New Gaming Build ~$2500

[jsimpso55]

Please provide feedback on this gaming build. Thanks for comments in advance.

I am planning to purchase within the next 2 weeks and still have several open questions and components that I don't feel completely comfortable with. It will be primarily used for gaming, internet and watching movies. I am planning to overclock the CPU and GPUs (this will be my first overclock). Low noise is also important to me.



Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950 - $299

MSI Big Bang-XPower LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $299 I'm interested to hear some feedback on this motherboard because I don't see too many people using it in new builds. However, I read a really good review of it on HardOCP and Tom's gave it a pretty good review as well. I'm not planning to use the 4 x SLI which is one of the only negatives that Tom's mentioned.

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D - $185 (after mail-in rebate) It doesn't seem like anyone agrees on which one is best. I like the Corsair brand and have had luck with them in the past. I still don't feel great about this choice though.

2 X GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-1GI GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $460 I know that many people are choosing the Palit 460 over this card because the Palit is overclocked and has been very fast in tests. However, the Palit brand and warranty worry me. I am planning to OC these cards anyway and my hope is that they are quieter/cooler than the Palit. Also, I considered the 5870 but I like the performance of the SLI 460s better and I really wanted to use SLI or Crossfire in this build. I know the 5870 gives me more flexibility for future proofing but I'm ok without that.

CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - $150 (after mail-in rebate) This one seems like a no-brainer. Everyone seems to agree that this is a great power supply.

Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $276 I know that the Sandforce SDDs are a bit faster but I really wanted the SATA 6 and couldn't afford the 256GB version which performs even better.

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $75 Decided to add this to the build for more storage. Honestly didn't do much research on this one because so many people have it in their builds that I figured it must be good.

LITE-ON Black Blu-ray Disc Combo SATA Model iHES208-08 LightScribe Support - $99 Is there a better option for a DVD burner/Blu Ray player?


COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case - $199 My only concern with this case is noise. I really want a quiet case that can still effective cool an OCed system. Anyone that has experience with the HAF X please comment on noise levels. I am also very intrigued by the Antec Dark Fleet line of cases but haven't been able to find many good reviews.


ZALMAN CNPS9900ALED 120mm 2 Ball Low-noise Blue LED CPU Cooler - $75 I like the look of this Zalman better than the Noctua D-14 and it still got better than average reviews on cooling. Plus is has a VRM fan which I really wanted.


Dell 24 inch UltraSharp U2410 Monitor - $450 (with Dell coupon) If I could spend less on a 24 inch monitor with 1900 x 1200 resolution I would like to but I can't seem to find a great recommendation on a monitor.


Total Price $2567

 

[Seebs]

Wow....
You're just about going for the same build I'm doing right now; only a couple differences.
I'm doing:
MoBo: EVGA X58 FTW3 -> 269.99
I really love this board. And the reason I picked it over any other board is customer service from EVGA gets top ratings everywhere I ask.

CPU: Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz -> 299.99
Same as you.

Case: HAF 932 Black Edition -> 139.99
Only differences I see between the HAF X and this one are a few more front connector ports, the dimensions and weight vary a bit and the HAF X has the side fan.

RAM: G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Model F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI
The only differences between your kit and this one are:
Yours: 1.65V
This one: 1.5V
Yours: 8-8-8-24 Timings
This one: 7-8-7-24-2N Timings
Yours: 179.99 after MIR
This one: 149.99 shipped
I was always told that lower timings are better in memory, but TBH I don't really know enough to be able to say which kit is better. In my case the G.Skills are better because they are cheaper.
If price is a factor in your build there is a Mushkin kit with the same timings as your Dominators for $149.99 shipped (Link). And people seem to like the Mushkins to go with i7 builds as well.

HSF:
I'm not getting one for now because I plan on going water cooled soon after the rig is built. No reason spending $80 on a HSF now knowing that a month later I'll be spending $300 or $400 on water works.

PSU: CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-850HX -> 149.99
Same as you.

SSD: Crucial RealSSD C300 -> 274.99
Same as you.

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB -> 89.99
This is slightly different from your Samsung, but it's a matter of preference.

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100290SR Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 2GB -> 439.99
I'm going ATI with this build and picked this card because it comes with 6 mini DisplayPort outs instead of the normal 1xmDP + 2xDVI + 1xHDMI outs that other cards have. That way I can do 6 Display Eyefinity without having to use any adaptors.
The price of your 2x460s vs my 1x5870 is about the same. I guess it comes down to preference and maybe cooling as the Fermis run hotter than the Radeon and since you have 2 of them, if you plan on water cooling in the future, chances are you'll need much more radiator area to cool those two.

Optical: HP BD240I-h1 -> 99.99
Again... BlueRay player + DVD Burner... Just a matter of preference.

Display: Dell UltraSharp U2311H -> 289.99
Just buying one for now, but 2 more will soon be making their way to my home and some time next year 3 more will join them to complete the 6 monitor Eyefinity setup.

My total comes up to $2,204.90 -> All prices from newegg.
I'm not going to tell you which one is better because what works for me may not work for you, but there are some places where you could shave off a few bucks (case and ram come to mind).

Cheers
Sebastian

 

[Knufire]

Woah, woah, woah, woah. Hold up there.

