Components in Order

[Kill@dor]

If i wanted that high of a gaming rig, yes i would buy a GTX295. The GTX285 is just as good for a little bit less too...

I just don't think they are worth paying hunderds of dollars for right now because DX11 cards/games will be coming soon. Prices of the GTX295 will fall really fast after that... and you might regret the purchase. But then again, if you plan on keeping the GTX295 for a very long time then its a perfect buy. You will not need to get an upgrade at all while DX11 cards/games are maturing and you will still be able to play newer games on it with very good frames ^_^ YAY.

 

[Kill@dor]

You can buy off ebay or something..but you can find cards from those prices on the GTX275 at least.

 

[jay2tall]

^
They won't fall until Nvidia comes out with a replacement card for it. The market determines the price, not technology. Look at when the DX10 cards came out. People didn't drop what they had and rush out to get them. You needed Vista to begin with, a DX10 video card, and a game that supported DX10. It will take a while for everyone to jump onboard. ATI had 10.1 support out of the bucket and that never took off really. You can't determine the market, you can only guess.

Honestly if i were to buy a card right now, it would be.... actually nothing. I'd buy a 4890, BUT i would wait until they everyone starts to come out with their aftermarket coolers. They OC really well, don't suck tons of power, and don't cost an arm and a leg. They also run with the GTX285 in most things.

 

[PC_Plum]

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[PC_Plum]

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[PC_Plum]

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[robertomad]

NOW THOSE specs look a little more down to earth. The GTX 295 is a GREAT card, but a GTX 285 will run pretty much anything you want to. The only think that stands out is the Hiper 880w power supply. I am not familar with Hiper so I can't really say anything. 880w is alot for a single card, and to tell you the truth I don't see you going quad SLI anyways on a 24" lcd. The only reason you would need it is if you were actually gaming on more than 1 monitor, or on a 30". And to be honest the only multi display setups that I'd look at are 3 LCD's running Tri SLI, one for each monitor. But there is ALOT of money involved in that type of setup. 24" with a single powerful card is the way to go. What I've done in the past is just sell off my current card after a year+ and use that money for the latest and greatest.

And just to comment, your buddy is an @ss. "My friend's PC has the highest specs. I think the highest it can be. And what he is saying is that people from forums only tell you to get 920 because they can't afford 965." I'd like to know what HIS specs are. I promise you they aren't the highest they can be, there is always someone out there with more. Plus his comment about "people from forums", only shows he doesn't below to a forum and only believes what goes on in his own little mind. Therefore, he is ALWAYS right, to himself. I would take anything he says with a grain of salt, because when it comes to technology, no one has all the answers, they is why there are tons of forums to share knowledge. I have a feeling he is wrong... ALOT. At least here you have dozens of people contributing and sharing in a friendly manor. You will get several answers to everything, but we usually agree on alot in the end once we discuss. And about his comment on we can't afford a 965... Yes, I can afford it and if I wanted it I would have bought it. But why would I waste my money on it? I can OC my 920 to 4GHz for 1/4 the cost. He sounds like a stuck up snot. Sorry for choppin away at your friend, but he sounds very stubborn and close minded.

Also, could you let us know what you intend to use your PC for. If you have a 6 year old PC, you aren't playing modern games, so are you intending to start? I don't want to sound like a punk, but are you just trying to 1 up your friend or impress him? If so... Don't. Unless you are getting good use out of your system, there is no scenes in going over the top. I really like the build you put together above, but maybe cut back on your video a little. the GTX295 is highend, under it would be the GTX285, then the GTX275 = HD4890. I'd stick with something in there because they are ALL highend cards. But if you are budget limited the 4870 is probably your best Value and still highend, the GTX260 is to. Both of which will play any modern game on high on a 24".


~Rowe

Honestly you are sort of right about my friend. but about his PC well I saw it and he actually have most of the high end stuff.

