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viets7ylez

Gawd
Joined
Jun 8, 2004
Messages
591
Hello Ladies and Gents,

So its been over 4-5 years since I was in the "scene" with over-clocking and building computers so I haven't been keeping up with the technology very much.

I am looking to build a computer to be my workstation.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Light gaming, Photoshop, Web Browsing, Email, Heavy downloads, Office, etc.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

Would like to stay under 1000.

3) Where do you live?

NC.

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

Everything.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

I am going to be running dual 22'' LCDs and I have a keyboard and mouse already.

6) Will you be overclocking?

Yes, just to get more performance, not looking to squeeze the life out of it for every inch of power.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?

(2) 22'' LCD

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

Within a few weeks.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.

Not sure, probably RAID

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?

Yes

Thanks for the help, my main concern is whether or not I should go i7 and whether or not I should go quad or dual core.

My current Macbook Pro is a dual and it is pretty quick for everything I've needed but I'm not sure if I should go for more.

Thanks


Oh I'm also not sure if this can be done in SFF because I am interested in doing something smaller and compact but I don't want to sacrifice power.
 
 
I, as always, agree with Danny.

Keep in mind, however, that with a SFF system, you'll most likely be unable to OC much, if at all.
 
If you want the Flexability of a Full ATX board in a still small case you could change a couple components from danny's build.

Keep the following that he suggested.

Video Card - $94.99
Ram - $109.99
Power Supply - $109.49

Here's the Changes I made to get you a cheaper full atx board with similar features.

MSI x58 Pro and i7 920 Combo - $453.98
COOLER MASTER Elite 360 RC-360-KKN1-GP - $39.99
WD6401AALS 640GB - $79.99
LG Black 22X (CAV) - $22.99

I also Changed you into the Black version of the 640gb hard drive (i love more cache anywhere i can get it.

Total Cost of parts = $911.42 + Shipping and Tax

I just guessed at a zip code and picked one from Charlotte

Shipping to 28219 = $22.89

Total Build Shipped = $934.31
 
Thanks for all the advice I will sort through this sometime today when I get more time.

And yes I definitely meant dual core not quad haha.
 
Assuming SFF creates too much heat to OC, if I went with a regular case, what HSF should I go for to yield best OCing results?
 
The Coolar Master v8, Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme, or the xigmatek S1283 are all good.
 
If you also decide on a more roomy case, the Cooler Master RC-690 is good; it has good airflow, lots of room for fans, good cable management, bottom mounted PSU, and looks simple but clean, IMO.
 
Here is what I've decided so far. I went against i7, not quite sure I need that.

I do want SFF though. I'm not sure on the video card or HSF.
Picture1-3-1.png
 
viets7ylez said:
Here is what I've decided so far. I went against i7, not quite sure I need that.
Click to expand...

With your budget, I highly recommend that you reconsider that course of action. Considering how long you've been out of date with PCs (4-5 years), it would be a good idea to buy a CPU/mobo system that's not as much of a dead-end as current Core 2 Duos.

Yes you won't get that much of GPU power or HDD space as you would with a C2D setup but those parts can always be added or upgraded for a relatively low cost. The CPU, mobo, and RAM will usually cost a lot more to upgrade than any of the parts mentioned so far. So I recommend going with a Core i7 setup for a little bit more longevity.
 
viets7ylez said:
There aren't any i7 boards for SFF cases as small as that are there?
Click to expand...

Not yet. Even if there was, I'm fairly sure I would still recommend against a Shuttle Core i7 build for the same reasons why I would recommend against most Shuttle builds:
- Proprietary mobo
- Somewhat proprietary PSUs
- Limited upgrade paths
 
Considering your suggestion I decided on these parts for an i7 build.

Picture2-1.png


I'm not sure what I want for a case any small but good cases you can recommend?
 
There are too many "small but good" cases to consider. Check out microATX desktop or microATX mini tower cases in NewEgg for one that you may like.
 
