System Upgrade, Rate me please

Lan

February 22, 2010 6:22:54 PM

Hey everyone. Old system & New system info is below. Please keep in mind that Overclocking is NOT a priority, though I may be fooling around here and there, depending on how things go. Please assume no OC'ing in this build.

Current System:

AMD 64 X2 4400+ (CPU)
4GB Corsair DDR-400 (RAM)
Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro SLI (MoBo)
2x eVGA 8800 GTS 320MB (Video in SLI)
Creative X-Fi Gamer Pro (Sound)
75GB Raptor (HD for OS and games)
500GB WD (HD for storage)
Case is nameless brand bought in Korea in 2003.

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Upgrading to (haven't purchased yet, but pretty much set):

Intel Core i7 950 (CPU) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Corsair Dominator 6GB (3 x 2GB RAM) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
eVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (MoBo) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Antec CP-850 (PSU) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Antec 1200 (Case) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Asus DVD Rom (DVD since old one is IDE) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Plextor DVD Burner (DVD Burner since old one is IDE) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I will be re-using all other items not directly upgraded as shown here, for now anyway.

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I will be running Win 7 Ultimate 64bit, and using this for a variety of things. This will be used for Gaming (every spare second I have), as well as the ocational video encode/decode, remote network administration, and powering my 42" 1080p Plasma. Since I'm a computer consultant, this is going to be used for a bit of everything. I realize my video cards are (argueably) dated but I think I'm going to wait for the new nVidia release before I upgrade, especially since it is my RAM & CPU that are my current bottlenecks.

Ok everyone fire away! Please critique this and give me all the feedback you can, and don't pull punches. Thanks!

More about : system upgrade rate

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MadAdmiral

February 22, 2010 6:32:01 PM

It's a waste of money.

I would get the i7-920 and save $270.

Switch the Corsair RAM for the Mushkin Enhanced Redline 3x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 6 (much faster sticks for about the same money) or the G.Skill Pi Series 3x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 (better performance for $40 less).

Spend a little extra and grab the Asus P6X58D Premium with USB 3/SATA III support.

I really hate the CP-850 PSU. Here's super efficient (and expensive) unit that will work in EVERY case, not just three Antecs OCZ Z Series 850W 80+ Gold Certified for $200.

Switch the Antec 1200 for a HAF 922. It's cheaper, huge and easily one of the best case ever made.

Do all of that, and you'll easily be able to buy the biggest Fermi they make, which will still likely be less powerful than the 5970...

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hunter315

February 22, 2010 6:43:35 PM

Dont get the dominators, they are overpriced, there is a set of Gskill memory that runs at 1.5V and has tighter timings for less
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Save a few hundred, get the i7 920 and a good heatsink and you can OC it well beyond the 950
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Why a DVD rom and a DVD burner? Why not just get 2 of the Plextor drive?(I have one, its quite nice, very quiet, first quiet optical drive i have ever had)

Also dont forget to combo, you can save 25 if you combo the 1200 and the CP-850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

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Lan

February 22, 2010 7:01:09 PM

Thank you for the replies guys. I know I could save money getting the 920, but as I said, I'm not really OC'ing and I'd rather have the better processor. It's the same thing I did when I bought my 4400+ (instead of the then cheaper and OC'able Opty 165), and I have been more than happy with my choice, so I plan to do the same thing here.

As for the memory, I have had some bad experiances with memory, and of the brands that I've tried, Corsair has never failed me, and the one time they did, the customer support was awesome. I realize the expensive price and questionable "fins" on the RAM sticks, but I'd rather have a build I'm comfortable with.

I chose the antec case PSU combo instead of a HAF case simply because I hate the way HAF's look personally. They may be a good case, perhaps even the best, but if I don't like the way a case looks, I won't buy it.

As for the 1 DVD ROM and 1 DVD Burner, it's because that is what I have now and I'm happy with the setup. The brands are the same as well, the only real difference is IDE vs SATA.

Thanks for the feedback guys, keep it comming!

EDIT: I just realized I didn't address the PSU recommendation by MadAdmiral. I chose the Antec 1200 case before the CP-850 PSU. I have a thermal take 600w PSU currently that might be able to do the job, I wasn't planning originally on upgrading my PSU. But the combo deal with the CP-850, along good reviews, the 850 just kind of fits what I want/need.