PC Build

[CognitiveDissonance]

Don't buy those parts as they will not work.

Thanks, lucky I asked before buying XD

I think I'll just get the exact build proposed by Stoogie, minus the sound-card which I'll get a bit later. Great info-depth by the way, Stoogie.

Personally I would recommend getting the core i7 950 since the price dropped from $600 to $250 and is an AMAZING processor. It will work with your motherboard too.
Also, I hear that people who bought that asus board thought it "wasn't that great" and said that the gigabyte ga-x58a-ud3r is much better.

Any idea where it's available for $250? Thanks for the motherboard tip, I'll get the gigabyte instead then. Is the gigabyte also compatible with the i7?

EDIT: Even at Amazon's price of $290 for the i7, to buy the Motherboard/i7 is only something like $50 than my previous build, so I may aswell. Great advice!

 

[Anti Nudist Cupcake]

Don't buy those parts as they will not work.

Thanks, lucky I asked before buying XD

I think I'll just get the exact build proposed by Stoogie, minus the sound-card which I'll get a bit later. Great info-depth by the way, Stoogie.

Personally I would recommend getting the core i7 950 since the price dropped from $600 to $250 and is an AMAZING processor. It will work with your motherboard too.
Also, I hear that people who bought that asus board thought it "wasn't that great" and said that the gigabyte ga-x58a-ud3r is much better.

Any idea where it's available for $250? Thanks for the motherboard tip, I'll get the gigabyte instead then. Is the gigabyte also compatible with the i7?

Oh yes it is compatible.
Well, your'e in Australia, right? If so then chances are you will have to buy online locally ( I live in South-Africa and there are NO stores that have these components)
In my country, google has an option to choose if I only want it to display search results for local South-African sites, which is how I found a store to buy the motherboard.

OR you could just use shopbot, they display many local websites that have the product along with links and prices.

Link:
http://www.shopbot.com.au/pp-gigabyte-ga-x58a-ud3r-price-226309.html

Please note however that most of these websites rely on suppliers, and so far I know that suppliers are closed until the 4th of January, unfortunately.
Be a wiser man than I, email the place you are buying from to do a stock check before you give them your money.

And if you are unsure as to how to connect the components, don't hesitate to take it to a computer store to have them do it for you, you are getting quite expensive components so it will be wiser to be safe than sorry.

 

[Beat14]

(The only reason I'm looking at this is because I am slowing putting together a PC, so my knowledge is not great).

Is the OS 64 bit because I was going to get a graphics card with 2 GB VRAM but didn't as I head that it wont help with performance due to me having the max amount of RAM available on a 32 bit OS.

 

[Stoogie]

www.staticice.com.au BEATS ALL ELECTRONIC SEARCH ENGINES!!

anyway:

Don't buy those parts as they will not work.

Thanks, lucky I asked before buying XD

I think I'll just get the exact build proposed by Stoogie, minus the sound-card which I'll get a bit later. Great info-depth by the way, Stoogie.

Personally I would recommend getting the core i7 950 since the price dropped from $600 to $250 and is an AMAZING processor. It will work with your motherboard too.
Also, I hear that people who bought that asus board thought it "wasn't that great" and said that the gigabyte ga-x58a-ud3r is much better.

Any idea where it's available for $250? Thanks for the motherboard tip, I'll get the gigabyte instead then. Is the gigabyte also compatible with the i7?

EDIT: Even at Amazon's price of $290 for the i7, to buy the Motherboard/i7 is only something like $50 than my previous build, so I may aswell. Great advice!

stay with the asus as its a better motherboard than gigabyte(i have no proof just my personal opinion, also i dont know if gigabyte even have a auto volting bios)

Personally I would recommend getting the core i7 950 since the price dropped from $600 to $250 and is an AMAZING processor. It will work with your motherboard too.
Also, I hear that people who bought that asus board thought it "wasn't that great" and said that the gigabyte ga-x58a-ud3r is much better.

Just look:

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-LGA1366-CrossFireX-Motherboard-GA-X58A-UD3R/dp/B0034CSTFY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1293614519&sr=1-1

Just putting it there for you to consider as an alternative.

