This is what I am building, any pointers??

Salt-City_Slasher · Mar 10, 2010

I am currently in the market for rounding up all my parts, and I am in no hurry but I would like to see it up and running by the time I start up my next semester.
Anyways here is the list I have compiled that has taken 3 weeks to get it to where its at, and I wanted anyone to give any advice on waiting for different products, different parts in general or anything wrong with the setup. I originally was going to set it up with Nvidia but the Market for MoBo's is crap, so here it is:
Amd Phenom 2 X4 965 Black Edition
MSI 790FX-GD70
Thermaltake Spedo Advanced
Ultra X4 1200 watt
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
This is where I have to skimp till I get more money but bare with me:
OCZ Gold 2 gb or Corsair Value 2gb
Since I am saving money on original setup
I plan on using my old dvd and harddrive
which use IDE, and from what I checked the MSI board can hook up two IDE parts.
Then I have my current 9400GT(my 9800 blew out a couple of months ago)
and last but not least Corsair H50( if I have enought funds at purchase)

So pretty much the plan is to get a computer completely setup for CrossfireX and what not and then on my 2nd faze is to purchase my Cards and extra goodies.
With the cheap parts they will be out with in a couple of months if that.
So what do you think, should I change and go with Nvidia and get the G65 mobo or any remarks, advice, or if you think its dumb let me know!!lol

Alvin Smith · Mar 10, 2010

PSU pulls more juice than my SPACE HEATER ....

... DUDE! ... Even if you went dual xeon 4-way SLI with H2O and a dozen 2GB drives ... NO WAY you would need more than850-950 WATTS and that is for the ludicrous build that I just mentionned. Just don't do that. BAD BAD BAD !

Well it is 4am in Texas and I just wanted to bump your thread up to the top of the stack ... looks like real fun!

That's the one glaring bad choice that "bit me", at first glance. Others ... please join.

= Al =

Alvin Smith · Mar 10, 2010

PS ... Go to the (old) DVDs manufacturer website and download/update your DVD firmware ... this is usually very quick and simple ... just a little detail.

= Al =

Salt-City_Slasher · Mar 10, 2010

Alvin Smith :

I chose that power supply because on the ATI website it was one of the few that could handle 2x 5970 3x the rest, I probably won't be using that
much but hey next year you never know.

Alvin Smith · Mar 10, 2010

Truly ... not to be pesky ... word ... cpus, gpus, ram, ssd, hdd ... ALL trending quickly downward in power load on track for 1/2 within 3 years. ( OH-FFICIALLY ! ).

But to each his own. you just might want to tack one of these bad-boyz onto your wall, to go along with that outrageous PSU !!!

... and it won't even fit in an E-ATX extended full tower ... (see link)

http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/17204/1/

I think your PSU just might have met it's match !
= Al =

rodney_ws · Mar 10, 2010

Your best bet is to abort your build, read tons of hardware sites in the meantime and save your money until you can afford a full rig. Your component choices are very suspect and you're going to be making lots of compromises by buying some parts now and others later. I totally understand the urge to want to buy something now... really, I do... but you'll be happier in the long run if you wait.

Salt-City_Slasher · Mar 10, 2010

I am not buying any time soon, the soonest it will be is May or June. I have been seeing what would be the best possible route.
I am going to have more money by then so, I am trying to stick at a lower price, like I can easily go and buy a harddrive and DVD player.
With the memory I know I need 2 gb minimum for the windows 7, and I probably will get midrange priced ram.
Then everything else I chose is top notch parts I already have enough for everything so whatever I save
is going towards goodies.

osu43130 · Mar 10, 2010

Salt-City_Slasher :

1) The CPU you are thinking of buying is a bad choice. The 955 is the same chip just not factory over clocked. Go with the 955 over the 965.

2) That MSI board is old news, no U3S6 and the old 790 chip set. You will want to get a Mobo with the 890 chip set since it is going to support the new Hex Core CPU. Also on the Hex core idea you might want to think about getting one of those once they come out. However still waiting to see what they will end up providing as far as performance goes.

3) I agree with everyone else about that PSU. You could power my house with that thing. 850 is enough to power 2 5970's, which mind you, you will NEVER need to do.

4) You will want 4 gb's of Ram and also I would stick with GSKILL because some of the OCZ ram has issues with certain Mobo's. If you go with OCZ make sure to check and make sure the Ram is compatible.

