Planning my first build. Gaming PC High-end. Seeking support.

H

Haakon

New Member
Firstly, I need to stress that this is only the result of a few hours of research at novice level, my choices may not be efficient / compatible etc but that's why I am posting here. I am open to criticism and suggestion as my end goal is a kick butt computer and I feel that you people here are the ones to watch.

CPU: Intel i7-950

Mainboard: ASUS P6X58D-Premium

RAM: CMP12GX3M3A1600C9 = Corsair Dominator 12gb kit (3x 4gb) w/ Cooling fans.

GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX480

PSU: Corsair HX750

Storage: 2x WD 500gb Caviar Black HDD's (OS and frequently used programs) and 2x WD 1.5TB Caviar Green ( for mass storage media and such)

Case: Corsair 800D

Concerns:
1 - Am I blowing cash on the GPU for a negligible increase in performance, or would I be better with two lesser cards SLI'd instead? If so please suggest.
2 - Will the PSU support an expansion to a second equal GPU and 3 more RAM sticks in the future if I need to upgrade years down?
3 - (really the first) Is it all compatible? I have not purchased any parts yet, so am not committed to this list.
4 - Should I invest in an aftermarket CPU cooler? if so any recommended?
Thanks again.
 
I really don't see a need for 12GB of ram. And if you are going to get 2 WD caviar blacks, why not get two Spinpoint F3's? they are good HDDs.

Maybe consider using two GTX 460s
 
Budget is basically non existent (want to keep it under $3000 not inc OS or peripherals / monitors). After reading more on the 460. I am thinking of using two of them over the 480. They'll cost near enough the same but performance should be better overall.
And yes, I'll have two WD blacks and two WD greens in my proposed build. I have not seen any spinpoints in product lists in Australia are they available here. And if so are WD drives not reliable?

Another issue may be raised from sli'd 460's: will I still be able to run 2 monitors like I would with just one 480?
 
Haakon said:
Budget is basically non existent (want to keep it under $3000 not inc OS or peripherals / monitors). After reading more on the 460. I am thinking of using two of them over the 480. They'll cost near enough the same but performance should be better overall.
And yes, I'll have two WD blacks and two WD greens in my proposed build. I have not seen any spinpoints in product lists in Australia are they available here. And if so are WD drives not reliable?

Another issue may be raised from sli'd 460's: will I still be able to run 2 monitors like I would with just one 480?
Click to expand...

Australia huh? :) check out www.pccasegear.com.au and www.umart.com.au for parts :good:
 
The 480 is a power hungry beast. I'd consider two highly factory overclocked GTX 460's...they tend to provide the best performance for the money. Examples are the MSI Hawk Talon Attack, Gigabyte Super Overclock Edition, EVGA FTW Edition, and Gainward Goes Like Hell Edition.

The fastest is the EVGA, with a core clock of 850MHz, but it's $300 at PC Case Gear. Gigabyte's in second place for performance with an 815MHz core, but it's only $240 and has a much better cooler on it. The Gainward is in third for performance but is more expensive than the Gigabyte, and I don't see MSI there.

EVGA GTX 460 FTW Edition- $299
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_687&products_id=15937

Gigabyte GTX 460 Super Overclock Edition- $240
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_687&products_id=15778

Gainward GTX 460 Goes Like Hell edition- $260
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_687&products_id=14904


Like I said, the EVGA is the fastest of the three, but I think the Gigabyte is the best value. Both are on a performance level similar to a GTX 470, and can be overclocked even further. The EVGA is actually a bit faster than a 470, I think.



edit: By the way, you would indeed be able to run multiple monitors.
 
BurningSkyline said:
I really don't see a need for 12GB of ram. And if you are going to get 2 WD caviar blacks, why not get two Spinpoint F3's? they are good HDDs.

Maybe consider using two GTX 460s
Click to expand...

But when you run SLI, you don't get more memory, and then you can't play some games at highest settings, so I think he should buy the GTX 580
 
Two HD6870s will kick a GTX480s ass, and two 6850s probably would give it a run for it's money too, they scale so well in Crossfire.

Alternatively, AMD are releasing their new high-end cards next month, so it might be wise to wait until then.
 
Thanks to all who have helped so far, thought I'd share an updated build now.

