What do you think of my Rig?

[minun]

I am aiming for the best performance in gaming, please let me know what you think of my Rig and how it could be improved.

Personal Computer build nicknamed 'MiNuN's Monster'

Goal: High-End Super Gaming; with the latest technology available to the public.

P.C. Case: Thermaltake Level 10 VL30001N1Z Black Aluminum ATX Super Full Tower Gaming Station Computer Case
Mother Board: ASUS P6X58D Premium Motherboard
Processor: Intel BX80613i7980X Core i7 980X Extreme Edition Processor
Heatsink: Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme Universal CPU Cooler 120mm
R.A.M.: 3 X CORSAIR DOMINATOR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMP8GX3M2A1600C9
Video Card: Diamond Radeon HD 5970 Video Card
Hard-Disk Drive/Solid-State Drive: Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2R5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD), Western Digital RE4 WD2003FYYS 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Other Drives: Lite-On IHAS424-98 Internal DVD Writer
Power Supply: Ultra X4 1200-Watt Modular Power Supply

EXTRAS:
O.S.: Windows 7 Ultimate
Wireless Card: Sabrent 802.11n Wireless PCI Controller Card
Sound Card: Asus Xonar Essence ST PCI 7.1 Sound Card
Security Software: VIPRE Antivirus Premium 3 Years

PERIPHERALS:
Keyboard: Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard
Mouse: Microsoft 3HA-00001 SideWinder X8 Mouse
Mouse surface: RAZER Megasoma Professional Gaming Mouse Mat & Professional Gaming Mat
Monitor: Viewsonic VX2265wm 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor
Speakers: Creative GigaWorks S750 700 Watts 7.1 Speaker
Headset: Logitech G35 Gaming Headphone
Printer: Brother MFC-795cw Inkjet AiO Printer Wireless

 

[Somebody_007]

As you can see it only uses marginilly more power. So IMO the conclusion is if you've got an i7 9xx and the space go 5850 CF

ooh and the 5970 was originally a good buy because the price was supposed to be 600dollars, but when gamers heard it was the best card out there. Ati quickly took advantage of that.

And thnx for the compliments btw

 

[4745454b]

Interesting links. I don't have time to review them right now, but CF 5850 does seem to be faster then the 5970, even though it shouldn't be. It has the same core, same clock speeds, and more shaders. It should be faster then the 5850 CF. I'd have to do some looking at the setups to see what 5850s they were using, OC'd editions could be faster seeing as the shaders are tied to the core speed. Either way as pointed out the 5850 CF is a great solution for the demanding gamer. Pretty much any game up to 1080 is very playable.

 

[Somebody_007]

Are you sure it has the same cores? because it is actually a different gpu so maybe 5850's are more effective per mhz as 5870's.

Isn't that possible?

 

[4745454b]

Nope, same core. The 5870 has the full 1600 shaders active, while the 5850 disables two groups leaving 1440 working. The 5850 has a faster core speed I think. (825 vs 750 or 725?) Other then that they are the same core. This means that instructions per clock and abilities should be the same.

It could also be a driver issue and not a bottleneck anywhere. I know the 5970 suffers from a bug when you use 2560x1600 and 4AA on some games. The Avg frame rates goes down to the single digits. As you've shown and I mentioned, I don't see the point now in getting the 5970 if two 5850s will get you the same or better performance. Not when they are cheaper.

 

[Somebody_007]

ok then a mystery it shall remain.

So we conclude that 5850 CF is better than a 5970

 

[4745454b]

$mar7@$$, don't push it. I'd argue that they are equals. Again, 4.5% faster isn't much. It is the better option seeing as its cheaper.

 

[Somebody_007]

srry I meant better buy not better because they are equal really as you said.

 

[minun]

Sorry guys, I was gone for the weekend but I will get to tweaking my rig tonight, let me thank you guys again for commenting. Below I will respond to some messages I have just read.

@4745454b Rest assure, I will be looking for a monitor with better resolutions, thank you for convincing me. I will lower my R.A.M. to 16GB (or maybe 8GB I am still thinking). To be honest, that is exactly what I am doing, getting a hex-core just because it is the best, I do not do more than surf the web, play video games, and photoshop, the only intense thing on the PC will be Video Games. I try to pick the best specs, not the highest cost. Do not worry about getting on my ass too much, because you are giving me valuable advice. This is why I want best-performance, I want to play the most intense video game without the GPU breaking a sweat, this assures that future games will be of no problem either.

@somebody_007 Well having one GPU saves space, not only that I think of it as one piece, so if I double 5970s it will be better than 2 5850s for sure. I think you would have to overclock the ram, and that means the maximum overclock speed it can handle? I do not plan on overclocking anything. How does the 470 sli ouperforms a 5970? Sorry, I only know how to look at specs.

