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[Minsc]

One last question before I put the order in for my new machine. I've noticed that people are referring to some of the i7 processors as high-end i7. I'm looking to put Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860 - Retail into my new machine....would it be better to use an Intel Core i5-750 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail over the i7? Is my i7 one of the lower end processors? This machine will hopefully last me the next 3 years and I want to be sure I'm putting the right pieces in there.

The 1156 line of CPUs has the i5 750, i7 860 and i7 870 at the high end. They're increasingly faster, and the i7s have hyper-threading, giving them 2-threads per core, while the i5 is just 1 thread per core.

Gaming-wise, there's not a huge difference, as Firestorm says, the i5 750 will serve just as well as the 860, especially if you overclock it a bit, but there's not much of an upgrade path for the 1156 line in general (so far there's basically is none), AMD's competing chips are more promising, as they'll see 6-core CPUs i believe. So whatever happens in the next three years, you're stuck with these CPUs, unless you get a whole new motherboard.

 

[Vallarfax]

The 1156 line of CPUs has the i5 750, i7 860 and i7 870 at the high end. They're increasingly faster, and the i7s have hyper-threading, giving them 2-threads per core, while the i5 is just 1 thread per core.

Gaming-wise, there's not a huge difference, as Firestorm says, the i5 750 will serve just as well as the 860, especially if you overclock it a bit, but there's not much of an upgrade path for the 1156 line in general (so far there's basically is none), AMD's competing chips are more promising, as they'll see 6-core CPUs i believe. So whatever happens in the next three years, you're stuck with these CPUs, unless you get a whole new motherboard.

So would you suggest going with an AMD processor even though they are slightly under-powered in comparison to the i5's and i7's?

 

[Wallach]

One last question before I put the order in for my new machine. I've noticed that people are referring to some of the i7 processors as high-end i7. I'm looking to put Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860 - Retail into my new machine....would it be better to use an Intel Core i5-750 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail over the i7? Is my i7 one of the lower end processors? This machine will hopefully last me the next 3 years and I want to be sure I'm putting the right pieces in there.

Three years is a long time, and quite frankly I do not see this socket lasting that long in terms of a viable upgrade that far down the line. Intel is moving quickly away from it for their 6-core CPUs.

If you are talking about buying hardware now and keeping it for that entire time period, then yes these are some of the best processors on the market right now for their price. I don't know as the price jump to the i7 will really be worth it even down the line, that's a call you'll have to make on your own. If you are primarily building this for gaming, I would probably go with the i5 and put the cash difference on a better aftermarket cooler - these chips OC very well, even on air.

Edit - Also, $200 for an i5 seems a bit high this time of year. If you have a Microcenter store near you somewhere, I know they are selling them for $150 - at that price it is easily the king right now.

 

[Minsc]

Three years is a long time, and quite frankly I do not see this socket lasting that long in terms of a viable upgrade that far down the line. Intel is moving quickly away from it for their 6-core CPUs.

If you are talking about buying hardware now and keeping it for that entire time period, then yes these are some of the best processors on the market right now for their price. I don't know as the price jump to the i7 will really be worth it even down the line, that's a call you'll have to make on your own. If you are primarily building this for gaming, I would probably go with the i5 and put the cash difference on a better aftermarket cooler - these chips OC very well, even on air.

Edit - Also, $200 for an i5 seems a bit high this time of year. If you have a Microcenter store near you somewhere, I know they are selling them for $150 - at that price it is easily the king right now.

Well to be fair, Intel is not really moving toward a 6-core CPU line (a $1,000 CPU for workstation hardware hardly counts), more like a 2-core one, with integrated GPU, no?

 

[Struct09]

I would probably go with the i5 and put the cash difference on a better aftermarket cooler - these chips OC very well, even on air.

What aftermarket coolers are good for i5's? I'll be getting one soon and plan on OC'ing it.

 

[Wallach]

Well to be fair, Intel is not really moving toward a 6-core CPU line (a $1,000 CPU for workstation hardware hardly counts), more like a 2-core one, with integrated GPU, no?

