Critique my very first build I'm planning to get..

[dma0991]

The SSD is well worth the money if you can afford it. Give it a try if you don't intend to format your computer again next time just to install your OS to your SSD.

 

[tnecniv]

How is OCZ's rebate process? Seems like people hate it =\

 

[tnecniv]

The SSD is well worth the money if you can afford it. Give it a try if you don't intend to format your computer again next time just to install your OS to your SSD.

Are you talking about the Crucial C300 I linked or the OCZ that aphelion linked?

 

[dma0991]

Are you talking about the Crucial C300 I linked or the OCZ that aphelion linked?

Either one works fine. Probably you should go for the cheaper one since you seem tight on the budget. aphelion02's 120GB is what I consider an optimal size for a SSD, not too big and not too small for a number programs and games. 60GB if you are on low budget but still want the speed and performance of a SSD but you need to optimize space properly.

 

[tnecniv]

I might just get the OCZ if the rebate works out, and it'll be pretty much be $1 per extra GB.. tough choice though

 

[mfenn]

I may be wrong but the normal G.Skills don't seem to be compatible with P67, but I have no clue.

It's compatible.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-551-_-Product

This is a good deal right now.

Yeah, but are you have to be aware that you're going to be sticking your hand in the flash grab back. You might get one of the fast 34nm ones or you might get one of the slow 2xnm ones. I would either pay a bit extra for a Corsair Force 120 or Intel 320 120GB or go down to 80GB for the same price.

 

[aphelion02]

Thats the cheapest SSD at 120gb right now. Even if it was a slow 25nm one I think its worth the money.

 

[tnecniv]

Do you guys think the 64GB C300 will be able to handle Windows 7 Ultimate, WoW (folder is about 22GB) and maybe a few future games (Steam/SFIV:AE, Diablo 3)? I know I won't have too many other games, and I know the SSD will mainly only speed up loading screens and what not. Will a SSD increase the performance of Microsoft Office applications also? I know on my current comp they take a while to open.

Also, will there be any problems if I opt to get the DDR1600 instead of the 1333? Its on sale and brings it to be cheaper than the DDR1333.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231428

It also combos with the UD3 for $30 off.

I feel like I need to hop on this order soon.

Currently, I'm saving $25/5 if I decide to get the DDR1600 instead of the 1333 from RAM, $3.50 from HSF, $10 from Fractal case, $15 from F3 HDD, and $10 if I decide to get the 64GB C300.

 

[mfenn]

Do you guys think the 64GB C300 will be able to handle Windows 7 Ultimate, WoW (folder is about 22GB) and maybe a few future games (Steam/SFIV:AE, Diablo 3)? I know I won't have too many other games, and I know the SSD will mainly only speed up loading screens and what not. Will a SSD increase the performance of Microsoft Office applications also? I know on my current comp they take a while to open.

No, a 64GB SSD will not be big enough for that. As for your second question, the answer is YES!. The main benefit of having an SSD is that applications open instantly. Word opens in less than a second for me (and that's with a Gen1 Indilinx).

Also, will there be any problems if I opt to get the DDR1600 instead of the 1333? Its on sale and brings it to be cheaper than the DDR1333.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231428

It also combos with the UD3 for $30 off.

That's a good deal. DDR3 1600 will work fine as long as it's 1.5V (which that is).

 

[mfenn]

Thats the cheapest SSD at 120gb right now. Even if it was a slow 25nm one I think its worth the money.

I respectfully disagree. There's nothing worse than having slow flash on a controller that expects fast flash. One way ticket to stutter-city IMHO.

 

[aphelion02]

25nm isn't that slow. The bigger issue is that they are using only 4 channels when the controller should use 8.

 

[mfenn]

25nm isn't that slow. The bigger issue is that they are using only 4 channels when the controller should use 8.

The number of channels is definitely a major issue, but what I was referring to was the 900us program latency for 34nm vs. the 1200us program latency for 25nm (33% slower).

