Advice on new Da Box build

[closdubois]

This will be my first time building a PC and I would like to get some feedback regarding my build. It will primarily be used for gaming, movies, and some number crunching. I have a 24'' monitor and I want to be able to play most games on it w/ okay quality. I have a budget of $2k, but I want to make sure that I'm optimizing all the parts, so if there are potential bottlenecks in my build please let me know.

Here's what I've got so far:

Asus Rampage II Gene
Intel i7 920 (will OC)
XFX HD5870
G.SKILL 6gb (3x2gb) DDR3 1600
Intel x-25m 80gb SSD
Samsung Spinpoint 1TB hdd
Seasonic x750 power supply
Noctua nh-u12p cooler
Lite-On Black 24x DVD+R
DA BOX
.... running W7 64-bit

Thanks for reading!

 

[IdiotInCharge]

I'll probably get shanked in the back for this, but since you mentioned no need for Crossfire/SLi, or an upgrade to the Hex core i9s?, I'm not sure why you're spending the extra coin on the X58 setup over P55. If either of those is a necessity, then of course I understand.

For your main hard drive, you could easily go with a Samsung F3EG or WD Green at 2TB. I'd take the WD personally.

You also don't mention a Blu-ray drive, one would easily fall within your budget.

The power supply is a little overkill- you could get away with a Corsair 650HX/750TX and still be able to run two full power (300W each) GPUs as well as overclock to your heart's content. If you're not going for mATX dual-GPU, then you don't need even that much power.

 

[xLAMBIEx]

I would also suggest getting a Blu Ray drive as it wont be that big of a jump in cost and will be worth it in the future.
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[EtronicTek]

that should be a very nice box when done and should play all games with no problem.

i am in the process of building Da Box as well but opted to go with a P55 setup instead for reasons stated as above, as well as trying to keep heat to a minimum.

 

[FengPangzi]

I agree that P55 is the way to go. I've got the Asus Maximus Gene III and it's a great mobo.

 

[closdubois]

Thanks for all the comments so far!
I will be going with a 2TB hdd and blu-ray as they seem to be quite good investments.
From the reviews I've read, the seasonic PSU is the quietest and the 650 model costs as much as the 750 model, which is why I had the x750 on there.
Regarding x58 vs P55, the R2G is only $10 more than the M3G, but x58 boards supposedly run a lot hotter... I'll have to do more research on that

 

[MJZ]

I'll probably get shanked in the back for this, but since you mentioned no need for Crossfire/SLi, or an upgrade to the Hex core i9s?, I'm not sure why you're spending the extra coin on the X58 setup over P55. If either of those is a necessity, then of course I understand.

For your main hard drive, you could easily go with a Samsung F3EG or WD Green at 2TB. I'd take the WD personally.

You also don't mention a Blu-ray drive, one would easily fall within your budget.

The power supply is a little overkill- you could get away with a Corsair 650HX/750TX and still be able to run two full power (300W each) GPUs as well as overclock to your heart's content. If you're not going for mATX dual-GPU, then you don't need even that much power.

Definitely wouldn't recommend a P55 system (that is simply a dead-end for any type of upgrades), or the Green HD for primary drive. The Seasonic has the benefit of being a silent supply (if you get a non-defective one) for the most part as the fan doesn't run unless needed. Fully modular means your cabling could be a little more versatile, but I know the X750's sleaving is incomparable to the flat sleaving cabling of the Corsair HXes so... a toss up for sure.

As for heat, your Rampage II gene is not going to be happy without some very good airflow. I wouldn't recommend a large air cooler in this case, a Corsair H50 will probably be a better use of space. You will probably want a fan attached to the NB heatsink (which is also attached to the VREG).

 

[IdiotInCharge]

Definitely wouldn't recommend a P55 system (that is simply a dead-end for any type of upgrades), or the Green HD for primary drive. The Seasonic has the benefit of being a silent supply (if you get a non-defective one) for the most part as the fan doesn't run unless needed. Fully modular means your cabling could be a little more versatile, but I know the X750's sleaving is incomparable to the flat sleaving cabling of the Corsair HXes so... a toss up for sure.

As for heat, your Rampage II gene is not going to be happy without some very good airflow. I wouldn't recommend a large air cooler in this case, a Corsair H50 will probably be a better use of space. You will probably want a fan attached to the NB heatsink (which is also attached to the VREG).

The only upgrade for X58 though, that we know of, is going to be the 6-core i9's I mentioned above, which for now are reported to be only coming in the ultra-expensive Extreme Edition packaging. For now, as in until Intel says otherwise, it's just as likely that Intel could make some 32nm Quad or Hex core 1156 CPU's as they would make a non-EE 1366 Hex core. Take it how you will.

For the PSU, if you're going small, less is definitely better- unless you need real dual GPU support, there's no need for anything over 450W. Also, I point to Corsair's CWT-based 650HX as a less expensive alternative to the Seasonic above. The Seasonic is incredibly overpriced.