More accurate, yeah, though we will see the former much sooner than the latter in that socket. Then again, their roadmap along that line will depend a lot on acceptance of the hybrid; I think if it does tank initially for whatever reason, they will probably try and re-establish the higher core CPU line and pull back on the hybrid until it is developed further. Though that's all conjecture right now I suppose, I just have my reservations about its success right now.

 

[Wallach]

What aftermarket coolers are good for i5's? I'll be getting one soon and plan on OC'ing it.

Depends on your price range - on the air side of things, the Hyper 212 Plus (Cooler Master) is a very good HSF which will run you $40 or so. A bit annoying since you've got to pull up the mobo to get it seated properly, but it allows for a dual-fan config (so you can set another fan on the opposite side of the heat sink which basically sits against the CPU-aligned case fan on the back) and is really hard to beat for the price.

Edit - it's the "Plus" model that fits the i5 socket config, the standard is for the 775.

 

[Minsc]

So would you suggest going with an AMD processor even though they are slightly under-powered in comparison to the i5's and i7's?

Someone else would be better to answer that. All I know is right now, AMD has a brighter future if you care about upgrading, while Intel has the faster CPUs right now. Intel may announce something down the road to change the upgrading situation, but all the 1156 architecture is seeing in the future is a bunch of 2-core i3 and i5 CPUs, and the 1366 chipset is seeing $1,000 CPUs which isn't much better. I haven't read anything about 6 core CPUs being named for the 1156 chip set yet, but who knows.

 

[Feel the Swift]

AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2ghz
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W
GIGABYTE GN-WP01GS PCI Wireless Adapter
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black

$564.52 w/ shipping from newegg. Ordering it today.

Planning on getting a radeon 4850/4870. What do you guys think?

 

[Chairhome]

^^ Sounds good, I have a similar setup, at least I have the same processor and I'm using a 4870 512MB GPU. I love it, seems to do most everything I want, been playing Dragon Age with it (want an aftermarket cooler though, since the stock one is kinda loud). I have a 600W PSU though, I'm not sure if you'll need to bump up your PSU.

 

[Feel the Swift]

^^ Sounds good, I have a similar setup, at least I have the same processor and I'm using a 4870 512MB GPU. I love it, seems to do most everything I want, been playing Dragon Age with it (want an aftermarket cooler though, since the stock one is kinda loud). I have a 600W PSU though, I'm not sure if you'll need to bump up your PSU.

Well I used newegg's psu calculator and they suggested 455W. I don't think the fans will bug me that much to be honest. I use my laptop all the time in the kitchen where everything happens, so I pretty much block out any external sound. :lol

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

MSI 770-C45 AMD 770 AM3 DDR3 Support 8 channel Blu-ray Audio GB LAN ATX Motherboard
AMD Athlon II X3 435 2.9GHz Socket AM3 1.5MB L2 Cache Retail Box Processor
Corsair 4gb (2x2gb) Ddr3 1333mhz Xms3 Memory Kit Cl9 (9-9-9-24)
PowerColor HD 4850 PCS+ Edition 512MB GDDR4 Dual DVI HDTV Out PCI-E Graphics Card
Sony AD-5240S 24x DVD±RW DL Internal SATA Black Bare Drive - OEM
Coolermaster Elite 330 Case With Coolermaster eXtreme Power 460W PSU
Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB SATAII 7200RPM 16MB Cache - OEM Caviar Blue

If I buy these what else will I need to build a fully functioning PC, excluding OS, speakers, KB/M, monitor. Would I need for instance, additional fans?

Just ordered all of this, will be my first time building a PC by myself from scratch. Are these two guides (And the Mobo manual) enough to get me through it? And is there anything else I should be worried about when building?

 

[MoFuzz]

Just ordered all of this, will be my first time building a PC by myself from scratch. Are these two guides (And the Mobo manual) enough to get me through it? And is there anything else I should be worried about when building?