Block erasure is 50% slower on 25nm flash. Note that the AT article lists 2us and 3us for a block erase latency, but Anand almost certainly means 2ms and 3ms because it's almost fundamentally against NAND architecture to be able to erase faster than you can read.

Also, note that the block and page sizes are different in 25nm, which the Sandforce controller's firmware likely wasn't optimized for. A bunch of 3ms block erasures back to back is certainly going to be noticeable. The likelihood of the many-erase situation happening is also more likely due to the lack of firmware optimization mentioned in the previous paragraph.

 

[tnecniv]

Ok, the decision of a SSD is killing me right now. Say I'd like to splurge on a 128GB SSD, what would you guys recommend?

Right now I'm looking at:
Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III $244.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148348

Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3K5 2.5" 120GB SATA II - $239, $209 after promo code
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-050-_-Product

and then the OCZ that aphelion is recommending, but I'm very skeptical about getting that/OCZ

 

[aphelion02]

I don't like OCZ anymore than you guys do, but I think its a very good deal for that price. You don't really see thatmuch performance difference.

Between those two, I'd go for the Intel.

 

[tnecniv]

just pulled the trigger..

hopefully putting it together won't be too difficult as it'll be my first time building..

Thanks everyone for the help and recommendations, I really appreciate it!

 

[aphelion02]

GJ, thats a very nice build, C300 is a huge steal at $200.

 

[mfenn]

just pulled the trigger..

hopefully putting it together won't be too difficult as it'll be my first time building..

Thanks everyone for the help and recommendations, I really appreciate it!

Good build! Post here if you have any questions about the process.

 

[tnecniv]

Comp should be getting here soon! Hopefully everything arrives at the same time.

I can't to start building even though I will probably be very confused. Anyone have any suggestions or anything I should watch out for? Anything I should do to make sure everything is running okay?

 

[tnecniv]

so the only things i have left to plug in are all the power connectors and stuff.. and i'm pulling my hair out trying to figure out what goes where =\

 

[mfenn]

so the only things i have left to plug in are all the power connectors and stuff.. and i'm pulling my hair out trying to figure out what goes where =\

First, check out this page so that you know what terms I'm using. All of these cables will come from the PSU.

Your motherboard should have sockets for the 24 pin ATX main power cable and 8 pin EPS +12 volt power cable. Your GTX 460 should use two of the 6 pin PCI Express power cables. You SSD, ODD, and HDD should each use one of the SATA power cables. That's about it as far as cables from the PSU are concerned.

 

[tnecniv]

Alright thanks for the help, I figured everything out. Everything is running smooth except one thing. I'm able to use my SSD, but I don't see my HDD in My Computer at all. Any idea what to do?

 

[fffblackmage]

Alright thanks for the help, I figured everything out. Everything is running smooth except one thing. I'm able to use my SSD, but I don't see my HDD in My Computer at all. Any idea what to do?

Right click "my computer," select "Manage."

On the left, select "Disk Management."

You should probably see your HDD in the list, though it doesn't have a drive letter assigned.

I believe HDDs come pre-formatted, so you should be able to right-click and simply assign it a drive letter.
I like to do a quick format anyways (doesn't take long). That would also assign a drive letter.

 

[tnecniv]

Okay thanks I got it. Is there any way I can make my downloads/installs that I put on my desktop use the space from my HD instead of my SSD?

 

[aphelion02]

The easy way is to just set download and install paths to your HDD. What I like to do is to also symlink all my user folders to the HDD.

 

[trexpesto]

In Windows, you can make a folder on the HDD called Downloads.
Right click > Send To > Desktop as Shortcut

That will put a shortcut to that folder on the desktop. Browsers, etc may have to be told to use that folder as a default for saving downloads.

I'm thinking one source of downloads that may always go to the Windows drive would be windows updates, service packs, may want to save a bit of room for that type of thing.