RAM Question

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1

Sorry if this is not the correct place for this question.

I am trying to figure out a few things for the build I am thinking of doing.

I will be ripping blu rays to my hdd, playing games, and some video editing.

I am pretty much set on the Xeon 1320v2. I won't be overclocking my CPU, will have a dedicated GPU, and at $220ish you can't beat it IMO.

I plan on 8gb of RAM @ 1600mhz. Will this be enough for the task I will be doing or should I get more/faster RAM?

I was looking at getting the 7870ghz or the 7950. I want two or three 24" 1080p monitors but will only be gaming on one.

Is there any reason to get a z77 MoBo for this set up or should I save money and grab a H/B77?

Will a 700ish watt PSU be enough for this set up?

 

 

2

Ok, to start, why are you getting a Xeon for gaming? As far as I know, that is a terrible idea. Though I could be wrong.

That RAM should be fine, though watch the CL (you want 9 or lower) and make sure the voltage is 1.5

I would say you probably want a 7950 for multidisplay, though you could probably get away with the 7870Ghz.

Will 700w be enough? I have no idea what a Xeon takes, but I would say probably. Unless it magically takes more than about 300w.

Also, isn't a Xeon LGA 2011? So don't you need a diferent chipset?

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The 1155 Xeon 1230v2 is basically a i7 (quad core w/ ht) without integrated graphics and no overclocking ability. It draws less power than the i7. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117286

Also this won't be a strictly gaming rig, that's why I opted for a little more power VS the normal 3570. 

4

Ok, that fair, I don't know much about gaming with a Xeon, but from what  I read in the last 3 min, it should work decently well...

I might even suggest you get a lower porwer supply, maybe a 5-600w PSU. But its not a big deal.

Good build over all.

5

How much power does a 7950 pull?

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not much.....Idle is around 102w and 284w under load

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5476/amd-radeon-7950-review/16

7

What about if it is overclocked? Isn't the 7950 close to 7970 performance with it overclocked.

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I'd put the minimum PSU wattage you get at 500W. But it's always welcome to get more. If you can fit a quality 600W and higher PSU in your build, that's great. If you can afford it, a 7950 is a decent bump from a 7870. But if you can't, a 7870 will get the job done, also since you're just gonna game on one monitor. If the programs you use for editing use CUDA, though, a 660/ Ti would be a better choice, but if it uses OpenCL, then the AMD options.

For the ram, you should balance it out between the clock speed and latency, since you're gonna be gaming and editing. You should try to get at least one with a latency of 9. If you can fit one in that has a lower latency( but still have a decent clock speed, that'll help a little in games), that will be better. You could benefit in editing from more ram, too.

But if you're just doing a little editing here and there, then an i5 might suit you better. 

Also, take a look at the FX-8350. It's faster in games compared to an i5 or i7( well, a lot of games), comparable to an i7 in a lot of editing programs( from benchmarks I've seen), and is much cheaper than those two or a Xeon. Plus, you can OC it like hell for more speed.

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Yes, it should get close to a stock 7970 when overclocked. But that's compared to a stock 7970, which means it( the 7970) can still be overclocked and reach speeds that a 7950 can't.

10

The i5 and the Xeon are very close price wise, so I figured I might as well get the more powerful processor. I really want to get the FX-8350.......I mean really want to get it. The FX is extremely powerful in certain areas but the Intel is just a more well rounded chip IMO. The benchmarks and reviews I have seen showed the 8350 and the i7 pretty close when it comes to multithread applications but the 8350 gets left behind in other areas. Maybe in the future I can get an AMD cpu :/