Is this a good setup?

[Potter20]

CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
CD2: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive [+24] (BLACK COLOR)
CAS: Coolermaster HAF-X Gaming Full Tower Case w/ 1x230mm Red LED Fan, 1x200mm Fans, 2xFront USB 3.0 Port [+134]
CASUPGRADE: 12in Cold Cathode Neon Light [+10] (Red Color)
CS_FAN: Maximum 120MM Color Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+15] (Red Color)
CPU: AMD Phenom™II X6 1090T Six-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology [+140]
FAN: CyberPower Xtreme Hydro Liquid Cooling Kit 240MM w/ Dual Fan(CPU & GPU Liquid Cool Capable, Extreme Overclcking Performance + Extreme Slient at 18dBA) [+63]
FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer [+10] (BLACK COLOR)
HDD: 1TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3/1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Dominator)
MOTHERBOARD: Asus M4N98TD EVO AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI Chipset DDR3 ATX w/ 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB2.0, IEEE1394, SATA-II, RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 2 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI [+62]
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
POWERSUPPLY: 750 Watts - Thermaltake W0308RU EVO_Blue Series w/ A-PFC [+98]
SOUND: Creative Labs SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio 24-BIT PCI Sound Card [+48]
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USBX: NZXT Internal USB 6-PORT Expansion Module [+19]
VC_PHYSX: None
VIDEO: ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card [+213] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
WNC: Zonet ZEW1642 IEEE 802.11b/g/n Draft 2.0 PCI Wireless Adapter Network Card [+29]


PRICE: (+1841)

[orbrit]

What's your location?

You can probably put together a similar system for a little less, but have control of the unbranded components (HDD, GPU, Optical drives).
HDD- choose WD Caviar Black (SATA 6 Gb/s if you get the board below)
Optical - ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS
GPU - HIS, Diamond, Sapphire

With the savings, I'd upgrade the motherboard to a ASUS M4A89TD PRO AM3.

I'd also get a Corsair 750TX PSU instead of the Thermaltake.

Do you need the dedicated sound card? The motherboards have built in 7 or 8 channel sound

[orbrit]

Another thing to consider.
If this is a gaming PC, you should probably consider an Intel build - Asus P7P55D-E variant of motherboard with an Intel i5-750 (or up to an i7-875k).
The i5-750 build would be a lot cheaper, and you probably won't suffer any performance in 1st person shooters (Especially DX9 and DX10). You'd notice a slight performance drop in DX11 games though.

[David M]

You picked a Radeon card and an AMD processor to go with an SLI chipset. Forget the SLI chipset. Go with a single graphics card. The single 5870 you chose is good enough for any single monitor. You won't need a second card.

[Potter20]

Originally Posted by orbrit What's your location? You can probably put together a similar system for a little less, but have control of the unbranded components (HDD, GPU, Optical drives). HDD- choose WD Caviar Black (SATA 6 Gb/s if you get the board below) Optical - ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS GPU - HIS, Diamond, Sapphire With the savings, I'd upgrade the motherboard to a ASUS M4A89TD PRO AM3. I'd also get a Corsair 750TX PSU instead of the Thermaltake. Do you need the dedicated sound card? The motherboards have built in 7 or 8 channel sound

I'm in the United States.

Yeah i'll upgrade the motherboard and PSU.

No I don't reallly need a sound card. I actually have the same sound card in my current pc so could i just install that to my new one?


Or i could get this set up for like 30 dollars more-

Case: Coolermaster HAF-X Gaming Full Tower Case w/ 1x230mm Red LED Fan, 1x200mm Fans, 2xFront USB 3.0 Port
Internal USB Extension Module: NZXT Internal USB 6-PORT Expansion Module [+19]
Neon Light Upgrade: 12in Cold Cathode Neon Light [+10] (Red Color)
Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Maximum 120MM Color Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+15] (Red Color)
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-930 2.80 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1366 [-304]
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: Extreme OC (Extreme Overclock 20% or more)
Cooling Fan: CyberPower Xtreme Hydro Liquid Cooling Kit 360MM w/ Triple Fan(CPU & GPU Liquid Cool Capable, Extreme Overclocking Performance + Extreme Silent at 18dBA) [+30]
Motherboard: (3-Way SLI Support) Asus P6X58D-E Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA-III RAID w/ 7.1Audio,GbLAN,IEEE1394a,USB3.0,SATA-III RAID,3 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI [+12]
Memory: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1333MHz Triple Channel Memory [-12] (Corsair Dominator)
Video Card: * NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1.2GB 16X PCIe Video Card (EVGA Superclocked [+14])
Multiple Video Card Settings: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
Power Supply Upgrade: * 950 Watts - Corsair CMPSU-950TX Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready [+78]
Hard Drive: 30 GB Kingston 2.5 inch SATA Gaming MLC Solid State Disk [-13] (Single Hard Drive)
Data Hard Drive: 1TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+77] (Single Hard Drive)
Hard Drive Cooling Fan: Vigor iSURF II Hard Disk Drive Cooling System [+21] (1 x System)
Optical Drive: Sony 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive [+3] (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: Sony 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive [+27] (BLACK COLOR)
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
Network: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: Zonet ZEW1642 IEEE 802.11b/g/n Draft 2.0 PCI Wireless Adapter Network Card [+29]
Flash Media Reader/Writer: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)

