Desktop PC with Intel Core i7-4770K and ASUS Z87 Pro

I'm putting together a rig for some audio recording and light video work. I'm planning to run Windows on one SSD, then stripe two other SSDs together for my samples. Looking for some advice on the setup and what kind of budget I should expect—I've **bolded** the parts I absolutely need, though I might swap out the RAM if something better pops up.

1. Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K
2. Motherboard: ASUS Z87-PRO (C2
3. Corsair Vengeance Low Profile Black DIMM Kit 16GB, DDR3-1600, CL10-10-10-27 (CML16GX3M2A1600C10)
4. 3 x Corsair SSD SATA 3 Force GT 128GB
5. COOLERMASTER Hyper 212 EVO
6. Seagate Barracuda 7200
7. ASUS DRW-24F1ST
8. Power Supply: EVGA 700W or Corsair Builder Series CX600M 600W
9. Case: Zalman Z3 Plus or Thermaltake V8000W
10. Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit

I'm leaning toward a beefier power supply just in case I decide to throw an NVIDIA GTX 760 or an NVIDIA GTX 770 in there later down the road.

Mark Grant said:I'm putting together a rig for audio recording and some light video work. One SSD will run Windows, and I want to stripe two other SSDs for my samples. Looking for config advice and pricing. Bolded items are mandatory, though I might swap the RAM.

1. CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K
2. Motherboard: ASUS Z87-PRO (C2
3. Corsair Vengeance Low Profile Black DIMM Kit 16GB, DDR3-1600, CL10-10-10-27 (CML16GX3M2A1600C10)
4. 3 x Corsair SSD SATA 3 Force GT 128GB
5. COOLERMASTER Hyper 212 EVO
6. Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 3TB (ST3000DM001) for data
7. ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS
8. PSU: EVGA 700W or Corsair Builder Series CX600M 600W
9. Case: Zalman Z3 Plus or Thermaltake V8000W
10. Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit

Going bigger on the PSU just in case I drop in an NVIDIA GTX 760 or NVIDIA GTX 770 later.

This looks fine, but you don't need a 600W or 700W unit.
A solid 550W power supply is plenty.
Try something like this:

By the way, what's the budget?
Paying cash or using a card?
Buying online or hitting up a local shop?

I'm paying cash for this, so what's the damage on the budget?

How much is this gonna run me once I get Windows 8.1 Professional installed?

Also, any good suggestions for a quiet power supply and a solid cooler?

Mark Grant said:I'm paying cash, but what's the budget?

What's the damage for installing Windows 8.1 Professional?

And any ideas for a quiet PSU and cooler?

1 x ASUS Z87-PRO, 1150, Intel Z87, DDR3, 4 slots
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz, Haswell
2 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingston, HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, CL10
3 x Samsung 840 EVO 120GB, SSD, 120 GB, 2.5"
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200 HDD 3TB, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, 64MB
1 x Seasonic S12G-550 Gold, 550W, active PFC
1 x ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
1 x Zalman Z3 Plus WHITE mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm.
1 x Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA, CPU cooler. FAN: 120mm, fan speed:1000rpm
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional, 64-bit, English 1pk, DSP, OE DVD, FQC-06949

$3177
www.newegg.com

If I were in your shoes, I’d probably lean toward the Z97 boards and those Haswell refresh processors. Since the Z97 chipset is expected to support the latest Broadwell CPUs—at least according to the rumors floating around about Intel's roadmap for the next six months—you'd actually be able to drop one of those newer chips into a Z97 board later on. It's really just about keeping your options open for the future, you know? 🙂

The refreshes have been out for a few days now (though the K versions aren't available yet), and it looks like the motherboards are already hitting the shelves. These refreshes apply to the older boards as well.

But honestly, it doesn't matter much; he should just go with whatever is cheaper. There's no point in him swapping an Intel Core i7-4770K for a Broadwell i7 anyway. When you're buying the flagship product, there really isn't much room left for an upgrade.

Do you happen to have any benchmarks handy? I was checking out YouTube, but it looks like Tech of Tomorrow hasn't posted anything yet—just the motherboard reviews. It seems like Linus Tech Tips is in the same boat...

A benchmark for what? They basically just padded their lineup with models that have an extra 100MHz
i5-4440-3.10GHz, i5-4460-3.20 and so on...

I assume this is what you're looking for, tested with a dedicated GPU. The differences are negligible (for instance, 112.7 vs 113fps), all because of that extra 100MHz boost.

Look, I get it—the differences are pretty minor... It’s just that I’m really curious to see some actual tests or benchmarks. 😁

Since you need serious muscle for your workload, I’ve put together a build featuring a much faster and more powerful processor. I decided to go with the LGA 2011 socket because that’s where you'll truly see the performance benefits across all your professional applications. I also included an NVIDIA GTX 760 right away, since this specific CPU doesn't have integrated graphics. Everything else follows your exact specifications. Consider this a blueprint; if you have the budget, grab it, but don't feel pressured if you don't!

