switch off the PSU, and wait for the mobo's tiny green LED to fade out. Then if I switch the PSU back on again, the mobo's LED will turn back on (steady), then if I press the power button, same thing, the case led (and fans) flash on for a fraction of a second, then nada, nyet. No POST beeps, everything stays off (except for the mobo LED which is always on as long as the PSU is on). Bizarre... I'm pretty sure all the power connections are ok (CPU and Mobo).

On the previous build, before I swapped all the components (using the new PSU), I tried removing one component at a time (hard drives, GPU), and had the exact same result.

Bad PSU? How do I find out?
 
Try a different PSU if possible
Make sure that you connected everything.
Clear CMOS
Hit up the stickied "Basic Troubleshooting Guide" on what to do when the PC does not POST.
 
Man that sucks, I know the feeling of having assembled a great rig and then.....nothing :(

Go through all the cables, ensure you have remembered them all, last guy I helped had not noticed the P4 connector under the noctua heatsink, it behaved like you described short case led
flash and then nothing.

If all cables are connected, reseat memory and CPU.
 
Both the mobo and cpu power connectors are in place... And the only other PSUs I have around are a very old Enermax 350W that doesn't have compatible connectors, and the Corsair 620 that spilled it's capacitor juices.

I guess I'll take it to a computer shop for them to have a look... hope it doesn't cost me (much) :(

At least everything is still in warranty, but having to ship stuff back for an RMA sucks.
 
Well, is there anyplace in town that sells power supplies, not matter the cost, and has a decent return policy? if so the easiest thing would be to buy one there, plug it in and see if that solves the problem and then return it after finding out if your current PS is the issue or not.
 
It just keeps getting weirder and weirder...

I dug up a Antec 500 PSU I forgot I had, hooked it up (just mobo and cpu connectors), and it stayed on! So I figured the Corsair PSU was bad... I put the Corsair back just to check, and it powered on as well! :confused:

So I start replugging everything on the new Corsair, but now it won't power up anymore! Went back to square one, and retried the Antec, and it won't POST either anymore.

What's different is that now instead of just getting the green standby power LED on the mobo, I get a red EPU (not CPU) light as well, as soon as I turn on the PSU (before I try the case power switch). Hitting the case power switch does nothing at all now. I also get the GPU Boost red LED if the GPU is plugged in (it stays off if I remove the GPU).

Now I'm really puzzled, I can't find anything in the manual (or in google) to explain what these LEDs mean when applying power to the mobo (no, they don't respond to the GPU boost or EPU switches, they're always on).

I've been building my own rigs for 12 years and I never had these many issues :mad: I'm about to give up and take it to a computer shop to get a diagnosis, before I consider RMA'ing everything back.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top