Gaming computer help

[jcook423]

Hello all, I'm new to the forums and looking for advice on computer hardware. I play WoW (World Of Warcraft) which is very intensive on systems so I've decided to build a new gaming computer that can keep up.

What I'm looking for is:

Mother board: Has at least 2 pci-e slots, few pci slots, Ethernet port, 4-6 RAM slots, USB 3.0 would be nice, and compatible with SSD.

Side note: I was looking at the Intel i7-960 CPU but from what i was reading your better off buying a 930 or 920 and overclocking, is this accurate?

Cooling System: Water cooling preferably, I'm aware that some go to only CPU and others go to CPU and GPU; I would like it to go to both if possible.

GPU: Would like to link 2 of them in the 2 pci-e's

Harddrive: Solid State Drive 120GB

Case: planning on water cooling, so something that is compatible. Transparency is a plus.

Power Supply: Was thinking 1,000.

RAM: I can figure out once i have the board figured out.

CD/DVD drives: don't really care will probably buy cheapo's

OS: Windows 7

Any recommendations on brands or specific hardware/items would be great, please and thank you
P.S. Budget ISN'T an issue.

 

[Ritwik7]

Only for playing WoW you would not require such a powerful CPU. However, if budget is not a constraint I would recommend:

CPU - Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz

Motherboard - ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58

GPU - 2x EVGA 768-P3-1362-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked

Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600

PSU - CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-1000HX 1000W (Considering you might add a third GPU and will be running all components highly OC'd.)

HDD - OCZ Vertex 2 120GB

Case - Thermaltake ArmorPlus(Armor+) VH6000BWS Black (Ultimately it comes down to personal preference. Picked this as it has 10 PCI ducts for Quad GPU configurations. The HAF 932 / HAF X are other excellent cases.)

Others here should be able to advise you on the choice of liquid cooling systems as I'm still on air cooling for my CPU/GPU.

 

[LinkedKube]

Are you asking for a pre built water cooling system, or do you think you have the ability to put together a separate system.

 

[jcook423]

To supersmashbrada: I was intending to buy a kit and install it myself although responses from other forums are telling me that a high end air cooler beats out water which intrigues me.

To Ritwik7: I was looking at the ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 what do you think of the ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58

 

[LinkedKube]

What do you call a high end air cooler? Usually its not possible w/o the expense of noise. I can see some air coolers outdoing a few water cooling units, but not many. I think your choice is to have a nearly silent machine(low end water cooling unit) that's 5C hotter than a notua(high end air cooler) or go with the air cooler that can be 20+ dec. louder than a water cooled unit.

 

[Ritwik7]

Both the boards are pretty similar. I personally would go with the ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 as its cheaper. The only added functionality I find is a second LAN chipset on the Premium.

 

[jcook423]

trying to decide between

newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130551&cm_re=gtx_480-_-14-130-551-_-Product

and

newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121382

The Radeon has a faster core clock, more memory, and more processor units but less effective memory clock....in addition it doesn't have any speed listed for the shader clock, does this mean it doesn't have 1? also it has a 2.1 pci-e and I'm not sure if my board supports it.

The Geforce supposedly overheats really easy on air cooling

my board: newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614

Trying to figure out which of these 2 I should duel, any suggestions?

P.S. sorry it wouldn't let me post with links so i had to erase the www

 

[Ritwik7]

2x GTX 460 would make more sense. Else simply get an HD 5970.

And any reason why you're going with the Premium board? Do you need the extra LAN chipset?

 

[red1776]

The core clock is amongst the last of the stats to be looking at unless you are comparing two versions of the same card. secondly, ATI and Nvidia "processor units cannot be compared by 1:1. the architectures of the two are completely different. for example 1 nvidia SPU is the equivalent of approx 4.5 of the ATI SPU's. If you have adequate case ventilation the Nvidia card will function just fine.

 

[jcook423]

I'm using the premium board because it supports the intel boost as one of its features

As for my case I'm using the newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133056

 

[Ritwik7]

The ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 also supports Turbo Boost. It's essentially dependent on the CPU. You may need drivers though. Check this link. It specifically states that there is support for Turbo Boost.

