First Build (i5 Gaming)

L

Lycidas

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 22, 2010
Messages
237
The main purposes of the box are low level engineering programs, Starcraft2, and video editing as a hobby. I'll be running running Windows 7 and possibly GNU/Linux. I have no plans to OC or really mod anything. Currently my budget is $1300, but could easily be bumped to $1500 if the benefits are substantial enough. From previous years I have a Sony DL DVD+-RW drive, and will be getting a 23" LCD from a friend.
Noise is not an issue.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
CPU, RAM, PSU, GPU, HD, Motherboard
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Case, Mouse/Keyboard, Monitor, Fan
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
this week

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, I have both a 64bit and a 32bit OSs (legit) in case one or the other doesn't work.


Here's my part list so far, this is my first build by myself but I do have some friends who are much more experienced than myself to answer questions and troubleshoot:

CPU
1. Bought: Intel core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz 8MB Quad-Core Pro - $200 (Microcenter in-store purchase)

Motherboard
2. GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD3L LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - $87
RAM
3. 4GB of RAM 2x 2GB sticks CORSAIR Series 240pin DDR3 1600 - $115

PSU
4. CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready - $90
Video Card
5. XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5779 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 - still not sure about this
HD
6. Western Digital WD5000AAKS Caviar Blue Hard Drive - 500GB, 7200rpm, 16MB, SATA-300, OEM - $50

Current Total: $542


Thanks
 
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GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $135

Intel Xeon X3440 Lynnfield 2.53GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Server Processor Model BX80605X3440 - Retail $240

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 ... - Retail $105

gwarren007 1+ and suggestion on the video card/psu combo

x3440 would give HT support which will be helpful in video editing and building the programs.

either XMS3 or Ripjaws would be fine

Also I would still suggest an aftermarket heatsink as the stock is bit loud at full load.
 
gwarren007 said:
750/ gigabyte $285
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.332519

XFX 5770/ neo eco 520 $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.339703

Corsair 1600 $105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260

500gb F3 $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
Click to expand...

This build is great. But I would consider 8GB ram (2 sets of the Corsair above) for engineering programs and video editing. You might also want to trade-up to a faster-clocked Core i7, since the poster is not going to overclock. lt_shiro has the wrong idea here, because the Xeon is a great overclocker, but the stock performance is below that of the Core i5. If you're going to buy anything other than the Core i5 750, then don't play games; just get the Core i7 and be done with it.

Here is a combo with the same motherboard and a Core i7-860 for $362

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.332525

Total cost of gwarren's base build with the addition of 8GB ram and Core i7:

$837

Not a bad price for a future-proof build.
 
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@defaultluser: The 8GB of RAM wouldn't be all too necessary since our lab computers use 3GB and run the programs smoothly with a 2.33GHz processor. As for the i7-860, I will go ahead and switch to that since the combo is pretty cheap.

@gwarren007 switched to the RAM, video card, and HD suggestion. Since I'm going to switch to the i7 (within budget) the combo pack isn't necessary but the other suggestions seem pretty solid. I'll have to read up more on PSU's because that is the one part of the computer I'm worried about.

@lt_shiro I think the CORSAIR RAM looks pretty nice. Since the programs are fine with a 2.33GHz Xeon processor and the i7 seems to be better than that, the i7 suggestion will work well for the box.
 
Lycidas said:
@defaultluser: The 8GB of RAM wouldn't be all too necessary since our lab computers use 3GB and run the programs smoothly with a 2.33GHz processor. As for the i7-860, I will go ahead and switch to that since the combo is pretty cheap.
Click to expand...

Sure, that's why I only suggested the increased ram :)

I think you'll be happy with the Core i7-860 in your engineering programs AND in games. And this is more about building for the future, so you don't have to come back to us for an upgrade a year down the line.

@gwarren007 switched to the RAM, video card, and HD suggestion. Since I'm going to switch to the i7 (within budget) the combo pack isn't necessary but the other suggestions seem pretty solid. I'll have to read up more on PSU's because that is the one part of the computer I'm worried about.
Click to expand...

Don't be worried about that Neo ECO. Antec uses Seasonic to build all their powersupplies, so every brand they carry these days is quality. And there's plenty of power in that 520w - your system will probably never top 250w continuous power draw.
 
Antec normally uses seasonic/delta for thier PSU's, and that one is a seasonic.
 
defaultluser said:
This build is great. But I would consider 8GB ram (2 sets of the Corsair above) for engineering programs and video editing. You might also want to trade-up to a faster-clocked Core i7, since the poster is not going to overclock. lt_shiro has the wrong idea here, because the Xeon is a great overclocker, but the stock performance is below that of the Core i5. If you're going to buy anything other than the Core i5 750, then don't play games; just get the Core i7 and be done with it.

Here is a combo with the same motherboard and a Core i7-860 for $362

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.332525

Total cost of gwarren's base build with the addition of 8GB ram and Core i7:

$837

Not a bad price for a future-proof build.
Click to expand...

Suggestion was for the Xeon for Hyper Threading support. which video editing does take advantage of. sigh Where did I ever say anything about overclocking?

x3440 would give HT support which will be helpful in video editing and building the programs.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes:
 
lt_shiro said:
Suggestion was for the Xeon for Hyper Threading support. which video editing does take advantage of. sigh Where did I ever say anything about overclocking?



:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

And you take a hit on performance overall because the speed of the Xeon is only 2.53 Ghz.

Core i5 750: 4 cores, 4 theads, 2.66 GHz - $200
Xeon x3440: 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.53 GHz - $240
Core i7 860: 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.80 GHz - $280

Stock, the Xeon you linked will be *slightly* faster on I/O-bound tasks (it would be *significantly* faster, if you didn't lose a speed grade in the process), and slower on everything else. That's hardly worth paying the $40 extra for it.

The reason I consider the Xeon an "overclocker's chip" is because it sacrifices a little performance overall to give you 8 threads, all for less than the cost of a full-on Core i7. It's assumed that people will overclock the chip to get that performance back (and more), so it ends-up cheaper than buying a Core i7-860. If you don't plan on overclocking, however, it's mostly a push as far as performance "gains" are concerned.

If you do not plan on overclocking (i.e. the original poster), then an upgrade to a full Core i7-860 is in-order, as you get the same 8 threads and a sizeable core clock speed boost for just $40 over the Xeon.

Don't roll your eyes at people just because your favorite little chip isn't a good fit for this build. I know you like it (seriously, you propose it in every 1156 thread you post in), but it's really only a good fit for people who are overclocking anyway, and need the extra threads for the lowest price possible. Games won't make any use of those extra threads, nor will you see improvement in ALL media encoding tasks, so clock speed is the #1 priority in a build that will be run at stock speeds.
 
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XFX HD 5770 as a minimum.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
 
If you have the budget I would grab an XFX 5850 because you never know if you're going to want to play anything more than SC2. But like Danny said, 5770 at minimum.
 
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