My First Build, Good or Bad?

[alexrablau]

Hello Everybody!

This is my first time posting on Tom's hardware and it looks like an amazing site. I want to build a nice computer for myself for the first time and have most of the components selected. I have done quite a bit of research on all the parts but would like to ask the Tom's hardware community a couple of questions.
Here is the build so far:

CPU: Intel Core i7 920

Motherboard: Asus P6T Deluxe V2

Video Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 275

RAM: Corsair Dominator DDR3 3x2GB 1600Mhz

Case: Cooler Mast HAF 932

First of all, the general question, what do you think so far?

Pertaining to the motherboard, is it worth getting the OC Palm edition?

I understand that the motherboard and processor would have to be overclocked to fully utilize the 1600Mhz memory. How difficult is it to do this, and where could I find a good guide to accomplishing this?

Is the case a good choice? I would like something that would keep my system relatively cool, and look nice, without being outrageously expensive.

What should I look at in the way of cooling (what are some good fans or water-cooling systems)?

Finally, what would be a good power supply for all this?

Thank you so much!

 

[ehanger]

I'd get a P6T vanilla for $50 cheaper as it's practically the same thing as the deluxe

 

[topper743]

Get the cheaper one wo the palm and spend the difference on a good CPU HSF. Since you are relatively new to this don't do the water cooling yet. Down the road if you think you have to have it you could add it then.

 

[smithereen]

750W PCPaC is on sale for $110 at Newegg right now, that'd do the trick. Case is solid, as far as I know - I've never used one, but I've heard good things. It would be very easy to set the memory speed in the BIOS, no experience neccessary. Good luck with your build!

 

[Katsushiro]

Finally, what would be a good power supply for all this?

For an overclocked quad core and a higher end graphics I think the general community consensus will say 500-700 Watts. Corsair is a good brand; its what I bought.

 

[geofelt]

So far, so good.
GTX275 is appropriate, and a good value.

Palm edition was not worth it to me.

The i7 has a very good memory controller. It has no trouble getting data to feed the cpu, regardless of speed or timings.
If you overclock the cpu a bit, by raising the bclk from say 130 to 160 or more, then the ram will be fine. For real applications and FPS the ram speed or timings makes very little difference(think 1-3%). Only high overclockers should care.

The case is fine. An equally good case that is cheaper is the Antec 300. No "bling" though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Air cooling with supplied fans is good. You might want a cpu cooler like the Xigmatek dark night s1283 or similar if you will do some overclocking.

For a first build, dont even think about liquid cooling. Nor second or third build for that matter.

Get a quality 600w psu from corsair, seasonic, antec, or PC P&C.
PC P&C silencer 610 has a rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005

Download and read the manuals for the case and motherboard ahead of time.

---good luck---

 

[alexrablau]

Would the COOLER MASTER V8 CPU Cooler be a good cooler for this system or do you think it would be a little much?

 

[xyzionz]

xigmatek s1283 or s1284 is a good one too, that's what i'm using to cool me i7 920
and i'm using a corsair HX620W

 

[alexrablau]

Do the Corsair Dominator DDR3 sticks come with a fan unit for them, or is that purchased separately?
Is the AirFlow unit really necessary for the RAM sticks?

 

[geofelt]

Fans are not necessary for ram sticks. Some Corsair stick models will come with fans, or, you can purchase fan kits separately. In either case, don't bother.

 

[alexrablau]

Hey everyone,

I have a more complete list of parts now and I want to know what you think:

Motherboard: Asus P6T

CPU: Intel core i7 920

CPU cooler: Cooler Master V8

Video Card: Nvidia Geforce GTX 275 by EVGA; FTW edition

RAM: Corsair Dominator DDR3 3x 2GB 1600Mhz

Case: Cooler Master HAF 932

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB

PSU: Corsair HX1000W Modular Power Supply

I will probably get another hard drive down the road and maybe go dual SLI. What do you think?

 

[raybob95]

Hey everyone,

I have a more complete list of parts now and I want to know what you think:

Motherboard: Asus P6T

CPU: Intel core i7 920

CPU cooler: Cooler Master V8

Video Card: Nvidia Geforce GTX 275 by EVGA; FTW edition

RAM: Corsair Dominator DDR3 3x 2GB 1600Mhz

Case: Cooler Master HAF 932

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB

PSU: Corsair HX1000W Modular Power Supply

I will probably get another hard drive down the road and maybe go dual SLI. What do you think?

Try the Antec 900 or 902. Also, due to personal preference I'd say go with the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P motherboard. For the cooler, try a XIGMATEK Dark-Knight. The FTW video card is a waste of money. Save $50 and OC it yourself. Not that hard. Or save $30 and get a less clocked one. Also, even for SLI, you'll definetly be fine with a Corsair TX850. (This is assuming you meant 2 GPUs, not 4 when you said 'Dual SLI'. Otherwise, the 1000W is a GREAT choice.) In the future, a RAID 0+1 of the WD Black 1TB would be a good idea.

 

[alexrablau]

Yes, I just meant two cards for SLI. I liked the HX1000 because it was modular and I wouldn't have to replace it for a very long time. I will probably go with the regular GTX 275 now, but where could I get instructions on how to overclock it myself? I'm checking out the case right now. Could you tell me more about the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P versus the P6T ?

 

[raybob95]

Yes, I just meant two cards for SLI. I liked the HX1000 because it was modular and I wouldn't have to replace it for a very long time. I will probably go with the regular GTX 275 now, but where could I get instructions on how to overclock it myself? I'm checking out the case right now. Could you tell me more about the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P versus the P6T ?

I just bought a 275, and it comes with free OC software, that couldn't be simpler. (Provided you buy the EVGA version) http://www.evga.com/PRecision/ Plus, there are many other free programs.

Well, the UD4P is cheaper, and supports SLI, while the P6T only supports XFire. (Only 1 275!) Go on Newegg and compare the specs to see the differences.

The UD4P also comes from a better company in my opinion, and is much more reliable. UD stands for ultra durable. Which it is, partly because it has the 2oz copper layer.

The ASUS boards are very over-priced.

 

[geofelt]

You can do better on the cpu cooler.
Read this review of the top 1366 coolers:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=285&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=16

The P6T will support tri sli, it is the P6T SE which is crossfire only.

A 1000 watt psu is inappropriate unless you will try to run three GTX275 class cards.
A quality 750W unit from Corsair or PC P&C will run two of them.
A PSU is most efficient operating in the middle third of it's range. A 1000w unit is way too much.
Long term, because of smaller manufacturing technology, vga cards will draw less power, instead of more.

 

[alexrablau]

I just looked at the top CPU coolers and the Prolimatech Megahalems look awesome. What kind of fans would I want to buy for that cooler?

 

[alexrablau]

Now you guys have me torn between the ASUS P6T and the Gigabyte Ex-58 models. =P