Those guides are a great reference. If you run into any snags, just ask here or any other PC forum for help. As long as you don't have mad sweaty palms, you should be fine. Just treat it like any other piece of electronics, keep it away from extreme temperatures, moisture, etc.

The only thing you'll have to exert force on is probably gonna be the CPU once you've got the heatsink/fan on it, everything else should slide in nice and easy (That's what she said.) Other than that, take your time and have fun with it.

Huzzah, a PC modder/tweaker is born!

Dunno if you saw my last reply, but did you decide to go with any additional fans?

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

Those guides are a great reference. If you run into any snags, just ask here or any other PC forum for help. As long as you don't have mad sweaty palms, you should be fine. Just treat it like any other piece of electronics, keep it away from extreme temperatures, moisture, etc.

The only thing you'll have to exert force on is probably gonna be the CPU once you've got the heatsink/fan on it, everything else should slide in nice and easy. (that's what she said Other than that, take your time and have fun with it.

Huzzah, a PC modder/tweaker is born!

Dunno if you saw my last reply, but did you decide to go with any additional fans?

No, I doubt my brother will have any desire to overclock. Thanks for the advice anyhow.

EDIT: One more thing, probably a stupid question, but is it better to build on a wooden floor/table or carpet?

 

[brain_stew]

No, I doubt my brother will have any desire to overclock. Thanks for the advice anyhow.

EDIT: One more thing, probably a stupid question, but is it better to build on a wooden floor/table or carpet?

Carpet = static electricity, so that's a big no-no.

I'd recommend building it at a bench with a atask light and lay the motherboard on top of the anti static bag as you piece it together.

Set aside a full evening and have a laptop beside you if you can, and just take your time.

 

[Dash]

Max, Llyranor


$1000 Build (Updated November 12th, 2009)
Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower ATX Case - $53.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=29812

Antec Earthwatts 650W Power Supply - $59.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=30037&promoid=1217

Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R Motherboard - $138.99 - $15 = $123.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=42281&promoid=1217

G.SKILL 4GB 2x2 PC3-10666 RAM - After Price Match it's $90.95
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=42742
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15380BD0279

Intel i5-750 2.66GHz Processor - after Price Match it's $219.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=42499&vpn=BX80605I5750&manufacture=Intel&promoid=1217
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

PC Assembly and Testing with 1 Year Limited NCIX System Warranty - $41.09
Scroll down and add Assembly Option on the i7 750 deal as a bundle.

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB - $68.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34286&promoid=1217

Liteon IHAS124 24X DVD Writer SATA Black OEM - after Price Match it's $25.48
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=45244&vpn=IHAS124-04
http://www.bedirect.ca/english/index.php?NoCategory=112413&SProdNb=0146-0041

Sapphire Radeon 5850 - After Price Match it's $299.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=45298
http://www.infonec.com/site/main.php?module=detail&id=449815
You can also add this option instead if you want to take the first 5850 card available to you without any brand preference: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=45221

Downgrade to DirectX 10 card if you do not want to wait for shipment of video card or would like a cheaper option:
XFX Radeon HD 4890 - after Price Match it's $211.99
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=42996
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150438

Total
$999.46 - $15 MIR = 984.46 with Radeon 5850
$911.46 - $15 = 896.46 with Radeon 4890

Additionals:
Windows 7 Home Premium: - $99.99 and gives free shipping to entire computer if put in order with motherboard + RAM + HDD + CPU + Case + PSU
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=45271&promoid=1217

Optional Side Fan: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27129

Excellent budget build, but you should really mention the OCing issues with non-EVGA 1156 motherboards.

 

[Heidalloon]

$1500? goddam. are you looking for an AMD or Intel build?

Intel

I've listened to your guys' suggestions and so far I have:

Intel Core i7 920 Quad Core Processor LGA1366 2.66GHZ Bloomfield 8MB LGA1366 4.8GT/S = $307.47

Diamond Radeon HD 5870 850MHZ 1GB GDDR5 4.8GHZ 2XDVI HDMI Display Port DIRECTX11 PCI-E Video Card = $387.45

Corsair XMS3 Dominator TR3X6G1600C8D 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1600 CL 8-8-8-24 Core i7 Memory Kit = $275.96

Total: $970.88.

