My 1st ever build, please help

[cmtd1]

Ok so I think I will move to the Gigabyte X58A-UD3R MoBo. That will save me about $90. As far as the power supply goes with going to 450 watts, would that limit me at all in the future? What Power supply would you recommend?

I do not do 3d rendering. I tinker with after effects for some 3d title screens for videos, but that's about it. Do you guys think my Video card is on par for what I am looking at? I plan to run dual 23" full HD monitors.

As far as a case goes. I am simply looking at their visual appeal, they have adequate cooling, and the price isnt outrageous. Im not much for a overly flashy case, but some subtle lighting is nice.

I assume this rig would out do the alienware I mentioned.

what would switching to the Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor do for my system?

I have never overclocked a system before, but I plan to give it a go this time around. Liquid cooling interests me, however that will probably be an upgrade I do in the future. The liquid cooler CalcProgrammer1 recommended looks nice. Thanks!

Sorry for all the questions, but this advice from you guys is excellent. Many thanks.

 

[kmote]

You would have to change your mobo again because of the different socket. Also I don't think it supports triple channel RAM so you ought to change that as well.

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

I'd go with the i7 920 or 930, the LGA1366 platform is better and supports triple channel RAM. The 860 uses a different socket which means you'd need a different motherboard and RAM and you would lose performance on it.

For 3D gaming your graphics card is important. If you're not gaming there are still other factors to look at in a graphics card. You mentioned you wanted two monitors. I would recommend an ATi 57xx or 58xx series card if you want to run multiple monitors. While the nVidia cards will do 2 monitors, ATi's newest cards can run 3 and they also support spanning modes that stretch one screen across multiple monitors (where on nVidia you just have two individual monitors, you can't run everything across them). ATi lets you choose between individual configurations or spanning modes (known as Eyefinity). I'm using 3 1920x1080 21.5" monitors on my Radeon HD 5870 and it works great for expanding working area in apps as well as large panoramic gaming. A cheaper Radeon would work for you (5770 would be plenty, maybe even less, as long as it supports Eyefinity with 3 monitors).

You may also look at the 5750 for a lower priced HD5000 series graphics card. Apparently it is about the same as the GTS250 but supports new technologies like DirectX 11. It also supports 3 monitors and Eyefinity multi-monitor spanning. Here's a nicer looking one but there are cheaper ones if you don't mind a smaller heatsink.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161316&cm_re=5750-_-14-161-316-_-Product

 

[cmtd1]

Ok fellas, after reading your comments. I think I have reworked a few things and this is where I stand now:


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

Processor: Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601920


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


Power Supply: ????? Not sure what to go with here? Go down to 450 watts? or 600-650? I will upgrade in the future?

Video Card: HIS IceQ 5 H577QT1GD Radeon HD 5770 Turbo 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity

Hard Drives: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Drives: LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support

Case: Some Mid ATX case, not really seeing anything eye catching yet. Don't really know the pros and cons of different case manufacturers.

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

Looks like a good build. For upgrading later I'd recommend a 600W or higher PSU, my 650W is more than enough for my build and could probably take another HD5870 if I ever get one. Get a quality PSU (Antec, Corsair, Rosewill, etc...if it's cheap and seems too good, it probably is, cheap PSU's are known for sometimes violent and destructive failure if pushed too hard).

Also a CPU cooler of some sort if you plan to overclock, you could start out on the stock cooler and add it later though, I was able to get 3.1-3.2GHz on the stock cooler while keeping a constant 70C load 24/7 but my H50 keeps it around 60C 24/7 load at 4.08GHz.

 

[cmtd1]

I placed My order! My system will contain the following components:

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R

Processor: Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor

Memory: CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V

Video Card: HIS IceQ 5 H577QT1GD Radeon HD 5770 Turbo 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity

Hard Drives: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Drives: LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

Monitors: 2x ASUS VW246H 24" 2ms HDMI Widescreen LCD


I decided to go with the 650 watt PSU for future upgradibility. It may be more than I need, but I'd rather have and not need. Plus having 8 SATA connectors seemed nice.

My next task of course will be assembly of the components, and I am a 1st timer, so it my be a bit challenging, but I beleive I can do it. The hard part will be the first boot up I believe. From what I have read the MoBo I have selected is not necessarily "beginner friendly". Getting the first boot is the very intimidating part for me.

I hope to be up and running in the near future. And I will update along the way, hopefully with pics.

I posted this same thread on other forums and didn't get near the response I got from here, and I thank you for being a helpful community. The assistance has been so valuable. Im sure I will need more when I start the build!

Thanks again.

 

[Muffin Man]

this might help you out a bit.
Build a PC - Introduction to Building your PC - PCitYourself.com

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

The X58A-UD3R motherboard is pretty easy to use, it should fire right up at stock settings after you put it together. The board is easy enough to use but some of the extra configurations for overclocking and such require some more work. Just make sure you put your RAM in the white slots (I think it's the white slots, someone on Newegg said the RAM only works in one of the slots, look there to be sure, if it doesn't work try switching the RAM slots). The other thing is the X58A-UD3R takes a while to get to the BIOS screen, so if it seems to not be doing anything, keep waiting. The LED's on the board should light up.

 

[LetJimiTakeOver]

Solid build right there. On my first build which I finished about a week ago I too was predicting some trouble getting the first boot to go smoothly. I have a Rampage mobo which is even more of an extreme mobo than yours, but it went easy as pie. Booted 1st time, installed the OS and haven't had any problems since.

Everything's gone a lot smoother than expected thank God. You shouldn't have any trouble either.

 

[syn_sic]

Hi all,

I am glad to join your forum, and start reading through everything to learn.

I am looking at possibly building my 1st computer and really would love some advice. I was recommended some parts by a friend, but would like to get more expert opinions.

I really don't play PC games, but rather use my PC for video/photo editing and I am somewhat heavy on multitasking. I was looking at buying either a Gateway FX6840-03e, or an Alienware Aurora. But thought I may get more bang for my buck and better quality components by going the self build route. I do want to run dual ~32" monitors with this setup.

So, I have assembled the following components for my first build. any comments or suggestions are dearly appreciated as this is my first go.

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Processor: Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601920

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

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

Video Card: Palit NE3TS25EFHD02 GeForce GTS 250 E-Green 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

Hard Drives: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Drives: LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support

Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

Again, any input you could offer would be great. I don't know if I am way off track, or have the makings of a decent PC. I am looking at around $1370 for all this equipment.

Thanks in advance!

Get a SSD. You have a high performance build here, but harddrives are the biggest bottle necks in computers today. I just built a Phenom X6 build for a client, cost about $800 in parts, and I manged to fit in a 64 SSD by Western Digital. He creates comics, and he has a good 15 photo, video, drawing, etc. programs installed, and it's still very zippy. Editing programs are very large, and you'll see a huge difference in load times with a SSD. I promise you, you won't go back to using normal harddrives for boot drives. My dad has a core i7 extreme edition build that I built for him as a backup for his video editing/playback, and it's ridiculously bottlenecked by the harddrive. You would think it's an old piece of ****.