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any probs with this rig?

S

ShEiTAN

n00b
Joined
Mar 24, 2011
Messages
15
Phenom II X4 965 Black AM3 3.4Ghz 512KB 45NM 125W 4000MHZ

Patriot Memory Sector 5 G Series 8 GB (2x4 GB) DDR3 PC3-10666 1333 MHz 9-9-9-24 Dual Channel PGV38G1333ELK

Seagate Barracuda LP 2 TB 5900RPM SATA 3 GB/s 32 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive ST32000542AS-Bare Driv

Sapphire Radeon HD5770 Vapor-X 1 GB DDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card 100283VX-2L

Gigabyte Socket AM3/AMD 880G/SATA3&USB3.0/A&V&GbE/ATX Motherboard GA-880GMA-UD2H

Gigabyte Cupio 6140 GZ-AABC61-CNB - Tower - ATX - no power supply - black - USB/FireWire/Audio/E-SATA

AKG K240MKII - AKG STUDIO STANDARD SEMI OPEN 55OHM HP

Hi-Fi Man - EF2A - Tube USB DAC /Headphone Amp

Sapphire Radeon HD5770 Vapor-X 1 GB DDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card 100283VX-2L (will be upgrading in 6 mos)

A-Power AK 750W 20+4-pin ATX PSU w/SATA & PCIe (Black)

Asus 24x DVD±RW Drive DVD-RAM/±R/±RW 24x 8x 16x (DVD) 48x 32x 48x (CD) Serial ATA Internal OEM DRW-24B1ST (Black)

Gonna build this next week and if anyone can think of any cost efficient shorcuts or see's any problems let me know.....I was thinking of going with the amd 555 calsito and unlocking the 2 extra cores but I don't want to take a chance on them not unlocking-opinions?
 
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Please answer the stickied 'ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better
 
In addition to what Danny stated, your build has no PSU at all whatsoever. This will result in a completely non-working system as listed (unless you already have a PSU that you can use although if that particular PSU is shitty, I strongly recommend getting a new PSU).

And right off the bat, scratch that Seagate Barracuda LP hard drive unless you already have a faster-performing drive that you can use as that system's OS drive: It is no faster than some of the slower currently available 7200RPM hard drives in terms of sequential transfers. Moreover, there are faster-performing "green" 2TB hard drives than that Barracuda LP (which is IIRC an older-generation design).

Also, you did not include a SATA optical drive (unless you already have one). If you have to buy an SATA optical drive, figure on spending an extra $20 or so (for a DVD burner).
 
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Heavy gaming, Heavy music listening: headphones, surfing, downloading

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
800-1000 tax&ship (in my build wishlist it is 999.14 and I would love cheaper!)

3) Where do you live?
florida

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU, Mobo, and RAM, psu, gpu, optical, case, headphones, usbdac/headphone amp

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

6) Will you be overclocking?
in the future- if I get a cpu capable of core unlocks then yes

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
22"

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
2-3weeks

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
usb 3.0, sata 6Gb/s, eSATA, onboard vid/sound

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes,win7 64bit

E4g1e::took ur advice on the hdd
 
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Are you ordering those parts from Amazon.com or something? Can you order from Newegg?

Yeah don't go with that A-Power PSU as it's a total peice of shit. Unless you really hate computers, don't get it. So far, it looks like we're gonna have to scrap that entire build. Just too many poor choices for the money. Especially the case, the shitty PSU, the HDD, etc.

Also, I recommend that you go to the Computer Audio subforum that we have and ask there for headphones and headphone amps. Ask if the two parts you chose are actually good. Since those two parts are taking up a good chunk of your budget, I want confirmation that those parts are indeed worth the money to the point of where it's worth sacrificing gaming performance just to fit those parts in.

So I'm personally holding off on providing a better build list till I get confirmation or other recommendations for headphones and headphone amps/USBDACs.
 
yes, thats a good combo:per headfi and bang for buck confirmed 3x's but may be able to knock off 15$ for an amp
 
Where are you buying the headphones and amp from? Unless my math is wrong, you're spending up to $400 (before taxes and shipping) on those two components. In other words, we really only have $600 to come up with a build for "heavy" gaming.

When is the earliest time that you'll start buying parts?
 
Amazon::300 with taxes and shipping.....getting a different dac/amp as well but still 100$ less either way
 
So $300 for the headphones and amp? That means that you only $700 leftover for your PC.