 

[4745454b]

For gaming first and PS second, the i5 750 is the way to go. Even as a PS rig the 1055 is simply clocked to slow to beat the 750. Seeing as they all around $200, your better off with the 750.

I don't mean to be rude, please believe me on that. Even the four core 965 would be better. For gaming at least.

 

[Somebody_007]

i5 750? Its a better buy for sure but on this budget I think 980x is the way to go if you don't game and if you do 930. Because it allows 16/16 lanes. And you need 12gb of memory or 24(which I definately don't reccomend) because you need tripple channel.

And on a single monitor(1900X1200) I think 470gtx sli is about 10-15percent faster than 5970. And it enables Physx,CUDA and 3d but I think only the later will be of use to you.

 

[minun]

Could somebody explain why my MoBo should be able to handle more than DDR3 2000 (O.C.) or 1600 (Because this is what I am looking at) when the specs on the websites only list those amount? After I understand this I will start looking at R.A.M. again (most likely Cosair Dominators GT)

This is my new chosen monitor, what do you guys think of it? The highest resolution monitor with low ms I could find. It had gotten a lot of positive reviews as well.

Acer B273HU bmidhz 27" LCD Monitor

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=4468163&sku=A179-2700%20CA&srkey=Acer%20B273HU

Honestly, I really want a monitor with 120Hz refresh rate...

Also, I honestly am not very fond of the current speakers I have on my Rig (but I won't mind since it sounds like it does its ***), is there any 7.1 computer speakers anybody can recommend?

Thank you!

 

[ckim2116]

Interesting links. I don't have time to review them right now, but CF 5850 does seem to be faster then the 5970, even though it shouldn't be. It has the same core, same clock speeds, and more shaders. It should be faster then the 5850 CF. I'd have to do some looking at the setups to see what 5850s they were using, OC'd editions could be faster seeing as the shaders are tied to the core speed. Either way as pointed out the 5850 CF is a great solution for the demanding gamer. Pretty much any game up to 1080 is very playable.

I'm not sure where I read this, but I think the reason CF 5850's are faster than a single 5970 is because each of the 5850's can use the full 16 lanes in a PCIx16 slot, while the 5970 (two 5870 GPU's downclocked to 5850 speeds) only have a single PCI express x16 slot. So it basically comes down to two 5850's with 32 lanes versus two "5850's" with 16 lanes.

I actually considered getting two 5870's but bought the single slot 5970 so I can CF those in the future.

Btw OP, if you ever consider buying three monitors for eyefinity, you should definitely buy a 5970. Mine barely runs BFBC2 at the lowest settings (with a bezel compensated resolution of 5948x1080).

 

[4745454b]

Possible I admit, but if true that is horrible news. If it's the reason that means we already have a card that can max out PCIe 2.0. I've heard there is a PCIe 2.1, but I'm not sure what it adds. I'm sure they are working on a PCIe 3.0, but thats probably some time (years?) away.

 

[ckim2116]

Hm you know what, I re-read Tom's review of the 5970, and it seems like it's faster than CF'd 5850's in most games, meaning that the PCI express 2.0 slot is not maxed out.

In any case, the fact that the GPU's in the 5970 can match crossfired 5850's with only 8 lanes each shows us that PCIe2.0 is not nearly maxed out.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5970,2474.html

 

[Somebody_007]

There are three benchmarks so far that I've seen comparing 5850 CF to a 5970. In two the 5850 wins slightly. And in the last the one from toms the 5970 wins slightly. So you can call it even. And very clever catch about the lanes It makes a lot of sense.

 

[minun]

Hey guys, I did an update of my rig once again, I think this might be it! (I am so excited), I will post it sometime tonight seeing how I am not home right now.

Changes I made are a switch to different R.A.M. to enable triple channel, another monitor which is by Dell this time...and some change in the prices!

I understand what 2000(O.C.) means now. It means that 1600MHz is the standard but if you want to use 2000s you have to overclock your MoBo.

I really want to make use of the 7.1 audio on my MoBo or audio card (I might lay off on the audio card since I found out the MoBo's audio is actually 7.1 supportive...but that card looks so bad-ass with the lion on it! =O) I might go with Creative gigaworks in the end then.

 

[Somebody_007]

You could also take a gigabyte board. I kind a prefer them as they are more focused on performance than features. the ud5 and ud7 are in your budget range.

 

[minun]

Question, DVI or HDMI? From what I gathered, Single-link DVI can only go up to 1920X1200 resolutions, but Dual-link DVI can maximize my monitor's resolution, HDMI ports audio as well (Which I do not care about) but I think a single HDMI cable can maximize my monitor's resolution? correct?

The reason for the monitor switch is because it is like the previous one I chose except performance falls just a tiny bit in areas I do not care about (Like the brightness), it is much cheaper and the web-camera makes up for its fall in performance. It also has touch-sensitive buttons! (I am a fan of those =P)

What do you guys think of the R.A.M.?