Obviously I still have quite a bit more to buy, but I'm wondering what you guys would suggest as far as cases, motherboards, hard drives, monitors, and fans go while still keeping my budget close to $1500.

 

[kmfdmpig]

Excellent budget build, but you should really mention the OCing issues with non-EVGA 1156 motherboards.

Reading the summary on the page below , I get the sense that the "issues" have been vastly overstated for most users that aren't looking to do 4.5 GHz + with major voltage bumps. The author, who looked for evidence of the problem found the following:

"Right now the general consensus in the overclocking community is that it’s a non-issue for non-extreme overclocks. If it is still a concern to you (which at this point it shouldn’t be), one can purchase a motherboard with a Lotes socket as the frequency of the problem, at least at the time of publication, was significantly less (once as far as I can tell). It has also been rumored that Intel may be revising the socket. This has yet to be confirmed by Intel at this time and is only a rumor. If you would like to circumvent this seemingly rare issue altogether, you can go with the proven Socket 1366 at this time. Remember, there have only been a few documented problems with this and so far only at extreme voltages and clock speeds."

http://www.overclockers.com/socket-1156-i5i7-burning-issues/

 

[brain_stew]

Reading the summary on the page below , I get the sense that the "issues" have been vastly overstated for most users that aren't looking to do 4.5 GHz + with major voltage bumps. The author, who looked for evidence of the problem found the following:

"Right now the general consensus in the overclocking community is that it’s a non-issue for non-extreme overclocks. If it is still a concern to you (which at this point it shouldn’t be), one can purchase a motherboard with a Lotes socket as the frequency of the problem, at least at the time of publication, was significantly less (once as far as I can tell). It has also been rumored that Intel may be revising the socket. This has yet to be confirmed by Intel at this time and is only a rumor. If you would like to circumvent this seemingly rare issue altogether, you can go with the proven Socket 1366 at this time. Remember, there have only been a few documented problems with this and so far only at extreme voltages and clock speeds."

http://www.overclockers.com/socket-1156-i5i7-burning-issues/

The point is that overclocking speeds up the ageing process, so it could be an indication that a couple years down the line even stock/mildly overcloked chips end up the same. There is an inerrant fault, that much is fact, as such I couldn't recommend it to anyone planning on any sort of OCing, just to risky for my likings. Fwiw, the issue has arisen on more sane clocks, though its much less widespread, however whos to say if the same can be said once those chips have been used for a year or more.

 

[SundaySounds]

Intel

I've listened to your guys' suggestions and so far I have:

Intel Core i7 920 Quad Core Processor LGA1366 2.66GHZ Bloomfield 8MB LGA1366 4.8GT/S = $307.47

Diamond Radeon HD 5870 850MHZ 1GB GDDR5 4.8GHZ 2XDVI HDMI Display Port DIRECTX11 PCI-E Video Card = $387.45

Corsair XMS3 Dominator TR3X6G1600C8D 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1600 CL 8-8-8-24 Core i7 Memory Kit = $275.96

Total: $970.88.

Obviously I still have quite a bit more to buy, but I'm wondering what you guys would suggest as far as cases, motherboards, hard drives, monitors, and fans go while still keeping my budget close to $1500.

Are you going to get a triple channel DDR3 MoBo?

 

[Heidalloon]

Are you going to get a triple channel DDR3 MoBo?

Yes

 

[kmfdmpig]

Intel

I've listened to your guys' suggestions and so far I have:

Intel Core i7 920 Quad Core Processor LGA1366 2.66GHZ Bloomfield 8MB LGA1366 4.8GT/S = $307.47

Diamond Radeon HD 5870 850MHZ 1GB GDDR5 4.8GHZ 2XDVI HDMI Display Port DIRECTX11 PCI-E Video Card = $387.45

Corsair XMS3 Dominator TR3X6G1600C8D 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1600 CL 8-8-8-24 Core i7 Memory Kit = $275.96

Total: $970.88.

