Need A Partial Build. Proper Post Included.

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ZDPhoenix

Gawd
Joined
Dec 7, 2008
Messages
787
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Intensive Gaming and very minor Photoshop use.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Less than or around 1,000 USD

3) Where do you live?
Chicagoland, USA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
CPU, RAM, MOBO

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Reusing: Enermax Galaxy 1100... Kilowatt PSU, Thermaltake Armor+ Case, Sapphire HD4890 2GB Video Card, Fatal1ty sound card, WD Velociraptor HDD, Keyboard, speakers, monitor, mouse.

6) Will you be overclocking?
If I can do so with ease and stability assurance, yes. If not, no overclocking.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
I have a Dell 30"

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Nothing in particular.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Yes, but would buy a second one, if it was part of a bundle deal.
 
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Do you need it immediately, or would you be willing to wait and see how the new dual cores that are coming out will perform? From what I understand, the i7 920 would be the way to go as of right now (unless you want to stick with the 755 socket), but dual cores seems to be the "usual" choice for gaming, as most games cannot take advantage of utilizing all your cores.

Edit: Current photoshop tests put the duals over the quads in performance as well, but I *think* CS4 takes advantage of multiple cores. <-Just looked it up, CS4 was supposed to "improve" multicore support, so that might just mean that quad cores are performing better now, I'd have to look up some benchmarks to be sure.
 
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xazraelx said:
Do you need it immediately, or would you be willing to wait and see how the new dual cores that are coming out will perform? From what I understand, the i7 920 would be the way to go as of right now (unless you want to stick with the 755 socket), but dual cores seems to be the "usual" choice for gaming, as most games cannot take advantage of utilizing all your cores.

Edit: Current photoshop tests put the duals over the quads in performance as well, but I *think* CS4 takes advantage of multiple cores.
Click to expand...

How long till the new cores come out?

This build is needed because my mobo is failing.
 
ZDPhoenix said:
How long till the new cores come out?

This build is needed because my mobo is failing.
Click to expand...

Here's the performance charts of the Photoshop rendering, and the i7 blows away the 775 sockets. http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-desktop-cpu-charts/Adobe-Photoshop-CS-4,1387.html

I would go with an i7 920 (if you're near a microcenter for $200, if not then you can find it on newegg for $279

Here is a motherboard/ram combination for $344 - $20 MIR at newegg here


As for the new dual cores, apparently they are due Q1 of 2010. So, not soon enough - I thought they were coming out sooner. And besides, with the improvements being made in multithreaded applications, you are probably better off getting the 920 anyway - it's a higher end processor for a good price (as several people here have convinced me of - I'm buying it too :))

In addition, you may want to look into aftermarket cooling. I've read a bit from some people who say the i7 runs fine on the stock cooler, but I think it largely depends on whether you're going to overclock or not. But, in my opinion, it's worth the extra $30-60 for the aftermarket cooler to increase the longevity/performance/overclocking options.
 
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Microcenter surprisingly doesn't have them on their website.

So I guess I'll have to go through The Egg.

Looks like i7's gonna be my choice.

I have 8GB of DDR2 right now on my machine.

Would 6GB of DDR3 be comparable, or should I go for more?
 
ZDPhoenix said:
Microcenter surprisingly doesn't have them on their website.

So I guess I'll have to go through The Egg.

Looks like i7's gonna be my choice.

I have 8GB of DDR2 right now on my machine.

Would 6GB of DDR3 be comparable, or should I go for more?
Click to expand...

Depends on how minor your Photoshop use is. DDR2 vs DDR3 doesn't make a big difference, nor does 8GB vs 6GB make a big difference in gaming. But for photoshop more RAM is always better. The 6GB of DDR3 should more than likely be sufficient though.
 
The Photoshop use won't be enough for it to matter.

Ok. So... my cart should have

RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225

CPU and MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.230263

I just checked and my Vista 64-Bit was an OEM for system builders, so that won't work with the new mobo, right? Or do I misunderstand that?

If I can't use it now... any recommended spots that I can get one for fairly cheap? I already have an upgrade to Windows 7 coming in the mail, from the pre-orders.