I can't tell, but that looks like overpriced RAM. Ditch them in favor of G.Skill... much cheaper for the same performance.
 
you're still missing a powersupply to power the rig. Check out post number 6 for a small case that will hold that full atx board or check out the build danny put up in post 2 for a mATX board and case
 
Alright guys I have decided on parts for both an i7 rig and a 775 quad rig.

I am still not sure which I should get.

Here is the 775 quad build:

Picture8.png


Picture10.png


Here is the i7 build:

Picture6-1.png


Picture9-1.png


Most importantly are my questions:

1. Is that HSF a good quality one and is it quiet? I do want to OC even though I'm using SFF. Will it fit, is the most important question.

2. How is that graphics card? Could I save money by getting something else? I want to stick with Nvidia.

3. Is the power supply sufficient? I don't want to waste too much electricity since this machine will be on mostly 24/7.

If there is anything else you guys want to say please let me know I'm going to be ordering one of these rigs this week.

Thanks to all.
 
1) The Noctua HSF is a good and quiet HSF but it will NOT fit inside the SG01B-F at all. You will need a low-profile HSF for the SG01B-F and most SFF cases.

2) Piss poor for the price in terms of performance to price ratio. The HD4870 512MB can be found for around that price range and will outperform the 9800GTX. The HD4830 is $45 cheaper yet is only about 15% slower than the 9800GTX IIRC. The Nvidia 9800GT is about $20 cheaper the 9800GTX but still costs ~$20 more than the slightly faster HD4830.

So in other words, below $200, Nvidia cards do not have a good price to performance ratio IMO.

3) It's sufficient as long as you're not overclocking. However since you are overclocking, I recommend getting a beefier PSU. Your system needs a minimum of 40A on the +12V rail. Also for a SFF system, I highly recommend getting a modular PSU. SFF cases typically don't have that much space to store or hide cables well enough to not block or impede airflow. But if you don't care for modular cables despite the benefits for a SFF system, then I recommend this PSU:
BFG Tech LS-550 550W PSU - $68

Has 41A on the +12V rail.
 
After a long debate I decided to just drop the SFF as it wasn't going to be viable with the parts I wanted and the overclocking I wanted to do. I decided on a tower. I feel bad posting over and over the same stuff but I really appreciate all your help since I am so out of the loop.

This is the almost finalized build that I'm going to order today. I also decided to go with the BFG PSU that Danny suggested.

Here is the i7 build:

Picture1-3.png


I want to keep this build pretty quiet while being able to overclock it a good amount which is why I choose the Noctua. If there is anything you guys see that I should change to lower costs that would be great.
 
Do not rely on the WD Green drive as an OS. It slows down to 5400RPM while idle, but it takes a while to ramp back up to 7200RPM. Instead, consider either the WD Caviar Blue or Black 640GB HDD. Either drive would perform at Raptor speeds and wouldn't cost as much as the 1TB drive. As an alternate choice, Samsung's SpinPoint series hard drives are generally quieter than other brands.

To lower costs even further:
- Swap out the Noctua for the Xigmatek HDT-S1283V "Dark Knight" cooler. The Xigmatek performs just as well, and is a bit cheaper. With the Noctua, you would either need to buy a separate LGA1366 mounting bracket/kit or get the SE 1366 model -- either of which would have cost a bit more.
- As mentioned earlier, get one of the WD 640GB drives instead of the 1TB Green HDD.
- Look for the case elsewhere (or, look for its sibling, the P182). Provantage, for example, often has cases available for less, even after shipping costs/taxes are included, than NewEgg.

And please list out your parts... the last picture is too small, and I don't know whether or not you've made additional changes that we aren't aware of.
 
I do need the space so I'm not sure if I want to switch. Its possible I might get the Caviar Black 640 and the green to use as storage but that would bump the price up a lot. Not sure what I want to do yet.

I did take your advice and swap out the Noctua for the Xigmatek.. how well does it perform and is it quiet?

I also couldn't find the P180 anywhere else that was much different in price than Newegg, maybe I'm looking in the wrong places. If you know a place can you point me in the right direction? Here is my build with the changes hopefully you can see it better.

