Time for me to have more then one core!

[Thunderdrunk]

EDITED 7-11-10 - 1:57AM: Post edited to reflect advice taken and updated build list.



Tried to build a grand system at the end of '09 but SHTF and had to spend my precious money on stuff called bills, vets and a car. Got caught up and now I'm wanting that system! Of course I'm not spending $3000....but want something decent!

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Gaming and lots of it! Bit of video watching also. Might dabble into video editing but not enough to affect the build itself.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

About $1000 for the system itself. Monitor is separate and I'm aiming for little to no more then $300 on that one.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

AMD-fanboy for sure! nVidia will always have a spot in my heart, my 7900GT KO is such a tough and hard working girl (even when it is slightly damaged). Of course I won't let that determine what components I'll use.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Hardly any. Mouse and Keyboard since I don't feel like spending $70 friggin' bucks on a keyboard when this one works just fine. Logitech G5 mouse also still kicks ass and I love its looks. Also once I send it in for repairs, I'm using my Logitech G35 which uses it's own sound card.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

Yeah I have and gotten most of my ideas from it and other websites. Of course each build is different due to different needs, budget, and such.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

Wouldn't mind doing some light OC'ing but no heavy OCing since I'm a wuss about it!

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.

I'd love to try gaming at 1920x1080

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

ASAP.

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ...

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long ...

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I5750

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

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

XFX HD-585X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity

SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

Total before I buy monitor.
$1,092.99

Monitor I'm not sure of right now. I was hoping to get more advice about it but for now I'm looking at the very popular Dell U2311H (About 9-14 days for another shipment from Dell) or the slightly smaller Dell U2211h (can ship right away and don't have to wait. Same specs AND about a good $40-50 cheaper for a 1" off).

 

[Dark4ng3l]

I would suggest Zalman performa or cooler master hyper 212+ for a cheap and effective cooler. As far as your choices for parts everything looks good to me.

 

[Sp12]

Build looks good, though the motherboard might be a tad overkill.

I know you're an AMD fan, but an i5-750 build would be more powerful, but also more expensive. Do you live by microcenter?

i5-750 195

Ga-P55A-UD3 135

As for the Dells, the 22in will have better pixel pitch, but the 23 will have more screen space. Your call.

CPU cooler: a hyper 212+ can often be found for ~30, it's pretty much the best price/performance for that price, but there are definitely better air coolers.

As a general tip, water cooling is not worth it unless you're going for 4.5Ghz+ overclocks. They always have maintenance, and in the event of a failure you're out whatever components shorted.

And distilled water helps but it still picks up electrons from the blocks/pump over time.

 

[Thunderdrunk]

Well I certainly don't mind giving Intel a shot. AMD fan I maybe, a nutcase I am not but they did seem to be a better bang for your buck. While I don't mind spending a bit more I don't want to spend TOO much more then what it already is. Also I don't even have a Microcenter in Arizona at least according to their website. I was looking at the P55 but I thought the P55 chipset had some issues with PCIe lane slowdown if I were to either go SLI/Crossfire or if I would to use both USB and SATA3 while the graphics card was plugged in due to some sort of lane limitation. I'd look it up again and see where I read that but right now I'm just too tired and about to hit the sack. I'll look and read up on it again tomorrow or well I guess it would be later today. Heh.

 

[Sp12]

Well I certainly don't mind giving Intel a shot. AMD fan I maybe, a nutcase I am not but they did seem to be a better bang for your buck. While I don't mind spending a bit more I don't want to spend TOO much more then what it already is. Also I don't even have a Microcenter in Arizona at least according to their website. I was looking at the P55 but I thought the P55 chipset had some issues with PCIe lane slowdown if I were to either go SLI/Crossfire or if I would to use both USB and SATA3 while the graphics card was plugged in due to some sort of lane limitation. I'd look it up again and see where I read that but right now I'm just too tired and about to hit the sack. I'll look and read up on it again tomorrow or well I guess it would be later today. Heh.

Here's a review: http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/intel_corei5750_corei7870/15.htm

Basically, the i5-750 beats the AMD 965 by a few percent. Not really impressive for ~20$ more, especially when you consider the mobos cost more, right?

