Need comments and recommendations on building a new Gaming PC

[Clavally]

Hie there! Im new to this forum and have tried to ask this same qns in a few other forums but no one could help me out. Hence I thought of trying it here to ask for some help. I have decided on some of the hardwares alrd but feel free to give your opinion. My budget will be between 2k - 3k USD.

Processor: Intel Core i7 920
Motherboard: EVGA X58 SLI
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 285 FTW
Memory: Corsair TR3X6G-1600C8D 3x 2GB
Display: (Looking for a 24 inch LCD monitor)
Storage: Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black + (Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB)
Casing: (Tentatively Lian Li PC-7FW/ Cooler Master 690/ Rosewill Conquerer)
Cooler: -
Drive: (Looking for Blu-ray drive)
PSU: -
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM
Keyboard: Steel Series 7G keyboard
Mouse: Razer Lachesis Mouse
Speaker: -

As for the PSU, would it be better for me to get a smaller watts PSU now or just get a 1000-1500Watts PSU? Because in the future I may upgrade to 3-way GTX 285

 

[Akebono 98]

A few suggestions to fill in your blanks:

Monitor: Samsung T240

Case: Coolermaster 932 HAF (for 3 future GTX 285s)

Cooler: TRUE, Scythe Mugen 2, Xigmatek Thor's Hammer (when it comes out), Noctua NH-U12P SE1366

Optical: LG GGC-H20L Blu-ray reader

PSU: Get the big one now and make sure it has 6 PCIe connectors, PCP&C or Corsair.

Speakers: I would suggest 2 satellites with a big sub.

 

[theAnimal]

Monitor: BenQ G2400WD
Speakers: Logitech Z-5500
Cooler: Xigmatech or Noctua
PSU: Corsair TX650 - upgrade the video card every year or so and sell your old one

 

[Clavally]

hmm how much watts do I need? 1000 or 1500? Another qns is either one of these Thermalright Ultra 120/ MSI Watercool Hydrogen/ Thermalright IFX-14? which would be a better cooler?

 

[Clavally]

UPDATE
Processor: Intel Core i7 920
Motherboard: EVGA X58 SLI
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 285 FTW
Memory: Corsair TR3X6G-1600C8D 3x 2GB
Display: Samsung 2233SW Storage: Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black + (Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB)
Casing: Tentatively Lian Li PC-7FW ($195)/ Cooler Master 690 ($125)/ Cool Master HAF 932 ($203)
Cooler: Thermalright True Black 120
Drive: -
PSU: Tentaively Corsair HX1000

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM
Keyboard: Razer Lycosa Mirror
Mouse: Razer Lachesis Mouse
Speaker: -



1. Im not so sure which casing to choose? Can someone choose for me the right casing?

2. Im intending to get a good blu-ray drive. Can someone help me with it.

3. Im intending to get a 3-way SLI GTX 285 in the future so I need 1000W or 1500W PSU? Any PSU to recommend too?

4. Can someone recommend me good speaker system?



*Note those prices are in SGD

 

[theAnimal]

UPDATE
Processor: Intel Core i7 920
Motherboard: EVGA X58 SLI
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 285 FTW
Memory: Corsair TR3X6G-1600C8D 3x 2GB
Display: Samsung 2233SW Storage: Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black + (Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB)
Casing: Tentatively Lian Li PC-7FW ($195)/ Cooler Master 690 ($125)/ Cool Master HAF 932 ($203)
Cooler: Thermalright True Black 120
Drive: -
PSU: Tentaively Corsair HX1000

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM
Keyboard: Razer Lycosa Mirror
Mouse: Razer Lachesis Mouse
Speaker: -



1. Im not so sure which casing to choose? Can someone choose for me the right casing?

2. Im intending to get a good blu-ray drive. Can someone help me with it.

3. Im intending to get a 3-way SLI GTX 285 in the future so I need 1000W or 1500W PSU? Any PSU to recommend too?

4. Can someone recommend me good speaker system?



*Note those prices are in SGD

1. Whichever one you like best, since you are the one that will have to look at it.

2. See Akebono's post above.

3. HX1000 is fine.

4. See my post above.

 

[Akebono 98]

1. Since you're in Singapore and want to run tri-SLI, then the only case to get, IMO, is the 932 HAF--ultra high heat and humidity year-round, both the enemy of a highly overclocked high-end PC (even with aircon).

2. I don't believe there is any compelling argument to get a Blu-ray *burner* at this point. For the cost involved, get another 1TB HDD for backup storage instead. That's why I've recommended the LG GGC-H20L, which is a BR *reader*, which lets you watch BR movies and burn to DVD and CD formats. If you feel that the DVD burning speed of that drive is not up to par, then you can always buy another DVD burner that would be slightly faster. These are very cheap (e.g. $25 USD in the USA).

