V351 Build

[Jaheed]

Hello, I am new to the forums, but looking through some threads, it looks like my plan will work.

Essentially I am building a setup that needs to be portable and durable, as it will be accompanying me aboard an Aircraft Carrier for an extended cruise. I decided on the Lian-Li v351 case (which is currently being shipped), and constructed my build from there (the rest has yet to be purchased, though I would like to order today). I will be purchasing from amazon to the max extent possible.

The big thing I am trying to ensure is that I can make all of this fit; and, if I wire smartly, have airflow/cooling not be an issue. Additionally, I am somewhat concerned about the durability of the LCS: while the computer wont be used as a football, it might take a few bumps while being transported in a padded case, is the LCS gonna be OK? If not are there any other coolers that will perform well and fit in this case? Finally I dropped down to a 750W power supply vice the 850 I had originally planned on. Is this a bad idea, or will the 750 be fine?

My components:

1 Corsair CMPSU-750HX 750-Watt HX Professional Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Core i7 and Core i5

1 Asus Rampage II GENE Core i7 / Intel X58/ DDR3/ CrossFireX & SLI/ A&2GbE/ MATX Motherboard

1 Intel Core i7 Processor i7-930 2.80GHz 8 MB LGA1366 CPU, Retail BX80601930

1 Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50 All in One High-performance CPU Cooler CWCH50-1

1 Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D Dominator 6 GB 3 x 2 GB PC3-12800 1600MHz 240-Pin DDR3 Core i7 Memory Kit

2 Sapphire Radeon Toxic HD 5850 1 GB DDR5 PCI-Express Dual DVI-I / HDMI / DP Graphics Card 100282TXSR

2 Western Digital 2 TB Caviar Green SATA Intellipower 64 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive WD20EARS

1 Intel 80 GB X25M Mainstream SATA II Solid State Drive (SSD) Retail Package SSDSA2MH080G2R5

1 Liteon 24X DVDrw Sata Retail



Total w/o Case ~ $2150

Any help is greatly appreciated, as are any thoughts or suggestions.

 

[bastage]

i would say that your spending too much on the Mobo & Ram for sure. Also why do you need 4tb of slow storage in it?

 

[Jaheed]

I am open to suggestions for mobo and ram; I have heard good things about the Rampage MOBOs, but I am infinitely willing to spend less. The ram was one of the few options I could find on Amazon that came with Prime shipping and had decent cas latencies. When I was building it out on Newegg I used sticks that ran about 170.

The storage isn't intentionally slow, just wanted something that could serve as a decent media server. Is there a better option for a similar price? My current setup runs a raid 5 array of Caviar blacks that I have been quite happy with; but the 2tb blacks cost a significant amount more than the greens. Perhaps a Seagate option?

 

[Hallis]

i would say that your spending too much on the Mobo & Ram for sure. Also why do you need 4tb of slow storage in it?

Probably because its inexpensive and easy on the power consumption.

I think everything looks good. But you could likely shop around on Newegg and MicroCenter.com and find some better deals on Motherboard/CPU/Ram/Vid Vards, Etc.

As far as shipping It all should be ok, what you might want to do, is to roll up some bubble wrap and stuff it in the gaps between the video cards and the case, and anything else that might get rattled. Only shipping problem i'd ever had with a PC was a video card popping out of the PCIe slot while still being bolted down to the backplane. Some nice rolled up bubblewrap wedged in there may have prevented it.

The Lian-Li case is top knotch. This one specifically isn't my favorite but ive owned 3 Lian-Li cases and they are great.

Shane

 

[setscrew]

What resolution monitor will you be driving?

 

[Jaheed]

1080p (x2, but mirroring only, no panorama or anything). I would like a bit of overhead though, I wont be able to really do much to the box in the way of upgrades for over a year.

 

[Jaheed]

What options do I have for a carrying case/bag for the v351?

What about for the accompanying monitor (an ASUS MS226H)?

Something with an appropriate amount of padding would be ideal, and perhaps room for a mouse and keyboard.

Also, does anyone have any suggestions for a small, thin, portable full sized keyboard (I don't mind losing the numpad, but I do like full sized keys and a good tactile feel).

 

[bastage]

figure out what features you will actually need from the mobo. Both that mobo & ram are very nice, but in most cases there not practical. Stick to a good name brand like Asus, MSI or Gigabyte still, but you shouldn't have to spend that much.

