Fullfilling my dream, bulding my ultimate enthusiast PC.

[imported_Overfiend]

As its my first post in Anandtech forums....hello all....glad to be here.

Now to the proper subject.....at last i'm able to build my dream machine (money is no object) and need some advice or different opinions as im not entirely sure what to choose in some cases......

thats what my shopping list look like now....

AMD FX60 (Socket 939)
DFI LanParty NF4 SLI-DR EXPERT
Corsair 2GB DDR XMS3500LL Pro TwinX (2x1GB) CAS2
GeForce 7800GTX Extreme XXX Edition 512MB VIVO x2 (SLI)
Western Digital Raptor-X 150GB - x2 (RAID-0)
Plextor PX-130A 16x50x DVD-ROM - (Beige)
Plextor PX-755A Dual Layer DVD-RW
ThermalRight XP-120
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS Edition (or elite pro)
Some case (don't know yet)
Some PSU (don't know yet)
Logitech Z-5500 THX
Logitech diNovo Laser Media Desktop
Dell Ultrasharp 2005FPW 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor

As everyone can see my main problems are case and PSU.
I never followed that subject to close and really don't know what to do with these....as far as case is concerned my main priorities are aesthetics and completetly aluminium build with best thermal and air flow solution possible (all in one isn't it?)....which way to go? Lian Li? Coolermaster? (im opting for a nice glass window at the side as well....
For PSU i have a few choices (Enermax Liberty 620w, OCZ 620w)but i mainly fear (as im going to overclock my system...to the limit) that most PSU won't handle it....i also looked at PCPower 850w PSU but these are not compatible with most motherboards and wont fit most cases (as well as not having modular cables) so won't suit me.....(don't consider TT Purepower 680w as well because it doesn't have modular cables too)....im completetly clueless with this one....or maybe im mistaken (hope i am) and most modern 620W PSU's will handle this rig without problems? - and im considering alternative which is 2 times X1900 Xtx in crossfire which consumes even more power so..... :? 8O

Regarding memory....i've aimed at corsair (2x1gb)....don't think will find much better....and im not considering 2x512 conf.

As for optical drives...picked up plextor as i always liked this company....dont know though if their recorders are capable of laser labelling DVD's as well.....really want that lightscribe or laserflash possibility.....as i said my pick in this case was more or less a guess-on so any better alternatives are welcome....

SB Fatality - dont know if there is any difference betwen FPS edition and elite pro except control panel so is it worth it? (not in terms of money)

Logitech Z5500....probably wont get any better speakers will I?

and a few things about a monitor....i saw Dell 2005fpw as an ultimate gamers choice on many websites....but sometimes i wonder between widescreen (2005fpw) and normal screen (2001fpw) solution....which one should i take (dont want bigger screen than 20'')? is that true that there are really some problems with that widescreen and native 1600x1050 res on many games? maybe its better to choose normal screen with native 16x12 (2001fpw). and one last thing....is that true that on these monitor you can use lesser res (like 1024x768) without going off from native res - just having a smaller window centered on the screen so you wont't get that interpolation? (i hope everyone knows what i mean...my english is far from perfect)

and last things.....im not considering water cooling solutions...just dont want them.....the only main exception is Zalman Resorator for CPU but from what i'e heard it won't outperform the XP-120 with decent (not too loud) fan so probably it isnt worth it......any opinions about that?

and i will definitly overclock my system as much as possible so that should also be considered as a highest priority, as well as going to Ati crossfire instead of SLI in terms of power needs and PSU.

i think that's all for know....any advice or different opinions are really apreciated.....and for anyone who read through that piece of junk......thanks

best regards guys.....

 

[jesusfr3ak4evr]

That system looks pretty good. A few suggestions:

The Enermax and OCZ 620w PSUs should easily handle that system. I know of 500-600w PSUs that can handle SLI with 7800 GTX and that kind of setup.

A Thermaltake Xaser III case seems to fit your needs.

A Dell 2405 24" LCD would be significantly better than the 20.1", especially since you're going to have a killer system that can handle the higher resolution. If you're only playing at 1280x1024 there is no need to have an awesome system. Whatever you do, don't buy the 2001 because it's an older model and not as good for gaming.

Instead of purchasing the Z-5500 speakers, which are good speakers for the price, I'd suggest a good pair of headphones ~ $100. The Sennheiser HD280 is a great pair of cans.

 

[Maximilian]

Graphics card: 2X X1900XT is better than 2x GTX 512. Make no mistake they are cheaper (i think) and performance IS superior to the nvidia alternative. Some benchmarks show them sucking in crossfire in some games, a driver issue that will be fixed soon probably.

