Review SFF gaming rig

[jason612]

uh k so the other topic got deleted, was editing to fit the sticky guidelines, but guess i was too slow?
Case: SILVERSTONE SG04B-H Black Aluminum panels, SECC structure MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
PSU: SeaSonic M12II SS-500GM 500W ATX12V 2.2 /EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
MOBO CPU COMBO: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX - Retail | BIOSTAR TA790GX XE AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
gfx card: XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
ram: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
hdrive: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
cd drive:Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OEM


Budget range: currently this will give me 925, if i could get it cheaper thatd be perfect
System usage: mostly gaming, maybe photoshop or video editing, but primarily gonna game and watch movies on it
Prefered website: newegg
Overclocking: maybe

i mainly need help on the psu, is that good enough power and would it fit in my case?
heat issue wise, should i buy some extra fans? if so what kind?
Is everything compatible with eachother? for the most part i think so, but im not positive and would like a confirm

 

[Kill@dor]

Oh snap it was deleted...ahahah ^_^

 

[Outlander_04]

What I was writing or the other thread :

Thanks for editing that OP

Thats a good build . And the case is really interesting. I havent seen it b4 . I have a silverstone TJ08 and like it a lot . The sugo seems to solve a lot of the airflow issues with two large fans at the front . Its clever .
Toms system builder marathon is building a m-atx system right now . Article soon .
They are going to use an m-atx sli board from evga [ I think ] , but theyre also using a much bigger antec p182 mini thats as big as some full atx cases .

Definitely use a modular psu . There just isnt room in small cases for all the extra cables . I used an Corsair HX 620

The only other suggestion is that I'd probably use a 4890 gfx card because I like ATI's ccc better than any nVidia software

Just keep an eye on temperatures and if there room for more fans then I'd install them

 

[jason612]

ccc?
what company should i get the 4890 gfx card from? should i get biostar just to match the mobo? lol

i saw the hx620, but would rather not spend the extra $50 if i dont have to

 

[Outlander_04]

Yeah the HX 620 is expensive in the US , but here for some reason I got mine for about $80 US .

ccc is catalyst control center .
You have direct overclocking options, fan speed options etc . It allows you a lot of control and gives you feedback about temperatures of the gfx chip etc . Very nice compared to the nVidia drivers I was using last year .
Maybe theyre better now?

The 4890 is new so all the cards are the reference design and all identical . Buy the cheapest one , or the one with the best game bundle
Search on newegg for ati 4890 and theres a powercolor for $219

Theres a review
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-4890,2262.html
and I think theres an article on anandtech comparing the gtx 275 and 4890

PS those are both fairly big cards . Do you know they will fit in your case? If theyre longer than the mb is wide they might not

 

[jason612]

decided to go with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150359 XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
the mobo seems to be 9.6
the case says it would fit dual 10.5" gfx cards? not sure how big the gfx card is, cant find the physical dimensions of it

 

[zilnicra]

you should look into getting 2 4770's to crossfirex. it will cost less than a gtx 275 or a 4890 and will perform better. read this th article http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-4770-crossfire,2288.html

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150366
would be my recomendation. you can get some for 99.99, however the only one that comes with the crossfire bridge is the xfx (they are about 10 bucks each, so that negates your savings).

thats not a bad psu, but its a low efficiency psu, which means it will be hotter than a more efficient one. there is more than enough power on a quality psu. so long as your over 35 amps on the 12v rail you will be fine powering the 955, and 2 4770's, even overclocked. that is if you have a stable psu.

i'd recomend
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703015

or if you need modular

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151056
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171036

two 4770's, with a tdp of 80w each, and the 125w cpu gives you 285 12v watts, or 24 amps there. the smallest of these psu's has 35 amps on the 12v rail. all are stable, and efficient. even overclocked, your system won't use more than 325w on the 12v rail. the smallest of these has 35 continuous amps (420w) on the 12v rail.

the rest of the system seems very good. this should put you a little lower on price, and will be a more satisfactory system.

 

[jason612]

thanks, i think ill go with: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151056 psu that you suggested since im really scared of heat issues
the only problem i have with getting 2 gfx cards is, ewll first i have absolutely no idea what crossfirex is, but also space constraints. im not positive if i could fit 2 gfx cards in, or if its gonna be a really tight fit, and thus make the comp much hotter

[edit] that article is really making me want the 2 4770s tho haha can you explain crossfirex?

 

[Outlander_04]

you should look into getting 2 4770's to crossfirex. it will cost less than a gtx 275 or a 4890 and will perform better. read this th article http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-4770-crossfire,2288.html

.

how exactly were you proposing a crossfire system would work on a m-atx mb?

 

[jason612]

does that mean it wouldnt?
my budget says ill be picking these things up in about a month, any upcoming parts that i should wait for before i pull the trigger?

 

[Outlander_04]

crossfire needs 2 pci-e x 16 slots on the motherboard so both cards can be installed .
Who knows? , maybe there is a cf capable m-atx mb for phenom but the biostar you are looking at isnt one .

Since you have one gfx slot then you have to use a single card . That xfx 4890 is a great choice

 

[jason612]

hmm this matx mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136066
apparently takes cf. if i go with this mobo, i would have to go with i7 right? and go with ddr3 ram? its almost twice the price of the mobo i have, but the i7 is also much more expensive. would the performance of 2 4770s be worth going i7?

how is AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition VS i guess id have to go Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q9400 - Retail to stay in the same price range... god i7 is so expensive haha

 

[Outlander_04]

you dont need crossfire .

The single 4890 is roughly the same gfx output as two 4770's .

 

[jason612]

hmm ok, someone told me i should consider instead of phenom ii i should go with Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail because its faster for gaming? is that true? i also dont see myself updating part wise for atleast 1 year, so would phenom II be better for the future?


and instead of the 4890, how is the 4850x2? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102809
its only 10 dollars more expensive or would i need a mobo thats cf compatible?

 

[jason612]

i read core 2 duo is better for single threaded and phenom better for multi threaded? but are they releasing games that are multithread that would make me get phenom over the cheaper intel? i heard intel would also be much cooler

 

[Outlander_04]

4850 x2 is a very long card . Only consider it if you know there is space for it . Its probably overkill for all but the biggest monitors .

The e8400 is a great cpu , but it is not as powerful as the Phenom 940 at anything even single threaded games

 

[jason612]

ah so the 4850x2 would fit on my mobo and not need cf board or w/e? assuming theres actual space for it

 

[jason612]

also kind of a side question but, when i do buy this build, and i install windows xp, the only one i got, dont have vista, and windows 7 comes out which i do want to buy, how difficult is it to switch os? am i going to have to back everything up b4 switching or will everything carry over... and should i just install xp or use windows 7 rc thing?

 

[Outlander_04]

Updates have a reputation for not being as miraculous as microsoft claim .

Id be doing a clean install of the new os .

Id probably head straight to the RC of 7 for a gaming build [and didnt have business critical files] , but that will definitely mean a clean install next year since you cant update the RC .
If you get the right version of 7 you can also run xp at the same time so older apps will still run perfectly