First Gaming rig, Compatibility help.

Jserialkiller

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Oct 23, 2010
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Alright so here i am, first gaming rig, first computer forum too.
So names john and id like your guys and gals help with my computer build. Ive researched and done my homework for the past few days, im not a complete wizz when it comes to hardware but i know a computer pretty good. With that in mind ive looked and searched for the best components for a gaming computer. So without further adu heres what ive got so far.
List of hardware with links to them all.

CPU Intel Quadcore i7- 940 or higher http://www.intel.com/products/processor/corei7/specifications.htm
CPU cooling Puget Asetek 550LC CPU Liquid Cooling System http://www.pugetsystems.com/store/item.php?cat=CPU+Cooling&id=6805&com=d41d8cd9&que=
Motherboard Evga X58 classified http://www.evga.com/articles/00447/
Heatsink/Fan -
Video Card Geforce Gtx 3D capable 460 or higher http://www.nvidia.com/object/graphics_cards_buy_now.html
Sound Card PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Series http://www.fatal1ty.com/sound-card/sound-blaster-x-fi-titanium-fatal1ty-champion-series
RAM -
Hard Drive/ SSD X25-M 80 Gb 2.5" SSD (Sata) http://www.intel.com/design/flash/nand/mainstream/index.htm
Case -
Power Supply OCZ Zseries 850W http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/power_management/ocz_z_series_850w_modular
Optical Drive Asus BD-Combo BR-04B2T http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=0y7XtpI4uawZZOhJ&templete=2
Optical Drive2 Vantec All-in-1 Internal Card Reader with Control Panel or Sony MRW620/U1/181 Internal 17 in 1 Memory Card Reader/Writer http://www.shopmania.co.za/shopping...ard-reader-with-control-panel~p-1249605.html or http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...10551&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665498572
Operating System Windows 7 Premium Upgrade family pack http://www.microsoft.com/windows/buy/products/offers-family-pack.aspx
Ethernet card VisionTek Bigfoot Killer 2100 Gaming Network Card http://www.visiontek.com/products/network-gaming/killer-2100.html
Wireless Network TRENDnet TEW-423PI PCI Wireless Adapter http://www.trendnet.com/products/proddetail.asp?prod=285_TEW-423PI&cat=3
Keyboard -
Mouse Cyborg R.A.T 9 Gaming mouse http://cyborggaming.com/prod/rat9.htm
Speakers Razer mako 2.1 or Logitech Z-5500 http://store.razerzone.com/store/ra...parentCategoryID.35096300/categoryId.35209900 or http://www.logitech.com/en-us/speakers-audio/home-pc-speakers/devices/224
Monitor Asus VG236H 23" Widescreen HD 3D Monitor or Alienware Optx Aw2310 [url=http://www.asus.com/product.a...w.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=4c96NLALPo3tUtn9 [/url]or http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-8846
Router Vizio wireless http://www.vizio.com/accessories/xwr100.html


Alright so thats what ive got so far,
Now in the best outcome all my lovely picks will work perfectly together.
But alas im sure i messed up something lol, So opinions on stuff that i havent found or you think i should improve or change do tell. I know i need a case and ram lol.

So besides the whole i hope all my stuff works with one another nicely, ive got a lot of other beautiful questions to throw at you experts :)

So here it goes, hopefully i dont forget anything lol but knowing me i will haha.

Alright so first off is the case.
- What type of case can i get? I believe i need a full tower that can support a atx or is it a atxultra? Anything else i should know about picking my case? Havent done any research on that topic yet.
Secondly,
- For cooling fans, i know i have some already, and im sure my case will have some, im just curious if i should be looking into getting specific ones? And what are all the types of cooling fans for? I know theres one for the whole computer, the cpu chip, graphics card ect,
Next on the list is the Ram,
- Im lost! To put it plain and simple, The more research i do the worse off i see to be. I keep reading conflicting things. Ive concluded i need a low latency DDR3 running at 1066 or 1333? Is that right or should i be looking at getting something running at a higher rate? Then after figure just what i need in speed, im lost at which manufacture to go with? Whos better? Any information in regards to this would be really appreciated.
Dedicated Physx Card
- Worth investing in it or not? I plan on getting more graphics cards later on when i get more money. Should i be thinking of saving for a card to put as a physx card?
Power supply
- Should i go with the 850W or a little higher at 1000W?
Speaking of power, ive been told and read about surge protection. Both in regards to power and my network. Can someone elaborate on this one? Is the power surge protection a component i need to get or is it just the power bar its taking about? If so whats the network protection about?
HDD/SSD
- Can both be used at the same time? Should i go for the 80 or 120gb ssd? Read that the ssd dont need cooling, that true? If so and if i can use both, would i still need cooling for the hdd?If so what would i be looking to get?
And lastly
- In regards to the actual building of my computer, Im in love with the design concept of the Shift from maingear. For those that dont know, they have a system that makes the air flow up through the top of the computer instead of the sides(hot air goes up afterall)
So im curious as to if i would be able to do this myself. I asked the guy if my motherboard would work in hes computer build and he assured me he could build it, so is it just a matter of flipping my board 90* or would i need a special case?


Well i think ive out talked myself this time, Ill leave it at this and see what opinions you all have. Cant wait. Thanks in advance btw.
 

etk

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Oct 23, 2010
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Phys X Card not worth it. Nor is the "Gamer NIC" or the sound card. On board sound has come a long way, and even on 300 dollar speakers, you don't need it (unless you need the outputs to do some kind of pro-audio work)

I'm confused on why you are buying a wireless router, wireless card, and the family pack W7 upgrade. Are their two other computers in the house? Is one a laptop? Do you want wireless for guests?

