Looking to build - please rate this PC :)

[Guest]

Hi friends! I'm looking to build a new PC! Please check out this build... Constructive criticism is always welcome

Hey guys, I could use some advice on this build and any suggestions / criticism is welcome!!! Appreciate all the help!

Configuration

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-950 3.06 GHz 8M (probably overclocked)
FAN: NZXT Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)
HDD: 30 GB Kingston 2.5 inch SATA Gaming MLC Solid State Disk (Single Hard Drive)
HDD2: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module [+18] (Corsair)
MOTHERBOARD: * (3-Way SLI Support) GigaByte GA-X58A-UD3R Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Ultra Durable™3 Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 ATX Mainboard w/ 7.1 Dolby Audio, eSATA, GbLAN, USB3.0, 2 x SATA-III RAID, IEEE1394a, 4 Gen2 PCIe, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI
OS: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
POWERSUPPLY: * 800 Watts - XtremeGear Gaming Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready
SOUND: Creative Labs X-FI XtremeGamer 24-BIT PCI Sound Card [+95]
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1.2GB 16X PCIe Video Card (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
PRICE: ~1600

 

[jonpaul37]

Looks like this is a configurator job from Cyberpower PC. How much are you going to pay for it?

If you feel comfortable building yourself then please say so, i will list those same items (or better) for less money.

As far as this build goes, i would change the following:

Ditch the sound card, it's not needed, the onboard sound on the motherboard will be more than enough.

Consider getting a GTX 460 1GB for now, then at a later date, get another for SLI.

Try to switch that power supply to a Corsair TX750 or TX 850, or perhaps a seagate or enermax if they offer it, the one item you will NOT want to flake out on is the power supply.

My suspicion here is that they are charging you the old prices of the i7 950 CPU as that's what they probably paid for them to stock them, but the prices just dropped so they can be had for much less nowadays.

If building yourself, you're better off with a corsair H50 for CPU cooling, no mess, no foul.

If this indeed a cyberpower build, they may flake out on you and give you a generic hard drive/RAM/power supply to cut costs... there are better, higher quality parts that you can get individually for cheaper if you opt to build yourself...

 

[Guest]

Thanks for that detailed analysis. That is indeed a Cybercomputer build, however I was only using that as a basis, as I am having a very difficult time deciding on where to start. I'd definitely like some flexibility to upgrade in the future. Also I'm not working with any particular budget, so I'm flexible in that area too.

 

[Guest]

And jonpaul, if you do get a chance, I would love to see your suggestions for a high end build.

 

[jonpaul37]

will do Xeno, you in a rush or can it wait for tomorrow? Also, are you in the States? If so, Newegg is simply the best option.

 

[Guest]

Please take all the time you need. I realize your are helping me on your own time and I greatly appreciate it! Also yes, I am in the states. Newegg is my primary choice.

 

[brennon7]

$1000
Sli GTX 460s
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=14406132

 

[jonpaul37]

My suggestion would be the exact same as Brennon7's with the exception of the RAM, PSU and Hard Drive. I would also use an aftermarket CPU cooler and add an SSD if the $$$ permits... all posted below...

This PSU/RAM combo will be just a little more cash and both are better than what brennon7 suggested
http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/ShoppingCart.aspx?submit=ChangeItem

Go for the same hard drive, but it's double the size, faster and only like $20.00 more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

this CPU cooler is great, especially if you even have the slightest prospect of overclocking.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010&cm_re=corsair_hydro-_-35-181-010-_-Product

lastly, if money permits, get this SSD to load windows and some games for nice load times.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233108

 

[Guest]

Guys I really want to thank you for your suggestions - I've got them saved in my cart and review in-depth tonight.

One question: what if I'm not on a strict budget? Your suggestion seems to be geared toward someone who has to forego nicer hardware due to limited funds. Some of the parts seem a bit weaker to what's out on the market. What do you think?

 

[jonpaul37]

The main question then would be, what is the Rig going to be used for? If its just for gaming and photo shop and internet serfing, etc then you won't really need more than a i5 570.

Another question is what size monitor are you using and at what resolution? If you are 1920 x 1080 or 1900 x 1200 then no need for more than 2 x GTX 460 1gb but if using a huge monitor with sick resolution then you might think about getting a couple GTX 470's or 480's

 

[Xenoslayer33]

Best answer selected by Xenoslayer33.

 

[dadudewizard]

Hey, can someone rate this setup? Money not an issue. just need another opinion.

For ALOT of Gaming, Music recording and editting, video editing.

(parts selected from NEWEGG.COM)


-Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition Gulftown 3.33GHz LGA 1366 130W Six-Core Desktop Processor

-OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTX40G 2.5" 40GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (Start-UP)

-APEVIA X-JUPITER S-Type X-JUPITERS-AL Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

-GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

-(2)SAPPHIRE Toxic 100282-2GTXSR Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support

-KINGWIN LZG-1000 GOLD 1000W ATX 12V v2.2 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active ...

-Patriot Viper II Sector 7 Edition 24GB (6 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model PV7324G1333ELHK

-HP AR941AA 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader

-Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARS 1TB 5400 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

-Seagate Cheetah 15K.6 ST3146356SS 146GB 15000 RPM SAS 3Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (FOR GAME STORAGE)

-SAMSUNG P2770FH ToC Rose Black 27" 1ms Full HD HDMI WideScreen LCD Monitor

-LG UH10LS20 Blu-ray Disc Combo Internal SATA 10x SuperMulti Blue LightScribe

-PLEXTOR 24X DVD/CD Writer Black SATA Model PX-880SA LightScribe Support - OEM

-ASUS XONAR_XENSE 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card

-Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

-EVGA 128-P2-KN03-TR 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI Express 1x (PCI Express 2.0 Compliant) Killer Xeno Pro Network Adapter

-CoolIT SYSTEMS ECO-R120 Advanced Liquid Cooling (ALC)

-Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Digital Wireless Speaker System