1st Time Poster Noob Mid-High Range system advice plz

[yanjarra]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Now

BUDGET RANGE: was $2500 aussie dollars...kinda over that now, but i want what i want u know...

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: University-software engineering, internet surfing, media-movies,music,pics...gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse,

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.itsky.com.au, www.pcdiy.com.au, www.pcmanics.com.au, www.umart.com.au, www.gamedude.com.au, www.techbuy.com.au, www.ddcomputer.com.au, www.mwave.com.au

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Australia

PARTS PREFERENCES:No preference, open to all suggestions, intel processor with 24inch lcd though i suppose

OVERCLOCKING: Yes SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Minimum 1920 * 1080p

gday mate,

26y.old aussie from qld here, please provide any assistance you are able to on my first ever build below. I based this system off the $1300 dec build but have made adjustents here and there to what i want. I originally had a budget of $2500 but im a touchover that now.....total cost at the moment is $2500 not including graphics cards and shipping. However I am the sort of person who likes to do things properly and get what i want and from most of the parts listed i cant see much id b willing to sacrifice.

However, certainly if any of you can see a way i may be able to sacrifice or substitute something to save a buck or 2 and not diminish performance to much that would be great to hear. Even just opinion on anything that can be done better-all welcome, im hoping all this is compatible, will fit together and run nicely. I sort of hope theres not too much change needed as boy have i put in some hours of research, so if something is going to be only slightly better, like save me $5, or only a 2% performance gain sort of thing probably would be easier not to confuse things haha! Id love to here wow tats a kick arse system well done so fingers crossed lol. But if theres a big stuff up or something major that can make this better let me know! I am open to changing cpu/motherboard if necessary.

I have a few particular questions in relation to the build to if you guys could help me...

1. Monitor- i was advised by a rep at dell that the st2410 would do everying i wanted for half the price. I than asked him to put this side by side in high def with the U2410, and i would be lying if i said i didn't know the differance, one is tn one is ips obviousy. Whats you guys opinion on which way i should go, is up2410 worth the extra $ given my needs and the system and quality differance in the monitors?

2. I have listed a few differant RAMS, which offers best price/performance? Can you buy 2 individual sticks eg. 2 *2gb rather than buy them actually in a dual channel pack. Or can only the packs be run in dual channel together, do they have something differant that the indvidual sticks dont? Because i notice this can sometimes be a cheaper option than the packs......

3.My optical/blueray drive, i dont really understand off the specs what they can do. I want it to be able to burn and read, blueray/dvd/cd on both writable and rewritable discs of all 3....is this drive capable?

4. My storgae - ssd for boot + two *1tb samsungs in raID 1 for data safety...good? If i was to only get 1 1tb fo now, can i get a 2nd at a later date and mirror the image between the two and than set up raid1, without losing data? or do you need to do this from the start/when both drives are fresh?

5. Graphics card 2* 5850, 1*5850 or 1 *5970? Am i able to just get one 5850 for now and than get the 2nd and crossfire it at a later date when they've come down in price? Will one be sufficient for now given my needs? I would like to give this infamous 'crysis' game a bash everyone talks about...i have been strictly a console gamer in the past but i am going to give a few games a bash on this for sure...is the HIS one okay? or should i buy one of the pricier brands..i.e the black edition xfx?.


6. Case- Will this bad boy fit everything ok and do the job?

Ok so heres the list, where i have listed multiple parts under a category is where i am still deciding between the listed parts so in these instances if you can let me know the best way to go that would be great. I have put the part i am leaning towards in itallics in this instance. Remember all prices are in AUD, coversion rate is:1 usd=1.11067 aud

CPU
i5750-$239
https://www.pcdiy.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=143_227&products_id=9827&osCsid=07769013e1d9222bf7172aec355ee68a

MOTHERBOARD
p55-ud4p-$218
http://www.itsky.com.au/catalog/partdetail.aspx?partno=GIG-MBO-46957

RAM
G.SKILL Twin Pack RIPJAWS 2x2gig (4gig Total) DDR3 1333MhzCL7 (PC3-10666) F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH-$149
(site wont provide link)

G.SKILL Twin Pack RIPJAWS 2x2gig (4gig Total) DDR3 1600MhzCL8 (PC3-12800) F3-12800CL8D-4GBRM-$159
(site wont provide link)

G SKILL F312800CL7D-4GBRH-$185
http://pcmaniacs.com.au/gskill-ripjaws-f312800cl7d4gbrh-1600mhz-77724-p-4918.html

OCZ PC312800CL7 1600MHZ-$179
http://pcmaniacs.com.au/platinum-pc312800-1600mhz-p-4879.html

HARD DRIVE
Samsung 1TB Spinpoint F3 7200/32mb sata2-$105.....x 2 in raid 1=$210
http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=2

BLUERAY
LG BH08LS20-$279
https://www.pcdiy.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=10030&osCsid=07769013e1d9222bf7172aec355ee68a

GPU
HIS 5850- $375
http://www.itsky.com.au/catalog/partdetail.aspx?partno=HIS-VCA-47861

XFX 5850
http://www.itsky.com.au/catalog/partdetail.aspx?partno=XFX-VCA-47878

XFX5850 BLACK
http://www.mwave.com.au/newAU/mwaveAU/productdetail.asp?CartID=mAU@PN3IY318BLZ17FBU6JWB6YLRRQTJFK4EDOQSN4F9YMN2MP&sku=42060227

HIS 5970
http://www.mwave.com.au/newAU/mwaveAU/productdetail.asp?CartID=mAU@PN3IY318BLZ17FBU6JWB6YLRRQTJFK4EDOQSN4F9YMN2MP&sku=42060217