I had to look around for a review of Corsair's new HX units, and it seems the good fellows at TR did a roundup with the 750HX and the Seasonic X850. They give the Corsair HX the Gold, because it's less expensive with a longer warranty, and only slightly louder at 1", and the same noise level further away. Assuming that the HX650 and X750 have the same characteristics as their platform mates, I can't see an argument for the Seasonic (as much as I like them as a manufacturer, and am using a Corsair based Seasonic now).

Next, with respect to heat, I don't see how anyone could argue for an X58 system over P55. P55 has all of the MCH hardware moved to the CPU, so there's nothing left to get hot- the ICH10 (or whatever they renamed it too) is the only Intel logic left on the board, and we know those don't need any cooling help.

Last, for the hard drive, remember that he's using an SSD as his primary drive, which is actually a good 'waste' of money. Their overpriced for sure, but they do have benefits, is what I mean by that. Anyway, the 2TB drives have 500GB platters- so even if they spin slower (and quieter!), they're still faster than you'd expect due to higher platter density. He could of course go for the 2TB Black, but those things are upwards of $300, and it wouldn't really make a difference when the SSD is the primary, except that the system would be noticeably louder at idle and especially when seeking.

The Corsair H50 is a tossup too- it's not as good at cooling or low noise as Noctua's best, so if you can fit in a good Noctua then it's not worth considering, but at the same time, it's much lower-profile over the CPU socket, which makes it ideal for those Silverstone ITX cases.

 

[Dangman]

For the PSU, if you're going small, less is definitely better- unless you need real dual GPU support, there's no need for anything over 450W. Also, I point to Corsair's CWT-based 650HX as a less expensive alternative to the Seasonic above. The Seasonic is incredibly overpriced.

I had to look around for a review of Corsair's new HX units, and it seems the good fellows at TR did a roundup with the 750HX and the Seasonic X850. They give the Corsair HX the Gold, because it's less expensive with a longer warranty, and only slightly louder at 1", and the same noise level further away. Assuming that the HX650 and X750 have the same characteristics as their platform mates, I can't see an argument for the Seasonic (as much as I like them as a manufacturer, and am using a Corsair based Seasonic now).

The 650HX is Seasonic made, not CWT made. The 750HX is CWT made. No, the 650HX isn't the same as the Seasonic X750 as the 650HX is based on a three year old Seasonic PSU platform while the Seasonic X750 is based on a newer (about a year old at most) Seasonic PSU platform. As such, their performance characteristics are different.

You can get the better quality and higher wattage Seasonic M12D 850W for only $20 more the 650HX:
$140 - Seasonic M12D SS-850 850W Modular PSU

 

[IdiotInCharge]

The 650HX is Seasonic made, not CWT made. The 750HX is CWT made. No, the 650HX isn't the same as the Seasonic X750 as the 650HX is based on a three year old Seasonic PSU platform while the Seasonic X750 is based on a newer (about a year old at most) Seasonic PSU platform. As such, their performance characteristics are different.

You can get the better quality and higher wattage Seasonic M12D 850W for only $20 more the 650HX:
$140 - Seasonic M12D SS-850 850W Modular PSU

I think you may be right, and myself mistaken. The 750HX and 850HX are CWT platforms. As I've said above, I've had difficulty finding information on the 650HX, reviews or otherwise, so would you mind posting your source? Can you differentiate between the Seasonic platforms used in the 620HX and the 650HX, besides the slight wattage bump, increase in efficiency, and number of connectors?

Also, don't you think that there'd be a lower wattage option available? Something quiet, efficient, and stable with modular cabling in the 450-550W range, assuming the OP has no need for four PCIe connectors?

 

[Dangman]

I think you may be right, and myself mistaken. The 750HX and 850HX are CWT platforms. As I've said above, I've had difficulty finding information on the 650HX, reviews or otherwise, so would you mind posting your source? Can you differentiate between the Seasonic platforms used in the 620HX and the 650HX, besides the slight wattage bump, increase in efficiency, and number of connectors?

Also, don't you think that there'd be a lower wattage option available? Something quiet, efficient, and stable with modular cabling in the 450-550W range, assuming the OP has no need for four PCIe connectors?

Straight from the Corsair PSU rep:

The HX650 is basically the same platform as the HX620, with a few upgrades for higher efficiency. It's not a dramatic redesign or anything like that.

It will be replacing the HX620 and the HX520, which will eventually be discontinued, since they are about 3 years old.

Since the the 620HX is Seasonic built, the 650HX is Seasonic built as well since they're based on the same platform. Here's a thread about it when it first came out:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6026

There are lower wattage and quality modular PSUs in the 450W to 550W range but they tend to have a poor price to performance value. In fact, some modular 550W PSUs are only $10 to $20 cheaper than significantly higher wattage and equal quality PSUs ou there. Most of the modular 450W to 550W PSUs, at least one Newegg, tend to be of low quality.

Now some people will try to recommend OCZ's modular ModXStream Pro PSUs since they're often under $100. Only problem is that despite the brand name, the ModXStream Pro line is of low quality as indicative by this review:
http://hardocp.com/article/2008/11/12/ocz_700w_modxstream_pro_power_supply/