$2000 Gaming Build. Please review components/compatibility

xdoylex

May 26, 2010 9:27:18 PM

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Mid June

BUDGET RANGE: ~$2000 After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Watching movies, video conversion, general multitasking use

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com , amazon.com COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: N/A

OVERCLOCKING: Yes SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Preferably not

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200 24"

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This is my first build ever and I am wondering about some component compatibility issues, namely :

1. Will the Antec 1200 have enough space/airflow for the 5970?
2. Will the Hyper 212+ interfere with G.SKILL PI Series on the ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 ? What if I installed an additional fan on the 212? Is it worth it to have the additional fan?
3. Will the 750w power supply be enough for one 5970 and my other components?
4. How big of a pita will it be to set my SSD up (OS, apps, and games) having no prior experience?

Case: Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - $149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Mobo: ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $229.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100280SR Radeon HD 5970 (Hemlock) 2GB 512 (256 x 2)-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - $699.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM: G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI - $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

SSD: Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2R5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $224.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Optical Drive: 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 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM - $25.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM - $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CPU: i7 930 from microcenter $199.99

Heatsink: 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 - $39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Network Card: ASUS PCE-N13 IEEE 802.11b/g/n PCI Express Wireless Adapter Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates 64-bit/128-bit WEP, TKIP, and AES WI-Fi alliance WPA, WPA2 - $27.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Total Cost: $2052.89

Any suggestion/comments/notes/etc. will be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I also realize there is a combo running until Memorial day with the Antec 1200 and free HDD which will save me ~$50. Also there is a combo with Windows7 that will save me $20. So the final-ish price of the build should be around $1982.89 if I order before then.

More about : 2000 gaming build review components compatibility

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JackNaylorPE

May 26, 2010 10:15:30 PM

1. Will the Antec 1200 have enough space/airflow for the 5970?

Yes, and then some

2. Will the Hyper 212+ interfere with G.SKILL PI Series on the ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 ? What if I installed an additional fan on the 212? Is it worth it to have the additional fan?

Interference with hi profile heat spreaders is common. In a $2k system, a low budget heat sink like the 212 is really outta place. Read this ...212 mentioned in next to last sentence ... the Megahalems or the Scythe 2100 is the way to go here

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_conten...

3. Will the 750w power supply be enough for one 5970 and my other components?

An 850 watter will take two so why not move up

4. How big of a pita will it be to set my SSD up (OS, apps, and games) having no prior experience?

No bigga deal.

PSU - Drop the 2nd Tier TX750 for a top tier PSU (CP-850) made specifically for the case you have chosen ...it's betetr electrically, better acoustically, has an extra 100 watts and save $20 to top it off. The Corsair HX series is equivalent to the Antec CP series.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

MoBo / CPU - If ya get lazy and don't feel like driving to Microcenter, save $15 buying the combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

Hard Drives - Check out the performance charts and pick whatever 500 GB per platter drive performs best under your usage patterns. The 2 TB WD Black and XT from Seagate are 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-har...[2371]=on&prod[2770]=on)

Look at the tests that reflect your usage and choose accordingly. With the money you saved above, get a 1 TB model

$80 Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM - These are slightly faster, are $5 cheaper and will give you no interference problems.
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDDR3 1600 Model CMX6GX3M3C1600C7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Heat Sink - Top notch performer, very easy to install even for 1st time builder.

Prolimatech Megahalems ($65) http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8807/cpu-pro-01/Proli...

IC Diamond TIM ($7) http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7038/thr-41/Innovatio...

PWM Fan ($11) http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10026/fan-639/Scythe_...

Buy a 2nd fan if you wanna OC past 4 GHz and add the Y cable splitter below to control fan speeds via your MoBo

Cable Splitter ($7) http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8418/cab-150/FrozenCP...

If ya don't wanna spend that much, grab the $34 Scythe 2100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

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xdoylex

May 26, 2010 10:41:36 PM

Thanks for the info, please check out the updated build as follows

Case: Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - $149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Mobo: ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $229.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100280SR Radeon HD 5970 (Hemlock) 2GB 512 (256 x 2)-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - $699.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Power Supply: Antec CP-850 850W Continuous Power CPX SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC "compatible with Core i7" Power Supply - $119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX6GX3M3C1600C7 - $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

SSD: Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2R5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $224.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Optical Drive: 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 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM - $25.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM - $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CPU: i7 930 from microcenter $199.99 [Already bought]

Heatsink: Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler - $62.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Fans: Scythe Slip Stream 120mm x 25mm PWM Fan X2 - $21.90
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10026/fan-639/Scythe_...

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Network Card: ASUS PCE-N13 IEEE 802.11b/g/n PCI Express Wireless Adapter Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates 64-bit/128-bit WEP, TKIP, and AES WI-Fi alliance WPA, WPA2 - $27.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Total Cost: $2052.89... $2106.80

So anymore changes to the build? Will that Megahalem fit easily in the antec 1200? Also I decided on the Barracuda 500gb considering I also have a 1TB external. Is the thermal paste you recommended better that the AS5 ? I'm very interested in this dual fan set up, is frozencpu a reliable online vendor and what exactly is the cable splitter needed for? I don't want to get in over my head on my first build, is all this fairly simple to assemble?

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nickak2009

May 27, 2010 7:46:14 PM

I would ditch the o/c and save 150$+. By the time your o/c starts to benefit you any, there will be cheap hex cores and even oct cores out. Not a practical time to do expensive o/cing, and it's been demonstrated that the i7 is similar in gaming, between 2 and 4 ghz.

if you want to go with o/c anyway, you can get higher end ram- up to 2000. For heatsink... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168.... This heat sink/fan design cools the motherboard in addition to the cpu, which works wonders as your bridges heat up. You might also want some small fans to cool the bridges, since you plan to use the stock heat sinks.. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168....

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Chuckles_

May 27, 2010 8:13:43 PM

Based on what I've read, the 212+ will NOT block RAM as it's configured out the box. I think by default the fan is positioned perpendicular to the RAM, so a second fan wouldn't change that. You probably can mount the fans parallel to the RAM, at which point, I'm unsure. You could probably raise one to clear the RAM heatsinks.

As for performance, the 2nd fan doesn't make a great deal of difference on the 212+ because the heatsink is so thin. You'd be better off buying a replacement for the one fan that's included. However, that's not necessary if you're using it for a stock HSF replacement or a mild OC. If you're buying it at Newegg, the Scythe Mugen is a much better deal, but you'll need TIM.

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xdoylex

May 28, 2010 7:53:05 PM

If I want to overclock the i7 to around 3.66- 3.8 Ghz, what would be the best heatsink/fan for the money? Do i really need the megahalem, or will the zalman 9500A work just as well? Also is everything else compatible on the updated build?

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Chuckles_

May 28, 2010 7:59:50 PM

I think the Scythe would be the best for the money at that OC. I'm not that familiar with the Zalman.

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