Newcomer needs some advice to build new desktop

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

The i7 870 is inferior to the i7 930, lacking QPI and triple-channel support, and the 930 is a better-binned chip, meaning there is a greater chance it will overclock much better than the 870. However, if you are able to grab a 1156 mobo for relatively cheap, then go for it, especially if the 870 is significantly cheaper than the 930.

The GTX 470 is not worth the extra cash; while it is more powerful than the HD 6870 and the GTX 460, it runs a little too hot (70-90C temperatures are common) and it also consumes more power. If you have enough cash to drop on a GTX 470, I'd suggest getting an HD 5850 or HD 5870 instead. If you can't find a new one, you can probably find a solid deal on eBay or the like. Just FYI, the HD 6870 ~ HD 5850, & the HD 5870 is superior to both.

 

[red1776]

The pending release of the 5800 replacements ( the 6900) series has had an odd effect on the pricing of the 5800 series. i just picked up a 4th Asus EAH direct Cu top 5850 (the best one made IMO) for $230. the next day they jumped to $290 for some reason. anyway if you do go for the 5850 route on Ebay or the like, look for one of these, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121370&cm_re=hd_5850-_-14-121-370-_-Product it comes with Voltage Tweak and will easily surpass the specs, or more accurately the production of the 5870. I have to believe the price will drop here shortly again to accommodate the incoming 6900's. Like Mioz said they run cooler than the GTX 470. mine top out at 73C and that's OC'd with four of them stacked on top of each other, and take less juice. good luck with the build.

 

[Gulio]

The pending release of the 5800 replacements ( the 6900) series has had an odd effect on the pricing of the 5800 series. i just picked up a 4th Asus EAH direct Cu top 5850 (the best one made IMO) for $230. the next day they jumped to $290 for some reason. anyway if you do go for the 5850 route on Ebay or the like, look for one of these, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121370&cm_re=hd_5850-_-14-121-370-_-Product it comes with Voltage Tweak and will easily surpass the specs, or more accurately the production of the 5870. I have to believe the price will drop here shortly again to accommodate the incoming 6900's. Like Mioz said they run cooler than the GTX 470. mine top out at 73C and that's OC'd with four of them stacked on top of each other, and take less juice. good luck with the build.

$284 on newegg?
I can get it for €172,99 here (= $229,14)
that's cheaper than the gtx 470 or hd 6870.

but I dont mind spending a bit more on the GPU, after all it's what's most important for your games, so is there a more expensive and better one?
Also, I hear from a lot of people that if you go intel, nvidia is the better choice. So if I do intel + ati, is that a bad decision? (for motherboards or something?)

 

[red1776]

$284 on newegg?
I can get it for €172,99 here (= $229,14)

Thats great, thats what I paid for my last one.

but I don't mind spending a bit more on the GPU, after all it's what's most important for your games, so is there a more expensive and better one?

sure...there always is,
you have the HD 5870, the 5670, the GTX 580, if you wait a week the new ATI 6900's wil be out.

Also, I hear from a lot of people that if you go Intel, nvidia is the better choice. So if I do intel + ati, is that a bad decision? (for motherboards or something?)

That's a load of BS. you can use Nvidia with AMD and Intel and AMD with Intel or ATI the only thing you cant use together is ATI and Nvidia...unless you have Lucud Hydra, and that's a different story.

 

[Gulio]

Thanks for all the quick answers guys, I love all of you <3

so, I think the final build will be something like this:

GPU: Asus EAH5870/2DIS/1GD5 // € 264,41 =$351,14
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-930 // €221,89 =$294,67
MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-X58-USB3 // €168,10 =$223,24
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 800W // €138,50 =$183,93
HDD: 2 x Western Digital WD5000AAKS // 2 x €31,90 = € 63,80 =$84,73
RAM: OCZ 6 GB DDR3-1333 Tri-Kit // €83,- =$110,22
DVD: Samsung SH-S223C // €14,99 =$19,91
Keyboard: Logitech G110 Gaming Keyboard // €64,05 =$85,06
Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster P2250 // €149,90 =$199,07
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus // €73,05 =$97,01
Delivery: €25,92 =$34,42
TOTAL: € 1.241,69 =$1.648,96

Any suggestions in general are more than welcome.

Still a few questions:

1) Will my PSU be able to Crossfire in the future? (as in, connections AND enough Watt)

2) Will everything fit in my case? even if I might build in a SSD and a second GPU in the future?

3) I dont know anything about monitors....I guess this'll do, but if you guys know anything better (22"), gladly


Also not so sure about the mobo, it was the cheapest I could get though....
and I think that's it once you guys approve I will be buying!

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

I would recommend this PSU instead; it costs only slightly more, but it has a higher overall efficiency and better build quality as well, and it delivers a little more power on the +12V rail as well. And yes, it provides more than enough power and connectors for two 5870s.

The Samsung monitor is a good choice, but this seems like an equally-good, cheaper choice. It's only con is that it comes with a VGA-only connection, which isn't a biggie IMHO unless you need to use HDCP.

Also, I'd recommend this drive over the WD drive(s), for its significantly better performance.

Lastly, I don't recommend fitting two 5870s in that case; I'd recommend a full-tower case like the Cooler Master HAF 932 for that instead.

 

[Gulio]

I would recommend this PSU instead; it costs only slightly more, but it has a higher overall efficiency and better build quality as well, and it delivers a little more power on the +12V rail as well. And yes, it provides more than enough power and connectors for two 5870s.

