Need Advice on PC Parts

[DemiGod]

Hey guys, was hoping I could get some advice on the parts I picked up and why I should or shouldn't get what I've chosen. The PC will be used mainly for 3dsMax, photoshopping, gaming and music production.

I also wanted to buy a soundcard under $100 but to stay under $1600 total.

Aaaand i'm looking for a nice sound system with at least 5.1 surround for around $200. Picky, I know, but help me out here!

Item List:

$266 - Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz Processor

$53 - Titan Fenrir Universal CPU Cooler (Socket 1366 / 775 / AM2+ / AM2 / AM3 / 940 / 939 / 754 / K8) - (TTC-NK85TZ)

$145 - OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK

$212 - eVGA X58 SLI LE - motherboard - ATX - iX58 - LGA1366 Socket

$232 - eVGA GeForce GTX 280 Graphics adapter - 1 GB - GDDR3 SDRAM
[bump to gtx285?]

$224 - Antec Signature Series 850W PSU ( SG-850 )
[bump to 950?]

$206 - PIONEER BDR-203BK BDR-203 8x Blu-ray Drive (Double-layer) BD-R/RE 8x 2x 8x (BD) 16x 8x 16x (DVD) 32x 24x 40x (CD) Serial ATA Internal Black OEM

$87 - WD Caviar Black 1 TB Internal hard drive - 300 MBps - 7200 rpm

$128 - Zalman Tech GS1000SE Full Tower Enclosure

Current Total ~ $1,553

Thoughts?

Thanks, guys.

 

[DemiGod]

The soundcard i'm looking at is the M-AUDIO Audiophile 2496 24-bit 96KHz

 

[DemiGod]

I intend to use Windows 7 and bypass Vista completely [using XP now]. I'll probably use XP until then as well.

 

[bogmali]

Hey guys, was hoping I could get some advice on the parts I picked up and why I should or shouldn't get what I've chosen. The PC will be used mainly for 3dsMax, photoshopping, gaming and music production.

I also wanted to buy a soundcard under $100 but to stay under $1600 total.

Aaaand i'm looking for a nice sound system with at least 5.1 surround for around $200. Picky, I know, but help me out here!

Item List:

$266 - Intel Core i7 2.66 GHz Processor

$53 - Titan Fenrir Universal CPU Cooler (Socket 1366 / 775 / AM2+ / AM2 / AM3 / 940 / 939 / 754 / K8) - (TTC-NK85TZ)

$145 - OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK

$212 - eVGA X58 SLI LE - motherboard - ATX - iX58 - LGA1366 Socket

$232 - eVGA GeForce GTX 280 Graphics adapter - 1 GB - GDDR3 SDRAM
[bump to gtx285?]

$224 - Antec Signature Series 850W PSU ( SG-850 )
[bump to 950?]

$206 - PIONEER BDR-203BK BDR-203 8x Blu-ray Drive (Double-layer) BD-R/RE 8x 2x 8x (BD) 16x 8x 16x (DVD) 32x 24x 40x (CD) Serial ATA Internal Black OEM

$87 - WD Caviar Black 1 TB Internal hard drive - 300 MBps - 7200 rpm

$128 - Zalman Tech GS1000SE Full Tower Enclosure

Current Total ~ $1,553

Thoughts?

Thanks, guys.

I'd look into a suitable replacement for those two. EVGA X58 mobos lately have been horrible with the overheat issue. Get a Gigabyte or an Asus That cooler I've never heard before but once again try to get a Xigmatex S1283, Thermalright Ultra Extreme (TRUE) 120 or either a Noctua brand. If money is not an object a Megahalem is great performer for an i7. That 850W PSU is plenty since you're only running one GPU My $.02.

 

[DemiGod]

Hmm, I haven't heard anything about eVGA boards overheating, i'v heard nothing but good things on their board.

How about combatibility-wise? Anything I need to worry about?

 

[bogmali]

How about combatibility-wise? Anything I need to worry about?

With Win7? Everything should work "right out of the box" per se You'll be fine unless some of your apps are outdated that will require updating but other than that it'll be fine

 

[MatTheCat]

$232 - eVGA GeForce GTX 280 Graphics adapter - 1 GB - GDDR3 SDRAM
[bump to gtx285?]

Thoughts?

Thanks, guys.

DX11 cards are around 1 month away from hitting the shelves. When they come they are sure to knock the socks of the current crop of cards AND provide DX11 compatibility.

 

[DemiGod]

There's always something around the corner.

If I get the 280 now i'll be alright for a bit. Will I be safe to SLI a better card with this 280 later on? Or will there be bottlenecking?

 

[werez]

maybe skip the 280 and get a 275 or 285 . Forget about 280 ... that if your not interested in HD5800 series

 

[DemiGod]

What's your reason for not getting the 280?

 

[mrw1986]

I have a 280 and it's a great card...but the 275 outperforms it in a lot of cases. I would just wait for the next-gen cards. Even if you don't like them, it will drop the price on this gen.