5) Until NVIDA releases their new line of cards do not buy any. Two things can happen they can suck like their current line of cards and youll end up with a cheaper ATI card or they will be a nice card and still help drive the prices of the ATI cards down. Either way it is a win win to wait on the card.

As far as anything else have no idea what your budget will be to even give you an suggested build.

Lastly right now NVIDA is getting their butts kicked by ATI but that can change real soon depending how Fermi turns out.

rodney_ws · Mar 10, 2010

2 GB = FAIL
4 GB = WIN

K?

Alvin Smith · Mar 10, 2010

Friend,

I just had time to really look over you OP closely and what you are proposing is very unbalanced and a recipe for complete disaster and heartbreak.

If you are still using an IDE hard drive, it COULD be made to function, but it would not function well, at all, or for long. and is prolly not worth loading all you new OS and games on. BTW a newer, bigger, better one is $50-$75 (100s of GB !)

You can flash the firmware on your old DYDR but new ones are $25 .. why not?

All the mem kits for newer mobos start at 4GB min.

If your computer was a car, it would be about 14 years old ... Would you try to mix 14 year old car parts with a new engine and chassis ?? They might fit but it would be a hazardou pile of junk.

The fact is, you need to come up with some kind of budget and do a "mostly new" build ...

Sure, if you have a decent ATX xase, you can use that. Your DVD drive might work fine but ... these things have moving parts and get dusty inside and wear out. But you can make it work till it dies. Pretty slow, tho, isn;t it? You wouldn't know, tho, because you are used to it. Whatever.

Can you come up with $450 for "the works"? I'm not trying to sell you anything you don't want or need, I truly just want it to work correctly, and be frugally balanced and MOSTLY for you to be happy and to get what you want.

If you go mostly "all new" you will end up with a much more stable and reliable build and it will all age together. Think of this more as an appliance ... like a nice HDTV ... just get the best one you can afford.

We understand that you have a very tight budget ... We get that ALL the time ... Some of our techs (not me) are amazingly talented and know every combo deal, discount, rebate, and shell-shocker deal out there (if ordering in N. America). (?)

You need to tell us your max budget and do not get "notions" about which graphics card or how many ... SLI sounds really cool but we can get you better performance with just one card, initiall. SLI is really to upgrade, in a few years.

I've been in tech support for 25 years. Michael DELL used to sell us PCs out of his car trunk in 1984. And I have been hanging out, here on this world class, cutting edge forum, with some of the very best techs I have ever met so please don't arguue (too much) ... trust us. We are not getting paid and we are here JUST to help you (and to have a little fun, joking around and learning about new gear).

Just tell these guys what you want to do and the maximum you can spend.

BOTTOM LINE ? Ditch everything except KB, mouse ... maybe monitor and case.
TELL US WHAT YOU CAN SPEND and let US decide HOW ... honest ... your best bet.
Perhaps consider saving just a little while longer, to get better balance and system longevity.

That is just MY opinion ... there may be some who will relish the challenge but I cannot, in could conscience, approve what you propose.

Remember where you are ... The NEW BUILD FORUM ... There is a "general homebuilt forum, as well, but HERE, we will be happy to tell you what newer parts might be appropriate and what they cost and any deals you might garner.

Best of luck ... YOU are definately going to need a whole lot of it !!!

= Respectfully =

Salt-City_Slasher · Mar 10, 2010

Well I have a budget of 1000g's right now, but that can change to about 12-13 hundred, by the time june comes, cause
I will have paid off, my couch's, Tires and my air filters. So that will be a lot of my shoulders.
My Acer screen is less thatn 5 months old from best buy and it was 100 bucks on sell:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Acer+-+20%22+Widescreen+Flat-Panel+LCD+Monitor+-+Black/9183297.p?id=1218049005548&skuId=9183297&st=acer

As far as everything in my current computer going on 5+ years, and I like to upgrade every 5 if not sooner.
The Graphics Card 9400 GT, is only 4 months, and my DVD drive is 5 months old but uses IDE. Theres and old Audioldy Sounblaster 2 Value thats about 5 years.
But the rest is junk as far as upgrading, I was going to give my computer to my dad he just plays poker and emails on his.
And my Sub and Speakers are only 3 months old and there new.