That correct?
 
Way way way too fucking much for audio. Not saying to cheap out and get a pair of 4 dollar headphones our anything, but you should be able to get an excellent set for around a hundred bucks that would leave enough budget to build the rest of the system to decent spec.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
get yourself a pair of turtle beach 5.1 surroundsound earphones off ebay. The Turtlebeach "earforce hpa2" is an amazing earphone/mic set, has independant channel control of volume, integrated subwoofers, is rEALLY comfortable. my wife is about 5'.. 100 lbs, and this earphone set though it looks heavy, isnt that heavy and is comfortable for my wife, and for myself. (we have 2 of them). get yourself a pair for $79 , about.. on ebay.
 
I was looking through your specs, and you need some help. Im not trying to brag, but ive been building pc's since i was 8 (yes, i have no life) and you made a few small mistakes if you want a truely high performance, RELIABLE computer, with all the features it can have for the price.

ill explain why.

First off.. you have a $1000 budget. Your MAIN costs, should be the case, Videocard and Motherboard. the most important parts, should be your first concern.

CPU


The phenom II 965 was your chosen cpu, and it IS a good cpu. deadly fast...infact, if you get one of the motherboards i list, it can make it almost %25 faster, AND potentially make it run a 3.65 ghz or higher.. much higher.. especially if you get the heatsink I suggest.

Your System's Motherboard (heart of the computer)

Your motherboard that you picked is a HUGE problem. It is a MICRO-ATX motherboard. Meant for media centers, terminals and NON high-performance jobs.. not for a computer with as much power as yours will have. These small motherboards sacrifice cooling ability, features, stability features like redundant voltage regulators.. and only gives you 3 slots to hold cards.. keeping your cards pressed tightly together, not letting them get cooling air. Also, the ram slots are placed SO CLOSE to the cpu, you cant use any GOOD cpu coolers.

(you want an Asus motherboard)
the BEST one, the

ASUS M4N98TD EVO AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI ATX AMD Motherboard
(get it from amazon, $140)

Or, if you want to save money, but loose some features,
get the second best,

ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard (about 92-95 bucks from newegg)

(no matter what, trust me.. GET one of these two motherboards.. you will be unhappy with the micro atx motherboard you selected)

COMPUTER CASE

For a computer, COOLING is your best friend. even the gigabyte case you picked.. has HORRIBLE thermal properties.. at the MINIMUM for a case.. you need a front intake fan that isnt blocked. and a large rear exhaust fan to get rid of the hot air. your selected case does not have those features.. better yet, your case SHOULD have a side hole so the cpu cooler can draw in fresh cool air, and a Chimney fan, on the TOP of the pc to get rid of the hot air easily, since heat rises.

your BEST choice:

Antec 900 atx case. $99 amazing thermal management, and something like 12 drive bays for expanding later. 2 intake fans, 2 exhausts, one MASSIVE fan on the top, one on the back. AND best of all, the powersupply is at the BOTTOM of the case, making room for everything and keeping it clean and organized inside.

second best choice:

Antec 300 atx case. $69 almost as good as the 900, but doesnt have the amazing big exhaust fan that helps so much, instead has a smaller conventional fan for the chimney.

Next, your
VIDEOCARD..
probably almost as important as your motherboard.

you were talking about getting a Radeon 5770.. um.. dont. its an okay card, dont get me wrong.. but for the same price, you can get the

ASUS 460 GeForce GTX 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

This card, is 26% faster than the card you listed. It also is fully ready for 3d glasses, and is an incredibly quiet card.. the ati card is noisy as all hell and draws ALOT more power meaning it POURS alot more heat into your computer, forcing your cooling systems to run much harder.

(159 from newegg.. with a 30 dollar rebate, comes out to 129)

your systems ram:

the module's you picked for ram, look neat, but really arent all that good.. I like patriot memory for more.. mundane computers.. but if you want performance, you want something that has faster than 9-9-9-24 timings..

now,

CORSAIR XMS 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M1A1333C9
has 8-8-8-24 timings, making it about 12% faster than the memory you selected and is the same price.

also, it comes in 2gb modules, (so you buy 2 sets of 2) which not only speeds up your computer (BIG memory modules slow your computer) these 2gb modules will just by their size difference, speed up memory operations (compared to the 4gb ones you picked) by about 5-8%.

