PC upgrade help!

[BlobVanDam]

I've pretty much thrashed my current PC into the ground, and while it's been a trooper, it's long overdue for burial at sea. Basically just the "big 4" of CPU/MB/RAM/GFX, and I'll be reusing my current case, drives, and PSU. My computer is used primarily for 3D/video work, so the CPU/RAM is the main priority of the upgrade, and I'm also conscious of the power usage and heat, because this thing will be used constantly.

Here's what I've got right now-

CPU - Intel i7 3770 - I have no interest in overclocking, so I believe it's probably a waste of money to get the 3770K for the price difference? Also not sure if the 3770 comes with a CPU fan? 
MB - ASRock Z77-EXTREME4
RAM - I figure I need DDR3 1600mhz memory, and I'm going with 16gb, so I'm thinking 2x8gb sticks to leave some free slots for potential future upgrade. Not sure exactly what RAM to get. It all looks like the same gibberish to me.
Graphics card - Leadtek nVidia Quadro 600 - I do zero gaming, and all out 3D performance actually isn't that important to what I do (it's all CPU), so for specifically what I do this seems to be the better overall option than the Geforce cards, plus the much low power consumption is just dandy.

I'm ordering all of my parts from a nearby store that has good prices for our area, plus it makes it easier for me if I need to return stuff (ie when I break shit ). If anyone could point out some good RAM options from their list, that would be swell-
https://arc.com.au/pub.php?f=x&gid=24153&p=group


Any comments/questions/suggestions from anyone else who builds their own PCs is welcome (and I know we have several here), as my last major upgrade was almost 5 years ago, and I'm sorta clueless, so I want to make sure this is all going to play nicely together.

[rumborak]

I was in the same position just recently, and what ended up happening was that I bought a combo deal of Mobo+CPU+RAM because I couldn't upgrade piece by piece anymore (everything was too old for that). Might be interesting to you too because then you know that it's all gonna jibe with each other.

rumborak

[lonestar]

... this thing will be used constantly.

Stating the obvious.

[BlobVanDam]

I was in the same position just recently, and what ended up happening was that I bought a combo deal of Mobo+CPU+RAM because I couldn't upgrade piece by piece anymore (everything was too old for that). Might be interesting to you too because then you know that it's all gonna jibe with each other.

rumborak

That's a good concept, and I don't think I've ever seen it before, at least here. Looks like my store just does the usual tower package deal, where you get the basic box without the peripherals.

[Nigerius Rex]

It looks like you know exactly what you want and you picked out excellent parts and brands as far as I can tell. The only thing I would recommend is not re-using your old power supply and potentially upgrading your older hard drive to ssd if you can afford it. To keep down on heat, buy an aftermarket cpu fan or cooling system, or invest in liquid cooling.

I have always been a Kingston fan myself, and I do not believe within the next four to five years that you will need anything more than 16gb unless I am mistaken about the intensity of 3d design work:
https://arc.com.au/pub.php?gid=24153&pid=42396&p=product

[BlobVanDam]

It looks like you know exactly what you want and you picked out excellent parts and brands as far as I can tell. The only thing I would recommend is not re-using your old power supply and potentially upgrading your older hard drive to ssd if you can afford it. To keep down on heat, buy an aftermarket cpu fan or cooling system, or invest in liquid cooling.

I have always been a Kingston fan myself, and I do not believe within the next four to five years that you will need anything more than 16gb unless I am mistaken about the intensity of 3d design work:
https://arc.com.au/pub.php?gid=24153&pid=42396&p=product

Thanks for the help.
My current PSU should be more than fine, as it's only a year or so old, and it's an Antec 520W (80+ certified), not some generic "500W" no name that came with the case. None of the new parts are power hungry (one reason I intentionally avoided gamer gfx cards that require their own substation), so the power consumption should give it a comfortable margin there. In fact, it will probably idle lower than my current machine. I'm really not looking to replace a PSU that I splurged out on only a year ago.

SSD isn't something I need or want at this stage, and this upgrade is already well over what I was initially planning to spend, so I'm trying to keep it to the bare essentials. My C drive is also quite new, and the last thing I need is a 4th HDD in there. For video work I desperately need the space more than speed. Maybe next time!

Do you know if the 3770 comes with its own fan? If not, you could recommend a good one, although I think water cooling is a bit overkill for a stock clocked CPU, no?  