 

[dividebyzero]

No a lot of difference between the P6X58D-E and Premium. A few extra power phases, an second Gb LAN and some extra connectivity. Both boards are OK but not great for board layout but if you're planning on a waterblock then both socket areas are wide open.
The best all-in-one watercool setup is this if you haven't used liquid cooling before. I wouldn't pay that price for it though. Contact FrozenCPU regarding when they expect stock. The 120.2 (220mm) radiator is fine for the CPU but I would look at adding a seperate 120mm/240mm radiator if you plan on adding GPU waterblocks (Frozen CPU has these also)- be aware that fitting them yourself usually means voiding the warranty. Buying a card with waterblock already attached usually works out cheaper -for example here and here -although cheaper is a relative term when dealing with liquid cooling.
Bear in mind a couple of points....The usual lifespan for a graphics card before being superceded is approximately one year, and the new mainstream card will usually have the same performance as the previous generations top offering.
One final point...The Armor+ isn't very good. It's large but doesn't utilise the space very well. It has a top mount PSU so a roof mounted large fan or radiator isn't possible and finally the side 23cm fan has no filter therefore the inside of your chassis will very quickly look like the inside of an old vacuum cleaner bag. I actually have a Armor+ modded to hell and back but it's still average.
The HAF X, Lian Li PC-A77F (probably not to your taste but my favouite chassis), ATCS 840 (very classy but no bling) are all better options. If money is no object and you want maximum future proofing then this might appeal -add in the ten PCI slot HPTX tray and you're good to go- although unless you're planning on buying a X58A-UD9 or SR-2 there seems little point in 10 PCI slots. My main rig is housed in a Corsair 800D -not a bad chassis and one worth looking at, although it's a little big for air cooling and not quite ideally suited for a full-on liquid cool setup.

 

[Ritwik7]

Most people say that the HAF 932 and HAF X are good cases if one is going for water cooling. I have personally never used the Armor+ but it seemed like a spacious case with good liquid cooling design. Also the 10 PCI ducts was a plus. However, since DBZ has used the case and recommends against it, you should heed his advice.

 

[jcook423]

Ill prob end up going with the -E then and put the extra money elsewhere

would you recommend the HAF X if i stayed air cooling, or are the towers you suggested for water cooled systems?
Also i went with that mobo in case i ever went to water cooling, but also because i needed 2 pci-e 2.0 for crossfired newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150476&Tpk=radeon%205870%20video%20card and a few regular pci's for other hardware i currently have.

While I'm bringing up GPU's do you think it is worth it to go with a 2g newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121382&cm_re=5870-_-14-121-382-_-Product or just stay with the 1g is listed earlier (not sure which brand to trust, i heard Asus was good but they don't seem to have a 1g on newegg unless i overlooked it)

P.S. while budget isn't an issue, there is no reason to blow it unnecessarily ^_^

P.S.S. Thank You very much for all of your help community, I haven't made a rig before so any and all opinions are greatly appreciated especially since i have about 9 different threads going on different sites with conflicting opinions.

 

[dividebyzero]

The HAF X is a very good chassis for either air or liquid cooling. It's wide enough to accomodate all tower CPU air coolers. Most full sized (able to use 120 or 140mm fans) air coolers stand 155-165mm "tall". I think the HAF X can accomodate coolers up to 200mm.

The P6X58D-E (alongside the Gigabyte X58A-UD3R) is probably the best X58 motherboard around-both from a performance and pricing standpoint.

With regards the 2Gb versus 1Gb graphics cards. Unless you plan on multi-monitor (Eyefinity) gaming you wont see much difference in performance between 2Gb and 1Gb. Regardless of the memory size, both varieties use a 256Mb frame buffer which evens out performance.
Review comparing (slightly overclocked) 2Gb versus stock 1Gb card here

As for manufacturer, you're probably better off going with a tier one (major brand) vendor. The warranty period is likely longer, componentry in the card is also likely to be superior (number and quality of power phases, cooling etc.). Asus, Gigabyte and Microstar (MSI) are generally considered to be the most consistant in quality control, Sapphire's Toxic and Vapor-X cards are also highly regarded. XFX has a loyal following and excellent warranty, although build quality can sometimes be questionable.

As for the number of opinions expressed, including my own, I would (in your place) read through them and use the information as a guide. I would also read through as many online reviews as you can take and lastly, take note of the pro's and con's as they pertain to you-not every issue, good or bad will have a bearing upon your situation.

Good luck with your purchases and the build.