Possible i7 Computer

S

Sansari

Weaksauce
Joined
May 9, 2009
Messages
121
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mostly gaming, some minor photoshop/media perhaps.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I suppose under $1500

3) Where do you live?
Michigan

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

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Using a 52" Sony Bravia 1080p TV that we already have sometimes.

6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
It should be either 21.5" widescreen, I might use a 17" for dual if I can figure it out, and sometimes a 52" TV.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Beginning of summmer - June 12 ish

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
SLI, enough space between the processor socket and memory modules so that the cpu heatsink doesn't eat my memory cards!

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
I have an xp install, intend on buying vista 64 bit so I can use 6gb.


I'm thinking of making this pc.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=11602746
 
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I need you to answer a few additional questions:

- What is going to be the primary monitor for this system? What is its resolution? Are you going to buy a new monitor just for this rig?

- When, exactly, are you planning on buying everything? "Beginning of summer" could mean a week from now, a month, two months... give us a more exact time frame.

- Which games are you going to play, and which level of visual quality do you prefer? The HD4870 is overkill for a 17-19 inch LCD monitor, and CrossFire (or SLI) is pointless for anything less than a 1920x1200 resolution.

- Were you going to purchase the 64-bit copy of Vista along with this system? Are you willing to use the Windows 7 RC instead?
 
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I will use a 19 inch widescreen 1440 x 900 ish usually. Somtimes 2 17 inch 1280 x 960 or 1024 x 780. And sometimes a 52 inch 1080p tv.

About june 12, when we get out of school =P

Crysis, Farcry 2 maybe, other higher-end games. I will be using the widescreen mostly, and sometimes the tv, so i'd need a fair video card. Besides, the rest of the pc is rather high-end, so I shouldn't skip out on the video card. I've never had a decent gaming pc, so I can't wait to finally be able to play games like crysis, and my older games like oblivion on max quality.

I intend on getting vista home premium or ultimate 64, no windows 7 just yet.


edit - actually a 21.5" 1920 x 1080 monitor
 
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I would say its a bit early to start. If you're planning to start building at the beginning of summer, you should repost a few weeks before.
 
Specifically, you should revisit this thread a week or two before you plan on ordering everything.

Use this time now to research and double-check everything that you were planning to buy.
 
Just a couple of comments on your current selection:
- Ditch the Xigmatek PSU. Stick with known and well reviewed PSUs like the PC P&C 75, Corsair 750TX or if you want modular, this PSU is a better choice:
$110 - BFG Tech MX 680 680W Modular PSU

- Since your normal monitors are 19" and below, the HD4870 1GB will be enough. However do note that the GTX 260 performs about the same as the HD4870 yet does come with a lifetime warranty:
$180 - BFG TechBFGEGTX260896OCE GeForce GTX 260 896MB PCI-E Video Card
 
Sansari said:
Just to make sure, you CAN use a 6+2 pin plug on a 6 pin video card right?

So if I needed 4 6 pins, it would be ok to have 2 6 pin and 2 6+2 pins right?[/url]

Yes to both questions. the +2 portion of the 6+2 plug is removable.

Sansari said:
Edit: Also, looked up the 260. http://techgage.com/article/ati_hd_4870_1gb_vs_nvidia_gtx_260216_896mb/
Please tell me I'm not seeing a $170 card beat a $190 card w/ more memory! Of course it's an old review.
Click to expand...

In other reviews, the performance difference is much closer:
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTY0MSwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==
http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTYyNiwsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0
Click to expand...
 
In any case, the gtx 260 is only $150 final price as opposed to $190, and does better in many/most cases. I'll probably get another 260 with SLI and then it's smooth sailing. For 2 months ;)
 
Sansari said:
I'll probably get another 260 with SLI and then it's smooth sailing. For 2 months ;)
Click to expand...

No need for SLI whatsoever in your case. Your primary monitors are 19" and below. SLI is only cost effective when you primarily game at 1920x1200 and/or on a 24" monitor and higher.
 
