Another critique my custom build desktop!

[alt]

So this will be my 3rd custom build, and while I have a decent idea of what to shoot for, I still would love to hear advice:

Here's the plan:

COOLER MASTER Stacker 830 Evolution

ASUS Maximus II Formula LGA 775 Intel P45

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz

Thermaltake W0131RU 850W

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB)

Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB

COOLER MASTER Hyper Z600

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW

XFX HD-487A-YDDC Radeon HD 4870 XXX 512MB

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1


Here is what i'm unsure on:

I sort of chose the motherboard at random from a few chipsets that were known to me. With that being said, I will only do light overclocking, with only one video card for the time being. Any suggestions in this area?

Second is memory. DD3 or not....

[Epical]

Looks pretty solid, most interesting part is that XFX now makes Radeon models lol.

[Calina]

first off get an antec 1200 case save some cash there i have it i love it

second if your ganna spend that much just give in and go core i7

switch out the mobo for this if you like asus

Newegg.com - ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

switch CPU for this: cheapest CPU but better then the old QX9770(witch is 1500$ lol)

Newegg.com - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

and these take DDR3 only so pick out somthing you like get a 3 x 1gb or 3 x 2gb triple channle kit these all have the low voltage design needed for core i7 shouldent go over 1.65 dimm voltage

I ended up getting this for my core i7 build

Newegg.com - OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

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@Calina:

I first considered building an i7 computer. However I shied away from it because I just dont have that much working knowledge on it at the moment.

I have read a couple of benchmarks that were impressive, but just dont really know enough to feel comfortable with building a computer myself using core i7. I'm sorta behind in terms of what the new features/considerations are, and what the leading brands/models and their differences in terms of stuff like the motherboard, etc.

Any tips?

[Calina]

@Calina:

I first considered building an i7 computer. However I shied away from it because I just dont have that much working knowledge on it at the moment.

I have read a couple of benchmarks that were impressive, but just dont really know enough to feel comfortable with building a computer myself using core i7. I'm sorta behind in terms of what the new features/considerations are, and what the leading brands/models and their differences in terms of stuff like the motherboard, etc.

Any tips?

Well CPU intel on top still core i7 the best

MoBo asus and gigabyte are good evga too

ram corsair and OCZ good

GPU personaly i think eVGA>all great cards with amazing support to go with it always wins in my book but 4850's are ok to but gtx 260 core 216's still beat them + u get physx on board witch really does make a differnce really gives games like mirror's edge that are alrdy great that extra push(<3 mirror's edge^^)

personally i got this set up

Mobo eVGA x58 3SLI
CPU core i7 920(TRUE black heatsink (P/P) 19c idle^^)
RAM OCZ gold 3x2gb 1600MHz
Case antec 1200
GPU's: eVGA GTX 260 Core 216 SC in TRI SLI
PSU corsair 1000HX

Ive tinkered with core 2 set ups in the past few month taking them apart and putting them together agen and over all its that same no real difference in ports and plugs and that kinda stuff so easy to asemble and install everything if u can put together and core 2 rig u can build a i7 also check out evga forums if u need help they have 1 of the best comunitys for this kinda stuff

tho admitedly iam having trouble with it but its becuase of a defective part nothing wrong with i7 systems themselves i just got worst luck ever with anything >.>

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I priced out that system and it ends up costing me about $400 more, with only using 1 video card =/

[Shadowhusky]

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

^ That's the case I'm using currently. It's a /very/ great case. Except you'll /need/ to replace the stock case fans. They blow no air at all. I put in different fans and it make a big difference.

As for the motherboards, I've heard nothing but bad things about ASUS myself. ASUS and foxconn boards are about the worst out there right now. Go with a EVGA, MSI, Intel, or gigabyte board if you can.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128359

[Mansin]

If you're only going to be doing light overclocking, I definitely wouldn't spend that much on a heatsink.

[Shadowhusky]

If you're only going to be doing light overclocking, I definitely wouldn't spend that much on a heatsink.

Don't spend a lot, but get an aftermarket one to replace the stock. The stock pretty much sucks for anything beyond web browsing.

[Shuemue]

Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

[Calina]

I priced out that system and it ends up costing me about $400 more, with only using 1 video card =/

well i wasent saying get my system just giving u an example

The mobo, cpu, and case I pointed out are around the same price.The board is the same the CPU is slightly more for CPU and less for the case.The only major price difference with i7 and core 2 systems is the ram and if you went with DDR3 on a core 2 rig the price difference would be rather small.

Go with a EVGA, MSI, Intel, or gigabyte board if you can.

And ya id say go with the eVGA if you dont mind the 50$ price difference.Like I said they have amazing support on there forums IF you do have a problem they will help you solve it in no time.But there's nothing wrong with the ASUS P6T.

o and one more thing if your ganna buy a creative sound card go to there site and make sure they still have driver support.They like to stop supporting cards even only a few months old so you have to buy a new 1.

[Avanarius]

The only major price difference with i7 and core 2 systems is the ram and if you went with DDR3 on a core 2 rig the price difference would be rather small.

I can't see the prices of what the OP quoted but it looks like he's paying a premium for his motherboard and cpu.

That being said, in most Core 2 systems the cpu would be around $200 and the motherboard $160-200 and ram would be dirt cheap. In the end, the difference between most core 2 systems and i7 would be $300-400 which is pretty significant and debatable as to whether or not it's worth paying for.

[Calina]

I can't see the prices of what the OP quoted but it looks like he's paying a premium for his motherboard and cpu.

That being said, in most Core 2 systems the cpu would be around $200 and the motherboard $160-200 and ram would be dirt cheap. In the end, the difference between most core 2 systems and i7 would be $300-400 which is pretty significant and debatable as to whether or not it's worth paying for.

I was just saying for what he picked if hes ganna spend that much might as well go core i7 the proformance increase over what he picked is substantial.

[Avanarius]

I was just saying for what he picked if hes ganna spend that much might as well go core i7 the proformance increase over what he picked is substantial.

This is true, but I'd be more inclined to say he's spending way more then he has to for a decent system.

I will only do light overclocking

The ASUS Max 2 motherboard is basically for people that want to squeeze the extra 200mhz out of there already overclocked cpu.

Most of the cheaper ($160-200) ASUS boards will easily overclock to the point of pure satisfaction (as best as I can put it)

[alt]

This is true, but I'd be more inclined to say he's spending way more then he has to for a decent system.



The ASUS Max 2 motherboard is basically for people that want to squeeze the extra 200mhz out of there already overclocked cpu.

Most of the cheaper ($160-200) ASUS boards will easily overclock to the point of pure satisfaction (as best as I can put it)

I can spend a max of about $2000, buttt I was really hoping to not go past $1600ish.

Can you recommend any other Asus board then?

[Avanarius]

I can spend a max of about $2000, buttt I was really hoping to not go past $1600ish.

Can you recommend any other Asus board then?

Well honestly, for $1600 you really COULD build an i7

Basically spending over $1000 justifies core i7

anything under = core 2 duo

The board I personally have right as we speak is:

Newegg.com - ASUS P5Q Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P45 Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

And honestly, I probably could have gone cheaper then that if I just wanted to overclock, but I needed the onboard optical for sound.

Newegg.com - ASUS P5Q-E LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

This one is almost identical but it just lacks the heatpipe between south and north....Would be fine for minor overclocking.