Obviously I still have quite a bit more to buy, but I'm wondering what you guys would suggest as far as cases, motherboards, hard drives, monitors, and fans go while still keeping my budget close to $1500.

I'm fond of this case, but there are lots of good ones out there.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146062&Tpk=tempest evo

Hard drives - I'd recommend a small SSD for your boot drive (if you care about non gaming at all) + apps. You can get a 60GB for fairly cheap now.

 

[senahorse]

Completed a semi-upgrade of my main PC today with the following:

MSI GD80 Motherboard (not been a fan of MSI in the past but this board is top quality and apparently a good lil overclocker to boot).
i5-750
4GB ADATA 2000X DDR3 (couldn't decide on memory so bought some 'relatively' cheap stuff that will overclock well, will see how it goes).

Semi-upgrade as I am re-using the following:

4870X2 (really no need to upgrade this beast yet)
x-fi fatal1ty pro (will probabaly upgrade this to an Asus Xonar in the coming weeks when I build my htpc)
Corsair HX-620
Pioneer BD/CDRW combo
Antec P180 case
WD 640GB OS/Steam drive (I was considering going to one of those nifty Intel SSD's but just couldn't justify it for the current price).
WD 500GB download drive (I have a 2TB NAS so no need for much storage)

I plan to run this at stock for a few weeks to let the electronics bed down (probably over cautious but I like to play it safe), at which point I will upgrade the hsf and apply some good ol as5.


Now to finish with the driver/update game.

edit: pic of the mb

 

[Dash]

Completed a semi-upgrade of my main PC today with the following:

MSI GD80 Motherboard (not been a fan of MSI in the past but this board is top quality and apparently a good lil overclocker to boot).
i5-750
4GB ADATA 2000X DDR3 (couldn't decide on memory so bought some 'relatively' cheap stuff that will overclock well, will see how it goes).

Semi-upgrade as I am re-using the following:

4870X2 (really no need to upgrade this beast yet)
x-fi fatal1ty pro (will probabaly upgrade this to an Asus Xonar in the coming weeks when I build my htpc)
Corsair HX-620
Pioneer BD/CDRW combo
Antec P180 case
WD 640GB OS/Steam drive (I was considering going to one of those nifty Intel SSD's but just couldn't justify it for the current price).
WD 500GB download drive (I have a 2TB NAS so no need for much storage)

I plan to run this at stock for a few weeks to let the electronics bed down (probably over cautious but I like to play it safe), at which point I will upgrade the hsf and apply some good ol as5.


Now to finish with the driver/update game.

edit: pic of the mb

Based on the pic on newegg, that board has a foxconn socket, so I'd avoid it, especially since it's fairly expensive.

 

[senahorse]

Based on the pic on newegg, that board has a foxconn socket, so I'd avoid it, especially since it's fairly expensive.

I have already bought it . I did know about the whole foxconn issue before I did and from all results of people using this board there haven't been any issues with sane overclocks (up to 4.3Ghz)

Spoiler

now I bet someone here finds one just to prove me wrong lol

.

Anyway, here's the old windows experience index (couldn't be bothered with proper benching).

All as I expected, I would have thought the X2 would have rated higher but I think it only tests 1 GPU.

 

[chuckddd]

I'm fond of this case, but there are lots of good ones out there.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146062&Tpk=tempest evo

Hard drives - I'd recommend a small SSD for your boot drive (if you care about non gaming at all) + apps. You can get a 60GB for fairly cheap now.

I just got this case. The cable management can't be beat. You have to plan your install a little since the cpu socket will be up high near the top of the case (200mm fan), but otherwise, I love it. If you live near a best buy, they have it for the same price as newegg, so no shipping but with tax.

I'd recommend a nice high dpi mouse, perhaps a razer. Personally, I'm still waiting for ssd's to drop in price some more. I went with a WD caviar black for my boot drive. The 7200 rpm, 32 mb cache and dual processors make it pretty quick. It's also half the price of a cheap ssd, with 20 times the capacity.

