My first build

[-Maverick-]

I going to be building my own comp over the next few weeks. I have some ideas and questions. I want it to be fast and expandable over time so I can play games, overdrive it for fun and not be limited by much.

I have been trying do decide between the I5 and a 6core AMD. The i5 seems better with 4 cores than the six core but i was thinking that maybe with the six core over time they will have firmware upgrades and or better ways to utilize the six cores. I also have read that AMD come unlocked with their own overdriving software and that the six cores may be more stable overdriven. Not sure how much of this is true.

other than that I was thinking, full size case, asus cross fire MB, AMD graphics card at least 1gig or two smaller ones not sure what is better with the cross fire, 750watts PS, and maybe water cooled CPU although I am not sure if this is much better than just regular.

hmmm.....

any advice is appreciated especially when it comes to the CPU

[mjkovis]

What is your budget?

[glc]

Please post your budget for just the case and contents, not including peripherals or software.

[-Maverick-]

about 1,000 I still have lots of questions wish I had more friend that were comp savvy

A couple are

Is a full case worth the cooling factor for a space conscious person? Can a closed loop liquid system remedy this?

Then still having trouble I want either the AMB Phenom II 1100 or an i5 or i7 I really want to overclock just to play around as well


Maverick

[glc]

A mid tower case that's designed for good airflow is plenty sufficient, and liquid cooling is not worth the expense or possible hassles (leaks, etc.).

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

Newegg.com - ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9B

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 - ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - CD / DVD Burners

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100312-3SR Radeon HD 6950 Dirt3 Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7

That's $1000. If you have another $100 you could get a SSD for caching the main hard drive for a performance increase:

Newegg.com - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) with Transfer Kit

[wade7575]

I would go with the list glc has put together or tweak it a bit depending on what you think you may want to change like the video or something like that.Also if you want a fast PC I would stick intel because I have never seen to many fast AMD machinces,I find intel to be better machines when the CPU is being used heavily for gaming and Graphics rendering and Graphics processing.My friend has an AMD 6 core build with 16GB Ram and I have an i7 860 with 8GB Ram and were both running 1333mhz Ram I forget the program he's but he does alot of small Movies and films for companys that want promo videos to show his clients,he put his program that he use's the most on my i7 tower and it can shave 14.35 minute's of the time it takes his machine.I know even on the fastest PC's his program takes forever but he swears it get's the best result's for him.

[glc]

AMD processors are fine, but they just don't have anything that will keep up with a Sandy Bridge at this time.

[wade7575]

Although I like intel alot more then AMD I will agree that AMD CPU's are fine and not cursed with a ton of problems or anything like that and the one thing AMD was doing alot better at then intel until the first Gen i3 i5 and i7's came out and that was making a CPU that ran cooler and that means it should last longer,I also feel if a person is going to drop some money on a new rig and they want it to last 5 year's or more and not slow down do to new software change's they may make then why not spend an extra 50 to 100 bucks get something that is going to be really fast.

[-Maverick-]

Thanks all for your time and help. GLC your list looks very complete and thoughtful thanks for your time and effort this will be my base.

Wade you experience here was also very helpful. Many thread I have read just say what people prefer without the personal story or why. usually something like I love AMD or Intel rocks. You experience and GLC thoughtful suggestions sold me.

So I will get the sandy bridge. Unfortunately I know very little about the intel mother boards. What are the advantages of this mother board. Can I run more than one graphics card? Do I need to? Can I use different types of ram 2g and 4g at the same time? What other things can I do with this? Link to papers are fine I can read if that is better.

Power supply looks amazing. Is it quiet? There seems to be some complaints about noise. Is that just people that being whiners?

I like the case and found a lot of good research on that one and had been thinking about it for a bit. I was also thinking if I am spending cash for a sports car...I might like a little flash. Although a little more money does this case have many downsides to cooling. I get I am probably paying more money just for looks.
Newegg.com - NZXT Apollo ORANGE NP Orange SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

This one Newegg.com - Antec Lanboy air Red Black / Red ATX Mid Tower Computer Modular Case looks really cool to but I kind of like the style of the my first link.

Memory looks great and great price

With the hard drive I was thinking about getting at least 2 and mirroring one although at this time I do not know how to set it up. Also I like the idea of the SSD although again do use it as my main? or it is better to have it cache the main HD and is there reading I can do to learn how to do this?

I love the graphics card you suggested. Sapphire were actually on my list of good cards to buy and I have been looking at this card in particular. Hopefully they will come back into stock soon.

The cooler for this CPU you suggested looks amazing everyone seems to love it.

Again thanks for all your help. Forgive me for all the questions but at this moment these forums are my only resources for computer talk. As well I can link this later to a thread with pics during my build processes and running details if you think that would be helpful to others.

