Rookie new build

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bdubb

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Mar 19, 2010
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I read a few of the stickies and will continue to read more, but as I've already begun the purchasing of most items it's somewhat, what you see is what I get at this point. Main reason to post up is, while I enjoy using computers my hobbies have normally been outside of building up my own. I did some research, spent some money, did some more reading, and decided to get onto a forum. I'll have some help during my build up from family, but like to try things myself (the hard way) when I try to learn new things. I want this computer to last me several years (approx 4 or more) with only minor updates or changes.


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

Basic home computer being used for moderate gaming, web browsing, minor photoshop, and the occasional Solidworks or ProE for side projects.

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

Didn't consider one too much, but between the $2k to $3k range overall.

3) Where do you live?

Houston, TX with access to Fry's, Microcenter, etc. but I'm a busy person so tax free internet sales with low or free shipping is a bonus for me instead of driving across town.

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

Case - PURCHASED
PSU - PURCHASED
MOBO - PURCHASED
CPU - PURCHASED
RAM - PURCHASED
DVD drive
Video card
Monitor - Existing (Might buy something newer from Dell)

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

X-fi Fatality sound card
BFG GTS 8800 OC (temporary card while I wait on the market and make a final choice) Curious about the 480 release when and if it happens.


6) Will you be overclocking?

Answer = probably but never done it before. But I do not plan to push the boundaries.

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

I have a Dell 21" widescreen and may go bigger after the computer is built

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

In process over the next few weeks

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

Would like RAID and SLI

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?

OEM lic. windows 7 ultimate x64




Well, I've purchased the following and have everything in hand but the mobo at this moment.

Case - Silverstone RV02
CPU - i7 920
PSU - HX1000W
MOBO - Asus Rampage II Extreme
CPU Cooler - V8
HDD - Samsung Spingpoint F3 - 1TB ea. (qty. 3)
RAM - Corsair TR3X6G1866C9DF (dominator 1866) 3 x 2gb


Haven't decided on the final video card(s) yet, or if I'll upgrade to another sound card. Also haven't moved on the optical drives yet.


Feel free to flame all you want, I'm openly new to this and here to learn so the reading will take place as time prevails. Does anyone see any flashing red lights with what I have already moved on, or with my current plans? Suggested route forward, things left out, or something to consider with my current direction?


Thanks in advance. Hope to spend some time on here over the remainder of this build process and thereafter as well.
 
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yeah you should wait for fermi and then make your decision, otherwise it looks good.
 
Shadowssong said:
yeah you should wait for fermi and then make your decision, otherwise it looks good.
Click to expand...

Thanks. That's the plan so far. I'll use my current GTS8800 for however long it takes to grab one of those if the reviews all turn out well for it.
 
With that budget, I think an SSD like the Intel 160 or any similar performance drive should be included. For optical drive, if you plan on watching blu-ray movies on the computer, maybe get a blu-ray combo drive, if you plan on burning blu-ray discs, get a blu-ray burner, otherwise, just go with a regular DVD burner from Samsung or something.

Everything looks good so far!
 
Asus Rampage II Extreme and Corsair Dominator too be honest are waste of good money.

With a budget as big as this, SSD is a must.

sound card? test the onboard first and see how you like it.

Nvidia cards should be benchmark by 26th from sources say.
 
I agree with shiro.

If you want 160GB of SSD space, get 2x 80GB X25-M's in RAID0 instead of a single 160GB X25-M, as you'll get better performance. You've got a nice budget, so definitely pickup at least one SSD, if not two.

If you can, return the Dominator and put the money saved towards the SSD if needed, or save it for the vidcard. Since you don't plan on pushing boundaries with OC'ing, you don't even need DDR3-1866. Go for some G.Skill DDR3-1600, or Corsair if you don't like G.Skill. It would be best to stick with 1.5v (JEDEC standard) sticks if you can, since the intel spec'd max is 1.65v, but if you get 1.65v sticks you'll still be fine, just dont go higher or you could damage the CPU.