I'd probably go with some variation of the above and then blow the rest of the budget on a nice hd monitor, preferably 24"+.

 

[chuckddd]

All as I expected, I would have thought the X2 would have rated higher but I think it only tests 1 GPU.

Gotta be. I have a single 5770 and get 7.4.

 

[Firestorm]

I'd love a guide to overclocking the Q9550 for an utter beginner. On the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P. I'm going to format this weekend hopefully. Upgrade to Windows 7 + OSX 10.6.2 + Overclock the CPU and I should be set.

 

[Wag]

I have already bought it . I did know about the whole foxconn issue before I did and from all results of people using this board there haven't been any issues with sane overclocks (up to 4.3Ghz)

Spoiler

now I bet someone here finds one just to prove me wrong lol

.

Anyway, here's the old windows experience index (couldn't be bothered with proper benching).

All as I expected, I would have thought the X2 would have rated higher but I think it only tests 1 GPU.

Yeah, you're right, my GTX 290 only scores a 6.7 and it's overclocked too. Also, I have a Q9550 based setup and my speed is fairly equivalent to yours. O/C that sucker! I'm at 2.83GHZ and score a 7.4, and only have DDR2-8500 and score a 7.4. You have plenty of headroom in there. You should get a much higher score at least as far as the CPU and the RAM is concerned.


BTW- I officially hate MSI. Fucking warranty policy sucks. They don't go by when you bought it, but when it was manufactured, so a product could have been sitting around for months and by the time it fails in your setup the warranty expires. They suck.

 

[chuckddd]

I'd love a guide to overclocking the Q9550 for an utter beginner. On the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P. I'm going to format this weekend hopefully. Upgrade to Windows 7 + OSX 10.6.2 + Overclock the CPU and I should be set.

How's this?

 

[senahorse]

Yeah, you're right, my GTX 290 only scores a 6.7 and it's overclocked too. Also, I have a Q9550 based setup and my speed is fairly equivalent to yours. O/C that sucker! I'm at 2.83GHZ and score a 7.4, and only have DDR2-8500 and score a 7.4. You have plenty of headroom in there. You should get a much higher score at least as far as the CPU and the RAM is concerned.


BTW- I officially hate MSI. Fucking warranty policy sucks. They don't go by when you bought it, but when it was manufactured, so a product could have been sitting around for months and by the time it fails in your setup the warranty expires. They suck.

I am just running it at stock for a couple of weeks (I always do this with new rigs), after that I will get a good aftermarket hsf and wind it up and will post back.

Agreed on MSI, I have not been a fan for some time, had a problem once before with a mb and had to jump through hoops to sort it out. Though I thought I would give them another try, all the components appear to be top quality (all japanese electronics, nice big copper heatpipe, great layout etc) apart from maybe (time will tell) the foxconn socket, so fingers crossed.

 

[Dash]

All as I expected, I would have thought the X2 would have rated higher but I think it only tests 1 GPU.

Yes, it must be, as my 8800GT is rated a 6.8 o_o. I`m also surprised the i5 only rates a 7.3 :l

 

[senahorse]

Could also be the drivers adding it, I have 9.11 installed which may actually have an impact on performance?

Either way it's not a great test, my games run great and that's all that matters to me

 

[Firestorm]

I like to recommend this case for people who have the money: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.298875

How's this?

Looks useful, thanks. I don't plan to overclock my RAM (DDR2-6400) and only think I'm going to go to 3.4GHz (8.5x400) on my OCZ Gladiator. The extra speed boost is mostly for PCSX2 and Dolphin use.

 

[Dash]

I like to recommend this case for people who have the money: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.298875

Looks useful, thanks. I don't plan to overclock my RAM (DDR2-6400) and only think I'm going to go to 3.4GHz (8.5x400) on my OCZ Gladiator. The extra speed boost is mostly for PCSX2 and Dolphin use.

850 watts seems a bit too much for the average user, no?

