Build Help (Advice and Explanations)

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Sp3cK

n00b
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Jun 14, 2007
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Hello. I'm in the market to build a new computer and I'm looking for some build help accompanied with advice and explanations on why X is better than Y. I don't understand the technical aspects of hardware that well, so I've spent the last few weeks here trying to understand what I can. Though, I feel a bit lost on some subjects, I'd like to thing I have a decent general understanding. I'll be taking a college class on Photoshop sometime next year and would like to be able to use it for that, as well as gaming. I also would like the computer to last me about a couple of years. I know this is hard to predict because technology could suddenly take off. However, with the current growth of things, I'd like to think that 2+ years down the line my computer will still be able to perform well. At the same time I want to get the most efficient build for the buck.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
I'll be using the computer for Gaming (WoW, L4D, TF2, ec), Photoshop (in about a year), web browsing and all of the normal stuff.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Roughly $3,000 give or take a few hundred.

3) Where do you live?
Hawaii

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
RAM
Hard Drives
Video Card
PSU
Mobo
CPU
Case
Optical Drive

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
My Monitor BENQ 24" (Don't have the exact model, currently on deployment)

6) Will you be overclocking?
Currently I don't plan to, however, I am not against the idea either.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Dual 24" Monitor's from BENQ

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I'd like to have the parts home and ready for me by the 2nd week in January.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
I'm pretty sure I won't be using any of these features.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
I'll be purchasing Windows 7. Pretty sure it'll just be home edition considering what I'm using the computer for.



My current "plan":

RAM:
$260 -- CORSAIR DOMINATOR 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) (Is the fan necessary? Should I go to 12GB?)

Hard Drive:
$289 -- Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2C1 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - OEM (For my OS and some of my more commonly played games)
$75 -- Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (For Storage)

Video Card:
$389 -- XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity - Retail

PSU:
$170 -- CORSAIR CMPSU-750HX 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

MoBo/CPU Combo:
$785 --
Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601950 - Retail
+
EVGA 141-BL-E757-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX X58 SLI LE Intel Motherboard

Case:
$160 -- Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

Optical Drive:
$34 -- Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe LightScribe Support - OEM


Thanks for taking the time to take a look at my post!
 
Last edited:
Well Corsair dominator memory is over priced.

3 x G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-4GBRM - Retail $243 if you want 12 GB

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8T-6GBRM - Retail $140 for the 6 GB kit

Much cheaper than Corsair one but still very high quality PSU.
Antec TruePower New TP-750 Blue 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ... - Retail $110

i7 950 doesn't have very good price to performance ratio. i7 920 would be better option as you can easy overclock the cpu to increase performance.
 
I agree with shiro, Dominators are a waste of money. Switch to the G.Skills he linked. I also agree on the PSU, since the TP New is cheaper as is also modular: better bang for buck. Likewise, paying $250+ more money for 400Mhz is not worth it, IMO, so again, stick with the 920.

If you don't need the extra features of the eVGA board, go with the cheaper Asus P6T SE and save some cash. No point in paying for stuff you'll most likely never use.

For storage, switch to a 500GB/1TB Seagate 7200.12 or Samsung F3 500GB, as they use 500GB-platters making them faster than the 333GB-platters used in the 640GB/1TB cav.black drives.

$290 for an SSD that should be around $230 is insane. Try to find a better price. Amazon had them for $260 not long ago.
 
What Enginurd and lt_shiro said.

Also a note about the case: It is a bit cramped compared to similarly priced cases out there:
$60 - Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$70 - Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$80 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$80 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$100 - ABS Aplus Black Pearl Full Tower ATX Case
$105 - Thermaltake ElementS VK60001N2Z ATX Case
$140 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
 
Thanks for the advice and thanks for taking the time to explain all of this. I've been vaguely looking into overclocking some but I'm not getting a warm fuzzy. Plus it seems that all of the after market heat sinks cover the first DIMM slot anyways. So, I'm not sure if I will be doing this.

Another few questions I have are: Would I actually notice much of a benefit if I do decide to overclock? Since I have until around/after Xmas time to order these. Should I wait on certain parts? Is there anything looking to come out in the next couple of months that I should just wait and see? Should I purchase some things on Cyber Monday?
 
Sp3cK said:
Another few questions I have are: Would I actually notice much of a benefit if I do decide to overclock? Since I have until around/after Xmas time to order these. Should I wait on certain parts? Is there anything looking to come out in the next couple of months that I should just wait and see? Should I purchase some things on Cyber Monday?
Click to expand...

You will notice a difference if you do decide to OC. Unless you see a spectacularly awesome deal for a certain part, buy every part at the same time. The only major item coming relatively soon is Nvidia's GT300 series cards. But those aren't due to till late Jan 2010 IIRC. We don't know what's gonna be sold at a discount on Cyber Monday or BF so can't really tell you what items to buy.
 
Whether or not you notice a the performance difference between stock clocks and overclocked is all on you, and what apps/games you'll be running. Personally, I can definitely see the difference of my Q6600 when its OC'd from 2.4Ghz to 3.2Ghz when I'm encoding media; normal everyday stuff, not so much -- but it is snappier.

Not all coolers cover the first DIMM slot -- my Dark Knight does not, but this depends on the board layout.

There's always new stuff coming out (USB3.0/SATA600/GT300/etc). If you can, wait, if not, buy.
 
Chances are I'll just be putting my money aside until about Xmas then.

On another note - I can't decide which case I want. They all look nice and have their benefits. I am looking into that Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case though because it looks like it's going to have the best airflow. However - I'm not hardware savvy so I'm also not sure. Any advice?
 
I don't think you can go wrong with any of those cases Danny listed, unless the parts wouldn't fit.
 
All of the cases in my list have excellent airflow, albeit some are better than the others. So just pick the case that appeals to you the most on an aesthetic level. Then see if the layout of the case works for you.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
 
Danny Bui said:
All of the cases in my list have excellent airflow, albeit some are better than the others. So just pick the case that appeals to you the most on an aesthetic level. Then see if the layout of the case works for you.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
Click to expand...

I use the HAF 932. I like it becouse it has a hugh amount of air flow, (HAF is for High Air Folw) but it also has fantastic cable management. I could go on and on about the features on this case, but I will not bore you.
 
2 more questions...

I've decided to go with the Cooler Master HAF 932 for my case.

1) I noticed that the ASUS P6T MoBo says compatible RAM speed of 1600 (O.C.) I'm hoping it's safe to assume that I will need to overclock in order to achieve the 1600 speed off my RAM. If that is the case - will I need to look at any extra cooling devices? Will it effect my computer at all besides a minor heat change? (I've also decided to stick with just 8 GB of RAM at the moment.)

2) Would it be worth it if I got a wireless nic? I have a wireless N draft router I am currently using. Would I notice a benefit in latency?
 
Just because you buy DDR3-1600 doesn't mean you must run the RAM at those speeds. Your system will still perform very well if the RAM were at DDR3-1066/1333 and the CPU was not OC'd. However, to take advantage of DDR3-1600 speeds, it would be best to OC the CPU along with the RAM. ;)

If you decide to OC, pickup the Cooler Master Hyper 212+.

It would be best to run a wire to your computer instead of using wifi. :p

BTW, before you order, pls post a final build list.
 
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