The place I plan on buying was TigerDirect or NewEgg, I am in Utah. So I more than likely will finance the computer on the12 month no interest.
But what I really wanted in the computer is:
AMD Chip PHenom 2 quad
Good MoBo with plenty of goods for expansion. I saw the new chipset but it wasn't for CFX or SLI, and it was micro, but I guess they will come soon.
I personally like the Ultra X4's so maybe I could go with the 850 watt.
I had a debate between the Spedo, CM 840, and the BX-500. My original cases were the NZXT Zero 2, and the CoolMaster 690 advanced.
With Graphics I wanted ATI cause all the good MoBo's were built for them.
I wanted to get the H50 Hydro Cooler.
As far as the rest goes DVD not to much burning, Hard Drive I have externals so a 160-200 should be fine for setup.
Memory I like the RipJaw's they had some good features and could run fast.
Windows 7 64 bit

That everything I can think of, I play lots of games, I own fear, BF2(Big BF2 fan), and plan on playing
BF2 bad company, fear 2, Star Trek online, Alien vs Predator, mainly DIABLO 3 baby, and maybe some other good games but those are the main ones.
I am in College so a lot of word processing and researching tons of Internet Browsing.
SO there it is, I can't think of anything else besides, as far a money I wanted to be cheap but get top notch parts,
so what I mean is if get better for less, or if I need to spend a little more to get much better I have no problem.
So I don't want to get past 1500, maybe some where around 1200 or 1300, cause I have 1000 now for a computer, left overs from my school loan.
So let me know just like ideas about getting the 955 and lesser wattage on the PSU right there already is going to save me money for
goodies.

Salt-City_Slasher · Mar 11, 2010

I am in no big rush, I have plenty of time esp. when it comes to getting better parts.
I was looking for new mobo's coming out, and all I can find is the new rampage, and crosshair 4, I wouldn't mind going with nvidia, its just I the mobo's don't seem to have all the good features(Dr.MOS, Oc on the Fly. etc)
I am also not going to build this by myself, my cousin is out of town doing computer stuffI don't know exactly but he can do anything with computers and if he ends up being to busy my step uncle is a retired engineer so he is my back up. He was able to fix a broken tread mill with a few tools and a couple of dollars worth of parts. so
I won't be doing this alone, tg, but i am learning as much as I can so any advice either it be negative or positive, no disrepect taken. I am a newbie, 1st timer so I know I am not good at it yet. And I want to be ready with good info by the time he gets back so we have some where to start.

Salt-City_Slasher · Mar 11, 2010

I wish PAX East would start already, I can't wait to see what they unveil, I know the cards are coming out but
actually know know. I wish I was going, but I'll save my money for the parts they show off.
Do you think that there is going to release a MoBo with a new nForce Chip?
I hope so cause I wouldn't mind a Nvidia GPU setup, esp. if it has the
hexcore ready,Sata 6bps and all the other new goodies for next gen
of parts. I like the 890GX but only if it was on the GD-70 Design setup for 3 way.
But I like the idea of having 2 fermi cards with a 3rd card just for PsyX.
There is quite the possibiltys esp. if they both come out with the
there new technology.
Anyways thanks for helping me out and spending time researching with me.

Alvin Smith · Mar 11, 2010

Slash,

Thank YOU for ALL the great info ... yeah ... THAT is all the stuff we needed to know ... We needed to know YOU. The budget is fine and we can get you five years down the road. In about 36 months, you may need 2 new gpus and both those SLI slots to run the new "Feel-around 3D (TM)" games (little joke, there).

One other matter that is still unclear. Your fairly new nVidia card ... Do you want to go with THAT, for now, or are you finding it just a wee bit sluggish? Are you ready to replace the 9800GT ??

If you do want to replace it, then ... I am thinking that "we" would want to go a little "top-heavy" and build the rest of your system around ONE (single) RADEON 5870 1GB card and a AM3 BLACK QUAD supported by (the minumum) 4GB of fast G.Skill CAS7 RIPJAWS DDR3 DUAL CHANNEL RAM.

WE can get you any one of 3 great 1TB SATA-II Hard Drives which are "plenty snappy" @7200RPM and hi-density streaming with big caches . . . ANY ONE of them will cost less than $100 ... last time I checked. It realy makes sense, in terms of speed and GB/$ to step up to the higher density 1TB drives. I could go on about that, but I won't.