Issue is that the i5 is at 2.66 while the AMD is at 3.4, it's a more efficient architecture. So when you OC a i5 to 3.4, you're beating the AMD chips by a significant margin (granted, unless you have 2+GPUS you'll be GPU limited with either chip for now). The AMD 955, however, is a competitive price/performance part for a lower price bracket.

And you're right, P55 platforms typically run in X8/X8, but that's less than 2% performance loss over an X16/X16 setup, even with ultra-highend cards. I've heard of sata/USB 3 issues with two cards, but I know it only applies to specific boards (the P55 non As especially).

 

[mfenn]

Here's a couple of things to think about:

• Not seeing a power supply in that build. You're gonna want one of those. I would suggest the Corsair 650TX for that build.
• The 890GX board that you have only runs at x8/x8 when in Crossfire, so it's the same as the P55 in that sense. Like Sp12 pointed out, it's not a big deal.
• If you want to save a few bucks, you can drop the WD Black for a Samsung F3 1TB, drop the P183 down to the Three Hundred, and get the GA-870A-UD3.

 

[MisterDonut]

I agree with dropping the case down to a 300. Let's you put money into other things (as long as you don't mind how the 300 looks). Hyper 212+, PSU and your build is good to go. For SSD's, gaming-wise, you won't see much of an increase (if any) in performance, and I doubt you'll find an SSD to fit all your games/apps and budget. You could go for the i5-750, but AFAIK, it's already a dead end socket? Going AM3 at least leaves open the option for Thuban if you really get into video stuff. You'll only get real silence with h2o , but I doubt you'll mind noise with guns and grenades everywhere.

Just an FYI, in my experience, the 955BE is a really frustrating chip to overclock. Might've just been the one chip, but I believe AT has also had some frustrations with it. Highest I've bumped it to was 3.6 without changing anything else, and ~4.0 by REALLY tweaking and stretching it. If you think leaving it stock is fine (which it probably is), you can save yourself $25 by not getting a Hyper 212+. Your OC'ed 5850 @ load will probably drown out anything else in the case.

 

[heyheybooboo]

MSI 870A-G54 / PhII 945: $205 after rebate

Should work just dandy with the RAMs you selected. Drop the memory back 800MHz -->667MHz and up the clock to 240MHz.

Your RAMs will be running spec, your CPU at 3.4GHz, and the NB/IMC at 2400MHz. C&Q should drop you back to 960MHz CPU when you're not gaming it up.

MSI is building and supporting great stuff these days, and hopefully this mobo will not be any different. BD Zambezi is just around the corner, and I suspect MSI will support it as well as any other vendor.

Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB: $55

The P183 is a nice case, but man is it pricey and has that lame Antec fan control (and they don't bother with a front fan?). You don't have to snag this Rosewill but you could easily save $60-$70 here over the P183 and still get a quality, cool & quiet case. (Did I mention there is 12 inches between the back expansion slots and the HD rack on that Rosewill? )

Here is an HD5850 for $270 with Code EMCYVYX26 that will rock your world --- that's another $40 to the 'good'.

That should get you an extra $200 or so to spend, overall. Hello, HD5870?

Probably not worth it. An HD5850 coming from a 7900GT will be an OMG moment for you, anyway (so would an HD4870, but that's a whole different matter - LOL).

A 64Gb Gen2 SSD can normally be found for around $120-$130, or you could wait. Windows and your apps will load much faster with one, fer sure.

And if you are going to take that video editing to the next level, it would certainly be they way to go.

A second Spinpoint could be used as your output drive (use the first drive for capture/scratch), and with the SSD feeding them your rig will be smokin'.

Of course, you could take that extra cash, add it to your video budget and jump into the low-end of the 40- to 50-inch display pool.