I7-965
,12GB Dominator GT
,GTX 295 Quad SLI
,EVGA X58 Classified
,CM Cosmos S
,Zalman Reserator XT Liquid Cooled
,Corsair HX1000W
, Intel SSD
, 640 Caviar Black

Honestly, i know it's wrong but I kinda envy him because that is sort of my dream, having a high end PC. This may sound very dramatic, but I came from a poor family, when I was in the Philippines my past time is visiting those PC stores in the mall, getting pricelist eventhough I'm not really buying because I cannot afford it. Now, I was given a chance to work and live in UK and I feel that I can afford it eventhough I have to wait to achieve.

When I bought my current 5 Years ago PC It's still kind of a mid range PC P4 2.8 with Geforce 5200 From Dell. Since then the only upgrade I did was Add a 160 SATA and make the mem to 2GB, add a DVD dual layer drive and a floppy disk drive.

I'm a developer/ graphics designer and I use 3dsmax, maya and going to upgrade to cs4. I develop web application and planning to use vmware with sql server for our development so I kind of need a server power. And from time to time I work from home which I use VPN (which currently slows down my system due to java apps) coincide with my daughter watching movies from my PC which is hooked up to my 40 inch LCD TV. I don't have any separate player that is why I use my PC to play DVDs.

And this is the story of my life...


About the Hiper PSU from what I've read it's a UK company and kind of supports good in SLI. I chose NVIDIA because I never used ATI and ever since I had my first PC nvidia has been my card and never failed me. And I guess I'm kind of comfortable using it because I'm familiar with it.

 

[robertomad]

I bet he feels like a duche for buying a Core i7 965 (if he has one)...he can't even get it to post hight than 4.3GHz so he's trying to get you to buy it so he won't feel so bad. Dude!! Get a Core i7 920...and show him that you can hit 12GT's QPI with little effort ^_^ Even 9.6GT's will put a smile on your face with very low voltages...a frown on his i'm sure and he will talk smack to you for having a better rig ^_^

I agree about the GTX285 too...I honestly think one card is more than enough...i won't do SLI or Crossfire in any machine i build... I only suggested it to you incase it fits your budget or you want to SLI/Cross cards.

Speaking of a budget..whats the least and the most you want to spend? I must have missed it somewhere...

As I've read from the forum, when you SLI cards you can designate a card to perform physics calculation and the other with other types of calculation Is that right? As I have stated I've never build my own PC I can replace/add hardware but never build from scratch. And I'm very new to OCing. I'm afraid of bring down the lifespan of my CPU which from what I've read you just have stay with a low voltage.

 

[Kill@dor]

Its really not hard to OC, you just have to know what you are doing...so forums like this help you understand what exactly you are doing on an OC. I was scared the first time i did it...and i have an E6600 that i put though hell...and its still working for the past 3years now will be 4years in August. I have had it on the lowest voltages for the longest time now...1.26v is the lowest on my motherboard and still going. I did increase it to 1.45v for testing how far i could go...and since mine is a B2 and not a G0 🙁 i only made it to 3.6GHz with an intel board...and intels don't really appreciate OC's. Other boards like Asus or Gigabytes do push the CPU to 3.8GHz or even 4.0GHz with some work. But then again, i never volted over 1.5v so i could have made it to 3.8GHz with more effort...not worth it for me.

Moving on from my pointless rant...

SLI does that. One works out the physics and the other renders other textures etc. Making them both fast and efficent but with limitations still and imporved performance overall. One card is more than enough to render everything...you really dont need 2 cards, but if you plan on upgrading later, you can always use a good power supply so the 1000W PSU you posted is a good one. Personally, i would just go 850W.

So now with a Core i7, you can run 4GHz with 1.2v...but you will have to up-volt your QPI (used to be FSB - front side bus speed) to about 1.5v or 1.6v. and your Ram may need to go as high as 1.6v or higher...risking damage to your RAM, but if its stable enough like a Kingston DDR3 2000 you will be in luck ^_^ With those settings you will probably look at 38°C (idle) / 60°C (load) with games too may be lower depending on the game. Normal use will fall under 45°C or less.

