[Solved] Possible build - please comment - Updated - New-System-Build

(hopefully I posted this right)
If I don't have any unexpected expenses arise in the next month or so, this is what I will be looking to build:
***************
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: (e.g.: this week (the closer the better)) Mid-to-late November
BUDGET RANGE: (e.g.: 600-800) $1500-1700 before rebates
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: (e.g.: Folding@Home, gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies) Gaming, Internet, Home Office
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: (e.g.: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS) Blu-ray Player/DVD-RW, Memorycard reader/floppy drive, monitor, speakers, OS
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: (e.g.: newegg.com, ncix.com -- to show us selection & pricing) NewEgg.com
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: (e.g.: Grand Fenwick) USA
PARTS PREFERENCES: by brand or type (e.g.: I would like to use an AMD CPU & Biostar mobo with a 24" LCD and full tower case) type: Good ones. :lol:
OVERCLOCKING: Yes / No / Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: OCing and Crossfire-ing
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: bang for buck is paramount
****************

My parts list:
PSU: KINGWIN Mach 1 ABT-1220MA1S 1220W ATX / BTX SLI Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail - $229 (after Rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817121040
Case: AZZA Solano 1000 Black/Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail - $60 after rebate (if bought by 10/30...might buy it to get the deal)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811517004
Mobo + CPU combo: AMD PhenomII 720BE + MSI 790FX-GD70 combo - $266
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.270863
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-4GBRM - Retail - $81
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231278
CPU HSF: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail - $27 after rebate
[url] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233003 [/url]
Secondary HDs: 2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148395
Primary (OS) HD: Kingston SSDNow V-Series SNV125-S2BN/64GB 2.5" 64GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) Notebook bundled accessory ... - Retail - $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820220390
Keyboard/Mouse: Ideazon MERC Black USB Wired Ergonomic Keyboard, GM-200 Mouse and Headset Gaming Pack - Retail - $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823161033
Wireless NIC: Rosewill RNX-G300EX IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Card Up to 54Mbps Data Rates 64/128-Bit WEP, 802.1x, WPA, WPA2, AES, TKIP ... - Retail - $17 + s/h
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6833166020
Video cards (if they ever come in): 2 x SAPPHIRE 100282SR Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity - Retail - $550 + s/h
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102857

Pros: Lots of juice, extras, expandability
Cons: Not much experience with Kingwin or Azza, new 5850 video tech, don't know if XP x64 drivers for new video cards

I'm hitting about $1400 after rebates and incl. s/h at this point.

Any feedback anyone can give about this system would be appreciated. If things are going smooth, I might start ordering parts next week.

Thanks in advance

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by jcknouse on 10-30-2009 at 06:30:54 PM

Add a reply

Register or log in to remove.

Best answer

jcknouse wrote :

PSU: KINGWIN Mach 1 ABT-1220MA1S 1220W ATX / BTX SLI Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail - $229 (after Rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817121040

Only 4 PCI-e power connectors? Are you thinking about Quad Crossfire or 4x 5850s for folding? You'll want 8 PCI-e power connectors. ENERMAX REVOLUTION85+ 1050W 80PLUS SILVER 8 PCI-e power connectors $201 a/r Enermax has 87A +12V power vs 90A +12V power for the KINGWIN. Both are far in excess of what you'd need for 4 5850s.

If not Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W PSU $95 after $20 rebate has much more than the recommened 600Ws for 2s 5850s.

Reply to WR2

You absolutely don't need anywhere near 1000W for that system unless you're trying to power a small village with the excess power. +1 for the 750W Antec PSU listed above.

I would use some of the money saved on the PSU to step up to a modern OS. Windows 7 was officially released yesterday and is an excellent OS. Here's a combo deal with the Antec EA750 PSU + Windows 7 Home Premium.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.276415

There's also a combo with Windows 7 Professional and the same PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.276423

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to shortstuff_mt

Good point. Forgot about dual connectors on each video card. Nice catch.

Yeah, I'd either go 3x 5850 or, if they're out, might get 2 5850x2s or 2 5870x2s just to save slot space. Going to have to PCI or PCIe slot open for a Wireless NIC in there somewhere unless I found a USB 2.0 that has an external antenna.

Reply to jcknouse

shortstuff_mt wrote :

You absolutely don't need anywhere near 1000W for that system unless you're trying to power a small village with the excess power. +1 for the 750W Antec PSU listed above.

I would use some of the money saved on the PSU to step up to a modern OS. Windows 7 was officially released yesterday and is an excellent OS. Here's a combo deal with the Antec EA750 PSU + Windows 7 Home Premium.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.276415

There's also a combo with Windows 7 Professional and the same PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.276423

Thing is:

I have 2 Windows XP Professional x64 licenses sitting spare at the house.

dishing out another $150+ for Pro or Ultimate Win 7 doesn't seem necessary until DX11/OGL3.1 proliferation is more widespread in the market. By then, I could probably find some 3-pack somewhere for about the same.