As for the previous guy posting that u should get a 1366 socket i7(meaning u have to change the motherboard to a 1366 socket aswell) i would have to disagree as the price increase for the socket 1366 mobos and for tri channel ram doesnt outway the performance increase, 'u dont need 1366 for gaming, u dont need tri channel memory, it doesnt do sh*T!

but if u had a little more cash i would look into changing these items in the Cart:

the i5 750 to i7 870 for a $94 increase
the coolermaster haf 922 case for a coolermaster haf 932 for a $24 increase
add another G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL (2x2G) DDR3 for $75
add another Hard Drive so u can have your games/windows on the main and data on the 2nd
the ASUS P7H55-M Motherboard for ASUS P7P55D-E PRO Motherboard for a $110 (so u can have SLi/CF)
add another PowerColor Radeon HD6870 1GB for $279
and a CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ CPU Cooler for $39
add a Auzentech X-Meridian 7.1 2G for $199 however the default Opamps are bad and u should replace the default 4x NE5532 with 4x LME4972 or OPA627, Though to buy opamps in australia,, even i dont know where to buy dual opamps in australia. If anyone knows can u tell me thanks

the Gigabyte ODIN 720w to Corsair AX1200 Gold Power Supply for a $270 increase (LOL FUTURE PROOF JK, corsairs the best tho atm. u dont really need that but one atleast 800w is fine for 6870 in CF, even with a OVERCLOCK. however i recommend getting 1 thats atleast 1000w for the next gen of cards or even this gen of 6950/6970/470/480/570/580, because 800w isnt enough with 2 of either while overclocked)
I lost my bookmarked site of where each of the PSU manufacturers get their power supplies made from, some of which u need to look out for like Enermax ones for example as they die alot and blow out so i wouldnt recommened them, tho
So to be realistic best 1000w psu i would choose would be

Silverstone Strider Plus 1000W for a $116 increase, Tho i dont know where the origin of that silverstone model comes from.

 

[Stoogie]

(The only reason I'm looking at this is because I am slowing putting together a PC, so my knowledge is not great).

Is the OS 64 bit because I was going to get a graphics card with 2 GB VRAM but didn't as I head that it wont help with performance due to me having the max amount of RAM available on a 32 bit OS.

Regarding Operating Systems;
32 bit(x86) allows up to 3gb of Readable RAM(Not GPU Memory), 64 bit(x64) allows up to 128GB? of Readable RAM

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

64 bit(x64) allows up to 128GB? of Readable RAM

Depends on the OS. Win 7 64bit Enterprise or Ultimate versions can handle up to 192Gb.

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

I don't keep up with hardware when I'm not considering a build in the near future, so specific information might be very slightly outdated, but my best piece of advice, assuming you're on a meaningful budget, would be to typically look first at the lowest end model of the current generation. Though it's certainly not always absolutely true, the price and effectiveness of models tend not to scale so well while the price and effectiveness of generations tend to scale very much in your favour. For reference, my current build:

Hitachi 1TB HD31000
Non-stock cooler (don't remember which)
DVD burner (don't remember which, but they're dirt cheap)
Silverstone 750w PSU (usually doesn't hurt to spring for more if you can since they're so reusable, modular cabling is handy too)
UD3R motherboard (really, really nice, like others have said)
i7 930 (cheapest in the line)
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 470 (planning to SLI once it becomes too slow and the cards are cheaper)
6 gb ddr3
I don't remember the case model. It's gigantic and fairly expensive, but I got it from a friend who no longer needed it for free.


The last build, I actually did end up with the lowest range in the (then) most current generation of i7s and nvidia cards. I got a great deal and the computer is a beast. 6 gigs of DDR3 has also made a SUBSTANTIAL difference, though that would seriously depend on what you plan to use the computer for. Ram is also the easiest thing to add to later, so if you're going to hold back on anything, that'd be the thing.

Don't forget the cost of Windows, assuming you plan to install it.

And if you don't know whether a sound card is necessary, 99% chance it is not. If you needed one, you'd probably know.

You might also consider a non-stock heatsink. They're not too terribly expensive and the stock sinks tend to be pretty awful. Depending on your case and the room in there, things can get awfully hot.

