New PC build list

[Nahsavtoo]

Hello all,

Let me begin by saying this website was reccommended by a friend. Last time I built a PC was two years ago and it did not go as well as expected but still was worlds better than the PCs I purchased from the store. I will start off by answering the questions in the new PC build thread:

1. My PC will be used for playing World of Warcraft and surfing the internet mainly. I use an old CAD program to help my dad out once in awhile and my current computer gets a bit choppy when using it. It will also be used for storing various data to include my iTunes music, backups of my DvD collection (when I start it again), pictures and various programs that I have purchased but use only for work or the odd project from time to time.

2. I currently have a budget of appx $1800-2000 per computer to include the OS.

3. My parts will be bought from the United States as far as I know. I will be purchasing them from the internet.

4. I have no brand preference. All of my dealings have been with Intel to date if that makes any difference. I seem to have an easier time differentiating between the CPUs.

5. I intend to buy all new parts. I will be giving away my current computers once I clean the HDD.

6. I have not done research on other threads or websites as this is my first post and I am not sure what my questions will be until I get reccomendations based on my intended hardware.

7. I plan to do moderate overclocking. I have been reading a bit about the CPU I got and have seen people OC it to around 4GHz. I have no need for that kind of OC.

8. 1680 x 1050 I believe is the max resolution my monitor can sustain. I may purchase new/bigger monitors so the resolution would increase.

9. I plan to build them within the next 3-4 months.

I have listed the components I plan to use below. My main concern is how well would OC be supported by the BIOS (a question posed to me) and is the RAM suitable for OC (another question posed to me). I have read up a bit on the video card and I plan on running them at SLi several months down the road (think summer next year). Overkill I know. I plan on using the Windows 7 Home Premium for the OS. It ships with x32 and x64. I understand the x64 will support quite a bit of RAM.

I will be using power supply extensions based upon some reviews on the case and MB I read and I am considering ordering some additional cooling fans (120mm @ 100cfu). The nomenclature (names of the items) are straight off the website where I did the research. I have a complete list with prices if that is needed as well.

Operating System
Windows 7 Home Prmium

Hard Drive
1x OS 1x Programs. RAID partition?

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (bare drive) - OEM

Main Board


ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Xtreme Phase, 3-Way SLI & Quad-GPU CrossFireX Support

RAM


"CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C7 G - Retail
Compatible w/ Intel Core i7 series CPU for X58 motherboard"

POWER SUPPLY


COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro1000 RS-A00-EMBA 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply ? Retail

COOLING FAN


COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail

CPU


Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

GRAPHICS CARD



XFX GX275XADQC GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

CASE


Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case -

CD DRIVE


LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe LightScribe Support

THERMAL PASTE


Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

 

[jdjbuffalo]

$1800-$2000 is a pretty big budget.

I wouldn't recommend a VelociRaptor. If you are looking for a great OS/Games drive then you want to look at the SSDs. The new Intel ones will be available in the next few days. They come in 80GB and 160GB sizes. Here is a link to the new 80GB one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820167016

1000 Watt power supply is overkill for what you have listed here. A 750 Watt will be more than enough for what you have listed including overclocking. Here is the equivalent 750 watt Corsair: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139010

The ATI 4890 is a better card for less money but if you are set on Nvidia then you can keep the card you've picked. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150359

 

[Nahsavtoo]

Originally posted by: jdjbuffalo
$1800-$2000 is a pretty big budget.

I wouldn't recommend a VelociRaptor. If you are looking for a great OS/Games drive then you want to look at the SSDs. The new Intel ones will be available in the next few days. They come in 80GB and 160GB sizes. Here is a link to the new 80GB one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820167016

1000 Watt power supply is overkill for what you have listed here. A 750 Watt will be more than enough for what you have listed including overclocking. Here is the equivalent 750 watt Corsair: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139010

The ATI 4890 is a better card for less money but if you are set on Nvidia then you can keep the card you've picked. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150359

I will look into the PSU and the Video card. I wasn't sure on the power supply and I have always used the GeForce cards. I don't know hardly anything about ATI cards but some reviews I was reading is saying to wait until DX11...any thoughts?

