Questions on new build

[cull501]

Ok so this is my first time asking something like this I do builds and overclocking but have been out for about 2 years on current technology. I have this in mind for a new build and want to know if it will work. Thanks in advance for the help.

Case- Corsair CC800DW
MOBO- ASUS P6X58D-E
CPU- Intel i7 980x (hopefully OC'ed to 4.0 GHz)
cpu cooling- Noctua NH-U12P SE 2 CPU Cooler
RAM- 12Gb Corsair TR3X6G1333C9 1333MHz
PSU- Corsair Professional Series Gold High Performance 1200-Watt
GPU- 2x EVGA 580gtx superclocked in sli
physics card- EVGA GeForce GTX460
HDD1- HITACHI Deskstar 7K3000
HDD2- Seagate Barracuda 7200.8
Optical drives - 2 DVD burners and a Blu-ray burner
OS- windows 7 professional

So i guess my question for this build is will the 460 gtx work as the physics card while my sli cards do the video? Also will the air cooling be able to cool the 980x at 4 Ghz ive seen people get it to 4.2 on air. Any other comments will help too as i said im getting back into building rigs again.

 

[MadAdmiral]

Ugly. Extremely ugly. I mean absolutely horrible.

First, the LGA1366 socket is dead. The Sandy Bridge CPUs absolutely destroy everything that comes before. The i7-2600K ($330) actually matches or beats the i7-980X ($1,000) across the board. Once you overclock it (it can reach 5.0 GHz on air easily), it far surpassed the i7-980X. Couple that with the fact that the LGA1155 boards will be a lot cheaper (around $100 less) and won't require triple channel RAM, and you'll have saved around $850-900 and gotten better performance. Of course, you'll need to wait a month or so for them to be re-released, but that shouldn't be an issue.

Second, those HDDs are just plain horrible. They're ancient. Instead, pick up the Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB as your data drive. Then, use some of that $900 I just save you on a good SSD, like G.Skill's Phoenix Pro 120 GB (about $225).

Third, there is no reason to spend $250+ on a case. You certainly have the money for a high end case, but I'd stick around $200 and get the Silverstone Raven instead.

Fourth, getting a dedicated PhysX card when you already have dual GTX 580s isn't going to help you. I'd ditch it.

Fifth, I'd step up to 1600 mhz/CL 7 sticks of RAM. Once you go with the Sandy Bridge CPU, there are some great 2x4 GB kits of 1600 mhz/CL 7 sticks for $150ish. Pick up a pair of them.

Finally, I'd upgrade the HSF. The Noctua NH-D14 is a lot better. It's the best performing air cooler out there.

Example of a full build:

CPU: i7-2600K $330
Mobo: Asus P8P67 Pro $190ish (not exactly what I'd recommend, but you can't search for them on Newegg)
RAM: 2x G.Skill Ripjaws X 2x4 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 (16 GB total) $300
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB $65
SSD: G.Skill Phoenix Pro 120 GB $240
GPU: Same, excluding the GTX 460
PSU: You could probably drop that to the 1000W model. You only really need an 850W for dual 580s, but the overclocking a lots of devices throws that off.
Case: Silverstone Raven (linked above) $160 (plus $30 shipping)
HSF: Notcua NH-D14 $90

 

[cull501]

ok if i got the SSD and put the OS on it what about my other stuff like games will they be able to install properly and I also have steam and it has over 300Gb of information would that work properly as well?

I know the sli 580 gtx is powerful in its own right but i was wondering if the GTX 460 would help down the road with the newer games. I tend to build a pc every 2.5-3 years and i dont upgrade anything between then.

Finally I saw the benchmarks on the sandy bridge 2600k and the 980x and they do about the same and i know the sandy bridge is alot cheaper and both multipliers are unlocked i think but i did some digging and saw what the 980x can do on applications that benefit alot from multithreading and the 980x is a monster when it comes to that.

 

[ubercake]

Even though the 2600K can OC to higher clocks, you also have to consider the 24 pci-e lane limitation of the LGA 1155 platform. There are 40 lanes on the 1366 platform. More than anything, I would argue 1155 is in the process of killing 1156 (if they can only fix that darn SATA issue on the 1155 motherboard).

With an 1155 if you use a physX card in conjunction with 2 580s the 580s will each use 8 pci-e lanes and the physX card will use 4 pci-e lanes. Also, if you do use a 3rd card as your physX card, some motherboards will disable USB 3 (http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=677&Itemid=69&limit=1&limitstart=3).

The PCI-e lane limitation of the LGA 1155 platform seems to be the only real limitation if you plan to do physX and USB 3.

Something to consider too is even with the release of the LGA 1155 platform, Intel still considers the 1366 the platform for enthusiasts.

If you go either way with this, you'll be just fine for a few years.

Also, with the exception of SSDs, I will only use Western Digital drives. I have never had one fail.

