[fliptrip]

Hello everyone.

I am thinking of putting together a new machine in order to play upcoming games on highish settings at a decent framerate e.g COD MW2, borderlands, etc as well as existing games I haven't attempted to play with my existing setup e.g Crysis, NFS Shift, Burnout paradise, Batman & Resident Evil 5.

The rig will be left on 24/7 in our room so needs to be somewhat quiet, power efficiency would be an advantage. Primarily to run the games I mentioned at 1680x1050 (possibly 1900x1200/1080 if I acquire a new monitor) but also general Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign editing as well as word processing etc. Windows 7 64 bit.

It will hopefully keep me somewhat up to date for at least 2 years, with a GPU upgrade during that time probably being the most important factor for keeping me current with gaming requirements (maybe a 300 series in a years times when they've dropped in price or once they start releasing the 400 series).

Existing setup: AMD 64 5600, MSI K9N NEO-F board, 2gb Kingston ValueRam, 4x1TB WD HDD, ASUS Nvidia 7900GS.

I'm not an avid overclocker so really want performance out of the box, unless it's an easy overclock that you would be silly not to do but can still keep the chip cool & quiet and would be able to handle being overclocked for 2 years 24/7. I'm in New Zealand so Pricespy.co.nz is the newegg equivalent here in NZ.

• CPU:Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz 8MB Cache 95W TDP LGA1156 - NZD$330
  OR i7 920 NZD$440 OR i7 860 NZD$460? Bearing in mind I haven't been with Intel since my Pentium II MMX 200mhz. OR stick with AMD and go for a Phenom X4 945 NZD$270 or 955 for NZD$300?
  - What would you recommend based on my requirements?

• MOBO:
  Especially need advice here depending on Intel or AMD recommendations. Don't need Xfire or SLI support. Bluetooth would be cool but not necessary. Just need the solid basics. Need 4 sata connectors.

• HSF: Was looking at either the Scythe Mugen 2, Xigmatek Achilles or Noctua NHU12P with 1 or 2 fans. These seems to favour quiet over a slightly increased temp but not much.
  What can you guys recommend here. As mentioned earlier, I'm not sure if I'll be overclocking, just want something that is nice and quiet and will keep temps cool (especially in summer). Bear in mind here in NZ (pricespy) we don't have as much choice in this dept so not every product you mention will be available or will be ridiculously overpriced.

• RAM: 4 or 6gb of something. Most likely 4gb Kingston value ram or G.SKILL ripjaw 1333. NZD$150
  - Will I notice a difference between the valueram and G.SKill or Corsair if I'm not overclocking? would you recommend 4 or 6gb?

• GPU: Gigabyte GV-N26OC-896I GTX 260 PCIE Video Card 896MB DDR3 NZD$280
  - This thing is comparable to a 275 so hovers around the 4890 & 5770 in terms of performance and price - agreed? Mainly sticking with Nvidia as I've never had a problem with one and never owned an ATi card - got nothing against them but if the 260 is on par with them the little less performance + price difference I'm willing to pay.

• HDD: Intel X25-M 80GB SATA SSD 2 5" MLC - NZD$484 (GEE!)
  - I want an SSD for the OS, probably doesn't need to be this big as already have 3 conventional 1TB drives for storage (not raid). But I have read the X25-M is pretty amazing (but 80gb is the smallest) and with 2nd generation ones support upcoming TRIMS. By having this as the OS drive but the others just for storage is a good way to go right?
  OR is SSD just not even worth it for my setup and requirements?

• CASE: Antec 300 - NZD$114
  - I'll grab some rubber grommet mounts for the HDDs. How would I mount the SSD, would I purchase a 3.5 - 2.5 converter bay?

• PSU: Corsair HX 620w - Had it for the past year (still a good capable PSU?)

Further thoughts: Will 1 SSD + 3 HDDs + GTX 260 fit in the 300?