The SSD is not attractive to me due to the price and the storage size. Again thank you for the input as I am looking for ways to cut down a bit on the cost of building two of these.

 

[ScorcherDarkly]

That machine is going to be extreme overkill for WoW, but will be nice for future expansions or other games like SC2 or D3 if you're a blizzard fan. Your power supply is waaaay bigger than you need, could probably get by easily with 650W or so, maybe go 750 or 800 in-case you decide you want to SLi sometime in the future. With the budget you have I'd get a SSD drive for your boot drive instead of the raptor, and get a WD Caviar Black 1TB for a storage drive.

Edit: Sorry, I typed my comment before jdjbuffalo had posted but forgot to hit submit, so my recommendations are a bit redundant.

 

[betasub]

Originally posted by: Nahsavtoo
The SSD is not attractive to me due to the price and the storage size. Again thank you for the input as I am looking for ways to cut down a bit on the cost of building two of these.

The SSD isn't being recommended as the only storage device, but as a boot drive alongside one of the best traditional HDD (Caviar Black 1TB) - Raptors no longer have the speed crown nor are they large enough alone for many users storage demands. ATFers are typically recommending SSD for builds that have the budget for i7 and more, and your $1800-$2000 covers that.

Maybe you have "over-budgeted" based on your experience from 2years ago. Mid-to-high end hardware is much more reasonably priced these days (although the ultra-high end still breaks the bank). $1200-$1500 would still get a good i7 WoW machine.

 

[brblx]

your budget is pretty huge for your purposes. you could build two i7 rigs for $1100-1200 each, maybe even 2000 combined if you pinch pennies, and stomp WoW, as well as having plenty of upgradability.

as far as the parts above, you could put a 650w PSU in each and still have plenty of overhead and room any graphics card, including an SLI setup (not that i think you'd ever need it). you could save about $50 on your memory and never know the difference. case seems a bit much, why not the smaller 300 or 900?

and another vote against the vraptor. i'm put some decent 7200rpm drives in those machines and keep waiting on SSD prices to fall (it's been promised but i havn't been seeing much of it).

 

[Piano Man]

For those saying this computer is overkill for WoW, please play it at 1920x1200, turn everything to max, and go Raid, play WG a few times, or hang out in Dalaran during peak hours and then say that. WoW is one of the most demanding games out there, and because of all the new shadow features, it taxes BOTH the video card and the CPU. I'm not saying it looks the best, but it is extremely demanding.

I'm on the same boat as these folks about the SSD though. That new 80GB Intel SSD will be more than enough for OS and WoW, and then get the 1TB Black for everything else.

If you are really only going to use this for WoW as far as gaming goes, then I would recommend the nVidia 275 over the 4890, as the 275 beats the 4890 in WoW. Blizzard must test and have a closer relationship with nvidia, because their cards always do better in WoW when pitted up against similar cards from ATI. If you want to play other games, though, I suggest the 4890.

Case in point right now is that after the 3.2 patch, all ATI 4000 series cards have shadow flickering issues, and the only way to get rid of them is to disable shadow instancing, which is a hit to performance.


Make sure that when you get these up and running, that you play with the CPU affinity settings in WoW. Currently WoW defaults to load balance between 2 cores only. You can tinker around and make it load balance on any combination of the 4 physical or 4 threaded cores. People have been getting much better framerates doing that.


Also with that system, you'd be doing yourself a disservice not upgrading to a 1920x1200 monitor. And if you want to go aluminum with your case, I suggest the CoolerMaster ATCS 840. About $40 more than the 1200, but worth it in my opinion.

