New rig, need some advice and pointers

[willtconq]

I'll be building a new rig roughly in a couple weeks, and was wondering if I could get some advice. I'll be using it mainly for gaming and 3d rendering.

Here's what I've got so far:

CPU:
$300 - i7 950

Mobo:
$200 - ASUS Sabertooth X58

GPU:
$450 - 2x EVGA GTX460 1373-AR

Mem:
$100-200
can't decide if I should get 6 or 12gb either from Gskill or Corsair

HDs:
$120 - Can't Decide if I should go with a Gskill Phoenix pro or not (only if budget permits)
and/or
$180 - WD VR 300Gb
and
$70 - 1x Samsung Spinpoint f3

PSU:
$120 - Corsair 750HX

Case:
$100 - Antec Nine Hundred + 2 more 120mm fans

Cooling:
$40 - Scythe SCMG 2100


My total budget is around $1600. Any help and ideas would be great! Thanks all.

 

[Wolygon]

Hello, you build looks pretty nice.

Are you sure you want 2 GTX 460s right off the bat? They do not support 3 way SLI so an upgrade would require them both to be replaced.

When are you looking to buy as the 69XX cards should be out in a few weeks and should cause better price/performance. If you not looking to wait maybe a 5870 would be more suited as you would be able to upgrade easily in the future.

I would suggest getting 6GB unless you are certain that you require 12GB. It is easy to upgrade if you do find that you need more so I don't see the point of having the possibility of wasting money on something that is not needed.

Instead of the VR I would prefer to get an SSD. The Crucial RealSSDs are pretty nice.

Thats my input

 

[vindictive]

i dont like crucialread c300's.. the write speeds are too slow.

BTW your mobo is $180 on the egg right now.
and maybe get a gtx 470? (not the reference model)

check out the deal on this PSU 9.5 performance on jonnyguru.com
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371025&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

 

[willtconq]

Thanks for the inputs so far.

I'm not really an upgrade person, I usually settle on what I buy, and live with it for the next three years or so, at least. Which is why I decided to build a fairly high-end, but not extremely cutting-edge machine.

Why i'm going with nvidia instead of ati, personal preference; i just like nvidia, always used them, never had a hitch, and i know i won't have to worry about a thing, ever, with evga.

as for why 460s over 470. 1, I am trying to keep the total cost under 1600 for my rig. I know what i posted above goes over, but like vindictive said, the mobo's on sale, and i'm hoping other parts will be on sale here and there along the line. 2, getting 2 470s will put me fairly over 1600, and since I don't really plan on expanding any time soon, I don't really need three-way SLI. 3, I heard the 460s are much easier to OC and stuff than the 470s?

In regard to the VR, I'm thinking that i'm going to get it regardless if i get a ssd or not. 1, I've always wanted one . 2, if i get the ssd it'll serve as my gaming hd; if not, it'll be my os hd.

Whether or not I get the SSD really depends on whether or not I get the 12gb memory or the 6gb. Like I said earlier, i don't really plan on expanding in the next three years or so, so I... convinced myself that I needed 12gbs. But after reading numerous reviews on this website, and most of the high end testing builds only using 6gb, I'm coming around.

And this isn't necessarily related to my build, but, vindictive, i've seen a few of your posts, and felt the need to respond to your disclaimer. IMO, for budget builds like most people, waiting for sandy bridge isn't really a good idea. Simply because cutting edge tech will be mile high in prices, and the qualities can't be guaranteed and reassuring as items that has been out for a half year already or so. If I wait for Sandy Bridge, then wait for other people to test it out first, then wait for all the new mobos to come out to provide a healthy selection, since it is a completely new interface, LGA1155 i believe, by the time I get down to actually building the parts, it could be a year from now.

But thank you both for the replies so far!

 

[vindictive]

I'll be doing a SB bridge jan 9th .
and the perf. increase is 10-20% over the i5 760 with a CPU that will cost under $200 (i5 2400). As for mobo's, can't find prices anywhere but there is already previews out on a few of them because the companies want review sites to build up their product.

 

[vindictive]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4025/holiday-2010-system-builders-guide
You might like looking at this, its from the writers at anandtech.com that made some builds, Budgeted gaming build, budgeted intel build, extreme build etc..
They actually have a "ready for SB bulldozer build" that has cheap CPU and Mobo to replace out later if you wanted to
Note that they also mention SB "is just around the corner" as well.

 

[willtconq]

Ah, thanks, good to know.

Any suggestions on RAM? I was looking into PC1600 since I do plan to OC just a bit, but not sure which brand.
what makes Dominator series better than XMS3 from Corsair?

and perhaps any more ideas for ssd?

 

[vindictive]

OCZ vertex 2.
OCZ agility 2,
Corsair Force.

any of those, just pick the cheapest at the time.

and idk, I use g.skill or mushkin.