[HELP] Components for building my new comp.

[syrianrue]

My last computer had really bad ventilation, and subsequently cost me many hard drives and graphic cards. So, this time around, i really want to do this right.. but was wondering if anyone could take a look at some of the components a friend of mine suggested. budget is around 900-1100 (it will be a machine for everyday usage, as well as gaming)

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail 199.99

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail 159.99

MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail 174.99

Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler - Retail 89.99
*he suggested this cpu cooler 'cuz he says usually the stock cpu cooler is pretty crappy. is this true?

BIOSTAR TPOWER i55 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail 174.99
*he recommended this one because this one has very low ambient temperature. but i'm not sure if i should go for an asus or asrock motherboard or the biostar? what do you guys think of this one? or could anyone recommend a superior motherboard? but around the same price.
some motherboard comparisons:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/lga-11...rd,2463-18.html

since i will be buying a relatively new motherboard, my old ddr2 memory wont be supported, so he recommended me these ddr3:
Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT12864BA1339 - Retail - 54.99
are 2 gigs enough? also it seems kind of a waste to have 1 gig of ram taking up one memory slot on the motherboard. seems wasteful if i do decide to upgrade to more ram

as for the hard drive, he actually recommended me this solid state drive:
Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2R5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Retail - 214.99
*but the price for ssd are still pretty high, so i'm not too sure about this. However, i do want a smaller storage space but FAST hard drive so that i can use it for my main drive where my OS will be located. do i just go for a regular HDD (platters) with high rpm? is rpm the only thing to look for when looking for a fast drive? if so, could someone recommend a smaller, but extremely fast hd? one that is very reliable as well.

and maybe a good deal on some good BIG hard drivs (doesnt have to be fast) for storage? (internal)

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM 9.99

as for the power supply, i have the Enermax Liberty 500w from my old system:
http://www.tomshw.it/guides/hardware/howto.../liberty-01.jpg
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx...n82e16817194003

is 500w enough for this better system i'm trying to build? i will also be having many hard drives in the system, as well as 2 external hard drives as well.
----------------------

let me know what you guys think! your comments/recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

sincerly,
rue

 

[Muffin Man]

the 1200 is a nice case but it's going to take a chunk out of your budget. maybe you'd like one of these less expensive cases instead which also offer good cooling:
Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - LIAN LI Lancool PC-K58 Black CECC Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
same as that ^ but w/ window Newegg.com - LIAN LI Lancool PC-K58W Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic + Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER CM690 II Black Steel body / Plastic + Mesh bezel Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER CM690 II Advanced Black Steel body / Plastic + Mesh bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - NZXT TEMPEST EVO Crafted Series TEVO-001BK Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - AZZA Solano 1000 Black/Black Japanese SECC Steel/Metal mesh in front ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - NZXT Hades Crafted Series HADE-001BK Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - XCLIO Blackhawk Black Finish 0.8 mm SECC / ABS Plastic ATX Full Tower Extreme Cooling Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - XCLIO Windtunnel Fully Black Finish 1.0 mm SECC Chassis ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

if you don't plan on OCing, then you can use the stock cpu cooler. an aftermarket heatsink is recommended if you're going to be OCing though.

also, that noctua is a monster heatsink for some higher end OCing on air, so if you're not going to OC at all, or just moderate OCing, you don't need something that high end.

you could save some money and get this cooler
Newegg.com - Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - CPU Fans & Heatsinks
and you'll need this bracket for the 1156 socket
Newegg.com - Sunbeam CR-LGA1156 LGA 1156 Core i5 Socket Retention Bracket Set - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

if you're getting 2gigs
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-2GBNQ - Desktop Memory

if you're getting 4gigs
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Desktop Memory

can't address the rest of your post right now, have something that needs my attention, sry.
edit: ok, nvm about this.

anyway, yes, if you can afford an ssd then you should definitely get one, although the price is still a bit high.

this is a different one you could get, which is cheaper but also has a little less space, but it would still be enough room for your OS though.
OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Retail

or if you don't want to spend that much on an ssd, you could still get a fast hdd like western digital's caviar black drives.

this thermal paste instead; better and cheaper.
Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound - Retail
although, if you do get that cpu cooler i suggested above, it will come with a tube of this thermal paste in the box, so you won't need to buy this separately.

and yes, you shouldn't have a problem powering a rig like that with your enermax psu.

