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i7 build, finishing touches

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September 22, 2009 4:16:14 AM

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1-2 weeks
BUDGET RANGE: <900 flexible

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: HDD, DVD Drive, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Processor, Case

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States

OVERCLOCKING:
Yes
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Will be first time OCing and trying out SLI/Xfire. Want to build a future proof to last me 2+ years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Final Build ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

=====================================================
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932
http://micro-center.com/single_product_results.phtml?pr...
$75.00 (In-store Micro Direct deal)

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$199.99 (In-store Micro Direct deal)

Monitor: Dell SP2208WFP
http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/dell-sp2208wfp/450...;rnav[/#ff7f00]

Motherboard: ASRock X58 Extreme LGA 1366 Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$169.99

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$119.99
($109.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate Card)

RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$139.99
($129.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate Card)

CPU Cooler: Scythe MUGEN-2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...
$39.99

GPU: DIAMOND 5850PE51G Radeon HD 5850 1GB
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?Product...
$279.99

=====================================================

More about : build finishing touches

Best solution

September 22, 2009 4:29:08 AM

Those are very good deals on the CPU and case...

Mobo - That ASRock is the new favourite for many reviewers...So I think it would be a good choice...

CPU cooler - Scythe Mugen 2

PSU - Corsair 750TX - $99.99 - Free Shipping
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?Product...

Graphics card - Wait for HD 5xxx series...
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September 22, 2009 4:30:08 PM

^+1 for waiting on ATI 5xxx cards. Imo, I'd get the PC Power & Cooling 750.
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September 22, 2009 4:53:14 PM

+2 on waiting for ATI 5xxx cards,+1 on scythe Mugen.IMO Corsair and PC Power&Cooling are similar so there won't be any difference because both of them offers the same performance
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September 22, 2009 4:57:25 PM

^ True that.
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September 22, 2009 5:05:11 PM

but isn't the pc power&cooling more silent ?
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September 22, 2009 5:24:06 PM

computersss said:
but isn't the pc power&cooling more silent ?
The Corsair 750TX's 140mm fan is considerably noticeably quieter than the 80mm fan of the PC P&C SILENCER 750W under medium and heavier loads.
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September 22, 2009 5:33:02 PM

The PC P&C SILENCER 750W review @ JonnyGuru;
"Overall, the fan noise was tolerable, but when the Silencer starts to get warm and needs to spin up it's fan, it gets very loud, very fast. It's certainly quieter than PC Power & Cooling's Turbo-Cool, hence the name "Silencer," but there are other 80MM fan equipped power supplies on the market that aren't as loud."
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September 22, 2009 5:38:38 PM

so i think that i suggest getting the corsair 750TX as it is quieter while offers the same performance and same price
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September 22, 2009 6:12:39 PM

The Corsair reads:
"SLI/CrossFire Support: SLI"

Doesn't seem to make sense why a Xfrie setup wouldn't work or does this read true just in case down the road i decide to Xfire.
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September 22, 2009 6:20:08 PM

i can't really understand you but there is no psu which is for SLI and not for CF the corsair would run sli and CF and the pc power&cooling would run sli and CF and the corsair runs more silent so i would get it
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September 22, 2009 6:48:09 PM

viceversa said:
The Corsair reads:
"SLI/CrossFire Support: SLI"
Doesn't seem to make sense why a Xfrie setup wouldn't work or does this read true just in case down the road i decide to Xfire.

Corsair 750 is CF and SLI certified even if NewEgg doesnt show it. Not that 'certification' means all that much - PSU makers pay to have their stuff 'certified'. It's more important to have enough of the right connectors and, of course, have enough +12V amps for the total system needs.
ATI CrossFireX Certified components
SLIZone Certified components
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September 22, 2009 7:36:24 PM

^+1. Imo, SLI/CrossFire certification is just a gimmick.
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September 22, 2009 8:57:22 PM

kk thanks, thats what i was asking
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September 23, 2009 5:40:56 AM

Be sure to let us know how things go.
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September 23, 2009 6:29:54 PM

Now that ATIs 5850 and 5870 are out (no reviews on the 5850 yet) i've come to a point where a 5850 or a 5870 is either too over budget or too powerful for what i want to game and how long i want to game. Or it could still be the best choice since i want my computer to last me 2.5+ years before upgrading major.

