URGENT: Is everything OK?

[Reubend]

Is everything OK with this build? I might get it today, and would like to make sure everything will be compatible. Also, should I swap the air cooler for an H70?

 

[Shadow703793]

Specs wise, yes it will work. But seriously, do you really want to drop $2k on a build when Sandy Bridge is just around the corner?

See: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3871/the-sandy-bridge-preview-three-wins-in-a-row/9
In most cases, the tested SB CPU comes close to a 980X. So it may be worth the wait for you.

If you CAN'T wait by all means, go for the build. It's an excellent build.

DO NOT get the H70. It is over priced and not worth it. If you have the budget, get real Water cooling. ~$250-300 for a CPU loop. Here is an excellent kit: http://www.jab-tech.com/Swiftech-H20-320-Edge-PC-Liquid-Cooling-Kit-pr-4741.html

 

[easymoney9]

1-You are getting a full size atx tower case but why the micro atx motherboard? I would get a atx motherboard and try to get one with at least one free slot between the 6870s so you won't have to stack them right on top of each other so they run cooler.
2-Do you really need 12gb ram?
3-I would keep the Noctua air cooler. It is one of the best air coolers on the planet! I bet it would out perform the H70 and be far quieter at the same time.
4-Do you really need a 850watt psu? Anandtech reviewed the 6870 in x-fire and the whole system under Furmark used less than 500watts!

 

[blackjellognomes]

Depends on what you mean by OK. Do you really need 12GB of RAM?
That HSF is overpriced, but I wouldn't recommend the H70 either. Go with a bang-for-buck air cooler like the CM Hyper 212+ or get a true water-cooling system.
And I suggest this drive over the WD. It's larger and cheaper (it'll save you almost $40 including the promo code + free shipping). Sure, it runs at 5400RPM, but the 667GB/platter design pretty much makes up for it, so that just means it'll run cooler and quieter than that WD. And seeing as you'll have that 120GB SSD for your OS and programs, I'm guessing this HDD would be primarily for storage?

 

[Reubend]

Specs wise, yes it will work. But seriously, do you really want to drop $2k on a build when Sandy Bridge is just around the corner?

How will a Sandy Bridge CPU compare with the 950? The article says it has similar performance to a 880, but I've never even heard of that.

 

[Reubend]

I don't need the 12GB of RAM, but I think that for applications like Blender and After Effects it will be helpful.

I suggest this drive over the WD. It's larger and cheaper (it'll save you almost $40 including the promo code + free shipping). Sure, it runs at 5400RPM, but the 667GB/platter design pretty much makes up for it, so that just means it'll run cooler and quieter than that WD. And seeing as you'll have that 120GB SSD for your OS and programs, I'm guessing this HDD would be primarily for storage?

So the RPM doesn't determine how quick the drive will be?

 

[Reubend]

1-You are getting a full size atx tower case but why the micro atx motherboard? I would get a atx motherboard and try to get one with at least one free slot between the 6870s so you won't have to stack them right on top of each other so they run cooler.

The cooling system sounded like it needed a lot of space and the motherboard seemed like it had the same features but a lower price than others; will it make a significant difference in heat if I got a full ATX motherboard and put the video cards further away from each other?

 

[blackjellognomes]

Shadow makes a good point about Sandy Bridge, if you can wait. And easymoney makes a good point about the mobo, too. I'd go for a full ATX board. (Edit: If I'm not wrong, micro-ATX boards usually cost a bit more.)
RPM is definitely one of the factors that determines the speed of a drive; what I meant was that this 3-platter 5400RPM drive is just as fast as any 4-platter (500GB/platter, 2TB) 7200RPM drive. What you listed is a 3-platter (500GB/platter) 7200RPM drive, so it is a bit faster than the F4, but value-wise, the F4 is a much better buy. If it's for storage, then, considering the price difference, the difference in speed is negligible. Also, don't forget that 5400RPM drives run cooler and quieter than their 7200RPM counterparts.

 

[mosox]

Looks nice. The farther apart are the video cards, the better. I'm no 1366 expert but I've seen some very good reviews on the ASRock X58 EXTREME6
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157213
PCie slots far apart

http://en.ocworkbench.com/tech/asrock-x58-extreme6-motherboard-review-ocworkbench/14/

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1041/pg18/asrock-x58-extreme6-and-intel-core-i7-970-review-conclusion.html

850W is overkill, 750W is more than enough for that system. HS 750 or the XFX 750 black (also modular, Seasonic inside).

