Critique My Build

V

Vision

New Member
So I've never built a computer before and am looking to be able to run at least two monitors, stream multiple videos without problem, and multitask applications while surfing the internet.

Please let me know what you think of the direction I'm going, and suggest anything I'm leaving out. For instance, I have no idea how to pick a power station...


CPU:
Intel Core i7 860 Processor - 2.80GHz, LGA 1156, 8MB L3

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Mobo:
ASRock P55 Extreme LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

or

ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

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Case:
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

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RAM:
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

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HDD
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

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GPU
XFX HD-587X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail



Thanks!
 
I like it. Real close to what I'd build if I was building. I'd go with the ASUS board.

May I suggest one of the Corsair PSUs. There's other good PSUs to be sure, though Corsair has a nice lineup - Can't really go wrong. Maybe a 550W if you're sure you won't add another GPU in CrossFire in the future. Or maybe a 750W to give you some headroom for upgrades and future builds. The modular PSUs are nice because you can unplug and remove cables that are unused.

You'll need a CPU cooler too. The stock one from Intel's pretty worthless. The Prolimatech Megahalems is an excellent cooler, but pricey, Corsair has a nice air cooler, the CAFA50 and a nifty water cooler, the CWCH50-1
 
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I take it a 750w power supply can't oversupply a smaller system only needing 550w? Is more power better?

Is it hard to remove the stock fan on the cpu? Will I need to buy thermal compound?

Am planning to use XP pro.

The case is mentioned above, no?
 
No, you can't have "too much" power. Extra gives you room for later upgrades. The stock cooler won't come mounted on the CPU. You'll have to mount the cooler, stock or aftermarket. Coolers generally come with some compound, but it's good to have a little tube of artic silver just in case.
 
I am sorry that I overlooked the case you had listed. If I were you I would buy a third party heatsink for the Intel processor. Intel makes low quality heatsinks for their processors. I think Intel really does a disservice to their customers not giving them a decent quality heatsink with their products. This is one of the reasons I prefer AMD over Intel.

Sorry I can't help you with the heatsink decision either presently. I looked over the Internet for the last 20 minutes and can't find anything I like.

The Antec EarthWatts EA650 650 Watt Power Supply should be fine for your system.
 
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