New Build v2

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puphus

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 6, 2002
Messages
138
Greetings – Some background: I posted a call for build suggestions awhile back when the i7 was fairly new. At that time, I was giddy over the new technology, looking at things from the perspective of purchasing the best rig money could buy to accomplish every computing need I could imagine. I’ve since reevaluated my needs and taken a more realistic approach. Thankfully, I did not pull the trigger on the build that was worked out previously. Thank you all for your help, regardless. My old P4 system that I was running has been gifted to my parents as a web surfer and email fetcher. They could not be more pleased. My work situation has improved, and I now have a nice new dual quad core Xeon workstation with a respectable GPU, Quadro FX 1800. This system more than satisfies my ArcGIS and AutoCAD needs. What has not improved is my home system. As of now, I’m limited to my laptop, a budget Dell Studio 1535. It’s fine for travel, handling my finances, internet, email, dvd and video playback, & light gaming with older titles. I’m in need of a new home system. Input on “ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST” below:



1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, Watching movies and OTA HDTV, Web browsing, Office apps
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Providing an actual number tends to format responses into lists of systems that spend the funds. I’d rather state my perspective on purchasing, I like to go for the “most bang for the buck” method related to my needs. I do not believe in future proofing, although I would like to buy a system that will not need a major overhaul every six months. Considering GPU and CPU upgrades on an annual basis is reasonable. If you must have a number, then I can guess at one, let's say $1200 +/- .
3) Where do you live?
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
CPU, GPU, RAM, Mobo, PSU, Monitor, Case, Hard drive, CD/DVD drive, Mouse, Keyboard, Headphones
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
24”+ or 1920x1200. Am curious about the Asus VW266H 25.5.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
This month, maybe next. If it’s a bad time to buy, e.g., revolutionary tech just coming out soon, then I can wait a bit.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
I’m considering RAID 0 for performance. I’d prefer to roll with a single GPU solution, though I would consider Crossfire/SLI if it enhanced my gaming experience.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Windows 7 RC 7100 64-bit


I’d be happy to provide more details if needed. Just ask. Thanks for any and all input.
 
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The asus monitor you listed is a good monitor. Without a price range, its hard to suggest parts. If it were me I would go with nothing less than a I7 920, 6 gigs of ddr3-1600, 2 ocz vertex's in raid 0, WD 1TB Black for storage, and a GTX 285. A case, mouse, keyboard, and headphones are going to vary from person to person. I would go to your local electronics store to try them out, make a decision, and then just buy them off of newegg.
 
puphus said:
[/COLOR]2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

Providing an actual number tends to format responses into lists of systems that spend the funds. I’d rather state my perspective on purchasing, I like to go for the “most bang for the buck” method related to my needs. I do not believe in future proofing, although I would like to buy a system that will not need a major overhaul every six months. Considering GPU and CPU upgrades on an annual basis is reasonable. If you must have a number, then I can guess at one.
Click to expand...


The problem with asking for a bang for the buck PC is that you'll still get the same lists of systems but covering varying degrees of budgets. In addition, there are varying beliefs of what is best bang for the buck. For example, I'd rarely go for the OCZ Vertex SSDs that maverick0817 listed in a bang for the buck build. So not only will you get the same lists of systems that you wanted to avoid but now there will be lists of systems at various budgets meeting various needs based on various beliefs on what is best bang for the buck.

At least providing a budget would eliminate one variable and forces everyone to think in the same general sense.

But I'll bite nonetheless. Here's what I'd consider most bang for the buck:
$289 - Intel Core i7 920 CPU
$210 - Asus P6T SE Intel X58 ATX Motherboard
$90 - G.Skill F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ 3 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$280 - BFG Tech BFGEGTX2801024OCXE GeForce GTX 280 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$75 - Western Digital WD6401AALS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$25 - Samsung SH-222F 22X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner
$120 - Corsair 750TX 750W PSU
----
Total: $1089 plus tax and shipping

Choose your own case.
 
I aggree I only listed the vertex drives because in my opinion their better bang for the buck than velociraptors these days. It did say in his original post he was interested in doing Raid 0.
 
Thanks for the input. I've speced out an i7 system and it looks close to what Danny posted. I went with Corsair XMS3 6GBs $114, Asus VW226H $330, XFX4890 $250, and a CM690 $75, all the rest the same. Add in a decent mouse and keyboard and I'm summing to a bit over $1600. I think it's a no brainer that an i7 build with rip through anything I could possibly throw at it. I guess my point in not posting a set budget was to avoid being told what I already know. If an i7 system is the only answer to my gaming and relatively mild needs otherwise, then so be it. I was just thinking that there might be some less obvious alternatives that would achieve my needs.
 
$139 AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor - Retail
$130 MSI 790GX-G65 AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
$66 OCZ Special Ops Urban Elite 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
$210 SAPPHIRE 100277L Radeon HD 4770 512MB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail -- X2
$70 Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
$120 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
$25 Samsung SH-222F 22X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner
$75 COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$330 ASUS VW266H Black 25.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1) Built in Speakers w/ component connector - Retail

Total = $1165

I am drawn to the NZXT Panzerbox but it's not available yet. Reported MSRP = $120

Originally thought of this build with 4870s, but am blown away by the 4770 reports I've read concerning the 4770 XFire besting the 4890.

Thoughts?
 
