New build review

[Medwynd]

Well I'm looking at putting together a new rig. Looking for comments or suggestions on this build. Pretty much only used for gaming, would like good 2560x1600 performance.

Samsung Internal Half Height DVD-W Supermulti SATA 22X Lightscribe (Black) by Samsung $30.99

Asus P6T Core i7 / Intel X58/ DDR3/ CrossFireX & SLI/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard by ASUS Computer International Direct $229.99

Cooler Master V8 Nickel Plated Copper Base Aluminum Fins 8 Heatpipes Core i7 1366 CPU Cooler - (RR-UV8-XBU1-GP) by Coolermaster $59.38

2 X Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive 3.5 Inch, 32 MB Cache, 7200 RPM SATA II WD1001FALS by Western Digital $99.99

Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D Dominator 6 GB 3 x 2 GB PC3-12800 1600MHz 240-Pin DDR3 Core i7 Memory Kit by CORSAIR VALUE SELECT $229.99

Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8 MB LGA1366 CPU BX80601920 by Intel $288.99

Corsair CMPSU-850TX 850-Watt TX Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Intel Core i7 and Core i5 by CORSAIR VALUE SELECT $139.99

Antec Twelve Hundred ATX 12 Drive Bays 2xUSB 2.0 eSATA Audio Full Tower Case by Antec $159.99

Total - $1739 before some rebates

 

[mfenn]

Maybe I am blind, but I don't see a video card listed. At 2560x1600, you're talking 5870 at the minimum. Preferably 5970 or 5870 CF.

 

[fou]

Hi,

This is what I'm planning to buy here in Belgium:

Corsair HX1000W (PSU)
Corsair 6 GB DDR3 1866 MHz Dominator CL9 9-9-24 Tri-Kit (memory)
Intel Core i7 920 (CPU)
Noctua NH-D14 (heatpipe)
Asus P6X58D Premium (mainboard)
Antec Twelve Hundred (case)
OCZ OCZSSD2-1VTXT-120G (SSD)
XFX GTX285 Black Edition (videocard)

Total price: ~ 2000 €

I already own two Seagate harddrives 1.5 tera each and I'm also going to wait for Fermi and Gulftown. Any suggestions are welcome, thanks.

 

[MisterDonut]

Budget? If this build is ONLY used for gaming, I would suggest stepping down to the AM3 and picking up a Phenom II 955 (or 1156 platform, but you won't get the best gaming bang for buck there). The build would save you a lot of money and put it towards upgrading what really counts in a gaming rig.

For resolution that high, I would say two 5870's in CFX, even over a 5970. You get more performance out of the CFX, can't remember why right now, JUST IS .

I would take this route for gaming purposes. Phenom II 955 BE + ASUS EVO AM3 (or whatever you want) + 4g Ripjaw DDR3-1600 + everything else

If you decide to go 1156, i5-750 + ASUS P7P55D (or whatever you want) + 4g Ripjaw DDR3-1600 + everything else

I would seriously not recommend the 1366 platform for gaming because you can save a ton of money and not lose any performance. BUT, if you are intent on keeping it, swap out the memory for something cheaper (G.skill ECO, Ripjaw, Mushkin, cheaper Corsair, etc.).

A full tower is extremely unnecessary. Stick to a nice mid-size such as the Antec 902/900, or a CM 690 II (fantastic case), or whatever your eyes can live with.

For aftermarket cooling, I've never been a fan of Coolermaster cooling (they make great cases though). Gaming won't require too much of your processor, so a moderate OC with a Mugen 2 or a Noctua NH-D12 would give you the best deal and my recommendation. If you want to shoot for world records, high-end air coolers (can run about 80 bucks for a full push/pull configuration) can be found, such as Thermalright's new Venomous X or a Megashadow, Noctua D14. I doubt high-end would be necessary though. Watercooling for sole gaming purposes is too expensive for my tastes, though it is the sex.

My final recommendation stands with the AM3 platform . SSDs are like watercooling setups, nice to have, expensive as hell for gaming. The difference is like night and day, but as far as gaming goes, I wouldn't spend the money on it.

This build is assuming you already have peripherals and OS? Are you going to run this off a giant TV or actually use the Eyefinity technology that ATi has so dilligently developed?

 

[fou]

It's pretty obvious that I'd want some decent overclocking in a case that's big enough to add 3-way SLI cards when Fermi arrives, along with another harddrive or two. Meanwhile I'll stick to only one videocard and it's pretty obvious the 285 Black has PhysX where ATI fails. No AMD for me either because the P6X58D supports 32nm 6-core along with SATA 3 and USB 3.0 at an affordable price.