3. The PC Power & Cooling 1200W PSU is the only power supply that I would personally use to drive 3 GTX 285s in tri-SLI on an overclocked i7 rig. You need a large quantity of power on the main 12V rail.

4. The Logitech Z-5500 recommended by theAnimal is great, but if you're tight on space and can't fit the extra satellites in your room, then check out the Logitech Z-2300 speakers--2 compact satellites with a nice big sub.


I'm sure that you know this already, but the eVGA mobo cannot fit a soundcard when running tri-SLI, so you will have to run on-board sound. This might matter to you for watching Blu-ray, if you're really picky.

The TRUE is a great cooler, but I would rather use the non-black version because the black plating reduces the cooling efficiency by just a tad. Remember, you're in Singapore, so every degree counts in overclocking--even 1. You also need the Thermalright LGA 1366 Bolt-Thru kit and MX-2 thermal paste. Consider lapping the heatsink base and CPU heatspreader for better cooling efficiency.

And with respect to cooling, 3 GTX 285s are squished in real tight, so the best way to cool them is with the very expensive versions of the card with built-in waterblocks. If you're going to water-cool, then you should do a whole lot more reading and research.

If cooling is an issue, have you considered an Asus P6T Deluxe V2 with 2 GTX 295s (with backplates)? The mobo design puts a space between the video cards, which would help for cooling. 2 GTX 295s are also pretty close in price to 3 GTX 285s.

 

[Clavally]

Processor: Intel Core i7 920
Motherboard: EVGA X58 SLI
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 285 FTW
Memory: Corsair TR3X6G-1600C8D 3x 2GB
Display: Samsung 2233SW
Storage: Western Digital 640GB Caviar Black + (Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB)
Casing: Rosewill Conqueror WSL ($105)/ Cool Master HAF 932
Cooler: Thermalright True Black 120
Drive: LG Blu-Ray DVD RW GGW-H20L
PSU: Corsair HX1000
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM
Keyboard: Razer Lycosa Mirror
Mouse: Razer Lachesis Mouse
Speaker: Logitech Z5500 5.1 Speakers

Additional: Razer eXactMat

This is my own build tat I chose. I was recommended not to overclock cause I dont know how to do it and it will spoil my hardwares if I did not overclock properly. I will get 3-Way SLI GTX 285 only in the future currently Im gonna use only 1 GTX 285.

Akebono 98 regarding your post I got a few qns to ask as Im not very good at hardware stuff. I will only need larger PSU watts if I overclock am I right? So do I wait for blu-ray to be more common den I would purchase? You also said something abt using water cooler. Is it only for the graphics card?

 

[Clavally]

forgotten to add. I wanna look for a computer table and a printer too. (Max length 155m/ 61 inch)

 

[theAnimal]

The HX1000 is fine even if you OC.

 

[Akebono 98]

The latest revision of your build is perfectly fine. Anything more that we could suggest would be fine tuning and personal preference only.

1. Overclocking will cause the CPU to use more power than if you did not overclock. But, you could use the Corsair 1000HX for an overclocked i7 rig with 3 GTX 285s. If you're going to use the Corsair 1000HX, then keep this power distribution diagram handy and connect your rig accordingly: diagram link. This PSU does apparently have overvoltage protection, so you would be limited to 40A on each 12V rail.

2. Where I am, Blu-ray rental selection is quite limited and buying them is pretty expensive. There are also some discs where the quality is not that good, even though they are BR. So far, the only top quality BR movie that I've seen is the latest Batman (I think Transformers is supposed to be good quality too). Even though I have BR, in retrospect I should have saved the money and just watched DVD for the time being.

3. Watercooling is a whole new ball game. You generally start by putting a waterblock on the CPU so you can OC a bit higher than if you used an air cooler. You would water cool a video card for 2 reasons: overclocking high and if they were squished in tight for SLI / Crossfire. You can also water cool other components too. Like I said before, if you want to water cool, then don't do it unless you've done a lot of homework. I'm not fond of it because I would prefer not to have all that liquid running around my electronic components, any one of which would short circuit and fry if there was a coolant leak. I find air cooling to be completely sufficient for my own OC purposes.

4. You're going to have to shop locally for a computer table.

5. I like the HP LaserJet P2015 series for fast black & white only printing. You may have other printing needs, however.

6. Tri-SLI in general needs a lot of cooling from the case and the Rosewill is not that good. If you like that style of case, look at Antec 1200 or the Thermaltake Armor series. For a rig of this caliber, you shouldn't be skimping on anything.