If you're going to go for a AM3 mobo with DDR3 RAM, at least get one supported and built by a better company:
$140 - Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P AMD AM3 790X ATX Motherboard

If you don't honestly need DDR3 RAM (FYI AMD CPUs don't benefit too much DDR3 RAM AFAIK), then I highly recommend getting in on this combo:
$270 - AMD Phenom II X4 940 CPU + Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P AMD 790X AMD Motherboard Combo

Costs about the same as the Gigabyte mobo I linked to above + the Phenom II X3 710. However the Phenom II 940 offers more performance than the X3 710.
 
I'm not sold on AMD but am curious if it's a reasonable alternative. That is why I posted the janky AMD build. Thanks for the repeat nibble. Is it wrong to think that LGA1366 and AM3 are the wave of the future? I'm thinking why not spend the cash on either of those builds today, then in 8-12 months I'm only looking at a drop-in GPU upgrade and maybe a CPU upgrade. Also, as for gaming, is there much of a difference between a x3 720 and a i7 920? I mean, why not save the $500 now and go with AMD, then spend the savings in a year on a GPU and CPU upgrade. Honestly, why would I spend the cash on a new build for a AM2+ or LGA775? Aren't those sockets at the end of life?
 
Having the option of being able to upgrade parts is definitely something to consider down the road. If you can I would go for the newer socket. Depending on the timeframe you could either have an easier or harder time finding upgrades for an older system. For instance, as they are phasing something out it will be cheaper. After they have already phased something out, like socket 478, things will be more expensive. Currently I have an older socket 478 system and from a price/performance perspective, it would be better for me to build a new system.
 
I would go this route. A killer combo for $270 that's cheaper than 1 x Core i7 920 cpu. Let's go with this build man. Coming from a P4 single core build, this setup is a major improvement.

$270 - AMD Phenom II X4 940 CPU + Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P AMD 790X AMD Motherboard Combo
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V for $40 w/free shipping
Corsair XMS2 4GB DDR2 800 for $45 w/free shipping
XFX Radeon HD 4890 1GB for $250 w/free shipping ($20 MIR)
WD Caviar WD6400AAKS for $64 w/free shipping
 Corsair 750TX 750W for $120 w/free shipping ($20 MIR)
Samsung SH-222F 22X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner for $25 w/free shipping
Coolermaster CM 690 for $59.27
ASUS VH242H 23.6" LCD for $190 w/free shipping

Reviews of Asus VH242H

http://hothardware.com/Articles/Asus-VH242H-236-Widescreen-LCD-Monitor/

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2371

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2346114,00.asp

Total: $1,063.27

This Asus VH242H 23.6" may have a higher response time at 5ms but, its a great deal for $190 w/free shipping. That Asus 25.5" has mediocre image quality and video quality is grainy. I'd save $140 and go for the Asus VH242H 23.6" instead. Slap in another HD4890 1gig later on. The Corsair 750TX will be enough for 2 x HD 4890s


Danny Bui said:
If you're going to go for a AM3 mobo with DDR3 RAM, at least get one supported and built by a better company:
$140 - Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P AMD AM3 790X ATX Motherboard

If you don't honestly need DDR3 RAM (FYI AMD CPUs don't benefit too much DDR3 RAM AFAIK), then I highly recommend getting in on this combo:
$270 - AMD Phenom II X4 940 CPU + Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P AMD 790X AMD Motherboard Combo

Costs about the same as the Gigabyte mobo I linked to above + the Phenom II X3 710. However the Phenom II 940 offers more performance than the X3 710.
Click to expand...
 
Heck $190 for that Asus VH242H 23.6", buy another one and run Dual Display. Total will come out to $1,253.27. This still meets your budget. You can watch dvd movie on 1 monitor while working on work related things on your other monitor. Sick setup if you ask me for $1200 +/- budget.
 
puphus said:
Thanks for the repeat nibble. Is it wrong to think that LGA1366 and AM3 are the wave of the future?

Also, as for gaming, is there much of a difference between a x3 720 and a i7 920?

Honestly, why would I spend the cash on a new build for a AM2+ or LGA775? Aren't those sockets at the end of life?
Click to expand...

No it isn't wrong to think that LGA1366 and AM3 are the wave of the future.

Gaming wise, there is a difference between the X3 720 and i7 920. However you're gonna have to look at the reviews yourself and decide whether or not that difference in games is large enough to justify the increase in price

AM2+ is not really at EOL as future socket AM3 CPUs are suppose to work on AM2+ mobos. So far, that's working out relatively well despite AMD's past history with AM2+ and support for AM2 mobos. As long as your AM2+ mobo is supported by a major reputable motherboard company, you shouldn't have to worry too much about socket AM3 CPUs not working in socket AM2+ mobos.

LGA775 is a pretty much a dead end (not dead socket). There won't be any new worthwhile CPUs being released for the LGA 775 socket. As such, if you go through this part of the forums, you'll see that there's been very little, if any, recommendations for LGA 775 setups for the past four months or so with the release of the the Phenom II CPUs.
 
No worries. That is a good deal on the monitor you posted, but I do want 1920x1200. I was thinking that the Asus 25.5 larger screen size would do me well for gaming sitting close and watching movies and such from further away, say 10 feet or so.

If I decide to run crossfire 4770s or better, will a non-790FX bottleneck the GPUs? The 790FX is the only chipset that runs x16.
 
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