[David M]

Some of the ASUS boards come with a SupremeFX2 sound card. Its specs are pretty high end. See if the board you chose comes with one. If not, the onboard sound is good enough except for the audiophiles out there. There is also no harm in using your old sound card but I would be sure to use the most current drivers.

[Potter20]

Originally Posted by David M Some of the ASUS boards come with a SupremeFX2 sound card. Its specs are pretty high end. See if the board you chose comes with one. If not, the onboard sound is good enough except for the audiophiles out there. There is also no harm in using your old sound card but I would be sure to use the most current drivers.

Oh okay. Yeah sound isn't really that big of a deal to me.

But would you go with the intel build above instead?

[David M]

AMD or Intel is one of those things that is the source of endless debate. glc favors Intel because that is what he knows very well and prefers. Others in this forum prefer AMD, probably for many of the same reasons.

If you want glc's help with an Intel build then go Intel...that's what I would do since he is here all the time and very helpful. In fact, George probably lives in the etherworld here somewhere.

I don't favor either brand. I have built both, but overall right now I favor Intel somewhat. The bottom line is that both are good. AMD has the slightly better lower end CPU deals and Intel has the really nice socket 1156, i-3, 5 and 7 CPUs with the reliable P55 chipset.

Spend some time looking around the New Builds category of this forum for computers that interest you. There is no sense in re-inventing the wheel when there are some recent very good and well checked over builds in this forum.


One thing you have not told us is your budget and what is the purpose of your computer. Once you do that the members here will have a much better idea of what type of computer would work for you.

[Potter20]

Okay thanks. I have had two different AMD builds and i'm kind of wanting a intel build.

But i'll keep looking. Thanks!

[orbrit]

If you're going to go with Intel, then you should stick with the P55 chipset. The X58 can take quite a bit of tweaking and tuning for memory timings etc.

P55 will be the most reliable, and plenty of performance, gaming wise.

Look at:

Asus P7P55D-E LX Motherboard (or Pro if you plan to Crossfire)
Intel Core i7-875k CPU
Corsair 750TX PSU (950 is overkill - especially with a single GPU)

as a start point.

Why so much cooling? Are you planning on OC'ing?
If not, ditch all that and use the stock coolers.

That 30Gb SSD is not really enough to be useful. It'll barely be enough for the OS, so Windows will boot about 5 seconds faster, but your games won't load or play any faster.

Stick with WD Caviar Black SATA drives.

[orbrit]

Here's a P55 build for you.

Motherboard:
ASUS P7P55D-E LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55D-E LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU:
Intel Core i7-875K Lynnfield 2.93GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Unlocked Desktop Processor BX80605I7875K
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-875K Lynnfield 2.93GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Unlocked Desktop Processor BX80605I7875K

GPU:
HIS H587FN1GD Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Newegg.com - HIS H587FN1GD Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Memory:
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1333C9
Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1333C9

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

Case:
COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Lights:
LOGISYS Computer CLK12RD 12" Cold Cathode Kit Light
Newegg.com - LOGISYS Computer CLK12RD 12" Cold Cathode Kit Light

Fan:
Antec 761345-75026-4 120mm Red LED Case Fan
Newegg.com - Antec 761345-75026-4 120mm Red LED Case Fan

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD10000LSRTL 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD10000LSRTL 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive

Optical: x2
ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Newegg.com - ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

USB Expansion:
NZXT IU01 Case Accessory
Newegg.com - NZXT IU01 Case Accessory

Card Reader:
Koutech IO-RCM621 All-in-one USB 2.0 3.5" USB 2.0 Front Panel Multi-format Card Reader with USB 2.0 Port
Newegg.com - Koutech IO-RCM621 All-in-one USB 2.0 3.5" USB 2.0 Front Panel Multi-format Card Reader with USB 2.0 Port

OS:
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - Operating Systems

Wireless NIC:
Zonet ZEW1642 IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE 802.11n Draft 2.0 PCI Wireless Adapter WPA/ WPA2; 64/128-bit WEP; TKIP/AES
Newegg.com - Zonet ZEW1642 IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE 802.11n Draft 2.0 PCI Wireless Adapter WPA/ WPA2; 64/128-bit WEP; TKIP/AES

Total $1585.31 shipped.

