Wind-Tunnel cooled - very high end PC

[inu47x]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE:
A few days from now.

BUDGET RANGE:
$2,400-ish, its currently costing $2150

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:
Home, gaming, internet, movies, college life

PARTS NOT REQUIRED:
Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, printer, basically I have everything except the actual tower itself.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS:
newegg.com, google

PARTS PREFERENCES:
Own a 24" Monitor, 530 Watt 5.1 Logitec Sound System

OVERCLOCKING: No, it stays how it comes.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 24", 1920x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I want it to be a freaking wind tunnel, because even water coolers in the end use air to cool the water. I know I'm spending a lot on the processor - but I have the cash and want to put it on that.

I don't want a huge redonculus v8 heatsink but most definately want to keep my temps as low as I can.

In the end I'm looking to critiquie this for not just personal gaming, but longevity and high-end preformance and parts I'l be keeping around for another 5 years.

XCLIO WTBK ADVANCED Fully Black Finish Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103019

ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614

1x XFX HD-585A-ZNBC Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB Black Edition 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150454

Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115224

6 Gigs Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226030

1x SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

1x ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135199

ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

1x EVERCOOL HD-F117 Aluminum HDD Cooling Device
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835119063

1x EVERCOOL SB-F1 PCI Slot Case Cooler (for that lonely PCI exit port)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835119065

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
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

Thermaltake A2018 120mm Blue LED Case Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999122

 

[gkay09]

^ I saw a very similarly configured PC in an another thread...
Here are the same suggestions that I had given for that build, which should be applicable here too...

IMO you are really overspending on the CPU, and going weak on the graphics card

Here are some suggestions...
CPU - I7 930 - This is a better value...It will not be much slower than the 960 but will save you easily $300...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225

Mobo - Very good choice...

RAM - Similar timings dor less...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231335

PSU - A quality 850W can handle any dual card config...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

Graphics card - Do you know that HD 58xx series from ATI are out ?
IMO they are far better...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%20106793261%201067949753&name=Radeon%20HD%205850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%20106793261%201067955389&name=Radeon%20HD%205830

HDD - Why not a fast 1TB drive ?
Samsung F3 1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

CPU cooler - Definitely a better one...
CM hyper 212+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

CASE - I know its more of a personal preference, but take a look at this case...Am sure you will like it...
HAF 922
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197
Lian-Li K62
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112239

And last but not least, why not a SSD ? For that budget, a SSD should be there...With the money saved from the CPU, get a SSD for OS and apps...
Intel 80GB...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167016

Also save money by going with 6GB of RAM as for gaming and other tasks, it wont matter...

 

[inu47x]

Ok so I'l make the comments now and go back up and adjust it.

- Dumped 6 gigs of ram, kept the mushkin. Cas timings just seem better.
- Didn't chose SSD hard drive due to degrading, but definately took the other choice
- TY for power supply.
- Also swapped to that other fan, though it comes with one and I saw it could have two? Which would be the additional fan and/or screws/glue needed for the 2nd addition to it in order to ensure air is pulled through the heat sink and not just passing through the case itself.
- I like the side fan case design on the current, delivering direct air flow onto the PCI slots, as well as drive bay area's.

As for the Graphics cards, I want to stick to NVIDIA as the brand and know ATI has newer cards with better chipsets but I like being brand loyal, I just want the EVGA lifetime warrenty, and a card I can go dual SLI with when the time comes and by the time I replace both of these there should be a new set of technology out? Although I can go with a single card if you can justify for me a better, I am just going with the whole "dual" theme.

 

[shineon2010]

Instead of wasting your money on that 260 wait till fermi comes out if money is not an issue?

 

[gkay09]

RAM - Same timings again for less...
Corsair - An equally good brand...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145286

SSD - Degrading ? Could you explain ? I dint get what you mean...

CPU cooler 2nd fan - Extra fan clips are included with that cooler...

Graphics card - I still dont feel that going with GTX 260 is a good choice...
If you want to wait for Fermi, then why not get a ATI HD 5850 temporarily until Fermi comes out ? SO that you could also see how ATI performs...
IMO you can be brand loyal but also have to take into account the advantages that it offers to you...
You can choose XFX if you want Lifetime Warranty...they manufacture ATI cards too...

 

[inu47x]

What I mean is, just order a 2nd-equil size fan and clip it onto the heatsink for the CPU correct?

