Working on New Comp - Gaming AND Vid Editing - Thoughts?

[TheLukasz]

**UPDATED POST BASED ON INPUT**
Thank you for the input so far. I have updated the build below based on the input (deleting the original post).
******************************

As the subject indicates, I am planning on building a computer which will be used for Gaming and Video Editing (using Sony Vegas Pro 8). The only thing I intend to use from my current computer are my speakers, assume it's a "fresh start" otherwise. I want to stay under 5K including monitor, but this is not set in stone... I can bend if I must.

MONITOR
LG W2452T-TF Black 24" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor 400 cd/m2 10000:1 DCR
Should I go bigger/smaller? Any thoughts?

CASE
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Thank you to Akebono 98 for the advice. I think I like this case, it seems to be large enough, have large fans, etc.

POWERSUPPLY
SILVERSTONE ZM1200M 1200W ATX 12V 2.3 & EPS 12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Thanks to Akebono 98 and kubes for your input. I decided to go with 1200 because I may want to upgrade later (2nd GPU, more Ram, more bigger/stronger/faster harddrives, who knows). I may be overpaying by a bit, but I hear that power supplier degrades a bit over time (10% or so) and if anything I will be adding not subtracting from my power needs in the future.

MOTHERBOARD
ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
Seems solid... Any thoughts?

CPU A (OVERKILL)
Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 965 Nehalem 3.2GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
CPU B (MID)
Intel Core i7 940 Nehalem 2.93GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
CPU C (LIKELY CHOICE)
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
Yeah... I can't decide. Thanks to Proximon and kubes) from your input, you are correct and I "know" that... But for some reason I cannot commit to the 920 yet. The 965 really is not worth the incremental price, and I recognize that, but at the same time I feel worried about overclocking (just because I have never done it) and want to have a sweet computer. So I am easing into the idea of an overclocked 920.

CPU FAN
COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler
To ease my mind about overclocking?

RAM
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Originally I was going to go with 12GB, but I think that is overkill for now and would not be fully utalized (yet) by any programs, I can always upgrade later. Does anyone have a different opinion?

OPERATING SYSTEM
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 - Retail
Since my proposed motherboard can "only" take upto 12GB or RAM, I don't need a higher version of windows (Ultimate 64 supports upto 128GB, but as noted I can't go above 12GB with the MB), so this version, which I think supports upto 16MB(?) should be cool? Thanks kubes!

GRAPHICS CARD
EVGA 017-P3-1293-AR GeForce GTX 295 1792MB 896 (448 x 2)-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Seems sexy...

BOOT/INSTALL HARD DRIVES, 2 in RAID 0
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
(Thanks kubes) I considered smaller drives, but this is ~4x the space for ~2x the price. Hard to go with the smaller option. Any other opinions?

MEDIA STORAGE and BACKUP, just 1
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Should I go with 2 in RAID 1? I have never had a hard drive fail on me... But it would suck and I am sure there are horror stories out there.

DVD BURNER
LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner
Seems standard...?

SOUND CARD
HT OMEGA STRIKER 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
I don't know much about sound cards. I popably will not utilize it's power out of the gate, but plan to upgrade my speakers in the future.

HEADSET
PLANTRONICS GameCom 367 3.5mm Circumaural Stereo Headset
Seems cool for gaming, especially when I don't want to make too much noise and it has a mike.

SURGE PROTECTION OPTION A
Customer Reviews for MONSTER POWER MP HTS 1000 MKIII 8 Outlets 6125 joules Home Theater PowerCenter HTS 1000 MKIII with Clean Power Stage 2
SURGE PROTECTION OPTION B
powercom SMART KING SMK-2000A 2000VA 1200 Watts max 6 Outlets UPS
(OR SOMETHING LIKE IT??? NEED HELP HERE I THINK)
I am not sure what to do here... I am looking for surge protection, though not too woried about maintaining power in an outage (is this stupid of me?). OPTION A has a $350,000 Connected Equipment Warranty, so that seems sufficient, is it? I know little-to-nothing on this matter. The Power forum on TomsHardware seems to deal mostly with powersupplies and such. Advice is GREATLY apprechiated.

Finally, I would appreciate any thoughts on heat management with the proposed case and parts. If I get 3 (or 4) hard drives, I have a feeling I may generate a bit too much heat? What if I overclock? Is there any way to counter this? Am I being paranoid?

Any advice on virus and spyware protection?

Finally, is there anything I can or should do to save money or get better brands/parts?

Thank you in advance for your continued input. I think I am getting closer to the final build, and the advice is helping greatly.

Lukasz

 

[Proximon]

You are doing OK with this, but an i7 965 is a waste. Yes it's a bit faster at stock speeds than a 940 or 920, but the cost in no way is justified. Stick with a 920, just like everyone else, and put the money to better use elsewhere. As long as you put a good cooler on it and it's in a well cooled case, there is no reason not to OC. You'll easily pass the stock performance on the 965 and not have to worry about it, because you paid so little.

Take some of the money you save and get a good UPS, rather than a surge suppressor. You'll get better protection and be insured.

When you post a link like that, you have to insert something in between the tags:
[cpp]ASUS P6T WS Revolution [/cpp]

Which then looks like this:

ASUS P6T WS Revolution

I won't hog the thread, and let others cover some of your questions 😉

 

[Akebono 98]

+1

PSU: If you want a Silverstone unit, then the better one for your needs is the ZM 1200M. Corsair 1000HX is a better value, however. PCP&C is also tops in this rarefied league of giants.