That one's actually cheaper, but has the same efficiency. Will pick it, thanks

The Samsung monitor is a good choice, but this seems like an equally-good, cheaper choice. It's only con is that it comes with a VGA-only connection, which isn't a biggie IMHO unless you need to use HDCP.

hmmm, that one's only €10 cheaper, and the one I chose has better dynamic contrast (or sth) and more connections. I also like the looks more of the one I had, so I think I'll stick with that, thanks for the suggestion though!

Also, I'd recommend this[url] drive over the WD drive(s), for its significantly better performance.

Is that one really better? because I can actually get the WD's cheaper (not much cheaper though, like €4 a piece) and it also has 140 GB more a piece.
Can't find anything about it being faster, but if it is I'll take it.

Lastly, I don't recommend fitting two 5870s in that case; I'd recommend a full-tower case like the Cooler Master HAF 932 for that instead.

Aww, damn.
Do I really need a Big tower? they're so.....big D:
I'd really love a midi tower which can fit the two GPU's.
also the HAF 932 doesn't have 2,5" thingies, and almost all SSD's are.
have to think about this one, thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

I was actually gonna recommend this HDD instead, but I thought you probably had your reasons to get two 500GB HDDs instead of a single 1TB one. The F3 1TB is the fastest 1TB drive on the market, and the price is simply unbeatable.

As for the HAF 932, you can buy some cheap adapters that allow you to install 2.5" drives in 3.5" bays.

 

[Gulio]

Well someone told me about the access time being faster if you had 2 smaller disks. If that's not the case then I'll build in your HDD.

EDIT: So, only thing I'm thinking of changing is my case now, but does anyone else have any suggestions on the other components?
I think I'm buying soon.

 

[Leeky]

I like the build, but I'd go with the Coolermaster HAF932 case, and 1x 1TB Samsung SpinPoint F3 instead.

 

[captaincranky]

Well someone told me about the access time being faster if you had 2 smaller disks. If that's not the case then I'll build in your HDD.

Well, that sounds like someone who knew nothing about RAID was trying to explain RAID to someone who knows nothing about RAID. Trust me, you don't want to deal with it.

Actually, larger HDDs tend to have faster access times, (when used individually), due to the fact the data is physically closer together, (higher density), because there is more information on each individual platter. Consequently, the read/write head of the drive doesn't have to move as far to manipulate the same amount of data, as it would if the HDD's platters were lower capacity.

 

[Gulio]

Ok, then I'll take the spinpoint.
I think I'm kind of done.
The only issue is the Case. Since it won't fit 2 crossfired GPU's, which I intended to build in in the future. Problem is I can't take a big tower, since I need to move my computer now and then (i know a laptop would be better, but I need more power and the laptops are just so expensive).
So is there a midi tower that would fit my build + an extra gpu?
that would be great.

 

[captaincranky]

Well, the Cooler Master "Storm Sniper" would probably fit your s***, but it weighs almost 27 pounds, and it's about the same price as the HAF 932 also.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...194&cm_re=storm_sniper-_-11-119-194-_-Product

Since you're claiming the HAF 912 wouldn't be roomy enough, then the CM "Storm Scout" won't either. Bad news there, the "Scout" has a carrying handle.

Plan "C" would be a line by line review of Lian Li's line. But here again, they would be heavy, since they're made of decent metal.

Other than that, they simply don't make cases that have more room on the inside, than the space they occupy outside. Well, unless you can catch up with the people that built Dr. Who's TARDES.

 

[Leeky]

Whats wrong with two GPUs in the HAF 912 then?

Even the cage which would be in the way of longer GPUs is removable (picture below shows it in its alternative position) and you still have space at the bottom for a HDD or two:

You would need some seriously decent fans for internal cooling though, front and back. Also, the GPU shown is a HD5870, and thats right at the capacity of its available space with the central HDD rack fitted.

 

[Gulio]

Actually, I just found a review ( http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1040/pg5/cooler-master-haf-912-plus-case-review-build.html ) and it said the HAF 912 plus has room for 2 5970's or 2 gtx480's. EDIT: Leeky beat me to it thanks for the pics!
So I think it WILL fit the HAF 912 plus or the storm scout. The last one is acutally really interesting, that handle could come in handy

So I'm thinking about choosing the HAF 912 plus or storm scout.....hmmmm
they're both equal in price. The scout however has 3 fans and the 912 just 1, but the 912 has more room and better fan support. This is gonna be a tough one.

 

[captaincranky]

The instructions to the "Storm Scout", indicate with a great deal of specificity, that the GPUs, >> CANNOT << be longer than 10.5 inches.

Other than that, it's a pretty case, that was really intended as a LAN party item. The handle is very sturdy, and very "handy". (As one would expect a "handle" to be).

 

[Gulio]

Ah, well since my GPU is 11", I guess that deal is off...
The handle would indeed be handy though, I give a LAN party now and then and have to move from house to house every two weeks...

anyway, final build:

GPU: Asus EAH5870/2DIS/1GD5 // € 264,41
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-930 // €221,89
MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-X58-USB3 // €168,10
PSU: Silverstone Strider SST-ST85F-P // €125,50
HDD: Samsung HD103SJ // €46,-
RAM: OCZ 6 GB DDR3-1333 Tri-Kit // €83,-
DVD: Samsung SH-S223C // €14,99
Keyboard: Logitech G110 Gaming Keyboard // €64,05
Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster P2250 // €149,90
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus // €73,05
Delivery: €18,42
TOTAAL: € 1.226,38