Judge my future system

[konchus]

this system will be used as a daw (digital audio workstation) and moderate gaming...i got the cash but i wanna save a few bucks so if u have any tipson how to do this let me know...im pretty fixed on this and can imagine using it already but critique is welcome...also will i be experiencing any bottle necking?


Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
$109.99 -$10.00 Instant $99.99



COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KKN1-GP Black ABS Bezel, SECC Body ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$179.99 -$30.00 Instant $149.99


ASUS P5Q-E LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
$144.99 $144.99


SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
$139.99 $139.99


CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply -
$179.99 -$70.00 Instant $109.99


Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9550 l
$279.99 -$5.00 Instant $274.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK
$64.99 -$12.00 Instant $52.99


Update

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$64.99 $64.99

ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor
$279.99 -$30.00 Instant $249.99

Subtotal: $1,287.91

 

[fullmetall]

A little advice on HDD: Don't go with Seagate, bad firmware problems.

Get this.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
wd black 640gb.

It has more effieciency and will be alot faster than a silly 500gb seagate.
Runs on 2 platters of 320gbx320gb and a nice cache.

If you wnat to keep crossfire open then the 750tx is fine but, if you dont plan to, that 750tx is overkill on a simple 4850.

you look at the 4870 512mb atleast?

 

[aevm]

A 650TX would be enough for that system, even with two HD 4850 cards.

If you upgrade to HD 4870 1GB then you'll get much better performance at 1920x1080. If you do this, stick with the 750TX because it has the 4 PCI-E connectors you need for Crossfire with that card.

A GA-EP45-UD3P MB can save you some cash.

+1 for the WD Black.

 

[aevm]

also will i be experiencing any bottle necking?

The HD 4850 will be a bottleneck at high resolutions in some games. Possible solutions: upgrade to HD 4870 1GB, buy two HD 4850 cards, lower the resolution or the eye-candy level or both, play less demanding games.

The hard drive will also be a bottleneck in processing audio files. Mind you, the WD 640 Black is one of the fastest out there, so it won't be a serious issue. It's just that the HDD will reach its limit first and the CPU won't be used at 100%. Possible solutions: get two hard drives and try to arrange your work so that the source file and target file are on different drives when possible; buy two or more drives and setup RAID 0 or Raid 5; upgrade to a Velociraptor (about 30% faster with large files)

In general though, it's a well balanced system.

 

[fullmetall]

Gees, idk why i was thinking 4850 uses 2x6-pin. Thanks for catching that aevm.

Would recommend the 4870 1gb and the UD3P choice but, if its to much for you, the 4850 you can get now and upgrade later.

 

[konchus]

A little advice on HDD: Don't go with Seagate, bad firmware problems.

Get this.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
wd black 640gb.

It has more effieciency and will be alot faster than a silly 500gb seagate.
Runs on 2 platters of 320gbx320gb and a nice cache.

If you wnat to keep crossfire open then the 750tx is fine but, if you dont plan to, that 750tx is overkill on a simple 4850.

you look at the 4870 512mb atleast?

well i have read in several places(system specs for progs., forums, etc...)that for a daws ur better off going with seagate due to the low seek times...and i thought they only had issues with certain drives like the 1.5 TB drive...but i will definetly give WD a shot cause on new egg when i look for drives and sort them by best rating, about 8 WD drives appear back to back b4 SG or any other brand...

and for the 750 tx im planning on using about 4-5 cd burners at once having all types of stuff plugged into usb, firewire, and esata ports....and i like having overhead just for comfort...and thats what the "asus power supply calculator" recommended

 

[konchus]

The HD 4850 will be a bottleneck at high resolutions in some games. Possible solutions: upgrade to HD 4870 1GB, buy two HD 4850 cards, lower the resolution or the eye-candy level or both, play less demanding games.

The hard drive will also be a bottleneck in processing audio files. Mind you, the WD 640 Black is one of the fastest out there, so it won't be a serious issue. It's just that the HDD will reach its limit first and the CPU won't be used at 100%. Possible solutions: get two hard drives and try to arrange your work so that the source file and target file are on different drives when possible; buy two or more drives and setup RAID 0 or Raid 5; upgrade to a Velociraptor (about 30% faster with large files)

In general though, it's a well balanced system.

raid?!?! isnt that hard to setup??? this will be my first build...in the past ive upgraded ram, hd's, and all types of pci cards...so i feel that screwing down a mobo in a case and plugging in everything else shouldnt be so hard...

will i need anything else???thermal cream, etc.??? i remember back in the day i used to hear about this but not anymore...did they eliminate the need for it?

 

[knotknut]

You are only $100.00 less than an i7 920 build.
The Q9550 is about the same price as an i7 920
Mother board $50.00 more
6 GB DDR3 1600 $50.00 more.

I say i7

 

[xthekidx]

You are only $100.00 less than an i7 920 build.
The Q9550 is about the same price as an i7 920
Mother board $50.00 more
6 GB DDR3 1600 $50.00 more.

I say i7

+1

Change the Case to a CM 690 to save a bit of cash, then go i7 + GA-EX58-UD3R + 6gb OCZ Platinum 1600mhz. You can buy the 850tx and 690 in a combo and save $30.

