Possible i7 Computer

Yeah, I mean for future additions like another hard drive, liquid cooling for processor, fan control, etc..

Otherwise I think I'm all set. What do you guys think about ocz freeze vs arctic silver 5? I hear ocz freeze is better but harder to apply as it hardens immediately, and this is my first time even applying thermal paste/a new heatsink, so maybe I should stick with AS 5 as it's easier to work with? Also heard of arctic cooling mx-2, supposed to be better than both. Or there's diamond paste...
 
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Either of the 3 you mentioned work fine. I havne't used freeze, so i'm not sure how easy it is to work with, but as5 is definitely easier to spread around than mx-2, but i still use whichever of the two is within reach.
 
For the mx-2 they say you just apply a small dab in the center and put on your heatsink, twist it around a little, then just screw it in. I think that line method would be much more effective though, since i7's have 4 cores in a line.
 
I didn't really know which method to use when I was putting on my MX-2 so I just put a thin layer onto the CPU. Has been fine for me. :)
 
Alright I'll look into it thanks. Another thing-should I be concerned about the stepping of the processor? Like if it's a D0 stepping processor, do I have to make sure it's a D0 stepping board or something? Is there even a difference in boards? And can I tell which stepping processor newegg will give me?
 
Sansari said:
Another thing-should I be concerned about the stepping of the processor?
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I would say no. Unless you're very concerned with being able to overclock past 4GHz at a lower voltage. From what I've seen so far, the D0 chips get the same clocks as C0 chips at lower voltages. Sometimes they can overclock a bit more (i.e. 4.3 GHz) but this is not guaranteed for all D0 chips. If you be certain that you're getting a D0 for the same price, it may be worth it. I wouldn't pay a premium for it. Some websites guarantee that you will get a D0. With other retailers (i.e. Newegg), it's the luck of the draw.

Sansari said:
Like if it's a D0 stepping processor, do I have to make sure it's a D0 stepping board or something? Is there even a difference in boards?
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There is no difference in boards. Any X58 board will support any stepping of the processor.

Sansari said:
And can I tell which stepping processor newegg will give me?
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Yes. You can tell from the spec # and batch # on the box.
 
Ok thanks, I thought so. I'd still rather get it from newegg with the rest of my stuff though. I hope I get D0 then :D
 
No, you can't tell which stepping CPU newegg will give you -- you can only tell what they gave you. :D:p
 
Quick question, where on the motherboard would you plug in expansions like the headphone jack/usb ports on the top of the antec 900-2?
 
Coolermaster hands down. No contest. the Coolermaster HAF 932 is a significantly better case than the 900-2.

Yes the Xigmatek HSF should be able to fit inside the Coolermaster case.
 
That much better, eh? It actually saves money because I was going to buy a couple of fans for the 900-2. I checked and dark knight does fit. Cool.
There was a concern though; It doesn't have filters, and it apparently catches a lot of dust. I could clean it out myself though.
 
Alright CM wins.
Thanks for the cpu/mobo combo, $10 is probably worth the extra warranty, if they hold to it... Not getting that case or psu though.
Heh, I'm getting an OEM magazine. Whatever that means.
That darn Samsung DVD drive is always out of stock! It came back for all of about 2 days.
 
Between your new case and motherboard, you should have enough screws and cables for all of your OEM items.

If you really "need" more screws, you'll find better deals on eBay.
 
Yeah, though the 275 has a lifetime warranty...

Also, any gripes with XFX? Should I pick BFG or EVGA over XFX? I can save a fair bit by making my temporary 260 an XFX instead of a BFG, but I don't know if XFX cards are less reliable than BFG or EVGA.

And,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145236

The corsair is $25 more, but it has a higher CAS latency. So the OCZ would be better; is the corsair brand name worth it at all?
 
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Any of those three brands are good, XFX, BFG, and eVGA.

No, the brand name isn't worth $25 if you can find a comparable alternative (yes, the OCZ is comparable... actually, its better, as you pointed out, since it has lower CL).
 
