Looking to build a $5K-6K system

[kenk2006]

Hi All!!!

I'm new to the forum and have been trying to find some info on building a new PC.

I'm looking at a budget of about $5K-6K.

I would like it based on an Intel 9700 3.2ghz CPU, 790i MB, Dual nVidia 280 graphics cards in SLi, 8GB Ram, 2x300GB Velociraptor HD's in raid 0, water cooled CPU/GPU/MB, CD Burner w/lightscribe and BD, media reader, and a good case to put all this in...

I've built several systems in the past with great success but this is my first attempt at a high end system. Any ideas/suggestions as to what components/manufacturers I should look at getting would greatly be appreciated!

Best regards and thanks!!!
Ken

 

[mark $]

Quite honestly I would get a 1.5k rig plus a good water cooling set up and upgrade every year. Get some good 1066 ddr2 such as the Corsair dominators or ddr3 if you want(barely any performance increase). Case perhaps the Coolermaster 830, Cosmos S, a good Lian Li maybe instead? and reuse the case and water cooling. There's no doubt an expensive system will be great immediately, but after the first 2.5-3 years the 1.5k systems would probably a better approach.

 

[WR2]

Look over these suggestions @ ExtremeTech: ExtremeTech's Killer Gaming Rig

IMO if you have $5K to spend I think you'd be a LOT better off with using 2.5K for a laptop and 2.5K for a desktop.

 

[Silverion77]

+1 to mark....

Dont spend 5k on a build now, cause in half a year, its already destroyed by a $1500 system. Build a $1500 rig like Mark said and then upgrade and save the extra cash for future systems/upgrades.

Get a P45/X48, a 4870x2, Q9550 cpu and 4 gigs of some nice DDR2-1000 (mushkin red line) or 1066 ram and 10k drives are RLY expensive. I wouldnt even bother unless 2 second faster loads rly matter to u. I would get the WD 640AAKS (its good price and pretty fast as a 7200 drive)

Edit: @ baba that GTX 350 is total suspicion...the only site that has it is hardspell >.>

 

[babakamboora]

If your looking for the best gaming case ever then it's Antec 1200! , a good mobo for a high end gaming rigg would be Asus Striker Extreme II.
Nehalem is just around the corner and the GTX350 (2GB DDR5) will be released by Q4 2008, so i wouldn't really suggest paying that much on a gaming rigg now.

 

[emp]

I agree with Mark that it would be the more cost effective way, with that being said I'll give you a proposed setup. Remember two things though, there are no gains with using DDR3 at the moment so it's pointless to use it and the absolute best graphics performance is held by Ati and their HD 4870 X2, not the puny GTX 280s.

Intel BOXD5400XS Dual LGA 771 Skulltrail D5400XS Extended ATX Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121330&Tpk=Skulltrail

Intel Xeon E5450 Harpertown 3.0GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 771 80W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117141

(Saving $1000 over the dual QX9775 and just set the FSB manually to 400 and you have 2 quad cores running at 3.6 Ghz instead of 2 little QX9775 running at 3.2 Ghz.)

Add two of these for 8GB of ram:

Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 FB-DIMM ECC Fully Buffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Server Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148189

Two of these for quad crossfire:

VisionTek 900250 Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129114

PC Power & Cooling T1KWSR 1000W Continuous @ 50°C EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703003

2 of these for a RAID array...

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136260

Antec Twelve Hundred Black ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043&Tpk=Antec twelve hundred

LG Black 6X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 6X Blu-ray DVD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Internal Blu-ray Burner Super Multi Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM Drive Model GGW-H20L - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136137

For water cooling check out:

www.dangerden.com

www.koolance.com

 

[kenk2006]

Thanks all for the suggestions so far!!!

Guess I'll be re-thinking my strategy!!!

emb, should I get dual cpus? Or can that MB handle just one? This looks like a nice system... and alot cheaper too!!!

As far as the water cooling, is it going to be necessary with this setup? I'm not going to be doing any extreme overclocking other that raising the FSB like you suggested... I have read that the GPU's run very hot so that would probalby be my only concern.

Ken

 

[emp]

Duplicate post.

 

[emp]

Honestly, if it's for gaming then there's not much point on getting dual CPUs. I'll spec a second (more serious) system, because the first one is amazing, but there's no software programmed (except for ray tracing rendering) to harness that kind of CPU power yet.

