I've got some FLV compression work coming up, and my current computers are really showing their age. I've done some smaller amounts that took way too long (especially considering I had one clip I had to re-render 3 times). It's also time to pass my main computer on to my wife. It's an X2 3800+ system that's just gotten too long in the tooth for my work, and her FX1800+ (I think that's the CPU on it) is really, really, really showing its age.
With that in mind, I feel like it's a terrible time to build. The Intel i7's are still commanding a premium, the X58 motherboards are all still kind of new so they're overpriced and showing some first generation issues.
For my budget, I'd definitely like to stay under $1500, but would prefer to be closer to $1250.
I've spent the past week or so looking over components, reading up on suggested builds, and generally obsessing over every little part. I've narrowed down most of the choices to 2 or 3 things, so I figured I'd start polling a few communities for their opinions.
My main goals for this system are processing power combined with keeping the overall noise down as much as possible, keeping in mind that I do need to be able to game (which is mostly just World of Warcraft and typically games that are 1 or more years old).
Prices shown are from Newegg, but don't include rebates.
CPU
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail - $290
The one part I'm sure on. i7 has been putting up impressive numbers in video compression. I'm not looking to overclock at this point, but I may end up doing so a little later on since people have had so much success getting it to really high levels. I'm think stock cooler for now, although I'd be interested in hearing recommendations for i7 coolers (might want to go ahead and pick it up and install it during the initial build).
Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $200
ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $250
MSI X58 Platinum SLI LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $235
Intel BOXDX58SO LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $259
EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $300
This is one of my biggest question mark pieces right now. There's so few reviews out there, and because X58 and i7 are so new, it appears most of the motherboard manufacturers are targeting the enthusiasts with SLI/Crossfire capable boards. I don't need SLI/Crossfire at all, but it seems like I have little choice but to buy a board with it.
A few of the boards have 4 memory slots, which seems a little odd given that i7 is meant for triple channel. I'm planning to go with 6GB from the start though, which should last me fine for the 2-3 years.
The EVGA is a bit of a late addition because in my research I've seen a number of great community reviews. It does command quite a price premium though, I assume because it's setup for 3-way SLI/Crossfire.
RAM
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail - $145
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail - $169
Not sure I see the need for DDR3 1600 at this point. I know the Corsair brand a bit better, but I think the timing is a little better on the G.Skill (lower numbers are better I think?).
Video
ASUS ENGTX260 TOP/HTDI/896M GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - $299
EVGA 512-P3-N884-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ Superclocked Edition 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - $165
This is another one I'm struggling with a bit. It's another thing I think it's a terrible time to buy. The next gen nVidia cards are supposed to be out sometime this quarter, which will push the current generation down in price pretty well. They 200 series cards all appear to be huge monsters, taking up 10-11 inches in cases causing folks to either cut metal or get larger cases.
I know what everyone says about the 9800 cards, that they're basically just newer versions of the 8800 cards, but that's fine with me. The 55nm die shrink seems to be making the 9800GTX+ cards draw less power, generate less heat, and therefore make less noise. The odd thing I'm reading about the 260 cards with the 216 pipeline and 55nm die shrink is that they're actually generating more heat and using more power...at least that's what I've read.
The Asus 260 card is one that I've read is recommended at SPCR (the exact model appears to be out of stock everywhere). It's supposed to be one of the quieter 260 cards. The EVGA 9800 GTX+ card is one of the faster, and cheaper ones at Newegg, and it only needs one power connection (which should in turn mean it doesn't draw as much juice).
I'm sure someone will recommend I look at the ATI cards that are in the same price range right now, and generally performing slightly better in benchmarks. I actually did, but the reviews I've read indicate they tend to generate more heat. I also think I've read that Adobe's CS4 suite (which I should be getting at some point, currently using CS3) can offload certain tasks to nVidia cards. Not sure if it does the same with ATI cards.
If I go with the 9800, it basically means I'm punting for now, and I'll pass it on to my wife when I feel there are better options out there in a higher powered card.