 

[Maverick2002]

I'll go along with what most people here said:

1) Get a quality 1920x1200 monitor. They're very reasonably priced and will last you through several machines (I used a CRT for 3 over 6 years before getting an LCD).
2) $1800-2000 budget is awesome. You can build a great gaming system that will last you 3 years easy before you start running into performance issues at really high settings (debatable). At that point you could upgrade a couple things or start all over.
3) Get an SSD (2nd gen Intel hands down, will support TRIM in Win7) for your OS/application ( C: ) drive. Get a $90 1TB data storage drive. This setup is going to be superior to any non-ridiculous RAID setup.
4) 1000w PSU is a huge waste for your setup. Quality 600-700w will be more than sufficient.
5) Might as well get a Blu-Ray drive (if you ever plan on watching movies on your PC).
6) Take your leftover money and spend it on: a) a badass case b) any badass case accessories since you will be staring at this thing unless you plan on hiding it c) steak & beer.

If you still have money left over you can try and get another GTX 275 in SLI ... but I doubt you'll see much of an additional benefit.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Nahsavtoo
9. I plan to build them within the next 3-4 months.

Come back and ask questions 2 weeks before you are ready to actually place orders. The reason is that 3-4 months can be an eternity with PC parts and who knows what will change between now and then? Here are some possibilities:

Core i5 will be available (heck, Fry's accidentally had it on their web site already). You can get cheaper dual channel RAM and cheaper motherboards. They will probably be a hair slower at the same MHz, but they have much higher Turbo speeds and with the money saved on motherboard and RAM, can invest in a faster CPU.

New graphics cards will be out. ATI will probably be first, but NVIDIA should be out by the end of the year.

SSDs will probably be more attractive due to reduced costs as manufacturers respond to Intel slashing prices.

Probably a bunch of other new stuff.

 

[Nahsavtoo]

The 80Gb and 1TB drive actually comes out cheaper for me so thanks much for that. I was doing a bit of research and will make sure I get an SSD that supports TRIM (whatever that is). I appreciate the information there. I wasn't too hip on the RAID setup but I know my way around multiple hard drives somewhat. So load the OS to the 80GB SSD drive and any and all other applications to the 1TB drive?

On a seperate note: A friend was saying he has a RIG with a SSD OS drive, a 150GB VRaptor program drive and a 1TB storage drive...I don't need all of that but it sounds interesting.

The PSU I was concerned with. I wasn't sure what would support what with O/C and all as well as allow future upgrades as I plan on maintaining this setup for awhile and reusing it for upgrades. Like I said before I am pretty much a newbie when it comes to building. I will be going with JDBuffalo's reccomendation of the Corsair 750w PSU. All I have read about seems to be real good. To include a velvet bag? *smirks*

Someone mentioned RAM. If there is better RAM out there for a lower price please direct me to it. I was reading up on the OCZ RAM and I wasn't too impressed by the reviews. Like I said I plan to O/C a bit (maybe to as far as 3.1-3.3) and the CORSAIR RAM I chose should be able to handle that easily.

I was planning on looking at new monitors but would have to see where I was sitting at for the end budget. Taking everyone's advice on here so far with relation to the PSU and hard drives I have dropped about $100.00 per computer and am looking at 1700ish per (1900ish with windows 7 home). Of course I have yet to actually shop around. Just looking at newegg is all.

The case is another question. I chose that case due to the size. I heard alot of guff about the video card not fitting in some midsize cases, and if I want to upgrade in the future with more HDD and such. Any thoughts?

My current computer resides in an Antec 900 case and I am not home (and won't be home for a good bit longer) to be able to measure out how long the space is for the video card. I wasn't too impressed with the routing of the cables in the antec case but that could just be due to inexperience. I would go with that case if it would for sure fit the video card as I already know what is what with it. I dont much care what the case looks like so long as it functions well to shield and cool the internals.

Again thanks to all for your input. Any more is always welcome as I am all about learning things (especially computers). I plan on heading back to school soon after being out for 18 years. Planning on a major in computer securities...or some such. Essentially an IT guy that tries to keep folks from hacking a company's network. The more you know...

 

[Nahsavtoo]

The next 3-4 months is when I come back from overseas. I can purchase the items a week or two before I expect to be home and have them waiting on me.

