Verify this $2400 build

ricno

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Apr 5, 2010
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Hello,

could you take a look at this list of components and see if there is anything wrong with it?

It is a new build a friend of mine is about to buy. It is largely based on a computer I built with help from here earlier this summer, but with some changes.



APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This week

BUDGET RANGE: $2400 Before Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Running multiple virtual machines, office, some gaming

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

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Sweden

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.komplett.se www.dustinhome.se www.webbhallen.se (swedish)

PARTS PREFERENCES: See suggestion below

OVERCLOCKING: No

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Unknown

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: It shall have a CPU with many cores and hyperthreading support and lots of memory. Fast booting, fast data disk, lots of storage. The case should look stylish and the whole computer shall be as quiet as possible.


Case: Antec P183
http://www.dustin.se/pd_5010315102.aspx

Case fan: NOCTUA NF-P12-1300 SILENT CASE FAN 120MM
http://www.dustinhome.se/pd_5010128898.aspx

CPU: Intel Core i7 870
http://www.webhallen.com/hardvara/101772-intel_core_i7_870_2.93ghz-8mb-socket_1156

CPU fan: ARCTIC COOLING FREEZER 7 PRO REV.2
http://www.webhallen.com/hardvara/103542-arctic_cooling_freezer_7_pro_rev.2_cpu-kylare-socket_1366-1156-775

Motherboard: ASUS P7P55D-E LX
http://www.webhallen.com/hardvara/106404-asus-socket_1156-atx_intel_p55-pci-e-ddr3-hd_audio-usb_3

RAM: 16GB Corsair Dominator DHX DDR3 1333MHz
http://www.komplett.se/k/ki.aspx?sku=597382

GPU: Gainward GeForce GTX 460 1GB
http://www.komplett.se/k/ki.aspx?sku=602777

Power Supply Unit: COOLER MASTER SILENT PRO ATX12V 2.3 700W
http://www.dustinhome.se/pd_5010151261.aspx

DVD: SAMSUNG DVD±R/RW/RAM DL 22X SATA
http://www.komplett.se/k/ki.aspx?sku=488177

SSD: INTEL X25-M 2,5# 80GB SSD SATA/300 MLC 34NM
http://www.webhallen.com/hardvara/100303-intel_80gb_x25-m_mainstream_intern_sata_2.5_9.5mm

Disk 1: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB
http://www.dustinhome.se/pd_5010329452.aspx

Disk 2: WESTERN DIGITAL CAVIAR GREEN 2TB
http://www.webhallen.com/hardvara/106030-western_digital_caviar_green_2tb

Please verify if all parts are compatible and well balanced. I belive the prices are higher in Sweden, so the total sum of $2400 might seem high.
 

ricno

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Thank you for your reply.



That is a good question. I did also suggest buying several F3 1TB disks, but he really wanted a 2TB disk for backups, where the lower speed compared to the F3 would not matter much.

We did not know of 2TB Samsung F3s - are they very new?
 

ricno

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Thanks for your reply! The bundling of motherboard and i7-930 you suggested is at SEK 4795 ($653) and the original P55 board and i7-870 at SEK 4019 ($547).

What should the i7-930 do to improve the build, since it will not be a primary gaming machine and he will not go for dual GPUs? As in, what will the extra price of $106 gain the setup?



There is a potential saving of $50 there, however I think the CM 690 does not look as nice as the Antec P183. He does not want glowing fans or similar, it should look nice and stylish.

CM 690
http://www.dustin.se/pd_5010375743.aspx

Antec P183
http://www.dustin.se/pd_5010315102.aspx
 
The i7 9xx setup has Tri-Channel memory controller hence larger memory bandwidth, that would be beneficial...
Also LGA 1366 have 6-Core support...So you can upgrade to 6-Core CPUs later on...

As for the case, the fan LED can be switched off, and also am sure the 690 would offer better airflow...
Another option with sound dampening -
http://www.dustin.se/pd_5010206296.aspx

But if you want to stick with the 183, then its fine...
 

ricno

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Thanks for your clarifying! Both are interesting points. The 9xx can use up to 24 GB of RAM, which could be of value, even as I belive 16 GB will get along quite good. The virtualization platform will be Vmware Workstation 7.1, which has good memory optimizing, so the 16 GB could be almost hard to fill. :)

Also the possibility for future upgrade to 6 cores could also be interesting, even if I also belive that 4 fast cores with hyperthreading should last quite long.

However I will forward this to the buyer and see what he thinks. Thanks for your suggestions.