Your 19" lcd has a native res of 1440 x 900. I don't know of any monitor with a 1900 x 1440 resolution. 1440 x 900 that's even lower res than 1280 x 1024. 1 x GTX 260 will be plenty.
 
Sansari said:
Sorry 'bout that, the res is 1440 x 900. Another thing though, what about a different psu? These are fairly high power for the price. Corsair is probably the better brand, but I think Xclio is fair enough, and it's modular.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817189017

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009
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While both PSUs are made by the same manufacturer, CWT, that doesn't mean that the XClio will be a good PSU. Xigmatek also uses CWT as their PSU OEM but it has been shown that Xigmatek CWT made PSUs are not that good. Since there is no proper PSU review of the XClio Greatpower and considering that CWT can make less than quality PSUs as a result of a main brand company (Xigmatek), I cannot recommend getting that XClio PSU.
 
Sansari said:
Mobo is probably down to one of these three.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128374

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131371

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188046
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The Gigabyte and EVGA are both good boards. Most X58 boards are similar in terms of performance (a few overclock better than others) and differ with respect to layout and cooling. Also, just to note that the ASUS Ramage II GENE is a microATX board. Are you looking to build a SFF system? If not, you could consider the ASUS P6T.
 
I was considering the asus p6t, but as it turns out, if you have 12gb of memory (I won't, but maybe in the future; these are fairly good boards) and you try to run sli, it totally screws up vista or windows 7. The gigabyte is similar anyway.

I think I'll go with the evga. Gigabyte seems to have lan issues if you download a bad driver from windows auto updates, and I don't feel like dealing with that. Micro ATX is too small, overheating parts are a possibility, and it's "too cramped for my style."

If I do go with the evga, the next question is, should I pay $20 more to get the version with the lifetime warranty, instead of 2 years?
 
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Most of the people that frequent these forums have no need for 12GB of RAM nor do they have a dual-card CF/SLI setup. There's also a pretty good chance that by the time you decide to go that route, Vista/Windows 7 and/or the motherboard manufacturers may have fixed that issue you're talking about. I don't think that you need to disqualify the Asus or Gigabyte boards for that potential issue. Many people have used both boards and are satisfied with their selections.

I suggest that you pick a board based on the features that you need -- not those that you think are "cool" -- over the warranty time. Whether or not you should pursue the warranty depends on how long you plan on keeping the board for and whether or not you're willing to submit the warranty/registration forms immediately after you receive them. That said, any of the boards that you've considered so far would meet your immediate needs. (The Rampage II Gene's true flaw isn't with its microATX size but rather its very hot NB. There are ways to fix that, but in your case, why bother?)
 
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I agree with tirades.

Also, that's the first time I've heard about Gigabyte's "lan issues."
 
Ok well only differences I see:

EVGA - nice digital readout for cpu temp, has a board heatisnk but it gets in the way of the cpu heatsink

Asus - maybe video card problems, not likely

Gigabyte - possible lan problems

I'm thinking Asus p6t actually. EVGA is nice, but the board's heatsink is probably a problem. I don't think I'll need 12gb of memory soon, so Asus is probably my best bet.
 
X58 supports 24GB, so all of those boards SHOULD support 24GB of RAM. I know the Asus and Gigabyte boards do.
 
It doesn't just go by x58 or brand, they tell you which in particular support 24 vs 12gb.

Anyway I'm thinking Asus p6t (limited to 6gb of memory only) or evga. Also, the evga's heatsink is probably not a problem. Someone else has a build with this board and the cooler I want.
 
Alright, I think it's fairly complete. I'm just concerned about heat issues. Do you think the dark knight cooler is good? Is the zalman good enough for almost twice the cost? Any other cpu cooler suggestions?
 
I have the P6T Deluxe, not the P6T, but I'm pretty sure they're mostly the same. And I have 12GBs and 2 GTX 260's in SLI, and it works fine in Vista. Just fyi.
 