The problem is not overclocking, the problem is stability and controlling heat. Its not easy...and water cooling is the best option to cool a PC, but even water cooling doesn't do the best job and is more expensive. So air cooling is much cheaper and very efficent till this day.

 

[Kill@dor]

So how much are you going to spend is the question?

 

[robertomad]

Its really not hard to OC, you just have to know what you are doing...so forums like this help you understand what exactly you are doing on an OC. I was scared the first time i did it...and i have an E6600 that i put though hell...and its still working for the past 3years now will be 4years in August. I have had it on the lowest voltages for the longest time now...1.26v is the lowest on my motherboard and still going. I did increase it to 1.45v for testing how far i could go...and since mine is a B2 and not a G0 🙁 i only made it to 3.6GHz with an intel board...and intels don't really appreciate OC's. Other boards like Asus or Gigabytes do push the CPU to 3.8GHz or even 4.0GHz with some work. But then again, i never volted over 1.5v so i could have made it to 3.8GHz with more effort...not worth it for me.

Moving on from my pointless rant...

SLI does that. One works out the physics and the other renders other textures etc. Making them both fast and efficent but with limitations still and imporved performance overall. One card is more than enough to render everything...you really dont need 2 cards, but if you plan on upgrading later, you can always use a good power supply so the 1000W PSU you posted is a good one. Personally, i would just go 850W.

So now with a Core i7, you can run 4GHz with 1.2v...but you will have to up-volt your QPI (used to be FSB - front side bus speed) to about 1.5v or 1.6v. and your Ram may need to go as high as 1.6v or higher...risking damage to your RAM, but if its stable enough like a Kingston DDR3 2000 you will be in luck ^_^ With those settings you will probably look at 38°C (idle) / 60°C (load) with games too may be lower depending on the game. Normal use will fall under 45°C or less.

The problem is not overclocking, the problem is stability and controlling heat. Its not easy...and water cooling is the best option to cool a PC, but even water cooling doesn't do the best job and is more expensive. So air cooling is much cheaper and very efficent till this day.

Will HAF 932 help ease the temp a bit better?

 

[robertomad]

So how much are you going to spend is the question?

£1500

 

[jay2tall]

Dude, don't envy your buddy. Why bother. I rather build a PC myself, spend time getting it just how I want, overclock it, tweak it, and be happy. If you have an i7 there will be dozens of people who are envious of you alone on this site. Sounds like your buddy has money, is a cocky little turd, and either grew up with money and everything handed to him, or he lucked out in life and racks in money with little or no effort.

I think you will find more value in figuring out what will fit your needs and at the same time not pay through your nose for it. The more modest system you listed is WAY more than what I have, and I'm happier than a clam myself. You don't always need to be over the top to be happy. I bet you understand that way more than your buddy does.

Besides, MY buddy has a WAY better case and cooling system than your buddy.. A custom case from Mountainmods and a custom build 2 pump liquid system for $800. He also has a 1200w Thermaltake power supply. Tell your buddy to fly a kite. Nanny Nanny Poo Poo.. haha, just joking.

 

[Kill@dor]

From the reviews on newegg i would say yes it will cool the PC well.

 

[Kill@dor]

Nanny nanny poo poo LOLz ^_^

 

[robertomad]

Thank you very much for all your reply.

 

[Kill@dor]

Quote robertomad:
Coolermaster HAF 932 Case - Black (No PSU)
Intel Core i7 920 "D0 Stepping" 2.66Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) - Retail
ASUS GeForce GTX 295 1792MB GDDR3 Dual DVI HDMI PCI Express - Retail with PhysX, CUDA & 3D Stereo
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 32Mb Cache Hard Disk Drive SATAII 300MB/s <8.9ms 7200rpm - OEM
Hiper-M 880W Power Supply
Coolermaster V8 CPU Cooler (Socket 940/AM2/LGA775/LGA1366)
LG Blu-ray Rewriter GGW-H20L DVD-/+RW HD DVD ROM Black SATA - Retail
G.Skill PI "Silver Edition" 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Triple Channel Kit
Asus P6T Deluxe V2 Intel X58 (Socket 1366) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard


Is this any good?


