$1300ish with some parts reused

[ManOfThePeople]

Hey guys, I'm looking for a new build, as future proof as possible (which I know isn't very possible, but see what can be done), and, looking to reuse some old parts.

So, my current computer, is all tricked out with fan upgrades, extra lights, giant "cool" case, and I've decided it's just obnoxious and I want a simple quiet case. Does this one look good? I want to OC and all, so does this have enough airflow and everything?

Case

I want to reuse my current power supply, which should be plenty, and is reliable.

PSU

And my CD/DVD burner

Optical Drive

Hard Drives, I've got a few, no need to list them...

New stuff

Mobo

Memory

CPU (Hoping I can get 4+ out of it)

GPU (I'm a little weary of spending this much on one, and am curious about getting one a little cheaper. I'm told that if I wait a couple of weeks the price will drop some too.)

SSD (I'll put the OS and a couple of games on it)

Extras:

I picked out this adapter for the SSD

I still need to pick out a heatsink. I don't know whether or not I need 3 pin or 4 pin or what? Someone can help me there?

Any comments on it?

The deal with money is, I don't have a strict budget, but I don't want to be silly and waste money where it doesn't need to be wasted. I want good value.

 

[Juanchioo]

assuming its for gaming:

change psu for xfx 850w black edition or corsair hx850w

memory u dont need more than 4gb, try the g.skill ripjaws 4gb ddr3 1600mhz cl7

change the gpu for a xfx one..

ssd... just if u need it.. check the ocz vertex 2, and it comes with an adaptor.. so u dont need one

 

[ManOfThePeople]

I already own the PSU, so I don't want to change it.

As for the memory, I plan on playing Civ5, and when very large scale mods come out for it, 4GB simply isn't enough for big maps. I have 4GB and Civ4 often times has trouble with mods.

As for the GPU, I see the XFX one is cheaper, but it has a lot of poor reviews. That's why I'm weary of that one. Still though, I'll see what happens when prices drop.

I'll check out that other SSD though. Thanks.

 

[Juanchioo]

thri to get the other xfx model... if u can get the one with the cooler on the right... taht one its muuch better

 

[ManOfThePeople]

Which one are you talking about? Can you link to it?

 

[Juanchioo]

this are the 2 5870 xfx models:

http://www.google.com.ar/imgres?imgurl=http://www.techpowerup.com/img/09-09-23/xfx5870.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.techpowerup.com/104409/Introducing_the_XFX_Radeon_HD_5870_and_5850_Graphics_Accelerators.html&usg=__i52xjuAow2xzlhBQcSNmrbICcR0=&h=600&w=766&sz=132&hl=es&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=XNtsBEvxjJn2tM:&tbnh=153&tbnw=199&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dxfx%2B5870%26um%3D1%26hl%3Des%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-USfficial%26biw%3D1329%26bih%3D812%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=358&vpy=86&dur=4573&hovh=199&hovw=254&tx=109&ty=91&ei=HhapTOuTHcT38Ab30uWqDA&oei=HhapTOuTHcT38Ab30uWqDA&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0


http://www.google.com.ar/imgres?imgurl=http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/9131/xfx5870znfc.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.svcommunity.org/forum/hardware-electronico/ati-radeon-5870-o-nvidia-geforce-gtx-480-cual-sera-mejor/30/&usg=__WJ8IGA_ZXZUBNfa8Tne5FBHfLaw=&h=316&w=596&sz=28&hl=es&start=22&zoom=1&tbnid=RjIxijwPtEn-_M:&tbnh=158&tbnw=286&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dxfx%2B5870%26um%3D1%26hl%3Des%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-USfficial%26biw%3D1329%26bih%3D812%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C865&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=784&vpy=297&dur=1092&hovh=163&hovw=309&tx=197&ty=113&ei=KRapTLiVLdObnwe4jI2hDQ&oei=HhapTOuTHcT38Ab30uWqDA&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:22&biw=1329&bih=812



get the first one

edit: u.u copy the link and change for : o (thogehter

 

[ManOfThePeople]

That one is the 2GB one which is an additional $130.

 

[Juanchioo]

nope.... there is one of 2gb... but there is a 1gb model too....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw_JGFhlsUo this is the one that u should get

 

[ManOfThePeople]

Hmmm... Well I checked Tigerdirect and Newegg and neither of them have it.

 

[ManOfThePeople]

Bump

 

[mortonww]

The 5870 is a bad value right now. It's price may go down when AMD's new cards are released this month, but at that point, so will the GTX 470's. You can find gtx 470s on newegg for $280 after rebate and they perform about the same as a 5870 and two of them performs BETTER than two 5870s (due to better scaling of SLI compared to Crossfire).

source: http://techreport.com/articles.x/19404/11

The Phenom II x6 isn't that great of a value for gaming, but with the overclock you plan, it should probably be a non issue. Nonetheless, you could save some money by getting a Phenom II x4 955, which on average performs better in games.

An SSD expert can comment on your choice there, but as far as I know, the Vertex 2 SSDs from OCZ have the best controllers available today. You might want to look into that.

 

[ManOfThePeople]

Good call on the GTX 470. I don't know why I had looked at the 5870 and thought it was a good deal. Do you know when prices should drop for the 470s? If it's just a week or two I'll wait, but I don't want to wait months for it.

That X6 should perform much better though according to benchmarks than the X4. Given, it's double the price, but according to the benchmarks it should perform 25-30% faster. That seems worth it to me.

Looking at this SSD instead (also decided I wanted more space, fit all my games on it): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227590

Also thinking this video card, because this particular model should be slightly faster than the 5870 (because of overclock) and still runs cool, which being a little bit less than the 5870s, despite being more expensive than most 470s. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125338

What do you think of those?

