Engineering / Gaming build ... 1366 microatx??

[Knavish]

Usage: I'm building a gaming / workstation for home use. Realistically I'm a lite-gamer these days b/c of work and other life priorities getting in the way. I'm definitely going to pick up Starcraft 2, though. I also run Solidworks, Matlab, dual boot Linux for development.

Notes:

• I'm going to be driving past Microcenter in Baltimore this weekend, so I'd like to take advantage of their $200 i7 deal.
• I'd like to keep my system compact and clean looking, so I'm trying to avoid big flashy gamer cases. I've got a linux-based home server in a Lian Li PC-V351, so I'm tempted to buy a 2nd PC-V351 and stack them. Maybe it would make more sense to put my server in an out-of-the-way corner and just get a normal case...
• I'm tempted by the 6x memory slots & overclocking potential of a X58 board, but there don't seem to be many options for microatx X58's. Maybe it would be smarter to go P55 / 1156??
• Realistically I'm just going with a mild overclock.

Existing Hardware:

• CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W (new)
• SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB HD (new)
• Sony 24X Sata DVD (new)
• G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 ... I'm actually pulling 2 or 3 of these from my home server. Will this DDR3-1333 limit my OC-ability?
• Old BFG 9600GT ... I know it's lame, but I'll probably keep using it until I get some newer game time or I decide whether I want to learn CUDA or OpenCL.

Hardware to Purchase

• Motherboard: ??? MSI X58M or eVGA 121-BL-E756-TR or Asus Rampage II GENE $180 - $210. Maybe I should consider P55 instead???
• CPU: i7-860 or i7-930 - $200 @ microcenter
• Case: Lian Li PC-v351 or maybe something for ATX like the PC-A05NB $90 - $100
• HSF: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus ... hopefully still in stock at Microcenter when i get there. $25-$30 (LOL at $60 Newegg price!)

Questions

• Any better ideas on hardware?
• Am I just wasting money on the X58 vs. P55?
• Is X58 + microatx a bad idea?
• Will the DDR3-1333 limit my OCing?

Thanks for reading,
-Knavish

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Will your engineering apps require the use of alot of memory? If so, the 1366 socket.

 

[Knavish]

Will your engineering apps require the use of alot of memory? If so, the 1366 socket.

True, but I doubt I'd ever go over 12-16GB.... and it looks like 4GB DDR3's are roughly 2x the price of a 2GB. I know in the past they were really expensive.

Right now I'm hoping to stick with the ram I've got sitting around at home & hope that prices start dropping some day / month soon!

 

[mfenn]

If you really need 12GB+, I guess it makes sense to go X58. Otherwise, just save the cash and get the P55 platform.

 

[Zap]

It is definately possible to go X58 micro ATX and have a powerful platform. Four boards are available, with a fifth coming out soon.

MSI X58M is one of the cheapest at around $170. Heck, last week it was $135 after rebate with free shipping! Can anyone find a P55 micro ATX motherboard that supports SLI for significantly less than that? Anandtech's review was positive though my overclocking results were lower. Hmmm, strange that... I've used all X58 MSI boards except for the Eclipse Plus, and I've always, ALWAYS gotten lower OC results than reviewers. Might MSI be sending out cherry-picked review boards? Anyways, I ended up just flipping a single dip switch (old school!) for the Core i7 920 to be clocked to 3.3GHz. Just that simple, and completely stable. No need to do anything at all in BIOS (not that BIOS could get much higher for me).

EVGA makes one that is okay. It is a better overclocker but seems to have problems running memory fast - which is fine with me because with triple channel DDR3 IMO there's memory bandwidth to spare. Seems to be a better overclocker than the MSI. Got mine from Tiger Direct for $180 after rebate.

DFI might be the odd board out because they are basically exiting the enthusiast motherboard market. Their offering is at $165 making it pretty cheap. From what I've heard, it seems pretty solid for overclocking.

Asus might be the company to beat for X58 micro ATX with their ROG series Rampage II Gene. It is usually the most expensive offering but might be worth it as it is intended to be a more premium board. It is being replaced by the upcoming Rampage III Gene with SATA 6Gbps and USB 3 support.

 

[Knavish]

It is definately possible to go X58 micro ATX and have a powerful platform. Four boards are available, with a fifth coming out soon.

MSI X58M is one of the cheapest at around $170. Heck, last week it was $135 after rebate with free shipping! Can anyone find a P55 micro ATX motherboard that supports SLI for significantly less than that? Anandtech's review was positive though my overclocking results were lower. Hmmm, strange that... I've used all X58 MSI boards except for the Eclipse Plus, and I've always, ALWAYS gotten lower OC results than reviewers. Might MSI be sending out cherry-picked review boards? Anyways, I ended up just flipping a single dip switch (old school!) for the Core i7 920 to be clocked to 3.3GHz. Just that simple, and completely stable. No need to do anything at all in BIOS (not that BIOS could get much higher for me).

EVGA makes one that is okay. It is a better overclocker but seems to have problems running memory fast - which is fine with me because with triple channel DDR3 IMO there's memory bandwidth to spare. Seems to be a better overclocker than the MSI. Got mine from Tiger Direct for $180 after rebate.

DFI might be the odd board out because they are basically exiting the enthusiast motherboard market. Their offering is at $165 making it pretty cheap. From what I've heard, it seems pretty solid for overclocking.

Asus might be the company to beat for X58 micro ATX with their ROG series Rampage II Gene. It is usually the most expensive offering but might be worth it as it is intended to be a more premium board. It is being replaced by the upcoming Rampage III Gene with SATA 6Gbps and USB 3 support.

It's good to hear one endorsement of the MSI board. I've got an MSI 785G that I'm very satisfied with.

The SATA 6GB might be nice, but really only noticeable on a SSD ... USB3 seems pretty useless. I'll take an last-generation board at a discount instead! 🙂

Where was that $135 MSI deal last week?

 

[Meghan54]

Well, I'll put a plug in for the Asus RII Gene. The one I've got has been stable as granite and popped my i7 920 up to 4GHz without much effort at all. And it got the 4GHz while running 12GB of memory set up as 6 x 2GB sticks.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well, I'll put a plug in for the Asus RII Gene. The one I've got has been stable as granite and popped my i7 920 up to 4GHz without much effort at all. And it got the 4GHz while running 12GB of memory set up as 6 x 2GB sticks.

What RAM were you using that allowed you to OC with 12GB installed?