 

[Clavally]

Hey Akebono 98 really appreciate your advice. I have decided to choose Coolmaster HAF 932 but there are still a little probs in some other areas of hardware.

1. As far as I know someone pointed out to me tat EVGA X58 SLI can read up till 1333MHz Memory so if I get tat Corsair TR3X6G-1600C8D 3 x 2GB it would still run at 1333MHz which is not worth my bucks. Do you got any Memory (3 x 2GB) to recommend?

2. I have tot of just using a VelociRaptor 300GB only. As far as my current computer I only has 80GB but 40GB space only. If I dumb everything in 1 hard disk will it slow down my Windows Vista?

3. Thermalright True Black 120/ Thermalright Ultra 120/ Coolmaster V8. All are good coolers which would be a best buy and of best use?
[Is coolers the same as fans?]

 

[rauchster]

Your build looks pretty good.
I'd stick with the Corsair 1000W PSU, provided that it has all the connectors you need.

The performance increase that you'll see from a single 285 compared to 3x285 cards, IMHO, isn't worth the price tag. A 2-way SLI configuration may be, worth it, but the difference between 2-way and 3-way isn't going to be near the jump from 1 to 2. Not enough programs out there have the capability to split the GPU load up enough.

Since money doesn't seem to be an objective, according to your choices, I'd seriously consider the Antec 1200 if you have the room. Big, heavy, but airy and cool, can also double as a monitor stand.
Toss a bunch of (low-decibel) 120mm fans up front and one or two in back, along with the PSU fan, and you could probably air cool your system. The case is a real sound blocker too, when securely fastened.

And another suggestion. Instead of going for the VelociRaptor (Which I use for my OS Drive, albeit mine is smaller), why not try a Solid-State Drive? They are dropping rapidly in price, and easily have double the speed of even the fastest spinning media HDD.

Good luck with your build.

 

[Clavally]

thx for ur advice. I didnt say money isnt a problem haha. Im currently trying to cut down the price to 4000SGD tat is why Im sourcing for a better Memory (3 x 2GB) since all Memory brands doesnt differ much? Any specific model to the Solid State Drive? Can also put the spinning rate in ur next post too thx. Can you answer my last qns too hehe.

 

[Clavally]

The performance increase that you'll see from a single 285 compared to 3x285 cards, IMHO, isn't worth the price tag. A 2-way SLI configuration may be, worth it, but the difference between 2-way and 3-way isn't going to be near the jump from 1 to 2. Not enough programs out there have the capability to split the GPU load up enough.

I also forgotten to add wad are u trying to explain? Sorry I dont really understand wad ur saying. Could you explain in detail and wad is ur purpose of saying this or rather wad is ur advice?

 

[rauchster]

The point I'm trying to make is that for the ~$750-$800 you would spend on the 2 extra Graphics Cards, you will not see much of a difference in performance, over a single card or even a 2-way SLI configuration.

Example:
Playing Crysis at 1920x1200 with 4xAA on Very High.
A Single 285 card - 19.9 FPS (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-285,2139-4.html)
2-way SLI GTX 285's - 38.7 FPS (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-core-216,2120-3.html)
There is no benchmark for 3-way SLI GTX 285's, but using a comparable analogy from the 260 series we can come up with a score of - ~45-50 FPS

The difference between single and 2-way SLI is nearly double (197%)
Whereas, the theoretical difference between 2-way SLI and 3-way SLI, is much less drastic, ranking around 112-120% increase.

So, you could probably save some money by going with a 2-way SLI format with your GTX285 cards, instead of spending the extra $375-$400 on the 3-way SLI format.

------------

As far as the solid state drives, check out TomsHardware's Article on the SSD's -> Here <-

And a decently priced model is the OCZ Core Series V2 OCZSSD2-2C120G, coming in between $200 and $250, depending where you go.

The issue with a SSD is the storage capacity versus price. I don't think a SSD is a viable option for all of your storage, but for an Operating System drive, it is quite handy.

I currently have a setup like yours with a VelociRaptor HDD just for the OS, and it does work well though, so it's just an option.

And really, while the RPM does have a decent impact on overall drive speed, the cache is just as important. A HDD with 15000 RPM and a 2Mb Cache is going to be equal or inferior to a 7200 RPM with a 32Mb Cache. In fact, I'm pretty sure a recent review of Storage devices of spinning media (Traditional HDD's) determined the best overall was the Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM with a 32Mb Cache, easily beating out both 10000RPM and 15000RPM drives.