Hmm..Core i5? I will do some research as I have heard bits and pieces but thought it wouldn't be out for a long time yet. The reason I am going with the MB is that is supports DDR3 and a seemingly host of other options. I have no idea what MB support what different components or even what MB is quality vs Crap. If you have recommendations for MBs that are comparable to what I have listed I am all about doing further research. Just point me in the direction and I will start digging.


But you are right in the pricing area. It seems when I bought components for my current computers it wasn't but a couple of weeks later the parts were 15-30% cheaper than what I had purchased and the newer stuff wasn't much more expensive.

 

[Maverick2002]

TRIM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIM_(SSD_command)

Core i5 should be out this year iirc. It's a cheaper and slightly bastardized version of the original i7. It will also be socket 1156 as opposed to socket 1366, so it won't support the upcoming 6 core i9, due out next year. Then again, unless you do some serious multithreading, the i5 may actually be faster thanks to a more aggressive turbo mode.

One thing I like to do when I need a component is go on Newegg, search for all the components in that field, and then sort them by "most reviews". If a video card has 1000 reviews and the next one down has 250, and the one with 1000 reviews is 4-5 star, that's probably what I'm going to get. You have plenty of time so do some research. In 3-4 months recommendations will probably be a little different anyway.

 

[jdjbuffalo]

Originally posted by: Nahsavtoo
So load the OS to the 80GB SSD drive and any and all other applications to the 1TB drive?

No, you want to load the OS (about 20GB for Windows 7) and all the applications on the SSD. You should have enough room to put a few games on here too. The 1TB for everything else.

 

[Maverick2002]

80GB is plenty for an OS and a reasonable amount of games/applications. Your SSD will be your C: drive - install all your programs there.

 

[heyheybooboo]

SSD prices are lookin' nifty as they head lower in price - no telling where they will be in 3-4 months.

I couldn't hold out and just snagged 2 x Super Talent 64Gb for my OS drives

 

[Maverick2002]

IIRC the 2nd gen Intel drives are the only ones that are going to support TRIM, which means all other SSDs will see a (noticeable?) performance decrease once all sectors are written to once.

EDIT: nm I stand corrected. Looks like there are other drives currently out there that will be getting TRIM support. Just make sure whatever SSD you get does.

 

[Nahsavtoo]

Good info on the number of reviews. I hadn't thought of doing that. I do expect the recommendations to change and hope to see them as I get closer to heading home.

So all applications and programs on the 80GB drive and any and all data on the data drive. So WoW takes up appx 3GB or so (last I knew) of disk space. and the other programs I have wont take up much at all. So that puts that dog to rest. Now to just wait and see what the prices tune up to.

So any SSD I get (Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2C1 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) with TRIM (or TRIM supported?) should work well in windows 7 with no action needed to be taken on my part right? I saw the difference between the listed SSD and the one NEWEGG says to buy instead (Gen 1). Just want to make sure that buying the Gen 2 won't be a bad idea if there is soon to be a Gen 3.

 

[jdjbuffalo]

NewEgg recommending the Gen 1 pisses me off. They shouldn't be doing that because the uninformed people don't know any better and will get the inferior drives without TRIM support.

The Gen 2 drives are just coming out. While I'm sure Intel will come out with a Gen 3, I wouldn't expect it for at least 6 months, probably longer.

 

[Nahsavtoo]

Ok I was re-reading some of the information above. I am looking for a monitor any ideas? I have looked on Newegg and the monitors I am looking at do not support the 1920x1200. I have found one that seems to be above and beyond though: SAMSUNG 2343BWX High Glossy Black 23" 5ms 16:9 Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 20000:1 (DC) w/ HDCP Support . Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. I have looked on Nextag and done some price comparison, I am not big on refurbished anything.