 

[DemiGod]

Well i've been waiting for a year and something was constantly coming out to drop other products prices, so i'm done waiting.

Is the 275 better to get over the 280 then? The 285 is 100$ more so i don't think that's worth it.

 

[mrw1986]

You honestly can't wait a month to save money? Or wait for the better card? I would get the 275.

 

[DemiGod]

Well, i've been reading around and it looks like I may just go ahead and get the 275.

Any recommendations on which company or version of the 275? Also if I get a dx11 card later, can i SLI it with this card or will there be bottlenecking issues [if so, specifically what kind]?

Does the 275 card really take up two PCI slots? How do people Tri-SLI these if that's the case?

Btw, my monitor is 22" widescreen @ 1680x1050.

 

[DemiGod]

Any suggestions on the mobo as well? I hear Asus is great but they range from $230 to $380 - will this $238 version suffice?

 

[Deleted member 74752]

With the exception of your HSF choice, I think your original parts list was spot on Demi...

Just make sure that cpu is a DO stepping version. You don't have to have the latest and greatest video cards...I have quiet a selection up to GTX 295's, but prefer to game with my old Zotac 8800 GT's. They just seem smoother to me imo. The Evga mb will be your greatest asset.

 

[mrw1986]

Well, i've been reading around and it looks like I may just go ahead and get the 275.

Any recommendations on which company or version of the 275? Also if I get a dx11 card later, can i SLI it with this card or will there be bottlenecking issues [if so, specifically what kind]?

Does the 275 card really take up two PCI slots? How do people Tri-SLI these if that's the case?

Btw, my monitor is 22" widescreen @ 1680x1050.

You can SLI it, but there would be bottlenecking (due to the CPU). A lot of games don't see great performance games through SLI (I know because I was SLI'd until recently). They Tri-SLI them on certain mobos.

 

[DemiGod]

What about the fact that the ASUS board has two x16 PCIE [and one x4] slots where the eVGA has x16,x8,x4,x8? Does the fact that there is only one x16 slot hinder it for later?

I also see that the ASUS has an eSATA port.

 

[kurosagi01]

i would get a cheaper card like a 9800GT or something,they would hold you until you need the money to go buy a DX11 card,save yourself some money and buy a mid-range card instead of high range right now,a mid-range can handle any games these days at high settings.
If there was a game that only ran on DX11 then by all means get yourself a DX11 card that way you would be saving yourself some money and they can still do some photoshopping too

 

[JrRacinFan]

Heya DemiGod,

Where are you purchasing these parts and what's your locale? They seem a tad overpriced by about 10%.

Also look into this PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

EDIT:
Here is also a very very good sound card. One of my friends just recently picked it up:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006

 

[DemiGod]

I use google shopping to pick out the prices and am just listing the lowest price offered [i did check to make sure they are correct]. I noticed that newegg's prices are not always listed so before making the actual purchase I will make sure to double checkl each part at the more popular sites.

I saw that PSU but it isn't modular, which I'd like in order to keep everything organized.

-edit- Hmm, upon comparing the two PSU's they seem to be just about equal. The Antec has 4 rails vs 1 [whatever that means] over the Corsair and I hear nothing but good things about the Antec.

Anyone able to provide some more specific insight between the two? Benefits/Handicaps?

 

[radeon747]

Get yourself a GTX 260 or GTX 275 best choices if i was a nvidia fan there also very cheap compared to the GTX 280 and if not compete easy in games and they also beat the 4890 wich i think is beacause of the 448 bit bus lack 1 gb compared to the 4890 in high reselotion ,just google for some results GTX 275 vs 4890 or wat ever you GTX 260 vs 4890

 

[DemiGod]

Radeon, it seems that the 275's and 280's are at the same price level, +/- $20 max.

The BFG 275 has 124 or so less VRAM and costs about $205 verus the 1GB 280 @ $230. I think I'll go for the 280 for the benefit to my 3D modeling and Adobe programs. It's barely more expensive and gives me a edge, even if it is only slight.

@Kuros: The new DX11 cards will be extremely expensive when they first come out and I don't think enough products will utilize that power at the beginning. Plus the first line of new cards always is a shot in the dark. I think the 280 will work out well for me for th next year at least.

 

[radeon747]

Radeon, it seems that the 275's and 280's are at the same price level, +/- $20 max.

The BFG 275 has 124 or so less VRAM and costs about $205 verus the 1GB 280 @ $230. I think I'll go for the 280 for the benefit to my 3D modeling and Adobe programs. It's barely more expensive and gives me a edge, even if it is only slight.

If anything your cpu with 8 threads is plenlyfull amount and with a GTX 275.

 

[radeon747]

Dont worry about vram for wat i have seen so far youre not gonna see any diffence trust me your gonna throw your money down the drain.For a crap 65nm card for nothing lol.