Definitely did not expect to have my mobo go bad.
 
Why not just get a new motherboard, exactly? Seems like a major expense for a minor improvement. Pick up a used P45 for ~$50-70 and call it done.
 
silent-circuit said:
Why not just get a new motherboard, exactly? Seems like a major expense for a minor improvement. Pick up a used P45 for ~$50-70 and call it done.
Click to expand...

I've got a Quad 6700 right now. Originally, in October, I had planned to create an i7 build.

This seemed like the best option all around for me with a 30" screen and a severe gaming addiction. Also, I was told i7 is gonna be better for video editing, which I will be editing video with Vegas soon.

Or am I wrong in that assumption?

Also still curious about that Vista question.
 
Yes core i7 is great for video editing and vista will install but you may need to call for activation of your windows.
 
If you've already activated the license key to your OEM copy of Vista, then legally, you can't transfer the license over to the new machine. However, you may be able to use the Windows 7 license on the new machine (but I have to double-check a few things to confirm that).

Various reviews and benchmarks show that Core i7 outperforms anything else in the market (at stock speeds) with many resource-intensive tasks such as Photoshop and Vegas. (As an aside, 6GB is fine for occasional use; however, more RAM is always better with those programs.) Most of today's games are largely GPU dependent -- with your resolution, a dual-GPU card or a dual-card SLI/CF setup would benefit you more.
 
tiraides said:
If you've already activated the license key to your OEM copy of Vista, then legally, you can't transfer the license over to the new machine. However, you may be able to use the Windows 7 license on the new machine (but I have to double-check a few things to confirm that).

Various reviews and benchmarks show that Core i7 outperforms anything else in the market (at stock speeds) with many resource-intensive tasks such as Photoshop and Vegas. (As an aside, 6GB is fine for occasional use; however, more RAM is always better with those programs.) Most of today's games are largely GPU dependent -- with your resolution, a dual-GPU card or a dual-card SLI/CF setup would benefit you more.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info on OEM. That stinks, considering I only got it 2 months ago. Oh well. A costly lesson.

I guess WoW is cpu intensive over gpu currently and that kinda sucks, considering with my new HD4890 2GB (which I plan to CF later), I can get almost a constant 50 fps in heavily modded, photorealstic texture patches of Oblivion, HL2 (Fakefactory mod) and Fallout 3.

So is my cart selection a good choice for my system? Anything that anyone would change in it? I want to pull the trigger on it this week, before I screw something up on this dying ship.
 
ZDPhoenix said:
So is my cart selection a good choice for my system? Anything that anyone would change in it? I want to pull the trigger on it this week, before I screw something up on this dying ship.
Click to expand...

It would help if you posted your current build list.
 
Oook.

Quad 6700
8GB RAM
ASUS P5NE-Sli
2WD Velociraptors (not raided)
HD4890 2GB
Vista 64-Bit
Enermax 1000 watt psu
 
Danny Bui said:
It would help if you posted your current build list.
Click to expand...

I guess seeing as how posting my current build list didn't help anyone, is their anything else out of my current purchase list that anyone would change, like the MOBO type, or RAM type, etc.? Looks like I may end up buying all this stuff in the next few days.

RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225

CPU and MOBO: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.230263

I'll get a third party heatsink at a later date if I ever plan to overclock it. 6GB should be fine for RAM.
 
ZDPhoenix said:
I guess seeing as how posting my current build list didn't help anyone...
Click to expand...

Danny most likely meant for you to post your current shopping list (as you just did), so we can see exactly what you're planning on buying and comment on it. Despite having posted it earlier, there have been numerous posts since then, and your parts may have changed, so we typically ask for a current list after such discussions, just to see if we're all on the same page. ;)

... and those parts look fine to me. Get RAMdisk for some awesome photoshop action, if you use it that much.
 
enginurd said:
Danny most likely meant for you to post your current shopping list (as you just did), so we can see exactly what you're planning on buying and comment on it. Despite having posted it earlier, there have been numerous posts since then, and your parts may have changed, so we typically ask for a current list after such discussions, just to see if we're all on the same page. ;)

... and those parts look fine to me. Get RAMdisk for some awesome photoshop action, if you use it that much.
Click to expand...