Thoughts/recommendations on everything? What would you recommend, what would you advise against? What have I overlooked? Cheers everyone in advance, your advice is very much appreciated.

[Theocnoob]

You can't do the 900V2? Better exhaust and intake.. A cooler master HAF 932'd be even better.

I disagree on your GPU.

Basically we've all come to the realization that right now, you're buying an ATI card. The price/performance is just better. In terms of overall performance I'd take a 4890 over a 275 any day.

The ATI 5000 series is very good and if you could get a 5850 you'd be very happy but it has to fit in your budget.. If a 4890 is equal in price for you to GTX275 I suggest the 4890 but get into a higher end 5 series if you can. DX11 support, better power consumption.

I'd honestly say no to your SSD right now and tell you to buy a WD Velociraptor drive 150GB. It's really good. Honestly. I wouldn't tell you to buy it otherwise.

A better idea though, is why don't you RAID-0 2 of your 1TB's for your OS? Then use the other two independantly for a total of 3GB? I see NO need for you to purchase additional storage.

That frees up money for you to smack yourself with joy and buy a 5870.

I personally would suggest that you buy the 1366 i7920 if you can- that standard will be getting six cores soon and it leaves an interesting upgrade option down the road.

How much is an MSI X58 Eclipse, Foxconn Bloodrage, or ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 there?

Can you get your hands on a Xigmatek Thor's hammer? With two quiet 120mm's it still does really respectably apparently.

Your HX will be fine for now.

I think you have a budget to make a rediculously wicked system but I'd redirect your funds especially in storage.

And yes the SSD would mount via an adapter. Again... Kind of burning money-- in your particular case I mean.

[fliptrip]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply Theocnoob.

The 900V2 is $250 vs $114 for the 300, + I like the smaller size and style of the 300.
The 4890 & GTX 260 are the same price - roughly $300. And from the reviews I've seen they're equal in performance, so figured I might as well stick with nVidia for now , and then down the track (a years time) I can upgrade to what is best ATM - e.g Grab a 5850 of 5870 or GTX 3xx once prices have dropped. Prices drop far too quick on the top graphics cards for me to ever consider buying one.

A 5850 is close to $470 minimum while the 5870 is at minimum $710.

Velociraptor is $230 so would save me $200 over the SSD yet would only enable me to purchase a 5850 (at their still bloated prices). Saying no to Raid outright, can't be bothered with it and I need all the storage I can get as I only have 1/2b free at present.


Wouldn't the i7 860 1156 be a better choice over the i7 920 1366? lower power usage. However surely the i5 750 would be adequate for the next 2 years? Really confused about the whole i5 LGA1156 VS. i7 LGA1366 yet the i7 860 & i7 870 is LGA1156. What will be the standard for the next 2 years? will an i7 870 fit into an i5 750 MOBO?

Microstar X58 Eclipse SLI LGA1366 ATX: is at lowest $520.86
Asustek P6T Deluxe X58 DDR3 Crossfire+SLi Motherboard is $500
They seem very OTT.

The Thor's hammer Here runs equal performance with those HSF I listed yet runs more than 20db higher at idle than the Mugen 2 and Noctua. So considering the tiny performance tradeoff for 20dB less at idle (e.g. What I will hear at night when trying to sleep) I feel they're better choices.

I just feel the GTX 260 would be a good mid performer card to get me by for 6 months or so until prices on the higher cards drops making them a better investment.

I think you have to bear in mind I'm not going for the best all out gaming rig - middle to high end, especially with an upgraded GPU in the future. Thus figured I would get more joy out of an SSD for every day operating system procedures.

Really keen to hear some others thoughts on this.
Thanks again Theocnoob - interested to hear your thoughts too.

[diaz]

The gtx260 is fine. Its a great card, will give you good performance on any game out today. I have a gtx275, and it plays everything very well. I can play Crysis on high @ 1920x1080 with a 35fps average - good enough for me.

-D