new build - $5000 - tips?

[dudikusmaximus]

so I just got a job driving for ups and I thought about building a monster... this is what I'm looking at currently

mobo - ASUS P5E3 PREMIUM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131276

cpu - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115130

ram - mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146777 x2

Video - MSI R4870X2 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127376 x2

sound - ASUS Xonar D1 7.1 Channels PCI - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132007

hdd - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148274 x2

ssd - Patriot PE32GS25SSDR 2.5" 32GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220341 x3

psu - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171029

optical drive - LG Black 6X Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136155

cooling - http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=202848477&listingid=20221946&dcaid=17902
http://www.asetek.com/content/view/456/101/

other cooling - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835230005 x2

case - LIAN LI PC-65B - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112040

I added the hdd coolers so that I can take out the internal hdd slots so that the video cards will fit

 

[dudikusmaximus]

Im trying to keep this in the $5000 range, and trying to get some serious frequencies out of it

 

[Onus]

I'm sorry, I can't take that seriously. Are you a troll, or were you somehow deprived of any sense of value?

 

[dudikusmaximus]

i Like to think of myself as more of a zombie really, and i was told by my manager that if I could build for 5 grand something that could beat his falcon northwest rig that he would buy it from me for that same price that he paid for his, which is about 9 grand

 

[rodney_ws]

PCs are a terrible investment... and the difference between a $2500 and a $5000 rig (assuming we're looking at FPS) will be pretty minor. Surely you can find something better to spend your money on than a $5k PC that will be eclipsed in a few years by a $399 console. $2500 will buy a killer rig by anyone's standards.

 

[alvine]

if you want spend 5 grand on a bleeding edge system when wait for intel core i7

 

[englandr753]

I would need a written contract for that transaction.

I cant take that seriously either. Tbh, why would anyone want to spend 5k or 9k on a system that will be sub par in 6-12 months?

This sound like a fun but useless spending spree. You are better off spending 1500 and using the money you dont spend to do something nice for your mother and maintain upgrades that will make your rig much faster than the 5000.00 setup in about a year or so...

 

[einstein4pres]

And what benchmark(s) will you be using to determine quality?

I'm not going to look through it all, but you might consider a dedicated RAID card. Or an honest-to-god RAM drive[1] if you're looking for bootup performance...

Also, I don't know if PhysX is useful or not, but that might be worth looking into.

[1] Do they sell DDR2 RAM drives yet?

 

[dudikusmaximus]

im doing this so that I can make some quick money and likely build myself a $2000 to $2500 rig, that'll pretty much end up being free....any of you would do the same

once again, it has to beat a week old falcon nw rig

 

[einstein4pres]

You haven't listed the specs on the Falcon NW computer, so it's kind of hard. And as other people have said, $4000 is a heck of a lot of money to spend on a gentleman's agreement.

Of course, if he's allowed to return his (custom?)-bought computer, it'd be an obviously safer bet.

 

[dudikusmaximus]

these are the falcon nw specs

Silverstone 1200Watt Strider - Modular
Asus P5E3 Premium WIFI
Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme QX9770 3.2GHz
ICON Watercooling Kit
8GB (4X2GB) 1066MHZ DDR3
2x ATI HD4870X2 2GB DDR5
VelociRaptor 300GB 10KRPM 16MB Cache x2
Hitachi 1TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache x2
LG Blu-Ray-RW/HD-Rom/DVD+-RW
Ultra Flash Media & Floppy Drive


he spent 8200 bucks on it

 

[rodney_ws]

I'm calling bull. This doesn't pass the smell test.

 

[dudikusmaximus]

I didnt come in here and post this so that people could try to talk me out of a remarkable opportunity that ill likely never see again, and we do have a signed agreement...think of it as a paid contest

 

[KyleSTL]

'Gentlemen's Agreement'

Sounds more like 'my e-peen is huge, see if you can beat it'. Don't let your ego cause you to spend 5Gs on a rediculous dare/challenge.

 

[megamanx00]

Hah, that's crazy, but I guess if you can afford it. Make sure you check out the super PC article here if you haven't already

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/system-builder-marathon,2050.html

Since that's a good place to start. I also think you're wasting money on the DDR3, but if you really want to go DDR3 you aren't going to get much better than the Mushkin you picked. I think you would be better off with the DDR2 1066 Mushkin though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146785

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146789

Their redline series is good too, although Intel chips like higher memory speeds more than lower latency ^_^. For the case and cooling, I think you're better off with something that has liquid cooling built in like one of the more expensive Zalman or Thermal Take models. As for the PSU, I suppose that cooler master is o.k, but I would consider something from FSP or Corsair.