Case: Do consider the Coolermaster HAF 932 as well.

And I'll try not to hog the thread either.

 

[TheLukasz]

(updated the proposed build based on input)

 

[kubes]

I think your hard drives are a good choice. The WD Black series fly. You could conisder going with raptor drives and use the WD's as storage?

Good choice on the graphics card.

Your better off going with the 920 like noted above. The price increase of the 965 just doesn't justify to get it. (unless this an extreme siuation). If you wanted to drop the 965 and pick up another gtx 295. That would probally be a better bet since your grabbing that beatiful monitor.

Pick up a heat sink for your cpu. Since you have more of a flexiable budget a 50-80 dollar cooler is well worth the investment.
Good HS:
Cool Master v8

You probally only need Vista Home Preium. (is there something on vista ulitmate that you will use?)

Your power supply is big time overkill for the current setup you have. Maybe if you pick up another gtx 295 then it might warrent that large of a psu. This power supply would also power two gtx 295's with room to spare. Maybe consider this one and save ~$100.
Crosair 1000w

 

[TheLukasz]

Updated proposed build (see first post). Bumping in an attempt to obtain additional advice.

Thanks!
Lukasz

 

[TheLukasz]

I updated the original post with the new proposed build. Bumping in an attempt to gain more comments and advice.

Thank you for your help all.
--Lukasz

 

[Akebono 98]

Mobo: The P6T6 WS Revolution is an awesome mobo. However, given your concern about cooling, the Asus P6T Deluxe V2 might serve you better because it has a gap between the video cards when you run 2 of them (allowing for better airflow). It also has the same overclockability features as the P6T6. Look at your I/O needs too, because the P6T6 is the undoubted leader in this department.

CPU Heatsink: The Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme 1366RT is probably the best LGA 1366 cooler, if you don't mind the cost.

OS: Save money by buying the OEM version. That's because you'll have to fork out a bit more cash later to buy Windows 7 (unless you buy after July 1). If anything, spend your money on the retail version of that OS instead. The issue with RAM is actually that there are no 4GB DDR3 modules out yet--the P6T6 actually supports 24GB RAM (and so does the P6T Deluxe V2).

Video Card: Either buy the backplate and install it yourself, or consider getting the version with the backplate already installed. It makes a big difference for cooling purposes.

HDD: Since you have a large budget, consider using an external HDD for backup (or maybe even a NAS).

Sound Card: Could hold off on the discrete soundcard until you upgrade your speakers. Other worthy candidates are the Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatality Pro, the Auzentech Prelude and Forte, and the Asus Xonars.

Surge Protection Options: I would start by looking at the quality of the power delivery to your house. If your power is very stable and you don't have many problems, then surge protection alone is probably good enough. Not sure that you really need "power cleaning" for a PC, as that's really more for hi-fi applications. If you live in an area where the power goes out all the time (or maybe you get the occasional brownout), then a UPS may be more appropriate. As you state in your OP, you are mainly gaming and video editing. If the power went out and those sessions were to be lost, would you be fussed about it? If so, then get a UPS. As an example, in the old days I knew someone that had to unplug their modem every time there was a thunderstorm; I've never had that problem.

General Cooling: The HAF case is about as good as it gets, and it has excellent HDD rack cooling. If you don't fill up all the racks, then space out your HDDs for better airflow. The other simple thing you can do is to build with good cable management, which allows for less restrictive airflow in your case. The HAF allows you to do this very well. It's good that you're properly aware of this issue, with the type of rig you're getting.

Anti-virus: Have a look at Norton Internet Security 2009 and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009.

Saving Money: The best thing that you can do to save money is to overclock the 920 and not get the 965 Extreme! :lol:

 

[techwizard08]

Just on the soundcard/headset discussion--maybe look at the Gamecom 777. I know its a hundo, but it has a usb dolby controller, and the sound quality is pretty good. You actually get (sim) directional surround sound, and they're pretty comfy...at least for a 7 1/2 hat size while wearing glasses

(hat size thrown in for those of you looking to buy me a new hat )

 

[kubes]

I'm sorry that i missed this in the OP. You might want to consider holding off on the sound card. Onboard Sound has really come a long ways in the past 10 years. For me I cannot tell any differences in the sound quality when i'm listening to onboard sound vs a sound card. Maybe i'm losing my hearing (which is deffiantly possible) but the difference in quality probally doesn't warrent a $90 sound card. Please note that this is a subjective comment about your build. Everyone hears different so you "might hear a difference." So my advice would be to just wait for the time being and see if your satisfied with the quality of the onboard sound. If not then pick one up.

I think your ram opipion is right on. Heck 6gbs is really overkill. I think there was a review done here at TH (maybe I read it somewhere else) that said the biggest memory hog game is warhammer online and it uses 4-4.5gigs. So your 6gigs is plenty, and probally plenty for a long time, at least from a gaming prespective.

I think you've got a really good build here. Good job doing your homework. I think you'll be really happy when you get it all done and put together. Your computing experince will be completely different. If ya get the time post some pics up when your finished for us. I'm not sure about the rest of the guys here at TH, but i really enjoy seeing them and its like a Thanks guys for helping.

 

[Akebono 98]

+1

Note that you cannot run a sound card if you run 3 dual slot video cards on the P6T6 WS Revolution mobo. Not sure if that's in your future... 😉

If you do video editing in HD, then you would probably want 12GB instead of 6. But that's a very easy upgrade, so nothing to worry about.

And I love seeing finished pics too! 😀