Critique this i5 Build (mid-range build)

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Hiyruu

2[H]4U
Joined
Jul 28, 2001
Messages
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Intel Core i5 760
ASUS P7P55D-E Pro
MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr OC 880MHZ 1GB
2 G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL Ripjaws PC3-12800 4GB 2X2GB
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM
ASUS Xonar DX

Corsair Graphite Case 600T
Corsair 750W PSU

Main Concerns:

Is the mobo too much? Should i go with a cheaper model?
I need the vid card to run at 16X

Will the 8GB of ram run at 1600MHz ok?

Will the 560 be bottlenecked?

How is the Xonar DX in win7? Have the driver issues been fully resolved now?

I'm also going to get Win7 retail, not OEM. (In case I ever need a new motherboard)
 
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All P55 boards will run one video card at x16, though the dual x8 limitation (for CF or SLI) is based on the PCI-E controller that is built into the processors.

The RAM will run at its rated speed, but not automatically (based on the motherboard's default BIOS settings). The only time that becomes a factor is during overclocking. If you haven't bought the RAM already, go with a 2x4GB dual channel kit instead of two pair of 2x2GB.

The GTX 560 won't suffer from any bottlenecks save for the hard drive. But the hard drive has always been the slowest part of the machine, hence the recent popularity of SSDs.

I can't help you with the Xonar DX.

Stick with Windows 7 Home Premium. How often do you upgrade your systems?
 
Which 2x4GB kit should I go with?

The one I picked is a great price.

The 4 sticks I picked will still work though, right?


I want the win7 home retail in case my mobo ever dies and I have to get a different model. (Aren't OEM liscenses tied to the mobo?)
 
What about these: G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24

Will they work with i5?
 
Hiyruu said:
The 4 sticks I picked will still work though, right?
Click to expand...
Yes but not as good of a choice as going with 2 x 4GB.

Hiyruu said:
I want the win7 home retail in case my mobo ever dies and I have to get a different model. (Aren't OEM liscenses tied to the mobo?)
Click to expand...
Technically yes. But there are loopholes/workaround for that.
Hiyruu said:
What about these: G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24

Will they work with i5?
Click to expand...

Yes. Good choice for 2x4GB.
 
I've decided to go with a much cheaper build: (still i5)

Intel Core i5 760 Quad Core Processor Lynnfield LGA1156 2.8GHZ 8MB Cache Retail Box

XFX Radeon HD 5770 850MHZ 1GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI HDMI Display Port DIRECTX11 PCI-E2.0 *IR-$5*

ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA1156 P55 DDR3 2PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 2PCI SLI CrossFireX USB3.0 SATA 6GB Motherboard

Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 ATX 9 Drive Bay No PS TOP USB2.0 1394 Audio

G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL Ripjaws PC3-12800 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Core i5 1.5V Memory Kit

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5IN Dual Proc Hard Drive OEM

ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Channel PCI-E Sound Card 24BIT Dolby Digital 116DB SNR W/ Low Profile Bracket

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM

Samsung SH-S243D/BEBE 24X Black DVD Writer SATA OEM

Corsair TX750W 750W ATX 12V 60A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 140MM Fan


Any issues? Is the Case ok?
 
Ditch that WD Black 640GB drive as these Samsung drives outperform it:
$55 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$55 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Ditch the Antec 900 case: it's overpriced and cramped compared to other cases in that price range:
$90 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
$90 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-60FN ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$110 - NZXT Whisper WHI - 001BK ATX Full Tower Case
$120 - Velocity Micro GX2-W Silver Classic Aluminum Case with Side Window
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case

As for the rest of the parts, where are you located?
Posted via Mobile Device
 
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I'm in Vancouver Canada.

Ordering from ++++ (blocked?)

They don't have the samsung spinpoints from what I can see:
 
Hiyruu said:
Ordering from ++++ (blocked?)
Click to expand...

Yeah. NC IX isn't on speaking terms at all to HardOCP.

Additional cases to check out:
$140 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$160 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Case (US Shipping Factored in) (Fill in the ++++ with "N C I X" without the spaces)
$160 - Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium ATX Case (US Shipping Factored in) (Fill in the ++++ with "N C I X" without the spaces)
$160 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver ATX Case (US Shipping Factored in) (Fill in the ++++ with "N C I X" without the spaces)
Posted via Mobile Device
 
I really like the look of the Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case, but I worry about liquids possibly getting in all the open grills. I'm always drinking something at my pc.

It's fairly dusty here too.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
Hiyruu said:
I really like the look of the Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case, but I worry about liquids possibly getting in all the open grills. I'm always drinking something at my pc.

It's fairly dusty here too.
Click to expand...

Actually, your choice of the Antec 900 is even worse than the CM 690 II Advanced, as far as liquids falling inside is concerned: The top fan grille is almost completely open, with holes large enough to allow small metal objects to fall through and potentially shorting out your system's innards. At least the CM 690 II Advanced has a dust filter to reduce the likelihood of such an occurrance.
 
Sorry to steal your thread but what is a Good Mobo for the i5-760. I cant seem to be able to choose one since there are so many. What im looking for is this

I Like mATX boards with x1 PCIE slot maybe 2 that can do crossfire or sli. If not what would you recommend for a single slot OC board. id like to keep it 100-120 if possible. i will even consider ATX
 
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Microatx only has 4 expansion slot positions. What that means is if you have two dual slot (most modern higher end graphics cards seem to be dual slot) graphics cards in then none of your other slots will be usable. If you want to run dual graphics and have space for anything else then you really need ATX.
 
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