As for RAM, I would sure hope that 16gb will be more than enough for the life of this computer, but video/3D work saps a lot of RAM, especially when working 720p or 1080p. 16gb is basically standard for that kind of work these days, so it's not unreasonable that at some point in the life of this PC I may need more RAM. I figure it's better to pay a couple of bucks more now for 8gb sticks to keep some slots free, than to need to actually take out existing RAM later and entirely replace it. Been there before with previous machines.
It doesn't look like they have 8gb sticks for Kingston though.

[Nigerius Rex]

Its all good then. The only reason I suggested a new psu and hd is because most people dont realize how significantly an old slow hd can affect performance or how long a psu lasts on average.

Do you know if the 3770 comes with its own fan?

Yeah, any boxed cpu will come with its own heat-sink and fan ready to be attached. If you aren't worried about overclocking ever and are going to at least basically maintain most of your components, and keep the machine in a decently ventilated area, then there really is no need for an aftermarket cooler. But here is an excellent one that your au website happen to carry should you decide to:
https://arc.com.au/pub.php?pid=42371&p=product

although I think water cooling is a bit overkill for a stock clocked CPU, no?

Water cooling isn't necessarily restricted to people overclocking. If your main concern is heat generation, then liquid cooling reduce it to nearly zero. And not having to listen to buzzing fans is always nice.

Kingston is merely a preference, any reputable brand like corsair or g.skill will be fine:
https://arc.com.au/pub.php?gid=24153&pid=43193&p=product

[Dr. DTVT]

You asking about computer stuff seems like the equivalent of lonestar asking for advice on how to cook a steak.

[BlobVanDam]

Its all good then. The only reason I suggested a new psu and hd is because most people dont realize how significantly an old slow hd can affect performance or how long a psu lasts on average.

I've seriously lost count of how many PSU failures I've had, so I know how long a PSU lasts. Took me long enough to finally buy a decent one though!

Do you know if the 3770 comes with its own fan?

Yeah, any boxed cpu will come with its own heat-sink and fan ready to be attached. If you aren't worried about overclocking ever and are going to at least basically maintain most of your components, and keep the machine in a decently ventilated area, then there really is no need for an aftermarket cooler. But here is an excellent one that your au website happen to carry should you decide to:
https://arc.com.au/pub.php?pid=42371&p=product

For that price I would definitely consider it. How much difference is that going to make over the stock one? Even though I'm not overclocking, there will be extended periods where the CPU will be running at 100% usage for hours at a time, perhaps overnight, so I guess I shouldn't be so quick to dismiss aftermarket cooling options.

although I think water cooling is a bit overkill for a stock clocked CPU, no?

Water cooling isn't necessarily restricted to people overclocking. If your main concern is heat generation, then liquid cooling reduce it to nearly zero. And not having to listen to buzzing fans is always nice.

Doesn't water cooling have fans? Geez, I really know nothing about it. I still have visions of big water pipes leaking water everywhere. I didn't consider noise though. Quietness would be a selling point to me for the right price.

Kingston is merely a preference, any reputable brand like corsair or g.skill will be fine:
https://arc.com.au/pub.php?gid=24153&pid=43193&p=product

Thanks. Do I really need DDR3-2133? I thought that anything above 1600 would gain me nothing extra. Would something like this work just as well?
https://arc.com.au/pub.php?gid=24163&pid=41126&p=product

RAM all looks the same to me.  All I know is the speed.

Thanks for all the help so far!

[Nigerius Rex]

How much difference is that going to make over the stock one?

It depends on the environment inside the case, but just by nature of their larger fans and much larger surface area and more complex heatsinks, they dissipate heat much more efficiently than the much smaller stock heatsink. Your temperatures will vary depending on your cleaning habits and what you are doing at the moment, but lower under load is always better and a larger aftermarket cooler is guaranteed to give you lower temperatures. Lower temperatures also mean less stress and that translates to longevity.

Doesn't water cooling have fans?

Water cooling only needs one to cool the water from the radiator, but it would only generate a fraction of the noise that a large cpu fan, case fans, and gpu fan would. Probably best to stick with air cooling for now though because they can be expensive if you're trying to be budget conscious.
 

Thanks. Do I really need DDR3-2133?

That was my bad, the website is a little slow for me and I couldn't see any 2x8 sticks in the first page so I just did a quick search and linked the first thing that matched. Are your sticks 2x4 or 2x8, the description is a little vague but the picture shows 2 sticks.

