Micro ATX Build

[skunkboy72]

Hey all just looking for some outside input on a Micro ATX build I have been thinking about for a while. Here's what I have in mind at the moment.

CPU: Intel i7 920
GPU: XFX Geforce GTX 260
MOBO: DFI Lanparty Jr X-58
RAM: OCZ 6GB DDR3 1600
HD: Seagate 1.5TB and am super tempted to get a Raptor. Do both the 150GB and 300GB raptors have the same read/write benchmarks? They do according to newegg, but I don't know for sure. I also have been thinking about a SSD, but I have no idea or knowledge of what to look for.
PSU: Enermax Modular 525W Does anyone know of any better modular PSUs?
Case: Thermaltake
Sound Card: Creative X-Fi Titanium
Disk Drive: Samsung SH-S223F
Monitor: 1680*1050 with usb hub, I don't really know much about good monitors. Right now I have a Dell 22WS and it has worked pretty nicely.
Speakers: Logitech 2.1
OS: Vista Premium, should I go 32 or 64 bit?
Mouse: Logitech G5
Keyboard: Saitek

Anything else benign that I'm forgetting?

My total budget is $2000 for the entire system. I want this computer to play video games on high settings @ 1680*1050. It would be great if it could last me through the end of college(2013) with maybe 1 or 2 upgrades, like adding SLi or something. I live in the US and plan on making the computer this summer, before the end of august when I go back to school.

Thanks for the help!

 

[brblx]

keep the video card and switch to a core2/p45/ddr2. you'll have negligibly similar gaming performance and can spend that money later.

if you want this to last four years, i would spend about a grand now. then, in a couple years, you can upgrade to a faster i7 system for beans.

 

[skunkboy72]

wouldn't it come out to be about the same amount of money total if I put off getting i7/x58/ddr3 for a while? the total of the box now is around $1500. a comparable Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz is around $220 and a Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz is $270. The i7 920 at 2.66GHz is $290, so the most I'd save there is $70ish dollars. The 6GB of ddr3 is only $100, but I can't do all the exchanges between ddr2 numbers and ddr3 ones. The DFI x58 is $200 supports crossfire and SLi so thats about an $50 to $100 over. So that's maybe $250 or so more that I'm paying for i7/x58/ddr3 right now. In a couple years how much would it come down? $100 or so all together?

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: skunkboy72
My total budget is $2000 for the entire system. I want this computer to play video games on high settings @ 1680*1050. It would be great if it could last me through the end of college(2013) with maybe 1 or 2 upgrades, like adding SLi or something. I live in the US and plan on making the computer this summer, before the end of august when I go back to school.

Stuff might change between now and August. Computex is in a couple weeks so we should be seeing new stuff (Core i5?). 4+ years is a LONG time for a high performance computer. Thinking back four years, I was still on socket 754 with an AGP 6800 GT video card. Wow, I can't imagine being able to slap some "easy upgrades" into that system and get anywhere near a great gaming rig today. About 3½ years ago I did a new rig with dual-core socket 939 and a PCIe video card (maybe Radeon X850XL?). I guess I could still use that semi-acceptably with a RAM and video card upgrade, but I'd be feeling a bit CPU-pinched.

Here's a couple suggestions:

Monitor: Why don't you keep using your Dell?

OS: 64-bit. You'll need it for the 6GB RAM.

Sound: Unless your onboard sound is busted or there's something an X-Fi does for you that you absolutely need to have that onboard does not, I'd suggest using onboard sound. ESPECIALLY since you are considering SLI, which would involve you tossing that X-Fi anyways. For possibly "better" onboard sound the Asus Rampage II Gene mATX X58 board has a software based X-Fi for onboard. Put the money saved into a better video card. With your 2.1 speaker setup I guarantee you'll get more out of a better video card (especially with future games) than you will with an X-Fi.

MOBO: The other option is the Asus Rampage II Gene for micro ATX. It is $30 more and overclocks probably equally well. The DFI has better VRM cooling. Why do I mention it then? Well, the Asus has onboard Firewire and eSATA. Once you add that second video card you won't have any free slots, in case you think you may need those things. Otherwise the DFI should be fine.

GPU: GTX 285 using the money not spent on the sound card. Maybe even keep a few extra bucks in your pocket.

