My first build... I could use a review pls.

[brandonaudia]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within the month

BUDGET RANGE: $1400

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Editing/Rendering, Workstation, Media Player

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, OS, monitor, speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: Just to fit my needs

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe in the future

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: I might ad another HD 5850 down the road

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920 x 1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This is my first solo build I have assisted in 1 previous, have done countless

hours of research, and consider myself to be fairly tech savvy. Despite all that I would still appreciate

some input/comments/criticism of my build before I drop $1400 bucks only to find out I overlooked a minor

detail.



Here's what I came up with:




Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full ------------------------- ($160)


CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W ------------------ ($160)


CPU Fan: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler ----------- ($40)


Mobo: MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD --------------------------------------- ($148)


RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) --- ($210)


PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready ----------- ($100)


GPU: XFX HD-585A-ZNBC Radeon HD 5850 1GB Black Edition 256-bit GDDR5 PCI ------------- ($340)


HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" X 2 ---------- ($200)


DVD ROM/Burner: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner ------------------------ ($27)


Cables: Premium High Performance HDMI Cable v1.3 10 ft. HDMI TO HDMI Cable ------------------ ($11)


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total: $1,396

S&H: $34

Grand Total: $1,430


*All items found on Newegg.com*



Please let me know what you think, and if I missed anything (Compatibility/Price/Hardware/Etc)

Thanks!

 

[hunter315]

The F3 is cheaper and faster than the Caviar Black so you can save $20 there
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

You can combo the 955 with the 5850 and save $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.346123

The Hyper 212+ will perform better and quieter than the 92mm cooler for a bit less too
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&cm_re=hyper_212%2b-_-35-103-065-_-Product

You can also save $30 by swapping the board for the ASUS 790X board which will still provide you 8x/8x CF down the line which has a minimal performance penalty versus 16x/16x CF
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131402

 

[Niklas_13]

You could also save some buy getting the CM 922 less there is a reson for getting the 932 not much differences LWH wise

 

[brandonaudia]

I looked at the ASUS 790X as a possibility when I was picking my hardware, my only concern was that the

Radeon HD 5850 might be to wide to have crossfire on a board with only x 2 slots. Is that a possibility,

because I read that the 5850 is pretty big?


The only other thing about that board is the RAM speed, which max's out at 1800 OC. Would 2133 OC and x

4 PCI slots on the MSI 790FX be worth the extra $60? Or is it a lost cause because a year from now the

790FX will be 3rd Gen...


I'm not really sure, but I'd rather not throw away money needlessly if it can be avoided... so thanks for the input.

 

[hunter315]

Are you going to pay the extra for ram that will be able to be OC'ed over 1800? It will cost quite a bit more and unless you are aiming for extreme performance its not worth it.

The 790X has 2 slots between each PCI-E slot so you have no need to worry about being cramped on space, there will even be a larger air gap between the two.

 

[blackjellognomes]

I agree with hunter315's comments. The only thing I would change from his suggestions is the mobo choice. You definitely don't need quad CF. And the board you listed was $168 when I checked. But personally, I would suggest the GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail at $140 over the Asus 790X. The main draw is the SATA III and USB support of the new 890GX NB.

Another thing you might want to consider changing is the PSU. 750W is a weird place for a HD 5850. A single 5850 would be just fine on 600W, but two 5850s in CF may
need something in the 800W range, especially if you plan on OC'ing your 955 (which I assume you will due to the HSF and it's being a 955) and/or the cards. The bare minimum recommended is 600W, but I wouldn't be comfortable with that even on a bare minimum setup with no OC'ing. Better safe than sorry.

 

[brandonaudia]

Here's something interesting, an open box MSI 790FX for $144.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130223R&cm_re=msi_790fx-gd70-_-13-130-223R-_-Product


Anyone have any experience with Newegg open box products?


From what I could tell there is minimal difference between 1600 RAM and 1800+ RAM DDR3. I guess I was

just thinking that later on it would be nice to have the option to upgrade. It's just to bad everything becomes

outdated after 6-12 months... Lol

 

[blackjellognomes]

You could also save some buy getting the CM 922 less there is a reson for getting the 932 not much differences LWH wise

The price difference is due to the 932's superior cooling, not size.

 

[blackjellognomes]

Here's something interesting, an open box MSI 790FX for $144.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130223R&cm_re=msi_790fx-gd70-_-13-130-223R-_-Product


Anyone have any experience with Newegg open box products?


From what I could tell there is minimal difference between 1600 RAM and 1800+ RAM DDR3. I guess I was

just thinking that later on it would be nice to have the option to upgrade. It's just to bad everything becomes

outdated after 6-12 months... Lol

Open-box is usually alright; you just might not get all the cables and stuff that come with it. And then there's always the chance that it really is nonfunctional.

