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Winter i7 mATX build!

I

Ironic.Sobriquet

n00b
Joined
Nov 20, 2010
Messages
13
EDIT: I forgot to mention, this is my first post here at [H]ard|Forum :D

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
I'm a photographer and web designer/admin, at any given time I can have 3 browers open with dreamweaver, photoshop and bridge open while listening to music... I also play RTS and RPG games, and I want to play them maxed out :)
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I have ~$2100 set aside for this build...
3) Where do you live?
West Chester, Pa
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
-Case (In-Win Dragon Slayer)
-PSU (+80 gold 850~1000watt)
-Optical Drives (atleast 1 bluray drive... I'd like to do dual slim-line drives in this fancy bracket I have laying around http://www.digistor.com/...Bezel)
-MoBo (Asus Rampage 3 GENE)
-Proc (i7 930)
-CPU cooler (I'm super lost here... I've been looking at the Gelid Silent Spirit then replacing the fan with a Triebwerk TK-122 med speed, but I'm not sure if it will dissipate enough heat...)
-Video Card (GeForce 580GTX :) I'm splurging here)
-Storage (I think I want to do a Crucial RealSSD C300 256gb SSD and then use my home network for media storage...I'm not sure if I can afford it though...)
-Capture Card (Black Magic Intensity Pro... for all my console games :D )

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
just my monitor, mouse and keyboard
6) Will you be overclocking?
I'd like to hit 4.0ghz, but I need to fit a decent cooler in first...
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
I'm currently using a Samsung Syncmaster 305t and I'd like to add a projector for movies and split screen console games :cool:
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
when classes let out! (about two weeks)
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.
if I RAID anything it'll be in RAID0 or 5, no firewire, no Cfire/SLI, USB3 is a mugo plus, SATA3 is a must...
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
no, I'm ordering Windows 7 Pro x64
___

now I've been planning this computer for about 2 years now, and it's definitely time to upgrade from my old FrankenVAIO...
my biggest problems are:
-Whether I should wait on new SATA3 SSDs and just go buy a HDD in the mean time.
-What CPU cooler will fit in that case (In-Win Dragon Slayer) and still give me /some/ (I don't need much) overclocking headroom... also taking into consideration I'm going to add a 22cm fan to the side... (this allows for ~13cm of clearance for a heatsink)
-how large of a PSU should I be looking at?
-does NZXT make decent PSUs? they have really well priced +80 Gold PSUs in the Wattage range I think I need


Thanks,
-Ian
 
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i7 930
Click to expand...

Opt for the i7 950. It recieved a recent pricedrop and is now the "sweet spot".

how large of a PSU should I be looking at?
Click to expand...
Depends. If you are running jsut 1 video card a 650 should be fine. Ir you want to run 2 video cards I'd look at an 850. Quality supplies of course. The number of watts painted on the box doesn't really mean it's a good PSU.
 
Maaaan, Microcenter just raised the price on their 930s... :mad:
oh well... snooze you loose I guess...
Though this does make the 950 a nice candidate... the extra OC headroom will be nice... I appreciate the notice canna :)

Perhaps I'll go for compromise with the PSU and look for 750W? since I am adding other cards to the computer, not just graphics...

Has anyone here had any experience with smaller mATX sized CPU coolers? I think this is my biggest problem at the moment... I could settle with a cooler that could handle overclocking to ~3.5ghz... but ideally I'd like to see 4.0ghz... :rolleyes: I also have no problem adding better fans and better TIM to the cooler, it just needs to stay under 13cm...

EDIT: anyone have any experiance with the Noctua NH-C12P (SE14)? looks like a bang up job
also has anyone heard anything about if you can even fit a single big a** fan on the side panel? (maybe a 220/240?) I don't see why you wouldn't be able to... if not though that would add a few cm to my height allowances for the CPU cooler...
 
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I highly recommend waiting until Intel's Sandy Bridge CPUs are available on January 5th. It's literally three weeks after you're planning to build such an expensive setup. Those Sandy Bridge CPUs will be faster clock for clock than Intel's current Core i7 lineup while being able to OC very high. In fact, it's been shown that a Sandy Bridge CPU can hit 5Ghz on AIR. If the price leak is true, you can get the i5 2500K for around $253. That's not that much more than the i7 950 from MC but you can get a significantly higher OC on top of the faster clock for clock speed.

So all in all, you're better off waiting until then for an expensive PC build.
 
+1 on waiting, a reasonable estimate is that you'll be able to get 30% more performance out of your computer for 5% more in price. Also, your MB and CPU won't be obsolete 2 weeks after you build it :D

I also live near West Chester, PA :)
 
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I actually live right near your local microcenter in villanova, I am sure they will lower the prices on the 930 again since no one would buy them at the current price which is more than the 950. If you have been waiting two years you could probably wait another month to see how microcenter prices the new sandy bridge processors, but who knows how much the intro pricing on the 1155 socket motherboards will be.

Whether you go 1366 or sandy bridge I am questioning the 256gb SSD. It just seems a little big for a desktop where all you need to throw on there is the OS, a few programs, and a few games. Seems like you could save a bunch of money and stick with 128gb and then get a 1tb hd for like 50 bucks or a 2tb hd for around 80. This way you could also store your media on your desktop then back it up to your network storage.

Sorry for the long winded post, also the 750W should be more than enough.
 
man, those are all good points, I'll definitly wait for sandy bridge... or the EX version thats due out in Q3 (LGA1356!)
but that still leaves me with my FrankenVAIO(4~5 years old) till then, and that's unacceptable... it's struggling to run CS4 let alone while running iTunes and a web browser...
I think I'll start a new thread on what I should build in the mean time... I'm thinking a ~$600 Mini-ITX build for the interim that when I move up to sandybridge, I could re-purpose to replace the NAS/Print (and add Media) functions of my current server while keeping my old xenon running my Apache/Web server...

Thoughts?
-Ian
ps: I'm starting a new thread for the miniITX build...
pps: + >9000 for South Eastern PA!
 
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