 

[Stoogie]

64 bit(x64) allows up to 128GB? of Readable RAM

Depends on the OS. Win 7 64bit Enterprise or Ultimate versions can handle up to 192Gb.

lol well i have windows 7 64 bit home premium wateva the max ram for that is

 

[Stoogie]

SSD's provide no performance gains for gaming. So that is a big nono

Oh really? [http://chris.pirillo.com/are-ssds-good-for-gaming/] I guess load times don't affect gaming experience?

Instead of spending $550-800 on a 240gb SSD, $269-340 on a 120gb SSD or $149-169 on a 60gb SSD, it will be alot more beneficial to use that money for other hardware. And Pretty Pointless to buy a 60gb SSD cause all that will do is help load windows faster when u turn it on(meaning if u have the game files NOT ON that SSD). which is pointless for most gamers since they never turn off their computers.

And i wouldn't trust a self biased opinion about SSD's from an unknown website from an anonymous person.

 

[SpAc3man]

Looks good to me. Only things I would change would be a modular psu (the Corsair HX650 for example) but thats just my opinion after having my Corsair TX750 for a while. Corsair make amazing power supplies so stick with that brand.

The second thing would be a Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB HDD instead of the Seagate. Again from personal experience. I find the Samsung drives to be quieter while still having slightly better performance all round.

A sound card isn't really something you will need unless you have speakers that are of such a quality that it would be worth it. If you will just be using a headset then a fancy one will come with a usb soundcard for virtual surround which will be enough for a headset. If you plan on watching movies and listening to music over some nice quality speakers then I would say go for it. If its just gaming then "I would say on board audio is good enough.

Also in my extensive research on the current hardware (I have built several computers for different "customers" recently) I can confidently tell you an Intel i5 760 overclocked to around 3.8GHz has similar performance to a stock clocked i7 870 (2.83GHz). Just a bit of interesting info for you

 

[Beat14]

Regarding Operating Systems;
32 bit(x86) allows up to 3gb of Readable RAM(Not GPU Memory), 64 bit(x64) allows up to 128GB? of Readable RAM

"On 32 bit your VRAM eats at the amount of TOTAL RAM you can actually use and the OS can't balance the amounts and can crash or you increase load times in games etc. "

I used google to get that so it may not be the best source.

http://www.trubritarforums.com/forum/index.php?/topic/4127-windows-7-32-bit-or-64-bit/page__st__20

The quote about the RAM I used is post number 21, the first when you click the link.

I am curious about this too, and I can see the logic with the VRAM effecting how well the rest of the RAM is used when on 32 bit.

 

[MercurySteam]

You might also consider a non-stock heatsink. They're not too terribly expensive and the stock sinks tend to be pretty awful. Depending on your case and the room in there, things can get awfully hot.

Maybe if he considers OCing. If not then stock will do him fine until he plans to mess with his FSB. Intel tends to run hotter than AMD so he may want to by an after market cooler right before he overclocks. If not then stock cooling will be fine in the meantime.

 

[Stoogie]

Looks good to me. Only things I would change would be a modular psu (the Corsair HX650 for example) but thats just my opinion after having my Corsair TX750 for a while. Corsair make amazing power supplies so stick with that brand.

The second thing would be a Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB HDD instead of the Seagate. Again from personal experience. I find the Samsung drives to be quieter while still having slightly better performance all round.

A sound card isn't really something you will need unless you have speakers that are of such a quality that it would be worth it. If you will just be using a headset then a fancy one will come with a usb soundcard for virtual surround which will be enough for a headset. If you plan on watching movies and listening to music over some nice quality speakers then I would say go for it. If its just gaming then "I would say on board audio is good enough.

Also in my extensive research on the current hardware (I have built several computers for different "customers" recently) I can confidently tell you an Intel i5 760 overclocked to around 3.8GHz has similar performance to a stock clocked i7 870 (2.83GHz). Just a bit of interesting info for you

Corsair is the best PSU brand ATM, however i didn't pick that for his build due to costs, the Odin GT series are quite excellent aswell just read the amp ratings.

Hard drive is personal preference, i've only used seagate and western digital, and none have failed yet since year 2000. However ive read on the internet that from RMA's/warrenty's on harddrives Hitachi has the lowest failure rate.