Take the saved money and SLI another 460 (or two, they are dropping in price). Otherwise, if you are going with a single video card, look into AMD (ATI) cards, unless you have some preference for Nvidia, to each their own.

Let us know what you will be doing with Video Cards, and Processor Overclocking because it will affect the PSU. For mild overclocking with a pair or 460's OCZ 850W will be fine. I would spend a bit more to go seasonic, but it's not really necessary.

850 W is fine, even for SLI'd 460's.

Memory speed counts first, then Latency. You'll also want to make sure that the rated speed is at a reasonable voltage. Corsair, Crucial, A-Data, Mushkin, G-Skill, others are all good brands. RAM is an easy place to pay a ton for marginal performance improvement. Try not to. I would say to go 6 Gigs. (3*2 GB) if you want a bit more, go with 8 Gig (2*4 GB) I know I'll get flamed for saying this, but you won't notice a performance hit dropping to dual channel.

The board you are looking at is an E-ATX. an ATX will fit into a mid tower. An E-ATX is just a bit larger. I'm pretty sure it uses mostly the same mounting holes, and will fit into any Full tower, but have someone else verify this.

You can (and should) use a SSD and a standard drive. The SSD for windows and application (games) you want to load quickly. The Standard for media, etc. Size depends on your budget. (Let us know) Although the benchmarks don't really show it, an SSD is the biggest real world improvement you can make to your computer.

Finally, regarding the liquid cooling, I would hold off until you have everything put together and working before switching over. This will also allow you to see the gains vs stock cooling that you are realizing. Any high quality full tower case should be compatable with a radiator. People tend to reccoment HAF 932/ HAF X. You may want to consider running a full loop, not just CPU, and that can be a project in itself. In any case, I doubt you'll be CPU limited in games because you don't have liquid cooling, and buying a solution such as you linked may not be the best for a full loop.

 

Jserialkiller

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Oct 23, 2010
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Awesome thanks for the reply :) So to answer some of your questions,
Great to know i dont have to worry about the whole physX card ordeal. I douth ill need the extra output options, id have to recheck on that one in the morning. So the sound card on my board would be good enough for some long hardcore gaming? Great to know also :)

As for your confusion about the wireless and family pack, let me eloborate, Ive already got the router(forgot to mention that in OP) The family pack is cause well ive got a big family :p and my mothers and brothers computers can both use it and for an extra what 30 bucks for another 2 copies, id be a fool not to take it. As for the wireless card, I often go out to lan with a few friends, and sometimes i know we have problems with all the wires, so i figured why not put a decent wireless card in for those times when i just cant be bothered to deal with wires.

As for the graphics cards, im a huge nvidia fan, so amds out :p

As for overclocking, i dont think id be doing much for a long while, havent started any research into that topic yet. And i dont think id need the extra speed with the components im already buying no?
You say to go for seasonic? Are they better overall? Or just personal prefference? Can you recommend one you have on mind?

850 will be fine even if i have up to 4 sli'd graphics cards?

So for the ram, im looking to get 6 gigs (3x2GB) and i should be looking at what kinda of stats for speed,voltage and latency?

So for the ssd i can indeed use both great :) I was thinking id be fine with 80Gb SSD and 1T HDD, Any recommendations on which drives to go with? As for budget, not really a huge deal for this build, Im looking to buy over the next for months, so ill have the extra cash put aside if i have to jump a few extra hundred to get something worth it.

So for the coolling, I should be thinking of getting a full loop system only after my system is set up, Any products for full loops you can recommend? Now with a full loop will it still work fine with the ssd?

Thanks again looking forward to your reply :)
 

etk

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Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, Enermax are all Tier one PSU companies. Seasonic is my personal preference. OCZ isn't bottom of the barrel or anything, but it's def not tier one.

The motherboard said it supoprted 3*SLI, not sure why you asked about 4*SLI, is it another board, or something I didn't read the datails on, but if you are going with GTX 460's, you will only be able to SLI two of them anyway. This will be significantly more powerful than a 480. It will run whatever you need in 2D, and should work decently in 3D (though you may need to tweak some settings). I think the 470's will let you run tri-SLI, but it's a pretty big price jump for the performance gain (an extra card, and a bigger power supply). If you plan on a lot of 3D gaming, and you've got the cash to burn, go for it, just make sure the 3 video cards don't block the PCI slot you'll be using for wireless, though you could always go with a USB type.

A full loop doesn't include the ssd/hdd. just devices that need cooling; the stuff with fans or big heatsinks on them now. Processor, Video Cards, and some bits on your motherboard. Again, it's not something you need unless you plan on overclocking. Do it after everything is put together and working. (you can't RMA something after you've ripped off it's stock fans and heatsinks to add a waterblock.)

This is really going to be a beast of a machine for your first rig, I'd venture that you won't need to overclock right away, but we'd need to know your games, desired fps, and what will be in 3D to say for sure.

For Ram, I'd go with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231304

You said you are buying over the next few months. I'm not sure if you mean piece by piece or all at once, but I would recommended all at once, if you buy a piece, and 2 months from now it doesn't work, it'll be a bigger hassle than if it's right away.

For HDD, I like WD caviar black drives, though most will reccomend samsung spinpoints. For SSD's, I have a Corsair Nova that runs amazing, but someone else prob knows more than I do about SSDs.