My first build

[ExcelNprevail]

First of all i just want to say building my own rig is almost as fun as the games i'm gonna play on it... I can't wait to get the parts and put it together.

 

Here's what i've picked out so far on Newegg

 

Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP case

Asus P7P55D LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Mobo

Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128 bit GDDR5

Corsair CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX 12V

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Denab 3.0 GHz

8GB 240 pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

WD Caviar Black 640 GB 7200 RPM

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable drive black SATA model...

 

and thats pretty much it for now, anything i'm missing besides a keyboard, mouse?:helpsmilie: So far i'm at approximately $1,000 dollars... And i don't want to go much higher than that.

 

I'm hoping it all goes together well, if i run into problems i'll keep updating this thread.

I won't be getting started until i go home for annual leave in december 18th... This is my xmas present to myself. WOOO :thumbup:

[Groove]

Go for a Intel CPU.

[ExcelNprevail]

Good to go, thanks for the advice

[sobek]

Yep, way better cost/performance ratio.

[ExcelNprevail]

i'm looking at the Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 3.33 GHz 6MB L2 Cache

people are saying most games only use up two cores, and since i'll be gaming with this rig i'd rather have the faster processor.

[ExcelNprevail]

anything on my choice of motherboards? i'd say i have the least knowledge in this area... Don't even know if it will all go together. Still researching

[Groove]

You should go for a real fast CPU with that GPU. To get some CPU reference for that GPU check some hardware tests of the 5770.

[ExcelNprevail]

after seeing the hardware tests i'm thinking about going with the 5850, its worth the money probably. Hopefully the price drops by the time i throw down the money on everything next month, doubt it...

[sobek]

I wouldn't go with a socket 775 rig, upgradability is seriously limited, would be a waste of money at this point in time, IMHO.

[ExcelNprevail]

i see what you mean, pricing 1156 now.

[ExcelNprevail]

so many motherboards out there its hard to choose

[sobek]

I would rather go for 1366 and the i7 920 or maybe the 930 when it's out, as it will probably use the new 35(?)nm process, but that is just my opinion. Depends on what you want to spend. However, if you go with a 5850 i would also recommend going after the 1366 i7.

 

Edit: If i were to buy a new rig now, here's what i would take. Remember that you might have other needs than myself. The board i chose for good experience with this line in the past, concerning overclocking and features but i didn't bother to read any reviews yet.

 

CPU: http://geizhals.at/a366185.html

 

Mainboard: http://geizhals.at/a400775.html; this one might be not so much overkill http://geizhals.at/a411319.html

 

RAM: http://geizhals.at/a439574.html

Edited November 11, 2009 by sobek

[Feuerfalke]

The P6T Deluxe is indeed pure overkill. Who needs 3x 16xPCIe, tripple SLI / Crossfire, 2 RJ45-GB-ports, ...?

 

And if you really need it, I'd go for the DFI X58 T3eH6, which costs 70 Euros less than the P6T and is even faster and has a more flexible BIOS.

 

Question is, if you want to go for values or names. The time when Asus was the name that stood for the fastest, the most reliable and the best equipped hardware is long gone. The only thing Asus is still ahead of most other companies is the price.

 

 

For upgrading reasons, I'd consider going for a normal SLI/Crossfire-Board. For me personally, I will rather invest in one single expensive graphics card than in two cheaper, but that's just me.

I wouldn't save on memory, though. The i7 has an inbuilt tripple-channel-controller, which means that it works best with 3 banks of RAM installed. I'd recommend 1333 as minimum, if you want to overclock go for 1600 DDR3-Memory, to be on the save side.

 

And, as a personal advice: Do yourself a favour and GET A SOUNDCARD! ;)

[sobek]

For upgrading reasons, I'd consider going for a normal SLI/Crossfire-Board. For me personally, I will rather invest in one single expensive graphics card than in two cheaper, but that's just me.

I wouldn't save on memory, though. The i7 has an inbuilt tripple-channel-controller, which means that it works best with 3 banks of RAM installed. I'd recommend 1333 as minimum, if you want to overclock go for 1600 DDR3-Memory, to be on the save side.

