Now going with the i7 build. Final checks...

[OneDown]

Hi guys, I'm looking at putting together a new build. I was looking at an i5 or X6 but have since convinced myself it'd be better in the long run to go for an i7.
Anyy way here was my old post if you want to read it...
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=132961

But now as per the title, this is what Im going for now. If you could let me know what you think thatd be great. I was gonna wait till nearer xmas but alot of what im looking at is on offer on Aria.co.uk now so may bite the bullet now instead.

Intel Core i7 950 3.06Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) Processor - Retail
Asus P6X58D-E Intel X58 (Socket 1366) DDR3 PCI-Express Motherboard
Sapphire HD6870 1GB GDDR5 Graphics Card
Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Triple Channel Kit
Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced Pure Black Gaming Midi Tower Case
Coolermaster GX750 80Plus Certified
Samsung HD502HJ F3 500GB 3.5" SATA II Hard Drive
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler

The only questions I had was that will my heatsink/cooler fit in the CM690? Im pretty sure that'd fine.
And would the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Intel X58 mobo be a better choice.

Any help is super!! Thanks.

[digibucc]

Originally Posted by OneDown

The only questions I had was that will my heatsink/cooler fit in the CM690? Im pretty sure that'd fine.
And would the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Intel X58 mobo be a better choice.

Any help is super!! Thanks.

it should fit fine - though i would recommend an h50/70... more compact and cool oh so well.

as for the mobo, i would agree with the GB over the Asus

[gumpty]

I'm pretty sure your cooler will fit, they are big cases.

Originally Posted by digibucc

though i would recommend an h50/70

I was going to say the exact same thing. They cool at least as good as a high-end air-cooler, but the extra space it gives me in my case is fantastic.

[Fourstaff]

Hrmmm, if you can buy a better cooler like Xigmatek Dark Knight, Spire Thermax Eclipse II or something along that lines, you will be much better served.

[Feanor]

I would agree to try to upgrade the cpu cooling option. You have a very good heatsink for the price, but it'll struggle keeping an oced 950 cool, so if you plan to overclock more than a little, invest in a more powerful solution would be my advise.

Second thing, for the graphic sub-system, i'd would suggest you try to find a gtx 470 for few $ more than a 6870. Can be found around for 250$, and well worth it in performance gain.

Otherwise, you've got a pretty good build.

[[Ion]]

Also, maybe go for the i7 920/930. Depending on the price, especially if you're planning on OCing, the 950 won't be much better.
Also, the CM GX PSUs aren't so great, I'd get an Antec TruePower New 650/750w or a Corsair TX650/750w

[OneDown]

Originally Posted by [Ion]

Also, maybe go for the i7 920/930. Depending on the price, especially if you're planning on OCing, the 950 won't be much better.
Also, the CM GX PSUs aren't so great, I'd get an Antec TruePower New 650/750w or a Corsair TX650/750w

I was going with the 930 originally but the price of the 950 has dropped today to only a could of quid more than the 930 so i figured i may as well go with that.
And i was gonna go for a Corsair PSU but I didnt know if a 650w would be powerful enough IF i decided to go CF with another 6970 sometime?

Thanks too btw!

[Fourstaff]

Originally Posted by OneDown

I was going with the 930 originally but the price of the 950 has dropped today to only a could of quid more than the 930 so i figured i may as well go with that.
And i was gonna go for a Corsair PSU but I didnt know if a 650w would be powerful enough IF i decided to go CF with another 6970 sometime?

Thanks too btw!

If we take the gpus at about 200w each, that will leave you painfully close to the 650w mark especially if you are overclocking your proc. Better get the 850w if you can afford, even the 750w psu is better than the 650. That said though, the 200w is a ballpark figure, you might not need that much.

[[Ion]]

Originally Posted by OneDown

I was going with the 930 originally but the price of the 950 has dropped today to only a could of quid more than the 930 so i figured i may as well go with that.
And i was gonna go for a Corsair PSU but I didnt know if a 650w would be powerful enough IF i decided to go CF with another 6970 sometime?

Thanks too btw!

Well, in that case the the 950

Another HD6970 or HD6870? If you're planning on HD6870 CF, I'd get a TruePowerNew750w or TX750w, if you're planning on HD6970 CF, I'd say get a TX850 or HX850

[cadaveca]

Originally Posted by Fourstaff

If we take the gpus at about 200w each, that will leave you painfully close to the 650w mark especially if you are overclocking your proc. Better get the 850w if you can afford, even the 750w psu is better than the 650. That said though, the 200w is a ballpark figure, you might not need that much.

Requirements are 500w PSU for one, 600W psu for two. 850w PSU is overkill unless running watercooling and a tonne of fans.

In other words, AMD knows that Crossfire doesn't scale, so you don't need to cover 100% power consumption of two cards. Adding a second card only needs an additional 100W, not 200W.

Power needs can be seen here:

http://www.amd.com/us/products/deskt...verview.aspx#3

on the "System requirements" tab.

[OneDown]

Originally Posted by [Ion]

Well, in that case the the 950

Another HD6970 or HD6870? If you're planning on HD6870 CF, I'd get a TruePowerNew750w or TX750w, if you're planning on HD6970 CF, I'd say get a TX850 or HX850

Sorry I did mean the HD6870.
Okay, I doubt i will want to get another 6870 in the near future anyway so Ill go with the Corsair 650w maybe. What exactly is wrong/different with the coolermaster PSU's? Out of curiosity.

I have read multiple times around these forums that the PSU is the one thing not to skimp on when sticking to a budget though so I'm trying my best.