Get 6G of RAM as the posters above said, 12 is a waste.

Wait for more replies.

 

[Shadow703793]

How will a Sandy Bridge CPU compare with the 950? The article says it has similar performance to a 880, but I've never even heard of that.

Think about it. The SB CPU comes close to the performance on Intel's top of the line CPU out right now, and in some cases beats it. That 980X is a 6C/12T beast of a CPU. And the SB CPU used in the preview is supposedly a midrange CPU. Now do you see what I mean?

1-You are getting a full size atx tower case but why the micro atx motherboard? I would get a atx motherboard and try to get one with at least one free slot between the 6870s so you won't have to stack them right on top of each other so they run cooler.

+1. I saw Rampage and just assumed it's a ATX board :lol:

As for the Heatsink, it's a very good heatsink, yes, it pricey, but it is one of the quietest out there. If you want more value, get the Hyper 212+.

will it make a significant difference in heat if I got a full ATX motherboard and put the video cards further away from each other?

Yes. It should make a noticeable difference.

As for the PSU, yes, 850W is probably overkill. Grab this XFX 750: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207003&Tpk=XFX%20750
Only $110 after MIR.

As for the RAM. This REALLY depends on your renderings. If you have some seriously big renderings/multi tasking 12GB WILL help. I run 3DS/Maya/Studio and there is quite a big difference between 6GB and 12GB.

 

[Reubend]

I think I would like to keep the 12GB of RAM. I'll switch the PSU and the hard drive. Which motherboard would be a good replacement for the Rampage 3 Gene? I'm thinking about getting a GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R or an ASUS Sabertooth.

Looks nice. The farther apart are the video cards, the better. I'm no 1366 expert but I've seen some very good reviews on the ASRock X58 EXTREME6
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157213

Does that motherboard have any unique features? Maybe this is stupid of me, but it seems a bit... boring compared to some of the others, since they all have some kind of unique thing they advertise.

 

[Shadow703793]

I'd go with the UD3R. Better value for the money. However, if you plan to OC to the max, get the Sabertooth as the UD3R tend to have a bigger vdroop/vdrop. If not maxing out OC then by all means get the UD3R.

 

[mosox]

Front panel USB 3.0, lots of SATA3 USB3 ports, lots of fan headers, the big gap between the PCIe 1 & 2 slots -> great for crossfire.

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3598/asrock_x58_extreme6_intel_x58_express_motherboard/index12.html

Read the reviews for each of them.

 

[blackjellognomes]

Does that motherboard have any unique features? Maybe this is stupid of me, but it seems a bit... boring compared to some of the others, since they all have some kind of unique thing they advertise.

Well, mosox's point was that "the farther apart are the video cards, the better", and that ASRock is one of few standard ATX mobos with double slot spacing between PCIE 2.0 slots. I'd say that's a unique feature.

 

[Reubend]

Hmmm... I'm thinking about the ASRock one, but I'm really leaning towards either the Sabertooth or the UD3R. I am planning to overclock the 950, but I don't think I'm going to OC it "to the max". The UD3R has 4 PCI Express x16 slots, but two of them say they are running at x8; would this significantly decrease performance?

 

[mosox]

It doesn't matter, you can't use more than two HD 6870 video cards anyway, the third, fourth PCIex16 slots don't matter and you can do without them, only the first and second will be used.

 

[Reubend]

But if the two PCIex16 slots were beside each other, wouldn't you want to use the third and fourth slots? Or are they sperated from each other by the x8 slots?

 

[Reubend]

Never mind, I'm going to get the UD3R. I think that what I have now will work pretty well after taking suggestions from everyone here. Thanks for all the great advice!

 

[mosox]

That's the thing, you have to use the first PCIe slots on any mobo from what I know. For instance for the UD3R it says:
"if you are installing two PCI Express graphics cards, it is recommended that you install them in the PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 slots."

So, you can't put them anywhere.

 

[davewolfgang]

It's not that you can't put them "anywhere", it's that you can't put them in "any slot" and have them run at top speeds. They WILL work in any of the slots but they will run at x8 (or x4 - depending on what other hardware you have connected to the mobo).

 

[jasonp12]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207001&cm_re=xfx_black-_-17-207-001-_-Product

better PSU for better if u still want 850w or u can get the 750w version for 129.99

also Sandy Bridge supposedly id an improvement but its moreso a huge improvement for people who use onboard graphics