I'm in the process of putting together parts and before I spend a large amount of money I'd like to make sure that they are all compatible and will play nicely with one another. If you guys could look this list over and let me know if anything looks iffy that would be awesome.
The first thing to note is that I've been saving for some time now and I have ~$3,000 to spend if I want to. I'm not necessarily attempting to spend it all but I wouldn't be overly upset if I did =). With all that I do on my computer it would be money well spent regardless.
These are the components I'm currently looking at:
Motherboard:
ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
No real concerns here.
GPU:
Deciding between Geforce GTX 480 and Radeon 5970.
It seems impossible to get any clear information as to which of these would be better as nobody ever agrees on anything when it comes to nVidia vs. ATI. My primitive understanding leads me to believe that the ATI card performs better but that nVidia may be better in terms of stability, drivers, support etc. Any suggestions here?
SSD Boot Drive:
Transcend TS32GSSD25-M 2.5" 32GB PATA MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Newegg.com - Transcend TS32GSSD25-M 2.5" 32GB PATA MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
I considered a significantly larger SSD (100 gig) but I don't know what would be the point of that. I don't see a need for putting much on it other than the OS.
HDD:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
CPU:
Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
It is my understanding that the 930 is a bit of an upgrade of the 920, which was my previous choice.
RAM:
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMP4GX3M2A1600C8
Newegg.com - CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMP4GX3M2A1600C8
I'm planning on getting at least this x 2 (8 gigs), maybe 12.
Case:
This is where I have some questions, mostly because I really have no idea what to look for in a case. Cooling and whether or not I'll have room to fit anything seem paramount and I really have no idea how to judge whether those two things will work out for any given case.
As of now I'm looking at the Antec 1200, basically because it's what has popped up the most in my research, but I don't necessarily know why. Will it work for the other parts I'm getting? Any alternative suggestions?
CPU Cooler:
COOLER MASTER Intel Core i7 compatible Hyper N 520 RR-920-N520-GP 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Intel Core i7 compatible Hyper N 520 RR-920-N520-GP 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
PSU:
This is another place I'm just not sure. As I understand it it is important to be efficient with your PSU, which means *not* leaving room for expansion. I'm planning now to go with a single video card but certainly am not throwing out the idea of SLI or Crossfire in the future. So, should I buy a PSU that could accommodate for that expansion or not? Any suggestions on PSU?
Monitor:
LG W2453V-PF Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Full HD 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000:1
Newegg.com - LG W2453V-PF Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Full HD 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000:1 w/ Smart Package
CD/DVD Drive:
ASUS DVD-E818A6T/BLK/B/G Black 18X SATA DVD-ROM Drive
I figure it would be hard these days to buy a bad DVD drive. I have considered a blue ray drive but its the one thing I can't really see myself using a lot for the extra money it would cost.
Thanks a lot for advice/suggestions/criticism or anything. It is very appreciated that you guys are so willing to help out.
The first thing to note is that I've been saving for some time now and I have ~$3,000 to spend if I want to. I'm not necessarily attempting to spend it all but I wouldn't be overly upset if I did =). With all that I do on my computer it would be money well spent regardless.
These are the components I'm currently looking at:
Motherboard:
ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
No real concerns here.
GPU:
Deciding between Geforce GTX 480 and Radeon 5970.
It seems impossible to get any clear information as to which of these would be better as nobody ever agrees on anything when it comes to nVidia vs. ATI. My primitive understanding leads me to believe that the ATI card performs better but that nVidia may be better in terms of stability, drivers, support etc. Any suggestions here?
SSD Boot Drive:
Transcend TS32GSSD25-M 2.5" 32GB PATA MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Newegg.com - Transcend TS32GSSD25-M 2.5" 32GB PATA MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
I considered a significantly larger SSD (100 gig) but I don't know what would be the point of that. I don't see a need for putting much on it other than the OS.
HDD:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
CPU:
Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
It is my understanding that the 930 is a bit of an upgrade of the 920, which was my previous choice.
RAM:
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMP4GX3M2A1600C8
Newegg.com - CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMP4GX3M2A1600C8
I'm planning on getting at least this x 2 (8 gigs), maybe 12.
Case:
This is where I have some questions, mostly because I really have no idea what to look for in a case. Cooling and whether or not I'll have room to fit anything seem paramount and I really have no idea how to judge whether those two things will work out for any given case.
As of now I'm looking at the Antec 1200, basically because it's what has popped up the most in my research, but I don't necessarily know why. Will it work for the other parts I'm getting? Any alternative suggestions?
CPU Cooler:
COOLER MASTER Intel Core i7 compatible Hyper N 520 RR-920-N520-GP 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Intel Core i7 compatible Hyper N 520 RR-920-N520-GP 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
PSU:
This is another place I'm just not sure. As I understand it it is important to be efficient with your PSU, which means *not* leaving room for expansion. I'm planning now to go with a single video card but certainly am not throwing out the idea of SLI or Crossfire in the future. So, should I buy a PSU that could accommodate for that expansion or not? Any suggestions on PSU?
Monitor:
LG W2453V-PF Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Full HD 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000:1
Newegg.com - LG W2453V-PF Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Full HD 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000:1 w/ Smart Package
CD/DVD Drive:
ASUS DVD-E818A6T/BLK/B/G Black 18X SATA DVD-ROM Drive
I figure it would be hard these days to buy a bad DVD drive. I have considered a blue ray drive but its the one thing I can't really see myself using a lot for the extra money it would cost.
Thanks a lot for advice/suggestions/criticism or anything. It is very appreciated that you guys are so willing to help out.