New Build, thoughts?

S

senseiam

Weaksauce
Joined
Jul 12, 2003
Messages
126
It's been a little over a year so I thought it was time to take a plunge into a i7 920 build,
especially with the $199 deal at MC. What do you guys think? Any improvements?
Just want to note, I don't need a monitor, OS, or HDD, have those covered for now.

Couple of things, I am not sure on the CPU cooler, I don't want it to be loud but I don't
know if the Noctua NH-D14 will fit with 3 DIMM slots being occupied, what do you guys think?

Also on the video card front, I am looking for a affordable NVIDIA card, something quiet. I
can't go ATI because there is this software I use for video encoding that only supports NVIDIA/Cuda.

Case: LIAN LI PC-A71F Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

MBoard: ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58

CPU: Intel i7 920

Video Card: NVIDIA ?

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W

Memory: G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

BD-ROM: LITE-ON Black BD-COMBO SATA - OEM

TV Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250

Cpu Cooler: Thermalright U120E-BP Rev. C Ultra 120
 
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Dominators are over rated, stick with a cheaper G.skill ddr3-1600 kit. As for GPU you are better off waiting a month and getting fermi when it comes out. Otherwise looks pretty good!
 
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
6) Will you be overclocking?
7) What size monitor do you have or plan to have?
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
 
Danny Bui said:
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
6) Will you be overclocking?
7) What size monitor do you have or plan to have?
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Click to expand...

Light to no gaming, mainly video encoding.

6) Definitely, looking to get the i7 920 to around 3.8Ghz or more on air
7) Don't need a monitor - already specified up top.
8) Within a couple weeks to a month.
 
I will look into the G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800), see if it plays nice with my board. The Gigabyte is supposedly a little picky with the RAM.
 
08Torrent said:
1.) I agree with Shadowsong on the RAM, save you money.
2.) Do you really need an 850w psu?
3.) Read review at link below. Cogage True Spirit, better cooler for less money.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/07/23/intel_core_i7_heatsink_roundup_q309
Click to expand...


2) Yes, why not? It will probably last me through 2-3 builds. Only $30 separates the 750hx and 850hx.

3) It's louder than the default intel setup - I want something quieter yet able to still offer great cooling.
 
Video card, Processors, Memory, etc...All are trending toward energy efficiency, meaning 3yrs from now your going to need less power, not more. I think you would do fine with a good quality 600w, and save some cash. Just my opinion...
 
Wait for Fermi to come out.... if you have a arm and a leg laying around... oh and whenever it comes out, is there finally a release date?

Get a 5970 now and be done :cool:

PSU.. I have a 750hx and I run my 920 @ 4.2 and two 5850s... two hdds
but for a extra $30, ya I would have done the 850, wasn't that cheap when I built my system

Why that motherboard? Im a EVGA guy but I am sure that AsUs will be fine,

Good luck with the build, looks like a good one.
 
Which resolution are you using on your monitor? Which games do you play? What level of visual quality do you play your games in? Those are the questions that Danny Bui was trying to gain answers for... they help us determine which type of video card you may need.

Price concerns aside, if you aren't planning to go with a multi-card SLI or CF setup, then you really don't need a 750 watt or greater power supply. There are some decent power supplies available for under $100 that can power all of your components plus a nice mid-range video card.

Which features on the Asus P6X58D Premium do you need? Do you already have some HD media playback software to go along with the bare-bones Blu-ray optical drive?
 
tiraides said:
Which resolution are you using on your monitor? Which games do you play? What level of visual quality do you play your games in? Those are the questions that Danny Bui was trying to gain answers for... they help us determine which type of video card you may need.

Price concerns aside, if you aren't planning to go with a multi-card SLI or CF setup, then you really don't need a 750 watt or greater power supply. There are some decent power supplies available for under $100 that can power all of your components plus a nice mid-range video card.

Which features on the Asus P6X58D Premium do you need? Do you already have some HD media playback software to go along with the bare-bones Blu-ray optical drive?
Click to expand...

1920x1200 is my current monitor resolution. Video card isn't that important, I don't really game anymore. I just need something that is quiet, is Nvidia, preferably better than the 8800GT that I currently have. I could just wait for the new Nvidia line and grab the budget oriented card from that group.

I updated to the ASUS P6X58D because of the glowing reviews. OC'ing is important, the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R seems to be going through growing pains, picky on the memory front. I need something with 8 or more SATA ports. I have 6 HDD's + SSD + Blu-ray drive. USB 3.0 along with SATA 6 would be nice as well.

As far as HD-Media, yeah I do a lot of 1080p/720p encoding, viewing, so a combo Blu-ray unit would be nice.

On the PSU front, I am looking for a modular, quiet, good quality unit. I am pretty much partial to Seasonic but the Corsair has been getting really good reviews.

Nickbaldwin86 said:
PSU.. I have a 750hx and I run my 920 @ 4.2 and two 5850s... two hdds
but for a extra $30, ya I would have done the 850, wasn't that cheap when I built my system
.
Click to expand...

Yeah that is what I was thinking, I was looking at the 750hx and the SeaSonic X650 + X750 but only 20-30 bucks separates them, so why not splurge for the bigger one? Plus the case I am getting is long, I like the long cables the 750hx/850hx provide.
 
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ya sure

You could get the 1000hx or whatever it is and the only thing you would be wasting is money... because the system will not use 1000watts,

The PSU only runs at what the system needs ;)
 
Nickbaldwin86 said:
ya sure

You could get the 1000hx or whatever it is and the only thing you would be wasting is money... because the system will not use 1000watts,

The PSU only runs at what the system needs ;)
Click to expand...

1000hx is $90 more than a 750hx while 850hx is only $30 more. Not really apples to apples is it? $90 is kind of pushing it. ;)
 
senseiam said:
1000hx is $90 more than a 750hx while 850hx is only $30 more. Not really apples to apples is it? $90 is kind of pushing it. ;)
Click to expand...

I was just using it as a example.... not telling you to buy the 1000hx, was just saying you don't need one because you will never use that much power.
 
Nickbaldwin86 said:
I was just using it as a example.... not telling you to buy the 1000hx, was just saying you don't need one because you will never use that much power.
Click to expand...

ok I understand but let's say I am using only 400-500 watts max, wouldn't the 850 run cooler/more quiet than the 600/620/750?

This also leaves me room to expand as I already have 6 HDD's, which I plan on going to 8-9 in the near future.

With overclocking in mind, 6-8 HDD's, is a 600watt more than enough?

Also, is there a cheaper alternative to the Asus board that still includes lot's of SATA ports AND is a great overclocker? SATA6GB and USB 3.0 can be left out. I ruled out the gigabyte because of reports of a coil whine (which would annoy the heck out of me).
 
I am on your side and I love to have the extra head room.

I bought the 750 because I bought it on sale and it had a Mail in rebate

If I could have got the 850 for that cheap... I would have

I recommend spending the extra and getting the extra head room
 
What do you guys think of this board instead of the more expensive Asus I have up there:

EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard ?

It has the 8+ SATA ports I am looking for. Never went with EVGA for a motherboard before, is this a solid board for overclocking?
 
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