Advice on a new P55 build!

A

andrewa

n00b
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Jan 1, 2010
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24
Hey all -

I'm spec'ing out a new P55 machine, to replace the aging (but awesomely reliable) Athlon 64 X2 machine. I'd be using the machine for general productivity, some light media encoding, heavier photo editing and some gaming (basically, Half Life 2 Episode 3 when it comes out). My priorities in this build are:

1. Stability
2. Longevity (ie, hardware that supports latest standards, has performance enough to be useful in a few years)
3. Low noise/low power consumption
4. Low cost

The current equipment list looks like this (everything is new unless noted):

1. CPU: Core i7-860
2. Motherboard: MSI P55-GD65
3. Memory: 2 x 2GB (4GB total) Crucial DDR3 1333, 1.5V, CAS9
4. Video: Sapphire Vapor-X HD 5770
5. System Drive: OCZ Vertex 60 GB SSD
6. Storage Drives (nearly new, pulled from an existing machine): 2 x 750GB WD Caviar Black HDDs
7. Case: Antec P183
8. PSU: Antec CP-850 (the combo deal is $30 off on Newegg)
9. ODD: Sony Optiarc AD-7240S-0B SATA DVD burner
10: OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
11. Audio (pulled from an existing machine): X-Fi Elite Pro, PCI
12. CPU Cooling: Thermalright Ultra 120-Extreme w/Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120mm fan
13. Case cooling: 1xSFF21E + 2xSFF21D in the upper chamber, 1xSFF21D in the lower HDD chamber

All in all, it should come in just under $1400, which is right where I want to be. I'd love to hear any general thoughts/feed back on this combination - any potential issues, bottlenecks or areas in which I could either improve performance or shave costs without losing performance.

I generally like to overbuild the cooling system, as I feel like that contributes heavily to system longevity and stability.

Specifically, I'm wondering:

1. Would the system be noticeably faster with an 80GB Intel X-25M G2 in place of the Vertex?
2. Would there be a useful stability/longevity/power improvement from using a Seasonic X-650 Gold PSU in place of the Antec CP-850?
3. In terms of reliable 1.5V DDR3 kits, I am better off with CAS 7 DDR3 1066 or CAS 9 DDR3 1333 (as specified above)? As I understand, their performance is basically identical.
4. Do you think I could get away with fewer fans? Or slower fans?
5. For anyone who has done a P183 build, is it better to place the upper chamber front intake fan directly against the front panel intake or clipped to the end of the second HDD bracket?
6. If I'm after ultimate stability and support in the future, is there a better motherboard than the P55 GD-65?

Thanks!
 
Interesting. Haven't heard much about G Skill one way or another - who makes their chips?

In general, I'm skeptical of high performance/overclocked RAM. Doesn't seem to help anything much, except for a few benchmarks and computing applications.
 
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1) It depends. Do you work with a ton of small files or large files? The Vertex is faster when working with large files but the Intel is faster when working with small files.

2) Nope

3) Just go with the cheapest of the two options. The performance is pretty much the same so no point in worrying about it or spending the extra cash for it.

4) You could use a slower fan for the lower HDD chamber and the upper HDD chamber.

5) I've done both with the older P180 and I honestly couldn't tell a difference in GPU or any kind of temps. So I placed the fan up front so that I could have the space needed for the video card. For you, that might be the same case: the HD 5870 is somewhat of a long card.

6) Well P55 mobos are still relatively new so there haven't been that much info whether or not a certain mobo is more stable/reliable than the other. By support, what do you mean? Customer support or driver/BIOs support?

Do you actually need all of the features of Windows 7 Pro?
 
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