(simple version) if you have a 4gb module, because of the limitations on how many seperate files can be accessed at once, its more likely that 2-2gb modules, at times would each have a needed file, so that the 2 modules can be accesed simultaniously, instead of the limitations of access on ONE large chip.. also, theres the issue of adressing in a large module.. These problems arent as noticiable for you, since your getting an AMD cpu, but their even more pronounced for INTEL cpu owners.)

Your earphones... um.. wow.. too expensive.. for what you get. My best friend bought those and was depressed that when he tried MINE, they sounded better than his..
this is what they look like:

http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/pc-gaming-headsets/ear-force-hpa2.aspx

They are MUCH better than the ones you picked.. these have 4 speakers in each earphone.. two front speakers, to side speakers, to rear speakers, and a subwoofer for excellent bass in each ear. also have a detachable microphone boom. you CANNOT go wrong with these. they sound amazing even on rather low quality stereo songs.and will give you FULL 5.1 surround sound :) how can you beat that? stereo for 300 bucks.. or surroundsound for 100?

i see what your trying to do with the Tube based amplifier.. but have you consiered buying a Soundblaster Audigy 2, or xifi audio card instead of using the HORRIBLE integrated audio that is on EVERY motherboard?.. you wouldnt believe the difference that a real soundcard from creative labs sounds like, compared to the crappy integrated audio on every motherboard since the beginning of time.

POWER SUPPLY..

DO NOT get the psu you selected.. that is a cheap.. HORRIBLE powersupply, infact everything from that company is horrible.

Absolute bare minimum of a powersupply you want, is 600 watts. i'd shoot for 7-800 if i were you.
you want EITHER.. a Thermaltake, an OCZ, or an ANTEC powersupply.. (listed from best to worst).. A power supply is something you DONT want to skimp on.. because if it doesnt continue to perform its function.. PERFECTLY.. for as long as your computer lasts.. it will destroy your computer.

one other thing..

Your cooling system: remmember how heat is your enemy? well.. its true.. you are getting a VERY high performance cpu.. the fan and heatsink that it includes is decient.. but wouldnt you perfer a cooler where the cpu wasnt even SLIGHTLY WARM to the touch? look at this baby.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185147

This is the Scythe 3000 cpu cooler. this.. honest to god, is the best cpu cooler i have EVER seen.. and .. ive seen alot of hardware come through my hands in the last 25 years. its damn-near SILENT.. just for fun, i completely disconnected the fan from it. and ran the system for a few days. instead of absolutely cold to the touch.. the heatsink was slightly noticibly warmer than the air around me.. it is one of the best investments you can make, to keep your system running well..

I hope you find this helpful. I know it will produce a better system than would have otherwise been, and will be faster, and cost you less in the long run. Best wishes, Killian
 
I have several issues with Killian1701's recommendations, but rather than devote a whole thread just for nitpicking his choices, I'll give you an alternate build instead:

$329 - Combo Bundle:
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H AM3 mATX
G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2GB DDR3 1600 dual-channel set
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s HDD
$35 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
$20 - Sony Optiarc AD-7260S-0B SATA DVD burner
$190 - GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-1GI GTX 460
$65 - Antec EarthWatts Green EA-650 650W PSU
$60 - Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX mid-tower case
=====
$699 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

The build is centered around the X4 955 and the GTX 460. With the Hyper 212 Plus, you can easily push the 955 to the same overclocking levels as the more expensive 965. The GTX 460, as Killian1701 mentioned, gives you better performance than the HD 5770. The RAM chosen is more than enough for your needs, both at stock speeds and for overclocking. The hard drive... uh, it was part of the combo deal.

My biggest issue with Killian1701's recommendations was regarding the power supplies: Antec is actually one of the better brands available. And the HAF 912 gives you much more space than the Antec 300 or your Gigabyte case.
 
tiraides said:
The hard drive... uh, it was part of the combo deal.
Click to expand...

Well, I have two of those Seagate 7200.12 1TB drives. Although they are slower than other two-platter 1TB hard drives in sequential speed, they actually work better as an OS drive than some HDDs with technically faster sequential transfer speeds. This is due to the differences in the caching alogarithms between the drives.
 
Truthfully, I haven't noticed much of a significant difference myself between the 7200.12 and the Samsung F3 drive that I currently use.

The big remaining question is whether or not ShEiTAN, the OP, will find his headphone/DAC combo with the "remaining" $300.
 
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