 

[Jaheed]

So, I just looked at a couple of different options in regards to mobo/processor/memory. I definately can save some money on ram either way.

Not many LGA 1366 options, so I tried dropping down to 1156.

The builds I tried out (i5 quad based) saved me between $80 and $160, but left me w/ 4 vs 6gb of ram, and a small hit to graphical performance.

I will think a bit more on it; but I am curious if the drop in computational power (computer used for 3d rendering and video work in addition to gaming) will prove worth it.

 

[bastage]

hmm..Well if I found the right parts on newegg for what you listed in the OP your looking at about 707 for the CPU, Mobo & Ram.. Try this

279 >> i7-860 >> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214
95 >> EVGA p55 mATX with dual x16 PCIe >> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188064
220 >> 4gb Corsair DDR3 1600 (get 2 of these sets) >> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260

Puts the total at about 600 with 8gb ram & just as fast of a CPU. the 1366 platform carries a big price premium so between that & the over priced ram you can save money & end up with more ram. The only downfall is no triple channel but thats not really worth 10 bucks much less 100.

Edit. I Forgot that EVGA doesnt offocially support CF so this instead. Adds another 30 bucks back into the cost, but still a savings of 70

 

[Machine-code]

i would say that your spending too much on the Mobo & Ram for sure. Also why do you need 4tb of slow storage in it?

Bah! $200 for a good quality full-featured mobo is not a huge expense. The Gene is a very good Asus board. There's a Gene III coming out with USB 3 and SATA 3 but the release date or price hasn't been announced.

However, if you are not committed to a 1366, a 1156 would be a cooler running solution. Things can get a bit toasty in this case with a high-end GPU and and a 1366 processor, especially if both are OC. Keeping my CPU cool has been a challenge especially given the restrictions on heatsink height in this case. The only high-end heatsink that fits without being shoehorned in or without major mod to the case is the Noctua C12.

As far as the case, IMO it's the best mATX case as far as quality, fit and finish etc, but it is far from perfect.

 

[Machine-code]

With 1156 you lose triple channel AND 2 x 16x PCIe slots if you later decide on Crossfire. In benchmarks and real world, it doesn't seem to matter much if at all. The 1156 processors are lower watt and the entire system should be a bit cheaper which is a real benefit. Depending on what you are doing, you may feel the loss of the extra 2GB of memory unless of course you get 2 dual channel sets.

Also, I have the Corsair XMS3 memory mentioned in bastage's post as do many people. It works fine for me and is significantly cheaper than the Dominators. I got a triple channel set for $139 AR but the dual channel set for $99 AR is good memory cheap.

One thing, a lot of the mobos are more expensive because they use better quality components, materials and manufacturing processes. This can improve overall stability and helps to avoid failures and problems. Obviously don't get features you don't need but don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish by trying to save a lot on the mobo. Like bastage said, stick with Asus, MSI or Gigabyte and get something mid-range or higher.

A nice small keyboard is the Microsoft Arc. No number pad and notebook style keys but they are full size. BTW, I think you could easily step down to the Corsair HX 650 PSU if you want to save a bit more, especially if you decide on the 1156.

 

[bastage]

BTW, I think you could easily step down to the Corsair HX 650 PSU if you want to save a bit more, especially if you decide on the 1156.

I agree, but if the cost is within 20 bucks (which I think it normally is) then I would get the bigger one just in-case future upgrades needed the extra juice.

Edit: also that gigabyte mobo I linked is the only 1156 mobo I can find in mATX that supports crossfire. I Think that is simply due to the 1156 being more mainstream most people wont be running high end graphics solutions & when they do most prefer the full ATX form factor.

 

[Machine-code]

The difference between the PSUs on Amazon and Newegg is $40 AR which makes the 750 40% more than the 650. The 650 is also a bit shorter which is handy for tucking cables in this small case. The 750 and 850 are longer and are a tight squeeze in this case. Even with Crossfire, RAID and a 1366, a high quality 650 watt PSU is more than enough. You can use a free power supply calculator to confirm: PSU calculator

There are 1156 mobo choices from Gigabyte and Asus like the Maximus III Gene and MSI like the MSI H57M-ED65 that both support Crossfire as well ASRock and some lower priced mobos.

 

[Jaheed]

I want to thank everyone for all their help on this subject. I am typing this from the new computer, which I may post photos of if I get the time prior to leaving town.