I know that the prices in the older cards (gtx295, gtx275, and 4870) will drop in price so now i need to figure out if its even worth it to swap out parts of my current build to free up more money for one of the newer cards or just buy an older card.

Monitor + chosen parts are in orange in OP. budget was 1050-1100 including every part that is in orange expect the monitor. The case and CPU have already been bought. Leaving ~$300 for a GPU if i keep all of those parts.
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September 23, 2009 7:27:48 PM

You don't need the i7 920 for gaming, trust me. I've got one myself, and it's not noticeably different than the Phenom II x3 720 BE I have for my gf.

Save the extra $270 by getting a Phenom II x3 720 BE and get two GTX 275's in SLI. Save a little more by getting Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT25664BA1339 for $74 to get a AM3 board that supports dual x16 SLI.

No need to wait for the ATI 58xx's, they'll be expensive, and DX11 utilized games won't appear for a while.
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September 23, 2009 7:42:39 PM

viceversa said:
Quote:
Parts Already Bought/Owned:

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$199.99 (In-store Micro Direct deal)


This build is also to last me a long time, i'll look into the memory.


Ah, then the ASRock x58 Extreme is a good choice. Contrary to what people say on these forums, you won't notice any gains with triple channel memory over dual channel. In synthetic benchmarks, dual channel actually beat triple channel in tests with the i7 920 and x58 boards.

Otherwise, everything else looks ok, but I'd try selling your monitor and get one that displays in 1900 x 1200. :) 
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September 23, 2009 7:52:27 PM

viceversa said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

This is the PSU i currently have on my machine its less then a year old. Would this be enough for this build with a single card?


No. For an i7 920, I recommend 600 Watts at the minimum, 700 Watts to be safe. You don't want to skimp out on a power supply. If you're running a GTX 275, you'll need a +12V rail running 40 amps. That's easy to find, but if you're planning on getting a dual SLI set-up in the future, you'll want one with an extra rail with 40 amps.
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September 23, 2009 9:28:16 PM

^600W for the i7 build is NOT the minimum. 550W is more than enough for a i7 920 with a decent GPU (4830 or below). When I'm saying 550W I assume CONTINUOUS power and a high quality PSU.
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September 23, 2009 9:43:25 PM

Shadow703793 said:
^600W for the i7 build is NOT the minimum. 550W is more than enough for a i7 920 with a decent GPU (4830 or below). When I'm saying 550W I assume CONTINUOUS power and a high quality PSU.



I recommended a minimum of 600W. He can go 550W, but I wouldn't recommend it.
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September 30, 2009 6:17:20 PM

After getting all my new parts I really just assumed that keeping my old HDDs would be fine, but i thought that i should at least ask.

======================================================
Old Drives: Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JD 160GB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Owned and used full time since August 2004

and

Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200JB 320GB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Owned and used full time since 2005
======================================================

My question is besides the obvious lack of storage space is there any reason to upgrade these for gaming purposes. I don't store movies or massive amounts of data that needs to be moved around a lot. If so what are some recommendations.

Thanks.
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September 30, 2009 7:49:25 PM

viceversa said:
After getting all my new parts I really just assumed that keeping my old HDDs would be fine, but i thought that i should at least ask.

======================================================
Old Drives: Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JD 160GB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Owned and used full time since August 2004

and

Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200JB 320GB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Owned and used full time since 2005
======================================================

My question is besides the obvious lack of storage space is there any reason to upgrade these for gaming purposes. I don't store movies or massive amounts of data that needs to be moved around a lot. If so what are some recommendations.

Thanks.


The only benefit of hard drives for gaming purposes is for quicker installations (which can only go as fast as the CD/DVD/image you're installing from), and faster loading times. That's basically it. Have fun gaming!
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September 30, 2009 8:32:53 PM

El_Capitan said:
I recommended a minimum of 600W. He can go 550W, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Why wouldnt you recommend it? Some 550W PSUs have more 'power' then some 600W or 650W PSUs.
Corsair 550VX +12V 41Amps / CM eXtreme Power RS600 +12V 36Amps / BFG Tech 650W +12V 40Amps
Want to guess which one has the 5 year warranty and excellent peformance reviews?
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September 30, 2009 9:35:18 PM

WR2 said:
Why wouldnt you recommend it? Some 550W PSUs have more 'power' then some 600W or 650W PSUs.
Corsair 550VX +12V 41Amps / CM eXtreme Power RS600 +12V 36Amps / BFG Tech 650W +12V 40Amps
Want to guess which one has the 5 year warranty and excellent peformance reviews?


