First time building a computer

[Feldart]

This will be the first time I build a computer from scratch, I think I have everything that I need on this list. Whether it all works together or not.... I dunno. This'll be the 3rd night in a row i've tried to become a computer genius and i'd hate to order over 3 grand worth of stuff and have something not work =(


Foxconn LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core I7 Extreme Edition 965 Nehalem 3.2 GHZ LGA 1336 130W Quad-core Processor
Tagan BZ Series 1300W ATX12V PSU
12GB Corsair Dominator 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHZ Triple Channel
2X HD4870 X2 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0X16 HDCP REady Crossfire Supported Video Cards
Western Digital Velociraptor 300GB 10,000 RPM Sata 3.0GB/s 3.5" Hard Drive

Kinda cheating on this last one but... =)
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103010

I'll buy a Monitor (over 20 and below 30) from Best buy, already got an old Keyboard and mouse that I love. Not sure what Vista I need to buy. There was like 100 diff versions of it on Newegg.

That's all the stuff I have in mind so far. Only thing i'm iffy on is the Case. (wanted a different one, but it's out of stock atm. The Xclio 1000 or 2000) Far as I can tell everything is compatible.

I'm a real hardcore gamer. Been playing MMO's for 8 years. I'd like to run Crysis on full with Anti-Aliasing turned up all the way =)

I'd REALLY appreciate any insight you all can give me. What yall think and what ya don't think, ect ect.

 

[klepto12]

might i suggest something a little diff.
case-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119122
cpu-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115201
MB-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128362
ram-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227417
videocard-2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150349
HDD-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 for mass storage
SSD-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227411 for os
PSU-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121037
HSF-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185093
then just find an OS and monitor and your good the reason for the lower cpu is the extreme edition is not worth it when you can OC the lower versions to kick its ****.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

For a monitor that small, two HD 4870s is overkill. I recommend these parts as a better cost-effective alternative:

• Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz Quad-Core CPU - Retail - $279.99
• Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R Socket 1366 Motherboard - Retail - $179.97
• G.SKILL DDR3 1333MHz Triple-Channel Kit - Retail - $84.99
• XFX Radeon HD 4890 Extreme 1GB GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.0 Video Card - Retail - $249.99 (without $20 rebate)
• Corsair 650TX 650W PSU with Active PFC - Retail - $94.74 (without $20 rebate)
• Antec Twelve Hundred Full-Tower ATX Case - Retail - $144.46

Fantastic performance for a far-lower price. Plus the new BIOS for the motherboard enables SLI and Crossfire on it.

 

[Feldart]

Both of those set-ups will play Crysis on full with X24 Anti-aliasing?

My buddy bought a Gateway FX

Core I7 2.20GHz
12GB Corsair Dominator
2X 4850 HD 512MB Cards (Crossfired)
850W PSU
22" WS Hannspree Monitor

He can run the game on High, but if he goes to only X2 Anti-aliasing, the game is unplayable.

And, everything that you all posted and what I posted is compatible with each other?

*Rage* You said the cards I wanted were overkill for a monitor under 30". Does the size of the monitor have an effect on FPS?

*Klepto* I've never overclocked anything in my life, which is why I was gonna go with the Extreme Edition CPU. I'm a strong believer of "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" Also, is that OCZ ram better then Corsair? I've always used Corsair as my standard.


What i'm trying to accomplish as a main goal is to play Crysis on full with all the AA turned up. Because if a computer can run that, i'll be set for a really long time.

Thank you again for the responses, I really appreciate it!

 

[LinkedKube]

Well "usually," the size of the monitor will determine the resolution. The larger the monitor, the higher the resolution. If you're going to use a 26"-30" a 4870x2 will handle it fine.

All the parts above are capitable. With the core i7 you could go into bios and change the cpu speed to 3.2 quite easily and it would give you some boost of performance. Not much though. I run crysis on my machine, highest everything on a 30" samsung monitor, average fps 40, drops down to as much as 28. And my system is overclocked to the max. What you're asking is wishful thinking. Unless you use a monitor is the 22-24" range.

I'm not going to give any suggestions because the above list(s) are great for a monitor that you will get from BestBuy(overpriced of course by 15-20%)

Enjoy your rig.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Crysis is unplayable at 1680x1050 & 1920x1200 with 2x/4x AA with anything other than two GTX 295s. Two 4870 X2s come close, but the GeForce cards give a higher minimum and average frame rate.

So two GTX 295s is what you should go for. Also, the i7 940 is what you should be aiming for. You will need a beefier PSU, so I recommend going for the recently-released PC Power & Cooling Silencer 910, so you are able to run the PSU around near its maximum efficiency.

 

[Feldart]

Okay, so playing Crysis on anything over 4AA is practically impossible?

2 GTX295's would be better then the 4 2870's ?

The 940 I7 is better then the high end one? (Take note, i'm only using Fans to cool this, i'm not going anywhere near water cooling on my first attempt)

And the 1300W PSU wouldn't be enough to run what you all/I have laid out?

I'm obviously looking to create a beast, top end of the line computer. Do it right the 5th time around ya know? =)

 

[klepto12]

go with the system i recommended and you will be close to what you want man. the reason for the ram i picked is because its some of the best ram out and the highest rated ram around also 12gb of ram is overkill in my opinion thats why i said to get the 6gb kit. The reason we recommend the 940 cpu is because it is not cost effective to pay a $500 premium for like 200mhz the 940 is plenty fast enough trust me. you dont need a 1300watt psu to run this rig man thats why i recommended a different one that is also alot cheaper. If you build the system i recommended you will love it i promise. : )

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Yep, klepto's rig is what you should go for, just get two GTX 295s instead of the Radeons and the Silencer 910 instead of the Antec PSU.

The 940 I7 is better then the high end one? (Take note, i'm only using Fans to cool this, i'm not going anywhere near water cooling on my first attempt)

And the 1300W PSU wouldn't be enough to run what you all/I have laid out?

As stated by klepto, the i7 965 is not worth the price premium, especially since the difference in performance between it and the 940 is negligible.

As for the PSU, it would run everything fine. But efficiency would not be as high as the Silencer, so you would end up with a higher electricity bill. Also, a lower efficiency means more power is wasted as heat.

 

[klepto12]

thnx rage i was looking at the same psu you suggested since PCP&C is my fav psu brand hehe and your right about the efficiency.

 

[LinkedKube]

12 Gigs of ram is overkill in most situations. But Crysis pulls 4G on my computer.