 

[mfenn]

Budget? If this build is ONLY used for gaming, I would suggest stepping down to the AM3 and picking up a Phenom II 955 (or 1156 platform, but you won't get the best gaming bang for buck there). The build would save you a lot of money and put it towards upgrading what really counts in a gaming rig.

For resolution that high, I would say two 5870's in CFX, even over a 5970. You get more performance out of the CFX, can't remember why right now, JUST IS .

I would take this route for gaming purposes. Phenom II 955 BE + ASUS EVO AM3 (or whatever you want) + 4g Ripjaw DDR3-1600 + everything else

If you decide to go 1156, i5-750 + ASUS P7P55D (or whatever you want) + 4g Ripjaw DDR3-1600 + everything else

I would seriously not recommend the 1366 platform for gaming because you can save a ton of money and not lose any performance. BUT, if you are intent on keeping it, swap out the memory for something cheaper (G.skill ECO, Ripjaw, Mushkin, cheaper Corsair, etc.).

A full tower is extremely unnecessary. Stick to a nice mid-size such as the Antec 902/900, or a CM 690 II (fantastic case), or whatever your eyes can live with.

For aftermarket cooling, I've never been a fan of Coolermaster cooling (they make great cases though). Gaming won't require too much of your processor, so a moderate OC with a Mugen 2 or a Noctua NH-D12 would give you the best deal and my recommendation. If you want to shoot for world records, high-end air coolers (can run about 80 bucks for a full push/pull configuration) can be found, such as Thermalright's new Venomous X or a Megashadow, Noctua D14. I doubt high-end would be necessary though. Watercooling for sole gaming purposes is too expensive for my tastes, though it is the sex.

My final recommendation stands with the AM3 platform . SSDs are like watercooling setups, nice to have, expensive as hell for gaming. The difference is like night and day, but as far as gaming goes, I wouldn't spend the money on it.

This build is assuming you already have peripherals and OS? Are you going to run this off a giant TV or actually use the Eyefinity technology that ATi has so dilligently developed?

Eh, it seems like he has the budget for Crossfire, so 1366 is pretty much a necessity on the Intel side to get max perf. + USB3 support. I agree that for gaming only, AM3 is the way to go, if only so that you can bulk up on GPUs.

 

[MisterDonut]

That was not directed towards you, and are you using that build for gaming?

 

[MisterDonut]

Eh, it seems like he has the budget for Crossfire, so 1366 is pretty much a necessity on the Intel side to get max perf. + USB3 support. I agree that for gaming only, AM3 is the way to go, if only so that you can bulk up on GPUs.

Yeah if he has no budget, by all means, shoot for the gold. I'm just pointing out that you can upgrade what's more important without losing any performance. He didn't include a GPU though, and I thought 2g+ would be pushing it :hmm:

 

[mfenn]

Yeah if he has no budget, by all means, shoot for the gold. I'm just pointing out that you can upgrade what's more important without losing any performance. He didn't include a GPU though, and I thought 2g+ would be pushing it :hmm:

I think he has a GPU, but it just didn't get into the final listing. IF you add up the prices of the parts he listed, you get $1300 and he lists the total as $1700. That's tells me that he probably has a 5870 in the build and just forgot to list it.

I agree that in the general case, you get more bang for your buck at 1156. However, he's got a 30" monitor, so he's not exactly the general case. At those resolutions, you basically need Crossfire, which P55 sucks at, or a 5970, which would be fine with an 1156 build.

 

[MisterDonut]

Ah, ok then. I mean I would just drop the 30'' for 3 monitors, but I guess that's just me.

 

[fou]

For 3D development and realtime raytracing with 3-way Fermi and Gulftown.

 

[MisterDonut]

Ah, that's way beyond me, haha. Wouldn't a CAD card be better for that?

 

[Medwynd]

No you're not blind, I must have lost it in the cut and paste process lol.

XFX RADEON HD 5870 1 GB DDR5 PCI Express Card HD587AZNF9 $400

 

[Medwynd]

Budget?

I'd like to stay in the 1500 - 1800 range.

If this build is ONLY used for gaming, I would suggest stepping down to the AM3 and picking up a Phenom II 955 (or 1156 platform, but you won't get the best gaming bang for buck there). The build would save you a lot of money and put it towards upgrading what really counts in a gaming rig.