This is the type of thing I'm afraid of:
"if you leave your voltages on auto it will automatically set itself to 1.8 volts, which will result in damaging your cpu"
2 of the OCZ reviews mention this problem, while all of the corsair reviews were 5-star. I don't want to fry my i7.
 
enginurd said:
No, the brand name isn't worth $25 if you can find a comparable alternative (yes, the OCZ is comparable... actually, its better, as you pointed out, since it has lower CL).
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They don't have the voltage listed for those 7-7-7-24 sticks. I'm assuming it's 1.65v but I've heard that some sticks require more so it's best to make sure prior to purchasing. DDR3 RAM with timings of 7-7-7-24 usually costs more than $100, from what I've seen, and tends to have a lower frequency than 1600 MHz. Not too sure about this particular OCZ kit.
 
Mostly great quality from what I've seen, beats higher-priced speakers too, it seems. (Higher than $60...)

Thinking of adding a 5.25" drawer for screws & wires (not really necessary though), maybe thermometer, and maybe blu-ray player later, and a media card reader...
 
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Sansari said:
Another dumb question, do the video cards blow air upward?
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Yes and no. It does blow (or draw in air) towards the GPU but, with the fins on the heatsink, it also pushes air towards the back of the case. How well both actions are performed depend on the heatsink/fan being used.

Sansari said:
Mostly great quality from what I've seen, beats higher-priced speakers too, it seems. (Higher than $60...)

Thinking of adding a 5.25" drawer for screws & wires (not really necessary though), maybe thermometer, and maybe blu-ray player later, and a media card reader...
Click to expand...

Don't mention the word Logitech anywhere near the Computer Audio forum here, or else you'll get an earful about how shitty its speakers are. The long story short is that there are better audio speakers that, while costing a bit more than the average Logitech setup, offer better sound quality in movies, music, and gaming. Perform a Google search for "Swan 2.0" or "Swan 2.1" for one such example.

As for "adding" things, what do you need now? I've never found a use for a separate "drawer" inside the computer for my spare parts, and I'm not one to obsessively monitor my fan speed and internal temperature. I believe that the overall costs of setting up a Blu-ray media system -- though Windows 7 offers native Blu-ray playback support, you often have to pay for the privilege in XP or Vista through multimedia software -- aren't worth the costs.
 
PC_User said:
They don't have the voltage listed for those 7-7-7-24 sticks. I'm assuming it's 1.65v ...
Click to expand...

Sansari said:
Then it probably defaults at 1.8V, which would likely destroyafy my i7.
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No need to assume, just look it up! If you need a spec, don't assume... look it up. If its not listed on the company's website, either email them or ditch that part and find one with the desired specs.

http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/ocz_ddr3_pc3_12800_platinum_low_voltage_triple_channel ... 1.65v. ;)

Sansari said:
Mostly great quality from what I've seen, beats higher-priced speakers too, it seems. (Higher than $60...) ...
Click to expand...

Logitech is far from great quality. I have Logitech Z-5500's that retail for $300+... they're barely worth the $145 I paid, IMO, and only because they're 5.1ch were they worth it to me (good for watching movies when the main entertainment center is being used by others).

tiraides said:
Don't mention the word Logitech anywhere near the Computer Audio forum here, or else you'll get an earful about how shitty its speakers are. The long story short is that there are better audio speakers that, while costing a bit more than the average Logitech setup, offer better sound quality in movies, music, and gaming. Perform a Google search for "Swan 2.0" or "Swan 2.1" for one such example.
Click to expand...

QFT.
 
Well I'm used to the default and lowest quality $10 speakers anyway; any improvement will be great :)

Newegg and Tigerdirect don't have swan speakers... Do you know if newegg has any high quality speakers? I saw some nice creative ones there. I'd prefer to get it from newegg and I can save on shipping that way. In fact, are there any sub-$100 speakers that are better than the z-cinema?

I realize spending money on a drawer is pretty stupid when you could simply keep extra parts in the box; I'm just afraid my mom may do a little 'organizing' and lose them. Then again my desk has a drawer so I guess it's unnecessary.
 
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