Good explanation of sound there, no point having a awesome soundcard if ur speakers/headphones suck bawls , i Myself have a Auzentech X-Fi Forte with Logitech Z-5500 speakers and Audio-technica ATH-M50 headphones.

Note about the overclocking there. on air it is quite hard to get past 3.6ghz without heat problems, unless im unlucky with my batchs, though i've only had a i7 860 which was 79c prime 3.6ghz 1.18v(Volts is quite low but it was fully stable, if i raised volts past 1.22 for example heat would be in the 92-95's) before that i had a q6600 which i couldnt get past 3.26ghz due to heat aswell which i note was at 84c.

 

[Stoogie]

Regarding Operating Systems;
32 bit(x86) allows up to 3gb of Readable RAM(Not GPU Memory), 64 bit(x64) allows up to 128GB? of Readable RAM

"On 32 bit your VRAM eats at the amount of TOTAL RAM you can actually use and the OS can't balance the amounts and can crash or you increase load times in games etc. "

I used google to get that so it may not be the best source.

http://www.trubritarforums.com/forum/index.php?/topic/4127-windows-7-32-bit-or-64-bit/page__st__20

The quote about the RAM I used is post number 21, the first when you click the link.

I am curious about this too, and I can see the logic with the VRAM effecting how well the rest of the RAM is used when on 32 bit.

that i wouldnt know as ive never researched it, and last time i used 32bit was when i had Windows XP,

You might also consider a non-stock heatsink. They're not too terribly expensive and the stock sinks tend to be pretty awful. Depending on your case and the room in there, things can get awfully hot.

Maybe if he considers OCing. If not then stock will do him fine until he plans to mess with his FSB. Intel tends to run hotter than AMD so he may want to by an after market cooler right before he overclocks. If not then stock cooling will be fine in the meantime.

if he's not overclocking thats fine, but remember to air out your case once a month or two, otherwise dust will stop the airflow and increase your temperatures.

 

[Tsun Tzu]

Personally, I'm waiting for Sandy Bridge to upgrade.

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

You might also consider a non-stock heatsink. They're not too terribly expensive and the stock sinks tend to be pretty awful. Depending on your case and the room in there, things can get awfully hot.

Maybe if he considers OCing. If not then stock will do him fine until he plans to mess with his FSB. Intel tends to run hotter than AMD so he may want to by an after market cooler right before he overclocks. If not then stock cooling will be fine in the meantime.

if he's not overclocking thats fine, but remember to air out your case once a month or two, otherwise dust will stop the airflow and increase your temperatures.[/quote]Probably true enough (mine is slightly overclocked and tends to get run in an already hot environment a lot of the time). The air is a really good suggestion too.

 

[Hader]

For your budget, if that's what you are settled at, it isn't a bad setup. Though I must say I am not a fan of Seagate, that shouldn't be too consequential to you.

I would definitely go for i7 if possible though, definitely worth the upgrade from i5.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Personally, I'm waiting for Sandy Bridge to upgrade.

I wouldn't bother if it's the whole integrated unit that interests you. Intel are still stuck with their own shitty GPU tech at the moment which is a huge minus no matter how good the CPU side of the unit is (and reportedly it's supposed to be VERY fucking good).

 

[x0ny]

Ooo you have the same motherboard as me, just beware that the case you're getting, holy shit that's the same case as me too, yeah, that case does not have a speaker wire, so you will not hear error beeps from your motherboard, which can be a problem. Don't bother with a soundcard, you'll find on-board sound is just fine.

Personally I'd go for a bigger PSU, allow more headroom, and when it comes to upgrade a graphics card, your PSU can take it.

If you want to overclock your CPU, you'll need decent cooling and a strong enough PSU.

 

[Kabutos]

I would really wait until Sandy Bridge comes out before building; they're right around the corner.

However, I've seen some people in here recommending i7's and such. At the moment, you're not going to need more than an i5; if you have the money for it then go ahead, but in the interest of saving money I would stick to the i5 760 (and by extension, 4GB of RAM in dual channel).

EDIT: I should clarify: For gaming. an i5 and 4GB of RAM is all you'll need if you're only gaming. If you're doing something like heavy movie editing and 3D rendering and such, then you'd want the extra power.

With the saved money, I'd recommend getting a 6950 and then unlocking it into a 6970.