PC Builds

[Doctor Destiny 41]

the graphics cards i original chose were 2 ATI HD4850 1gb, but i wasn't sure if two of those were better than one 4870, get me? what do you think? go for the single better card or 2?

Just one HD4870 would easily be enough.

 

the choices for RAM with the i7 were 3 then 6 on this site, and i thought getting 6 now would pay off in the future?

Unlikely unless you do a lot of high-end rendering.

 

what hard drive capacity would you recommend? maybe 750gb-1tb? and data hard drives arent necessary but what do you think?

I recommend multiple hard drives. 500GB for the OS drive and 750GB to 1TB for the additional storage.

 

and i thought the i7 was the best? how do AMD cpus measure up in the market? would you recommend them instead?

Newer doesn't mean better. The Core i7 CPUs are good but they're too new to be that widely used. I really recommend the socket one step down - you save a ton of money, get comparable speed and don't have any RAM voltage worries.

 

my thing with the sound card was if it was necessary, like what would i be benefiting from getting a sound card? but you are right ill prob wait to get it on my own...

If you have a dedicated audio card, you take strain from CPU power, which can then be used elsewhere.

 

oh and one last thing - is my power supply enough? coz i hear alot of things about graphics cards not getting enough power on custom builds...

I would check for a higher PSU. I recommend 750W for this build with one HD4870.

 

any input on the TV-to-PC issue?

TV Tuner card but the 4870 might be able to do it.

[Alphabear 11]

I agree with what DD has said. I have 4GB of RAM at the same speed. It came stock above 1.5V and has stability issues below 1.8V (No problems since 1.9V). At this stage you wont get much of a performance increase, if any at all going with an x58 board and i7 as it is still emergent technology. My suggestion if you want this pc to last a long time without upgrades is to go with the previous socket set and use the money you save to get better specs elsewhere.

[rEdaSbLood 1]

so how about this, which includes an i7 cpu...

 

# CAS: Sigma Gaming Unicorn Mid-Tower 420W Case w/ Side-panel Window [-17]

# CASUPGRADE: NONE

# CS_FAN: Default case fans

# CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-920 2.66 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366

# CD: Lite-On DH-401S 4X Blu-Ray Player [+76]

# CD2: (Special Price) LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER [+5] (BLACK COLOR)

# CABLE: None

# FLASHMEDIA: None

# FREEBIE_CU: FREE! (FarCry2) Game

# FAN: Asetek Liquid CPU Cooling System (Extreme Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)

# FREEBIE_RM: None

# FLOPPY: NONE

# FREEBIE_OS: FREE! (Halo 2) Game

# HDD: Extreme Performance (RAID-0) with 2 Identical Hard Drives [-16] (1TB (500GBx2) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+26])

# HDD2: NONE

# IEEE_CARD: NONE

# KEYBOARD: (Keyboard & Mouse Combo) Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 110 Keyboard & Mouse [+27]

# MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse

# MODEM: NONE

# MONITOR: NONE

# MONITOR2: NONE

# MOTHERBOARD: Asus P6T Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA,GbLAN,USB2.0,IEEE1394a,&7.1Audio [+19]

# MEMORY: 3GB (1GBx3) PC1333 DDR3 PC3 10666 Triple Channel Memory (Corsair Dominator [+9])

# NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD

# OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)

# PRO_WIRING: None

# PRINTER: None

# PRINTER_CABLE: None

# POWERSUPPLY: 750 Watts Power Supplies [+19] (Ultra Lifetime Series Pro)

# RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

# SOFT: Free 60 Days Microsoft® Office® 2007 (Words, Excel, Access, Power Point, Outlook + More) - Windows Vista™ Required

# SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT

# SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

# SPEAKERS: NONE

# TEMP: NONE

# TVRC: None

# USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports

# USBHD: NONE

# VIDEO: ATI Radeon HD 4870 PCI-E 16X 1GB DDR5 Video Card [+14] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)

# VIDEO2: NONE

# VIDEO3: NONE

# VIDEOCAMERA: NONE

# WNC: PCI Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps Network Interface Card [+19]

# _PRICE: (+1406)

[Alphabear 11]

You might want to check with the RAM, as i couldn't find dominator RAM in that speed

[Koen 2]

Since you are still under your budget, I would go with the 6GB of memory. It might not add a lot of performance, but can be useful for prefetch/caching.