 

[Firestorm]

Edit: Disregard this post. I forgot motherboard.

Intel

I've listened to your guys' suggestions and so far I have:

Intel Core i7 920 Quad Core Processor LGA1366 2.66GHZ Bloomfield 8MB LGA1366 4.8GT/S = $307.47

Diamond Radeon HD 5870 850MHZ 1GB GDDR5 4.8GHZ 2XDVI HDMI Display Port DIRECTX11 PCI-E Video Card = $387.45

Corsair XMS3 Dominator TR3X6G1600C8D 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1600 CL 8-8-8-24 Core i7 Memory Kit = $275.96

Total: $970.88.

Obviously I still have quite a bit more to buy, but I'm wondering what you guys would suggest as far as cases, motherboards, hard drives, monitors, and fans go while still keeping my budget close to $1500.

You should not be paying $275 for RAM.

PC Assembly and Testing with 1 Year Limited NCIX System Warranty (PRE-CONFIG WIN. OS If Purchased)
NCIX Cpx Bundle Deal Antec CP-850 Power Supply & Antec P193 Premium Computer Case -UNASSEMBLED
Intel Core i7 920 D0 Stepping Quad Core Processor LGA1366 2.66GHZ Bloomfield 8MB LGA1366 -SLBEJ- OEM
Noctua NH-U12P SE2 LGA775/1156/1366 AM2/AM3 I7/I5/PHENOM Heatpipe Cooler W/ 2XNH-P12 120MM Fans
Diamond Radeon HD 5870 850MHZ 1GB GDDR5 4.8GHZ 2XDVI HDMI Display Port DIRECTX11 PCI-E Video Card
G.SKILL F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1600 CL 9-9-9-24 Triple Channel Memory Kit
Western Digital WD1001FALS Caviar Black 1TB SATA2 7200RPM 4.2MS 32MB 3.5IN Dual Proc Hard Drive OEM
LG GH22NS50 Black 22X SATA DVD Writer OEM

Total: $1420.51 + tax

850 watts seems a bit too much for the average user, no?

Heh, yeah. It's just a bundle because Antec makes the PSUs specially for that case. Very highly rated for silence + performance by SilentPC Review. Could be swapped out for any ATX PSU by Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, etc.

 

[Deus Ex Machina]

AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2ghz
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W
GIGABYTE GN-WP01GS PCI Wireless Adapter
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black

$564.52 w/ shipping from newegg. Ordering it today.

Planning on getting a radeon 4850/4870. What do you guys think?

^^ Sounds good, I have a similar setup, at least I have the same processor and I'm using a 4870 512MB GPU. I love it, seems to do most everything I want, been playing Dragon Age with it (want an aftermarket cooler though, since the stock one is kinda loud). I have a 600W PSU though, I'm not sure if you'll need to bump up your PSU.

Close to what I have as well.

CPU
Phenom 955 3.8GHz

Motherboard
MSI 790FX-GD70

Video Card
Diamond 4890 XOC

Memory
OCZ 8GB DDR3-1600

HDD
VelociRaptor 300GB

PSU
In Win Commander 750W

Case
Solano 1000

Cooling
Corsair Hydro H50 Liquid cooling

 

[Firestorm]

For NCIX wait for their sale at 6 PST

 

[Heidalloon]

For NCIX wait for their sale at 6 PST

Thank you very much for the help. I'll do that. Do you have any recommendations for a motherboard? It's fine if the total cost goes to around $1600. Also, besides the heatsink and those 2 fans, do you think I'll need any other coolers?

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

I don't have any thermal paste, is that a problem?

 

[Lostconfused]

I am looking at this monitor right now.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4942567&CatId=4420
But this seems to be a really touchy topic atm. Mainly I use 1 monitor for everything, PC/360/PS3. So anyone have some recommendations or suggestions? The price range is $200 i guess.

 

[Firestorm]

Thank you very much for the help. I'll do that. Do you have any recommendations for a motherboard? It's fine if the total cost goes to around $1600. Also, besides the heatsink and those 2 fans, do you think I'll need any other coolers?