Case: Well its all about personal taste hear, personally i like the P180, PSU cables stretching is the only problem, you can find out if the PSU you choose will fit by googling, as somone on this or some other forum will probably have asked "will xxx PSU work in P180" its a very popular enthusiast case. It has excellent airflow, aluminium design that blocks sound rather well and its very well laid out.

PSU: Currently Seasonics are probably the best PSU's you can buy besides PCP&C, but since you use a DFI board i wouldnt recommend the S12 600w which is a real kickass PSU, i own the 500w version. Seasonics and DFI boards dont go well due to board drawing too much off the 5VSB? line and the PSU shutdown kicking in.

Umm so... i dont know lol, i would actually change my board just to get seasonic but thats me. Fortron,Antec,Enermax 600W+ would most likely handle that rig.

Cooler: I would get the SI-120 if you can. It is more compatable with motherboards and cools with the same efficiency as the XP-120.

Welcome to anandtech, cant really advise you on anything other than that many others can though.

 

[Heckler 5th]

money is no object? sweet!
the system will revolve around your motherboard. the dfi expert is the best overclocker out there but you will spend many a hour tweaking out the last bit of performance in the BIOS. if that's what you want then great! otherwise, get the asus a8n32-sli. it's a more "fire and forget" board than the dfi.

if you really, really want a FX60 then that's fine too but i would save a little $ by getting an opty 170/175 or x2 4400/4800 and OC it to FX60 speeds. you wanna overclock, right?

if you get the DFI don't get corsair memory. they just don't like each other. get 2GB of crucial ballistix or any enthusiast-level OCZ.

ocz powerstream 600W is the most proven choice for a DFI-based system. check out the recommendations at http://www.dfi-street.com.

raptors in raid are so pricey but if you got the $ then more power to ya!

as far as cases go, lian-li are the highest quality. but thermaltake, coolermaster, silverstone and antec all have cases worth lookin at.

i would also suggest getting a bolt-thru heatsink as opposed to one that clamps. they're just easier and less stressful to put on. i would suggest the scythe ninja.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835185122

u'll be gaming, right? then get the logitech g5/g7 mouse unless you wanna go with a razor.

otherwise, good picks on video cards but i wouldn't get the x-fi fatality. waaaaay too overpriced. just get the platinum if you want the front panel connections or the xtrememusic for even cheaper if you don't.

hope this helps!

 

[imported_Overfiend]

now getting brighter picture......any comparisons between scythe ninja and xp/si-120? which is the better performer? what about zalman resorator as an alternative - will it outperform these two?
and what about enermax liberty 620w psu? any opinions?

 

[Twsmit]

I second the suggestion of getting the asus board if your not into tweaking. Otherwise the DFI is an excellent choice. Now my only real change would be with the ram. Pick up some PC4000 if you want to OC, otherwise get some high performance PC3200 (only because money is no object ) The other change would be waiting for the next generation Dell screens to come out. They are supposed to be avaliable in 2 weeks, the 2007 and 2407 are worth waiting for, and at worst it means you can pick up a 2005 aor 2405 for cheaper. With your particular rig, i would go for the 24", but the 20" will still be very sweet.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

scythe ninja is. i'm not sure they u need a 600 watt psu. logitech speakers have no mids... klipsche would be better for your high end system

 

[imported_Overfiend]

scythe ninja you say.....ok....

i still might be convinced to get 24'' monitor.....but what about that native resolutions......can i use lower resolutions centered on the screen without switching off the monitor from native and not be forced to use interpolation? - i mean i still play old games (sometimes) that use for example 640x480 or 800x600 res and saw how horrible it looks on a 19'' screen....not to mention how it will look on 24'' screen if it uses interpolation

and what about zalman resorator as an alternative for processor cooling?

 

[imported_Overfiend]

bump...

 

[essasin]

Id get a Lian Li V2000 series case with a OCZ powerstream 600w or a P&C power and cooling monster if you can. I would DEF. get a dell 24 and it would still play your low res games but it would be a bit of a stretch. Since you are shelling out big bucks i would either stay with the xp120, ninja, or go watercooling.

 

[jayanath]

unlimited money ....
wait for the next video card to come out probably 7900 waittttttt

 

[Polish3d]

F uck the Scythe Ninja, go with a Phase Change system and crank that FX-60 to ~3.2ghz baby!