Picture2.png


IF you see anymore changes that yield better performance:price do let me know as today is when I'm gonna finalize and order it all.

Thank you all very much!
 
In case you can't read it.. here it is in text.


Product Description Savings Total Price
1

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827136152
Return Policy: 30 Day Return Policy


$22.99
1

Antec Performance One P180 Silver cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129154
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant


$149.99
$129.99
1

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136320
Return Policy: 30 Day Return Policy


$74.99
1

EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814130339
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
-$15.00 Instant
-$49.99 Saving
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate


$159.99
$95.00
1

Nvidia Gift - OEM
Item #: N82E16800999088
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy


$49.99
1

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231225
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant


$129.99
$109.99
1

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128362
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant


$298.99
$288.99
1

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115202
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy


$288.99
1

XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835233029
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant


$44.99
$39.99
Subtotal: $1,100.92
 
Thanks for the advice on the case!

No reason for the UD5 over the UD4P should I get the cheaper one? If so, why?

Also is the XIGMATEK good compared to the Noctua?

Thanks.
 
viets7ylez said:
Thanks for the advice on the case!

No reason for the UD5 over the UD4P should I get the cheaper one? If so, why?

Also is the XIGMATEK good compared to the Noctua?
Click to expand...

Yes the Xigmatek HSF is good compared to the Noctua.

Main reason to go with the UD4P is because it's cheaper :D In addition, if you buy the UD4P and Core I7 920 from this combo link, you save an additional $20:
Intel Core i7 920 CPU and Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P Intel X58 ATX Motherboard combo - $539

So basically the UD4P build would be about $40 cheaper than the UD5 setup. See if any of the following features of the UD5 is worth the extra $40:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...mpareItemList=N82E16813128374,N82E16813128362
 
The only main difference I can see is the 8 vs. 10 sata ports, I don't really see much else. I don't think that is worth 40 either :D.

Unless the cheaper one wont be able to overclock as well what do you think Danny?
 
Parts ordered! Should expect them near the end of this week. Get ready for a build thread with lots of pictures!

Thanks to all who helped me decide on my parts!
 
Just use this thread for the pictures. Your post count will still go up regardless.

Which parts did you finally decide on?
 
I decided on:

Case: Antec Performance One P180 Gun Metal Black
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5
CPU: i7 920
GFX: EVGA 9800 GTX
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-650TX
Memory: 6GB of G.SKILL 1600
CD/DVD: LG DVD Burner
HD: WD6400AAKS
HSF: Noctua NH-U12P

I decided to get the UD5 because there was a combo with that and my case for a good price, it ended up being only $9 more than the other Gigabyte I was looking at.

I also went with the Corsair PSU because buy.com's shipping was gonna take 1-2 weeks with the free shipping.. and with the rebate the Corsair isn't that bad of a deal IMO.

I also went with the Noctua HSF because there was a combo with that and the CPU making it a little cheaper. I think I spent ~20 more for the Noctua than the Xigamatek but I really like the Noctua.

I dropped the 1TB Caviar Green because I'm just gonna wait for when they go on sale or go down in price since it isn't an absolute necessity right now.
 
The Noctua comes with good TIM and good fans, too... as well as a couple extras that are nice. ;)

Good idea on waiting for when you need the drive before buying it. HDD prices always go down over time, and you get more for your money later on.

P180 comes in Gun Metal Black? I thought it was only the P182? :p Don't forget to post pics!
 
Here are some pictures of the build process and wire management. Its a great computer and very fast but just doesn't really overclock very well. I got it at 3.6 but its at pretty high voltage. I'm disappointed but what can you do :D

9.jpg


8.jpg


9.jpg


6-1.jpg


5-1.jpg


4-1.jpg


3-2.jpg


2-2.jpg


1-2.jpg
 
Nice build man! Its pretty amazing the components you can get for ~$1000 these days. Nice choice on the case. I have the same case, but a dual core build.
 
Thanks, it is awesome that you can get so much more for you money nowadays.


Its been a long time since I built a computer so I had to take a bit of time on the wire management lol
 
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