PSU: It is possible to keep cabling clean in a tiny case with a non-modular PSU. Challenging? Sure, but you'd be suprised at what a little thought and planning plus a few cable ties can accomplish. I still have my old LAN gaming rig that uses an X-Qpack2 case (very similar to your Thermaltake choice). I've had around 4 PSUs in there and only one of them was modular. Really, cabling didn't look any better. The only difference was that I didn't have a wad of cables to "hide" in the second optical drive bay. I would actually suggest a higher wattage PSU since you explicitly stated the possibility for SLI in the future. I'd probably go for a 700W+ for that reason because you don't want load power draw to be near 100% of the PSU's output (for longetivity sake). You also don't want to go crazy and get 1200-1500W because most PSUs (but not all) become inefficient at really low power output levels, so before you get SLI and when you're not gaming, you will be drawing probably under 200W.

HDD: If they are both VelociRaptors (2½" drives in that heatsink), then yes, both 150GB and 300GB will have pretty much the same performance. Pricing definately favors 300GB as you usually only pay an extra $70 or so for double the space. This is my favored configuration - using a fast HDD for OS/games and big HDD for storage. My X-Qpack had a 150GB Raptor and 500GB Maxtor/Seagate. My current LAN party rig has a 300GB VelociRaptor and 1.5TB Seagate. I'm pretty happy with my storage choices for bang/buck with an eye for performance.

 

[skunkboy72]

Monitor: It's staying at home with the current pc.

Sound: Yea, I guess I forgot about SLi taking over the extra slots. I guess I've just always had a sound card. I'll play some games on my current system with the onboard sound to see if i can tell any difference.

MOBO: I didn't actually know there were any other X-58 mATX mobos. The only one on newegg is the DFI one. I found the Asus one at tiger direct. I'm assuming its the one you mentioned. It's $50 more than the DFI, but if it has better sound and eSATA it's probably worth it. I don't plan on overclocking, but was concerned about heat in the little case. Do you think the DFI's better cooling makes a significant difference?

GPU: I guess I could go for a better card. The only problem is if it will fit. The case says it is 17 inches long. I was looking at the pictures on newegg, and this 260 appears to be the same size as this 285. But that's not scientific. if true i guess it doesn't matter which on i get size wise. However, Tom's new 2009 graphics charts just came out today, so i'll have to check those out.

PSU: My major concern with the modular was for better airflow. Did you notice any difference with the extra cables shoved in there?

HDD: Definitely feeling going the terabyte + raptor route.

Thanks once again.

 

[LostPassword]

newegg has it at 249 Text
zipzoomfly 239 with free shipping Text
zipzoomfly with free shipping is only a little more than the dfi one i guess.

i don't know how it compares to the dfi one though.

 

[skunkboy72]

I was wondering about the differences between the SupremeFX X-Fi onboard sound and the Realtek ALC889 onboard sound. Anyone know of any reviews or something out there?

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: skunkboy72
MOBO: I didn't actually know there were any other X-58 mATX mobos. The only one on newegg is the DFI one. I found the Asus one at tiger direct. I'm assuming its the one you mentioned. It's $50 more than the DFI, but if it has better sound and eSATA it's probably worth it. I don't plan on overclocking, but was concerned about heat in the little case. Do you think the DFI's better cooling makes a significant difference?

It is listed wrong on Newegg's site and thus does not come up when searching for mATX. Check the link LostPassword provided. Only about $10 more at ZipZoomFly because of the free shipping. The extra cooling looks to be just on the VRMs so if not overclocking, then not an issue.

Originally posted by: skunkboy72
GPU: I guess I could go for a better card. The only problem is if it will fit. The case says it is 17 inches long. I was looking at the pictures on newegg, and this 260 appears to be the same size as this 285. But that's not scientific. if true i guess it doesn't matter which on i get size wise. However, Tom's new 2009 graphics charts just came out today, so i'll have to check those out.

GTX 260 and GTX 285 are both 10.5" long, so exact same size. GTX 275, 280 and 295 are also the same size. AFAIK the only consumer NVIDIA card recently that was larger is the 9800 GX2 (I think 11").

Originally posted by: skunkboy72
PSU: My major concern with the modular was for better airflow. Did you notice any difference with the extra cables shoved in there?

Nope. There are no vents in the empty optical drive bay so no flowing air to block. It's like worrying about the aerodynamics of your car because you stuck a Rubik's Cube in the glove box.