If you want to get technical, then explain the technicality. In general, computer power supply ratings are very vague to the majority of consumers. To know what you'll exactly need, you'll want to study up. However, what's mostly important in regard to video cards is the +12V line.

Sorry if I don't go through a physics lesson on an online forum, but 550W can't have more 'power' than 551W. You can distribute more amps across a given point (i.e. one +12V rail @41Amps compared to two +12V rails @20Amps), but a Watt is basically 1V x 1A.

So, if you add up the +3.3V, +5V, and +12V lines, you'll get a sense of the total power draw in Watts.

In your example:
650W = 705.8W
550W = 691W

We want to figure out if the rating is measuring a Peak or Continuous rating. We can clearly see that none are measuring a Peak rating, so we're assuming it's a Continuous rating.

Here's a clearer picture of the overall rating:
650W = 705.8W at 92% efficiency (but states it operates at up to 80% efficiency)
550W = 691W at 80% efficiency (but states it operates at up to 85% efficiency)

Now, one thing neither specs out, is the operating temperature for continuous output power. Now, while the 650W has to be operating at 92% efficiency, that means only 8% of AC input is wasted resulting in heat. We have to assume that it's a more stable power supply because the temperatures are going to be lower to supply continuous output power.

Meanwhile, the 550W has to be operating at 80% efficiency, that means 20% of the power supply is generating heat. It's not going to be as stable as the 650W power supply because it will have more difficulty continuing that output power once the heat factor measures up.

Don't take my word for it, go with the 550W power supply.

Oh, one other thing. You're going by performance reviews? Most people either don't know what they're doing and buy the higher priced unit assuming that it's better, and more performance reviews usually means the product has been out on the market a lot longer. Yes, it's a good indication that a product is good, but it should not be an indication of whether the product fits the needs of your system.
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September 30, 2009 11:58:48 PM

Huh?
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October 1, 2009 12:54:40 AM

El_Capitan said:
Most people either don't know what they're doing
I belive you may have proved your point.
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October 1, 2009 12:56:11 AM

Whaa????? I'm confused. What was your point?
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October 1, 2009 1:02:46 AM

El_Capitan said:
If you want to get technical, then explain the technicality. In general, computer power supply ratings are very vague to the majority of consumers. To know what you'll exactly need, you'll want to study up. However, what's mostly important in regard to video cards is the +12V line.

Sorry if I don't go through a physics lesson on an online forum, but 550W can't have more 'power' than 551W. You can distribute more amps across a given point (i.e. one +12V rail @41Amps compared to two +12V rails @20Amps), but a Watt is basically 1V x 1A.

So, if you add up the +3.3V, +5V, and +12V lines, you'll get a sense of the total power draw in Watts.

In your example:
650W = 705.8W
550W = 691W

We want to figure out if the rating is measuring a Peak or Continuous rating. We can clearly see that none are measuring a Peak rating, so we're assuming it's a Continuous rating.

Here's a clearer picture of the overall rating:
650W = 705.8W at 92% efficiency (but states it operates at up to 80% efficiency)
550W = 691W at 80% efficiency (but states it operates at up to 85% efficiency)

Now, one thing neither specs out, is the operating temperature for continuous output power. Now, while the 650W has to be operating at 92% efficiency, that means only 8% of AC input is wasted resulting in heat. We have to assume that it's a more stable power supply because the temperatures are going to be lower to supply continuous output power.

Meanwhile, the 550W has to be operating at 80% efficiency, that means 20% of the power supply is generating heat. It's not going to be as stable as the 650W power supply because it will have more difficulty continuing that output power once the heat factor measures up.

Don't take my word for it, go with the 550W power supply.

Oh, one other thing. You're going by performance reviews? Most people either don't know what they're doing and buy the higher priced unit assuming that it's better, and more performance reviews usually means the product has been out on the market a lot longer. Yes, it's a good indication that a product is good, but it should not be an indication of whether the product fits the needs of your system.
I liked this part: "If you want to get technical, then explain the technicality."
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