Newbie - System Build Advice

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clock245

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Jan 22, 2011
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Hey everyone happy weekend!

First let me say thank you in advance for reading my post/giving any advice....Okay so let me start out by saying i'm a total newbie to both building a system and understanding what components go well with each other. However, with that said i've been doing a lot of reading online and elsewhere to educate myself. I think i'm now ready to take advice/criticism about the computer i'm planning to build.

I didn't see a standard list of questions i should answer before posting a system question (unless i missed it) so I'll try to answer some obvious questions/state my preferences on build:

1. I'll be running Windows 7
2. My budget is ~$2,000 U.S.
3. I occasionally play games, but not that often (partly due to my current system being a store bought HP with crap equipment inside)
4. My goal is to build a really fast/powerful/aesthetically pleasing computer
5. I want to do an SSD for my OS

Okay here are the components i'm looking at purchasing:
Case: LIAN LI PC-A71F (also plan to get the digital fan control that will fit into one of the front slots -- LI TR-5B)
MOBO: ASUS Rampage III extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
CPU: INTEL CORE i7-950 bloomfield 3.06hz lga 1366 - 130W
CPU Fan: EVERCOOL HPJ-12025 (120mm fan)
SSD: OCZ Vertex 2 120GB
Harddrive 1: Western Digital AV-GP WD20EVDS 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5
Harddrive 2: (I'll wait until SATA 6 drives are cheaper)
Memory: CORSAIR Vengence 4x4GB DDR3 1600
Disk Drive 1: Lite-on Blu ray SATA (HOS104-06-OEM)
Disk Drive 2: Gear Head 24X SATA (24DVDINT)
Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100314SR Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI-E 2.1x16 (i'll game a little more, but not a whole bunch)
Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply

Some questions/comments:
1. What are your opinions on my selection? (i am a newbie so i expect some criticism...hopefully constructive and in a manner that my newbie self can understand)
2. What would you suggest i change?
3. Have i forgotten anything---so that after i get all the components i should have everything i need to put it together?
4. I also have a uninterrupted power supply:APC RS1500----any advice on continuing to use that with the above described system---should i get a smaller power supply so it will still work?
5.Any comments/concerns on the manufacturers i've selected?
6. I also have a keyboard/mouse/dual monitor/speakers/printer
Thanks again!
 
oops found the standard q&a format:

Approximate Purchase Date: Feb 2011

Budget Range: ~$2000 after rebates (U.S.)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: (surfing the internet, gaming, watching movies, microsoft office)

Parts Not Required: keyboard/mouse/dual monitor/speakers/printer

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: doesnt matter

Country of Origin: U.S.

Parts Preferences: N/A

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: (1920x1200)

Additional Comments: I would like a quiet as PC as possible, but understand if it will be noisy based on my price range/component selection
 
You might want to consider the I-7 2600K for your CPU. It blows the 950 away and costs just about $35.00 more. I was considering the 950 until I read the reviews of the 2600K
 
Also the third generation of SSDs is coming out very soon and it will approximately double SSD performance. You may want to wait on buying an SSD. OCZ is a very good brand and highly rated in reviews
 
A 1000$ PC would be good enough, even a 1200$ one. The 500$ is iffy as if you plan on gaming 1920x1200 with a 460, don't count on it. Check my siggy out 😀

But anyways, if you don't plan on playing in high/maximum settings, then the 500$ build should be good enough.
 
BTW, there will be a big speed difference between the Tom's Hardware $500 system and a system based on either the I-7 2600K or the I-7 950. In reading your post, it sounds like you want a current / fast computer. While you may not be gaming much, if you later do get into it the 2600/950 system will add horsepower / speed. Having owned a cheaper slower computer (like you) and then having moved up to a I-7 920 and now a 950 I would recommend that you go with the high-end build if you can afford it. There is a big difference with everything as to how the upper-end computer performs. Everything is faster and better. You also mention you may go crossfire and so the 2500K or the 2600K are probably the best CPUs for the buck. The 2500K is $100 cheaper than the 950 and it is faster.
 
All, first thanks for your replies! I really appreciate it!

I do have a couple of questions. One of the reasons i came up with the system described in my original post was to try and get up to the latest standards so that later on if i wanted to upgrade i could. Flong i looked into the chip you suggested and completely see where it would be much better than the 950---i even looked at the 2500K which would be much cheaper, but if lga 1366 will be around for awhile would it be worth it to stay with the 950 for future upgrades?

I do see the point of everyone's suggestion and so maybe i'll need to downgrade some of my choices so i don't end up with something i'll never use the full potential of...I guess to go along with my above question does it still make sense to stay with the mobo/cpu i originally posted and then maybe look to downselect my choices for everything else?

Thanks again for all your input!
 
The LGA 1366 will NOT be around for future upgrades. The reason being Intel already announced the substitute for LGA 1366 which I think the chipset was Z67. So just my thing on the 950 upgrade path.

It makes no senes to get 300$ mobos anymore because motherboards like the Extreme4 Asrock can Overclock the 2500K to 5.1ghz w/ BIOS revision. So the crazy enthusiast boards don't even really matter. As for CPU it'd be OK, but the 2500K stops it in most benches and the 950 is a real energy consumer, the 2500K is too but less.
 
The 950 will soon be extinct because both the 2500K and 2600K beat it in almost every benchmark. Overclocking the the k chips is supposed to be very simple and this makes the 2600K a I-7 980 near equal in most benchmarks. Asus has several LGA1155 boards for less than $200 and they are highly rated. As mentioned by azshinboi, AsRock has a P67 board for $159.00 that successfully overclocks the 2600K. If you can get a 5.1 ghz on the 2600K it may beat the 980.

For a CPU cooler the Noctua NH-D14 is very highly rated (it's also expensive) NewEgg has it here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018&cm_re=noctua_cpu_cooler-_-35-608-018-_-Product
 
^ No need for the Noctua coolers anymore (no offense Flong) the reason for this is because the i5 2500K and i7 2600K can OC easily to 4.6ghz on a STOCK cooler. One of the worst coolers ever made, worse than the AMD Phenom coolers. Anyway if that can cool a 4.6ghz SB then the Hyper 212+ can cool the 2500 or 2600K. Check my sig out for where to buy it, buy it off my site please 😀 Support me!
 
Thanks for letting me know. I still plan to use the Titan Fenrir because it is cheap and it is in the top five best coolers. It is truly amazing that the 2600K can overclock on the stock coolers. Again thanks for letting me know.
 


I did not find your site from your signature. I did look. Doesn't the 2600K come with a stock Intel cooler? Thanks
 


Right now it is the cheapest and best for the dollar per reviews. Bit-tech calls it their favorite cooler. The noctuas are probably better quality and perform a little better but they cost twice as much.
 
Hey check out this Bit-Tech review: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cooling/2009/12/11/titan-fenrir-cpu-cooler-xmas-edition-review/2

It shows the Titan Fenrir beating every other cooler even the Nocuta NH -U12P and the Tunig Tower 120, two very highly rated coolers. They don't have the CM Hyper there and so there is no direct comparison reference. the Fenrir is only $20 more than the Cooler Master and so price wise they are very close.

The CM Hyper 212 review on frosty tech is here: http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2206&page=4

and it does pretty well beating out the Noctua NH-U12P and the Tunig Tower 120. Its noise level is also pretty good in this review. I do think that this is a fairly old review (2007) and so it may not be current. It is a little frustrating because Frosty Tech does not review the Fenrir for a direct comparison.

I will consider the Hyper 212, it seems to be a great buy. Thank you for recommending it.
 
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