Everything else about the setup you posted looks good to me. You'll be the envy of the neighborhood with that setup (note - comment not applicable to MadAdmiral's neighborhood).

Whether your processor will stay cool on air when you OC it is entirely up to the luck of the draw. Not sure you'll even need to consider it for much other than bragging rights, though. You'll be gaming like a champ with that setup at stock clocks.

 

[Wish I Was Wealthy]

Ok so this is my first time asking something like this I do builds and overclocking but have been out for about 2 years on current technology. I have this in mind for a new build and want to know if it will work. Thanks in advance for the help.

Case- Corsair CC800DW
MOBO- ASUS P6X58D-E
CPU- Intel i7 980x (hopefully OC'ed to 4.0 GHz)
cpu cooling- Noctua NH-U12P SE 2 CPU Cooler
RAM- 12Gb Corsair TR3X6G1333C9 1333MHz
PSU- Corsair Professional Series Gold High Performance 1200-Watt
GPU- 2x EVGA 580gtx superclocked in sli
physics card- EVGA GeForce GTX460
HDD1- HITACHI Deskstar 7K3000
HDD2- Seagate Barracuda 7200.8
Optical drives - 2 DVD burners and a Blu-ray burner
OS- windows 7 professional

So i guess my question for this build is will the 460 gtx work as the physics card while my sli cards do the video? Also will the air cooling be able to cool the 980x at 4 Ghz ive seen people get it to 4.2 on air. Any other comments will help too as i said im getting back into building rigs again.

Hi cull501 ...I think you have got it,but just the cpu cooler could be the Noctua NH-D14 instead & the ram can be done to,even if you have to get single sticks of it 3 x 4 GB of the corsair 7-8-7-20 instead at 1600 MHz ( you can get these at D & D Computers at Sth Straithfield,Sydney,Australia )...I would try something better in HDD's or even the new SSD's,whether single or in a raid 0 combination ...The SSD's that come out now have that trim on them that keeps their performance up to scratch & they are made for windows 7 now ...The Sandforce SSD's,sata 2 or go for the sata 3...Maybe even a CoolerMaster Case,RC-692 with that optional fan that sits behind or underneath the cpu socket area to keep it cool,it is that 80mm x 80mm x 15mm size on the right hand side when you have a look from the front of the coolermaster case ...Also there are 10 fan spaces available...Otherwise you are going well ...

 

[Wish I Was Wealthy]

You should keep your idea of using the LGA 1366 mainboard as you can get true SLI also as well as what I said above...

 

[MadAdmiral]

ok if i got the SSD and put the OS on it what about my other stuff like games will they be able to install properly and I also have steam and it has over 300Gb of information would that work properly as well?

I know the sli 580 gtx is powerful in its own right but i was wondering if the GTX 460 would help down the road with the newer games. I tend to build a pc every 2.5-3 years and i dont upgrade anything between then.

Finally I saw the benchmarks on the sandy bridge 2600k and the 980x and they do about the same and i know the sandy bridge is alot cheaper and both multipliers are unlocked i think but i did some digging and saw what the 980x can do on applications that benefit alot from multithreading and the 980x is a monster when it comes to that.

I would only install the OS and the programs you use the most (browsers, your absolute favorite game, etc.) on the SSD. All other data (music, videos, etc.) should be stored on a mechanical drive.

If you pick the dual 580s and the i7-2600K, you won't need to upgrade in 3 years. The 460s would be alright, but likely be slowing down in a couple of years.

The benchmarks you looked at likely included applications that are heavily threaded. The i7-2600K still matched the 980X.

@Wish: The obsolete LGA1366 chipset recommendation is a horrible idea. First, you either lose 20-30% performance (at stock, overclocked it's more like 70-100%) or $900 (the 980X, triple channel RAM, a more expensive board). Second, you lose any potential for upgrading the CPU, which may or may not be a big issue.

The major problem with the LGA1366 socket is that it's dead. The LGA1155 socket, while not intended as a direct replacement, completely smashed any performance bonus from the older socket. The true replacement is going to be the LGA1365, which is due out later this year.

As for getting full speed PCIe lanes, it's not relevant at all. The performance gain you get going from 8x/8x SLI/Crossfire to 16x/16x is 3-4%, and only noticeable when you use such massive cards like the HD 5970. Anything smaller than that (like the GTX 580) won't see any difference. Just to clarify, that 3-4% basically results in 2 FPS. Not worth the massive expense of an obsolete LGA1366 system. It's not even worth the $50-70 you'd pay extra in an LGA1155 system to get 16x/16x SLI/Crossfire.

 

[ubercake]

LGA 2011 is the replacement for the LGA 1366 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_2011). Should be out at the end of the year. This is the one we're waiting for. I don't want to be one of the first ones on that bus (no pun intended) as we've learned with 1155 motherboards and their SATA chipsets.

Worst case scenario: LGA 1366 dies a quick death never to be heard from again and we replace our LGA 1366 board and processor with an LGA 2011-compatible board and processor in a couple of years.

