Suggestions/Advice on my Ocelot based build?

Hardware Build a PC
1

I loved the Ocelot build on TS and was using that as the base for a new desktop build I've been wanting to put together.

My basic desire is for something that will run the pants off Lightroom and Photoshop and could also be used for some light gaming (short of Defense Grid on Steam I don't have a ton of time right now for gaming) no interest in OC the CPU.

My requirements are (in order of preference/importance):

1. Quiet - my current (and first build ever, has serious fan sound)

2. form factor - I don't need something with a dozen HD bays - I'm thinking of a boot SSD (120/240 or 2 120GBs in Raid0?) and then maybe two 3.5" drives for storage (it'll connect to a networked NAS with 12GB)

3. Aesthetics - It's always nice when it looks nice - but I'm more into a subtle look - no side windows no lighting

4. Cost-ish (I'm not terribly price sensitive as I seem to do a build every 5 years)

Set up is that its driving to two 24" Asus monitors that I'll be upgrading to 27" IPS Asus or the like in the near future (like the ones shown in the Ocelot build).

In regards to this last point, one of the things I wasn't so sure about on the Ocelot build was the N200 case - I'd been looking at the Fractal Arc Mini/Midi or the compact version of the R4 that they have but they either didn't support a dual fan cooler (do I even need one?) or, frankly, seemed a little dated (I love the R4 but it's straight up to big/heavy/overkill).

This is what I have so far for parts:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Q9F2

I'd love some expert opinions on what to change and especially if there is a case out there that you think I might be better off with instead of the CoolerMaster N200. 

2

A few things : first buy a 16GB kit and not 2x 8 gb , because there can be compatability issues .

H100i and noctua nf-p12 , the most silence you will get .

I have no idea for the case :/

Psu : if you want silence , the CORSAIR RM series is great , choose a psu if you want / don't want xFire .

Motherboard : don't waste more than 160$ on it , all you will ever see is the features . So i would go with a motherboard that has M.2 and get an M.2 Drive to go alon with it . http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-M500-240GB-6Gbps-Internal/dp/B00HBKN2GG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1401000827&sr=8-2&keywords=m.2

the extra $$$ you will have saved can get you 4 gb of r9 290 goodness maybe .

3

If no Xfire psu : http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-rm650

If xFire then get 850w corsair RM .

4

there are a lot of things you can save on your build.

This would give you the excact performance a a cheaper price, and would be more silent + this includes a 240GB SSD + 2 1 TB WD Black HDD's : http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Qwdt


Just 1 thing also. I would not suggest to go with CFX, it brings too many problems and scaling is never perfect... A much better option is to go for 1 single more powerful GPU.

 

Here would be the same build with  R9 290: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Qwfi


Hope i helped :)

5

Zero reason to go higher than h87 on your chip set with a non over lockable xeon... dunno if the h97 is out yet but its an option... watercooling the cpu is pointless... more parts to fail no cooling improvement more expensive louder... also agree with buy a 16GB kit...

6

Hi - apologies for the question but what is CFX? I like that H97 board - I don't see if it supports and M2 drive - any thoughts on whether that is desirable?

Also - is the bump from the r9 280 to the r9 290 significant?

Appreciate the suggestions.

7

Thanks for the suggestions.  I love the idea of the M2 board - also the future proofing of a H97 board - is there one that you like?

Thanks for the thoughts.

8

I like the idea of being able to upgrade the processor on the h97 potentially.  So you think that something like the Noctua NH-U125 is a better way to go that a radiator cpu cooler.  

I did have a question on the RAM - so buying two 8GB sticks is better than buying 4 4GB sticks?  Is 32 GB totally overkill and if not am I going to run into the same compatibility problems?  Thanks for the advice.

9

One more question:

I did have a question on the RAM - so buying two 8GB sticks is better than buying 4 4GB sticks?  Is 32 GB totally overkill and if not am I going to run into the same compatibility problems (4 sticks vs 2)?  Thanks for the advice.

10

Decided to get my elbows dirty... this is what I would build... http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Rh04

CPU: As fast of a Xeon as you can buy without jumping into i7 price points

Cooler: More than sufficient, silent cooler that won't eat up all your space on a mATX board... silent and pretty...

Mobo: MSI motherboard that supports all memory speeds... the ASRock board supports more SATA ports, but how many do you need in a mATX build? That and the ASRock board is ugly... ASUS' h97 boards are gorgeous but just too expensive without reason for being... 

RAM: Quality, low CAS 2x8 DDR3-1866 memory... hope you like blue... it's kind of blue themed at this point :P

Storage: Solid 240GB SSD, and HDDs are HDDs... they either have a record of failing or they don't... they're slow, but that's the nature of a HDD... no reason to spend $40 more on Blacks IMHO

GPU: Some people don't like XFX GPUs cause they're locked... but they're sexy, have great customer service, and a quiet cooler that does it's job... that and the price is just phenomenal for a 290...

Case: Sexy case, I also like the Define mini if that's more your style... it'll likely be a bit quieter due to the sound dampening foam... also a fan of this one http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nanoxia-case-nxds4b ... if you want sound dampening, get whichever is cheaper between the Nanoxia NXDS4B and the Fractal Design Define Mini... keep in mind you'll need to take out the middle drive cages to fit a 290 in either these two cases, which will leave you 3 cages for the SSD and HDDs (I believe they also have other places you could stash the SSD as well)... the 350D is a bit bigger than the other two, but it's got enough elbow room and then some for everything to fit without re-configuring anything in the case...

PSU: Seasonic is the epitome of a reliable, quiet PSU...

 

To answer your question... unless you're using socket 2011, motherboards only support dual channel memory. That means having a 4x4 setup is just doubling the failure points with no real benefit... also, should you ever need 32GB of memory, you'd be locked into buying a 32GB kit instead of another 16GB kit... When memory is manufactured, it's matched at the factory, which is why people are telling you to buy "16GB kits" instead of 2 1x8GB  sticks... it's not entirely necessary, as I've used all kinds of different ram in computers before with no problems, but it CAN create instability issues if memory doesn't match up correctly... should you ever upgrade, it SHOULDN'T be a problem, but there's always a chance of it...

As for do you need 32GB of memory? No... not currently for what you're doing... Could it ever be viable to need 32GB? Sure, it's just not something I would invest in right now... installing another 16GB kit later is also one of the easiest upgrades you could ever perform... tab, tab, tab, tab, click, click, done... 

Hope I helped...

11

Dude/ette - that's awesome - I really appreciate the time.  Thank you so much.  I hope to be able to pay it forward someday.

Again, much appreciated.