Upgrading to I7 and Z77, need opinions...

[OrionNT]

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

*I will use this pc for work and play*

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

*No budget*

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

*IN*

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.

*CPU, RAM, Mobo, SSD, HD, DVD/BD, PS, Heatsink*

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

*Will buy new video cards later, will use 6850 for now*

6) Will you be overclocking?

*Yes*

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

*24" Dells x 2 1920 x 1200, going to replace with new 24"s or add 30"*

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

*now*

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.

*ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77*

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

*Need to upgrade to 64 bit win 7*



So far I have picked out:

Intel Core i7 3770K processor 3.5 4 LGA 1155 BX80637I73770K

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77

Corsair HX Professional Series 850-Watt 80 Plus- CMPSU-850HX

LITE-ON Blu-ray Burner with 3D Playback SATA iHBS212-08 LightScribe Support


Already bought this, LIAN LI PC-P80 Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case


I want at least 16gb ram and will buy 32gb if its worth it, I dont mind spending the extra money on any parts, just dont want to waste money if not worth it. Will also buy 2 video cards for SLI and want to make sure the power supply is enough for future upgrade. Thanks for any help!

 

[Dangman]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
*I will use this pc for work and play*

That's a pretty vague answer: What exactly does your work and play compose of?

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

*IN*

What does this mean? IN what?

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.

*ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77*

Why this motherboard?

Corsair HX Professional Series 850-Watt 80 Plus- CMPSU-850HX

That PSU is actually a bit overkill for even Crossfire or SLI. A solid 750W and even 650W PSU would be enough GTX 680 SLI or HD 7870 CFX.

Already bought this, LIAN LI PC-P80 Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

That really wasn't a good choice for a case for the money for the following reasons:
1) Little to no cable management
2) No cutout in the motherboard tray for a CPU heatsink bracket
3) No cooling on the side whatsoever near the GPU. Vitally important considering your plan for SLI

A lot of newer and better quality cases these days have the features I mentioned yet are significantly cheaper or of the same price. So can you return the case?

 

[OrionNT]

I bought the case awhile ago for $150. Overclocking is not my main goal, but would like to play with it. Simply put, I want a very powerful PC and money is not a big issue. I dont do much pc gaming, but I work all day on the computer from home and the faster the better. IN = INdiana. I dont mind spending a little extra on parts like the power supply. I saw the 750 was only $20 less than 850, but then again the 650w is much less. I have had good luck with Asus in the past and that mobo seems to have good reviews. Thanks for the quick response.

 

[DJ Big T]

My opinion? Looks good to me. You can always water-cool or mod the case to cool your GPU better or get some nice fans. For example, I have the best fans money can buy in my case, but no fan on the side panel of my case. Danny's comment on the case seems largely unfounded, IMO. With patience and planning you can make that case work for you.

 

[E4g1e]

I have had good luck with Asus in the past and that mobo seems to have good reviews.

I'd hate to break this to you, but Asus's RMA support has been seriously troublesome in recent years: If you end up with a defective board, Asus' USA RMA center (in Jeffersonville, IN) has had a history of ineptitude. They take far too long to even process an RMA, and then they send you back someone else's broken mobo unrepaired. That's the big reason why I am extremely hesitant on recommending any Asus motherboard to anyone at this time.

In addition to the poor RMA service, the Sabertooth Z77 is fairly expensive for the features that it has.

 

[Dangman]

I bought the case awhile ago for $150.

Ahhh good. Not bad but not great either. At least you didn't pay $250 which would have been a stupid rip-off.

Simply put, I want a very powerful PC and money is not a big issue. I dont do much pc gaming, but I work all day on the computer from home and the faster the better.

If your usage involves a lot of video, audio, or 3D editing/rendering or a lot virtualization or a ton of multi-threaded programming, then the 3770K would be a solid choice. But if you're just web browsing and gaming, the i5 3570K would be more than enough.

IN = INdiana.

Yeah you didn't put down USA so couldn't tell what you were trying to go for.

I dont mind spending a little extra on parts like the power supply. I saw the 750 was only $20 less than 850, but then again the 650w is much less.

Well it's your money.

I have had good luck with Asus in the past and that mobo seems to have good reviews. Thanks for the quick response.

That Asus is a good mobo but it's a bit pricey for what it offers IMO. In addition, Asus' customer support has been going down the drain latel. Just look around this forum and you'll see a lot more than usual complaints about Asus' customer support. For those two factors, I'd recommend this Gigabyte instead:
$200 - Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard

 

[OrionNT]

What about ram? I noticed some sticks may cause problems with aftermarket heat sink clearance. I dont do any video editing or photochop, but would like to have plenty of ram. Is 32gb completely overkill? G skill? Corsair? speed? Win7 64 bit is a ram whore isnt it?

I will have to do some research on heat sinks. I havent had the time like I used to on keeping up with new technologies.

I am also new to SSD, but I know I need one for my OS.

I have noticed complaints with asus rma. Like I said I have had good luck, but sounds like their quality control isnt the same, but that board does look bad ass too.

I am sure the I5 is enough, but if I am building a new pc, its gonna have the latest chip in it.

 

[Dangman]

What about ram? I noticed some sticks may cause problems with aftermarket heat sink clearance. I dont do any video editing or photochop, but would like to have plenty of ram. Is 32gb completely overkill? G skill? Corsair? speed? Win7 64 bit is a ram whore isnt it?

Windows 7 is not a RAM whore. It loves RAM but it actually uses it well. The adage "unused RAM is wasted RAM" applies. Anyway, 32GB is complete overkill unless you're doing a lot "video, audio, or 3D editing/rendering or a lot virtualization or a ton of multi-threaded programming" If you're not doing any of that, 16GB of RAM will be fine. I recommend this RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231534

I will have to do some research on heat sinks. I havent had the time like I used to on keeping up with new technologies.

I recommend this heatsink:
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156

I am also new to SSD, but I know I need one for my OS.

Right now, the best deal for a solid and reliable SSD would be this:
$125 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD

 

[OrionNT]

Thanks!

 

[OrionNT]

Well everything is ordered. Going to pick up the cpu (sold out at amazon and newegg) and heatsink at frys and everything else should be here tomorrow from newegg and amazon.

Intel Core i7 3770K Boxed 3.5GHz 3rd Generation Processor

ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL

Corsair HX Professional Series 750-Watt 80 Plus Certified Power Supply Compatible with Core i7 and Core i5 - CMPSU-750HX

LITE-ON Blu-ray Burner with 3D Playback SATA iHBS212-08 LightScribe Support

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Cooler Master Hyper 212 plus Cooler

Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-bit - OEM

Already have this, LIAN LI PC-P80 Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

 

[Dangman]

Good luck with Asus.

 

[OrionNT]

This setup is awesome, 4.5ghz and up

 

[Dangman]

Nice.

 

[OrionNT]

Thanks for the help Danny, luvin it.