I don't want to get into the SSD debate lol, I'l just take the samsung

And I keep hearing and seeing all over the GTX260 is underpreforming compared to ATI cards but what exactally is going on wth it other than DDR5, I see it has much less BIT rate.

 

[vznoobie12]

Ok so I'l make the comments now and go back up and adjust it.

- Dumped 6 gigs of ram, kept the mushkin. Cas timings just seem better.
- Didn't chose SSD hard drive due to degrading, but definately took the other choice
- TY for power supply.
- Also swapped to that other fan, though it comes with one and I saw it could have two? Which would be the additional fan and/or screws/glue needed for the 2nd addition to it in order to ensure air is pulled through the heat sink and not just passing through the case itself.
- I like the side fan case design on the current, delivering direct air flow onto the PCI slots, as well as drive bay area's.

As for the Graphics cards, I want to stick to NVIDIA as the brand and know ATI has newer cards with better chipsets but I like being brand loyal, I just want the EVGA lifetime warrenty, and a card I can go dual SLI with when the time comes and by the time I replace both of these there should be a new set of technology out? Although I can go with a single card if you can justify for me a better, I am just going with the whole "dual" theme.

I agree for most of gkay's choices.
- The timings are nearly identical with the PI's being noticeably cheaper. In addition, it has a lower voltage of 1.5 (compared to 1.65 on the blacklines), which gives you either a bit of saved energy or wiggle room for overclocking. But I won't hate you for picking up the blacklines; they are sexy .

- SSD "degradation" is easily combated for the newer gen. SSDs. Look for one that has "TRIM support"

- Awesome PSU, but note that you may have a bulk of cables to deal with since the PSU is non-modular and the case you have chosen is top-mounted. If that space behind the mobo tray isn't wide enough to fit your cable connectors, you may have dangling cables around. It may not be that big a concern for you since there's no window to see the clutter, but the case modding cable management prick in me just thought he'd like to mention it

- Yes, the hyper 212+ supports a dual fan push/pull configuration. Without going into a whole paragraph about static pressure and high end 38mm fans, 2x Gentle Typhoons (AP-15) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185092&cm_re=gentle_typhoon-_-35-185-092-_-Product would be a solid choice for squeezing out the most out of a hyper 212+. There's obviously other (and cheaper) options, but they work well on my hyper 212+. If you don't care so much about min/max'ing, then I suggest picking up whatever's cheapest , but hopefully with a $2400 budget, you could find some space to optimize your cooling.

- Won't argue with this, since you seem set on the wind tunnel.

As for your graphics card... I agree with going for a 58xx card. Getting dual GPUs now negates any future-proofing you have in the graphics card department in the future. I suppose you could tri-sli 260s, but then that would be it. A high end, single 5870 now and another one in the future would give more longevity to your system. Like shineon mentioned, there's also the new fermi cards: gtx 470/480 coming out later this month (if its not pushed back), but you would have to wait and pay the high premium that all new flagship products start at.

EDIT: Yes, make sure the fan size is 120mm. Make sure the fan is facing the correct way when you clip it on, as well.

 

[inu47x]

YeahI'm a bit picky on just a few items on it, the case is not as bad as it looks, I've seen its step down version in person and its so sexy I had to have the upgrade.

You just made the valid point I needed to hear on the ATI card, running a single on it opens my crossfire options widly in the future. And speaking of future, futuremark.com benchmarked it over the 285 which is over $400 lols.

I squeezed two of those fans in, one for each side of the heatsink (replacing its original - havent added it to the list), and threw the thermaltake exaust fan on the case because they are using the old box specs. There is a minor difference in it and it lacks one or two of the smaller fans but at least I get the concept design.

I can't wait to measure its temperatures after its all setup

 

[gkay09]

IMO you should learn more about the SSDs to know their advantages and current improvements...A SSD will help reduce the load times of the OS and games to a great extent...
Like vznoobie12 said, the SSDs with TRIM dont have the performance degradation that plagued the old SSDs...
But its your call though...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/windows-ssd-performance,2518.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-x25-m-vertex,2399.html

And as for the graphics card, I think now you understand why we suggested ATI cards...Like I said maybe just stick with a single ATI card till Fermi launches and if you dont like the performance of these cards, switch to Nvidia...

Good Luck with you setup...