A word to the wise

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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

My next computer build: Part 6 (Motherboard & CPU)

Well, I just couldn't hold out. There were too many unkown variables and it was making me a little nuts. I found a pretty good deal on the Intel i7 4770k ($319 from Hooper Computer in Texas) and a fair deal on the ASUS Maximus VI Hero ($228 on Amazon). That leaves me $100 for a Blu-ray/DVD/CD Read/Write Drive and I will be within budget ($1200) for a damned buttery general purpose machine.
So, here's what we got so far:

$99 Case: Antec P280
$139 PSU: SeaSonic SS-520FL2 520W
$75 CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
$240 Storage: 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD
$319 CPU: Intel i7 4770k
$228 Motherboard: ASUS Maximus VI Hero

Running total $1,100

Is it overkill for my purposes? I couldn't really fault someone for thinking that, but it's pragmatic overkill. Remember, my original objectives were: versatility, efficiency, quality, the ability to accommodate future developments and a potentially long life-span. I think I nailed it. I believe it has the potential to remain a viable system for the next 8-10 years or so.

I may add a decent discrete GPU and an HDD for storage to round things up, but that was never included in the budget in the first place and shouldn't count against it. I'll have the option of upgrading to Broadwell if it seems worth it in a couple of years, so there's that.

I've already started setting monies aside (something I'm very, very good at) for future upgrades, maintenance and builds. Prepare for the unexpected is a pretty good rule of thumb to live by, I always say. If nothing unexpected ever happens, hey, fun money!

Anyway, I'll come back and add some links to stuff in this post later. I just wanted to get this logged while I was thinking about it.

Once I get my optical drive and get this thing put together and up and running, I'll post a more comprehensive overview with some benchmarks and hindsight perspectives.

UPDATE: I just purchased the Asus BW-14D1XT optical drive for $100 so I should have this buttery bitch all lathered up and screaming for mercy in a few of days.
 
BTW, I almost forgot to mention memory. I have a spare 2 x 8GB set of 1600 Kingston HyperX Reds and a 4 x 4GB set of 2400 G.Skill Trident X series I pulled out of other machines a while back. I need to check compatibility, but I think one or the other should work. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to go over budget and it may take a while longer because I just spent a chunk of change on a bunch of 0.5 oz silver rounds @ < $19.00/oz. and it will take a little while to reallocate some funds.

 
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