 

[MadAdmiral]

I've always heard it refered to as LGA1365. Regardless, it's a replacement, and it's coming this year. That makes the LGA1366 extremely dead. I don't care if Intel thinks the LGA1366 is still viable for enthusiats, the performance of Sandy Bridge says otherwise.

 

[ubercake]

I've always heard it refered to as LGA1365. Regardless, it's a replacement, and it's coming this year. That makes the LGA1366 extremely dead. I don't care if Intel thinks the LGA1366 is still viable for enthusiats, the performance of Sandy Bridge says otherwise.

Granted Sandy Bridge CPUs rock, though the P67 architecture is not quite "the thing". Not but one year ago, we heard all sorts of reasons 1156 was going to eclipse 1366 and suddenly p55 seems to be the platform going away. How many recent gaming benchmarks are there out there anymore using something LGA 1156? There are plenty still out the using the 980x on the dead 1366 x58 platform. All I'm saying is I'd wait and see what happens with the 1155 platform and not bet on it just yet.

Additionally, if P67 is an enthusiast platform, why does it have to turn off USB3 if you use 3 graphics cards (since USB 3 uses pci-e)? Hopefully, for people with LGA 1155/P67 setups wanting to use more than two graphics cards, USB3 won't become a standard any time soon?

In my opinion, there is a sandy bridge architecture update worth looking at coming out at the end of this year (Sandy Bridge-EX). If I were building at that time, I'd consider it. But then, if I were building at that time, I'd probably be looking more at the LGA 2011.

My argument is both setups are solid; 1155 with a 2600k as well as 1366 with a 980x. They both have darn-near equivalent staying power, because they both have replacements right around the corner.

Either one is a good choice, though if anyone wants to use 3 graphics cards (as cull501 alluded to in the beginning of the thread) and USB 3 at the same time, they won't be doing it on an 1155 platform.

 

[MadAdmiral]

I personally don't see the point in having more than two GPUs, even more so if you're using nVidia cards. SLI and Crossfire both don't scale well past the second card, and using a PhysX card when you already have that much power is pretty pointless. So, in my mind, losing USB 3 speeds when you've put in a third card isn't really a technological issue, it's a psychological issue with the user. Besides, we don't really know what the LGA1155 revision looks like. Maybe they have a fix for that too, but I doubt it.

I also disagree that using the 980X instead of the 2600K is really a good choice anyway. There's a good $900 difference in the cost of the CPUs and related boards and RAM, yet there is no real CPU performance difference (at stock, as overclocking comparisons definitely shows the 2600K is more powerful), only a 3-4% GPU performance difference (if using the biggest card out there) and losing the USB 3 speeds. Really, the only benefit of the 980X system is the USB 3 speeds. I highly doubt you'll find anyone who thinks that's worth $900.

 

[ubercake]

I personally don't see the point in having more than two GPUs, even more so if you're using nVidia cards. SLI and Crossfire both don't scale well past the second card, and using a PhysX card when you already have that much power is pretty pointless. So, in my mind, losing USB 3 speeds when you've put in a third card isn't really a technological issue, it's a psychological issue with the user. Besides, we don't really know what the LGA1155 revision looks like. Maybe they have a fix for that too, but I doubt it.

I also disagree that using the 980X instead of the 2600K is really a good choice anyway. There's a good $900 difference in the cost of the CPUs and related boards and RAM, yet there is no real CPU performance difference (at stock, as overclocking comparisons definitely shows the 2600K is more powerful), only a 3-4% GPU performance difference (if using the biggest card out there) and losing the USB 3 speeds. Really, the only benefit of the 980X system is the USB 3 speeds. I highly doubt you'll find anyone who thinks that's worth $900.

I totally agree with you on the price.

 

[cull501]

ok thanks everyone for the information im still torn up about cpu and mobo but ill take what info you gave and I know the sli setup and a physics card seem overkill but i thought it was an interesting new way to do things and just wanted to know how it would affect FPS. Im still leaning to 980x because I always wanted an extreme edition but i can definately see that it might be worth waiting for the new socket types to come out.

 

[cull501]

Best answer selected by cull501.

 

[MadAdmiral]

The difference between the Extreme Edition CPUs and the regular ones are that the Extreme Editions hav an unlocked multiplier. With some of the newer LGA1156 and Sandy Bridge CPUs, an unlocked multiplier is shown the the "K" after the name of the CPU and in the SKU. For example, the i7-2600K and the i7-2600 are the same CPU, but the 2600K has an unlocked multiplier. It's just like the i7-875K and the i7-870. They're the same CPU, just the 875K is unlocked.

 

[cull501]

well I see what you mena by that 2600k and that memory is very fast but i ended up getting tho MOBO for free so I went with the 980x and most of the orifinal build but yeah that setup you showed me would be quite powerful. I guess all i have now is some overclocking questions that I asked on the overclocking forum.
thanks again for the help

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey