My new build... PLEASE CRITIQUE

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insidious1

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Hey everyone... i already ordered this build and it is on its way... I have 30 days to send it back in to upgrade is necessary. I have built a rig in the past and all went great! I didnt have the time to do TONS of research and order and build one myself, so i went ordered a "custom built" desktop and am wondering if there is anything else i need/should add. Last i built was 4 years ago and MUCH has changed since then! I am especially wondering about compatibility or tech issues regarding any of the components...

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH in advance everyone!

CPU: Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz (liquid cooled)
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA-II 3.0 g/s @7200 RPM
Motherboard: Asus P6T X58 Chipset ATI/CrossfireX Motherboard (Triple channel DDR3@1600)
Memory: 12 gig corsair DDR3 @1600MHz
OS: Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit
Video Card: ATI Radeon 4870 PCI-E 512MB DDR5

Thats the main stuff.... The case will be cooled with the 2 case fans along with two additional fans. The HDD has a Hard Drive cooling system on it aswell... I really wanna make sure it doesnt overheat while gaming.. I opted to run the sigle graphics card for the moment but MAY run it in crossfire down the road. I am not looking to have the most FPS known to man... just want to be able to play most any game seamlessly on high settings.

The computer will also be my main computer for "day to day" type stuff.. (i.e. data/word processing, internet, etc etc). And thats about it... I GREATLY appreciate ANY and all feedback. Just dont flame me... that gets old... constructive criticism will do... LOL
 
joefriday

joefriday

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Liquid cooled is a little over the top if the CPU will stay at stock clocks, and is a potential reliability factor. However, it's there if you need it when you clock it up. 12GB of ram is a lot. I say if you have the $$$ and want it, buy it.
 
mildiner86

mildiner86

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If i were you...

1. i would go from the i7 940 to the 920 as the 920 can OC to 3.4-3.8 Ghz n e ways and say u a few hundred £

2. 12 GB is more than u need atm save the money and get 3 X 2GB DDR3 when u need another 6GB the ram will be much cheaper. infact i think 6 modules of ram runs slower than 3

3.u have great ram and cpu, why not used the money above saved to upgrade to a 4870 x 2 2GB

4. my preference if for 2 sperate hard drives usful for seperating data from OS not just like a partition but physically so if u need to swap files or upgrade u have ur data. and 2 hard drives are usful when one goes worng:)

my bro has this rig: £1300
i7 920 OC 3.6Ghz
6GB 1066 ram
4870 X 2

gets a score of 23k on 3d mark my q6600 system gets 15k that gives u summit to compare to
 
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insidious1

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Thank you VERY much for the insight everyone! I happen to come into a little bit of money and had it set aside specifically for a desktop.... I went with 12 gig so that i didnt have to get more later (though i could, running 64 bit). It is likely way more than i'll ever need... but i've had issues bottlenecking with ram in the past and figured "why the hell not!" lol!

Hindsight is 20/20 on the CPU... i shoulda spent an extra $150-200 on the CPU... The liquid cooling unit for the CPU is the Asetek Liquid CPU cooling unit... its fully factory sealed so there is no issue with filling/refilling the coolant or any possible spills or damage. Down the road, it will likely b something i will wanna keep my eye on, but is guaranteed to run for 50,000 hours (roughly 5 years)...

The one area i am MOST in the dark about is the harddrives... I have always just had one hard drive and didn the same in this build. I have heard pros and cons about setting RAID... If there is anyone with a "no brainer" approach to why multiple hard drives are better/faster.. i'm ALL EARS! lol i'm sure there are tons of articles written on the subject, just havent really researched it as much as i should have...

I've have read pros and cons of running soo many modules of ram... the ram is configured in 6, 2gig sticks... That should should provide me with the optimum settings when trying to run 12 gigs (as far as i know) lol!

And thats about it... thanks again everyone! ANYONE ELSE have any thoughts....?

(P.S... it'll be my first time running Vista... how the hell is Vista Ultimate 64bit...?)
 
mildiner86

mildiner86

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vista 64 bit is awsome :)

as for the ram u know u could buy the other 6gb later and it will be cheaper as well:) DDR 2 4gb is like £30 now lol and while the money sits in the bank u saved it earns interest :)
just a thought

well ur system will be very powerful. but the graphics card isnt in line with what u have chosen u have almost the best in each field other than the GPU

and u can set up raid 0 with two identical hard drives and in theroy this doubles thier speed like dual channel ram though if one dies u loose all r data.

putting in 2 hard drives non raided is simple. u just plug them in and when u load vista it will say which hard drive do u wana load to...

 
mamw93

mamw93

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12GB is WAY to much.. send back 6GB because no matter what you won't use more than 6GB for a long time and you may be able to find the RAM again later cheaper. Also Make sure your HDD is Western Digital... they're just better for some reason. With the money you saved from sending back 6GB of RAM get a 4870 x2 and have an AWESOME rig!!!! You'll see no difference what so ever between 6GB and 12GB of RAM.

Alex.
 
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insidious1

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Hmm... VERY interesting!!! I am reading about these SSD drives for boot and apps... It sounds AWESOME... but the problem is that i would have NO IDEA what to do aside from just plugging it in... LOL

I have the money to get one.... and it would be VERY nice to have! I may be able to get that other 4870 too....

(P.S. i'll be keeping the 12 gig... i just love having it) lol
 
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insidious1

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I assume you're joking about caring for the environment! If my computer single-handedly ruins the environment.... then we're all in a world of trouble! LOL

But good information to know.... didnt realize it was quite the power hog... i have an 800 watt quad SLI ready power supply... so i think that should be MORE than sufficient in keeping it powered...

Good luck on our build! Let me know how it goes

 
QuatuorMortis

QuatuorMortis

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LOL. Yeah it's okay, you won't ruin the environment all by yourself. I just figured it would be helpful to keep in mind how much power the CPU actually uses.

I never knew it cost me that much in electricity to power my computer.

One final advice: be sure to get a quiet fan for your power supply. You won't notice the noise while playing games with the sound up high, but when surfing the net, a noisy fan is hell.
 
mildiner86

mildiner86

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btw when we say 4870 x 2 we dont mean get two seperate 4870's and crossfire

get the single 4870x2 which has 2 cores on one board and 2 GB memory its one single card. its the best one AIT has
 
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insidious1

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Really?! I was under the impression you meant crossfire it! I will look into the cost of that card.... If so, anyone looking for a single 4870 @512?!? LOL
 
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Silverion77

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Insidious1...drop that Liquid cooling. Trust me, its not worth the $$$
If u want to go water, use a fully self built one...as in buy the pump, block, rad and build it. Ull get much better temps than a kit.
(take a look at redraider.com they have some build etc. or send me a PM if u want suggestions)

Also drop down to the 920. Much better $$$/performance
 
mildiner86

mildiner86

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it seems most of us are in agrement

920 rather than 940
6 gb ram rather than 12gb
change water coling to generally air

with the above savings get a

4870 X2 (2GB)

 
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insidious1

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The new build is in!!!! Enjoy the pics!

<a href="http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m80/Rd54321/?action=view&current=NewComp1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m80/Rd54321/NewComp1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
 
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insidious1

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NewComp4.jpg
 
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ravenware

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I recommend getting a larger desk at some point so you can put the case ontop of your desk.

The two fan ports on the top panel are a great way for liquid to spill in and fu** your system up.
 
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insidious1

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aaahhh.... VERY good point! I noticed the large vents on top and thought the same...

At the moment, i'm VERY anal about it... keeping a it covered when not in use (i.e. sleep mode or off) as to not allow dust to collect inside...

(futile attempt.... i know! but its my OCC with my new gadgets)
 
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