[David M]

If you have the bucks then choose a Lian-Li case. Their aluminum cases are excellent.
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/contact_us/index1.php

Want something really different?
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/flashpage/t1/


Is the fan for cosmetic reasons? Otherwise you don't need it. Cases normally come with enough fans.

[Potter20]

Thanks for the build suggestion orbrit.

Oh and those cases are sweet. Yeah the fans were just to make it look more cool lol

[Potter20]

I think I am going to go with:

Motherboard: Asus P7P55D-E Deluxe Intel P55 Chipset DDR3 LGA1156 ATX Mainboard w/ 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, IEEE1394, USB3.0, 2 x SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 3 PCIe X1, & 2 PCI

CPU:Intel Core i7-875K Lynnfield 2.93GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Unlocked Desktop Processor BX80605I7875K

PSU: Corsair 850W CMPSU-850TX Power Supply- Quad SLI Ready

GPU: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1.2GB 16X PCIe Video Card Superclocked

Memory: Corsair Dominator 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3/1333MHz Dual Channel Memory

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD10000LSRTL 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive

Optical x2: Sony 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive - (Two of them)


I will most likely run my two GTX 470's in SLI in the near future. Would my PSU and motherboard be good enough for that?

[glc]

You can cut that motherboard back from the Deluxe to the Pro, and the CPU back to the 870 to save a bit.

You sure you want 470's? The original Fermis were pigs. The new 460 1gb looks sweet - but for something higher end I'd really recommend ATI 58xx's.

Dominator ram is not worth the premium - if you do want to tweak things, get some standard voltage and timing 1600 instead.

[Potter20]

Okay i changed my motherboard back down to pro from deluxe and my CPU to the 870.
And upgraded my memory to 1600 timing.
And i decided to get the ATI 5870.

So I will actually end up saving quite a bit. Thanks.

[glc]

Which specific memory did you pick?

ATI 5870 is a great card. The Corsair can handle 2 of them if you so choose.

[Potter20]

Originally Posted by glc Which specific memory did you pick? ATI 5870 is a great card. The Corsair can handle 2 of them if you so choose.

Memory-
Item=N82E16820145320Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Desktop Memory Model CMX6GX3M3A2000C9

Is that alright? I think its running at 2000 instead of 1600. I don't really know the difference though lol.

And will that PSU work well if I run two cards? Or should i get more wattage?

[glc]

That board is a dual channel board, not a triple channel. Install ram in pairs, not 3's.

If you don't tweak anything it runs at 1333, not 1600 or 2000. 2000 is a total waste, I suggest one or two dual channel kits of 1600 speed ram. Highly suggest 1.5 volt CAS/CL 9 ram - Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, or A-Data.

Answered in my previous post.

[Potter20]

Originally Posted by glc That board is a dual channel board, not a triple channel. Install ram in pairs, not 3's. If you don't tweak anything it runs at 1333, not 1600 or 2000. 2000 is a total waste, I suggest one or two dual channel kits of 1600 speed ram. Highly suggest 1.5 volt CAS/CL 9 ram - Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, or A-Data. Answered in my previous post.

Oh okay got ya. Thanks.

And i can't really decide on a case. Is one of these better than the other or more just personal preferance.

I like this one besides that it says AMD on the side lol
Newegg.com - LIAN LI ARMORSUIT PC-P50R Red Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

This one is kinda pricey
Newegg.com - LIAN LI PC-8FIR Red Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

[Windu]

I have this one and it was very nice.

Newegg.com - LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic + Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Here is a video review of the same case.

Lancool Dragonlord PC-K62 Case Review

If you want aluminum, I like this one.

Newegg.com - LIAN LI PC-B25F Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

[glc]

Cases are all personal preference as long as they aren't cheap offbrand junk. Can't go wrong with anything Lian-Li makes.

[Potter20]

Alright just checking.
Will this ram be alright?
Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C9

[glc]

Yes, that ram should work well.