CPU: Intel i7-950
No change

Mainboard: ASUS P6X58D-Premium
No change

RAM: CMP12GX3M3A1600C9 = Corsair Dominator 12gb kit (3x 4gb) w/ Cooling fans.
No change

GPU: 2x Gigabyte GeForce GTX460 Super Overclock Edition
OLD: ZOTAC GeForce GTX480

PSU: Corsair HX750
No change

Storage: 2x WD 500gb Caviar Black HDD's (OS and frequently used programs) and 2x WD 1TB Caviar Green ( for mass storage media and such)
OLD: 2 WD 500 Black, 2x WD 1.5tb Green (Not in product list at www.pccasegear.com)

Case: Corsair 800D
No change

I also realize I forgot to include an optical drive silly me earlier:
Lite-On iHBS212
New

There is a card by MSI in there you didn't see, how does that rate against the Gigabyte variant?
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_687&products_id=16134
 
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There's a difference between MSI's Hawk and Hawk Talon Attack. The Hawk is clocked at 760MHz, while the Hawk TA is 810. Compared to the gigabyte, which is $10 cheaper and clocked 55MHz higher with a better cooler, that MSI isn't really worth looking at.


Also, for the hard drives, I noticed you've gotten two Caviar greens for storage? The Spinpoint F3 1TB is much faster, and actually uses less power, for the same price:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_344&products_id=12711
 
Looks like this will be the final revision based on what I have gathered from you all. I do appreciate all the feedback and want to thank you all one last time. Hopefully I can get all these components together by weeks end, I'll try to capture the build and upload it once I am finished.

CPU: Intel i7-950
No change

Mainboard: ASUS P6X58D-Premium
No change

RAM: CMP12GX3M3A1600C9 = Corsair Dominator 12gb kit (3x 4gb) w/ Cooling fans.
No change

GPU: 2x Gigabyte GeForce GTX460 Super Overclock Edition
OLD: ZOTAC GeForce GTX480

PSU: Corsair HX750
No change

Storage: 2x WD 500gb Caviar Black HDD's (OS and frequently used programs) and 2x Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB HD103SJ ( for mass storage media and such)
OLD: 2 WD 500gb Black, 2x WD 1tb Green

Case: Corsair 800D
No change

Optical Drive: Lite-On iHBS212
No change
 
Just a final quick one. Will the 750w PSU be enough. Or would this setup run it near capacity? I can opt for the 850w if this system looks like it may want to draw 600-700w already if it is only going to run between 500-600 I'm happy.
I've read that the max load on the 460's in around 270w a peice but have not seen the values for the other components. Thanks again.
 
You'll like the 460 SLI setup, and I'd go with the 850 for more headroom, (but that's just me). All that's missing is an SSD. :D
 
I would consider it. But really can't justify the cost per gb.
My caviar blacks are 7.2gb / $1 @ 500gb/$69
The Patriot SSD is 0.46gb / $1 @ 120gb/$259
I don't think I could part with my cash for under 1.5gb / $1.
I will change the PSU to the HX850.
 
Seems the build I am about to undergo is very similar to the one in your signature, I assume that is your pc? Love the second pic of your rig Jevery, is that an aftermarket cooler on the CPU? I haven't seen pics of the CPU yet and what It comes with.
If so, should I look at fitting one also? And my understanding was that the third PCIe slot only runs at half the speed of the first two in which your second 460 is fitted. Or is this not the case? Or have you placed it further away for better ventilation to the upper card? Appreciating your response.
 
Haakon said:
I would consider it. But really can't justify the cost per gb.
My caviar blacks are 7.2gb / $1 @ 500gb/$69
The Patriot SSD is 0.46gb / $1 @ 120gb/$259
I don't think I could part with my cash for under 1.5gb / $1.
I will change the PSU to the HX850.
Click to expand...

Yeah, SSDs are expensive. Only thing I'd change now is get the cheaper P6X58D-E instead of the Premium board, the only advantages it gives is it's generally better featured, however you probably won't need all those extra bells and whistles.
 
Yea, you've just about spec'ed my rig. I am running a card in 8x for lower temps on the upper card. They are almost touching with the 16x/16x slots and there's really no performance hit to run one at 8x, (http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/08/16/sli_cfx_pcie_bandwidth_perf_x16x16_vs_x16x8/1). You'll want a cooler. I like my Megahalems, but an H70 would go nicely in that Corsair case.

fastdudes's right about the E model, very little difference in basic specs, one less LAN port, smaller heat pipe on the NB.
 
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