 

[Polish3d]

Originally posted by: jayanath
unlimited money ....
wait for the next video card to come out probably 7900 waittttttt

Yea, could be worth waiting for 7900SLI, that would be the shits, also, 512gtx overpriced now

 

[ribbon13]

If money isn't an object you should be stuck on vapor phase cooling for your FX 60.. If you're not then overclocking your system to it's maximum isn't your first priority. Then of course you equip it with the Asus A8N32-SLI motherboard for smooth 8-phase power and not even have to worry about insanely high FSB with your multiplier unlocked CPU. Probably powered by a Seasonic S12-600

Old games? Dos old? dosbox has scalers you know

Dell's 24" is better than what you were planning on. If you want a 4:3 LCD than you should have been looking at the Samsumg 214T. But if money isn't objectable the Samsung 244T of course is what you get. I'd feed it with a Sapphire 100150 forgoeing crossfire for a Areca HBA and creating a RAID5/6 array of Raptor 150s so game level loading isn't bottlenecked by the STRs of the drive or how fast your CPU can decompress data. Not to mention the data security. Who spends this kind of cash to have to deal with the time it takes to recover from a RAID0 failure?

 

[Zebo]

I hate money is no object builds.. Just foolish in the first place to pay 400% more money for only 15% more performance - like low end chips vs. highend. Then with overclocking the low end you can even surpass FX-60 as Frackal's and thousands of others members sig shows you. Idiotic.

Money must be an object if you're getting a tiny 20" widescreen which is shorter than a 19" LCD. Then Plexotr? People still buy that overpriced junk?

Blah.

All I have is a case recommendations.

Some I like ...

Silverstone TJ03 Nimiz

Coolermaster Wavemaster

Lian Li V PC-V1100B

Nice cases last a lifetime and maybe even allow female company to be in the same room as your PC.

 

[Effect]

I was gonna write something long and boring, but in short, i'll say i agree with Zebo, if you've got plenty cash, spend it on more worthwhile things (those which you'll notice). Best monitor you can find, biggest sound system you can find (something the neighbours can enjoy.....even if you live on a farm....), the nicest mouse/keyboard and the best pc case you can find.

 

[Maxspeed996]

http://www.koolance.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=28_43&products_id=180

If Money is no object....I've still not seen a nicer case.....I wouldn't put all that pretty stuff in anything less.

 

[bamacre]

"GeForce 7800GTX Extreme XXX Edition"

Does it comes with free porn?

 

[drpootums]

I wish I would have thought of that when I built my PC....spend more money on things like mice/keyboard, mousepad, case, and speakers/sound card. Things besides just speed that make a big difference in your gaming. I'm happy now with my X-530's, Samsung 730B, and my Razer eXact mat on the way....but that is definitally something to keep in mind.

Spend stuff on things that you can transfer build to build that will make your computer usage much nicer instead of something that just gives you bragging rights for about the next 4-6 months or so....

 

[Ronin]

For speakers, I've compared the Z-5500's next to the Gigaworks S750's, and the extra 200W of power alone make them a better choice. I had them both hooked up to 2 systems, had the speakers sitting right next to each other, and playing the same thing, and the audio clarity was MUCH better on the S750's. Spend a little more money and get the S750's.

I'd also wait, if you can, to catch the release of the G71, before making any video card purchases. If it doesn't perform the way we all hope it will, you can still go the X1900XTX x2 route.

 

[imported_Overfiend]

ok....after listening to different opinions made some mods to my shopping list.....i think itll look somewhat like that - thanks for all feedback - any other input is welcome

AMD FX60 (Socket 939) - Retail
DFI LanParty Crossfire
2 GB OCZ Platinum PC4000 or Mushkin Redline PC4000 or Crucial Ballistix - still have to decide
2x X1900 XT (might want till april for NV G71)
Western Digital Raptor-X 150GB - x2 (RAID-0)
Plextor PX-130A 16x50x DVD-ROM - (Beige)
Plextor PX-755A Dual Layer DVD-RW
ThermalRight XP-120, or scythe ninja
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
Antec P180 case
Enermax Liberty 620w
Logitech Z-5500 THX (i think ill stick to these....my personal choice)
Logitech diNovo Laser Media Desktop (personal choice as well)
Dell Ultrasharp 2405FPW 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor


also considering lianli case and vapochill lightspeed cooling but i have to think about that some more.....honestly im little afraid of fiddling with vapochill (not my first system of course but never tried any other cooling than air....maybe its time) - and one other thing....i really like that antec p180 case....is there any way to mod the case so vapochill will ift into it - dont like the looks of lianli cases.....

again thanks for all feedback so far guys.....

 

[dandano]

I talked to the guys at OCZ a couple of days ago and I heard that they are coming out with a phase change cooling system as well. Just fyi.