Also, I'm concerned about whether or not that case has enough airflow. I wanted a reasonably priced case with no lights, and that looked like a good one, but I don't know if the airflow is good enough for overclocking.

 

[mortonww]

Not in games. Check out Tom's few benchmarks: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-890fx,2613-9.html

Or are you doing like video editing and multi-threaded apps?

Check out this one. It's $299 after rebate, so $50 cheaper and also comes factory overclocked. You could probably get a bit more out of it through your own overclocking as well. But who knows, if the $50 is worth it to you, then it's not really a bad buy by any means. Go with it if you want. Even the reference 470 is fast, but do what you feel.

This case is excellent. Should provide you more airflow and space to work with.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&cm_re=HAF_922-_-11-119-197-_-Product

-$90

 

[ManOfThePeople]

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/desktop-cpu-charts-2010/Logic-Fritz-Chess,2419.html

I'll be playing strategy games and such like Civ, so I figure Fritz should be more similar to what I'd I'll be experiencing.

Thanks for the case recommendation.

Also, which one are you talking about for the video card?

The case looks good, but reviews say it attracts a lot of dust. I don't really understand how dust filters work, but what do I need to buy for them and how do I need to clean them? My current computer is very dusty, I have no experience with keeping dust out but I want to make sure I do that this time around.

Also, that one light seems fine, but do you know if it comes with a way to run the fan without the light?

 

[mortonww]

The HAF 922 does have "LED ON/OFF switch for front 200 x 30 mm fan.", so that should be fine.

Sorry, forgot to link the video card:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130549&cm_re=gtx_470-_-14-130-549-_-Product

Here's a thread I found on Cooler Master's forums discussing the dust filters and accumulation of dust in the HAF 922. Apparently, the intake fan has dust filters but the bottom and side do not. However, since the case creates positive air pressure, air passively leaves it, reducing the amount of dust that can settle on components. At least, that's a summary of what one poster says.

http://forum.coolermaster.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12474

 

[ManOfThePeople]

Looking through the thread I found these which people say works great: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11728/ffi-56/DEMCiflex_Cooler_Master_HAF_922_Magnetic_Dust_Fan_Filter_Set_-_4_Piece.html (I don't mind the $55 to keep it clean)

And the LED can be turned off, which is a major plus. Looks like a great case.

Also, the fan/heatsink: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118019 I mainly picked it because it had 94% rating it a 4+, but is there another one I should get instead?

 

[ManOfThePeople]

Bump

 

[mortonww]

Check out this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154011

Better performer, moderately more expensive.

 

[ManOfThePeople]

Thanks. One concern, is there 155mm in the case to put it in?

 

[mortonww]

Yup. You should have plenty of clearance with the HAF 922

 

[ManOfThePeople]

New list:

Optical Drive (Mine is actually kind of loud, I figured a new one might be in order)

Case and Filters

Mobo (Still not had any comments on this, is this the one to go with? I do want to overclock. Is $90 too cheap for a mobo in a non-budget build?)

GPU (The better cooling and higher OC are worth it to me)

Fan/Heatsink and Thermal

Memory (No comments on the memory brand, just amount, but I want to stick with 8GB)

CPU

SSD

PSU (I already own this)

Also cool, since I posted this, the Mobo has fallen $10 in price, and the CPU $30. Still curious if the GPU will fall in price if you know about that.

Thanks for all your help

 

[mortonww]

I'd personally still like to see you with an i7 950 and a UD3R. That combination would give you better gaming performance and you could drop down to 6 GB of RAM and a slightly smaller SSD (90 GB for $170) to accomodate the increase in cost. This is just a gaming build, right? Sorry if I missed something.

EDIT: nevermind, you cleared that up.

You could get an ASUS board for just a bit more. I don't know much about ASRock's reputation for quality, but they are a subsidiary of ASUS, so perhaps that board is fine. I'd feel more comfortable with this one, though: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131647

Of course, it's kind of difficult to find an AMD board that does SLI. Was that in your plan?

 

[ManOfThePeople]

Hmmm... So if I go with that CPU instead, I should go with this mobo? I don't mind paying more for the Mobo, I just want to make sure I get a good one, not

Originally I went with AMD because it seemed to be a better value and because it's more future proof (they change the CPU sockets far less than Intel). To go with the i7 950 I need to spend $155 more and go from a good to a bad mobo, for ~15% better performance?

 

[hellzscream]

I have a question i was not sure where to post it and did not want to open a new thread. I noticed while browsing through threads in the new builds section that users do not list the operating system as part of their build. Why is this?

 

[mortonww]

Hmmm... So if I go with that CPU instead what Mobo should I go with? This is a gaming build.

Originally I went with AMD because it seemed to be a better value and because it's more future proof (they change the CPU sockets far less than Intel). I'm now not sure about the value though.

The 1090T and a $100 ($365) motherboard will be cheaper than the i7 950 and UD3R ($510) but it also won't perform as well in the majority of games. The former combination only supports AMD multi-gpu setups as well unless you find an AMD board with nForce chipset. I would do some research on that, though. I've only heard that the nForce chipsets aren't very good, but I couldn't point you to a specific set of reviews or benchmarks.

The future proofing is moot. AMD's new CPUs (Bulldozer) will use socket AM3+. AM3 boards will not be able to use them. You will, however, be able to use AM3 CPUs in AM3+ boards. So basically, if you go AM3 now, you'll have to upgrade motherboard to upgrade CPU just as you would with intel and LGA 2011 late next year.

What is your overall budget? I haven't taken the time to add up the price of the components you listed. And even then, that might not be as much as you're willing to spend. Throw out a number.