[gumpty]

This might be quite a handy tool, although I suspect they err on the side of extra Watts, just to be safe.

[assaulter_99]

Originally Posted by OneDown

What exactly is wrong/different with the coolermaster PSU's? Out of curiosity.

I have read multiple times around these forums that the PSU is the one thing not to skimp on when sticking to a budget though so I'm trying my best.

Well some people have had bad stories with them. They complain about noisy fans or failing psu's after some time. I myself have one, though I have nothing bad to report on them, maybe just a lil noise when I stress the pc a lil. Might be luck maybe, or some gross exageration, what do I know? Anyways, If I had the choice, I'd be owning a corsair or any other brand, I only got it as a gift from my significant other, so...

[SpeedsticK]

Originally Posted by OneDown

Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler

I like your build completely, but one thing i saw was that you were going to use that bulky heatskink, one thing i learned, after MANY days of research was the the Corsair H50 DOES cool about as good as the best aircooled alternative. for a little bit more, less than $100 USD you can get a great watercooling CPU cooler.

But its all up to you, the I7 does run very hot, and my stock heatsink with no overclock was running at 50-60'c, now i run with a Corsair H50 with a 4GHz OC keeping it at 30'c idle, and 50'c Under load.

[sneekypeet]

Originally Posted by SpeedsticK

Corsair H50 with a 4GHz OC keeping it at 30'c idle, and 50'c Under load.

I would like to see proof of that claim!

[LAN_deRf_HA]

I could believe that idle if he had speedstep on and was only looking at the cpu temp which is always much lower than the core temp. For the load he'd have to be using super pi and still be looking at the cpu temp only. In fact looking at the cpu temp 50c is exactly how high mine goes with super pi.

[OneDown]

Right, I'm hearing what you are all saying.

Now I've had a think over it and I'm trying to stick within my £850 budget.
So I could either a) go for the Antec 300 case instead and then go for a H50.
Or b) go for a 6850 instead of the HD6870.

I'm not gonna be doing much hardcore gaming anyway, so I'm wandering if I'll need the HD6870 anyway. I'll do a price up and see what I can squeeze into my budget.
Oh, and seriously how hot does an i7 run anyway?

[mastrdrver]

Originally Posted by cadaveca

Requirements are 500w PSU for one, 600W psu for two. 850w PSU is overkill unless running watercooling and a tonne of fans.

In other words, AMD knows that Crossfire doesn't scale, so you don't need to cover 100% power consumption of two cards. Adding a second card only needs an additional 100W, not 200W.

Power needs can be seen here:

http://www.amd.com/us/products/deskt...verview.aspx#3

on the "System requirements" tab.

Just to throw in on this.......

I have my 650w Antec NeoPower (624w max on 12V) pushing an OC 955BE and two 5870s. No issues. Core voltage is stock 1.4v but I'm running the same 1.4v on the CPU-NB and something like 1.35v on the 890GX chip. Gaming is no issue so I's look for ~50A on the 12V rail(s) and you should be in the clear.

Originally Posted by SpeedsticK

I like your build completely, but one thing i saw was that you were going to use that bulky heatskink, one thing i learned, after MANY days of research was the the Corsair H50 DOES cool about as good as the best aircooled alternative. for a little bit more, less than $100 USD you can get a great watercooling CPU cooler.

But its all up to you, the I7 does run very hot, and my stock heatsink with no overclock was running at 50-60'c, now i run with a Corsair H50 with a 4GHz OC keeping it at 30'c idle, and 50'c Under load.

Spend the money on a Noctua NH-D14 or one of the Thermalright units for that kind of money. Will be a lot quieter. I know with the Noctua and both fans running 800 rpms with the LNA that the HAF 932 fans are louder.

[OneDown]

Ive decided im gonna raid the savings and purchase everything tomorrow now. Providing I get a good price.
This is what im going for:

Intel Core i7 950 3.06Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) Processor - Retail
Asus P6X58D-E Intel X58 (Socket 1366) DDR3 PCI-Express Motherboard
Sapphire HD6870 1GB GDDR5 Graphics Card
Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Triple Channel Kit
Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced Pure Black Gaming Midi Tower Case
Samsung HD502HJ F3 500GB 3.5" SATA II Hard Drive
Gelid Traquillo CPU Cooler (For now...)
And either a Corsair or XFX 650/750w.

I know about all the hooha about sandy bridge etc but if i decide to jump into that then it wont be for another 6/7 months at least so im not all that bothered.
This rig would be able to do everything i want and hell lot more for the next couple of years if i wanted too anyway.
Ill let you guys know how i get on too

But if you do have any final words of wisdom to putting this all together then im always grateful if you throw it my way.

[Fourstaff]

Save your money on the CPU cooler and use stock for now. Upgrade at the first opportunity. That cooler is very basic and budget, not alot better than stock.

[OneDown]

Do you think I might be better going for a cheaper case such as the Antec300 then and getting a better cooler? Or just upgrading the cooler whenever i get chance and sticking with CM690. I really cant make my mind up.

[Fourstaff]

Originally Posted by OneDown

Do you think I might be better going for a cheaper case such as the Antec300 then and getting a better cooler? Or just upgrading the cooler whenever i get chance and sticking with CM690. I really cant make my mind up.

Stick with a good case is better than sticking with a better cooler, because when you are ready to upgrade your PC again, the cooler might not fit but cases are standard wherever you go.

That said though, at least get a good cooler some time later, cases are rather more tedious to upgrade from.

[OneDown]

Ok, this is what I thought. Just waiting to get an email back now on a quote for that lot and I should be good to go...