I'd have to have something that runs XP mode, cause some of the games I still play are written for it.

I could always go dual boot?

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to jcknouse

Three 5850's is complete overkill for 1920x1200.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to shortstuff_mt

jcknouse wrote :

Thing is:

I have 2 Windows XP Professional x64 licenses sitting spare at the house.

dishing out another $150+ for Pro or Ultimate Win 7 doesn't seem necessary until DX11/OGL3.1 proliferation is more widespread in the market. By then, I could probably find some 3-pack somewhere for about the same.

I'd have to have something that runs XP mode, cause some of the games I still play are written for it.

I could always go dual boot?

To each his own, I guess. I certainly wouldn't use 64-bit XP on a new build. The driver support is nearly non-existent for it. The combo deal I listed above would make Windows 7 Pro only $130. I would be very surprised if your games didn't run on Windows 7 without XP mode. Hardware and software support is excellent with it. I run Windows 7 on two machines at home and have never found a piece of hardware or software that caused it any problems at all.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by shortstuff_mt on 10-23-2009 at 09:13:34 PM

Reply to shortstuff_mt

shortstuff_mt wrote :

Three 5850's is complete overkill for 1920x1200.

Okay. that I wasn't sure. Didn't know if it'd be fps beneficial or not.

My Acer G24 is only 1920x1200, so I guess I'd need a better monitor too.

Reply to jcknouse

shortstuff_mt wrote :

To each his own, I guess. I certainly wouldn't use 64-bit XP on a new build. The driver support is nearly non-existent for it. The combo deal I listed above would make Windows 7 Pro only $130. I would be very surprised if your games didn't run on Windows 7 without XP mode. Hardware and software support is excellent with it. I run Windows 7 on two machines at home and have never found a piece of hardware or software that caused it any problems at all.

Oh. I had just read about XP Mode and needing it on some other sites. I figured that .NET 3.5 was going to start forcing less backward compatibility with driver models, especially seeing how they revamped the Windows video inner workings.

I guess I could get the Win 7 Pro, but I'd still want to dual boot rather than XP mode. Something about running an OS from within an OS screams performance killer to me.

Maybe i'm just paranoid.

Reply to jcknouse

jcknouse wrote :

I'd have to have something that runs XP mode, cause some of the games I still play are written for it. I could always go dual boot?

Go for dual boot. You don't want to pass on the Win7 experience -its that good. I have a dual boot (okay quad-boot XP/Vista/Win7/Ubunutu 9.04) set up and Im really happy with 7.
Using Win7 32bit I've had good success getting many older XP era games to run using the Application Compatibility Toolkit.
Test runs on Win7 64bit haven't been so good for older games.
Find one of the Win7 bundles to save a bit extra and go for it.

jcknouse wrote :

Yeah, I'd either go 3x 5850

That Antec TruePower New 750W PSU would absolutely run 3x 5850s but you'd need a 850W model for the 6 PCI-e power connectors. You could also use a couple of molex to PCI-e adapters that come in the video card accessory pack to stay with the 750W. JonnyGuru review
Also check out the Kingwin Mach1 (1000W model) review

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to WR2

If you're not going to be using XP mode then you might as well just save $40 and get Home Premium. Here's a comparison of the different versions:

http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/w [...] fault.aspx

Are you a student? You can actually get Windows 7 for $30 if you are.

www.win741.com

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/273243-31-win7-full

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to shortstuff_mt

WR2 wrote :

Go for dual boot. You don't want to pass on the Win7 experience -its that good. I have a dual boot (okay quad-boot XP/Vista/Win7/Ubunutu 9.04) set up and Im really happy with 7.
Using Win7 32bit I've had good success getting many older XP era games to run using the Application Compatibility Toolkit.
Test runs on Win7 64bit haven't been so good for older games.
Find one of the Win7 bundles to save a bit extra and go for it.

You sound like me. I have an XP/Kubuntu/OpenSUSE/Ubuntu box at the house :lol:

Quote :

That Antec TruePower New 750W PSU would absolutely run 3x 5850s but you'd need a 850W model for the 6 PCI-e power connectors. You could also use a couple of molex to PCI-e adapters that come in the video card accessory pack to stay with the 750W. JonnyGuru review
Also check out the Kingwin Mach1 (1000W model) review

I definitely don't wanna short myself of options. I know sometimes, e.g.-nVidia 295, that videocards are way overpriced. I can price out 2 cards cheaper than 1, but have to use more power/slots. the 5000-series ATI cards are a little better on power though. just wondering what theri x2 models will be like.

shortstuff_mt wrote :

If you're not going to be using XP mode then you might as well just save $40 and get Home Premium. Here's a comparison of the different versions:

http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/w [...] fault.aspx

Are you a student? You can actually get Windows 7 for $30 if you are.

www.win741.com

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/273243-31-win7-full

Shortstuff, that rules. I gotta check that out when I get home, and see if my niece can get me Home Premium Win 7 for $30 (she's in college).