 

[brandonaudia]

I agree with hunter315's comments. The only thing I would change from his suggestions is the mobo choice. You definitely don't need quad CF. And the board you listed was $168 when I checked. But personally, I would suggest the GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail at $140 over the Asus 790X. The main draw is the SATA III and USB support of the new 890GX NB.

Another thing you might want to consider changing is the PSU. 750W is a weird place for a HD 5850. A single 5850 would be just fine on 600W, but two 5850s in CF may
need something in the 800W range, especially if you plan on OC'ing your 955 (which I assume you will due to the HSF and it's being a 955) and/or the cards. The bare minimum recommended is 600W, but I wouldn't be comfortable with that even on a bare minimum setup with no OC'ing. Better safe than sorry.

I'll check out the 890GX, but the 790FX I found for under $168 was a combo deal with the BE 955

That open box 790FX would be the same price as the 890GX, is the SATA III and USB support worth

getting the 890GX instead?


I was looking at the CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009


Do you think 850W is enough for crossfire and future case expansions? I was thinking I'd just go 1000W+

just so I didn't have to worry, but I'm not sure how long the PSU will last.

 

[blackjellognomes]

I'll check out the 890GX, but the 790FX I found for under $168 was a combo deal with the BE 955

That open box 790FX would be the same price as the 890GX, is the SATA III and USB support worth

getting the 890GX instead?


I was looking at the CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009


Do you think 850W is enough for crossfire and future case expansions? I was thinking I'd just go 1000W+

just so I didn't have to worry, but I'm not sure how long the PSU will last.

The worth is relative. Do you think it's worth it? SATA III and USB 3.0 will be mainstream within a few years, I think. And I noticed you seem rather concerned with the longevity of the rig.

850W will be enough for CF + additional HDDs + other expansions.
Corsair produces the best PSUs IMO, so I wouldn't worry about that. It'll last at least 5 years, if it doesn't come DOA.

 

[hunter315]

A good 750W unit is sufficient for even 2 5870s in CF, 850W units are generally for triple card setups, 1kW units are for 4 GPU setups. The 750TX will last you atleast 5 years probably significantly longer so there isnt a reason to worry about it.

 

[brandonaudia]

The worth is relative. Do you think it's worth it? SATA III and USB 3.0 will be mainstream within a few years, I think. And I noticed you seem rather concerned with the longevity of the rig.

850W will be enough for CF + additional HDDs + other expansions.
Corsair produces the best PSUs IMO, so I wouldn't worry about that. It'll last at least 5 years, if it doesn't come DOA.

Well I guess SATA III and USB 3.0 would be nice to have, and if all I'm giving up is 2 PCI slots and 2133 OC

RAM limits then it sounds worth it. Especially if I can for sure fit x 2 Radeon HD 5850's in the 890GX? As far

as graphics wise I doubt any money concious person would use quad crossfire when as of now a single

HD 5000 series will run any game fairly well... and dual 5850's two years from now will still be viable I

think.



Of course I would like this rig to last 5yrs, but I'm a realist and I doubt thats a reality with the current

hardware that will be outdated by then. I'm not really concerned for the longevity, but if I could plan

ahead and get a rig that could be updated as needed I will use the old hardware in one of my other PCs...

kind of like hand-me downs for my computers. Haha

That's why I went for the Coolermaster HAF A.K.A. the "Huge Ass Freak" so that I could use that same

case in my next updated build.


Never had a Corsair PSU, but I hear great things as you pointed out.

 

[brandonaudia]

I agree with hunter315's comments. The only thing I would change from his suggestions is the mobo choice. You definitely don't need quad CF. And the board you listed was $168 when I checked. But personally, I would suggest the GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail at $140 over the Asus 790X. The main draw is the SATA III and USB support of the new 890GX NB.

Another thing you might want to consider changing is the PSU. 750W is a weird place for a HD 5850. A single 5850 would be just fine on 600W, but two 5850s in CF may
need something in the 800W range, especially if you plan on OC'ing your 955 (which I assume you will due to the HSF and it's being a 955) and/or the cards. The bare minimum recommended is 600W, but I wouldn't be comfortable with that even on a bare minimum setup with no OC'ing. Better safe than sorry.

I did some reading and found this article on 8X+8X vs 16X+16X http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/1472/intel_p45_vs_x48_crossfire_performance/index10.html

The likely hood of me using crossfire in the next year (especially if the 5850/5870 prices drop) is a

possibility. A -10% drop or more in gaming intensive graphic use sounds like a very bad thing especially

since DX11 is so graphically intensive. Now I just wish I could find a Dual 16X Mobo with Sata III and USB

3.0... I guess I must choose the more important factor IMO.

O by the way, the 890GX supports only 1800OC/1333/1066/800 RAM, does that mean I can't use 1600?

 

[hunter315]

Thats an interesting review, toms had done a comparison of crossfiring a 5850 on an X58 board vs a P55 board and showed a much smaller difference, its really not that large of a difference