You shouldn't require any additional cooling for the GPUs, provided that you don't go too crazy OC'ing them.

DFI LANPARTY DK X38-T2R LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136045

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041

OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289

Two of these for quad crossfire:

VisionTek 900250 Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129114

PC Power & Cooling T1KWSR 1000W Continuous @ 50°C EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703003

2 of these for a RAID array...

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136260

Antec Twelve Hundred Black ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043&Tpk=Antec twelve hundred

LG Black 6X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 6X Blu-ray DVD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Internal Blu-ray Burner Super Multi Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM Drive Model GGW-H20L - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136137

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm 2-ball UFO Bearing / Transparent CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887011&Tpk=Zerotherm Nirvana

This setup will run you for about $3250 and believe it or not, you will NOT see ANY difference in performance in games (just a $2000 difference!) with this one and the one I showed you above. You should be able to get this CPU running at 3.4 without any major issues by adjusting the FSB frequency to 400 in the BIOS.

 

[kenk2006]

Thanks again emp!!! I'm going to go ahead and build this system... sounds like a winner to me!

Should I change out the other MB for the one you just posted and get a different CPU? The price I'm at now is fine so that isn't an issue.

Got everything in the shopping cart at egghead... total price??? $4700! Right at my budget! I'll still need to add a media card reader but that won't bumb the price up that much... I also added Vista Ultimate which has the 64bit version as well...

 

[kenk2006]

LOL!!!

I posted the last reply before I saw the new one you put on!!! I'll go price that one out...

Thanks again!!!

 

[brendin]

+1 to mark....

Dont spend 5k on a build now, cause in half a year, its already destroyed by a $1500 system. Build a $1500 rig like Mark said and then upgrade and save the extra cash for future systems/upgrades.

Get a P45/X48, a 4870x2, Q9550 cpu and 4 gigs of some nice DDR2-1000 (mushkin red line) or 1066 ram and 10k drives are RLY expensive. I wouldnt even bother unless 2 second faster loads rly matter to u. I would get the WD 640AAKS (its good price and pretty fast as a 7200 drive)

Edit: @ baba that GTX 350 is total suspicion...the only site that has it is hardspell >.>

u are genius like myself (lol) cause i would recommend the same

 

[emp]

You're welcome, and in case you end up wondering why I recommend that particular X38 board over ANY X48 board is because it has the same features as any competent X48 board, but is about $100 cheaper. Basically the cost of X48 boards is a joke at the moment.

 

[Silverion77]

How bout the Corsair HX1000, it seems like a very competent PSU and about $100 cheaper

emp, i still love the HD 5870 (ill laugh if its not called that down the road)

 

[kenk2006]

OK, got the other system priced out... grand total??? $3369!!! The only addition was this:

Card reader:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820300608


Gonna go start ordering and hopefully by the end of the week I'll have everything! I'm going to have to order it in chunks tho... my CC can only do $2500 a day...

Should I consider getting an addtional GPU cooler? Also, would I benefit from getting a 9650 CPU and o/c it?

Thanks again for the great iinfo and awsome help in this!!!

Ken

 

[Silverion77]

i would not get the 9650...its not worth it. U r paying double price for an extra .5 multiplier...definitely not worth it...

Get the 9550, save the $300 and OC that
No to the gpu cooler cause atm i havent seen any for the 4870x2

And @ u and emp (seriously consider this). Do u seriously need 2 4870x2. I mean with 1 u are getting 250 fps in CoD4, 35 in Crysis with all high and high res. and in many reviews...atm the scaling is just not there for the x2. It just seems silly to pay another $550 for frames ur not even going to notice. (i mean the eye only sees about 28 fps the extra is for the computer recording more data faster, but that has a limit too.)
If one is not enough for u, u could then buy another. I just think u should see if 1 will suffice for the time and if it is save the money for another card later. If not, then just get another x2

 

[kenk2006]

Thanks for the info Sliverion!

I can get one card now and see how it goes... I can always upgrade later if I don't see the performance I'm looking for.

And thanks for the info on the CPU... I was wondering if the price difference justified the performance I would gain. I'll stick with the 9550!

Thanks again!
Ken

 

[emp]

Silverion, I have faith in Ati... They will name it the HD 5870 And yeah the Corsair HX1000 is awesome, but I figured he wanted the absolute best... the only brand that can top Corsair (Seasonic designs) is PCP&C PSUs.

