I need your opinions...

[Angelsadin]

I'm soon building a rig with expense of $2.5k-2.7k for Gaming and intermediate Video Editing.

Case:
Antec 1200- im guessing air cooling with a thermal elec. cooler for cpu and many powerful fans... Hurray Vacuum PC!! -_- im too scared of watercooling since im a beginner.

PSU:
SilverStone 1200W for later upgrades

Mobo:
Asus P5E64 Evolution

CPU:
Q9650

Memory:
G. Skill 4Gb DDR3 1600 maybe 8GB

Video:
Sapphire Radeon 4870 1GB

Any helpful opinions?

 

[Zecow]

with TEC, you have other issues to worry about: Condensation. You will still need a radiator for your TEC
Why would you need a 1200w? Thats an over kill.
4870x2 crossfire with quadcore and 2 HDD draws max load 650w @ 80% effeciency.
The rest looks ok.

 

[Angelsadin]

Can someone recommend a safe way of cooling then -_-?

 

[Zecow]

Air? lol
To be honest, if its done correctly and patiently.. they are all safe.
How far are you going to OC your CPU? If you're going to run stock settings, a Thermalright Extreme 120 can do a good job using a good TIM.

I had 2 rigs WCed already - never experienced any leaks. ok, during the leak test, yeah, but my pc was not on.. only the pump - leave it on for 12 hours. Once its secured... I'm off gaming on my new rig. Never even bothered with worrying about leaks. tubes are secure and are working well.

TEC.. you still need a radiator as it dispense alot of heat, so you will need something to cool it off - thats where the rad comes in plus with the temp differences, you get condensation. Again, there are methods to solve the issue, but i'm not experienced with TEC so I can't say.

 

[arson94]

It's not the watts you have to worry about when you crossfire two 4870X2's, it's the amperage. But I've yet to be able to find any documentation of how many amps a 4870X2 draws and I'd love to know.

I also don't have any experience with TEC coolers, but a good air cooler should do just fine. Get a TRUE 120, or my favorite, the OCZ Vendetta II. Xigmatek makes damn good air coolers too. Actually, the TRUE 120 and the OCZ Vendetta II, as well all other coolers of that design, are based off of Xigmatek's original design I believe. At least I'm pretty sure that's what I read before.

 

[resonance451]

1200w PSU? Holy hell, that's overkill.

 

[Angelsadin]

ok ill settle for a 750W then...

But i wanna Watercool but im so scared of that should i get someone that has done it a couple of times and set it up for me or just stick to the safe side let the cpu be manu. default speed and get a True 120?

 

[arson94]

A quality 750w PSU will give you room for upgrades later. You'll be able to crossfire two 4870's, or run one 4870X2 in the future. But I'm still trying to figure out if the 60A on a 750w PSU is enough to crossfire two 4870X2's.

Everyone has to start somewhere. If you have someone who'd help you setup a watercooling solution, then go for it. If you do not and you are not comfortable doing it yourself, just get a good air cooler.

 

[kg4icg]

HEck if you have that much money, I wait for the Nehalem cpus' to come out, The motherboards are already coming down the channel. Just be patient.

 

[Zecow]

Yup, everyone has to start somewhere. I started by doing research and had no help.. thats the hard way. You can join some communities which can offer great advice on how to setup a WC. The only thing is avoid cheap WC kits - you'd be better of with the TRUE 120. Buy the parts separate. New terminology might confuse you, but don't let that stop you.
Do a leak test and you'll be fine.

 

[Zecow]

HEck if you have that much money, I wait for the Nehalem cpus' to come out, The motherboards are already coming down the channel. Just be patient.

I disagree. With that much money, all you can get is a lowend Nehalem. Its not worth it to jump on the new architecture bandwagon. Next thing you know.. you've got a X58 buggy chipset. Look at the Q660.. the B3 vs G0. The Quad is more than enuff with the current usage. The OP isn't into multicore intensive apps - there's no point in investing in Nehalem at the moment.

 

[Angelsadin]

Yup, everyone has to start somewhere. I started by doing research and had no help.. thats the hard way. You can join some communities which can offer great advice on how to setup a WC. The only thing is avoid cheap WC kits - you'd be better of with the TRUE 120. Buy the parts separate. New terminology might confuse you, but don't let that stop you.
Do a leak test and you'll be fine.

Na im ok with the nomenclature i have been messing with PCs for quite a while now but since i just entered college and i paid off all my tuition anything that isnt used goes to my pocket that's how i can build this system and im just worried because this is my first time building the system on my own. I would like a Watercooling solution i just want the security that through the year i wont be computer less for a very long time, as for the price that is no problem really i was planning of investing 200 or so dollars on the kit.

 

[Zecow]

problem with kits are they are faulty and prone to leaks, unless you swap certain parts out. Some kits uses aluminium rads and copper blocks which creates corrosion.

If budget is an issue at the moment and if you are not confident, I really recommend going Air. It seems that you won't be OCing that that extreme so you should be fine on air alone.

 

[Angelsadin]

Sure thing ill probably watercool when i have enough income for a new rig just incase.

So back to Air cooling...

Thermaltake, Xigmatek, or what?

Oh and if the watercooling is out im getting the Asus 4870 x2 i checked and the PSU can even crossfire it.

 

[Zecow]

the top of the line aircooling should suffice.

Go with Xigmatek or Thermaltake TRUE 120, get the MX-2 TIM and you're set, also have a good airflow in your case and you should be fine.

cooling the 4870x2 with WC will be expensive as you will need a fullcover. Fullcover blocks are designed for that model/make only so if you change cards, you need a new block. PSU is still an over kill though

 

[Angelsadin]

the top of the line aircooling should suffice.

Go with Xigmatek or Thermaltake TRUE 120, get the MX-2 TIM and you're set, also have a good airflow in your case and you should be fine.

cooling the 4870x2 with WC will be expensive as you will need a fullcover. Fullcover blocks are designed for that model/make only so if you change cards, you need a new block. PSU is still an over kill though

I also checked the temperature that the card runs at by default they are normal. Yea ill leave the water cooling for later on.

Isnt Artic Silver 5 better then MX-2? MX-2 is silicon based which will oxidize copper faster and thats a no no... correct me if im wrong.

 

[Zecow]

As for the AS5 and MX-2, they are both of equal performance. Mainstream are going with MX-2, its easy to apply, non conductive. There is no 200hr. waiting period for the compound to gain peak performance. I'm using the MX-2 on the chipset heatsink, on my xbox, and GPU. Its actually a matter of choice. Maybe you'll gain a 1-2 degrees max difference after 200 hours... but the MX-2 works instantly.
Another alternative is to lapp your cpu.

PS Got your PM, am at work now.. will pm you back later.

 

[arson94]

Well lapping voids warranty. For Thermal Interface Material, try TIM Consultants T-C Grease 0098. According to a review by Anandtech I read a while back, T-C Grease 0098 and OCZ Freeze both performed better than anything else and neither have a cure time.

 

[Angelsadin]

lapping is cool but takes the warranty away.