I haven't looked into the AM3, I'll do some research on it thanks.

For resolution that high, I would say two 5870's in CFX, even over a 5970. You get more performance out of the CFX, can't remember why right now, JUST IS .

A second 400$ card would kinda push me out of the range I'm shooting for.

I would take this route for gaming purposes. Phenom II 955 BE + ASUS EVO AM3 (or whatever you want) + 4g Ripjaw DDR3-1600 + everything else

If you decide to go 1156, i5-750 + ASUS P7P55D (or whatever you want) + 4g Ripjaw DDR3-1600 + everything else

I've been out of the hardware game for a bit, hence the upgrade. Why do you like the i5 better?

I would seriously not recommend the 1366 platform for gaming because you can save a ton of money and not lose any performance. BUT, if you are intent on keeping it, swap out the memory for something cheaper (G.skill ECO, Ripjaw, Mushkin, cheaper Corsair, etc.).

How much is a ton

A full tower is extremely unnecessary. Stick to a nice mid-size such as the Antec 902/900, or a CM 690 II (fantastic case), or whatever your eyes can live with.

I'm running an Antec 900 case right now and I like it but I had to custom mod filters to the front fans etc, so was just going to step up to the 1200 because I liked the 900 so much.

For aftermarket cooling, I've never been a fan of Coolermaster cooling (they make great cases though). Gaming won't require too much of your processor, so a moderate OC with a Mugen 2 or a Noctua NH-D12 would give you the best deal and my recommendation. If you want to shoot for world records, high-end air coolers (can run about 80 bucks for a full push/pull configuration) can be found, such as Thermalright's new Venomous X or a Megashadow, Noctua D14. I doubt high-end would be necessary though. Watercooling for sole gaming purposes is too expensive for my tastes, though it is the sex.

Yeah, I'm not looking to break records, just to put together a pretty high end rig.

This build is assuming you already have peripherals and OS? Are you going to run this off a giant TV or actually use the Eyefinity technology that ATi has so dilligently developed?

I'm running a 30" Dell right now, might hook it up to my 70" DLP occassionally.

 

[Medwynd]

Got a bit confused with the posts when fou hijacked the thread with his build, not sure which are directed to me and which to him.

 

[MisterDonut]

Gaming at such a high resolution is gonna be tough with a single GPU. If you're gonna set the gaming resolution that high, you definitely want a second card, but picking up a second card would require you to shoot for the X58 chipset, which costs the most. Decisions, decisions...you have yourself quite the dilemma . On the bright side though, unless you plan on playing games like Crysis, a single 5870 will do you justice (I think it ran Farcry 2 2x AA, Very High around 60 frames). I can't speak for future games, though =x. If you do intend on sticking to the 5870, I'd probably go with the AM3/1156. The (current, at least) 1366 platform is really an enthusiast sort of thing...not something gamers should be focusing on. You can spend the money on parts that enhance gaming more than anything else. Then, again, you can always pick up the 5970 with the 1156.

If you drop to the 1156 platform, you can custom a watercooling setup and include a waterblock for your VGA. Should keep things healthy. Only if you have the budget though. But again, too expensive for my tastes. A Mugen 2 is brilliant for a $35 HSF.

Stick with the 900. I have mine lightly modded, too, and I must say, its airflow is superb. Depending on my ambients, I average high 40's load, 35 idle. I know what you mean about the intake fans though. They attract more dust than Pentium 2.

 

[fou]

To be honest, I'm also quite interested in gaming technology. I believe Fermi is going to have such a big impact on the gaming industry so rapidly that I'd have to be ashamed not to admit CUDA has the biggest advantage over anything right now as far as Windows 7 gaming will go on the upcoming Gulftown based platform.

As a games related developer, you might want to invest in a system that allows you to upgrade it towards this revolutionary turnaround that lies ahead of us all. Not only from a developer's standpoint this seems to be the next logical step, but for an experienced gamer this also isn't the time to miss the boat.

It's rude to hijack someone's thread. If you wish to discuss some other matter, please create a new thread.

-ViRGE

 

[Medwynd]

To be honest, I'm also quite interested in gaming technology. I believe Fermi is going to have such a big impact on the gaming industry so rapidly that I'd have to be ashamed not to admit CUDA has the biggest advantage over anything right now as far as Windows 7 gaming will go on the upcoming Gulftown based platform.