As for the mobo, almost all X58 boards have RAID and SLI, since these are Intel's enthusiast level chipsets. I'd suggest the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R, mainly for the SATA600 and USB3.0. Otherwise, the regular P6T should fit your needs.

Everything else looks fine. When you get two new cards for SLI, don't forget a new 30" monitor to put them to work, or a 24" at the very least; otherwise, they'll sit there twiddling their thumbs. :p
 
lt_shiro said:
Asus Rampage II Extreme and Corsair Dominator too be honest are waste of good money.
Click to expand...

In terms of bang for the buck, or my end use? They are already sitting here waiting on the mobo, so it's likely I'll stick with them and exercise the phrase "live and learn" but I'll see what my return options are and if it's worth it to me.

I was considering a single crucial SSD as a boot drive, but actually decided against it when I got the 3 F3 HDD's. As the "budget" began to crawl up I started to rethink some things with the thought in mind that a video card was going to run me a large amount. It will most likely be a while before I put it in SLI. I just have a problem with the thought of buy once, not twice, and in the computer world it appears that's not such a great practice as quick as things change.
 
bdubb said:
... I just have a problem with the thought of buy once, not twice, and in the computer world it appears that's not such a great practice as quick as things change.
Click to expand...

thats a bingo! the realSSDs will have a huge price premium when they come out, so I'd stick with the Intel or Indilinx drives.
 
enginurd said:
As for the mobo, almost all X58 boards have RAID and SLI, since these are Intel's enthusiast level chipsets. I'd suggest the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R, mainly for the SATA600 and USB3.0. Otherwise, the regular P6T should fit your needs.
Click to expand...

This is a not the best question for those who have been around this for a while, but will I need anything else to run in RAID? Controller, etc. or is that all self contained in the mobo?
 
Which RAID level did you plan on running? For RAID0/1, the onboard controller is fine. For best results with other RAID levels, use a discrete hardware RAID controller (though, those do get pricey). For RAID5, you'll be using the CPU to do your parity calculations if you use the onboard RAID controller.
 
bdubb said:
I was considering 0 or 5 with the most likely choice being 5.
Click to expand...

If you really want RAID 5, you're gonna have to spend at least another $400 for a true hardware RAID controller: As enginurd noted, a true hardware RAID controller would be needed in your situation considering the following info:
- While most motherboards RAID chipsets do support RAID 5, they're only fakeRAID or hardware assisted software RAID. In other words, while the chipset creates and maintains the RAID array, the PC's CPU is used for all of the parity calculations. So you will see roughly 10% to 50% CPU usage at all times.

- Software RAID 5 or fakeRAID 5 has relatively low write speeds. We're talking 20MB/s to 30MB/s here.

- You're using a Windows OS, not Linux. With Linux, you can use MDADM to create and maintain the RAID 5 array. Linux RAID 5 tends to use less CPU and have faster speeds. However since gaming and the two tools you mentioned aren't supported in Linux, a Windows 7 OS is your best choice

So yeah, you would need a true-hardware RAID controller if you want to use RAID 5. little to zero CPU usage, faster speeds, and no impact on CPU horsepower for gaming.
 
I'm going to leave out the RAID for the time being and should start assembly this evening once the mobo arrives in the mail.

I'm going to use the arctic silver 5 thermal compound on the i7. Can anyone direct me to a link if there are suggestions for application? I read the instructions online concerning the single line across the middle of the processor with the triangle in the upper left orientation. Also did a search here, but didn't find anything (likely due to my keywords). I'll be using the V8 cooler and assume the only thermal compound I use on this is the 1 line on the cpu?

This will be my first time doing all of this, so I prefer asking questions now instead of asking what I damaged later.

Thanks
 
You are about to get 500 different answers to that question lol. Personally I just put a pea sizes dab in the middle and let the pressure of the heatsink distribute it.
 
MX-2 and MX-3 are also good alternatives that are non-conductive and need no cure time.
 
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