If so, that makes life AOK for getting win 7

Heck, I only donated to Canonical $100 for 4 installs of Kubuntu. Why should MS get $150 for one?? (Kubuntu had drivers for everything so far just like Windows) :lol:

That tip on the $30 rules tho.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to jcknouse

Here is a great chart that compares the features of Win7 that each version has: Windows 7 Editions: A Comparison

Reply to WR2

Actually if you read the link last link I posted you'll see that you should be able to get a full version of Windows 7 Pro for $30.

Reply to shortstuff_mt

jcknouse wrote :

the 5000-series ATI cards are a little better on power though. just wondering what their x2 models will be like.

With the 5870 already at 11.1" Im wondering how long they'll be.

Reply to WR2

A just published review of game compatibility (including older releases) with Win7 @ Bit-Tech

Reply to WR2

Windows 7 pro for 30$ is a good deal, if you can get that i would recommend it, i switched from windows vista to windows 7 and have never looked back. Go with windows 7!

------------------------------ Saving up for new ipod touch cant wait
Reply to admin123

I'm gonna try and get Win 7 Pro or Ultimate through the upgrade for $30. If not, I will just wait til I find a special or OEM or something cheap/free.

I just wish NewEgg would get some 5850s back in stock.

Reply to jcknouse

It's not just NewEgg. 5850s / 5870s are scarce all over.
Surprisingly GTX 275 and GTX 285 are in short supply as well.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to WR2

WR2 wrote :

It's not just NewEgg. 5850s / 5870s are scarce all over.
Surprisingly GTX 275 and GTX 285 are in short supply as well.

That bites. This is the time in life that I wish I knew someone that worked at ATI :lol:

Reply to jcknouse

I think my system build is on hold. ATI under-ordered 40nm wafers.

No 5800 series for me

Reply to jcknouse

Keeping checking - I read at least 2 threads about people snagging a 5850 last night. They probably stole yours.

Reply to WR2

MSI R5850-PM2D1G radeon hd 5850 in stock for $290 at Mwave.com

Reply to WR2

Will do. I ordered some memory (mushkin) and a case/PSU combo (AZZATek) today. They were such good deals with rebates, I had to. After rebates, the case and 850 PSU comes out to a total of 88 I think. lol

Will pick up more parts as time goes on.

Reply to jcknouse

Okay, the system so far:

Case: AZZA Solano 1000 Black/Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811517004

PSU: AZZA Dynamo 850 850W ATX & EPS 12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817517003

RAM: Mushkin Enhanced 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 996744 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820226075

Mobo: MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813130223

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116758

CPUs: 2x AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103680

TC: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835100007

HSFs: ZALMAN 9500A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail (to install)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835118223
Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - Retail (to test with/as a backup)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835207004

SSD: Kingston SNV225-S2/64GB 2.5" 64GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820139030

StarTech BRACKET25SAT Adapter/Cable to Mount 2.5" SATA HD into a 3.5" Bay - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6812200176

HD RAID: 4x SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152181
Backup HD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152100
KINGWIN KF-92-BK SATA Black Aluminum Mobile Rack w/ Security Turn Knob - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817990009
Acronis True Image Home 2009 OEM - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832200010

Monitor: Acer H213H bmid Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI Full HD 1080P Widescreen 16:9 LCD Monitor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824009157

KB/Mouse: Ideazon MERC Black USB Wired Ergonomic Keyboard, GM-200 Mouse and Headset Gaming Pack - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823161033

Free Items:
Nippon Labs SATA II Cable 0.5M SATA 2 Cable with Data & Power Combo Model: SATA-0.5-COMBO - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6812816097

2x LINKSYS WPC100 RangePlus Wireless Notebook Adapter - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6833124260

Parts Total: $1,578.56
MIRs: -$ 120.00

total $1,458.56

Now all I need is for ATI and nVidia to get their new video cards out :lol:

Message edited by jcknouse on 10-29-2009 at 07:01:07 PM

Reply to jcknouse

That AZZA Dynamo PSU is a very bad idea. It doesn't have active PFC, is not 80+ certified, and has a good majority of its power output on the 5v rail. I strongly suggest NOT getting that POS unless you want your new rig to go out with a bang.

Reply to shortstuff_mt

shortstuff_mt wrote :

That AZZA Dynamo PSU is a very bad idea. It doesn't have active PFC, is not 80+ certified, and has a good majority of its power output on the 5v rail. I strongly suggest NOT getting that POS unless you want your new rig to go out with a bang.