 

[Why_Me]

I7 build

Ok, this gives you an idea of what you can have for right around $1,000. You can switch out the case if you like.

btw xthekidx, if you get a chance click that link for the G.Skill memory in this build. I just found it. It seems to be new by reading the reviews, and it looks to be decent RAM for over clocking. I dig those heat spreaders also.

http://cmstore.coolermaster-usa.com/product_info.php?products_id=109 $45.99
CM 690 Black SECC/ATX Mid Tower, W/O window, W/O PSU - Refurbished

http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-750w-tx-series-80-plus-certified-power-supply-corsair-tx-cmpsu/q/loc/101/206178325.html $104.99 Price After Rebate: $79.99 Shipping: FREE
Corsair TX CMPSU-750TX ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375 $$209.99 ($194.99 after $15.00 Mail-In Rebate)
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=I7-920 $265.99 Free Ground Shipping
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 $39.99
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020 $6.99
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247 $99.99 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801 $189.99
SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Heatpipes Cooling Design

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319 $79.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152 $23.99 Free Shipping*
LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

Total: $1,067.90 *(not including shipping and rebates) $40 in rebates.

 

[xthekidx]

Yeah those are a decent kit, the OCZ's are $10 cheaper after rebate though...I'm not a big fan of OC'ing ram, ram seems to be more sensitive to that than a CPU or GPU and dies a lot quicker when you OC...

 

[aevm]

I7 build

Ok, this gives you an idea of what you can have for right around $1,000. You can switch out the case if you like.

http://cmstore.coolermaster-usa.com/product_info.php?products_id=109 $45.99
CM 690 Black SECC/ATX Mid Tower, W/O window, W/O PSU - Refurbished
....

Total: $1,067.90 *(not including shipping and rebates) $40 in rebates.

Very nice build. Just not sure exactly what "refurbished" means for a case, but the rest looks very good.

 

[konchus]

Very nice build. Just not sure exactly what "refurbished" means for a case, but the rest looks very good.

im also at a lost with the refurbished case but it seems to save a few bucks...but i think ill stick with my build for other factors...i dont wanna end up having to flash my bios anytime soon...and also the price...i dont have the money to go up...my build alone was quite the squeeze...if anything maybe ill wait a week or 2 and see what happens in the market...but im so anxious!! if i order now i can have everything by friday

 

[Why_Me]

im also at a lost with the refurbished case but it seems to save a few bucks...but i think ill stick with my build for other factors...i dont wanna end up having to flash my bios anytime soon...and also the price...i dont have the money to go up...my build alone was quite the squeeze...if anything maybe ill wait a week or 2 and see what happens in the market...but im so anxious!! if i order now i can have everything by friday

I7 build

That's the same build with the CM Storm Sniper case but with a differen't mobo, and it includes the monitor.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194 $149.99
COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KKN1-GP Black ABS Bezel, SECC Body ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-750w-tx-series-80-plus-certified-power-supply-corsair-tx-cmpsu/q/loc/101/206178325.html $104.99 Price After Rebate: $79.99 Shipping: FREE
Corsair TX CMPSU-750TX ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130221 $189.99 ($169.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
MSI X58 Pro LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=I7-920 $265.99 Free Ground Shipping
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 $39.99
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020 $6.99
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247 $99.99 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801 $189.99
SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Heatpipes Cooling Design

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319 $79.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152 $23.99 Free Shipping*
LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236050 $169.99 ($149.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
ASUS VW224U Black 22" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ HDCP Support 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 5000:1) Built in Speakers - Retail

Total: $1,267.89 *(not including shipping and rebates) $1,202.89 w/mail in rebates.

 

[konchus]

monitor has no hdmi port ...planning on getting a 360 soon and wanna hook up to monitor...boy how i miss playing quake 3 on dreamcast with the mouse n keyboard with the vga adapter...u know what now u got me on the i7...im gonna just splurge and do the xtra 150 and future proof her

 

[konchus]

which is better



ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

or ur choice, GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

 

[Why_Me]

Well if I was on a budget like you are I would use one of these two boards below. The top one if I was going Crossfire, and the bottom one if I was going the SLI route. Also check out the gts 250 1 gig vid card. It's right between the 4870 and the 4850.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375 $209.99 ($194.99 after $15.00 Mail-In Rebate)
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128386 $209.99
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R-SLI LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://techgage.com/article/evga_geforce_gts_250_superclocked/ <=== test results for the gts 250 1 gig

http://techreport.com/articles.x/16504 <=== more test results

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/913/1/ <=== more test results

http://www.ninjalane.com/reviews/video/palit_gts250 <=== more test results

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/msi_geforce_gts_250_N250GTS-2D1G_review/ <=== and one more just for fun.

 

[xthekidx]

which is better



ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

or ur choice, GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

To answer the question, The Asus P6T

 

[aevm]

The P6T indeed. It overclocks very well. Also, it supports both SLI and Crossfire, while the GA-EX58-UD3R has only Crossfire.

 

[knotknut]

Just a FYI:
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R-SLI LGA 1366 Intel X58
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128386
SLI™ and CrossFireX™

 

[xthekidx]

Just a FYI:
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R-SLI LGA 1366 Intel X58
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128386
SLI™ and CrossFireX™

I don't think that version supports xfire as well, just SLI. You can buy the SLI or xfire board, but Gigabyte does not make one that supports both in the UD3R I don't think

 

[aevm]

It does support both CrossfireX and SLI, according to Gigabyte's page.

http://tw.giga-byte.com/Products/Mo...d&ProductID=3018&ProductName=GA-EX58-UD3R-SLI

Mind you, those who prefer ATI cards might as well save $15 and get the Crossfire-only version.

 

[xthekidx]

Fancy that. I guess its kinda like a UD3R V2...