Building a new desktop PC, what do ya'll think?

[honestabe]

So my buddy Trevor (northwestsupra) is a PC geek and has built a couple custom PC's. I'm in the market for a new computer since mine was built April 11, 2006 and is on it's way out. He's done some shopping online for the components given an $800 price ceiling and this is what he came up with for $760 shipped. What do ya'll think?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...na&AID=10521304&PID=4003003&SID=1ga4xosj9sm7r
PowerColor AX6850 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820146740
Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996585

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827135204
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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16822136533
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...na&AID=10521304&PID=4003003&SID=1ryisf98ppdqx
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=N82E16811147145
Rosewill CRUISER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Side Panel Window, comes with Four Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, 1x Side Blue LED 190mm Fan

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819103727
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813128444
GIGABYTE GA-880GA-UD3H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

 

[whitemike]

Blue lights are soooo MEH

 

[northwestsupra]

are you joking BLUE LIGHTS FTW!!!! lol calling me a geek, oh ya well your mmmm uhhhhh very nice lol thanks for recognizing my ability lol

now keep in mind this is in the Budget build class lol now if i had about $1k more oh the nasty things i'd do..... to the computer.

also the video card and the processor is gonna get OC'ed we will most likely bring that phenom up to a 3.7-3.8 and make sure it runs good and stable. not sure with the video card though.

---------- Post added at 05:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:28 AM ----------

also i like the Antec 900 case more

 

[Murd]

I've had Rosewill PSU's (3 in total) pop between 1 and 2 years. I've no idea if that specific model has the same issue, but I tend to shy away from the brand because of it. Thats running them off a UPS as well. Currently running a Corsair 750W PSU if you want a different manufacturer, Been close to 2 years an no issues.

---------- Post added at 09:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:48 AM ----------

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

40 dollars more, and still at your budget, if it's too tight on your budget I'd suggest going to a 750W, unless you're planning on SLI it's still overkill.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

---------- Post added at 09:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:56 AM ----------

are you joking BLUE LIGHTS FTW!!!! lol calling me a geek, oh ya well your mmmm uhhhhh very nice lol thanks for recognizing my ability lol

now keep in mind this is in the Budget build class lol now if i had about $1k more oh the nasty things i'd do..... to the computer.

also the video card and the processor is gonna get OC'ed we will most likely bring that phenom up to a 3.7-3.8 and make sure it runs good and stable. not sure with the video card though.

---------- Post added at 05:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:28 AM ----------

also i like the Antec 900 case more

If you're going to OC, be sure to add an aftermarket heatsink. Stock AMD ones are good for mild overclocks, but really, better safe than sorry.

 

[northwestsupra]

850watt was over kill i just saw in the what other people bought section that thing for that price and i was like WTF! lol corsair is great though. Not going to be running SLI though and the video card requires a minimum of 440watt so we could probably go lower than 750watt i always like to have extra for "future upgrades"

 

[whitemike]

I've had Rosewill PSU's (3 in total) pop between 1 and 2 years. I've no idea if that specific model has the same issue, but I tend to shy away from the brand because of it. Thats running them off a UPS as well. Currently running a Corsair 750W PSU if you want a different manufacturer, Been close to 2 years an no issues.

---------- Post added at 09:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:48 AM ----------

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

40 dollars more, and still at your budget, if it's too tight on your budget I'd suggest going to a 750W, unless you're planning on SLI it's still overkill.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

---------- Post added at 09:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:56 AM ----------



If you're going to OC, be sure to add an aftermarket heatsink. Stock AMD ones are good for mild overclocks, but really, better safe than sorry.

I run that Corsair 850W and it's tits. No issues, it comes in a god damn velvet bag.

Mike

 

[honestabe]

Looks like the Rosewill PSU has issues and are prone to failure, and I don't like that idea. The question right now is, how big of a PSU do I really need with this setup with it being OC'd at 3.7-3.8 GHz. I'm willing to spend a little more for peace of mind. Dealing with my PC being down for a couple weeks is a major headache for me (especially since I go to school). The Corsair looks pretty decent.