But then you would have to buy a really nice wireless KB/mouse, because with that HD 5850 you sure are going to need it :thumbsup:




--

 

[Thunderdrunk]

You know I'm feeling like I'm going to the Dark Side but what the hell. I'm feeling adventurous and gonna give my first shot at an actual from the ground up Intel build using the recommended i5 - 750. Using less power, great overclocking potential (when you up the volts it seems) and it runs cooler which certainly helps out in the desert here (and when the apartment complex's AC blows chunks). I'm certainly going to have to do more research into this but I'm not sure if I'm going all in and going for a 4.0ghz overclock. Maybe something a little less since I'll be compromising cooling a bit for lesser noise levels. Guns and grenades may cover the wind tunnel but when I'm just reading and surfing the web I don't wanna hear that thing! Also decided to just forget that 8x PCIe issue since it seems no graphics card out there currently can even hope to fully use it all.

Alright I'll edit my first post also to reflect the changes but here it goes. Also can't believe I forgot about the PSU when I first posted. I was even looking at the one mfenn suggested and thought I put it in my cart. Guess not!

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ...

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long ...

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I5750

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

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

XFX HD-585X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity

SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

Total before I buy monitor.
$1,092.99

Gonna toss a 500GB I already have (A earlier Seagate version without the atrocious issues the 1TB and 1.5TB did then). Never given me any issues surprisingly! But I'm holding off a bit on a SSD. Waiting for the price to drop just a bit more, capacity to increase and waiting to see what Intel has for a Gen3 SSD (coming around Q4 ain't it?). If it's anything like the ones they already make I'm sure it won't disappoint.

Might had another 2GB of ram down the road also. But only if I find myself actually needing it.

Went with the Caviar Blacks just because I feel more comfortable and safe when thinking about WD. I'm sure the F3 is a great drive, lots of great reviews for it and recommendations, but it's not that much more for something I feel better with.

Probably going with the slightly smaller Dell screen just cause it's a bit cheaper and it's certainly quite big enough. I'll be sitting at my desk only like 3-4 feet away from the screen anyways. Don't think I could fit that here anyways. So a 40"-50" screen is a bit out of the picture....certainly was tempting thinking about it though!

Might toss in some other fans since it seems Antec's cool decently but Tri-cools can be quite a bit loud on high. I have older Tri-Cools and can certainly confirm they are loud on high but I thought Antec would've fixed that with the 3-4 year time span. Guess not.

So Anandtech folks before I pull the trigger does the build look good?

 

[Sp12]

Looks good, I think you'll be very happy with the price/performance you got, as well as the flat out performance. Nice use of combo deals.

And I agree on the SSD thing, Intel has confirmed the 25nm flash chips are in full production/shipping, so Q3 is possible Q4 is certain.

 

[mfenn]

OK, looks good to me. One thing that you should know about the FAEX is that it is an "advanced format". This means that it has 4KB sectors instead of the traditional 512-byte ones. You'll be running Win 7, so you will want to make sure that you do not use the offset jumper on pins 7 and 8.

 

[mrpete]

The WD1002FAEX is a Caviar Black and is NOT an advanced format drive. That info will more or less not be on the WD website because they only indicate which drives ARE advanced format. For drives that are not advanced format it just doesn't say that they are advanced format.

See the document at the URL below. If it moves just search for 2178-771112.pdf on google.

http://products.wdc.com/library/matrix/ENG/2178-771112.pdf

See also ...

PC Perspective

Western Digital SATA 6Gb/sec 1TB Caviar Black (WD1002FAEX) Review

"For those curious, this new drive does not incorporate Advanced Format."

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=870

 

[mnewsham]

The WD1002FAEX is a Caviar Black and is NOT an advanced format drive. That info will more or less not be on the WD website because they only indicate which drives ARE advanced format. For drives that are not advanced format it just doesn't say that they are advanced format.

See the document at the URL below. If it moves just search for 2178-771112.pdf on google.

http://products.wdc.com/library/matrix/ENG/2178-771112.pdf

See also ...

PC Perspective

Western Digital SATA 6Gb/sec 1TB Caviar Black (WD1002FAEX) Review

"For those curious, this new drive does not incorporate Advanced Format."

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=870

Please refrain from bumping dead threads. The General Hardware section is fairly active and replying to every unfinished thread would just cause confusion.