statikstate

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE:2/15/10 BUDGET RANGE: 2000$

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:mainly for games, etc. Once bluray reader/writers drop price I'll probably add one

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Need everything

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: US

PARTS PREFERENCES: intel cpu/Ati Gpu

OVERCLOCKING: Yes Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: later on

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920 1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This will be my first desktop for gaming; I've been a gamer all my life but couldn't afford pc gaming, mainly consoles. I have the money now, and even though I understand there is no such thing as future_proofing I want a system that will last me the end of this generation. I'm 23 but have a family and kids and the wife isn't budging much, so I won't be able to upgrade every year like some people. Play pretty much all genres other than mmo's. Big into rpgs, strat, fps and such. I appreciate any help and advice you guys can give me.

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129043
HIS H587F1GDG Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161301
Intel X25-V SSDSA2MP040G2R5 2.5" 40GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820167025
ASUS P7P55 WS SuperComputer with NF200 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131594
Antec TruePower New TP-750 Blue 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371022
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115215
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145260
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152185
Saitek PZ30AUR 104 Normal Keys 4 Function Keys USB Wired Standard Eclipse Red Backlit Keyboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823175104
ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) Built-in Speakers - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824236049
Logitech MX518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming Mouse
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6826104178
LG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827136144
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Full
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116716
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103065
Subtotal: $2,004.86

I stuck with a 750 psu because if I choose the 5870, I'll crossfire it within a year. I then added a ssd data drive to keep the price similar. What do you guys think? If I don't get a 5970 should I wait for the new Nvidia card? I've already waited a while but as far as I know there is no concrete date on Fermi so still undecided. Btw, since I won't make a purchase for approximately two weeks, I left out combos/ deals. When I actually buy it I'll look for appropriate deals. Thanks for the help
 
Solution
You'll need 3 x 2GB DDR3-1600 for the 1366 boards ....2 x 2GB is for the 1156 socket.

Also suggest the Asus P6X58D .... Asus' implementation of USB 3 is superior to Gigabyte's

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/usb-3.0-performance,2490.html

I agree w/ Baba that the 212 and Xigmatec 1283 coolers are great coolers "for the money". But to my mind, they're appropriate for a $1200 system. At $2k, all those "hi end" components deserve an appropriately hi end HS

Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme
Prolimatech Megahalems
Noctua NH-D14 (tho be careful of the 3 pounds !)

dmcfc

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You're links are broken, but anyway, don't get the windows 7 full version get the OEM, which is a lot cheaper and save some money.

Other thing is, you selected a IDE optical drive, now days you should be getting a sata optical drive.

And really!!! Don't spend more than $20 on a keyboard, and $20 on a mouse, it's just not worth it, you can get quality stuff at that price, and trust me most of the people don't even use what those products offer more than the traditional keyboard and mouse.

With that said that money you saved there use to change the cpu/mobo for a i7 920. Really on that budget you really should get an i7. i5 are for build around $1000-$1500. Instead of getting a sdd change the 5870 for a 5970


 

statikstate

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Thanks man I was actually thinking that, I really wanted to get a 5970 and an i7, but everywhere people keep promoting the i5. I wanted an i7 and a 5970, don't really care much for an sdd because they seem overpriced to me. I wanted a crossfire enabled mobo because in a year I would want to crossfire the 5970 for quad gpus. Any suggestions? this will be my first build, and I want it to last me for at least three years, or whenever the new ps/xbox comes out. I'm a novice in this, and any suggestions/builds would be appreciated. Thanks
 
PSU:

Your choice is 750 watt, costs $119 and gets 9.5 performance rating
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=140

Antec CP-850 has 100 watta more power, is $109, is specifically made for the Antec 1200 case and gets 10.0 performance rating
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=142

Hard Drives - Check out the performance charts and pick whatever 500 GB per platter drive performs best under your usage patterns. The WD Black 2 TB is a good choice but at smaller capacities, you are limited to the Seagate 7200.12 or the Spinpoint F3. The 7200.12 excels in gaming, multimedia and pictures whereas the F3 wins at music and movie maker. See the comparisons here (copy past link in manually, link won't work in forum):

(http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/compare,1006.html?prod[2371]=on&prod[2770]=on)

That cooler isn't really up to the standard of the other components. Pick from the top 3 here, assuming of course that you will be OC'ing:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/Recommended_Heatsinks
http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm#INTELHEATSINK
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=371&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=15

GFX / MoBo - Normally i'd recommend a 920 / X58 board for the 5870 / 5970 but the NF200 to my understanding allows for full bandwidth PCI-E at x16 so I'm not sure what you'd gain in a gaming environment with the 920. Tho personally, I'd do the 920 for non gaming reasons.
 

statikstate

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Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
Antec CP-850 850W Continuous Power CPX SLI Certified
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371024
ASUS EAH5970/G/2DIS/2GD5 Radeon HD 5970 2GB 512 (256 x 2)-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121357
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433
Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185093
Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260
Saitek PZ30AUR 104 Normal Keys 4 Function Keys USB Wired Standard Eclipse Red Backlit Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823175104
ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049
Logitech MX518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming Mouse
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104178
Logitech X-540 70 watts 5.1 Speakers

This is the final setup I came up with; I have money tow work with, but I had been trying to stay under 2000 dollars, and this build is higher than that. However, after much deliberation this is the best I could come up with. I was thinking of staying with 1366 because I would like to leave the option open for crossfiring the 5970s in the future, a year or two from now.
 

dmcfc

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The thing I would do there is change the keyboard and mouse, it really is not worth it!
That's basically it, but I would also change the ram for a triple-channel ram
that's it!
That's a very good build!
 

babachoo

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I'll recommend the following changes...