Maverick

[glc]

The power supply is reasonably quiet. Yes, you can run 2 video cards, but I don't think you would NEED to. You can use "Virtu" to use both the video card and the onboard graphics with a Z68 board. For how SSD caching works, read up on Intel Smart Response Technology. I wouldn't run a mirror, you are better off with an external drive and a good backup strategy. Cases are personal preference, the one I suggested is simply a high quality case at a very attractive price.

[-Maverick-]

The help is amazing thanks a bunch glc. I will have to put a wireless card in the comp. Do you like linksys cards? I have a crappy router now i am going to get a linksys 54gs in a few days. I want this one because I can QOS it. This is important having 5 roommates. Means I can limit bandwidth to large things like skype.

I was also looking at the same card as you suggested but the 1 gig version. Can save about 100$. Later if I want more video processing I can just add another card with the crossfire mother board...yes or????

first choice maybe Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100314-3L Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

or Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100328L Radeon HD 6770 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

not sure which is better or if they are even compatible.


With the hard drives I get lazy sometime and do not want to hook up my external. Can I put in a slower cheaper 5200 as well as the main and tell it to sync my pics, docs and music like every other day or once a week?

I was also thinking of putting in a 100-500gig HD to use Ubuntu on. Is this possible in the same comp?

Thanks again for your help.

ps...kind of like the looks of this case at this moment...Newegg.com - RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WB Black/Silver 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case

[glc]

The 6870 is a stronger card than the 6770.

I would recommend the WRT54GL, not the GS. You can load DD-WRT firmware on it to greatly increase the capabilities. The matching Linksys cards are as good as any.

If you want Ubuntu, just partition the hard drive, no need for a separate drive.

I would still recommend a separate external drive for your backups. What happens if your computer gets damaged? You could lose both drives.

If you are thinking of 2 video cards, you may want to up the power supply a bit. 750 is marginal for 2 strong cards.

You might want to read this:

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: September 2011 : Best Graphics Cards For The Money, September Update

[-Maverick-]

Hello, so...I have been looking at power supplies in the 850-1000w range what in particular do I need to look for with the set up you suggested with planned dual card usage? Does it need to be crossfire ready or are there a certain amount of connections I need to make sure it has? Any other features I should look out for?

Thanks again for you help

[glc]

Newegg.com - Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-900 900W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

If you want a modular:

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850M 850W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular High Performance Power Supply

[-Maverick-]

more questions arrg....lol. This ram looks the same as the low profile version. Maybe I am betting lured in by gimmicks but this ram claims it is the only qualified for the intel i5 etc.

the other one
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B

your original post
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9B

would the fins on this helkp it cool or just get in the way? They are the same price

Thanks
Maverick

[wade7575]

I would just go with the Ram without the fin's unless you plan on overclocking and really pushing the system,also the the Low Profile Ram should work just fine and it will also work better if you get a larger CPU cooler such as a Noctua NH-D14 or a Thermalright Silver Arrow as the Ram with the cooling fins will not fit under these coolers and if it were me I'd worry more about keeping the CPU cool,also don't forget the CPU is not lifetime warranty where as the Ram is so who really cares if you have to send a stick back to Corsair.

[glc]

Exact same ram except for the fins.

[-Maverick-]

I was thinking of trying to save a little money now and buy a 1GB graphics card. Latter I would add another similar 1GB graphics card and use them with crossfire.

Is there any disadvantage to this versus using one 2GB graphics card? Are there any benefits compatibly?

Thanks for your help

[glc]

A 2gb card is not one bit faster than a 1gb card. All the extra ram does is allow you to game at super high resolutions.

[-Maverick-]

I guess than there is no disadvantage using 2 1GB with cross fire vs 2GB with out

[Katreat]

In my opinion, crossfire is not a very good upgrade strategy. Crossfire is for those that want to build a computer at the very top end of performance and are willing to pay whatever it costs. If you crossfire the best cards available, two are better than one. But this is best done right from the start, not as an upgrade sometime down the road.

As an upgrade path crossfire just does not pencil out. If you buy a decent card to start with, it will likely not need an upgrade for a couple of years. So during that time new technology will drop your current card down a few notches. When you finally get around to adding that second card you will be adding older technology which generally will not perform as well as then new crop of single GPUs.

Further, you face the problem of finding that second card. Where it is true that the next time you will buy one it will be cheaper, it is also true that it might be very hard to find an essentially identical card a few years down the road. If you add in the price of a bigger power supply to support a duel card set up it is rarely a cost effective upgrade path.

So basically, it is generally best to just buy the best GPU you can afford when you build the computer and then replace it with a new GPU when you need to upgrade.

Kat