On the blue lights, I could care less if it had them or not. I'm (well, Trevor) building this PC for performance, not looks. My tower really isn't going to be seen for the most part anyways.

 

[whitemike]

 

[honestabe]

LOL at the velvet bag.

 

[GrimJack]

Hmm... couple things.

I've recently switched to ATI for video, seems they've pulled ahead on the price vs performance battle with NVidia.

I've also been sticking with intel processors for the last while, although I haven't gone through the work of researching which is better in the last year or so. To be honest, I haven't found anything that maxes out a processor in years anyway, so this probably matters very little. I've been sticking with the intel processors simply because I have a bunch of them in the house, so it's easier for me to swap parts at need if I keep stuff similar.

However, I wouldn't buy another Gigabyte motherboard. The last one I bought was defective out of the box, and Gigabyte denied my RMA. I told them at the time that I'd cost them more than the price of a new board, and here's some more of my contribution. Asus service rocks. Gigabyte doesn't even know what service is.

PS: I don't bother with OC anymore, either... seems pointless on the CPU, as it never comes close to 100% anyway, and all my video games play at 1920x1200 at better than 60fps all the time... so not much point there either.

 

[honestabe]

I only have the desktop and the laptop PC's in my house. Once I get this new computer I'll be selling my old Dell XPS slimline tower. I'm one who likes things very fast when it comes to my PC, so when I play DiRT 2 or any other game or video I'd really like my PC not to struggle or take forever.

Any suggestions for alternate motherboards?

 

[northwestsupra]

Hmm... couple things.

I've recently switched to ATI for video, seems they've pulled ahead on the price vs performance battle with NVidia.

I've also been sticking with intel processors for the last while, although I haven't gone through the work of researching which is better in the last year or so. To be honest, I haven't found anything that maxes out a processor in years anyway, so this probably matters very little. I've been sticking with the intel processors simply because I have a bunch of them in the house, so it's easier for me to swap parts at need if I keep stuff similar.

However, I wouldn't buy another Gigabyte motherboard. The last one I bought was defective out of the box, and Gigabyte denied my RMA. I told them at the time that I'd cost them more than the price of a new board, and here's some more of my contribution. Asus service rocks. Gigabyte doesn't even know what service is.

PS: I don't bother with OC anymore, either... seems pointless on the CPU, as it never comes close to 100% anyway, and all my video games play at 1920x1200 at better than 60fps all the time... so not much point there either.

for the war of ATI vs Nvidia. ATI is a good company, dont get me wrong, but i personally have had nothing but problems trying to set the damn things up, drivers are a B to install for whatever reason. Maybe i just got the unlucky pain in the ass ones idk. as for price and performance though ATI for whatever reason has always been the more expensive but yes is a better performer, so i just answered my own question. Nvidia is great bang for the buck cards though and the fact that this car is rolling with the cuda technology and they are advancing that technology even more and increasing its performance through drivers every month im happy lol. The war is the same when it comes to AMD vs Intel, intel is said to be a better performer but yet AMD has the cheaper price, Intels also seem to run hotter and AMD cooler. dont get me wrong i like intel but we trying to keep on a budget here and the cpu selected is actually part of a combo deal, easy to OC and a fast processor "think it compared to the Intel I7 if i remember" but like you said about maxing out cpu's, its hard to do now days but its good to have the extra amount of cpu for games that are CPU dependent like Bad company 2 and GTA IV "ports" lol. As for the gigabyte board i think you were just on a shit wagon cause i personally have used a gigbyte i bought for like 25$ used from a friend, and that was almost 4 years ago lol still running hard and gets used almost 24/7 as a TV entertainment PC for our netflix and crap. And the reviews on this board seem to be very good to. But defects do happen no matter the part and sometimes you will just end up with a DOA, if thats the case and you get it from newegg contact them first then the manufacturer.

and last but not least, asus is very good lol i love them. So far the only part i have ever had to replace on any of the computers i've ever built which is about 5-6 has been memory "corsair" which was a DOA, i didnt even send them out till 2 years after getting it lol but they still took it because they hold good on there lifetime warranty.

