My first post! First off sorry i didn't post in the big thread as i have quite a bit to type...thanks for reading and maybe helping. So far my build is (all prices AU, budget: 1.4k give take $100) CPU: Core i7 920 $397 - (i heard it's discontinued, still get it?) MOBO: Asus P6T $338 OR Gigabyte EX58-UD4P $335 RAM: 6GB Kit(3x2G)DDR3 1333 Kingston $126 HDD: Western Digital 640GB $91 GPU: Inno3D 896MB GTX 275 $327 Case: Coolermaster RC-690 $111 PSU: Vantec ION2+ 600w $95 Optical Drive: Pioneer 217 $37 Total is about $1.5 so a bit over... I'm planning to go SLi with the 275 later on and purchase a new PSU then (really broke atm), add HDD's, add aftermarket cooling etcetc. What i need to know is -Is the PSU for this build enough for now? (light OC, maybe up to 3.00ghz?) or getta corsair or something (again, over budget) -Which MOBO (above) -What do i need to know building these new i7's and stuff? -Any bottlenecks now/after second card? -everything compatible? Will by mainly used for gaming/normal everyday use/ general aps. Thanks for now!
The i7 920 won't be discontinued until at least October. The i7 platform is likely to change soon, but unless you're the type that has to upgrade every six months I wouldn't worry about it, it's not like its replacement will slam it for performance, it's just a change to the architecture. Of the two boards I'd take the gigabyte, especially since you're considering SLI. Remember though, that SLi is absolutely card specific, you won't be able to SLi a 275 with anything but another 275 - and in a few months time there will be a new generation of graphics cards due out. I usually tell people not to intend to go dual later as they never do until it's so late that one new card would best the pair's performance for much less cost, power consumption, heat etc. I don't really like the sound of the Vantec PSU, I would stick with a decent brand unit for that PC. A normal 600W PSU would be enough to run the i7 and 275, and just enough to run two 275s but cutting it very fine. Remember the GTX275 is the most power-hungry single GPU card out there, even moreso than the GTX285. I don't get it either, ask nvidia about it :S Realistically, you're likely to blow that vantec with this current system, let alone if you add another card. To run two 275s with an i7 you should really be looking at this: http://www.mwave.com.au/newAU/mwave...LLDDU19T7S9LTMKGSQ6U263CNO34BREX&sku=34040409 Your bottleneck as far as system performance goes is graphical, but it depends what games you play, what detail settings you like and what size monitor you use as to whether you actually need more power. Going dual won't be necessary unless you play top-end games and need maximum settings and use a 24" monitor or bigger. You could consider getting this instead of the 275 pair: http://www.mwave.com.au/newAU/mwave...LLDDU19T7S9LTMKGSQ6U263CNO34BREX&sku=42021972 and with that, the PSU you could get away with is this: http://www.mwave.com.au/newAU/mwave...LLDDU19T7S9LTMKGSQ6U263CNO34BREX&sku=34040232 though if you're considering overclocking it should really be this: http://www.mwave.com.au/newAU/mwave...LLDDU19T7S9LTMKGSQ6U263CNO34BREX&sku=34040233 Remember, the PSU is the most important component of a build to get right. If you buy a cheap crappy brand, it could destroy all of the other components and that is often not covered under warranty. If you can't afford a good enough PSU, scale back on the rest of the components.
Thanks for that really helpful post! Okay : -that's a really nice point you made about SLI...i THink that by the time i have enough a new card would be better (or discontinued) but then i would have to sell the old one or something and it might not be compatible etc, but good idea. -How long can i last with the i7, i would need it for ages (the computer) and in the future add an aftermarket cooler + OC, add new vid cards etcetc. -Hows the Gigabyte UD3R? it's about 50 (au) cheaper , but i heard only heard decent - good reviews on newegg. Most imporatant is decent OC, future upgrades and decent features -DDR3 1600 or 1333 (1600 is about 50 more expensive) - Found 2 new PSU's: Seasonic PSR550+ and Corsair 520W - seasonic is about 30 cheaper...Would either of these be okay w/o SLI ? (planning for quite a few fans) Or should i get the cheaper MOBo and get this? if i get the UD3R i can probably get the 620/750w corsair (which is enough with 1 card and OC the Cpu)? -I'll be getting a 24" aswell so that's why i wanted SLI in the future... (i like to show offxD) but that's okay, guess ill get one 275 then wtv is out if i have money... So basically get 1 vid card, better PSU, cheaper MOBO Sorry for so much stuff! PS; anyone know where i can get a CM690 W/side window in melbourne? (not online) Thanks heaps!
