NEW I7 RIG UNDER 1500. NEED OPINIONS. BUYING SOON

Noxtreme

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This is a remake of my previous thread here because i accidentally marked it as solved when it wasn't.
go here to see that previous discussion http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/301535-31-1500-opinions-solved#t2237960

CASE = Lancool PC-K62 - Mid tower
MOBO = ASUS Rampage III Formula
PSU = Kingwin Mach 1 Power ABT-1000MA1S (1000W)
CPU = Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz
CPU COOLER = Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 Hyper 212 Plus
RAM = Mushkin Redline Frostbyte 998805 (1 triple 6 gig)
Video Card GPU = MSI N460GTX Cyclone 1GD5/OC 1GB (2X in SLI)

Total = 1347.06
- 60 mail in rebate for video cards
total 1287.06


I have 125 in amazon gift cards from credit card rewards

total 1187.06 WITHOUT RAM (cant find it in stock anywhere at the moment)
Pretty good deal


Standard form.
Approximate Purchase Date: the next 2 weeks to a month
Budget Range: 1500 max trying to keep it a low as possible but maximize performance
System Usage from Most to Least Important: 3D animation
/modeling/fx, video editing, image editing, want to game sometimes.
Parts Not Required: optical drives, hard drives
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon or New Egg.
Country of Origin: USA, Cali
Parts Preferences: intel I7
Overclocking: Yes when needed
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Monitor Resolution: does not matter
Additional Comments: quiet is good, has to be upgradeable,
 
^ Some suggestions -

Mobo - If not overclocking high, then I dont see the need for that board,... I would suggest this one with this combo -
i7 + ASUS Sabertooth X58
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.566445

RAM - For such tasks, IMO more the better,... I would suggest 12 GB kit for such a build,...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226100

PSU - Why do you need a 1KW PSU ?? IMO a high quality 750W should do, can easily power 2x 460s and will still have some headroom left...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207003
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CMPSU-750HX-Professional-Certified-compatible/dp/B0029F21LK/ref=pd_cp_e_3
 

Noxtreme

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You are right on the 1kw psu. I like to overkill on psu but 1kw is way way overkill. http://www.extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine recommends 650 with my proposed setup which is more then what i will probably have so 750-850 should be more then enough.

But at 139 bucks, with tons of stellar reviews and my local computer shops recommendation, this PSU is very attractive even though its serious overkill. I'm going to look into other psu's that may save me some money.

I've done extensive review of all the asus mobos and the formula is pretty dang nice. I have herd the BCLK issue but that was a fluke
see here
http://www.overclock.net/intel-motherboards/830442-asus-rampage-iii-formula-review-owners-4.html
unless you have some other facts your basing the low overclock comment on I must beg to differ.
The sabertooth is a viable option but i am a computer tweaker. (computer tech) So i like the extra options and capabilities but i most likely will not use the third pci-e slot. I like the look of the formula much better. I think I just have to go with the formula because of its fantastic reviews, very few legitimate problems, its pretty lol, and extra tweeking options and a little extra expandability.

I am kinda stuck on the 12gig or SLI conundrum. I guess i could do both but i would most likely break the 1500 mark. I could go for the 12 gig then get another 460 when the price drops which could be a while since I'm already getting a 30 rebate.

I just stumbled on sandy bridge. This might throw a wrench in the whole thing! I knew about gulftown but i'm going to need to research sandy bridge more. It could be THE determining factor.
 

vibhas

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I dunno but having 2 x 768mb GTX 460's could save you enough $$ to get that extra 6 gigs of ram.
Im not sure about the effect on editing, but in games the difference between 2 x 768 and 2x 1gig is around 2-3% in terms of FPS..... is it worth the extra $50-60 that could be spent on ur 'job' side of the PC.

I dont know but 33 to 34 fps is certainly not worth $50 for me, especially as youll be upgrading to a new card(s) in 2-6 years time either way (depends on how much ur industry progresses haha, if it progresses heaps ull prolly have good increases in salary if not uhhh thisll do anyways)
 
^^ Well I liked the 5 years warranty that the Sabertooth offers,...Obviously for its price range, overclocking would be kind of limited, but IMO it offers more for the money when compared to the other boards,...
Here are some reviews of that board -
http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-tuf-sabertooth-x58-review/
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1457/1/
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/asus_x58_sabertooth_review/1
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/motherboards/2010/11/18/asus-sabertooth-x58-review/1
 

Noxtreme

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LOL. For some reason i got a kick out of your post. Im not working in the animation industry at the moment. If i was still i wouldn't give budget a thought. In fact my company would probably buy me something. I used to make video games and money was no issue. Then i got laid off along with 95% of the company when we lost Xavier and Blizzard bought Activision, bla bla bla..... now i own my own tech support and media production buisness which is owned and operated by me so money isn't really flowing like it used to be. I make more money selling comcast as a side job lol, but i don't advertise my services or anything yet since I have very little free time as it is with a buisness, another job, a masters and web buisness. Anyway enough about me

I know that 3d programs do benefit from more vram but only for certain tasks. Other then that i believe RAM is more useful for everything else. I'm thinking I should go with 12 gigs but at the same time it seems like this would be a crazy overkill. Maybe it would be a more useful overkill the SLI though if i'm not going to be a serious serious gamer. I know at this point i want to play SC2 a lot but other then that I really haven't played many games...... HMMMMMMM... lol i have a 7800gt just sitting here that i could use while waiting for the 580 price to fall.

