New setup 5-6 years later, need help

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orionman

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Hi everybody,

I am here to ask for your help. back in 2003-2005 I was reading every post on TH forum. In 2005 I have built the computer you can see below. Back then, I had time to overclock, test it and have fun pushing that old P4 up to 4.6 GHz with water cooling. Years have passed and my setup is getting old. I am running into stability issues now. These issues are probably motherboard related and caused by my watercooled environment (less cooling on motherboard) and the multiple power surge I had during those years (lost an Antec PSU and 2 drives) (yeah I got a surge protector after that...).

Compare to 5 years ago while I was a student, I had time to spend but no money, now, I have money but less time to read on new tech and new trends. I was hoping you could help me build my new setup. I know that all the info I need is on the net or on this forum but I don't have that much time to read.

What I am looking for is silent computer. I am willing to pay more for a silent setup. My old but still good ATI x1800xt (overclocked) is letting me play games like New Vegas with good performance, but the noize generated is way above what I could these days consider as acceptable. My new computer will mostly be used for audio in a home studio. I have not decided yet if I want a good graphic card or I will go for a passive cooling solution.

I want a really fast CPU. I am not interested to have water cooling again. Too much trouble and I won't be doing intense overclocking. I may push the CPU to its limit but it will be on stock voltage. I would also be more interested in a large heat sink with a 120 mm fan running at lower speed (if it is still a good solution these days :) ).

I am looking for a good ram too, I have never been a huge fan of fast timings on rams as I though the performance boost was not big enough to justify the price difference. I don't know if things have changed in 2011.

On the HD part, how are the solid state drives doing? I have seen a lot of hybrid drives on online computer part stores. How good are they? How do they work? (I know the info is probably available somewhere here on TH :) ) I am looking for a fast boot drive for softwares and audio working directories. I will have larger drives to store samples librairies. Are Seagate drives more reliable than what they where in 2005?

The case! Which case do you recommend. I want silence... And for the PSU, I have a 1-2 years old Antec smart power 2 (500W) that could be reused. I don't know if it will be enough if I want to add a good video card now (or later). Any of you have experience with passive cooling PSU? Silence silence silence..:)

I may look like I am freaking out with silence but my old Prescott setup is as noizy as a shop vac. And I am sooo tired of it.

I don't have a maximum amount of money to put on my computer. I am certainly not going to pay 1k$ for a CPU but I am opened to look at any suggestion. Also if something good is coming during next months, let me know, I could change my plans and wait a little longer.

I really appreciate your help on this.
 
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ilysaml

ilysaml

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first of all you must determine a budget for your rig, and i would really love to recommend you a system but all i can say wait for the upcoming AMD new CPUS "Bulldozers" which is considered to be the dominants for the market this year
 
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orionman

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Let say between 1.5k$ and 2.5 k$ maybe that won't help much :)
Depending on performance difference between a 1.5k$ and a 2.5k$ rig.

I must admit that I don't know how much will cost a high end rig these days.
 
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ilysaml

ilysaml

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2000 $ sounds a very reasonable price for high end user/ gaming PC if you have preferences for AMD or Intel just talk about it, some other guy would post here links for each component you need and it's price and say it's a high end rig but you gotta determine first which one of these TWO would you go for
 
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orionman

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I must admit that I have a preference for Intel systems, I am open to hear about an AMD based rig if, for example, there is an incredible deal or something like that.

My laptop was a Turion X2 and I have been really disapointed, I should have paid a bit more to get an Intel processor for few reasons. I don't want to start a big discussion on this, I am sure AMD have done awesome processors in the last years!


Thanks for the help!
 
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ilysaml

ilysaml

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you must have been away fro the latest hardware and innovations for both |AMD and Intel, anyway AMD is launching the first Eight Core Processor in the history with a native support for DDR3 1886 and 16 MB of L2+L3 Cache this release will be after 3 or 4 weeks, all the expectations says it's gonna beat the recent Intel I7 sandybridge CPUs
Here are Recoomendations for an Intel based System
Motherboard: Asus P7P55D-E
Reference: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/lga-1156-p55,2519-15.html
CPU : intel Core I7 2500K
Ref: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-core-i7-2600k-core-i5-2500k,2833-22.html
Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
Ref: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/8gb-ddr3-ram,2542-9.html
PSU: OCZ Z1000M / Antec TPQ 1200W
Ref: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/psu-efficiency-1000-watt,2825-11.html
Case:Cooler Master HAF X
GPU: AMD HD 6990 (Dual GPU for the Optimum performance)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H70 Water Cooling System (no pipes and tubes just a radiator with big Fans giving the optimum ooling sys)
SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 240Gb (best access time, seuential read/write)
Ref: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/vertex-3-sandforce-ssd,2869-13.html
HDD: WD Caviar Black 1 TB or more (depending on your needs)

any other component you need let me know about it
 
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jaguarskx

jaguarskx

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In terms of overall performance, Intel has been the performance king since mid 2006. The price between an AMD and Intel setup is really not that much; maybe $100 - $150 difference for the CPU and motherboard. Of course if you want a high end expensive motherboard, then the price difference about be greater.