Hard Drive
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $95
I've read pretty decent reviews of the Spinpoints, so I figured I'd give them a try. The lower cost is also a nice bonus. I've also seen a lot of recommendations for the Seagate drives before all the firmware mess started happening, but I've read complaints about them having loud seeks and/or drive hum as well.
Case
LIAN LI Lan cool PC-K1B Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - $80
Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - $145
Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail - $130
I would never have guessed that I would need to look through so many options on cases, but this has easily been as hard to narrow down as some of the other parts on the list. It seems SPCR folks love the Antec P182, but there's tons of stories about needing to mod the case because either the power supply or video card (like the 260s) didn't fit. I'd be willing to pay a little more for a case that's as quiet as it's supposed to be, but I don't want to have to start cutting on it if there are other options.
The PC-K1B is recommended over at Extremetech, and looks to be a pretty good case. I'm not wild about the audio jacks, usb ports, and power/reset buttons on the top, but it might actually work well since my system is under my desk with more than enough room to access those.
The Sonata is in there because I've built several systems that used Sonatas (I and II), and they've always been easy enough cases for me to work in and fairly quiet, if a bit a cramped at times. The included power supply is a nice bonus, although I ended up replacing the one in the Sonata II system I built because it went flaky on me.
Power Supply
CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail - $110
This is actually the power supply that I replaced the Antec one with and I've been pretty happy with it. It's pretty quiet and the modular design is nice. I've ready they're basically rebadged PC Power and Cooling power supplies, but I don't know how accurate that is. I'm thinking 520W should be enough since I won't be doing SLI.
DVD Drive and Card Reader
I haven't spec'd these yet, but it's not hard to find reviews for the drives, and card readers should just be a matter of identifying one that's got good Newegg reviews. I'd be happy to hear suggestions on both though.
Sound Card
I'm happy with my X-Fi Live! that I've used for several years. I may end up replacing it later on, but this is one piece I'll carry over for now.
Operating System
I'll likely put together an XP/Vista64 dual boot. Most of my projects need to be tested in XP, and it keeps the headache of making sure everything I use in Vista64 away.
That's about it at this point. Any recommendations or opinions?
With that in mind, I feel like it's a terrible time to build. The Intel i7's are still commanding a premium, the X58 motherboards are all still kind of new so they're overpriced and showing some first generation issues.
For my budget, I'd definitely like to stay under $1500, but would prefer to be closer to $1250.
I've spent the past week or so looking over components, reading up on suggested builds, and generally obsessing over every little part. I've narrowed down most of the choices to 2 or 3 things, so I figured I'd start polling a few communities for their opinions.
My main goals for this system are processing power combined with keeping the overall noise down as much as possible, keeping in mind that I do need to be able to game (which is mostly just World of Warcraft and typically games that are 1 or more years old).
Prices shown are from Newegg, but don't include rebates.
CPU
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail - $290
The one part I'm sure on. i7 has been putting up impressive numbers in video compression. I'm not looking to overclock at this point, but I may end up doing so a little later on since people have had so much success getting it to really high levels. I'm think stock cooler for now, although I'd be interested in hearing recommendations for i7 coolers (might want to go ahead and pick it up and install it during the initial build).
Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $200
ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $250
MSI X58 Platinum SLI LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $235
Intel BOXDX58SO LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $259
EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $300
This is one of my biggest question mark pieces right now. There's so few reviews out there, and because X58 and i7 are so new, it appears most of the motherboard manufacturers are targeting the enthusiasts with SLI/Crossfire capable boards. I don't need SLI/Crossfire at all, but it seems like I have little choice but to buy a board with it.
A few of the boards have 4 memory slots, which seems a little odd given that i7 is meant for triple channel. I'm planning to go with 6GB from the start though, which should last me fine for the 2-3 years.
The EVGA is a bit of a late addition because in my research I've seen a number of great community reviews. It does command quite a price premium though, I assume because it's setup for 3-way SLI/Crossfire.
