Building a computer on CyberPower, wanted some input from you guys

[Sekkai]

Alright, this is the current build. The total comes out to $2383 post-shipping/taxes/code.

* CAS: CM Storm Sniper Mid-Tower Gaming Case
* CASUPGRADE: 12in COLD CATHODE NEON LIGHT [+10] (BLUE COLOR)
* CS_FAN: Default case fans
* POWERSUPPLY: 1,000 Watts Power Supplies [+30] (Corsair HX1000W Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready [+140])
* CPU: Intel® Core? i7-920 2.66 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366 [+1295]
* OVERCLOCK: Extreme OC (Extreme Overclock 20% or more) [+90]
* FAN: Asetek LCLC 240 Liquid Cooling system w/ 240MM Radiator and Dual Fans (Extreme Overclocking Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)
* MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) GigaByte GA-EX58-UD4P Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Ultra Durable?3 Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA,Dual GbLAN,USB2.0,IEEE1394a,&7.1Audio [+69]
* MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module [+40] (Corsair Dominator [+36])
* FREEBIE_RM: None
* VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX295 1.7GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+350] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
* VIDEO2: None
* VIDEO3: None
* VC_GAMES: FREE GAME - Battle Stations ** Pacific **
* MULTIVIEW: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
* MONITOR: NONE
* MONITOR2: NONE
* HDD: Extreme Performance (RAID-0) with 2 Identical Hard Drives [+11] (1TB (500GBx2) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+20])
* HDD2: 1TB (1TBx1) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive [+83]
* USBHD: NONE
* CD: (Special Price) LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
* CD2: LG GGW-H20L 6X Internal Super Multi Blue Blu-Ray Disc Rewriter & HD DVD-ROM Drive (Black Color) [+189]
* SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
* SPEAKERS: None
* NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
* MODEM: NONE
* KEYBOARD: XtremeGear (Black Color) USB Keyboard
* MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
* TEMP: NONE
* WNC: Zonet ZEW1642 IEEE 802.11b/g/n Draft 2.0 PCI Wireless Adapter Network Card [+29]
* FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
* VIDEOCAMERA: NONE
* PRINTER: None
* PRINTER_CABLE: None
* IEEE_CARD: NONE
* USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
* FLOPPY: NONE
* OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista? Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)
* OS_UPGRADE: (Free Upgrade Coupon) Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium ($29-$29 Mail-In-Rebate = Free) [+29] (64-bit Edition)
* FREEBIE_OS: FREE! (Halo 2) Game
* TVRC: None
* CARE: Ultra Enhanced Packaging Solution [+19]
* SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
* RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
* _PRICE: (+2440)



My questions:

1. Are there any other potential downsides to the 920 over the 950, or does that overclock make it superior in every way? Is the only tradeoff, then, the option to overclock a 950 at a higher price with warranty-void?

2. Will this all really fit? I mean there are technically three harddrives, a GF 295, a network card, optical drives, etc. Will this case come with enough fans to cool this system properly? Will the case fans/CPU cooling device/GeForce card/etc be in danger of touching the harddrives or anything like that? Will there be room to SLI if I chose to do so down the road? Is the 295 too big for this rig? Would I just be better off replacing it with a single, better card when the 295 price drops anyway (since by that time I bet a better card will be available, otherwise the price pressure wouldn't exist).

3. Gigabyte versus EVGA -- thoughts?

4. Is the wireless card I chose decent? Will it have problems with Windows Vista 64 bit? Windows 7? Am I better off sticking with the PCI network interface card?

5. I am also a bit wary at the optical drives -- please let me know if my logic is unsound anywhere. It seems like I have these two options:

Sony Optiarc BC-5100S 5X Blu-Ray Player & DVDRW Combo Drive (Black Color)
$69

OR

LG GGW-H20L 6X Internal Super Multi Blue Blu-Ray Disc Rewriter & HD DVD-ROM Drive (Black Color) $189
and
(Special Price) LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
$30

So technically I would be paying ($189+$30-$69) = $150 on the margin for the ability to write Bluray by going from the first setup to the second, correct? Both of these setups will allow me to play BluRay, read and write CD, and read and write DVD, no? The only difference is that the second setup also allows me to write, and I have two drives instead of one, and I am also able to play HD DVD (although they technically lost the format war, and so I'm not sure how valuable this functionality is truly going to be).

Would this logic be correct or are there other factors to consider/issues I am not thinking of/functions I am overlooking?

