Da Box Build Input

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Admiral_Ackbar6

Space Invaders High Score Champion
Joined
Sep 21, 2004
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Hey everyone, put together a DaBox build would appreciate any input. Thanks.


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
3 Monitor crossfire gaming, probably 1920x1200 x 3.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Like to keep it around 2k.
3) Where do you live?
Arizona (Frys is accessible)
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
All hardware excluding monitor, input device, speakers, and 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.
LG GGW-H20L Optical Drive
6) Will you be overclocking?
Maybe.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
3x22" or 2x24"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next month.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Crossfire support for future upgrades would be a plus, RAID 0 for SSD boot drives
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate, x64.

Here is my newegg part list, currently planning on using DaBox blackheart for a case.
pamodaacb.jpg


A link to the Newegg wish list.

Please let me know what you think, thanks!
 
I had really bad experience with the EVGA P55 M-ATX board (it failed to reach even the POST screen most of the time), so I wouldn't recommend it. I'm using Gigabyte P55M-UD4 now, and love it.

I'd also consider the i7-860 instead. If you're overclocking, consider getting Megahelams instead of the TRUE spirit (btw, it doesn't look like the TRUE spirit officially supports socket 1156).
 
I'd go with:

EVGA mATX --> P55M-UD4 (I have one)

i5-670 --> i5 750 (4 cores for modern games, super easy to overclock to 3.8Ghz, the DaBox fits tower coolers for a reason)

$110 cheaper and I think the extra cores are good for gaming nowadays.

If you want to help out a charity and the [H] get and an Xeon X3440 ($240, same CPU as i7 860) and run folding at home. Check out the Distributed Computing board, the software setup is super easy and electricity costs $0.50 a day we need help beating EVGA folders.
 
I concur with Zink's recommendations. The Core i5 670 is an insanely stupid buy at $280 for a dual core CPU.
 
Danny is right. You might as well buy an i7 at that price. Besides, were moving into the age of quad cores. To buy a dual core at a time like this doesnt seem right.
 
I recommend the Asus Rampage II Gene motherboard and a 930 CPU. Get 2x3 Corsair XMS3. More performance at nearly the same budget.

Everything else looks good to me.
 
i5 750 ($189 Amazon)
Gigabyte P55M-UD4 ($149 Newegg)
Noctua NH-U12P SE2 ($49 Amazon)
SilverStone ST75F-P 750W ($129 Amazon)

I have them in my DA Box 100 (in sig) and they perform superbly.
 
Ah, that was dumb of me. I thought i5s were quads, I didn't even read the rest of the description. I just saw clarckdale instead of lynfield and jumped. Would there be any advantages to waiting for a 32nm i7 that falls into my price range? Also, will do you think this cooler/psu will fit in da box? Thanks so much for all the tips, really appreciate it.
 
There wouldn't be much advantage to 32nm i7 except if you wanted to make a very low power computer. The 32nm hex cores reach 4.1-4.3Ghz on average which is only slightly above 45nm speeds and it might be till 2011 and Sandy Bridge for the first 32nm quads. I think that an i5 overclocked to about 3.8ghz with about 1.25 volts will give you the best experience for modern games and is only $200 now so waiting would be a waist of time.

I think that an i5 750 is a better option than an i7 930 because the power consumption at idle and under load is much lower and the cost is $200 less. There will be no noticeable performance differences in games so you could put the extra money towards another 5870.

The PSU and cooler are both great for the case. I don't think you'd notice the notice difference of quieter cooler or PSU compared to the HD 5870 so stick with the TRUE Spirit and HX 750.
 
I'd wait on a Fry's deal. So far I've picked up a couple i7-860s, i5-750s to say the least of my plunders. Just resell the mobos that come with it and buy a mobo of your choice. The EVGA was out for like $70 a couple weeks back on Amazon and Newegg, so $170 is not even close to a good price. That 2000MHz ram along with having 8GB of it is unnecessary as well. 2TB HDs go on sale for $120 regularly.
 
I'll put in another vote on the P55M-UD4. I've got one in Da Box right now and love it. Only $140 on newegg and saves you $30 over the EVGA. Same price after coupon (but better Bing cashback) on eWiz also.
 
I agree that for gaming a single set of 2x4GB G.skill 1600mhz would be best. Ram is the easiest thing to upgrade later if you want to, just pop them in, no drivers or anything.

If the sole purpose of this rig is gaming on three monitors, with the savings so far you would be able to get another HD 5870 when crossfire eyefinity is supported. One 5870 is the best you can do for now though, 5970 is not worth it at all for eyefinity from what I've seen.
 
I definitely agree that you should skip past the i5's and get an i7 if you're gonna be spending $300ish on a CPU. You're gonna appreciate the 2 extra physical core's down the road. The i7-860 or the i7-930 would be good choices, especially if you have a micro center near you.

If you're not against using an AMD chip you could pick-up a 1055/1090T along with an 890GX motherboard. You'll have roughly the same amount of speed but 2 extra physical cores which would make you a bit more future proofed.

The i7-8** setup will use a bit less power but overall it's shouldn't hurt you.

A 4ghz overclock on either setup should be easy.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103851&Tpk=1055t

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130269&cm_re=890GX-_-13-130-269-_-Product
 
I would not get the Vapor X, as it is a non-reference card and thus the voltage control is locked, meaning you can't overclock it as well. I'd go for one of the reference versions or the ASUS v2 5870. I'd also get a Megahalems but that's just me, True Spirit gives good bang for buck. I'd recommend the NH-D14 but it wouldn't fit on a 1156 board for the case. Also, the WD Green is kind of slow, next 2tb drive I buy will probably be the Hitachi Deskstar 2tb, so I'd recommend that.
 
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Good advice on the overvolting. For $30 less you can get a reference XFX card with a similar fan design and it has the double lifetime warranty. For a higher performance cooler you could get the Scythe Mugen, it's also very quiet but mattinv mention there may be a clearance issue with the newer Mugen 2 2100 whereas the Mugen 2 2000 fit. TRUE Spirit is great still though.

I'd stick with the Green drives because during writes I can still hear mine over my case fans and I wouldn't want the noise of the 7200rpm drive. I'd take the silence over the performance but either is an option.
 
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Zink said:
If you want to help out a charity and the [H] get and an Xeon X3440 ($240, same CPU as i7 860) and run folding at home. Check out the Distributed Computing board, the software setup is super easy and electricity costs $0.50 a day we need help beating EVGA folders.
Click to expand...

BTW dont need a Xeon for F@H, regular CPUs work great too ;)
 
Yeah, no reason to get a whiney 7200rpm drive if you're already getting two SSDs. Id go further and recommend using a NAS for media storage/backup.
 
Thanks for the info. Yeah, I really dont need a fast drive, for me heat/noise was more of a factor. I like the video card for its reported acoustics, and I dont plan on OCing the video cards. I guess I will go ahead and wait for a good frys i7 deal, and then double check to see whether any other prices have fallen. I think I will go with he scythe cooler as well. Thanks for the input!
 
Ok, Im buying in pieces as I find good deals. Not really sure what is going on with Da Box though, haven't heard anything is a long time, so I may have to get a different case. So far I have a Rampage II gene, 2 90 gb SSD intel drive, and a Cooler Master Hyper 212 CPU Cooler. Im seeing if I can find a good deal on a 920 or 930. Its a shame I dont have access to the $199 micro center deals :(

*Edit* Anyone know the difference between these two sets of ram? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010170147%201052346024&bop=And&CompareItemList=147|20-145-233^20-145-233-S01%2C20-145-235^20-145-235-S01
 
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