Anyways here it is! MiNuN's Monster Version 4. Please comment as you feel!

Personal Computer build nicknamed 'MiNuN's Monster'

Goal: High-End Super Gaming; with the latest technology available to the public.

P.C. Case: Thermaltake Level 10 VL30001N1Z Black Aluminum ATX Super Full Tower Gaming Station Computer Case

Mother Board: ASUS P6X58D Premium Motherboard

Processor: Intel BX80613i7980X Core i7 980X Extreme Edition Processor

Heatsink: Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme Universal CPU Cooler 120mm

R.A.M.: Patriot Gamer Series 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PGS312G1600ELK

Video Card: Diamond Radeon HD 5970 Video Card

Hard-Disk Drive/Solid-State Drive: Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2R5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD), Western Digital RE4 WD2003FYYS 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

Other Drives: Lite-On IHAS424-98 Internal DVD Writer

Power Supply: Ultra X4 1200-Watt Modular Power Supply

EXTRAS:

O.S.: Windows 7 Ultimate

Wireless Card: Sabrent 802.11n Wireless PCI Controller Card

Sound Card: Asus Xonar Essence ST PCI 7.1 Sound Card

Security Software: VIPRE Antivirus Premium 3 Years

PERIPHERALS:

Keyboard: Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard

Mouse: Microsoft 3HA-00001 SideWinder X8 Mouse

Mouse surface: RAZER Megasoma Professional Gaming Mouse Mat & RAZER Destructor Professional Gaming Mat

Monitor: Dell SP2309W 23-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor

Speakers: Creative GigaWorks S750 700 Watts 7.1 Speaker

Headset: Logitech G35 Gaming Headphone

Printer: Brother MFC-795cw Inkjet AiO Printer Wireless

 

[coldsleep]

Pretty much nothing comes with single-link DVI anymore, I wouldn't worry about that too much.

Although the Tuniq is smaller than some other big coolers, you may want to verify that it fits in the Level 10.

If you're dropping this much money, why not get a Blu-ray writer?

You might also consider getting an Intel X25-E 64 GB, as it uses the faster SLC technology.

The RAM you selected is CAS 9, which is relatively slow, compared to what you can afford. This G.Skill kit would max out your available memory slots, but it's much lower latency than the Patriot kit.

Based on the review at jonnyguru.com, I wouldn't buy that power supply. http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=174 If you're spending that much money, you should get something that's at least 80+ Silver, preferably 80+ Gold (and with a good review). Something along the lines of this Silverstone unit.

 

[Somebody_007]

I would get a different case. That thermaltake thing may be original but in terms of airflow its a waste of money. I would go for one of the high end lian li cases which one comes down to personal preference.

Also I don't know whether that tuniq tower wil perform better than the intel cooler.

I also maintain that a ga x58a ud7 would suit your build better due to the massive cooling performance.

As coldsleep pointed out cas7 ram is better.

I would'nt take the ssd he suggested though it significantly faster than all the rest but it is darn expensive.

 

[coldsleep]

The Tuniq is in the top 5 on Frostytech's HSF list, so yes, it'll perform better than pretty much everything else.

And the SSD is expensive, but hey, if you're just burning money anyway...

 

[Somebody_007]

Yeah the tuniq may cool the cpu a few degrees better but the intel cooler directs air flow to the motherboard aswell. I think they're pretty similar.

 

[minun]

@coldsleep I do not (or hardly) burn discs, I also have a PS3 to play my blu-ray discs. Why would I get something I am not going to use? It will just increase my cost =).

At first, I just wanted an SSD for speed, but I did not care if it was the slowest SSD...well obviously because of the price, really...anyhow, I kind of changed my mind so I will look over SSDs again tonight. Can you link me to the fastest one? (I will check out the one you recommended already...but holy cow, the price ha ha ha, even though I say I have a 10K budget I would love to save some money!)

About the R.A.M, I am looking for Triple Channel to be activated, also that the sticks will max out each slot (Which is 4GB), the one I chosen is the only one that can meet both of those demands (unless you find something for me!).

@somebody_007 Sorry, but I am totally in love with the case! =P.

About the UD9, I do not understand this 1500W thing about it and why is it so great???

After checking it out, I want the UD9...BUT! does this thing even fit in the Level-10?

http://www.erodov.com/forums/gigabyte-ga-x58a-ud9-review-ln2-overclocking-results/33458.html

I read multiple reviews, but this is the best one

"significantly faster" are the magic words, ha ha ha.

Well, when I choose a cooler, I only think about the CPU because the MoBos I look at are huge heatsink itselves, it spreads the heat out, Not much, but it gets the job done.

 

[minun]

I will be keeping my chosen PSU, the review you posted seems kind of biased against it, other reviews about the PSU seems great and besides I am not going to use the PSU like they did in testing!

 

[4745454b]

To ignore a JG review is pretty dumb. I'd trust his over other "reviews".