Would it be better to just get the Optiarc as a standalone drive for all my CD/DVD/Bluray needs (aside from Bluray write), downgrade to the PCI Network card, and perhaps get a better case (what about the CoolerMaster Cosmos or the Thermaltake Spedo?)

Thanks!

 

[Slugbait]

1. Dunno. But don't lose sleep over it.
2. Yes. Yes. No. Probably. Gosh, no, there's room left over. No.
3. Nope. Disclaimer: I've only used Asus and Intel.
4. It's OK, but don't expect constant signal from any card if the back of the box is up against a wall. No. Unknown. With onboard gigabit, you don't need a PCI network interface card.
5. The LG H20L has been on the BOTB list for two years now. Don't try to second-guess this...Sony has never been known for making kick-ass optical drives.

That Sniper is an excellent case.

You simply have pre-buyer's remorse. Pull the trigger, that's a nice setup.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

1. 920 and 950 basically the same chip
2. it will all fit just fine
3. gigabyte and evga both good companies
4. no problems with wireless card
5. go with blu ray read drive only as it will do everything except write blu ray

Now lastly you can't come into a computer forum without the build it yourself and save tons of cash speech. Just kidding. Enjoy the computer it sounds like a bad ass computer. Are they water cooling that beast for you?

 

[Sekkai]

So I can basically just get rid of the wireless card (the PCI networking card) since the motherboard already has LAN and wireless capability?

Otherwise everything else should be fine?

 

[Slugbait]

Originally posted by: Sekkai
So I can basically just get rid of the wireless card (the PCI networking card) since the motherboard already has LAN and wireless capability?

Otherwise everything else should be fine?

A wireless card is not a PCI network interface card, per se...it's just a wireless card that mounts in a PCI slot. The mobo does not have wireless capability, just gigabit LAN.

 

[Sekkai]

But if I want wireless capability would I then get the PCI interface card or something like a Zonet ZEW1642 IEEE 802.11b/g/n Draft 2.0 PCI Wireless Adapter Network Card?

 

[brblx]

i would avoid cheapie wifi cards. get a linksys or maybe d-link.

what the heck is with '+1295' for the i7 cpu? that's at least the cost of a complete i7 system with a 4890 or gtx275...

i also wouldn't pay $2500 for a rig with onboard sound. unless you're planning on using <$100 desktop speakers, i'd want a dedicated card to avoid having to listen to snap crackle and pop of onboard sound.

 

[Sekkai]

I am just really concerned about the size of the case. Do you guys think it'll really hold all this stuff? Wireless card, PSU, three hard drives, a GeForce 295, a LG GGW, the CPU cooling fan, etc?

I've never had much issue with onboard sound imo, but I'll look into it.

Linksys is so expensive though at this point, argh.

 

[Sekkai]

What would you say about these choices for sound:

#
HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO (HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO) [+0] More ...
#
ESS 3D WAVETABLE SOUND PCI () [+12] More ...
#
Creative Labs SB Audigy SE () [+30] More ...
#
Creative Labs SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio 24-BIT PCI Sound Card () [+64] More ...
#
Creative Labs X-FI XtremeGamer 24-BIT PCI Sound Card () [+89] More ...
#
Creative Labs X-Fi XMOD USB External Sound Control () [+82] More ...
#
Creative Labs SB X-FI Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series PCI Express Sound Card () [+199]

 

[brblx]

case is fine. cpu doesn't have a cooling fan, you picked a waterblock. it has five hdd bays, and you're only using two mobo slots at this point, three if you decide to go with a sound card (i can hear interference in onboard sound with a $50 pair of headphones, but it's an individual thing and it's NOT hard to add a card later).

only thing that might be hard to fit in the case is the radiator for your water cooling, and i'm sure they'll find a decent place for it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811119194

if you want to see the inside of that case.

 

[Sekkai]

Alright I will stick with this case... I guess the only things left to decide on is the wireless card, the optical drive (will the LG GGW be enough for reading/writing Bluray, DVD, and CD? From what I read, yes, but confirmation on this forum would be nice as well. I figure if I get the LG I won't need a second optical), and the sound.

Will it matter if I get the Wireless PCI Network Interface Card instead of a Linksys?

For the onboard sound, any opinions out of the previous choices I posted above?

