Is this computer build good?

jaymthespinoza

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Nov 22, 2010
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I'm primarily looking to game with it, I already have a Coolermaster HAF-932 case, and have a View Sonic LED backlit 21.5" monitor on the way. Here are the next things on my list:

1. Asus Rampage III Forumula motherboard (comes with Kaspersky anti-virus and outstanding overclocking features)

2.Corsair Dominator dual channel 8 GB PC12800 DDR3 1600 MHz, since the Rampage III is triple channel I might have to buy another stick.

3. Intel Core i7 875k unlocked

4.Either a Noctua NH-U12P SE2 or an Ultra ChillTEC thermal electric overclocking CPU fan with controller

5. Plextor PX-B949SA Blu-Ray burner; I want to future proof the computer in case any games or software use a blu-ray format, in addition to watching movies.

6. Seagate Barracuda 7200 hard drive w/ 1TB.

7. Ultra LSP750-watt power supply.

8. Windows 7 64-bit professional

I'll also purchase a 470 Nvidia card after I complete it and just transfer the 9500 GT in the meantime with the Asus Xonar DX sound card. Is this set-up any good or will I run into compatibility issues?
 
It wont work, you have an LGA 1366 board with an LGA 1156 CPU, it wont fit and it certainly wont run. Swap the 875k out for a 950 and the 8GB of dominators out for 6GB of more reasonably priced ram, like the Gskill pi series, it will give you better performance than running 8GB in dual channel.

I also wouldnt get an Ultra PSU, there are much better values in XFX, Corsair, Antec, or Seasonic units at that power level often.
 

jaymthespinoza

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etk wrote :

Also, why win 7 professional? home premium should be fine for gaming, etc.



Because I have Windows 7 Professional on my current computer. I had a student discount on it but it can only be installed on one computer. I'm going for the OEM version since it's less than the store version. Besides, I wouldn't want to miss any security or features that I might need.



Thanks for the information, I read that the 875k was unlocked for just $30.00 more than the 950, and I have seriously been considering the 950 since it has an amazing reputation.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3276567&Sku=ULT-LSP750

Is a good deal for a 750 I think, whereas the XFX is:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=5611868&sku=P450-9202&srkey=xfx%20750

My current motherboard is an XFX Nvidia GeForce 7150 with a core2 quad 6600, with 4GB of DDR2 at 400 MHz. It was good for its time but is clearly dated, and I've heard that XFX makes good graphics cards, but no longer make for Nvidia :(

I've heard that on January 5th the Sandybridge processors are being released; would it be worth holding out for an Asus Rampage IV (or similar) that is Sandybridge compatible, or just buy the current gen stuff at a discount by then? I don't think that they are going to discount the current motherboards or processors, so at worst I pay $300 (or $200, if through some miracle Microcenter doesn't sell out) for an i7 950 like I originally intended :)

So the new processor on the list is an i7 950, I'm also considering the other RAM since I don't really need the 8 GB, and the 1600 MHz should be a huge improvement over the 400 MHz DDR2. To top everything off I'm going to download Driver Finder (better than Driver Fetch from what I've read) to update all of my new hardware drivers.

The specifications on my current system are: (courtesy of CPU-Z):

CPU Arch : 1 CPU - 4 Cores - 4 Threads
CPU PSN : Intel Core2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz
CPU EXT : MMX, SSE (1, 2, 3, 3S), EM64T, VT-x
CPUID : 6.F.B / Extended : 6.F
CPU Cache : L1 : 4 x 32 / 4 x 32 KB - L2 : 2 x 4096 KB
Core : Kentsfield (65 nm) / Stepping : G0
Freq : 1600.04 MHz (266.67 * 6)
MB Brand : XFX
MB Model : MG-63MI-7159
NB : NVIDIA GeForce 7150 rev A2
SB : NVIDIA nForce 630i rev A2
GPU Type : NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT
GPU Clocks : Core 550 MHz / RAM 400 MHz
DirectX Version : 11.0
RAM : 4096 MB DDR2 Single Channel
RAM Speed : 400 MHz (2:3) @ 5-4-4-17
Slot 1 : 2048MB (6400)
Slot 1 Manufacturer : Corsair
Slot 2 : 2048MB (6400)
Slot 2 Manufacturer : Corsair

And I frequently run into the "program is not responding" problem, usually for the internet, anti-virus, Fritz 12, Itunes, or anything really if I have many programs open at once, and 6 GB should assuage this problem.
 

etk

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Oct 23, 2010
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If it's an OEM version of win 7 pro, you can install it again, as long as it's an upgrade and not a new computer. Even just carrying over some minor components to a new build should satisfy the EULA. If it doesn't activate when you login (which it most likely will), call MS and ask them to activate over the phone. I got win 7 pro free, and have been able to install it on a computer with a new motherboard, SSD and CPU, though I kept the original RAM and HDD as a secondary drive.
 
Scroll farther down that Tiger Direct page, its only got 45A on its 12V rails, thats good for a 600W unit but not a 750W unit. Newegg also has a $20 rebate on that XFX unit which makes it a bit cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207003

The sandy bridge that is coming out soon is going to be replacing LGA 1156 so i dont think that X58 boards and LGA 1366 CPUs will be dropping in price much, and they will still be in production.