another newbie build, please help the noob

[myosin]

My 3.5 year old gaming rig died a hard miserable death. I had just upgraded the video card and switched to 64 bit Win 7 about 6 months ago. So already have an excellent Video card and Win 7 64 bit.

The video card I have is XFX HD-585A-ZNBC Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB Black Edition 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card.

I am going to keep my hard drives and optical drives. I was hoping to get a year or two out of the older rig by updating. BUT, since it died gives me a reason to do a little upgrading sooner. I am going to do the build in less than two weeks. Next year I’ll probably throw in another Radeon 5850 just because I’ve never had two video cards. And Next year I am going to get a 3 monitor set up.

I am using new egg for parts. This is what I am thinking about getting.

CASE:

Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811139001

CPU COOLER:

CORSAIR Cooling Hydro Series CWCH50-1 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835181010

POWER SUPPLY:

CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
Item#:N82E16817139007

CPU:

Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80601930
Item #: N82E16819115225

RAM:

Kingston HyperX 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3K6/12GX
Item #: N82E16820104168

RAM FAN:

Kingston HyperX KHX-FAN Fans
Item #: N82E16835116021

MEDIA READER:

Koutech IO-RCM621 All-in-one USB 2.0 3.5" USB 2.0 Front Panel Multi-format Card Reader with USB 2.0 Port
Item #: N82E16820162024

CASE FAN CONTROLLER:

Sunbeam RHK-EX-BA Rheobus-Extreme Fan Controller Panel
Item #: N82E16811995016

I have no idea on the MB.

So some questions to you guys are:

1. What MB would you recommend for my build?

I went with the Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80601930 over Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860 because of this new egg review comment. “Many people don't realize that for people interested in gaming (crossfire X and SLI) there is no option other than Bloomfield processors and above. Lynnwoods only let you use 16 PCIe lanes, so any more than one GPU bottlenecks. REAL i7's don’t have this, as their separate northbridge supports 32 lanes.”
Next year I want to put in another Radeon HD 5850 and actually see a difference, So….

2.Is the Bloomfield the choice for dual video cards?

3. The 1366 socket is the newest intel cpu socket so I should be able to upgrade CPU in 2 years and still have a good choice of cpus right?

4. On RAM, just buy a big name brand? Is 12 gigs of 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 to much? I’ll be using rig for gaming and video editing. The ram I selected does not have heat sink fins on top. Should I get Ram that has those heat sink fins?

5. I plan on getting three 120mm fans for the top of the case. Any recommendations for fans? Just make sure they are rubber mounted to reduce vibration?

6.Do case fan controllers like the one I selected actually work?

7. Will my power supply handle two video cards?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

1. You have to choose the MB features and layout to meet your own requirements.

I own a EVGA 760 A1 that cost me 400$ and I own a 169$ Asrock X58 Extreme and to tell you the truth, I'm happier with the Asrock.

2. I couldn't tell you as I just own the 1366 socket version.

3. Apparently the both the 1156 & 1366 sockets will be over in the next yr ??? don't quote me. Get this, the 1366 socket replacement will be a 2011 socket - to me that sounds like total bullshit.

4. If you plan on a little overclocking, 1600 will do you good. The lower the Cas Latency & voltages, the better the internal chips are.
For example: if you find a DDR3 1600 CL 8 @ 1.6v vs a DDR3 1600 CL9 @ 1.65v, the CL8 kit is better.

5. 800D : The lack of a NB cooling case fan ends up being disappointing. The Hot-Swap back-planes have issues, but the Corsair RMA department is amazing!
I accidentally broke the Hot-swap door off the case and just emailed the RMA department and they sent one out right away. I think I emailed them on Monday and it was here on Friday!
With fans mounted on the case like that, high flow fans will create an odd sound because of the way the ventilation holes are. I compared a 120x120x38 high flow to a 120x120x25 and the high flow fans created more of a vacuum noise. Normally those fans do not make that sound.

6.

7. This is the PSU i'd get if you want that wattage range. Otherwise the Seasonic X 750 Gold will be more than enough. Seasonic X650 Gold review
With your type of setup, the 750 would be a good choice. You'll be in the best efficiency range at a 750 under load. And at idle (low load pull) you'll be at 89.9% efficient ~ 70-114w

 

[mfenn]

I'll answer your questions in order:
1. As usual, the Newegg reviewer shows a superficial understanding of the situation. He is correct about the number of PCIe lanes on Bloomfield (Socket 1366) and Lynnfield (Socket 1156) processors. He's wrong in saying that multiple GPU's will bottleneck on any other platform. Lynnfield can do Crossfire, it just has to run both PCIe links in x8 mode instead of x16 mode. x8 results in about a ~1-2% performance drop over x16 (benchmarks here). So yes, you need Bloomfield to get the absolute highest performance, but it is not as cut-and-dried as you might think. AMD is of course always and option as well. You would be limited to Crossfire with AMD since Nvidia won't license SLI for AMD chipsets. As for actual mobo recommendations, here goes:
Socket 1156: Asrock P55 Deluxe $150 (pair with i5 750 or i7 860)
Socket 1366: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R $210 (pair with i7 930)
Socket AM3: Asrock 890FX Deluxe3 $155 (pair with Phenom II X6 1090T)

2. Answered as part of (1).

3. Socket 1366 is actually the older of the two current Intel sockets. Socket 1156 is newer by about a year. It doesn't matter though as both are gone next year.

