Core i7 build, need suggestions

[Sean W.]

Why dont you want to go with a water cooled system that is as easy to intall as a air cooled system?

 

[S0ULphIRE]

^tbh mate the H50 isn't worth getting. If you're gonna go for a WC loop you may as well get a good one.

Ram timings are better when they're lower, yes. And sorry, I made a mistake. I thought the ram you picked was 9-9-9-24. The one I linked you to is the same timings, but it's cheaper.

 

[memory]

Well I just ordered the parts for my new build yesterday, should be here Friday morning.

Here is what I went with:

CASE: Newegg.com - Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

MOBO: Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
Anybody need a stock Intel heatsink?

CPU Cooler: Newegg.com - Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler
I am anxious to see how big this thing really is. Hope it fits in my case fine.

RAM: Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8 G

GPU: Newegg.com - XFX HD-587X-ZNDC Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) XXX Edition 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
Maybe I should have went with the GTX480, I don't know, I second guess myself to much.

HDD: Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Anybody foresee any problems that might arise?

 

[S0ULphIRE]

Nope, looks good to me

 

[memory]

All my part came in this morning. I am really starting to get fed up with UPS. The box that had all my parts in it was damaged pretty good on one of the corners. Just by looking at the stuff, everything looks fine but will not know for sure if anything is damaged until I start it up. At least the box wasn't packed real tight. If I would have noticed that when UPS dropped it off, I would have said something to him. I know it may not have been him but still.

I made a mistake on the motherboard which was my fault. It only has 1 PCI slot and I have 3 pci cards that I want to install, network card, sound card and tv tuner. The sound card and tv tuner I do not have to have. I can just use the onboard sound. I could use a USB network card but I don't know. For some reason I was thinking it had 2 slots. I read the specs wrong. I was thinking PCI-e x1 slots was what I needed.

I will post pics later. The build is on hold for right now. I was trying to get all my files off my old hard drives and onto one of the new ones but the transfer speed is to slow. It takes an hour just to do a few megabytes, it copies it at 2 bytes a second I took it to a computer guy I know and probably will not get it back till tomorrow.

 

[Sean W.]

nice dude everything looks great! good luck! post lots of pics, and since you have the antec 1200 you shouldnt have any problem getting the Nactua D14 to fit.

Also, i would buy Radeon before i let someone give me Nivida for free... i have the 5870 and it smokes anything out there. you wont be dissapointed

 

[memory]

This might be a stupid question but can you add multiple fan connectors to the same power connector coming from the PSU? If so, how many can you add to one power connector?

So far I do not like the Antec 1200 that much. One reason is the PSU being mounted at the bottom. I have to turn the hard drive cages upside down so I can hook the sata power cable up to it. If you just flip the hard drive and leave the cage the way it should be, the hard drive does not rest on anything, just the screws holding it in. And it seems that I am having a hard time getting the cables to reach. I have 3 drives that will be hooked up, I have to put 1 drive in each cage or the cable will not reach all 3 of them. I hate to have to hook up another power cable just for one connection.

 

[S0ULphIRE]

Yes you can connect multiple fan connectors to the same power cable. How many? Depends on how big the fans are. Read their total power draw specs from the sticker in the middle of each fan, add them up, then read the specs on the power supply.

I don't think you're doing the hard drives right...
The PSU on the bottom is how a lot of high-end cases are designed today. As well as keeping the weight on the bottom, IMO cable managment is easier.
That being said the stock holes for cable management in the 1200 are a bit lacking, so yes you can expect a little more work there.

Question: Why don't you use the onboard network and sound, and use the PCI slot for your tv tuner?

 

[memory]

Yes you can connect multiple fan connectors to the same power cable. How many? Depends on how big the fans are. Read their total power draw specs from the sticker in the middle of each fan, add them up, then read the specs on the power supply.

I don't think you're doing the hard drives right...
The PSU on the bottom is how a lot of high-end cases are designed today. As well as keeping the weight on the bottom, IMO cable managment is easier.
That being said the stock holes for cable management in the 1200 are a bit lacking, so yes you can expect a little more work there.

Question: Why don't you use the onboard network and sound, and use the PCI slot for your tv tuner?

I will have to post a pic. I was going to put the dvd drive in the very top bay but the power cable will not reach it. I don't have to mount the hdd cages upside down, I just have to flip the sata power cable in order to hook it up to the hdd.

Another reason I don't like the PSU being on the bottom is the PSU fan is pointing up and can catch dust really easy and you could drop something in there like a screw if you are not careful.

It is a tight fight with the 5870. It is about 1 inch from the hard drive. Of course I could move the hard drive down to a different cage.

I figured on using onboard sound but I didn't know about onboard network. It has a onboard wireless network card?

 

[S0ULphIRE]

Doesn't the 1200 have an intake grill in the bottom for the PSU? e.g. so you can face the fan downwards? I can't remember atm...