You might even consider a Kingston 64GB SSD as your boot/apps drive, it will make your system scream and it will never crash in the way mechanical drives do. After 5 years, or so, the stard to "degrade" and you may start losing a file here, or a file there, but you will be able to read the drive long after it becomes "unwritable" ... meanwhile, you can use it as a hockey puck, when not using as a drive.
Bottom line ... You will LOVE IT .. It is worth a little ($150) stretch and it would be better to load WIN7 onto it NOW, rather than to re-load and re-create your rntire environment, later. ... NO buning need, tho, if you'd rather buy a keg of beer ... but it would be both "pound wise" and "most exhilerating!". (much more reliable).

No matter what Socket/CPU you go with, the Cooler-Master Hyper 212 Heatsink/Fan it top rated and very affordable (do this even if no OC).

The motherboard is the trickiest part of your selection process. Lots of things to consider, and price, too.

The case ?? A new case for a new build is always nice ... You can use that nasty old one, tho ... I don't care ... but if you want to know what most of our more astute technician's recommend (with little disagreement) it is the CoolerMaster HAF Series ... Specifically the HAF 922.

PSU ?? One place not to skimp (on quality and efficiency). Any Corsair PSU beetween 650W and 750W will handle any dual card configuration that might make economic sense. (read that last phrase carefully, and understand it).

Card Reader ? Headset? WebCam? Other crap ??

Let's ASSUME an AM3 BLACK QUAD build and choose the mobo LAST. Everything else is pretty much a "given".

ATTENTION VALUE TECHS !! AM3-4X / 5870 / 4GB / 1TB / 650-750W /
ALSO, FOLKS, Any cheaper cases and PSUs that might shave the final ??
MOBO SUGGESTIONS, PLEASE ! REASONNING !

= Alvin =

Salt-City_Slasher · Mar 11, 2010

I have been looking at the pics of the new 890GX-GD70 and its a sweet piece of a mother board and the Thuban X6's. I would like to get the mobo, but maybe the cpu depends on how much it costs, cause if its just a little more then I will be set on both of those for a long time, well longer than any older product.
I do like the idea of the Kingston 64GB SSD, as a second drive, I will try and swing that one. I did look at the Cm cases and the CM 690 advanced, but if I went with
a 100 or less case that would save hella money.
I did plan on using the graphics card for the time being till I am able to afford some higher end cards, its eh for internet stuff but sucks for games, I think its the minimum card lol.
I alrady have a couple of boards, a mouse or 2, no webcam, got headset, speakers, printer/scanner and as far as a card reader goes I can do with out for awhile, I have one on my current but its probably an IDE for sure i havent checked but I know.
Anyways I don't know if a hex is nessisary but I figured it would probably last longer( as far as being not out of date) and the new mobo's have all the faster inputs(usb and Sata) so it would also last longer and be hip longer.

Alvin Smith · Mar 11, 2010

Well, now ...

... The build starts to take real form !

No gpu ... limp on what you have ... till fall or xmas (prolly).

The PSU I am recommending is ~pricey ... very pure and dependable power ... efficient and quiet with the best harness quality. The cheaper PSUs often have lighter guage wiring and "loosey" push-in connectors ... But there are some thermaltake and coolermaster alternatives which are "fairly trustworthy".
Peace of mind with Corsair, tho, and no sharp edges or tinny cage or early fan fails. ... I am personally tempted to find something just under $50, for PSU ... It is just that I am not familiar with any "sure bets", at that price. Any old ATX case will do for an AM3 build, even Salvation Army Recycle jobbers.
SO ... lets just do the whole build, with totals and, if we need to trim it down, we can set a max case/psu budget at $100, if need be ... SSD is more important, if it comes down to a choice.

I'll take a look at your mobo, but I would recommend the latest chipset and USB3.0 + SATA-III and, for you, maybe even look for dual Gigabit network ports (but not critical).

I'm gonna wrap some other threads ... use newegg power-search AM# / sata-6.0GB / USB3.0 / latest chipset, as selection criteria.