And adam its up to you on the PSU if you want to go with a corsair i'd say do it, because nothing beats a pretty velvet bag lol. But they are a great company overall and a brand im familiar with

---------- Post added at 03:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:05 PM ----------

I only have the desktop and the laptop PC's in my house. Once I get this new computer I'll be selling my old Dell XPS slimline tower. I'm one who likes things very fast when it comes to my PC, so when I play DiRT 2 or any other game or video I'd really like my PC not to struggle or take forever.

Any suggestions for alternate motherboards?

asus and Nvidia boards are the SHIT! lol but expensive

 

[Kangae]

Lol careful with that, I thought you said ASUS boards are shit, not the shit.

 

[northwestsupra]

Lol careful with that, I thought you said ASUS boards are shit, not the shit.

asus FTW

 

[honestabe]

I'm switching to the Corsair 750w PSU. The Rosewill isn't making me comfortable with it's tendancy to fail thing.

 

[northwestsupra]

sounds good to me

 

[GrimJack]

Looks like Nvidia has dropped the pricing on their 460 since I picked up my last ATI card, so they are pretty much neck and neck now on $$$ / performance. Gotta love it when there is decent competition between two big companies... we win.

And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Gigabyte products are bad, I'm saying their service sucks. I've build thousands of machines by now, and I can count the number of defective motherboards I've seen on the fingers of one hand. Manufacturing quality levels for virtually all the brands have been better than decent for years now. These days the only thing separating various manufacturers is support - is it in understandable english, do they release new BIOS updates when needed, can the guy writing their manuals translate them into english, etc, etc.

 

[Murd]

If I were to choose a different motherboard, it would be this one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131646
ASUS has never lead me wrong.

As for CPU choice and overclocking... IMO Intel has the raw power ATM, but AMD has always had the bang for the buck. If you're on a budget go AMD, and don't OC hugely. I OC my chips moderately so they last longer. Working in the IC field I see alot of issues with overclocked/powered parts and electron migration causing field return fails. The more power you push into the chip, the sooner it will, and I do mean WILL fail. All electronics will fail at some point because of this, especially with smaller gate technology. Mild overclocks should last you 4-6 years, bleeding edge can cut that in 1/2 sometimes. AGAIN - please get an aftermarket heatsink if you're planning ANY sort of overclock.

750Watt PSU is more than enough to handle what you're doing and leave you room to grow. If you're dead set on running SLI (only really helpful at 1920+ resolutions with the card you're getting) then I'd go higher.

As for case choice, find something with front/back/side fans for proper cooling, do some cable management and you should be good. I prefer Antec cases because of the rolled steel, no rough edges. Currently running a Thermaltake V9 however as I got a huge heatsink and needed a case it'd fit in.

My current PC as I was assembling it.

http://www.resurgenceguild.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?3214

thread from my wow guild where I posted the pics. Should be accessible to everyone as it was a public thread.

 

[northwestsupra]

If I were to choose a different motherboard, it would be this one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131646
ASUS has never lead me wrong..

not a bad mobo. even supports higher OC'ed memory. Speaking of that there is some G-skill memory i saw that looked good i hear good things on that, munshkin is new to me never heard of it but it seems like its good so far.

 

[Murd]

When looking for memory, first I check the mobo manufacturers recommended list. Then I go to newegg and check those models, looking at reviews, the larger number of reviews with the highest star rating ones are the choices I pick. Read the reviews, if you have time to see what, if any issues people had besides "I'm stupid and set something wrong so it's the memories fault" posts. I usually end up with corsair or kingston memory. I've heard G-SKill, Mushkin and OCZ make good stuff to but never used/tested them myself so your call on that. Avoid Patriot, I've had mutiple sticks of that stuff fail memtest after about 2 hours of running at stock settings/voltages.