RAM
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail - $145
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail - $169
Not sure I see the need for DDR3 1600 at this point. I know the Corsair brand a bit better, but I think the timing is a little better on the G.Skill (lower numbers are better I think?).
Video
ASUS ENGTX260 TOP/HTDI/896M GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - $299
EVGA 512-P3-N884-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ Superclocked Edition 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - $165
This is another one I'm struggling with a bit. It's another thing I think it's a terrible time to buy. The next gen nVidia cards are supposed to be out sometime this quarter, which will push the current generation down in price pretty well. They 200 series cards all appear to be huge monsters, taking up 10-11 inches in cases causing folks to either cut metal or get larger cases.
I know what everyone says about the 9800 cards, that they're basically just newer versions of the 8800 cards, but that's fine with me. The 55nm die shrink seems to be making the 9800GTX+ cards draw less power, generate less heat, and therefore make less noise. The odd thing I'm reading about the 260 cards with the 216 pipeline and 55nm die shrink is that they're actually generating more heat and using more power...at least that's what I've read.
The Asus 260 card is one that I've read is recommended at SPCR (the exact model appears to be out of stock everywhere). It's supposed to be one of the quieter 260 cards. The EVGA 9800 GTX+ card is one of the faster, and cheaper ones at Newegg, and it only needs one power connection (which should in turn mean it doesn't draw as much juice).
I'm sure someone will recommend I look at the ATI cards that are in the same price range right now, and generally performing slightly better in benchmarks. I actually did, but the reviews I've read indicate they tend to generate more heat. I also think I've read that Adobe's CS4 suite (which I should be getting at some point, currently using CS3) can offload certain tasks to nVidia cards. Not sure if it does the same with ATI cards.
If I go with the 9800, it basically means I'm punting for now, and I'll pass it on to my wife when I feel there are better options out there in a higher powered card.
Hard Drive
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $95
I've read pretty decent reviews of the Spinpoints, so I figured I'd give them a try. The lower cost is also a nice bonus. I've also seen a lot of recommendations for the Seagate drives before all the firmware mess started happening, but I've read complaints about them having loud seeks and/or drive hum as well.
Case
LIAN LI Lan cool PC-K1B Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - $80
Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - $145
Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail - $130
I would never have guessed that I would need to look through so many options on cases, but this has easily been as hard to narrow down as some of the other parts on the list. It seems SPCR folks love the Antec P182, but there's tons of stories about needing to mod the case because either the power supply or video card (like the 260s) didn't fit. I'd be willing to pay a little more for a case that's as quiet as it's supposed to be, but I don't want to have to start cutting on it if there are other options.
The PC-K1B is recommended over at Extremetech, and looks to be a pretty good case. I'm not wild about the audio jacks, usb ports, and power/reset buttons on the top, but it might actually work well since my system is under my desk with more than enough room to access those.
The Sonata is in there because I've built several systems that used Sonatas (I and II), and they've always been easy enough cases for me to work in and fairly quiet, if a bit a cramped at times. The included power supply is a nice bonus, although I ended up replacing the one in the Sonata II system I built because it went flaky on me.
Power Supply
CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail - $110
This is actually the power supply that I replaced the Antec one with and I've been pretty happy with it. It's pretty quiet and the modular design is nice. I've ready they're basically rebadged PC Power and Cooling power supplies, but I don't know how accurate that is. I'm thinking 520W should be enough since I won't be doing SLI.
DVD Drive and Card Reader
I haven't spec'd these yet, but it's not hard to find reviews for the drives, and card readers should just be a matter of identifying one that's got good Newegg reviews. I'd be happy to hear suggestions on both though.
Sound Card
I'm happy with my X-Fi Live! that I've used for several years. I may end up replacing it later on, but this is one piece I'll carry over for now.
Operating System
I'll likely put together an XP/Vista64 dual boot. Most of my projects need to be tested in XP, and it keeps the headache of making sure everything I use in Vista64 away.
That's about it at this point. Any recommendations or opinions?
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