Gotcha.

I guess I'm golden then gang.

Thanks for all the help.
 
ZDPhoenix said:
Thanks for the info on OEM. That stinks, considering I only got it 2 months ago. Oh well. A costly lesson.

I guess WoW is cpu intensive over gpu currently and that kinda sucks, considering with my new HD4890 2GB (which I plan to CF later), I can get almost a constant 50 fps in heavily modded, photorealstic texture patches of Oblivion, HL2 (Fakefactory mod) and Fallout 3.

So is my cart selection a good choice for my system? Anything that anyone would change in it? I want to pull the trigger on it this week, before I screw something up on this dying ship.
Click to expand...

Regarding the use of your windows license on your "new" (I say this in quotes since you are really just fixing some broken parts and slipping some upgrades in at the same time :) ) machine. The technical in's and out's of their TOS (hell any TOS) are very complicated and different people will always give different feedback regarding the fine stickler details of legality.

However let me relate my historical personal experiences with things like this. I've often found that if you call their customer service and wade through the menus to get to a live person the results can be very positive surprisingly at Microsoft.

I have been in similar situations where a mobo/chip/hard drive blew due to power surge issues back in the day of XP and I had to reinstall/upgrade everything. After doing so of course the windows license didn't work but after a call to customer service and an explanation of the situation they happily provided a new a key free of charge and with almost no questions asked, all I had to do was provide my old key. You might as well at least try and call and explain your situation. At worst you are out the time on the phone and at best you don't have to rebuy OS's. A phone call never hurts.

Just call and explain that it is the same machine that you are having to fix due to the motherboard going out.

Microsoft CS seems to give people the benefit of the doubt in that if you are actually calling CS you are probably a customer in good standing and they will try to please you. While my experience with their customer service is several years old so policies may have changed I think you may find that a phone call and some patience and politeness could get you a long ways.
 
RAD said:
Microsoft CS seems to give people the benefit of the doubt in that if you are actually calling CS you are probably a customer in good standing and they will try to please you. While my experience with their customer service is several years old so policies may have changed I think you may find that a phone call and some patience and politeness could get you a long ways.
Click to expand...

Yup people call customer service should understand, "...your problems are not their problems..." Be polite as they are people too.
 
Regarding speaking to customer service reps of some sort: Being important is nice, but its more important to be nice.
 
Ok another 30 minutes of rebooting my PC to get it to load has me pulling the trigger on this tomorrow.

One thing though.

I realized the board I picked is a micro atx board.

I currently have an atx board (P5N-e SLi) that fits just fine in my Thermaltake Armor+ Case. I'd like to stay with something around that size, or slightly larger.

Can anyone recommend me a new mobo over the EVGA one I listed previously?
 
All the X58 boards are similar. You can't go wrong with the Asus P6T series, the Gigabyte UD4P/UD5, and the larger eVGA boards.
 
I am using the gigabyte x58 ud4p in 2 builds. I like the board a lot. The bios are straightforward and the in windows flash updater works well if you don't get the most recent version shipped (my second build had it already), 6 ram slots is nice and everything is comfortably set up for easy tinkering.

Some people have complained about this board making a squealing noise, I haven't encountered it.
 
RAD said:
I am using the gigabyte x58 ud4p in 2 builds. I like the board a lot. The bios are straightforward and the in windows flash updater works well if you don't get the most recent version shipped (my second build had it already), 6 ram slots is nice and everything is comfortably set up for easy tinkering.

Some people have complained about this board making a squealing noise, I haven't encountered it.
Click to expand...

Yup!

That's the board I bought today.

I read some "squeaky" comments, but it still seems like the best choice for me.

One problem on the whole deal.

Not sure if I'm right or wrong here.

My DVD-Drives are IDE.

I'll need a SATA drive if I'm to use the Gigabyte UD4P MOBO, right? Or will I be able to use my IDE dvd drive?
 
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