As a games related developer, you might want to invest in a system that allows you to upgrade it towards this revolutionary turnaround that lies ahead of us all. Not only from a developer's standpoint this seems to be the next logical step, but for an experienced gamer this also isn't the time to miss the boat.

Seriously, you can't take this up in your own thread instead of hijacking this one...?

 

[Medwynd]

Ok so I put 2 rigs together, one based on the I5 and the other based on the I7. Pretty much completely revised from my original post thank to your guys help.

I7 1366 Rig:

Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
Model #:BX80601920 - $288.99

ASUS P6T SE LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: P6T SE - $204.99

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D - Retail
Model #:TR3X6G1600C8D - $229.99

Antec Nine Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #:Nine Hundred Two - $114.95

2 X XFX HD-587A-ZND9 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB XXX Edition 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported ... - Retail
Model #:HD-587A-ZND9 - $400 X 2 - $799.98

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
Model #:CMPSU-750TX - $119.99

2 X Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:WD1001FALS - $99.99 X 2 - $199.98

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
Model #:AD-7240S-0B - $25.99

Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail
Model #:SCMG-2000 - $34.99

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Model #:AS5-3.5G - $9.99

Total: $2029.84 + $23 S&H = $2052.84

I5 1156 Rig
All the same as above except for CPU, mobo, & RAM

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail
Model #:BX80605I5750 - $194.99

ASUS P7P55D LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: P7P55D - $136.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - Retail
Model #:F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - $104.99

Total: $1622.85 + $23 S&H = $1645.85

Difference between systems - $406.99

 

[mfenn]

Ok so I put 2 rigs together, one based on the I5 and the other based on the I7. Pretty much completely revised from my original post thank to your guys help.

I7 1366 Rig:

Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
Model #:BX80601920 - $288.99

ASUS P6T SE LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: P6T SE - $204.99

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D - Retail
Model #:TR3X6G1600C8D - $229.99

Antec Nine Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #:Nine Hundred Two - $114.95

2 X XFX HD-587A-ZND9 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB XXX Edition 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported ... - Retail
Model #:HD-587A-ZND9 - $400 X 2 - $799.98

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
Model #:CMPSU-750TX - $119.99

2 X Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:WD1001FALS - $99.99 X 2 - $199.98

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
Model #:AD-7240S-0B - $25.99

Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail
Model #:SCMG-2000 - $34.99

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Model #:AS5-3.5G - $9.99

Total: $2029.84 + $23 S&H = $2052.84

I5 1156 Rig
All the same as above except for CPU, mobo, & RAM

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail
Model #:BX80605I5750 - $194.99

ASUS P7P55D LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: P7P55D - $136.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - Retail
Model #:F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - $104.99

Total: $1622.85 + $23 S&H = $1645.85

Difference between systems - $406.99

The mobo you chose in your 1156 option is not a good choice fore Crossfire because it runs its second physical x16 slot in x4 mode. If you want to go the 1156 route, I would suggest the 5970 (if you can find one in stock that is) due to the limited number of PCIe lanes available on that platform. You can get the GA-P55A-UD4P, which does run in a x8/x8 configuration, but honestly 1366 is the way to go for Crossfire.

 

[Medwynd]

The mobo you chose in your 1156 option is not a good choice fore Crossfire because it runs its second physical x16 slot in x4 mode. If you want to go the 1156 route, I would suggest the 5970 (if you can find one in stock that is) due to the limited number of PCIe lanes available on that platform. You can get the GA-P55A-UD4P, which does run in a x8/x8 configuration, but honestly 1366 is the way to go for Crossfire.

Nice catch, I missed that, thanks.

I also noticed I didn't add in the psu cost to the 1156.

Total: $1742.84 + $23 S&H = $1765.84
Difference - $264

This makes the cost difference almost minimal.

 

[MisterDonut]

Ouch, that's a lot of money...

Try out the G.Skill ECO. It's really nice memory.

I just read the review on the new 500gb platter 1tb drives from Caviar Black. Insane burst speeds, but only because the controller pulls cache from somewhere else (It's all in the article). And it's only $20 more, or so. Use that to boot, and grab a Green for storage. Dunno why you'd need 2TB in R0 for gaming.

How does the 5970 perform on the AM3 platform? If there's minimal difference, you should count the money you can save and then compare.

If you stick with Intel, 1156 with the 5970 gets my +. $264 may not seem like a lot compared to $1700+, but it's still $264 bucks...get a nice SSD for your laptop or something