So a few general questions: What does the 2ms, 3ms 5ms etc mean or stand for and how does it affect game play in a high graphics setting (World of Warcraft and FPS games)?
How much difference is there between 1680x1050 vs 1920x1200? I imagine quality is a big factor but I am looking for opinions on perfmance and quality issues.
Now for the input lag: I have read a bit about it and some monitors seem to have input lag to such a degree that it is noticeable when playing games.

I am looking for a 20-22" monitor so that I can send the ones I am currently using to my kids with the computers I am currently using.

*Edit: Another question is about soundcards. I know a soundcard is supposed to help improve audio quality but how much of an improvement would I see when playing music and talking over programs like Ventrilo?

**Edit: Would two video cards do well in SLi rather than the monster of a video card I have with regards to the CPU I am getting?

(eg 1 - 896MB video card with the i7 vs 2 - 512MB video cards with the i7)

 

[heyheybooboo]

You need to post back in November prior to your return trip.

There will be new, more capable less expensive tech. 32nm CPUs from Intel, new steppings from AMD, 40nm GPUs, new SSDs, etc

 

[jae]

2ms, 3ms, 6ms etc is like the refresh rate. Get a monitor that is atleast 24". Definately get a SSD. SLi is not what it seems. You dont get double the performance as most people think and it uses more power, stick with a single GFX card.

 

[Nahsavtoo]

Originally posted by: jae
2ms, 3ms, 6ms etc is like the refresh rate. Get a monitor that is atleast 24". Definately get a SSD. SLi is not what it seems. You dont get double the performance as most people think and it uses more power, stick with a single GFX card.

So any recommendations for a 24" monitor? All the ones I am looking at seems to be pretty steep. Not to mention I am now concerned about the input lag as I hear it has a negative impact on gaming and some graphics programs.

 

[Maverick2002]

With regards to LCDs, that's an entirely separate thread. I'm not guru, but I purchased a BenQ 2400something last year for $300 and it's been awesome.

There are a lot of good articles here at AT about the various features of monitors and it's worthwhile to do some research. Don't be afraid to spend a good chunk on a quality LCD as it will last you through multiple computers. One reason for 1920x1200 is because 1920x1080 is full HD. And a 24" display makes your epeen grow a few inches as well.

EDIT: last I checked WoW takes up ~10GB with addons, patches, expansions, etc.

 

[Bill Brasky]

Originally posted by: Nahsavtoo

Originally posted by: jae
2ms, 3ms, 6ms etc is like the refresh rate. Get a monitor that is atleast 24". Definately get a SSD. SLi is not what it seems. You dont get double the performance as most people think and it uses more power, stick with a single GFX card.

So any recommendations for a 24" monitor? All the ones I am looking at seems to be pretty steep. Not to mention I am now concerned about the input lag as I hear it has a negative impact on gaming and some graphics programs.

Refer to this thread for LCD questions, but some of the recommendations a little dated.
The LCD Thread

I'm also shopping for a good 24" 1920x1200 gaming monitor, but I really haven't made much progress. I just came to terms with the fact that I don't want to spend the money for an IPS panel, so I'm kind of back to square one. I'll make sure to post if I find anything interesting.

 

[Nahsavtoo]

Originally posted by: Maverick2002
With regards to LCDs, that's an entirely separate thread. I'm not guru, but I purchased a BenQ 2400something last year for $300 and it's been awesome.

There are a lot of good articles here at AT about the various features of monitors and it's worthwhile to do some research. Don't be afraid to spend a good chunk on a quality LCD as it will last you through multiple computers. One reason for 1920x1200 is because 1920x1080 is full HD. And a 24" display makes your epeen grow a few inches as well.

EDIT: last I checked WoW takes up ~10GB with addons, patches, expansions, etc.

You are correct I think. So if I go with a 64GB OCZ or 80GB Intel I am looking at appx 25-35% of my OS drive being taken up just by the OS and one program huh? Seeing as how I only have two other programs that each run no more than 500MB each that should be a real problem I would imagine. By the time I fill up 80GB with programs the SSD 128GB should be around 50% of what they cost now. Meaning I use MS Office and a CAD program and that is all for actual programs. The rest would be just data.