Intel i7 Rig for Gaming

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HighNoon

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Jul 1, 2006
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Please let me know what you think of my build! One of my concerns is that my graphics card might not be up to par with the rest of my components.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: End of May or early June

BUDGET RANGE: $1500 - $2000, but the cheaper the better

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Starcraft II, other games, torrenting, general internet use, media server

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard (Logitech G15), mouse (Razer Mamba), monitor (Dell U2410), speakers (Logitech Z-5500), OS (Windows 7 Ultimate x64)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg or Amazon

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States

PARTS PREFERENCES: I would like to use an Intel CPU and a Mid-Tower Case

OVERCLOCKING: Yes, definitely

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes, in the future

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I would like to have a window, and a relatively quiet PC that can run 24/7

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PARTS LIST:

Newegg Wish List


NOTES:
- I will add an SSD later this year (hoping to purchase on Black Friday)

- I will most likely add a second graphics card within a year or two

- I am waiting for the Lian Li PC-60FNWx case to come out, but the case i have in my wish list is an older version and basically the same thing
 
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I would do this for a gaming rig



Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118039

LIAN LI PC-7FN Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811112249
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-$40.00 Instant
$139.99
$99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112249

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822148433
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Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $10.99
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433

SAPPHIRE 100281-3SR Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video ...
Item #: N82E16814102883
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The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $35.99
• 2 year: $59.99
-$30.00 Instant
$429.99
$399.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102883

SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817151087
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$199.99
$169.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM
Item #: N82E16820231303
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$119.99
$109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303

ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131621
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• 1 year: $19.99
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131621

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750
Item #: N82E16819115215
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
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Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $19.99
• 2 year: $36.99
$199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long ...
Item #: N82E16835103065
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The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $6.99
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$39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
Subtotal: $1,316.91


Might want to look into a CM-922 mid-tower case

I have a HD 5850 and a 1920x1080 rez and can play alot of games maxed but some i will have to turn down AA and play on high not very high settings IMO i would go with the HD 5870.


 
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I'd put a vote in for the HAF 922 as well. It is a great case to work in and it'll save you some money. On the topic of saving cash, I'd take the Corsair PSU over the SeaSonic. It is $60 cheaper and it has free shipping. Plus, if you buy it by the 23rd, there is a special going that allows you to shave off an additional 10% so you'd be paying around $99 bucks for a very reputable PSU. Money you could use elsewhere in your build.

HAF 922
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

Corsair 750w PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
 
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@somebody_00
- One of the reasons I went with the H50 is because it's relatively small relative to high-end air coolers like the one you listed. I don't want my case to be super cramped. Also, if anything, I'd like to go cheaper on the HSF. Basically I'll take whatever is cheapest and allows me to OC my i7-930 to ~4.0 GHz.

- I know the case may be "overkill" but the aesthetics of a case are very important to me and I really admire Lian Li's design, especially the PC-60FNWx. Plus, I'd really like to have a window.

- Would adding a second F3 in RAID 0 really make that much of a performance difference? Is a RAID 0 configuration any more likely to fail than either of the drives if they were not in RAID? Also, do I need any additional hardware to implement a RAID setup?


@niklas_13
- What games do you have to turn down the settings on? I imagine I will be playing mainly Starcraft II and Diablo III (when it releases) which I don't think will have very high system requirements. In other words, do you think the 5850 could handle Starcraft II at max settings?

- Is the HDD you listed any better than the F3? I don't really see any differences except price.

- Is there any particular reason (besides price) to go with P55 rather than X58? I want to be as future-proof as possible, and also if I ever plan on adding a second 5850 or 5870, isn't X58 required?


@Indecisive_Man
- I like the looks of the Lian Li PC-60FNWx a lot more than the HAF 922. The Lian Li has an all black interior, and just looks nicer to me, but thanks for the recommendation.

