OT System Recommendation Please

Kit wrote on 9/5/2012, 9:07 PM

I have a $600-$700 budget for a CPU, Motherboard and SSD. I'd like recommendations for what works well together running Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit. I don't intend to overclock. I'm looking for stability. USB3 support for front and back panels is a must. I want the bios to have the option to switch on the PC via the keyboard. The SSD is for the system only. I have 2 3TB Hitachi drives, 1 for data the other for backup (7200 rpm, 64MB Cache Sata 3 6Gb/s). I have a NVidia GTX550 Ti graphics card and an Onkyo Sound Card (Envy24 Family Audio Controller WDM). I have 24 GB of Corsair xms3 ddr3 ram. I use CorelDraw X6 daily. I also have Vegas 11, SoundForge 10 and Acid 7 and Dreamweaver 11 (CS5.5). Using Vegas is an important consideration. Suggestions please. Thanks.

Comments

john_dennis wrote on 9/6/2012, 12:50 PM

These are the parts that I used in my last build.

Read this thread for driver information.

Former user wrote on 9/6/2012, 1:00 PM

Here's what I built last week...looks a lot like what John used :)

(audio card and graphics card are mainstays from last build)

• CPU: Intel Core™i7 3770K
• Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V
• Graphics: PNY Quadro FX380
• Audio: RME HDSPe Multiface II
• Memory: 16 GB Kingston HyperX Genesis DDR3-1600MHz w/ Intel XMP
• Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST 24x DVD-RW Drive
• HD1: Crucial M4 2.5in SATA III Solid State Drive, 128GB
• HD2: Seagate 500GB Barracuda 7200.12
• HD3: Seagate 1TB Barracuda 7200.12
• Case: Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced
• PSU: Corsair HX 650 Professional Series
• OS: Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit SP1

This thing soars and is easily the smoothest, most solid DAW I have built in a long while.

Cheers,

VP

Tim20 wrote on 9/6/2012, 2:40 PM

Same here on the MB and CPU. Works like a charm. Biggest problem were the drivers on the included DVD would not load so I had to get them all from ASUS.

Kit wrote on 9/6/2012, 8:29 PM

Thanks, John and Vocalpoint. I'd been thinking about the i7 3770K but wasn't sure about the Motherboard. Can either of you confirm that the bios will allow power on from the keyboard (I don't mean from sleep mode but actual power on)? I read a review of the board <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-components/motherboards/asus-p8z77-v-pro-1078650/review" target="_blank">here</a> and it mentioned that USB connectivity was limited. I have a Corsair Carbide Series 500R Mid-Tower Case. Do you think I will be able to connect USB3 to my front panel?

john_dennis wrote on 9/6/2012, 11:55 PM

You may download the manual from the ASUS site.

On page 3-26, Power On By PS/2 Keyboard, the options are Space Bar, Control+Escape and Power Key.

There is a USB3 header on the front of the motherboard (Page 2-2) that you can use for a front mount USB3 header.

I think the P8Z77-V-Pro has more USB connectivity than a human could want, but I use other interfaces such as eSATA and Gb ethernet. I considered buying the motherboard version that has Thunderbolt but after more consideration, I decided to let that interface simmer for a while.

Kit wrote on 9/9/2012, 10:19 PM

Thanks, John. I tried using eSATA in the past but had bad experiences with it.

Former user wrote on 9/10/2012, 1:58 PM

Kit,

Not sure about Power On From Keyboard (since I have never used it)...but I do use the USB3 front panel action on my new Coolermaster 690 II Advanced (USB 3) model. It works perfectly with my the P8Z77-V. I have also plugged in a boataod of older USB 2 devices into the USB3 plugs and they all work fine.

And since 500R has USB3 front panel connectors - you should be good to go.

Cheers,

VP

Kit wrote on 9/11/2012, 9:58 PM

Thanks VP, you don't happen to know if Corsair XMS3 DDR3 memory can be used with the ASUS P8Z77-V motherboard? I downloaded the specs for the board but could only find XMP memory mentioned. I'm not sure of teh difference between XMP and XMS. Thanks.

john_dennis wrote on 9/11/2012, 10:24 PM

Kit,

I bought this memory kit in anticipation of buying a 3930 system which requires memory sticks in groups of four. They work just fine in the P8Z77-V-Pro. I bought them on a Black Friday sale for about $40 and just kept them around until I built the system.

If you buy the P8Z77-V-Pro and you want to leave two slots open for future expansion, you could use this kit. It will cost a little bit more, though.