----------

 

[Clavally]

hey rauchster. thx for ur advice but I still yet to get the answers to my qns.

1. As far as I know someone pointed out to me tat EVGA X58 SLI can read up till 1333MHz Memory so if I get tat Corsair TR3X6G-1600C8D 3 x 2GB it would still run at 1333MHz which is not worth my bucks. Do you got any Memory (3 x 2GB) to recommend?

2. I have tot of just using a VelociRaptor 300GB only. As far as my current computer I only has 80GB but 40GB space only. If I dumb everything in 1 hard disk will it slow down my Windows Vista?

3. Thermalright True Black 120/ Thermalright Ultra 120/ Coolmaster V8. All are good coolers which would be a best buy and of best use?
[Is coolers the same as fans?]

 

[rauchster]

I'm not sure of any 3x2Gb sticks of memory for you to use. Good brands are Corsair, Patriot, OCZ, G.Skill. But I don't have any specific recommendations for the 1333Mhz level, as the fastest I've used is only 1066Mhz.

Storing all your data on a single drive will not "slow down" Vista. However, multitasking enviroments are better suited to have the OS stored on one drive, and the program files stored on a different drive.

The only CPU cooler I've used recently are the Zalman CNPS9700 series. Fits a bunch of sockets, I like it alot, and most places seem to agree, it's amongst the best out there. Maybe take a look at the CNPS9500 or CNPS9900 too. (CPU Cooler is the heatsink. Fans are optional, though most high-quality ones come with fans)

 

[Clavally]

Storing all your data on a single drive will not "slow down" Vista. However, multitasking enviroments are better suited to have the OS stored on one drive, and the program files stored on a different drive.

Thx alot. I still dont understand this part. wad u mean by multitasking environments?

 

[rauchster]

Thx alot. I still dont understand this part. wad u mean by multitasking environments?

Basically, if you only run a couple of programs at any given time, don't bother with using a separate OS drive.

But, if you're like me, and always running 10 programs at once (Windows Media Player, Firefox, Photoshop, Daemon Tools, ImgBurn, Fraps, CurseClient, MSN Messenger are all running right now on mine)
It's probably better to get a dedicated OS drive.

 

[Clavally]

Basically, if you only run a couple of programs at any given time, don't bother with using a separate OS drive.

But, if you're like me, and always running 10 programs at once (Windows Media Player, Firefox, Photoshop, Daemon Tools, ImgBurn, Fraps, CurseClient, MSN Messenger are all running right now on mine)
It's probably better to get a dedicated OS drive.

Cool. What is ImgBurn, Fraps, CurseClient? Daemon Tools - you use torrent? haha

Anyway Im a bit vexed over which graphics card to get. I wan to have good graphics for gaming yet I dont wan to spend over 2k SGD for it.

 

[rauchster]

ImgBurn is a tool for creating ISO's. Especially helpful for copying disc's, and has a nice burning tool.
Fraps is an in-game screen recording software.
CurseClient is a modification tool for Warhammer Online (also works with WoW I believe)
I actually don't use torrent. I have a virtual drive via Daemon running for any game that needs a CD. I don't like having to constantly put game discs in and out.

As far as your video card goes, check these out.
MSI N285 GTX-T2D1G-OC
EVGA 01G-P3-1281-AR 285 GTX

 

[Clavally]

ImgBurn is a tool for creating ISO's. Especially helpful for copying disc's, and has a nice burning tool.
Fraps is an in-game screen recording software.
CurseClient is a modification tool for Warhammer Online (also works with WoW I believe)
I actually don't use torrent. I have a virtual drive via Daemon running for any game that needs a CD. I don't like having to constantly put game discs in and out.

As far as your video card goes, check these out.
MSI N285 GTX-T2D1G-OC
EVGA 01G-P3-1281-AR 285 GTX

Btw I still dont get it. What is the diff. between all the distributor? Altho I know EVGA Geforce is the best by far I have seen. You say I should go 2-way GTX 285. Is it good enough for gaming alrd?

 

[rauchster]

In most cases, the differences between the manufacturer's is minimal, and usually comes down to name recognition or customer retention.

Here, the only differences between those two cards I mentioned is that the EVGA has a HDMI capability, whereas the MSI clock speed for GPU/RAM are slightly higher.

A single 285 GTX card will power pretty much any game you have at 1920x1200 except for Crysis at High-Very High levels.

 

[Outlander_04]

why use a Ci7 cpu in a gaming machine .

Core 2 quad is better
core 2 duo is better
amd phenom 2 is better .

and all are cheaper