yet another noob with a first build..help

[croson]

hello PC Mech, I have done a lot of reading here and have come up with a list of parts for my first build. I need a strong machine with room to grow for some HD video editing, bluray writing and maybe some Sim Driving games in the near future. Please keep in mind the tower will be connected to a new 55inch LED 3d tv through HDMI. I also plan to use the tower as my media center more or less.

Please share your thoughts....


XFX Radeon HD 5570 Already own this card, I just bought it a few days ago to update an older pentium 4 3.0ghz but decided to go all new.
if this card isn't good enough for 3d bluray then please let me know.

Newegg.com - XFX HD-557X-ZHF2 Radeon HD 5570 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

here's the list, I decided on the HAF X because I have 3 other 1g sata drives that will be going straight into the tower loaded as well as possibly upgrading the GFX cards in the future. I also love the 3.0 usb ports up top.

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


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

Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-870 Lynnfield 2.93GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I7870

RAM - Corsair 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CMP8GX3M2A1600C9 --------

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119225
LG - Blu ray Rw

is this all I need for now?

Thanks in advance

[quartet-man]

I'll leave it to someone else who knows compatibility and video cards better, but it looks like you have done some good research and picked out some good parts (at least with my glancing at your list).

Do you have an OS?

[David M]

Nice rig. You are way underpowered in the graphics department for playing games. If you have the bucks, return the XFX (which do not have a good reputation) and buy a more powerful graphics card (5800 series) if you want to play many of the newer games. If games don't matter then look at a 5700 series card.

Video Card Rating

[glc]

Your ram link goes to a 1333 speed kit, which is actually what I recommend.

Your 5570 will do everything you want it to do - at the present time. However, it's definitely not gaming quality.

Power supply is more than you need unless you are planning on running 2 video cards in Crossfire or SLI later. You could save 30 bucks by getting the 650TX or 40 bucks by getting the 550VX.

Everything else looks fine.

[croson]

Thanks to everyone for the great input, before I ask anything else about the setup I put together with the help of PCMech..

...just wanted to know what you all think of this Barebones Setup.

AMD Six Core 4.0GHz Overclocked Barebone PC - ASUS M4A89GTD PRO Mobo, AMD Phenom II X6 1055T, 8GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM, Cooler Master HAF 922 Chassis, ULTRA 750W PSU, CoolIT ECO A.L.C. Liquid Cooling at TigerDirect.com

on a side note: I have always been an Intel fan but before I pull the trigger on a grand I want to be sure...


again thanks, I have really been stressing this build out and it was a real load off coming across this site

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by croson Thanks to everyone for the great input, before I ask anything else about the setup I put together with the help of PCMech.. ...just wanted to know what you all think of this Barebones Setup. AMD Six Core 4.0GHz Overclocked Barebone PC - ASUS M4A89GTD PRO Mobo, AMD Phenom II X6 1055T, 8GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM, Cooler Master HAF 922 Chassis, ULTRA 750W PSU, CoolIT ECO A.L.C. Liquid Cooling at TigerDirect.com on a side note: I have always been an Intel fan but before I pull the trigger on a grand I want to be sure... again thanks, I have really been stressing this build out and it was a real load off coming across this site

I would watch out for TD. You may receive an open boxed motherboard from another company whose inventory they bought out. Ultra power supplies are to be avoided like the plague, I have seen them take a few motherboards out with them when they failed, their "lifetime" warranty does not cover the components they fry. Liquid kit is not necessary and would require a modification to "slightly" out-perform the cooler master hyper 212+ (air cooler) under moderate overclocking situations. If you plan on doing heavy overclocking then you would require a more advanced liquid cooling system and it requires the culmination of different components and techniques that are discussed in enthusiast type forums. Keep in mind that when adding cooling options outside of OEM, voids CPU and motherboard warranties.

[croson]

That's all I needed to her...Thanks again



I am kind of on the fence with picking up a really good Video card now vs later on.


As another option, If I wanted to have triple screens for the sim driving games what setup would be recommended with my original build?

I do have a decent cockpit I built with the G-27 that I'm using with my PS3 right now.

[glc]

To run triple screens, you will need a high end ATI card with Eyefinity. DavidM will probably come in and recommend a 5970, but I think you could do it acceptably with less. How much less, I don't really know.

[David M]

A three monitor setup (Eyefinity) requires an AMD 5800 series graphics card or a 5970 ideally. For three monitors the least powerful one I would recommend is a 5870. This is because with three monitors the graphics card is driving a significant number of pixels. If you want to go with Nvidia, you will need two graphics cards to drive three monitors plus there is a significantly less amount of software written for Nvidia with three monitors. I don't recommend Nvidia for three monitors, it's just not there yet if you are a gamer.