It came as part of a combo. Saved me $20 more on the case. That's why I got it. Not because I think it's great. It will be my backup basically.

I looked at it, and knew it wasn't a quality one. As well, i saw the 32A on the 5V rail too. But, it had 60A on the 12V rail total which is supposedly plenty to power at least 1 video card and the rest of the hardware if need be down the road.

I'll look at something else, but I won't be doing that until I go to order video cards. I'm not gonna order a 650W supply now then get 2 5970s later and have to look at *another* PSU.

Just an FYI too...idk wtf a PFC is...and I don't suspect you mean Private First Class. (Sorry, dad was US Army...lol)

I'm a programmer/database admin/OS admin professionally. I just build my own PCs for fun. I don't get into checking all the voltage ripples out myself or anything anymore. I read reviews basically now to get the general idea of what's good, then look for a pretty good PSU with a decent price. That's why in my last 3 builds, my PSUs have been:

OCZ GameXstream 700W
ABS Tagan 1100W
ABS Tagan 1300W

I tend not to get really technical anymore on hardware. I used to back when ISA and VLB were the in-thing (back about 1992), but I don't have time anymore to know the pin-out of a PCI slot...unfortunately (those were the days...ah).

I appreciate you making sure I knew it is a POS. I don't know if it's a POS. Plenty of people seem to have had decent experiences with it. I just know that not having seen a tech review of it anywhere, I wouldn't trust it. Plus, Azza doesn't have the manual online for it which makes me think twice about their "excellence" claim.

Anyway, I will get a "real" PSU when I figure out what video setup I'm gonna get. Sometime, NewEgg might run a special or have a rebate and free shipping and a combo on a video card and like the Corsair 1000 or something and I can get a steal on it. (fingers crossed )

Reply to jcknouse

Just an FYI to you guys who have given me advice on a PSU, I went to a couple sites and found this PSU that rated highly and ordered it.

ENERMAX REVOLUTION85+ ERV1050EWT 1050W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Compatible w/Core i7 Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817194039

It has tons of rails, 87A total across the 12V (in case i go with 3 or 4 5770s or 5850s or dual 5950s), etc.

What do you guys think?

Next step is waiting til the 2nd week of November. Hopefully, ATI will have that new line out, and I can make a video card purchase then stick the bad boys in the rig and fire it up.

Again, thanks to you guys for your help and comments.

Reply to jcknouse

I also went ahead and, because I'm too impatient, bought 2 Sapphire 5770 video cards.

All the parts will be at my house on Friday. Everything but the video cards and some gaming mice are already there. I'll start assembling it tonight or tomorrow or Friday.

Reply to jcknouse

Nice. Good luck with the build!

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to shortstuff_mt

shortstuff_mt wrote :

Nice. Good luck with the build!

Thanks I went out of budget a bit...about $300 after rebates. But, oh well! :lol:

Cool thing is if they all come back...I have over $200 in rebates. I'm making copies of everything tonight before I put them in the envelopes and send them delivery confirmation too. Then if the rebate company says it didn't get it, I have the USPS on my side

I am actually gonna build the thing with the 92mm Zalman. Everything I've read says it can keep the AM3s cool, and its reduced size (compared to that monster SunbeamTech 120mm I got as the backup) will allow more free airflow.

I appreciate you guys helpin. I wouldn't have even looked at PSUs again, and when I did I found that Enermax 1050W with an $85 rebate...so I snapped it up...and JonnyGuru and other sites rated it highly.

I'll try and take some pics with my digital camera as I build the thing, as well as when I get it running...with 3 OSes :lol:

Reply to jcknouse

HD 5850s are back in stock now.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to WR2

WR2 wrote :

HD 5850s are back in stock now.

I went in at 8:15AM ET, and there's none on NewEgg. I think the world is against me!

I saw they are getting the 5850s back in stock on Monday 9 November, and 5870s the following Monday after that.

I just couldn't wait that long. I am going home tonight, cutting out UPCs, going and photocopying forms and everything, then mailing out the 5 rebates I got in the build for $205 total to offset about 10% of the machine cost.

But, I got 2 5770s. In the benchmarks, it meets or exceeds 1 5850 except in high-end stuff...which i don't play. Just that if I want to upgrade video later, I have to buy 2 new cards now. Hopefully they get cheaper in about 6 months.

I plan on getting a high-end sound card after Thanksgiving to put in this bad-boy, so the other slot will be in use.

Plus, I had just reached the end of my finances, and gotta save a little :lol:

Message edited by jcknouse on 11-05-2009 at 02:46:42 PM

Reply to jcknouse

Focus On

[Solved] Possible build - please comment - Updated

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - [Solved] Possible build - please comment - Updated