Make sure that when you set up windows your page file is running from the Seagate and not the SSD drive. Personally I would go for the WD Cavalier Black over the Seagate, but I'm not too sure on the speed of current SSDs. Make sure to read some reviews on them.

 

[sciggy]

If you can delay your build for a few weeks, new Intel chips should be showing up really soon. That would definitely give you a leg up in this contest. Other than that, the other suggestions that have already been made all seem like good ones to me.


Also the question of what benchmarks you are going to use for overall speed are important. Are we talking SuperPI or 3dMark? Different GPU's are geared better towards different tests.

 

[KyleSTL]

If you really want to try the challenge, you might be better off with Tri-SLI GTX280s with FC-waterblocks, like this:

EVGA 780i $185 after MIR
EVGA GTX280 $390/ea after MIR x3 = $1170
Corsair DDR2 1066 4GB Dominator $80/ea after MIR x2 = $160
GTX 280 FC waterblock $128/ea x3 = $384
Lian Li A77 Water Cooled Edition $790

Also, you're probably better off sinking the money that would pay the premium for DDR3 into an excellent watercooling setup for CPU, GPUs, and chipset.

 

[evongugg]

The Falcon is probably overclocked too.
To beat that you will have to overclock yours too to a good level.

 

[rodney_ws]

Back in my high school days the largest guy on the football team was named Ward... he was a big guy... REALLY big... and his buddies took him to one of those steak houses where if you could eat the biggest steak they'd let you have the meal for free. They told him they'd pay for it if he couldn't finish it... so it was a free meal either way for him. So they brought him out a giant salad... done... a giant steak... done... and then a giant baked potato with a lump of butter on it... and he just couldn't finish the potato. His "buddies" left him there with a rather expensive meal to pay for. That was a $45 meal... you're talking $5000.

It just seems silly to everyone but you.

 

[englandr753]

You will need to get this "agreement" notarized. If you have ever had a legal situation you will know and do this.

Otherwise be prepared to be let down hard...


BTW, good analogy rodney-ws.

 

[antiacid]

regardless of the situation, if you do want to spend 5k on a computer, you're on the right track.

I suggest going for a p45 board with a q9650 and DDR2 ram. It is very simple to overclock that system to 4.5ghz and I've seen cpu-z certified screens of a guy running it at 5ghz (on air cooling, no less).

Ditch the DDR3, it'll slow you down.
Ditch the SSD drives and go for either raid0 10k raptors drives or x25 SSD from intel.

edit: typo'ed qx9770. Aaaand I found a cpu-z verified of a qx9770 at 5.1ghz on water. I'm therefore retracting my comment about q9650 oc'ing better than qx9770.

 

[KyleSTL]

What are you talking about antiacid?!?!? This is the second post of yours that I've found that makes absolutely no sense. P35? DDR3 slows you down? QX9750?!?! (that doesn't even exist)

 

[antiacid]

What are you talking about antiacid?!?!? This is the second post of yours that I've found that makes absolutely no sense. P35? DDR3 slows you down? QX9750?!?! (that doesn't even exist)

KyleSTL,
it is my understanding that fast ddr2 (1200+mhz, cas5-6-7) will outperform "slow" ddr3 (sub 1800mhz) because of the slower timings. If you can provide me with some information to debunk that statement, I'll be glad to change my point of view. I'm not biased on any technology so might as well show me (btw I know of some newer modules of ddr3 reaching 2400mhz but then that was at 10-10-10-32 ish timings...Different story).

About the P45 chipset, I was referring to this guy running a P45-DQ6 + q9650 at 4.8ghz stable. Apparently, he tried 4 different mobos and several other people tried the more popular DFI x48's, striker2's and such without as much success.

 

[Priv]

Why go for P45? If you want a rig that beats the falcon one it would be much smarter to go X48 for crossfire, or 780i for SLI.

But still, if you do not have a contract for this I wouldnt do it.

 

[efficentD]

Core i7 is still going to give you morememory bandwidth due to triple channel setup. If you are going to compete against a C2, then a generation ahead of C2 is definitely your best bet.