4. DDR3 1600 is fine. None of the platforms officially support it, so you will have to manually set the speed and timings. I would also not bother with the RAM fan unless you plan to heavily overclock. The 800D is a beast of a case with good airflow. If you don't have any apps/workflows that will run out of memory with 6GB, then 12GB is completely useless. If you really really need 12GB, I would not get a 12GB kit, but 2 6GB kits because you pay a "12GB tax". Two 6GB kits is $40 less. Of course, with 1156 and AMD, you should look at dual channel kits.

5. My absolute favorite fans are Noctua NF-P12-1300s. Quiet, good airflow, and they come with voltage reducers so you can tweak them.

6. If by work you mean allow you to adjust the speed of the fans, then yes. However, in this day and age where we have an abundance of fan headers on the mobo and software to control fan speeds, I wouldn't bother with one.

7. Ridiculous insane overkill on the PSU. The Seasonic X750 that BTRY B recommended is good as is the Corsair 750TX.

 

[myosin]

Thanks for the well thought out reply. I appreciate the help.

On the PSU I got a little bit carried away. Am going to go with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139013 for 150 bucks.

I am going to drop my ram to 8 or 6 gigs.

I've been really flip flopping on the CPU cooler. I've seen a lot of good things about the CORSAIR Cooling Hydro Series CWCH50-1 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835181010

And then a lot of bad reviews. I am not a hardcore OC. I will want to eventually OC the CPU but nothing major. So thinking of just an aftermarket CPU cooler. Now just have to figure out what aftermarket CPU cooler.

Any suggestions for CPU Cooler.

And again, thanks for the well thought out reply.


edit: I am going to go with the 1366 so in a year or when I want to re-charge my system I can throw a Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition Gulftown 3.33GHz 6 x 256KB L2 Cache 12MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor into it.

 

[mfenn]

A 950W is still pretty much overkill.

The Corsair H50 is not a bad cooler, but it does have problems with the heat output of big OC. IMHO, I don't think it's worth it, especially considering the $80 price point. Something like the Noctua NH-U12P will cool better.

You really shouldn't plan your build around upgrading to a currently available (high-end) part. The EE parts are never good values during their useful lifespans. By the time the 980X drops to a reasonable price, you will be able to get a newer, faster part for cheaper.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

If you have a Micro Center near-by, you can get the i7 930 for 199$

 

[myosin]

If you have a Micro Center near-by, you can get the i7 930 for 199$

Sweet, thanks for the heads up. There is actually a micro center 10 minutes from my house. Save me some cash.


ditching the H50 CPU cooler.

Going to get Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608018

Go big or go home.

Will be able to do a little OC with this one.


Also, going to do 8 or 6 gigs ram, not the 12 I was thinking about.

 

[mfenn]

Sweet, thanks for the heads up. There is actually a micro center 10 minutes from my house. Save me some cash.


ditching the H50 CPU cooler.

Going to get Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608018

Go big or go home.

Will be able to do a little OC with this one.


Also, going to do 8 or 6 gigs ram, not the 12 I was thinking about.

You'll be able to do more than a little OC with the D14.

For RAM, you'll want to use 3 or 6 DIMMs to allow triple-channel operation.

 

[phait]

Speaking of 3 or 6 DIMMs are there any articles around that explain why DDR3 must be in 3's? Like the technical stuff behind it? I haven't had luck finding any other than basic description that it's just what DDR3 requires to run at 3 channels or whatev.

 

[mbevolution]

they don't, that's up to the motherboard and sockets. lga1366 handles triple channel thus u have to buy them in triplicates (3x2 etc). lga1156 and am3 handles dual channel thus you have to buy them in doublets (2x2). performance wise, unless you do heavy video editing / rendering, you won't notice the difference.

to op: cooler wise, i would just go with an air cooler, while liquid cooling is more efficient, it's also more prone to breakdown. i.e you prolly have to replace every 2-3 years. since you don't overclock much, a good air cooler such as sunbeamtech core contact or coolermaster 212 would do the job just fine.

950w is way overkill, 750w is even a little overkill. i would recommend antec trupower new 750w psu, good price and very well made.

fanwise, if you have the budget, go with noctua fans, quiet as hell and push a shitload of air.