And why are you going with 2x500GB in RAID-0? You do know that this doubles your risk of data loss, because if one of the two drives fails, all the data is gone? So while this RAID-0 might be faster than a single HD, I'd go with a single 1TB HD. Or get a good backup strategy

[rEdaSbLood 1]

i would have to get a good backup strategy coz im not sure if they offer that on the website (cyberpowerpc.com)....what do you think of the rest?

[Doctor Destiny 41]

I agree with Koen. Rather than a RAID array, which can **** you in the end, get a second hard drive instead like a 1TB or 750GB. Rest looks good except for the CPU core. Still too new and still too susceptible to higher voltage RAM.

 

Check my build for a good combination - http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWi...tNumber=7392805

[rEdaSbLood 1]

thanks a load guys you are really helping me...

 

lol @ "DoctorD's Epic Win"

 

im drawn to the i7 because of the fact that its new and top-of-the-line..and im still wondering what is the benefit of having a soundcard?

 

ill check on the RAID situation but i dont know yet how it would work on the site..

 

would i be better off just buying the parts off, say, newegg and building it myself? with the fact that ive never built a PC in mind...

 

i mean installing the OS and whatnot, is it so hard?

Edited January 24, 2009 by rEdaSbLood

[Doctor Destiny 41]

im drawn to the i7 because of the fact that its new and top-of-the-line..and im still wondering what is the benefit of having a soundcard?

Bear in mind that top of the line and new does not translate into good. The dual core I'm putting in my new machine will outdo your i7 fairly readily. Still want to spend all of that green on it?

 

And a separate audio card gives you crisper sound especially if you have surround sound speakers and it alleviates strain on the CPU by taking a process off the top. CPU doesn't need to handle sound, it has more power to use for other processes.

 

ill check on the RAID situation but i dont know yet how it would work on the site..

Build your own.

 

would i be better off just buying the parts off, say, newegg and building it myself? with the fact that ive never built a PC in mind...

YES YOU WOULD BE BETTER OFF! Right, enough yelling, but yes, you'd be much better putting together your own system. Not only do you have complete control over the parts, you can easily swap them out later on and have no worries about software coming on a machine that you don't want on it.

 

And it's piss ****ing easy to put a computer together. Parts only go in one way and if it doesn't fit, you have the wrong part or you're doin' it wrong.

 

i mean installing the OS and whatnot, is it so hard?

Make the BIOS boot from the CD first, put the OS disc in and let it do its thing.

[rEdaSbLood 1]

its cheaper to build my own right?

 

is there a website that could help me figure out what plugs into what?

 

so your telling me this new i7 CPU is no improvement?

 

you said make the BIOS boot with the cd first? as in the first time i turn it on i have the OS cd in?

[Doctor Destiny 41]

its cheaper to build my own right?

Can be. With the type you're building, it's a tossup.

 

is there a website that could help me figure out what plugs into what?

Most likely but just consult the user manual and use common sense.

 

so your telling me this new i7 CPU is no improvement?

At this time, yes. It is not an improvement at all.

 

you said make the BIOS boot with the cd first? as in the first time i turn it on i have the OS cd in?

Exactly. Hell, my BIOS still boots from CD before the hard drive.

[rEdaSbLood 1]

well, ive been on newegg for hours and it seems too risky for me. cyberpowerpc would take care of compatability and space req for me so i think ill go with their builds...

 

still, i think my heart is set on the i7. from what i hear (newegg customer review) the 920 is cheaper but faster than high-end quadcores. although, alot of people say i would need extra cooling with it...

 

i was considering an AMD processor, the x2 is it? the new one...what you think?

 

dude, all these parts sound so sexy. like working on a muscle car...

 

did you take a look at what cyberpowerpc has to offer?

 

purchase made !

 

# CASE: Apevia X-Telstar Junior 420W Case w/ Temp Display and Fan Control [-22] (G Type Black Color with Side-Window)

# CS_FAN: Default case fans

# CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-920 2.66 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366

# CD: Lite-On DH-401S 4X Blu-Ray Player [+76]

# CD2: (Special Price) LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER [+5] (BLACK COLOR)

# FREEBIE: FREE! (FarCry2) Game

# FAN: Asetek Liquid CPU Cooling System (Extreme Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)

# FREEBIE: FREE! (Halo 2) Game

# HDD: Single Hard Drive (1TB (1TBx1) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)

# KEYBOARD: Microsoft® Wireless Desktop w/ Wireless Internet Keyboard & Mouse [+24]

# MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse

# MOTHERBOARD: Asus P6T Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA,GbLAN,USB2.0,IEEE1394a,&7.1Audio [+19]

# MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) PC1333 DDR3 PC3 10666 Triple Channel Memory [+59] (Corsair or Major Brand)

# NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD

# OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)

# POWERSUPPLY: 680 Watts Power Supplies (Hush Power Supply SLI/CrossFire Ready)

# SOFT: Free 60 Days Microsoft® Office® 2007 (Words, Excel, Access, Power Point, Outlook + More)

# SOUND: ESS 3D WAVETABLE SOUND PCI [+12]

# USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports

# VIDEO: ATI Radeon HD 4870 PCI-E 16X 1GB DDR5 Video Card [+14] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)

 

price:1407

Edited January 24, 2009 by rEdaSbLood

[Doctor Destiny 41]

Not a bad build but you could easily do better on your own. The really sad part... mine will end up outdoing yours by a small margin and I won't have the same power this claims... Honestly red, they suckered you. In the world of computing, bigger numbers does not always mean better.

 

Should work fine though.

[rEdaSbLood 1]

well what it comes down to is that ive spent a LOAD of time making different builds and, in the end, they wont be much different from each other.

 

ive been planning on getting my own computer for almost 3 years. i cant wait any longer :lol:

 

but doc thanks again for the help, and koen u too...

 

im looking forward to pwnin you all on my new PC

[Sonic 296]

Why does the RAM in your build say "Corsair or Major Brand"? Demand Corsair. What is their idea of a major brand?

[rEdaSbLood 1]

yea too late. i originally chose corsair but it was +19 $$..and i had to pinch to make the total enough to fit on my credit card

[Doctor Destiny 41]

Why does the RAM in your build say "Corsair or Major Brand"? Demand Corsair. What is their idea of a major brand?

I would imagine Kingston, mushkin, G.Skill, etc would be major brands.

 

And why Corsair? It's not that great anymore. mushkin gives you more kick and G.Skill has a lot more raw power...

[Sonic 296]

I would stick with Corsair or G.Skill. I always stick to a few brands past on past knowledge. RAM is RAM to me, as long as not some cheap ass generic stuff.

 

What I really getting as was the place where rEdaSbLood order his system could be trying to pass off some generic crap as so called branded RAM or something.

[rEdaSbLood 1]

EDIT: ITS HERE!!! well it arrived the 7th...

 

so far so good, only thing is i dont have internet on it yet.

 

at first there was a minor problem with setting up my TV as the monitor, but for now it seems just fine. native resolution is 13xx X 768 X 60htz

 

can't play my RA3, Halo2, or Farcry2 until i get internet. so, i wont know how well it performs...

 

did set up EaW. highest settings run perfectly.

 

haven't gotten a chance to fully utilize the thing yet..

Edited February 9, 2009 by rEdaSbLood

[rEdaSbLood 1]

Here is my computer

 

 

 

 

TEMP/Voltage/Decibal GAUGE

 

Edited February 13, 2009 by rEdaSbLood

[BioBen 3]

Holy **** that is a big monitor! or did you just nick off with tv?

[Fiesta 0]

Aw, crap. I got here too late. Well to address something mentioned earlier, Core i7 systems tend to destabilize after your RAM hits 1.8 volts. 1.5 is perfectly safe, Intel themselves recommend 1.65. As for what you have there in your system, I would not fully trust that liquid loop or power supply to last you a good long time. There's only so much quality that you can get for that price; cutting corners doesn't.....cut it.

[rEdaSbLood 1]

yes its hooked up to my 32in LCD

 

and what do you suppose i do? and how do i find out if im safe?

 

whats wrong with the cooling and is there a warranty or something for my CPU?

 

how long could i get good performance out of it?

 

what does destabilize mean? would a firmware update help?

 

ive tested TW on it and its run fine for around a half hour i think the longest i played, about to test crysis demo, supreme commander demo...

 

NOW YOUR SCARING ME !!

Edited February 13, 2009 by rEdaSbLood

[Fiesta 0]

I mean after 1.8 volts the system will start to go pear-shaped; that is, unless you had an eVGA X58 Classified, Asus Rampage II Extreme, or Foxconn Blood Rage, where the RAM PWMs are such high quality that you'll be wondering how far the system can really go before it just........... breaks. But you should be fine with that RAM on that motherboard.

 

As for your cooling, well, you would have to pick out your own parts and assemble the system yourself to get high quality. I don't expect that sort of water loop to last more than a year or so. I don't know what warranty they provide, that's kind of your business.

Edited February 13, 2009 by Fiesta

[Malevolence 6]

How can you survive on 32 inch monitor. This is madness.

 

You should get Nvidia EVGA GTX 260 55nm SSC or FTW instead of ATI 4870.