1xIntel Core i7-4930K Extreme Edition (3.4GHz, 12MB,LGA 2011) box
1xMSI X79-GD65-8D, LGA 2011, D3, S3, USB 3.0, FW, SLI, Dr
1xMSI MSI Video Card NVIDIA GTX 760 GAMING GDDR5 2GB/256bit, 1006MHz/6008MHz, PCI-E 3.0 x16, DP, HDMI, 2xDVI, VGA Cooler (Double Slot), Retail
1xEnermax ETS-T40-Black Twister CPU cooler
1xFortron Aurum S PSU 600W, 80+ GOLD
2xKingston DDR3 1600MHz, C11, 8GB
3xADATA SSD disk ADATA 128GB, XPG SP900, 2.5" SATA 3, ASP900S3-128GM-C SSD 128BG XPG SP900, Capacity 128 GB
1xToshiba DT01ACA300, HDD 3TB Capacity, 7200rpm, 6 Gb s SATA Interface, Buffer Size 64MB
1xASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS, 90DD0190-B10000
1xZalman Z3 Plus mid tower case
1xMicrosoft Windows 8.1 Professional 64-bit

Total:$4480 Discount 24

Keith Wright2 said:Since you need this for work, I built it with a much faster, beefier processor. I went with the LGA 2011 socket because that’s the only way you'll actually feel the power in your software. I threw in an NVIDIA GTX 760 too, since this CPU doesn't have integrated graphics. Everything else follows your list. This is just a blueprint—take it if you've got the cash, skip it if you don't.

1xIntel Core i7-4930K Extreme Edition (3.4GHz, 12MB,LGA 2011) box
1xMSI X79-GD65-8D,LGA 2011,D3,S3,USB 3.0,FW,SLI,Dr
1xMSI Video Card NVIDIA GTX 760 GAMING GDDR5 2GB/256bit, 1006MHz/6008MHz, PCI-E 3.0 x16, DP, HDMI, 2xDVI, VGA Cooler (Double Slot), Retail
1xEnermax ETS-T40-Black Twister CPU cooler
1xFortron Aurum S PSU 600W,80+ GOLD
2xKingston DDR3 1600MHz,C11, 8GB
3xADATA SSD disk ADATA 128GB, XPG SP900, 2.5" SATA 3, ASP900S3-128GM-C SSD 128BG XPG SP900, Capacity 128 GB
1xToshiba DT01ACA300, HDD 3TB Capacity, 7200rpm, 6 Gb s SATA Interface, Buffer Size 64MB
1xASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS, 90DD0190-B10000
1xZalman Z3 Plus mid tower case
1xMicrosoft Windows 8.1 Professional 64-bit

Total:$4480 Discount 24

Isn't that a bit overkill? 😁

Robert Rodriguez2 said:aren't you exaggerating just a little bit? 😁

I only suggested it as an example to help him visualize things; he certainly isn't obligated to buy it.

🙂 🙂

Keith Wright2 said:Since you mentioned needing serious power for work, I went ahead and built this with a much faster, beefier processor—I opted for the LGA 2011 platform because that’s really where you’ll see the performance shine in all those heavy applications. I also threw in an NVIDIA GTX 760 right away, since this specific CPU doesn't have integrated graphics. Everything else follows exactly what you asked for; consider this a blueprint. If you've got the budget, go for it—if not, don't sweat it!

1xIntel Core i7-4930K Extreme Edition (3.4GHz, 12MB, LGA 2011) box
1xMSI X79-GD65-8D, LGA 2011, D3, S3, USB 3.0, FW, SLI, Dr
1xMSI Video Card NVIDIA GTX 760 GAMING GDDR5 2GB/256bit, 1006MHz/6008MHz, PCI-E 3.0 x16, DP, HDMI, 2xDVI, VGA Cooler (Double Slot), Retail
1xEnermax ETS-T40-Black Twister CPU cooler
1xFortron PCMag S PSU 600W, 80+ GOLD
2xKingston DDR3 1600MHz, C11, 8GB
3xADATA SSD disk ADATA 128GB, XPG SP900, 2.5" SATA 3, ASP900S3-128GM-C SSD 128BG XPG SP900, Capacity 128 GB
1xToshiba DT01ACA300, HDD 3TB Capacity, 7200rpm, 6 Gb s SATA Interface, buffer size 64MB
1xASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS, 90DD0190-B10000
1xZalman Z3 PLUS mid tower case
1xMS Windows 8.1 Professional 64-bit US

Total:$4480 Discount 24

The parts I’ve highlighted are non-negotiable. I really want decent, quiet cooling since I’ll eventually be loading some music software onto an SSD that’s specifically tuned to work with these highlighted components. As for the case, anything works as long as there’s room to add extra fans later on. The main thing is that everything stays quiet—honestly, when you're trying to get in the zone with music, the last thing you want is a bunch of fan noise buzzing in your ears
.
Is it a dealbreaker if I don't stick strictly to DDR3, or do you guys have any better suggestions?

What exactly do you mean by that DDR3? 🤔

Can I mix in some different RAM? Is there going to be a huge difference in terms of quality, warranty, or anything else...

The stuff I listed in my build above was this:

Corsair Vengeance Low Profile Black DIMM Kit 16GB, DDR3-1600, CL10-10-10-27 (CML16GX3M2A1600C10)