You could get this one: http://www.ncixus.com/products/35760/GA-EX58-UD3R/Gigabyte/

I'd probably get a cheaper case + PSU than the one I first linked to. Also, when adding the fan, remember to add it on the checkout screen after adding the i7 920 to your cart. It's a bundle deal ($69.99 instead of $108.99). The problem with NCIXUS is that it seems more pricey than Newegg and they don't price match like the Canadian site =(

 

[Rufus]

I don't have any thermal paste, is that a problem?

Uh, yes? Unless you bought a boxed CPU, the included fan will have a small pad of whateverit'scalled glued to the bottom that acts as the conducive material.
edit: I've taken a closer look at what you bought and yes, your CPU should come with a fan. No need to buy any additional thermal paste. Don't forget to pull off the plastic sheet and don't touch the pad before you install the cooler, the pad's pretty sticky. But that should all be detailed in the instructions anyway, so don't worry.

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

Uh, yes? Unless you bought a boxed CPU, the included fan will have a small pad of whateverit'scalled glued to the bottom that acts as the conducive material.
edit: I've taken a closer look at what you bought and yes, your CPU should come with a fan. No need to buy any additional thermal paste. Don't forget to pull off the plastic sheet and don't touch the pad before you install the cooler, the pad's pretty sticky. But that should all be detailed in the instructions anyway, so don't worry.

Yea, it had thermal paste on the bottom already . I've come across another problem though. I have no idea how to fit in the graphics card, it seems the 'long bit' is on the left and not the right. Then if I turn it upside down it won't fit.

 

[SundaySounds]

Yea, it had thermal paste on the bottom already . I've come across another problem though. I have no idea how to fit in the graphics card, it seems the 'long bit' is on the left and not the right. Then if I turn it upside down it won't fit.

Turn what upside down? I don't understand... Are you talking about the connector that plugs into the MoBo? If the long part of the connector is on the front, I think that means that your card needs and AGP slot. What card do you have?

_________________ __ <------ AGP

__ _________________ <------ PCIex16

Is this what you're talking about?

 

[Rufus]

Turn what upside down? I don't understand... Are you talking about the connector that plugs into the MoBo? If the long part of the connector is on the front, I think that means that your card needs and AGP slot. What card do you have?

_________________ __ <------ AGP

__ _________________ <------ PCIex16

Is this what you're talking about?

His build:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=18904175&postcount=12412

I'm not sure what the problem is either. There's only one way to install the graphics card, so...

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

Turn what upside down? I don't understand... Are you talking about the connector that plugs into the MoBo? If the long part of the connector is on the front, I think that means that your card needs and AGP slot. What card do you have?

_________________ __ <------ AGP

__ _________________ <------ PCIex16

Is this what you're talking about?

My mobo is __ _________________. And my graphics card is the opposite when it is with the fan up and facing the mobo. But apparentley its a PCI-E card .

EDIT: To above, I had to change the graphics card to this because the other was out of stock. I'll try to take pictures in a sec.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

The GPU fan should be pointing down, towards the bottom of the case....

 

[SundaySounds]

My mobo is __ _________________. And my graphics card is the opposite when it is with the fan up and facing the mobo. But apparentley its a PCI-E card .

EDIT: To above, I had to change the graphics card to this because the other was out of stock. I'll try to take pictures in a sec.

yeah, if your graphics card has the little bit on the other end then you have an AGP card, which is pretty old... So you're gonna have to go ahead and return it for a PCIe card.

Um, that's because you've got it upside down. The fan should be facing down.

How can you install a video card upside down? The display ports go out the back, there's only one conceivable way to install it.... I am confus.

 

[brain_stew]

My mobo is __ _________________. And my graphics card is the opposite when it is with the fan up and facing the mobo. But apparentley its a PCI-E card .

EDIT: To above, I had to change the graphics card to this because the other was out of stock. I'll try to take pictures in a sec.

Um, that's because you've got it upside down. The fan should be facing down.