SSD
Corsair - CMFSSD 6401-$288
http://www.itsky.com.au/catalog/partdetail.aspx?partno=COR-HDD-47682

Corsair - CMFSSD 64GAG2D- $241
http://www.itsky.com.au/catalog/partdetail.aspx?partno=COR-HDD-47683

POWER SUPPLY
Corsair TX-750-$169
http://pcmaniacs.com.au/corsair-tx750-750w-p-4122.html

OPERATING SYSTEM
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 OEM-$108
http://pcmaniacs.com.au/microsoft-windows-home-premium-64bit-full-version-p-4946.html

HEATSINK
Coolmas hyper plus 212-$43
http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/133884/COOLING_CPU_FANS/CoolerMaster/RR-B10-212P.asp

CASE
NXTZ Tempest-$152
http://www.itsky.com.au/catalog/partdetail.aspx?partno=NZX-CAS-36384

MONITOR
Dell UP2410-$679
http://www1.ap.dell.com/au/en/home/monitors/monitor-dell-u2410/pd.aspx?refid=monitor-dell-u2410&s=dhs&cs=audhs1

Dell ST2410-$365
http://www1.ap.dell.com/au/en/home/monitors/monitor-dell-st2410wfp/pd.aspx?refid=monitor-dell-st2410wfp&s=dhs&cs=audhs1

TOTAL COST (not including GPU)=$2500AUD or $2250 uSD

Sorry if the links don't work, I will sit down soon and teach myself how to do them properly. If they don't if someone could fix them that would be much appreciated.

THANKYOU VERY MUCH FOR ANY HELP

MATT

 

[a4mula]

1) IPS vs TN: For the average user all IPS offers is higher prices and slower response times. If however you need wide-gamut colors or support for wide viewing angles (ie portrait mode for eyefinity) it makes sense. The u2410 has had quite a few issues with pink/green tint according to users. The HP2475w is the only other 24" IPS in that price range and unfortunately it uses the same exact LG panel so it also suffers from this. You might consider a 2408wfp. It's PVA (little slower response) but doesn't have the tint issues which seems to be hit or miss.

If you do decide to stick with TN you might consider the ASUS VW246H, it's looked upon in very good light with gamers.

2) I'd avoid buying RAM in individual packs. When you buy a kit you guarantee that the ram has the same binnings, this maximizes compatibility. It's not uncommon to find identical ram that's been purchased separately that refuses to post or continuously throws bsods.

3) Yes, that drive is fine.

4) You can run those HDD's in RAID, just be aware that if either develops a bad sector then you're going to lose your array. Win7/Vista handles disk errors by forcing the drive to go into a deep cycle clean that typically lasts 20-30 seconds. After about 8 seconds of non-responsiveness the RAID controller is going to assume the drive has malfunctioned and remove it. You can get around this by purchasing the Enterprise RAID supported version. It comes at a substantial premium though. Of course people RAID these drives all the time and very few ever report this problem, so <shrug> just be aware of it. I'm 90 percent certain that when you build an array it has to come from clean disks. I've never attempted it otherwise, but maybe someone else can answer that definitively for you.

5) 1 5970 would of course be ideal from a pricepoint perspective. It's clocked @ 2x 5850 speeds, but is based on 2x 5870 gpus and will OC to that spec. It's impossible to find and it would pose major issues not only with your current PSU, but also your case. It also has some major bottleneck concerns. It's only capable of addressing 1gb of its 2gb total. There have been many reports of stuttering at high resolutions due to this. The ram cannot currently keep up with the processors. If you plan on running only a single monitor then a 5850 (cf down the road if need be) would be my recommendation. If you have any interest in Eyefinity then go 5870.

6) You might need to remove the side gpu fan to get the cm212 installed otherwise looks fine.

Edit : Sorry for some reason I thought you had the 650 up there, so ignore the following:

On a side note you might consider moving up to the Corsair 750tx if you do plan on future crossfire. Not only is is recommended from a wattage standpoint but the the 750 also offers 4x 6+2 pins vs the 650 2x6+2. Each of the 58xx series uses 1 6pin + 1 6+2. So crossfire needs 4x.

 

[yanjarra]

thanks 4 the help,

still really torn on the monitor....when i watched movies on it in demo its just looked better than the tn, + im not sure how accurate colors will need to be for any future uni projects given im just starting......but comes at a cost no doubt....

bit over my head on point 4 but by the sounds of it i should be right so long as i dont have bad luck.......(which i have been known too have)

 

[a4mula]

There's a ton of IPS/PVA screens out there. Not all of them cost an arm and a leg.

Dell 2209wa 22" 1680x1050 299.99 (212 /w free shipping if you've got the bargaining skills and the right rep)

HP LP2465 Refurbed 24" 1920x1200 199.99 - Newegg has sporadically had these in and out of stock for a few weeks now. Keep an eye out for it, this was a 1k monitor new 2 years ago. No HDCP, no vga.

NEC EA231wmi 23.1" 1920x1080 290-350 depending on deal. Displayport capable monitor E-IPS, great for eyefinity.

HP LP2275w 22" 1680x1050 349.99 Displayport.


Here's a great link to look up monitors by every different variable you can think of:

http://www.prad.de/en/guide/vergleich_auswahl.html

 

[yanjarra]

hi all

build is coming along well and i think it will be turn on time tonight which will be exciting nervous times...plz dont be sparks everywhere......

one question that has come up which is pretty basic...

my thermaltake case has a hdmi port on the front panel which converts to a sata cable....

do i just plug this into the sata slots on the mb or?

what purpose does this serve? I mean if this is where u put it (the mb).... what good does that do?

the vid card has hdmi out to monitor .....so where would this be needed?

thanks...

 

[yanjarra]

come on guys ..pretty basic question i would of thought surely someone knows the answer.....