- As far the PSU, I spend a long time debating between the 750TX and 750HX. I like the HX because of the modular cables, and I believe it's slightly more efficient. Are those two things worth the extra money?


Thank you guys for your comments!
 
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1. Crysis and AVP Dont get me wrong they play good on the HD 5850 ( but at times, it will lag for a split second do to FPS drop ) I have not played that game so i dont know, you can look up some benchmarks on it.

2. both HDD are good the seagate 7200.12 in a review i read was a little better for games then the samsung

3. Just price / You can run xfire on a p55 mobo @ 8x8x the X58 will give you 16x16 which is about 4 % faster not a big deal vs price of the 2 systems.


At your budget you can build a X58 setup with a HD 5970 if you like :)



Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827118039
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $6.99
• 2 year: $11.99
$21.99


COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811119160
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$159.98
$139.98


Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822148433
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $10.99
• 2 year: $18.99
$84.99


SAPPHIRE 100280SR Radeon HD 5970 (Hemlock) 2GB 512 (256 x 2)-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support ...
Item #: N82E16814102887
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
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Service Net PC Peripheral Extended Warranty Plan
Products are serviced via authorized repair facility or at your home or place of business if applicable. All shipping charges are covered(more info)
• 1 year: $45.99
• 2 year: $59.99
• 3 year: $79.99
$699.99


OCZ Z Series Gold OCZZ850M 850W ATX12V 2.3/ EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active ...
Item #: N82E16817341026
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
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Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $19.99
• 2 year: $36.99
-$40.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$239.99
$199.99


G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI
Item #: N82E16820231335
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
-$15.00 Instant
$189.99
$174.99


ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131614
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
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The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $29.99
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-$15.00 Instant
$309.99
$294.99


Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80601930
Item #: N82E16819115225
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $29.99
• 2 year: $59.99
$288.99


Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm CPU Cooler and Case Fan
Item #: N82E16835608004
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$24.99


Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835242001
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
$69.99
$64.99
Subtotal: $1,995.89

 
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MoBo / CPU - Upgrade to the P6X58D-E $515 in combo w/ thr 930
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.378938

Case / PSU - Also would have to recommend the HAF 922 or 932 but I'd up the PSU size to an 850. Yes i know that ATI recommends only a 600 watter for twin 650's but if you're gonna be overclocking, I'd wanna insure stable voltages by getting some extra headroom....and with your budget, you can easily afford twin GPU's. Also might wanna consider this option which provides one of the best PSU's / an HAF 932 equivelent

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.387490
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.387037

Hard Drives - Check out the performance charts and pick whatever 500 GB per platter drive performs best under your usage patterns. The 2 TB WD Black and XT from Seagate are good choice but at smaller capacities, you are limited to the Seagate 7200.12 or the Spinpoint F3. The 7200.12 excels in gaming, multimedia and pictures whereas the F3 wins at music and movie maker. See the comparisons here (copy past link in manually, link won't work in forum):

(http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/compare,1006.html?prod[2371]=on&prod[2770]=on)

Look at the tests that reflect your usage and choose accordingly.

RAM - You have a very expensive choice for CAS 8 timings and those tall heat spreaders often interfere w/ CPU heat sinks, which according to THG articles, provide no benefit whatsoever. Only heat spreaders which seem to do anything are the Ascent liquid modules which appear on some rare Mushkin modules like the 998692's.

CAS 6 option $234 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226121
CAS 7 $199 (7-8-7-20) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226030 or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145286

CPU Heatsinks: The H50 (29.3C) gets beat by 5C compared to the best coolers like the megahalems (24.9):

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=371&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=11
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=432&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=23

%C can turn into a big difference in OC capability.

GFX - Consider that, at your purchase price, the 5850 costs you $9.44 per frame (average fps in Dx11 games @ 1920 x 1200, high settings over 10 DX11 benches) as compared with $9.08 per frame for the nVidia 470. In Dx10, the advantage switches to the 5850 .... I can't argue against either choice but both a worthy candidates.
 