In your case the Core i5-2500k is your best bet for $220. There are higher end Intel CPUs for more money which performs just as well as the Core i5-2500k or marginally better, but they are meant for programs that can take advantage of more than 4 cores and Hyperthreading (HT); games do not.

AMD does not really have anything that can compete with Intel's current line up. Click the following link for benchmark results between the AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE and the 2nd generation (Sandy Bridge) Core i5-2500k. In some cases higher is better, while in other cases lower is better.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/362?vs=288

AMD's next generation Bulldozer core family of CPUs (Zambezi) are expected to be released before the end of September (unless there's another delay I haven't heard of). The general consensus is they will not be any faster than current Sandy Bridge CPUs. But everyone has to wait for benchmarks to know the truth rather than making guesses.

Intel will be releasing the Sandy Bridge Extreme CPUs by the end of this year. I'm pretty sure everyone agrees that they will perform better than Intel's current Sandy Bridge CPUs.

When it comes to "silent" I assume you mean quiet and not "Dead Silent", 'cause "Dead Silent" means more money especially when it comes to cooling your CPU and video cards without using any fans. Plus you need to sacrifice some performance for "Dead Silent".
 
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Archean

Archean

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+1 jaguarskx
I don't expect bulldozer to be any faster than SNB as well, from what little leaked info I've seen.

Then there is little matter of Ivy Bridge, which is around the corner as well, it should be with us in Q1-12, so AMD will again be behind Intel. Big advantage of going with i2500K on LGA1155 socket is that the OP can always swap the SNB CPU with a IVB CPU few years down the road with a simply BIOS upgrade.
 
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orionman

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Motherboard: Asus P7P55D-E
Reference: http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 19-15.html
Click to expand...
Looks good to me

CPU : intel Core I7 2500K
Ref: http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 33-22.html
Click to expand...
2500k is a i5? not i7 right? I was actually looking for a 2600k. Any advantage to have i7 vs i5? Overclock?

Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
Ref: http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 542-9.html
Click to expand...
Well has I told you I am not too much into agressive timing rams. Is it doing a real difference in 2011?

PSU: OCZ Z1000M / Antec TPQ 1200W
Ref: http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 25-11.html
Click to expand...
We are far from my 500W passive cooling. I will see depending on the graphic card I will take. Any feedback on passive cooling PSU?

Case:Cooler Master HAF X
Click to expand...
This case seems to be a good cooling case but I am look for something less flashy and maybe with some acoustic treatment.

GPU: AMD HD 6990 (Dual GPU for the Optimum performance)
Click to expand...
OK, lol that's a monster, any good review for something less expensive? Anything with NVIDIA? I have been really disapointed with ATI/AMD linux driver support. Is there a clear leader in 2011 between NVIDIA and ATI/AMD?

CPU Cooler: Corsair H70 Water Cooling System (no pipes and tubes just a radiator with big Fans giving the optimum ooling sys)
Click to expand...
Has I told you I am not interested in water cooling anymore. This device seems autonomous, any of you guys had the chance to use it? Does it need to be cleaned frequently?

SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 240Gb (best access time, seuential read/write)
Click to expand...
Sounds good to me. I am thinking about doing some raid. Maybe 2 smaller SSD in raid 0 and 2 large drives in raid 1. Any suggestions?

There are higher end Intel CPUs for more money which performs just as well as the Core i5-2500k or marginally better, but they are meant for programs that can take advantage of more than 4 cores and Hyperthreading (HT); games do not.
Click to expand...
Has I said in my first post, I am not into intense gaming anymore, I will be using that computer for audio processing, so the more cores I will have, the better it will be. Does that change your CPU suggestion?

When it comes to "silent" I assume you mean quiet and not "Dead Silent", 'cause "Dead Silent" means more money especially when it comes to cooling your CPU and video cards without using any fans. Plus you need to sacrifice some performance for "Dead Silent".
Click to expand...
Yeah I understand and yes I am looking for quiet not dead silent.

