Review My Hardware List Please

[chris663]

It's been ages since I've built a PC so I've fallen a little behind on all the tech. Any suggestions would be helpful.

I'm trying to build this PC so it's as future proof as possible, where I can do small hardware increments to keep up with new tech instead of replacing my whole system.

I don't plan on doing any OC myself so maybe the rampage II can get reduced to the P6T OC Palm.

Is my power supply powerful enough?

How will this MB handle RAID (why does it list 0,1 and 0,1,5,10 separate)? Is RAID handled via eSATA or is there another option here?

Intel Matrix Storage Technology Support RAID 0,1,5,10
Silicon Image Sil5723 controller:
2 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s port
Supports RAID 0, 1




Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition Quad-Core Socket LGA1366, 3.2Ghz, 6.4GT/s FSB, 8MB L3 Cache, 45nm (Retail Boxed) (BX80601965)

Asus Rampage II Extreme Socket 1366 Intel X58 + ICH10R Chipset CrossfieX / 3-Way SLI Dual-Channel Triple-Channel DDR3 1600oc/1333/1066Mhz 2x PCI-Express 2.0 x16 Dual GigaLAN SupremeFX X-Fi Audio 6x SATA 3.0Gb/s

Sapphire ATI RADEON HD 4870 X2 2048MB GDDR5 Dual Dual-Link DVI HD Audio Shader Model 4.1 (800 X2) stream processor PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card

Creative Sound Blaster X-FI TITANIUM Fatality Champion Series - Premium PCI Express Sound Card with X-Fi 3.5" Drive (Retail) (70SB088600007)

Western Digital RE3 (WD1002FBYS) 1TB SATAII 7200RPM 32M Buffer (OEM)

Western Digital Raptor X (WD1500AHFD) 150GB SATA 10,000 RPM 16MB Buffer (OEM)

Corsair HX Series 1000W

Mushkin HP3-10666 DDR3-1333MHz 4GB (2x2GB) HP Series Cas 7-7-7-20(1.7-1.8v) 240-Pin (996652)

Which will run me ~$3873.91


Also, anyone know any good Canadian parts retailers other than TigerDirect and Canada Computer?

Much Thanks

 

[antiacid]

try www.shopbot.ca to check on canadian prices.

About the raptor, I highly suggest the 300gig version instead of the 150gig version. For the 1tb drive, you can go for the "black" instead of the "re3". No noticeable differences for a home user.
For the ram, you want 3x1gig or 3x2gig, not 2x2gig. i7 scales really well with triple-channel ram.
For the soundblaster, I'd advise against the version with the front bay because it is mostly useless and costs like 80$ for an extra set of headphone plugs and a volume control.
The power supply is plenty fine
Concerning the CPU, I'd advise getting a 920 or a 940 instead, especially if you want to upgrade later. There's no point in going top of the line for a relatively short lived generation of socket, especially if you consider upgrading. The next die shrink comes in a year and it'll be YET another socket so you'll need to upgrade the motherboard as well at that point.

Hope it helped.

 

[Liderc]

The ram you've picked out won't work on your build, it's voltage is 1.7-1.8 and the MAX on I7/x58 is 1.65v.

 

[einstein4pres]

Without posting goals (gaming, processing, etc.) it is very hard to make an informed suggestion. Also, if gaming, what resolution.

And you can build 80-90% as powerful a machine at half or a quarter the cost.

Your power supply is overkill, and would be with a second 4870x2. 1000W is more energy output than many microwaves.

 

[megamanx00]

^ pffff. I got me a 1100W Microwave. It was on sale for the same price as the 1kW microwave and boy can that thing Microwave .

Anyway yeah the PSu is overkill if you aren't going to use two 4870X2s. Also, the i7 965 isn't worth the extra money if you aren't going to overclock it.

 

[aevm]

OK, but how do I install Crysis on my microwave? Insert the DVD and play it for 3 minutes on high?

1000W is what ATI recommends for HD 4870 X2 Crossfire, so maybe it's not a bad choice after all. It is way overkill of course if you only want one HD 4870 X2 and don't plan to add another one later. In that case a PC Power & Cooling 750W or Corsair 750TX would be just fine and cheaper.

Try www.ncix.com, www.memoryexpress.com, www.shoprbc.com (the last one in Ottawa only), www.newegg.ca (careful with this one, prices are higher than they look because they ship from the USA and you have to pay customs).

Totally agreed with Einstein4pres. For example you could switch to an i920 or i940 and you'll save a ton of cash without losing much. Even the i920 will be used at 100% only very rarely.

The Raptor you picked there is an older generation without PMR, I think. Get a Velociraptor instead.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I agree with some of the above comments. The Extreme Edition chip is useless, especially if you won' t be overclocking. You may want to study up on overclocking. I've personally seen i7 920's hit 4.2GHz.

Don't get the RE3 drive. I would recommend this one:

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 $150.99

The same goes for the Raptor X. That's an old drive that's not any faster than the current 640GB & 1TB drives. If you want a Raptor, get the VelociRaptor.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=VelociRaptor&x=0&y=0

I'd also pick up some RAM with less voltage. Like was pointed out already, you don't want to go over 1.65v.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010170147%2050008476%201052129233%201052345114&name=6GB%20(3%20x%202GB)

Give the onboard sound a try. You can always add a sound card later if the onboard isn't good enough. I think you'll find the new onboard sound chips actually sound really good.

 

[chris663]

Thanks for all the responses. I will be gaming (1920x1200) on this rig but not extensively. I mainly want a solid workstation that's not going to flinch with many hungry apps open.

So,

RE3 -> WD Caviar Black
RaptorX -> VelociRaptor
i7 965 -> i7 940
soundblaster -> nothing

Where can I find this 1.65V limit on the RAM? Is it found in the CPU or MB specs? 3x2GB overkill maybe, or no? How is GSkill RAM? Never heard of them.

If I went from the Rampage II to the Asus P6T will I notice much difference in the on-board sound? What's the difference between the P6T Deluxe and the P6T OC Palm?

What is the difference between the RE3 and the Caviar Black?

I'm thinking of getting a second Caviar Black and doing a RAID 1 configuration. Can this be done with this hardware? Can it be done internally?

Also, I plan on added another 4870X2 later on so I guess I'll stick with the 1000W. If I change my mind before purchasing I'll get the 750W.

Thanks again.

 

[chris663]

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8T-6GBHK - Retail

Features: Compatible with Intel Core i7 series CPU for Intel X58 Motherboard

I thought 1333 MHz was the max for i7 unless it was OC

 

[antiacid]

1333mhz is the rated retail number. I've seen it go to 1600-2000 depending on how retarded the voltages are raised