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I just took advantage of the sale on the i7-930 at Microcenter. I got it for $216.50!


@niklas_13
- Starcraft II has pretty low system requirements, so I think I'll probably be fine with the 5850. There is no way i'm spending $700 on a 5970. That's just ridiculous. Is Sapphire any better than Asus, XFX, etc.?

- Even if the Seagate 7200.12 is a little better for games, I think I'll probably just get the F3. The F3 is on sale right now at Newegg for $70, and has much better reviews than the Seagate as far as reliability.



@JackNaylorPE
- I love Asus boards, but I don't really care much for the P6X58D-E. The lack of e-SATA is disappointing, and according to a comparison on TH the performance of the two is similar. I'll go with the cheaper Gigabyte board, unless there's something I'm missing.

- I'm going to start out with one gfx card, but I will probably get another in a year or two. Is an 850W power supply necessary to run 2x 5850's and an OC'd i7-930?

- See above note about F3 vs. 7200.12

- Is there that much of a performance gain between CAS 6, CAS 7, and CAS 8 modules? I know Corsair is a reputable brand... is Mushkin as good? I'm interested in OC'ing my memory, but I don't know which memory is best for OC'ing. Is there anything that affects the performance of the RAM besides speed and timings? Also, I did a lot of reading and didn't encounter anyone complaining about the heat spreaders getting in the way of their HSF.

- I want my HSF to be able to handle my i7-930 comfortably at 4.0 Ghz, not be super expensive (<$50), and not be HUGE. I believe the Hyper 212+ is the best option for me, but if you have another suggestion please let me know. A few degree difference here or there doesn't bother me. I'm looking for value.

- I'm definitely going ATI, I'm only trying to decide between the 5850 and 5870. I'm leaning towards 5850 though.



@builderbobftw
- Do you have a Hyper 212+? Is it huge? Is it as good as the reviews claim?

- See above note about F3 vs. 7200.12
 
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Yes, the 5850 can handle Starcraft II at max settings. I would recommend 5870 but your choice if you want to save then get 5850. If you are playing mostly Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 (when released) 5850 would be fine. Waste of money to get 5970 it's not like you playing 2560x1600, it’s so fast that it’s wasted on a single monitor and i bet your not hardware enthusiast. 5970 is only perfect 3 20" + monitors Eyefinity setup and it’s entirely unnecessary for a single-monitor setup.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/blizzard-entertainment-starcraft-ii-benchmark,2611.html
 
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@builderbobftw
- Why does the H50 blow?

- I'm confused... so what PSU are you recommending?


@somebody_00
- I'm considering putting two 500 GB drives in RAID 0. Is the cost increase of $30 or so over a single 1TB drive worth the increased performance?


@Luci3nd4r
- I wouldn't consider myself an enthusiast simply based on my lack of experience, but I have a great desire to learn and become an "enthusiast". If the 5850 can run SC2 and D3 fine at max settings, why would I spend the extra $100 on the 5870?


I talked to a very knowledgeable employee at Microcenter today and he made some parts recommendations that I was curious about and I want to see what you guys think.

- For a mobo, he recommended http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188046
It seems nice, but it doesn't have SATA 3.0 or USB 3.0 which is kind of a bummer. Is this board better than the Asus P6X58D-E for any reason?

- For a PSU (since I'll eventually be going dual 5850's) he recommended the Corsair 1000HX. Seems like overkill to me, but I'm no expert. Is 750 W more reasonable? Or 850?

- For RAM, he recommended any Corsair Dominator set. I know that Corsair makes good RAM, but is Mushkin or Gskill any better?

- For a CPU Cooler, he recommended the CoolerMaster V8 because it runs quiet. Another employee recommended me the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme. Those are both more money than the Hyper 212+, but would the temp differences be worth it for OC'ing, etc.?

Thanks so much for your help.
 