 

The tests i've read so far have indicated that DDR3 1600 is not worth the money.

 

Regarding the P6T, all the tests on THG have given it top scores, dunno how you come to the conclusion that the DFI would be so much faster. Also it's only 13€ more than the DFI, not 70. The P6T SE is even 50€ cheaper. The choice i mainly made because i need dual PCI slots for my EMU soundcard.

Edited November 11, 2009 by sobek

[ExcelNprevail]

Good stuff, i'm gonna go with the second mother board you mentioned and the ram, but the CPU..... a liiiittllle more than i'd like to pay

[Feuerfalke]

The tests i've read so far have indicated that DDR3 1600 is not worth the money.

 

As I posted above, that depends on wether you want to overclock - note: not tweak, but overclock ;) - My memory runs at 700MHz, which is above the 1333s specifications. And that is still my setting from the initial setup, so the real overclocking tuning has not even started.

 

And yes, it does make a difference. Maybe not for CoD, but it does for DCS.

[Feuerfalke]

Good stuff, i'm gonna go with the second mother board you mentioned and the ram, but the CPU..... a liiiittllle more than i'd like to pay

 

An i7 920 will do fine for the start and it has plenty of room for overclocking with a decent cooler and a good mainboard.

 

Here's a link with a bunch of CPU-benchmarks

[ExcelNprevail]

this all sounds pretty expensive, i'm looking to make a budget machine, and i'm not gonna try to overclock until i know a little more. I'm still a novice and don't wanna throw money at this thing if i break stuff...

[Feuerfalke]

Well, if money is the limiting factor, I'd go for a Antec Three Hundred instead of the CM-case.

 

And the i5-750 costs about 160 Euros + cheap board (e.g. Biostar TP55) makes 240 for mainboard and CPU.

 

Then you don't need 8GB of RAM for your PC. Any 32bit based game is limited to use 2GB at max and even if (or when?) DCS is fitted with a 64bit executable, you won't use 8GB for it. So 2x 2GB DDR3 1333 will be enough for a start, you can later add two more sticks. In this case, as Sobek posted, 1333 is perfectly okay, as you won't overclock the i5 much anyway.

That makes 110 Euros, so we're at 350Euros, 400 with the case.

 

+PSU and 5850 and you're not too much above your limit. :smilewink:

[sobek]

Just don't go for an Antec PSU, at least in the past they were very unreliable and many units kicked it after 1 year+.

[SAM77]

How far in the past????

 

 

 

I am running Antec TrueBlue II 480W purchased in 05.

 

I recently checked my rails with a multimeter because i was overclocking my 3700+ and they were bang on target after 4 + years of heavy use in room that goes from 15C to 30C.

 

I couldnt be more impressed with the quality of this PSU (touching wood)

[sobek]

How far in the past????

 

 

 

I am running Antec TrueBlue II 480W purchased in 05.

 

I recently checked my rails with a multimeter because i was overclocking my 3700+ and they were bang on target after 4 + years of heavy use in room that goes from 15C to 30C.

 

I couldnt be more impressed with the quality of this PSU (touching wood)[/QUOte]

 

3 years ago i bought a new rig and a friend of mine who builds rigs for a living urged me not to take one because during the time that he used them, he got a lot of returns with faulty PSUs.

[ExcelNprevail]

Updated components

 

Alright Thanks for the help and advice people! Much appreciated!

After hearing what you guys had to say, here is what my new list of components looks like...

 

i5 750 quad core 2.66GHz and 8MB L3 cache $200

The Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP $70

MSI P55-GD65 LGA 1156 $155

GeForce 9800GTX $135

Corsair PSU 850w $140

6GB Corsair DDR3 1333 $165

WD Black 640 GB 7200RPM $75

 

I'm pretty confident in this setup at $940 dollars i'd say this is not a bad rig...

[Feuerfalke]

The MSI P55-GD65 is built in dual-channel configuration. You're better off with two memory sticks, e.g. 2x2GB Memory or 2x4GB (which is more expensive, of course).

 

I also still recommend a soundcard. The Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio OEM will do fine and give you a lot better sound than any onboard chip. ;)

[Kuky]

^^^

as he said, don't forget the sound card