Yeah I forgot about the card reader, it wasn't really on my mind since I have no use for it 😛 Good that you remembered though...

I would suggest that you wait before buying any GPU coolers, assemble your unit and check the temperature, if you think you REALLY need it, then buy it. (I don't think you will though)

I would suggest against getting the Q9650, it's $220 more expensive for a 9x multiplier (The Q9550 has a 8.5x multiplier), the difference in performance is negligible, the difference in price isn't. (You could buy a HELL of a lot of barbecue and beer with $200...)

That is pretty sweet... I'd suggest that you come up with a plan for ordering then, so you can get the essentials first and then add the rest at the end of the week. kinda like...

Motherboard, CPU, 1x HD 4870 X2, RAM, Blu ray drive, case, PSU, Vista, and one HDD.

Get the second HDD, GPU, CPU cooler and card reader on the second batch maybe?

EDIT @ Silverion: As I stated on my first post, I think the best approach is $1000-1500 systems every 2 or 3 years, but I can understand where kenk is coming from... he's saved his money for some time I assume, just waiting to spoil himself with a big gift, and that is just fine by me (I do the same from time to time!).

I agree with either choice you make (1 or 2 HD 4870 X2), in fact I think it's better to order only one and the second only if necessary.

 

[brendin]

if ur spending that much on a system water it for only an extra 200-400, it looks cool, OCs better

 

[emp]

Water cooling for $200-400? Haha... more like $500-600 for a decent setup. Midrange water cooling USUALLY does not beat high end air cooling, this is one of those things that if you're gonna do it you gotta be serious about it, otherwise you'd be only wasting cash.

 

[kenk2006]

OK!!! Got my C/C out!!! I'm gonna go ahead and get the 2nd GPU that way I won't have to worry about it later...

I'm sure I'll some more questions later!!!

Thanks again for all the great info!!! Made my decision a whole lot easier!

Thanks again to ALL who helped me with this!!!

Ken

 

[bobbknight]

I like emp' setup but for the video card and the HSF.
Video nVidia 9800GX2

HSF Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro7
Or the Xigmatek HDT-S1284
Both Spec better than the ZEROtherm

 

[Silverion77]

Silverion, I have faith in Ati... They will name it the HD 5870

EDIT @ Silverion: As I stated on my first post, I think the best approach is $1000-1500 systems every 2 or 3 years, but I can understand where kenk is coming from... he's saved his money for some time I assume, just waiting to spoil himself with a big gift, and that is just fine by me (I do the same from time to time!).

I agree with either choice you make (1 or 2 HD 4870 X2), in fact I think it's better to order only one and the second only if necessary.

ROFL :lol: :lol:

Yea i guess i could see him spoiling....i guess im doing the same atm compared to my last system (E2180 and 8800GT)
Just with my new system im not sure to wait for Nehalem. Get the 2.66 (cause at $284 it seems great) and an X58 or get the Q9550 and then skip straight to Westmere.
Also, do u kno the actual release on i7? Some said close to Dec. Jan. Now some say Nov. and TH says Sept. im so confused

Edit: @ bobb: from what ive read, the 1284 performs worse than the 1283 cause of the staggered heatpipes
and the nirvana is good (competes with the TRUE) the AC Freezer definitely does not beat it

 

[emp]

I see the paper launch on late September or early october, with the actual release on late november or early december.

Bobbknight, you're aware that the only cooler that beats the Zerotherm Nirvana is the TRUE 120, and that's by no more than 5 C. Also if he's got a big budget and wants some of the best performance available, why would he castrate the PC with a 9800GX2? It's priced nicely, I'll give it that, but nvidia can't even hold a candle against Ati. (Feels SO good saying that after so long 😛)

EDIT @ Silverion: I bought myself an E7200 last week (replacing my E6400), an HD 4850 that should be arriving this week (replacing an 8800GTS 320), and might buy 2 more gigs of RAM. I'm a bit torn between getting bloomfield or holding out for westmere. (Knowing myself I'll probably get bloomfield 😀)

 

[Silverion77]

So would u recommend waiting for i7 (atm i have no computer) or should i get a Q9550 to hold me to Westmere or maybe Sandy Bridge

I mean i do want 17000 cpu points in vantage, but the wait might be too long