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Just my humble opinion, but the 212+ is WAY overrated here at Tom's. It's a decent option as a stock replacement and for moderate OCs (<3.6GHz). It's not that good beyond that mark, and the CM V8 is worse. If you want a 24/7 4.0GHz OC, then the H50 is alright, but you'd be better off paying a little extra for the Noctua NH-D14 or the Megahalems.
 
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+1 ^
 
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Don't even listen to those employee's they want you spend more money and I say that there not even knowledgeable with latest products coming out. Get the Asus P6X58D-E why waste Evga 2 years old MB and with the same price. Corsair 750W is adequate for your setup. Yes its overkill 1000W is for multiple cards 3+ and serious overclocking etc.

Corsair Dominator are too expensive. Get these instead its CAS 7 it's adequate for your setup: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231335

Want to spend extra money to get better overclocking. It's CAS 6
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226121

Hyper 212+ is the best bang for your buck.
 
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+1 ^ but not to the HSF ( yes its a grate cooler at a good price ) but if you want to hit higher OCing then 3.6 go with the e Noctua or the Megahalems HSF

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=432&Itemid=62
 
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eurm about the ram. If you want to OC the thing you should do is not buy mushkins. Dominators OC amazingly well due to there conservetive clock others not so much. So if you want to OC the dominators are a good choice.

And I think that evga board is very good but its old.

And as I said raid0 is twice as fast. If you don't have another primary drive then it will drastically improve bootup and startup of many applications. And it will double the speed of transfering large files(between the same drive since external drives are slower).
 
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So today I bought a Hyper 212+. I know that it's not recommended for extreme OC'ing... but it was $19.99 at Microcenter, so it was hard to pass up. I'll be happy with whatever amount of OC'ing I can get out of the Hyper 212+... 4.0 Ghz+ is not necessary.

So here is my current list of parts.
Note that there is no CPU or HSF in my wishlist because I already purchased them.


My questions are as follows (in order from most important to least important):

- I believe that the HIS 5850 I have in my wishlist is a pretty good deal, but I believe that it is a reference card. Is it worth it to upgrade to a better 5850 such as the Sapphire Toxic edition? I will probably end up OC'ing whatever card I get.

- What on earth is the difference between these two 6GB DDR3 1600 kits? I searched around the Corsair forums and came up empty.

- I was going to replace the current fan on my Hyper 212+ (and add an extra for a push/pull configuration). This is the fan I was looking at getting. Is it a good choice?

- I was planning on putting two 1 TB Spinpoint F3's in RAID 0 but some of the reviews I have been mention that the F3 is not a good performer relative to other 1 TB drives like the WD Caviar Blacks. Is the price difference worth the upgrade?

- I'm pretty sure that 750W will be enough for my build (based on every wattage calculator I used on the net). Is the 750HX worth the premium for modular or should I go with a different brand?
 
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608004&cm_re=noctua_120-_-35-608-004-_-Product this is better for the fan for your h50 is commenly known as a very good performing fan. twice as good but much louder http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185054&cm_re=scythe_120mm-_-35-185-054-_-Product buy 2 of these because they are cheap and perform well. And you make noise with one just as much as two.

don't see the difference between the dominators.

If you want to buy more for a gpu the 470gtx is a better deal than the toxic or vapor x

 
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So today I finished ordering all the parts for my new PC.

Here is the final setup: My Newegg Wish List

My wish list includes all the parts of my PC, but I didn't get them all at Newegg. The total price of my build came out to be $1399.

I just wanted to know if you guys had any final thoughts, comments, criticism, etc.

Thanks for all your help!


Planned future upgrades:
-Second 5850
-2nd fan for Hyper 212+
-SSD (Intel G3?)
-Window panel for case

One more question: Is it possible to install Windows 7 onto one of my F3's, and then put them in RAID 0? Or do both drives have to start out blank for RAID 0?
 
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