= C U a bit later =

Salt-City_Slasher · Mar 12, 2010

I found a few videos and articles on overclocking-tv.com or something about the new 890GX chips but mainly the GD70 is the one I love.
If case is unimportant compared to the SDD, I currently have a
COMPAQ Presario SR1630NX case, it has usb and fire wire on the bottom and two up it has the card readers, I am sure that the MoBo in it is Micro ATX, its pretty small but there is tons of room the hd space is above where the GPUs stick out, so
it probably could fit what ever. Its about 15" high x 15.75 long x 7" wide.
Thats measuring the outside.
Where the graphic card sits ther is about 13 inchs clearence.
But where the PSU is itsa small spot up there
5 inchs long 3.5" tall 6.5 wide roughly.

Salt-City_Slasher · Mar 12, 2010

ASUS A8AE-LE, never mind the case has a atx mother board in it.

Alvin Smith · Mar 12, 2010

I can't vouch for HP/DELL cases because they often do strange things to shave cost in their "family-appliance" grade chassis ... non-standard stuff based on a "throw-away" config ... drives mounted way under-stuff ... sharp edges and thin "pot-metal" ... "purpose-drilled" mountings ... mis-keyed connectors (fine if you know about it) ... strange "riser" cards, and the like. For those type systems, they'tre more like toasters, use it "as is" for 3 years, and then trash it (ALL).

But they both source standard ATX as often or more. Seriously, tho, if you went on a scavenger hunt in your own neighborhood, you probably wouldn't get 3 doors down the street before someone would show you to the old csde in their garage, and pay you $2 to remove it for them. I daughter prolly has a case or two in her own closet.

My only point is that a "Standard ATX Clone" case would "surely" suit you.

I thought about doing "Jamaican" style paint jobs on recycled cases as a local craft-seller. (didn't quite get around to the "permit" phase, somehow).

= Was that an "over-share?" =

Salt-City_Slasher · Mar 12, 2010

I went over to the local gaming lounge and I asked the guy about some cases, and he sells the cases that he uses on all the computers, its 80 bucks for a 5ex 5.25, and 2ex 3.5, but it was a solid design. He also had a thermaltake but I forgot the rest of the name. I might get one and save on the shipping and what not, but you never know he might get something in.
I have been recommended by several people well more than that but, they all said the Corsair PSU 1000watt was the best PSU on the planet, well for a gaming rig.
I also read an article in the PCworld talking about installing a SDD, they said they run hella faster for apps enstuff like you said, but slow for pics and documents, I am going to make sure I get one.
I also been looking at that Everest Ultimate Edition and I plan on getting that also
its pretty sweet.

Salt-City_Slasher · Mar 12, 2010

Hey I was looking at harddrives and this was the best one I could find on tiger.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5659779
Western Digital Caviar Green 1tb 64mb cache, all the rest were 32mb cache so I thought this one would due.
I also was looking at SDD enclosures and they seem pretty spiffy, and
convenient, I'll probably get one, they had a super sweet one for 60,
but ultra had a 20 buck one, that had a sorts of goodies, I was suprised
it came with so much stuff for 20 bucks.

Alvin Smith · Mar 12, 2010

Yeah, the drive looks fine.

Corsair? YES! 1,000 Watts ? ? ? . . . N O !

= OINK, MAN ! =

Salt-City_Slasher · Mar 12, 2010

Corsair HX750W 750-Watt Modular Power Supply - Single +12V Rail Design
Is this the one your talking about, the other yellow 850w & 950w ones seem kinda cheap compared to this one, they were the same price, but this one is 750 and priced the same as any 850/950 corsair counter part. The 5970 calls for 2 4pin and 2 8pin, and the 850 barely has that, and from the looks of the 750 it has 6 6pins, and 4 8pins, so I think that is plenty. Would you say this Corsair is better than the Ultra 850?

coldsleep · Mar 12, 2010

Salt-City_Slasher :

Just FYI, that drive is a 5400 RPM drive, which is fine if you end up using it as storage, but you wouldn't want to use it as your boot drive. Of course, SSDs are great for boot/application drives, so you're probably set if you continue down that road.

Salt-City_Slasher · Mar 12, 2010

Every time I find a 64 cache drive they dont even show the RPMs. but I did find a good one at newegg: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX
Tiger only has the 32's at 7200rpm. But yeah I plan on using the SDD, they have some pretty sweet cases for them, ones that easily travel, and be used as external harddrives, but I just want to get one so I can install it in my computer, if I can I want to get the double slot one.

This is what I am building, any pointers??

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