 

[baih777]

dont forget to check prices at microcenter also.
if there is a store new you it might be worth a drive .
Micro Center - Antec Twelve Hundred ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case
Micro Center - Intel Core i5 750 Processor Boxed

 

[syrianrue]

@baih777 nice find! it is indeed cheaper than the one on newegg by 9 dollars or so. thanks!

I think i have also decided to get the cooler master haf 930 full tower. which saves me some money.. especially after rebate. after doing some research, this case seems to be better than the antec 1200, minus the aesthetic part. i was afraid the big fans would be noisier, but in fact people says this case is quieter than the antec 1200. also, at first i was afraid the side fan would screw up the ventilating airflow ('cuz initially i thought it would be better to have only the front bottom intake fan to suck cool air in, have it push the hot air up and have the upper back fan blow it out... so initially i was afraid the side fan would screw up the route of airflow.. but apparently not. 'cuz the big side fan is an intake as well and not an exhuast)

@how do i tell which ddr3 ram is better? i wanna get 4gigs of ram total.. either one 4gig ram chip or 2x2gigs ram chips... but different brands seem to have a big price discrepancy.

@should i buy a cpu fan or just use the stock cpu fan? i've heard mixed things. some say the stock cpu are really crappy, while others say that unless i'm going to overclock my system, then the stock cpu is fine. what do you guys think?

@still undecided about the motherboard though. a friend of mine say to stay away from biostar, and maybe look into asus... what are your takes on this?
if anyone could recommend a good motherboard in the same range as this biostar motherboard, plesae let me know:
BIOSTAR TPOWER i55 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - BIOSTAR TPOWER i55 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

@regarding Hard drive: my main goal is to just have a fast speed hd for my main drive where the operating system will be installed on... and i would just buy the slower but larger hdd for storage (things like movies, mp3s) still debating on whether to get a really low gig ssd say a 30gig or 60gig for 100-150 dollars or so, or just buy two 500gig hdd for like 150 or something.

which brings me to another question... if i have a large hdd as my main drive... and i have a lot of things stored on it..... will it slow it down? or be more prone to having bad sectors? 'cuz otherwise, it would make more sense for me to just get a really small but fast hd as the main hd for the os, keep it clean, and just store everyting else on my slower, bigger storage drive. but if this doesn't matter, then i guess i should just get a bigger drive and disregard the ssd. and if i dont get the ssd, should i just get one LARGE raid disc? since they tend to write faster?

also could someone explain what other things to look at other than the higher rpm when looking for a faster hard drive?

 

[BWLAF]

Generally the higher RPM drives aren't worth the price... from what I have heard, they break a lot and are generally crappy... just stick with the 7.2k or get an SSD

Also, I am currently looking at building a gaming rig, and I am going to be getting a 500GB main and a 1TB secondary... Get a 250GB minimum for your OS and games, because games are getting pretty big. I have three or four recent games installed on my current computer (which sucks) and that is about 45 GB all up (MW2, Sims 3, Anno 1404, plus a few others)

 

[syrianrue]

ok a new update on the selection progress:

Cooler Master HAF932 High Air Flow Full Tower -139.99 at microcenter
Micro Center - Cooler Master HAF932 High Air Flow Full Tower

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply -89.99
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

these 2 i'm pretty sure on

now for graphic card:
XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity -300 at newegg
Newegg.com - XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity

or this one:
MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card -159.99
Newegg.com - MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

regarding the graphic card... at the moment i have a 22inch monitor but eventually might upgrade to a 28 inch or above.. i do want to play games like modern warfare2 with good fps (100) but my question about graphic card is... if i can play modern warfare2 with very good frame rate... and both of these provide good picture quality.... then what is the benefit of buying the 300 dollar gpu vs the 170 dollar gpu? only thing is one allows higher resolutions? (but higher resolution doesn't = better image quality right?)
i do want to use the machine to do some 3d character design and animation.. but for these things, it's mostly about the cpu and ram. which is why i'm debating whether to go for the more expensive gpu or the less expensive one. if i can play a high quality game and have very good image result for gaming and 3d work, then i might as well save the money and get the less expensive gpu and spend more money on the cpu and ram? anyway, i still dont quite understand the pros of having a really good gpu vs a decent one. hopefully someone will explain that to me

now, i was thinking of getting this processor:

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core -179.99 at microcenter
Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor

but then i see these, and they are i7. first of all why is this i7 only 20 bucks more than the i5? and what about this other i7. it's not really THAT much more either. which of these 3 should i go for?