[slycordinator]

Also, the radiator doesn't necessarily have a fan. Zalman makes a resevoir and radiator in one package that cools by radiant heat with no fans. Granted, it's external, massive, and expensive.

[BlobVanDam]

How much difference is that going to make over the stock one?

It depends on the environment inside the case, but just by nature of their larger fans and much larger surface area and more complex heatsinks, they dissipate heat much more efficiently than the much smaller stock heatsink. Your temperatures will vary depending on your cleaning habits and what you are doing at the moment, but lower under load is always better and a larger aftermarket cooler is guaranteed to give you lower temperatures. Lower temperatures also mean less stress and that translates to longevity.

Cool (no pun intended). I'll probably add it to my parts list then.

Thanks. Do I really need DDR3-2133?

That was my bad, the website is a little slow for me and I couldn't see any 2x8 sticks in the first page so I just did a quick search and linked the first thing that matched. Are your sticks 2x4 or 2x8, the description is a little vague but the picture shows 2 sticks.

Yeah, the site isn't the most reliable. I'm pretty sure it's a 1x8 stick from the description. Sometimes the pics aren't 100% accurate, so when in doubt it's best to just trust the description. There are others with much clearer descriptions I could get anyway.

[faizoff]

I've pretty much thrashed my current PC into the ground, and while it's been a trooper, it's long overdue for burial at sea. Basically just the "big 4" of CPU/MB/RAM/GFX, and I'll be reusing my current case, drives, and PSU. My computer is used primarily for 3D/video work, so the CPU/RAM is the main priority of the upgrade, and I'm also conscious of the power usage and heat, because this thing will be used constantly.

Here's what I've got right now-

CPU - Intel i7 3770 - I have no interest in overclocking, so I believe it's probably a waste of money to get the 3770K for the price difference? Also not sure if the 3770 comes with a CPU fan? 
MB - ASRock Z77-EXTREME4
RAM - I figure I need DDR3 1600mhz memory, and I'm going with 16gb, so I'm thinking 2x8gb sticks to leave some free slots for potential future upgrade. Not sure exactly what RAM to get. It all looks like the same gibberish to me.
Graphics card - Leadtek nVidia Quadro 600 - I do zero gaming, and all out 3D performance actually isn't that important to what I do (it's all CPU), so for specifically what I do this seems to be the better overall option than the Geforce cards, plus the much low power consumption is just dandy.

I'm ordering all of my parts from a nearby store that has good prices for our area, plus it makes it easier for me if I need to return stuff (ie when I break shit ). If anyone could point out some good RAM options from their list, that would be swell-
https://arc.com.au/pub.php?f=x&gid=24153&p=group


Any comments/questions/suggestions from anyone else who builds their own PCs is welcome (and I know we have several here), as my last major upgrade was almost 5 years ago, and I'm sorta clueless, so I want to make sure this is all going to play nicely together.

Those are great parts you've picked out and I don't think you'll go wrong with the new Ivy bridge i7 along with the ASRock motherboard. Seeing as your primary objective with the computer is 3D/Video work, those should work just fine. The only thing with the new i7s apparently is that they overheat when you overclock. But since you wont be doing that, it shouldn't be an issue. I also believe that the new line of intel CPUs don't come with any heatsink or fan. So you'll have to get some kind of cooling. I'd suggest water cooling only if you were going to overclock since at regular clock ratings they don't show much of an advantage over air cooling.

I also believe you are correct in the notion that for RAM beyond 1600 it shouldn't make much difference. I'll have to dig around but a particular niche of users really benefit from a very high RAM speed. If you're planning to upgrade RAM in the future from a 16 GB start, I advise looking for a motherboard with triple or quad memory channels. I remember reading that if you have 16 GB RAM with 2 x 8GB sticks vs 4 x 4GB sticks (Dual memory channel), the dual channel performs noticeably faster. Thats something to keep in mind.

I can't really comment on the GPU as that's a completely unfamiliar category of video cards for me. The reviews on Newegg seem to be quite favorable https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133354

Also don't know how much it will help but here's my take on a Computer upgrade
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=31962.msg1268114#msg1268114

If I could convince you of getting an SSD I think you'll really appreciate the difference coming from someone who once thought they were highly overrated. Read my post linked above for some insight. I have used trial Adobe After Effects and the loading times, RAM previews were insanely fast. I believe putting the scratch drive on an SSD helps tremendously.

Good luck with your build.