Request for comments on build, redux

N

Newsome

n00b
Joined
Dec 28, 2008
Messages
42
Hello all. I'd like your comments about the following config. Though I know more about computer components than I ever did before, my knowledge is still quite limited and I'm very capable of messing stuff up. Any comments, criticisms or suggestions would be very welcome.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1500 or so [edit: this is max; less is better]
3) Where do you live?
US
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
Everything except monitor
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Monitor, 22 inch
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
22 inch, might get a second one in the future
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within one month
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Dual monitor support, but that's secondary
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
No

Antec P183
Corsair TX 650W
GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4
AMD Phenom II X4 920 2.8GHz AM2+
8GB (4x2GB) GSkill DDR2-1066 F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK
WD6400AAKS Caviar Blue 640GB 7200 RPM
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD4870 Vapor-X 1GB (chosen for low noise)
Samsung SH-S223F 22X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW SATA Drive (also chosen for low noise)
Scythe Mugen 2 HSF
Scythe Slipstream SY1225SL12M (x2, maybe x3)
Scythe S-Flex SFF21E (x1, for blowhole on P183)
Scythe KM02-BK 5.25" Bay Fan Controller
 
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As everyone here has said, your budget does allow for a significantly faster PC based on a Core i7 or Core i5 setup. However since gaming is your primary concern, if you do not wish to spend your entire budget, the setup you created is decent enough.

However a couple of changes:
- Swap out the AAKS for the WD6401AALS drive since it has another two years of warranty.
- Assuming that you're buying from Newegg, the Phenom 920 is no longer available for sale. I recommend getting the Phenom II 945 instead.
- Swap out the Scythe Mugen for the better cooling and equally quiet Cogage TRUE Spirit HSF:
$40 - Thermalright Cogage TRUE Spirit HSF
 
I agree with everyone else that an i7 build makes more sense on your budget.
 
To respond to the i7 points, I should have put the budget as "1500 or so, max; less is better" (I'll edit that now).

I am also trying for that happy combination of quiet and relative coolness, so the higher temperatures of the i7 make me concerned: though I'm sure the temps can be controlled, I'm less confident they can be controlled while maintaining a low noise level.

As for the Phenom 940: NewEgg has sold out of those as well, so I'm thinking a Phenom II 945 (95W version) might be the way to go.
 
Are there any issues or questions you may have about your build?

In fact, what's your updated build list like?

And yes, you can keep a Core i7 build pretty quiet.
 
Revised build (changed CPU and case fans):

Antec P183
Corsair TX 650W
GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P
AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz AM3 (95W)
8GB (4x2GB) GSkill DDR2-1066 F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK [???]
WD6400AAKS Caviar Blue 640GB 7200 RPM
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD4870 Vapor-X 1GB (chosen for low noise)
Samsung SH-S223F 22X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW SATA Drive (also chosen for low noise)
Scythe Mugen 2 HSF
Scythe S-Flex SFF21E (x2)
Scythe S-Flex SFF21F (x2)
Scythe KM02-BK 5.25" Bay Fan Controller


As for specific questions, I'm kind of rethinking going w/ an AM2+ mobo that can't run DDR3. I don't like AMD's inability to run triple-channel, but I don't want to be stuck behind the curve if DDR3 is indeed the wave of the future. On that note, does it make sense for future-proofing (and lower hassle for upgrading) to go w/ a DDR3 compatible mobo? Or will DDR2 continue to be a supported and improving technology for the foreseeable future?
 
Technology-wise, DDR3 RAM is being pushed as the defacto RAM standard, and it will likely be the RAM of choice by this time next year. However, if you don't see yourself "upgrading" the RAM any time soon, then you could stick with DDR2 RAM. Having said that, you don't need 8GB for a pure gaming machine; 4GB is more than enough.

Since the price of the Scythe S-FLEX fans are around $15-$20 apiece, I recommend cheaper fans. Two good choices are the Scythe "Slipstream" fans (that are often found for around $8-$10 each) or the Yate Loon D12-series fans (that are available at many places, but not NewEgg or ZipZoomFly for around $4-$6 each).
 
tiraides said:
Technology-wise, DDR3 RAM is being pushed as the defacto RAM standard, and it will likely be the RAM of choice by this time next year. However, if you don't see yourself "upgrading" the RAM any time soon, then you could stick with DDR2 RAM. Having said that, you don't need 8GB for a pure gaming machine; 4GB is more than enough.

Since the price of the Scythe S-FLEX fans are around $15-$20 apiece, I recommend cheaper fans. Two good choices are the Scythe "Slipstream" fans (that are often found for around $8-$10 each) or the Yate Loon D12-series fans (that are available at many places, but not NewEgg or ZipZoomFly for around $4-$6 each).
Click to expand...


About the 8GB: I was originally going with the philosophy that RAM, being cheap, was worth getting as much as feasible. Having seen some of the downsides of running 8GB (for example, 1066 is apparently not supported on this mobo), however, I'm thinking of stepping back down to 4GB and upgrading to 8GB in the future as/if necessary, hence the interest in knowing y'all's guesses about where RAM is headed.

About the fans: the original config had mostly Slipstreams, with only one S-Flex: I rationalized the change to the more expensive fans on the basis that S-Flexes appear to have a longer life-span, and the total difference in price between A) 3 Slipstreams+1 S-Flex and B) 4 S-Flexes was about $25. The way I figure it, $25 is worth it to avoid the hassle of early fan replacement.

Thanks for your comment tiraides; I welcome any and all others.
 
In light of everyone's recommendations about i7, let me ask y'all this: if you were to replace the Phenom II 945, Gigabyte mobo and DDR2 RAM (total of $400 worth) with a Core i7, appropriate mobo and 6GB DDR3 RAM for roughly the same price, which components would you recommend?
 
lt_shiro found a couple of good combo deals for you to work with, so...

Newsome said:
About the fans: the original config had mostly Slipstreams, with only one S-Flex: I rationalized the change to the more expensive fans on the basis that S-Flexes appear to have a longer life-span, and the total difference in price between A) 3 Slipstreams+1 S-Flex and B) 4 S-Flexes was about $25. The way I figure it, $25 is worth it to avoid the hassle of early fan replacement.
Click to expand...

While the S-FLEX fans have a MTBF of around 150,000 hours (compared to the 50,000 hours the Slipstreams and Yate Loons have), seriously, how often are you going to run your system 24/7? There's a good chance that you'll switch your fans out due to boredom long before a Slipstream or a Yate Loon would die on you. The only true advantage the S-FLEX has over the other two fans is the fluid dynamic bearings (FDB) that it uses (the other two fans use sleeve bearings)... which actually results in the S-FLEX's longer lifespan and comparatively quieter operation.
 
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