Thank you for your help guys :-D Much appreciated
 
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ilysaml

ilysaml

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* yes sorry about this, I5 2500K... i'm not interested in Intel based Systems at all
* DDR3 memory modules differs in CAS Latencies from CL6- To CL11 there's no differences between CL9 and CL8 or CL7 just a bunch of more numbers if you're running a benchmark
* i thought you'd be gaming as well, so in this case a 650W PSU with a GPU such as nVidia GTX 560ti would be very reasonable and sufficient.
* AMD and nVidia have both monsters GPUs nvidia has the GTX 590 / 580 AMD has the HD 6990 / HD 5970 totally equal in performance but AMD has better scaling performance when considering Crossfire systems.
* 2 × Raid0 SSD will get you the same performance and price of the OCZ vertex 3, if you're dealing with high formats and extensions that requires a massive space so you might run 2 × 2 TB WD Green RAID 0 or 3 × 1 TB WD Blue Raid 5 for optimum performance
* i guess you were using complicated water cooling systems, this H70 sounds the best choice of cooling in the market, otherwise you might try the V6GT if you're going to do some overclocks or the Hyper 212+
* about the Case, the CM 912 will meet your specs
 
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mjmjpfaff

mjmjpfaff

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you need a p67/z68 board for the new sandy bridge cpu's
 
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mjmjpfaff

mjmjpfaff

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for a gaming setup the i5 2500k is the go to gaming cpu because it gives the same performance as the i7 2600k in gaming situations.

i5 2500k- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 220$

Corsair h60- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 66$

aftermarket fans for h60- http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-120mm-Case-R4-C2R-20AC-GP/dp/B0026ZPFDE/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1315186261&sr=1-3 x2=16$ the one on the h60 is just too loud

Asrock z68 gen3 extreme7- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157269 280$ nf2000 bridge, z68 platform, and ready for ivy bridge/ new 7000 series and 600 series gpu's

Gskill 8gb 1866mhz- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460 70$

Powercolor 6950 2gb- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131393 265$x3=795$ beat 2 580's and 1 6990

OCZ ZX 1000w- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341045 200$

Silverstone raven RV03- http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Extended-90-Degree-Motherboard-RV03B-W/dp/B004X19B02/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315187381&sr=8-1 140$ it is an amazingly quiet case and it still cools very well

Corsair Force GT 120gb- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233191 225$ 120gb is all you need and there is always going to be faster drives coming out. so just upgrade

asus dvd burner- http://www.amazon.com/Asus-DVD%C2%B1RW-DVD-RAM-Internal-DRW-24B1ST/dp/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315187939&sr=8-1 21$

Total=2033$

ok so what resolution will you be playing at because it is either you upgrade to 3 monitors or just get 2 6950's for now. if you are going with 3 1080p monitors oyu will need this adapter for the 3rd monitor- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814999032 monitor i recommend for a three screen setup that doesnt brake the bank- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236051 single screen setup- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824176141 1920x1200 resolution
os- windows 7 oem 64 bit 100$
speakers- what speakers or headset do you have/ are you thinking about?
mouse- what do you have/ are you thinking about?
Keyboard- what do you have/ are you thinking about?


 
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ilysaml

ilysaml

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again, he won't be gaming......
 
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orionman

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Yeah, I will try few games but it won't be my priority. Audio will be. You are all telling me that i7 won't have any advantage over i5 for gaming, but the audio question remains.

I know that you are copy/pasting post from other threads but... I appreciate the help. Even if you are not interested at all in Intel systems :)
 
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mjmjpfaff

mjmjpfaff

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I know that you are copy/pasting post from other threads but... I appreciate the help. Even if you are not interested at all in Intel systems :)
Click to expand...
i am not copying and pasting from other threads.
switch to 2 6950's and go with a single monitor- the 1920x1200 monitor i posted is very nice or you can go with a large 1080p screen
then switch the psu to this- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703027
then get the 2600k just in case audio will need it
the h70 is not as good as the h60 with the push pull fans
that should do it.

 
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ilysaml

ilysaml

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yes i think that you won't be needing the 2600K as long as you're not interested @ games, i5 2500K should be very sufficient for your needs (audio processing)
 
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ilysaml

ilysaml

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three z68 boards rounded up, you can check the overclocking results
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/asrock-z68-extreme4-asus-p8z68-v-pro-gigabyte-z68x-ud3h-b3,2939.html
9 P67 boards rounded up
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/p67-motherboard-roundup-lga-1155-sandy-bridge,2837-20.html
H70 reviews
http://www.guru3d.com/article/corsair-h70-review/
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/corsair_h70/
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/35225-corsair-hydro-h70-cpu-cooler-review.html
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1012/pg1/corsair-h70-cpu-cooler-review-introduction.html
 
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