Intel Core i7 860 Processor Boxed -229.99 at microcenter
Micro Center - Intel Core i7 860 Processor Boxed

Core i7-930 Processor Boxed -199.99 at microcenter
Micro Center - Intel Core i7-930 Processor Boxed

motherboard:
still open to suggestions... but one that has crossfirex or both crossfirex/sli support, sata3, maybe even usb3... low temp... many slots for memory... looking for one around 180-190 or 200 the highest.

 

[Muffin Man]

now, i was thinking of getting this processor:

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core -179.99 at microcenter
Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor

but then i see these, and they are i7. first of all why is this i7 only 20 bucks more than the i5? and what about this other i7. it's not really THAT much more either. which of these 3 should i go for?

Intel Core i7 860 Processor Boxed -229.99 at microcenter
Micro Center - Intel Core i7 860 Processor Boxed

Core i7-930 Processor Boxed -199.99 at microcenter
Micro Center - Intel Core i7-930 Processor Boxed

motherboard:
still open to suggestions... but one that has crossfirex or both crossfirex/sli support, sata3, maybe even usb3... low temp... many slots for memory... looking for one around 180-190 or 200 the highest.

those i7's are for in-store pickup only. also, the i7 930 would require a socket 1366 mobo, while the i5 750 and i7 860 would require a socket 1156 mobo.

but if you get an i7 9xx series cpu, the mobo will cost more and preferably you'd want to run a tri-channel kit of ram which would also cost a bit more.

 

[syrianrue]

after thinking about this for a bit, i'm going to get the 1366 motherboard
here is a bit of confusion i'm having:

here are one i am looking at:

Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz 4 x 256KB L2 [color=blue ! important][color=blue ! important]Cache[/color][/color] 8MB L3 Cache LGA
1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop [color=blue ! important][color=blue ! important]Processor[/color][/color] - $289.99

Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

now. i found an Intel core i7 930 at microcenter, however the price is dramatically different.

Core i7-930 Processor Boxed - $199.99
Micro Center - Intel Core i7-930 Processor Boxed

i checked the specs. and they both seem the same. except at newegg it specifies that it's a bloomfield... however, it does not say what the core is at microcenter.. now i know for the i5 processor, there's different names such as lynnfield, clarkfield... and these prices differ... so i'm just wondering if these two listed products are really one and the same.... what are these different names? do they mean anything?

'cuz if they're the same, the i7 i found at microcenter is a really really good deal.

 

[Hefemeister]

They are the same. If you have access to a microcenter by all means save the cash and pick up the 930 there.

 

[syrianrue]

need Motherboard / Memory Recommendations

Hi guys,

Need a motherboard and memory recommendation.

Let me begin by telling you what other hardware i have, so you'll know what type of motherboard/memory to suggest.

Currently, I have the following:

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Intel Quad Core i7 930 (note: i7 runs on 1366 socket. so motherboard will have to match this)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product
* i got this for 199.99 only at microcenter's store pick up

MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127490
---------------------------------------------------------------------

the motherboard i'm looking for is around 170-230 dollars range. must be 1366 socket of course to run the i7. have 6 memory slots. sata/usb of course. crossfirex or crossfirex/sli... and of course, as many other features as possible. but with good reputation, customer review... and low temp.

now i know some motherboards support 800/1066/1333 ddr3ram standards... while some support 1066/1333/1600.... while others have 1600(oc) or even 2200 (oc)...

i do not want to Overclock anything in my system. and i would love to be able to run the best 3x(2gigs ram) = 6gigs of ram (to fully utilize the triple channels)

so i would love to have a motherboard that can do 1600 memory without overclocking, or is 1333 enough?

the reason why i put so much emphasis on memory is because i will be using the computer to do 3d renders... which mostly utilizes the system's cpu and memory. but i'm wondering whether to go for 1600 or 1333.

and since the motherboard and memory go hand in hand... i'm a bit puzzled as to what to get for the both of them. lol

in addition, simply looking at the ram being sold on newegg is enough to make me go dizzy... some 1333 costs more than 1666 (i guess because of its lower 'timing' such as 8-8-8-24.

anyway... if anyone could clarify whether i should go for the 1600 memory or the 1333.. and recommend a good motherboard and 3x(2gigs) memory set that would go perfectly with my existing hardware, i would greatly appreciate it !!