CoolerMaster HAF 922 case, you don't need a full tower, and even if you really did, the 922 is basically a full tower, compare the demensions, they're nearly the same.

Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB HDD
Win7 HP OEM Upgrade edition - You can only install System Builder versions on one mobo, if you ever change your mobo, you're screwed.
Asus P6X58D Premium mobo - Much better board and a lot more future proofing
Get a 3X2GB triple channel memory kit, like OCZ Gold or Platinum low voltage PC12800
And for $29, the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus is the best cooler for the money, hands down. It even outperforms the V8 and a few of those $80+ Peltier coolers.
 
You'll need 3 x 2GB DDR3-1600 for the 1366 boards ....2 x 2GB is for the 1156 socket.

Also suggest the Asus P6X58D .... Asus' implementation of USB 3 is superior to Gigabyte's

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/usb-3.0-performance,2490.html

I agree w/ Baba that the 212 and Xigmatec 1283 coolers are great coolers "for the money". But to my mind, they're appropriate for a $1200 system. At $2k, all those "hi end" components deserve an appropriately hi end HS

Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme
Prolimatech Megahalems
Noctua NH-D14 (tho be careful of the 3 pounds !)
 
Solution

dirtdiver

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I would also go with either an eVGA or Asus board. You could get by just fine on a Gigabyte, and I admit being biased, but I really prefer Asus and eVGA products.

As far as gaming goes, that MX518 is a solid mouse--should do everything you want. The Logitech G9 is my personal favorite. It is $45 on ( http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Logitech+-+G9+Laser+Gaming+Mouse/8472324.p?id=1185265538878&skuId=8472324 ) but I really feel it is worth it. People may say it makes no difference, but I am a competitive gamer, and for league play--I want to be sure I am not being limited by hardware. Everyone I have recommended the G9 to has thanked me once they bought it.

You will certainly want to upgrade your CPU cooling, basically any option is better than stock. Here is an example of a stock i7 cooler next to my Xigmatek Dark Knight (from when I was building my i7 rig).

coolingvscooling.jpg


All in all, looks like you've got a good plan--and you should certainly get excellent results from that PC! Happy building (and gaming) ;)
 

statikstate

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Made all the changes you guys suggested, changed the cooler to the Megahalems, changed the hard drive, the mobo, and the ram to the ocz gold 3 x 2. i would change the keyboard and mouse but I've used those before and found them comfortable; really like the backlit keyboard as well. I'll probably make this purchase next friday; however I'm about three hundred bucks over my budget. I could probably get the wife to ok the extra money though so it should be fine. Thanks for the help now I just wait
 

statikstate

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Hey one last thing- I'm going to spend 600+ on just the graphics card: a I know there arent any official reviews or benchmarks, but does any one expect the new nvidia cards to bypass the 5970? I know it is expected to pass the 5870 easily since it is newer tech but the 5970 should be the best around for a while right? I'm definitely not one of those people that needs the best pc all the time; I just dont want to buy the card now and in three weeks something markedly better comes along since I won't be upgrading any time soon
 

babachoo

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This is purely speculation, but I suspect that the new Fermi, (speaking specifically about the high or mid-high end cards of the new line) would probably be at least 10% better than ANY card on the market now, including the GTX 295 or HD 5970. But that's just a common sense type of guess and based on zero actual facts or data. It just wouldn't make sense to release a new card that couldn't outperform current cards by a noticable difference. And noticable, to me, means around 10-20%+ (10% on benchmarks, 20% actual gameplay). But who knows, they may be $1000, or they might just be about equal to a 5970. Though this would be illogical, I wouldn't rule it out. It's just one of those decisions where you buy now if you need something now, or wait if you can wait. Waiting is always better, because even if the new Fermi cards are junk, at least you can get the 5970 for a lot cheaper. But even the variable of how long you'd have to wait has absolutely no facts or official comments pertaining to it, to help you make that decision, unfortunately. :(
 

Just a nickname

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2x 5870 > 5970 (even if the 5970 is supposed to be 2x5870) nah?

I don't know where I got that, I gues it is one of toms article... to be continued :)

EDIT: I think they benchmarked the cards after being overclocked and the 5870s were easier to overclock.
 

dirtdiver

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The 5970 is a pair of 5850 chips on one PCB IIRC. So a pair of 5870's should (in theory) have the potential to outperform it. Or, naturally, a pair of 5850's could do the same as a 5970. This will obviously be driver dependent and subject to difference scaling on different games and different PC configurations.

As a guideline, I usually prefer single GPU setups..but if I were to really be looking to have "the best" I would double up on my 5870's. Just sayin..
 

statikstate

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yeah but since the 5970 is downclocked if i oc it to 5870 levels it would perform comparatively, right? Plus two 5870's are 800+. I'm thinking getting a 5970 now and maybe getting a second if needed when the 6000 series launches.
 

dirtdiver

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Suffice to say you wont be "needing" more than one 5970 ;)

Correct on the overclocking. The 5970 is supposed to overclock *very* nicely.

Here's a guru3d review on exactly that!

http://www.guru3d.com/article/overclock-radeon-5970-guide/