 

[brblx]

is 'Wireless PCI Network Interface Card' all it says? the reason i don't like off-branded cards is because of driver issues, and they sometimes have questionable range. linksys/cisco is usually tops for networking gear, d-link and netgear usually also do the job.

that optical drive is a hd-dvd/bluray combo drive with BD-R as well as cd/dvd read/write. if you don't need to burn blu-ray discs or read hd-dvd, there may be a cheaper option for a blu-ray reader (that will come with cd and dvd burning capabilities). you don't need a second drive unless you want to make direct copies (of discs without copy protection).

what are you using for sound? if you don't need optical out or anything special, i'd just get the audigy SE for 30 bucks. i don't recommend x-fi cards because of the piss-poor drivers (which resulted in more sound glitches than onboard) when i owned one of the originals. YMMV.

 

[Sekkai]

WNC: PCI Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps Network Interface Card [+19]

 

[Sekkai]

The Sony OptiArc that I listed in the first post reads blueray and does DVD R/W and CD R/W but does not write blueray

Sony Optiarc BC-5100S 5X Blu-Ray Player & DVDRW Combo Drive (Black Color) [+69]

 

[Sekkai]

Current build:



* CAS: CM Storm Sniper Mid-Tower Gaming Case
* CASUPGRADE: NONE
* CS_FAN: Extra Case Cooling Fan [+3] (3 x Fans [+6])
* POWERSUPPLY: 1,000 Watts Power Supplies [+30] (Corsair HX1000W Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready [+140])
* CPU: Intel® Core? i7-920 2.66 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366 [+1295]
* OVERCLOCK: Extreme OC (Extreme Overclock 20% or more) [+90]
* FAN: Asetek LCLC 240 Liquid Cooling system w/ 240MM Radiator and Dual Fans (Extreme Overclocking Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)
* MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) GigaByte GA-EX58-UD4P Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Ultra Durable?3 Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA,Dual GbLAN,USB2.0,IEEE1394a,&7.1Audio [+69]
* MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module [+40] (Corsair Dominator [+36])
* FREEBIE_RM: None
* VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX295 1.7GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+350] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
* VIDEO2: None
* VIDEO3: None
* VC_GAMES: FREE GAME - Battle Stations ** Pacific **
* MULTIVIEW: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
* MONITOR: NONE
* MONITOR2: NONE
* HDD: Extreme Performance (RAID-0) with 2 Identical Hard Drives [+11] (1TB (500GBx2) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+20])
* HDD2: 1TB (1TBx1) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive [+83]
* USBHD: NONE
* CD: LG GGW-H20L 6X Internal Super Multi Blue Blu-Ray Disc Rewriter & HD DVD-ROM Drive (Black Color) [+159]
* CD2: NONE
* SOUND: Creative Labs SB Audigy SE [+30]
* SPEAKERS: None
* NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
* MODEM: NONE
* KEYBOARD: XtremeGear (Black Color) USB Keyboard
* MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
* TEMP: NONE
* WNC: Zonet ZEW1642 IEEE 802.11b/g/n Draft 2.0 PCI Wireless Adapter Network Card [+29]
* FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
* VIDEOCAMERA: NONE
* PRINTER: None
* PRINTER_CABLE: None
* IEEE_CARD: NONE
* USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
* FLOPPY: NONE
* OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista? Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)
* OS_UPGRADE: (Free Upgrade Coupon) Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium ($29-$29 Mail-In-Rebate = Free) [+29] (64-bit Edition)
* FREEBIE_OS: FREE! (Halo 2) Game
* TVRC: None
* CARE: Ultra Enhanced Packaging Solution [+19]
* SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
* RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
* _PRICE: (+2439)

 

[jae]

Thats too much money for that system and no SSD?

 

[Sekkai]

I could get a SSD if I wanted but I am more concerned with storage space. SSD's seem overpriced right now for the amount of storage.

 

[CurseTheSky]

You're overpaying a bit for what you're getting. If money isn't an issue to you, then don't worry about it. If it was me, I'd either build it myself (I'd estimate at least $150-300 in savings), or get rid of some of the unnecessary stuff.

* Creative Labs SB Audigy SE [+30] - that's an old card. Get an X-FI, or stick with onboard sound. Most recent onboard chipsets are perfectly fine, unless you're using expensive ($500+) home theater speakers. I don't even know if you can still get Audigy drivers for Vista.
* Do you really need liquid cooling? I don't mean any offense by this, but if you're not up to the task of building your own computer, you probably don't want to deal with the maintenance of liquid cooling (draining, flushing, refilling, etc.). Unless you're happy / comfortable with tinkering with the insides consistently, I'd suggest just getting an air cooler and saving a significant amount of cash.
* The Corsair 1000HX is extreme overkill for what you have. Hell, my 750w is overkill for what I have. If it'll save you at least $50-100 (assuming money isn't burning a hole in your pocket), choose something like a Corsair 620, 750, or 850w to at least tone it down a bit. All of Corsairs HX line is modular.
* They're charging you $90 for an overclock, but you can easily find guides on how to do it yourself here. Seems like wasted cash to me. Unless you NEED the extra processor speed for things you do, what's the point in having an overclock? Those of us that don't need the extra speed just do it for the fun or challenge, and there's no fun or challenge if you don't do it yourself.