I agree with glc. Let me though explain why in some detail. As I said the minimum requirement for an Eyefinity system would be a 5830 graphics card at around $180. This card would work fine for Eyefinity if you were not playing games. Were you to use this card for a driving game with a decent amount of graphics your frame rates would be so low that it would be unplayable, especially for a fast action game like a driving simulator. You could turn the game settings all the way down, but then what fun is a driving game if it looks like Donkey Kong? This is why I am saying the 5870 is the bare minimum card you would want for playing games with really good graphics on three monitors.

A 5870 is typically around $300 or a little more. A 5970 runs $500. So for an additional $200, you can get a graphics card that runs much much faster AND you would have the ability to max out your game settings in almost all the games on three monitors.

So really, it amounts to a balance between how much you want to spend vs gaming performance. If you are already spending over a thousand dollars on a gaming computer then what's spending another $200 so your three monitor rig won't choke on any game you throw at it?

[croson]

Originally Posted by glc To run triple screens, you will need a high end ATI card with Eyefinity. DavidM will probably come in and recommend a 5970, but I think you could do it acceptably with less. How much less, I don't really know.

Thanks glc!!

Originally Posted by David M A three monitor setup (Eyefinity) requires an AMD 5800 series graphics card or a 5970 ideally. For three monitors the least powerful one I would recommend is a 5870. This is because with three monitors the graphics card is driving a significant number of pixels. If you want to go with Nvidia, you will need two graphics cards to drive three monitors plus there is a significantly less amount of software written for Nvidia with three monitors. I don't recommend Nvidia for three monitors, it's just not there yet if you are a gamer. I agree with glc. Let me though explain why in some detail. As I said the minimum requirement for an Eyefinity system would be a 5830 graphics card at around $180. This card would work fine for Eyefinity if you were not playing games. Were you to use this card for a driving game with a decent amount of graphics your frame rates would be so low that it would be unplayable, especially for a fast action game like a driving simulator. You could turn the game settings all the way down, but then what fun is a driving game if it looks like Donkey Kong? This is why I am saying the 5870 is the bare minimum card you would want for playing games with really good graphics on three monitors. A 5870 is typically around $300 or a little more. A 5970 runs $500. So for an additional $200, you can get a graphics card that runs much much faster AND you would have the ability to max out your game settings in almost all the games on three monitors. So really, it amounts to a balance between how much you want to spend vs gaming performance. If you are already spending over a thousand dollars on a gaming computer then what's spending another $200 so your three monitor rig won't choke on any game you throw at it?

Thanks for the great post Dave, very informative!!!


ok... I think I'm sold on the 5970 but newegg only has the sapphire for 499. but their sold out. The only other option is XFX and I know it's in the red section of the VID card brands thread, lol

By the way how do you get a card with only 2 DVI ports to display on 3 monitors?


Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100280SR Radeon HD 5970 (Hemlock) 2GB 512 (256 x 2)-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

I found the Diamond version but a member here was against buying from Tiger Direct.


Diamond Radeon HD 5970 Video Card - 2GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0, CrossFireX Ready, Dual DVI, Display Port, HDMI at TigerDirect.com


If you can help me out with a site you guys trust or a link or two, it would be a great help.


Just to clarify, right now I will be using the 3d tv as a monitor so how do I get an HDMI port off the card if there is none? is there a DVI to HDMI adapter or do I need to make sure the card I buy has an HDMI port.


Also if the adapter must be used by this setup how would you get audio through the HDMI port?

[glc]

You have to use the DisplayPort with an appropriate adapter for the 3rd monitor. I'd get the Diamond from TD.

Another possibility is the new HD 6970. It's not as strong as the 5970 though.

[David M]

If at least one of your monitors come with a DisplayPort you will not need a powered DP adapter.

Bummer about the Sapphire 5970 being sold out. $500 was a great price. Amazon is sold out of the same card at the same price. This brings the price of a 5970 back up to almost $600. Whichever card you buy, do not buy an XFX in any version.

This is excellent advice from a guy whose company has built thousands of custom gaming computers.
Video Card Rating

[croson]

you guys have been a great help, I ordered everything last night from newegg!! I substituted the LG Bluray Drive for a Lite on with 3d reading. It also came with 10 blank verbatim bluray r discs. Seemed like a no brainer. I also left out the Video card for now since I'm in no rush for the gaming aspect. I'll wait till I find a great deal and then pick up a 5970 .

That's me for ya always ordering on some weekend or holiday and have to wait an extra few days but it's all good I'd probably be builing it instead of enjoying Christmas day with the wife and kids..

...Dave you and glc have really helped me out, I just wanted to wish you guys and everyone here a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!


...if you have any tips regarding assembley please send them my way I could always use the experienced tips. I'll be back in a few days to let PCMech know how it all turned out.


croson

[glc]

The Radeon 6990 should be out pretty soon - that's replacing the 5970.

[David M]

Based on the new roadmap, the company's highest-performance dual-chip Radeon HD 6990 "Antilles" will only be released in Q1 2011
Radeon HD 6990

Good, perhaps that will drop the price of the 5970 below $500. I would like to get another one but not for $600.