NEVER go SLI off the bat. Keep it as an upgrade option. Put it this way, you will never be able to upgrade that graphics setup without throwing out both cards. It's a complete waste. Please go to a 5870, a 480, or a 5970, your choice. Yes, I know that 2 x 460 is basically a 480 but cheaper, but going SLI off the bat is a really, really bad choice in my opinion, because of how you limit yourself from upgrading.

If you're hardset on staying with GTX460's in SLI, a Corsair 650TX will run the entire system just fine.

I believe the WD Caviar Blacks are faster then the Samsung Spinpoints.

+1 to Seba for the RAM. The G.SKILL PI series is better memory for lower price.

And to Seba, the original Fermi chip is the GF100, which does indeed run really hot. But the GTX460 is a new revision, the GF104, that runs much cooler and more efficient. Plus, 460 x 2 will kill a 5870.

The main difference between the HAF932 and HAF-X is that the HAF-X supports E-ATX boards, along with having an eSATA and USB 3.0 front ports. I'd think it's worth it if you're getting a USB 3.0 board.

 

[Seebs]

Woah, woah, woah, woah. Hold up there.

NEVER go SLI off the bat. Keep it as an upgrade option. Put it this way, you will never be able to upgrade that graphics setup without throwing out both cards. It's a complete waste. Please go to a 5870, a 480, or a 5970, your choice. Yes, I know that 2 x 460 is basically a 480 but cheaper, but going SLI off the bat is a really, really bad choice in my opinion, because of how you limit yourself from upgrading.

If you're hardset on staying with GTX460's in SLI, a Corsair 650TX will run the entire system just fine.

I believe the WD Caviar Blacks are faster then the Samsung Spinpoints.

+1 to Seba for the RAM. The G.SKILL PI series is better memory for lower price.

And to Seba, the original Fermi chip is the GF100, which does indeed run really hot. But the GTX460 is a new revision, the GF104, that runs much cooler and more efficient. Plus, 460 x 2 will kill a 5870.

The main difference between the HAF932 and HAF-X is that the HAF-X supports E-ATX boards, along with having an eSATA and USB 3.0 front ports. I'd think it's worth it if you're getting a USB 3.0 board.

Thanks for the +1 my man...
I may be new here, but I've done so much reading these past weeks and learned so much here that I thought I'd be able to offer an educated opinion on the matter.

I did not know about the new Fermi chips and if they run cooler (not doubting you) that would definitely make for a better setup than a single 5870. But the we run into what you've already mentioned about update paths, and I still think that 2 Fermis (new chip and all) would be harder to cool than 1 5870 (if anything the addition of the extra block would affect water cooling a bit).

I didn't really check the HAF X too deeply, but after a second look it does have USB 3.0 in front. And one more thing... Isn't E-ATX the same as Extended ATX? Because the HAF 932 supports E-ATX. TBH, the main reason I went with the HAF 932 over the HAF X was the fact that I plan on water cooling and saw no need for the side fan; in fact, I'd rather have the full window and show off my rig's guts with pride.

I'd rep you for giving sound advice to us newbs, but it seems I haven't reached the threshold to be able to do that? Or is that even an option in this board?

Cheers
Sebastian

 

[Knufire]

Yeah, as far as I know there isn't any rep on this board, but we say +1 anyway.

You're right about the GTX460's, two of them smashes a single 5870, and ties/barely passes a GTX480. But honestly, two 460's in a HAF case with the Gigabyte cooler is completely fine.

Just google searched it, you're right again about E-ATX. The HAF-X can fit an XL-ATX board, while the HAF-932 can't (Except there's only 2 or 3 XL-ATX boards in existence). HAF-X also has dust filters on all the fans and a GPU duct to focus airflow on it.

Here's a screenshot of the GTX460's temps: http://www.overclock.net/nvidia/779982-post-your-gtx460-temps.html#post10052467

The GTX460 at full load and 100% fan is at 44C (MSI Cyclone). My Radeon 4890 Vapor-X at 100% fan speed and IDLE is 44C. I'm fairly sure the GTX460 is cooler then the 5870, and the Gigabyte version has dual fans.

 

[Seebs]

XL-ATX? I guess we're talking about the 4 Way SLI Classified board from EVGA here then; now that's what I call overkill.

Not too worried about the temps on the 5870 as that baby will be running wet once the rig is built... The only reason I went with that particular GPU is because of the 6 mDP outs. I'll be sure to post some pictures of my rig once I have it running with 6 23" displays in Eyefinity... That's gonna be some nice eyecandy; I tell ya!

 

[psionic98]

And unless you both bought your CPUs yet.. dont get the 950.. get the 930 and oc it.. takes like 30seconds to get it to like 3.6 or greater.. save the extra 100 and spend it on a better single gfx option

for CPU it should be either 930 or 980x.. all the ones in the middle are not worth the cash when the 930 will perform just as well as any of em

 

[Knufire]

And unless you both bought your CPUs yet.. dont get the 950.. get the 930 and oc it.. takes like 30seconds to get it to like 3.6 or greater.. save the extra 100 and spend it on a better single gfx option

Except they just dropped the 950 to pretty much as the same price the 930, so it's one of those "why not?" things.

And to Seba, there's also a Gigabyte board that's XL-ATX, but it's just as much of an overkill.

 

[Seebs]

Except they just dropped the 950 to pretty much as the same price the 930, so it's one of those "why not?" things.

Exactly...