The rest of it looks reasonable to me, but keep in mind if either one of those HDDs in the RAID 0 setup (assuming they're the OS drives) fail, you're SOL.

 

[Sekkai]

Would I still have onboard sound as an option with a sound card installed if I found the card to be inferior? WOULD it even be inferior to onboard sound?

How often do you need to mess with the liquid cooling?

Are RAID0 setups generally frowned upon? Do they increase failure rate or something? I would have assumed that by spreading data out across multiple hard drives, having one fail would be not nearly as bad as having both fail.

 

[brblx]

in raid 0, if one drive fails you lose all data. raid 1 is a redundant setup. the former would be a 1tb setup in this case, the latter would afford 500gb.

any card is better than onboard sound. if you're using generic pc speakers, you won't notice a difference, but interference can be heard with a decent set of speakers or headphones. for me, it's a serious detractor from music listening.

 

[Sekkai]

Also how easy it is to self-overclock an i7 (does it depend on if I have Gigabyte, EVGA motherboard, etc?)

 

[Sekkai]

Would my Creative Labs SB Audigy SE not work with Vista at all?

 

[brblx]

so far as i know the audigy/live series has vista and win7 drivers.

overclocking is not difficult, you could easily get an overclock in the low 3's with air cooling and very little modification other than a FSB increase and maybe a tiny voltage bump. there are plenty of how-to's on i7 overclocking (or overclocking in general) floating around, that will get in depth as to what each bios setting is going to do for you, how to setup your ram, et al.

 

[Sekkai]

Would it be better to drop to an 850W power supply, get an i7 950, overclock it myself, change the raid0 setup to a 1 TB single hard drive, and drop the wireless card/sound card?

 

[brblx]

i went on their site and configured this-



* *BASE_PRICE: [+759]
* CAS: CM Storm Sniper Mid-Tower Gaming Case [+97]
* CASUPGRADE: NONE
* CS_FAN: Default case fans
* POWERSUPPLY: 750 Watts Power Supplies [+79] (Corsair CMPSU-750TX - Quad SLI Ready [+35])
* CPU: Intel® Core? i7-920 2.66 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366
* FAN: Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283V Gaming CPU Cooling Fan (Double layer H.D.T. technology for maximum cooling) [+43]
* MOTHERBOARD: GIGABYTE X58 GA-EX58-UD3R 2 WAY CROSSFIRE/SLI DDR3 [-10]
* MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) PC1333 DDR3 PC3 10666 Triple Channel Memory [+50] (Corsair or Major Brand)
* FREEBIE_RM: None
* VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX285 2GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+351] (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA [+5])
* VIDEO2: None
* VIDEO3: None
* MULTIVIEW: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
* MONITOR: NONE
* MONITOR2: NONE
* HDD: Single Hard Drive (1TB (1TBx1) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+26])
* HDD2: NONE
* USBHD: NONE
* CD: LG GGW-H20L 6X Internal Super Multi Blue Blu-Ray Disc Rewriter & HD DVD-ROM Drive (Black Color) [+159]
* CD2: NONE
* SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
* SPEAKERS: None
* NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
* MODEM: NONE
* KEYBOARD: XtremeGear (Black Color) USB Keyboard
* MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
* TEMP: NONE
* WNC: NONE
* FLASHMEDIA: None
* VIDEOCAMERA: NONE
* PRINTER: None
* PRINTER_CABLE: None
* IEEE_CARD: NONE
* USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
* FLOPPY: NONE
* OS: NONE - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY
* OS_UPGRADE: None
* FREEBIE_OS: None
* TVRC: None
* SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
* RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
* _PRICE: (+1594)

that's almost a thousand bucks cheaper and should have plenty of performance. you shouldn't need the extra case fans because that case comes with one 120mm and two 200mm fans. a quality air cooler should work fine for the cpu. not much point in buying an i7 950, they'll both overclock to about the same level, the 950's just going to cost you $300 more. should you feel you need more graphics performance, buy a second gtx285. it's also not hard to add a sound or wireless card yourself.