Stick with the Xigmatek Dark Knight. Its predecessor is the HDT-S1283 (it's essentially the same model) and that's been known to be able to compete with the more expensive Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme (aka TRUE) and the Noctua NH-U12P, which are regarded as two of the best CPU coolers around.
 
Thanks devil, it may have been just one person posting at different sites with his issue of over 6gb memory.... I think I'll stick with the evga though, since it has really good positive feedback. Then again, the p6t has more space around the cpu for a good fan.

Also, I was just about to say, I want to replace the cooler with the Thermalright 120 extreme! They say it's an excellent heatsink/fan, and it has twice as many heat pipes as the dark knight. Since I'm getting an i7, and overclocking it, and I'm probably getting 2 gtx 260's, I really should get some of the best cooling. I think. My major issue is still with gpu heat though, since they'll be so close, and I can't put a pci fan between them.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8...eme-1366_RT_CPU_Heatsink_Socket_LGA_1366.html
 
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More heat pipes doesn't make one CPU cooler better than the other... check out frostytech.com and see for yourself how well each CPU cooler performs.
 
Get what you want, but the point that I was trying to make was... you shouldn't spend all of this money on the latest and greatest, especially when something cheaper can do the job just as well.
 
Sansari said:
It doesn't just go by x58 or brand, they tell you which in particular support 24 vs 12gb.
Click to expand...

Right. My point was, check with the manufacturer, or else you'll end up with conclusions like this:
Sansari said:
Anyway I'm thinking Asus p6t (limited to 6gb of memory only)
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The Asus site mentions it supports: Max. 24 GB. Where on earth did you read it only supports 6GB of RAM? :confused: I've even built a system with 12GB on that board. :p

One reason I prefer the Xigmatek cooler over the TRUE120, Noctua NH-U12P, and CM V8, is its weight. Its much lighter than the "big boys," so thats less stress on the PCB of the mobo.
 
Well the only reviews I saw with the asus p6t AND 2 gtx's in sli said that more than 6gb wouldn't run. With only 1 video card it can handle more.
But someone here said his p6t deluxe works with sli and 12gb, so maybe it was just an unlucky person with a bad board.

Also, I want the dark knight because it was rated highly with the more expensive heatsinks. The performance vs price is great.

It seems the case isn't quite wide enough. I'm thinking antec 900, 900-2, or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811124131

And I'm getting a 1920 x 1080 monitor.
 
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Sorry. The ark case I had earlier for $47 wasn't wide enough. I looked through a bunch and I think I should get the 900, 900-2, or that enermax one-they should all be wide enough.
 
Sansari said:
Sorry. The ark case I had earlier for $47 wasn't wide enough. I looked through a bunch and I think I should get the 900, 900-2, or that enermax one-they should all be wide enough.
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Better cases and equally wide cases for the money:
$60 - Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$75 - Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I was considering both of those cases, but people said they could barely fit the dark knight after removing the side fan. I don't think they are quite as good at cooling as the antec. Also, with the antec, I can put a fan right next to the gpu's which is important if I'm getting two huge gtx 260's. Unless you think those would do better?

The difference between the antec and coolermaster seems to be just 200mm vs 2 x 120mm top, coolermaster has one more fan in front, but antec can have a fan inside for the gpu's. So coolermaster would save money efficiently, but I think that fan right next to the gpu's may be really useful. I wouldn't know, though, would the coolermaster be better? With the extra fans to buy, the price difference isn't all that great.
 
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Sansari said:
Thanks for the suggestions. I was considering both of those cases, but people said they could barely fit the dark knight after removing the side fan. I don't think they are quite as good at cooling as the antec. Also, with the antec, I can put a fan right next to the gpu's which is important if I'm getting two huge gtx 260's. Unless you think those would do better?

The difference between the antec and coolermaster seems to be just 200mm vs 2 x 120mm top, coolermaster has one more fan in front, but antec can have a fan inside for the gpu's. So coolermaster would save money efficiently, but I think that fan right next to the gpu's may be really useful.
Click to expand...

The RC-690 has a side fan/vent next to the GPU area. So it'll cool just as well as the Antec cases.
 
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