SANDY BRIDGE HAS ME RECONSIDERING MY BUILD AT THE MOMENT. I am seeing some stuff saying its going to be an 1156 socket. But many other are saying socket 2011. 1156 does not make a bit of sense to me but its bed time for now. Also I guess sandy bridge its going to be a big deal but like gulftown my guess is its going to be absurdly expensive and far out of reach. This brings me to another thought; will Bloomfield and Gulftown fall dramatically in price with the release of sandy bridge?


 

coleman

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I cant see the hdd mentioned in the thread, just thought i would point it out. I would recomend a ssd for your needs or 2 larger drivews in raid 0, or both :)

somthing maybe you should factor into your costs

hope it all goes well


ignor me i have just seen hard drives in the not needed section
 

vibhas

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Sandy Bridge isnt going to made on the 1156 socket but the 1155 socket.
Getting aroused by my post is flattering i guess =)
Anyways getting laid off and stuff, and as selling comcast is your main income i d suggest... definitely to get those 768 mbers.

Maybe cutting the budget in 1/2 is good too haha.
In case comcast decides to... somehow lay you offs!
 

Noxtreme

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Where are you getting the 1155 info???? I am considering the 768 in order to save a little for the extra ram. Im not really fond of the idea though.


Yeh.... And maybe i should buy a pogo stick to replace my car just in case ;)

 

Noxtreme

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rigs for this amount of money should have a SSD with them....
if not then why so much..?


lol. Not sure how to respond to this other then.... Thats how much components like this cost. Unless you have some deep discount place to buy which your not sharing.

If i go ssd i'm going to go way way over the 1500 mark. Or i'd have to sacrifice ram and a video card. To me, buying an ssd drive would be like buying a led tv. Youl pay a ton of money for something that is nice but will be half the price in a few months. I'll use mechanical till ssd's hit bottom dollar in 2011.
lol. i'll throw this 120 laptop drive in there and pretend its an ssd and save a boatload of cash lol. Its a joke its a joke dont flame me.
 

Noxtreme

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The main reason for the rush is I would love to get the wright off in this year for taxes. It would be like saving at least 200 maybe more.
sandy bridge does sound like a serious upgrade but i'm almost certain it will be way out of my reach in price. its a tough decision because i could change my mobo to fit it as a future upgrade though. hmmm. decisions decisions.
damn you Intel!
 

Noxtreme

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you know what guys. I think i have to wait to see what sandy bridge is all about. It sounds like i may actually be able to save some money by waiting and create a machine with a lot more upgrade potential. It may not be a super performance boost but i think sandy bridge is going to be a big big change in enthusiast builds. It sux i wont get the write off this year but i think it will be worth waiting
 

Noxtreme

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crap i think i changed my mind again. ugg. Many people are saying 1366 is going to beat out SB at least till socket 2011. I have a feeling the first SB on 1155 will be like the first core 2's. the progression was quick and dirty and many people got left in the dust. The 1366 seems to be at the end of a run and capable of a lot.
 

Noxtreme

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so what do you guys think? 1366 or wait? tomorrow = order day if im going to go for it. Do you guys think i'd be safe buying some components like case, video cards, psu since they would most likely work even if i have another change of heart? I guess i could buy and not open then just return if i decide to go the other way once SB drops.
 

Noxtreme

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I roll like this:
boot (OS) - OCZ Technology 60 GB Vertex 2 Series SATA II
file and storage - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB

I like the sound of this but i'll probably do 2 500s since the stuff i do takes a lot of space. I will be doing drives as soon as SSD drive plummet in price which almost everyone says they will..... but they have been saying that for over a year now.....
 

Noxtreme

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no one has this ram is stock.... Looks like i may get all the other parts and have to wait for my ram :(
I got an email back from mushkin sales saying
"Sorry Dylan, I wish I could sell this to directly. We do not have the chips to fulfill the higher performance DDR3 memory. We, along with our competitors are having difficulty with the suppliers getting the chips.

Please stayed tuned and check with us or NewEgg after the first week of the new year. – Hopefully we will be able to take care of you then!"

my mobo is out of stock on amazon and i dont want to pay tax on it so i'll have to wait for that too. So\\//..//\\

 

Noxtreme

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Noxtreme

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12GB for 3D animation, I understand that..
are you in the US.?

yes.
For now i have given up on getting my write off this year. At this moment i feel like i should see what SB does to the market. I dont plan on going with SB unless people say its the best thing ever since i feel its going to be the first generation of the next thing. I like to get the final thing at the end of a generation. This is why i'm still running....... dont laugh ...... a Pentium 4 in the machine being replaced. It still is a good machine for many tasks but its at its limit as far as upgrades and overclock. Believe it or not i can still animate with it as long as the poly count is low and i use very few view enhancements.
 

Noxtreme

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just don't decide and gamble with it....
double or nothing odds....;)
lol. i done my share of gambling. I know the remorse of loss, and well...... thats about it lol
but think of the computer i could get then ;)

I would probably go mac pro then to be honest. Still couldn't afford the on i want though. I love my mac book pro except it eats batteries like nothing