- So these specs look good man. Let us know if you need more help...and post comments when you have it together or if you need help putting it together ^_^

 

[robertomad]

Okay. I bought a Benq FP241w 24" monitor on ebay Last night. I felt that this is related to my proposed built so I would just keep this question to the thread. I know it was mentioned that unless I'm going to use more than 30" monitor or 120 hz. There will be no benefit. I just want to know if there will be any benefits in terms of 3d rendering graphics and gaming performance (FPS gain). Will there be any noticable performance when I get gtx 295 or SLIed gtx 285? By the way, The monitors maximum resolution is 1920 x 1200. And another question will the gtx 200 series support Directx11 for windows ? Thanks again.

 

[jay2tall]

^
It will depend on the demand of the game. The GTX 295 shouldn't give you much problem with any games. But you have to remember, if you have a 24"lcd at 60Hz, any frames over 60FPS you won't really see because your monitor isn't refreshing that fast, so it is pointless. That is why sometimes its a give benefit to turn on Vsync and keep a constant 60FPS. The 295 will be overkill for alot of games, but 285 will be awesome and you can always add another.

DirectX 11 isn't supported by any video cards yet... I don't think. It's all 10 and 10.1

 

[Kill@dor]

No DX 11 yet, but they are working on a release soon.

 

[jay2tall]

^
You figure this though. Look at DX11, how long did it take everyone to start seeing games what utilized DX10? You also needed a DX10 video card, and Vista. It will be a little while until we see games actually being coded to use DX11 anyways. And most gamers change out their cards every 1-2 years anyways.... ok maybe the avid gamers do. *guilty*

 

[Kill@dor]

Are you more of a console gamer or PC? I do a little of both...UT3 and Gears are my favorite games... on console i like Left 4 Dead an Gears 2 ^_^ I guess i like PC games better because of the image quality and response of the controls...for those games at least...

 

[vgdarkstar]

Dude, don't envy your buddy. Why bother. I rather build a PC myself, spend time getting it just how I want, overclock it, tweak it, and be happy. If you have an i7 there will be dozens of people who are envious of you alone on this site. Sounds like your buddy has money, is a cocky little turd, and either grew up with money and everything handed to him, or he lucked out in life and racks in money with little or no effort.

I think you will find more value in figuring out what will fit your needs and at the same time not pay through your nose for it. The more modest system you listed is WAY more than what I have, and I'm happier than a clam myself. You don't always need to be over the top to be happy. I bet you understand that way more than your buddy does.

Besides, MY buddy has a WAY better case and cooling system than your buddy.. A custom case from Mountainmods and a custom build 2 pump liquid system for $800. He also has a 1200w Thermaltake power supply. Tell your buddy to fly a kite. Nanny Nanny Poo Poo.. haha, just joking.

Hey man, some people go to college and work hard to make a decent income 😛

It is kind of pointless trying to "keep up with the Joneses" though, but some people live for tech, it's an addiction. heh

 

[jay2tall]

^
Hey i went to college and do ok for myself. I was never just handed much of anything so I value what I purchase and keep my wants and needs in check.

I live for tech, but i know my limits and have real life expenses to take care of first. PC gaming is a hobby and I have to keep my priories straight. Honest, if I was pulling in 6 figures, I don't even think I'd have the BEST of the BEST. I'd feel to guilty. Plus you give it 2-3 months and you are no longer the BEST of the BEST. I'll settle for a good system i can be proud of. I could use a 24" LCD though. My old 22" just doesn't have the contrast and response I'd like ;-)

 

[robertomad]

Are you more of a console gamer or PC? I do a little of both...UT3 and Gears are my favorite games... on console i like Left 4 Dead an Gears 2 ^_^ I guess i like PC games better because of the image quality and response of the controls...for those games at least...

Honestly, I have a PS2 but I don't really have time to play with it. My wife was thinking of buying PS3 for me but I told her that most of the games are found in PC. When I was young I'm totally addicted to gaming, I even play from 7Am till 2AM literally. But now I just don't feel that way anymore.