PCI express isn't going to go away any time soon. It'll be a while before you'll experience incompatibilities upgrading a graphics card I suspect. The i7 is the most powerful line of CPUs to date, it should have impressive staying power, considering a great deal of the CPU market is processors no faster than what was on sale over 2 years ago. The UD3R is fine but only allows dual channel memory, which is fine for most purposes, but limits you to 2/4/8GB rather than 3/6/12, and cuts you some performance for video encoding applications. As for memory speed, much the same really, better performance in certain encoding apps. For stuff like games I doubt you'd notice the difference. The HX520 and Seasonic 550 would be fine units if you're keeping the CPU stock and using a single GTX275, but if you're overclocking you should get something beefier like an HX620 or TX650, if you're using a dual card like the 4870X2 you definitely need something beefier. For a 24" monitor one GTX275 would do ok, but the best value buy is really a Radeon HD4870X2, excellent performance for the price if you can afford one. I'm a UK resident, so outside the internet I have no knowledge of where you'd buy PC parts.
Whoa you seem to know a lot about this lol Thanks for the fast reply Damn because the RAM i was gonna buy was 6Gb 1333or1600 and that mean's i have to get the UDP4.... Hmm save 50 or get the 1333 =3 -Might go for the MX620w then... Might even OC the Vid. card.... -The HD4870x2 is way too expensive so couldn't fit it in =/ Just hoping the GTX275 is able to play at 1920x1080 on decent settings. Found a new monitor i might be getting: BenQ G2412HD Okay now im TOTALLY over budget but thats okay xD Thanks a tonne for your help so far sammorris !
I would strongly recommend a 1920x1200 monitor over a 1920x1080, 1200 is more supported by games, 1080 is more for HD video purposes. The 1080 monitors are of course cheaper, but in the grand scheme of things, 1920x1200 is the res you want for gaming (and you can do a lot better than BenQ for a quality monitor too). The GTX275 is probably one of the most powerful single GPU cards you can buy that's reasonably priced, but consider the HD4890 as well. it's a lot cheaper than the 275 in some countries, and isn't too far behind for performance. At 1920x1200 both are relatively good performers.
Really? a 1920x1200 monitor instead? I was hoping for the 1920x1080 cos my PS3 uses that res... Hmm i guess i'll have a look, because the BenQ i found had many positive reviews and stuff... As for GTX275 and 4890 i'll def. pick up one of them they both are similar so it dosen't really matter... the UD3R i found supports up to 8gb but i can put the 6gb i wanted so that's all good... now 1333v1600 ...hmmm I reckon i'll stick with the UD3R for price reasons as it has nearly all i need (it even supports SLI now) PSU: the Corsair 620w -Thanks
Bear in mind you can use 1920x1080 on a 1920x1200 monitor, just not the other way round. You can put the 6GB in as three sticks I think without any major problems, but don't count me on it.
Yeah i've seen people do it so i'll have a think... Hey do you know what you need for GPU cooling, and a good CPU cooler for the i7? take a pick = UD3R, UD4P, P6T (non-deluxe) man can't decide... About the mon; are you sure? like full screen w/o it being cut off while playing at 1080p? (on the 1920x1200) otherwise it'd have the black lines etc
1920x1200 won't cut anything off, it'll have a slight black line top and bottom. Most good media players can stretch the image to cure this.
jsut remember if you are getting a 1200, then make sure it does 1:1 pixel mapping for the PS3 or itll stretch the image up and down. also if you do consider SLI i would choose any of those boards, as their 16x slots are not spaced by 2 other slots.
Stretching 1080 to 1200 height never really bothered me that much. It's not quite as crisp as normal 1080, but since pretty much anything on the PS3 except for HD films is only 640p anyway, there's not much to lose.
For the 360 it's mostly 720p, for the PS3 it's mostly 640p. It's not a huge difference, but it's there. Of course I only have developer info to go on this as both consoles upscale to the output resolution specified, which is fortunate as display-side upscaling from 1024x600 to 1920x1080 wouldn't be very pretty.
