Starting my first computer build

[chemjeff]

Okay so I've decided to build my first computer. I'm generally familiar with computers but this will be the first one that I've built completely from the ground up. The purpose is for high-performance computing. I'm not into gaming so I won't need the high-end graphics. I am going to need high processor/bus speeds and large amounts of RAM. My budget is approximately $1250 for the whole thing. I'd like a quad-core processor, so I'm thinking, should I go with AMD or Intel? I'm thinking either the AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4 GHz or the Intel Core i7 950 Bloomfield 3.06 GHz. I'm not sure which will be better when it comes to true parallelism, i.e., using all four cores for one task as efficiently as possible. I was also investigating DDR3 RAM and I'd of course like to max out my motherboard with RAM but all I could find on newegg.com was 2 sets of 3x4GB that was absurdly expensive (something like $1200 each) which is busting my budget. How much of a benefit is it to go with the DDR3 RAM over the DDR2 RAM?

Thanks in advance for your helpful advice!

 

[LittleLizard]

Rule nº1 - If u go i7, go i7 920

then add some cheap 6gb of ram

the asrock x58 extreme is the best board for the money

and you will benefit a lot with ddr3 as long as u use i7 or i5. core 2 and pII have little gain from ddr3

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

You seem not to know about the i5! Faster than the 920, yet cheaper too!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

 

[LittleLizard]

You seem not to know about the i5! Faster than the 920, yet cheaper too!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

i5 has no hyperthreading and he wants maximum cpu power, so no, i7 is the best choice for him.

 

[chemjeff]

LittleLizard,
Why should I go i7 920 when the i7 950 has higher clock speed?

 

[LittleLizard]

LittleLizard,
Why should I go i7 920 when the i7 950 has higher clock speed?

cause the difference in speed is minimal and the difference in price is not. there are like 300 dollars of difference for 300 more mhz that u can get by overclocking even with the stock cooler.

the it 950 doesnt worth its premium price

 

[erocker]

By your description you'll definitely want i7 920, or a i7 860 which does use Hyper Threading. The reasoning behind getting the cheaper 920 over the 950 is because a 920 can safely and easily be overclocked to 950 speeds and beyond at no cost.

 

[LittleLizard]

By your description you'll definitely want i7, or a i5 860 which does use Hyper Threading. The reasoning behind getting the cheaper 920 over the 950 is because a 920 can safely and easily be overclocked to 950 speeds and beyond at no cost.

there is no i5 860, there IS i7 860

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214

i5 is 7xx and does NOT use hyperthreading

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

 

[chemjeff]

LittleLizard,
Okay that makes sense. Now about the RAM: I really would like to max out the motherboard with as much as it can handle. 24 GB appears to be prohibitive cost-wise so I'm thinking just do DDR3 6x2GB and then upgrade when the 4GB sticks fall in price? When choosing a motherboard, how important is it that the board's default RAM speed matches the memory's speed? For instance if I pick a board that is DDR3 1333 but can overclock to 1600, is it "just as good" to use 1600 RAM in this board than it is to use it in a board that is DDR3 1600 without the need for overclocking?

 

[LittleLizard]

all i7 boards need overclocking to reach more than 1333 due to that the memory controller is located on the cpu, not on the motherboard. if u want more than 1333, no matter what board u use u will have to oc.

UNLESS: some boards support xmp technology which allows you to run to a determined speed with determined voltages without overclocking. I think the asrock extreme support it but if not, the gigabyte boards surely support it.

EDIT: YOU will have to use memory with a xmp profile on a motherboard with xmp support for that to happen.

 

[erocker]

there is no i5 860, there IS i7 860

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214

i5 is 7xx and does NOT use hyperthreading

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

oops typo.

 

[chemjeff]

LittleLizard,
Would you suggest overclocking the RAM or going the XMP route?

 

[LittleLizard]

LittleLizard,
Would you suggest overclocking the RAM or going the XMP route?

xmp is very limited unless u buy extremely high end modules, so i suggest get decent normal modules and overclocking them along with the cpu

RULE Nº2: If u go i7, never go above 1.65v on the ram (altough most sets now are optimised to work at that voltage)

 

[LittleLizard]

here would be the main components of your pc

CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202
Mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157155
Memory - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145236
PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009
Videocard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102849

i leave the cooler and case up to you

 

[chemjeff]

LittleLizard,
Thanks for the helpful suggestions! I have a couple of questions though, because I want to understand why you picked the items that you picked:
For the memory, is it better to get 3x2GB or 6x2GB packs? I understand that the triple channel functionality requires that the memory come in 3-packs but would there be any additional benefit to getting one 6-pack? Also, I saw that Patriot Viper memory has lower latency than the Corsair memory, even though it appears that Corsair is the more respected brand. Should I go with the lower latency instead?
For the motherboard, did you choose that one primarily because of the untied overclocking feature?
And I know very little about video cards. What motivated your selection of that particular one? I honestly don't care if mine is fancy or not, so I'm willing to trade down on video cards but I am not sure how to pick one that is compatible with the rest of the system.

Thanks again!

 

[Kantastic]

There's no difference, just get another 3x2GB kit of the same RAM and you have a 6x2GB kit. I believe i7 benefits from higher speeds than lower latencies.

 

[LittleLizard]

LittleLizard,
Thanks for the helpful suggestions! I have a couple of questions though, because I want to understand why you picked the items that you picked:
For the memory, is it better to get 3x2GB or 6x2GB packs? I understand that the triple channel functionality requires that the memory come in 3-packs but would there be any additional benefit to getting one 6-pack? Also, I saw that Patriot Viper memory has lower latency than the Corsair memory, even though it appears that Corsair is the more respected brand. Should I go with the lower latency instead?
For the motherboard, did you choose that one primarily because of the untied overclocking feature?
And I know very little about video cards. What motivated your selection of that particular one? I honestly don't care if mine is fancy or not, so I'm willing to trade down on video cards but I am not sure how to pick one that is compatible with the rest of the system.

Thanks again!

1 - if u saw better ram (patriot is a good brand by the way) at the same or lower price, go for them. i choose corsair cause i know they are good.
2 - is the same get 6x2gb kit than 2x3x2gb kits. the point of choosing just 6 gb leaves you room for upgrade later and also there is more variaty of kits.
3 - i choose the mobo because is basically an asrock supercomputer (that cost 300) without the second gigabit controller (which i think u dont need). it has a good layout, easy oc profiles for newbies, good bios options for veterans and is way cheaper than other boards that are worse.
4 - 4870 is a good and cheap card now and also you said u need cpu power not graphics spower. if u think u need more power, add another or wait till the 5xxx series go out later this month.

 

[chemjeff]

LittleLizard,
Thanks again! Oh one more question, should I consider purchasing a separate cooling unit for the CPU, if I do decide to overclock it?

 

[Kantastic]

LittleLizard,
Thanks again! Oh one more question, should I consider purchasing a separate cooling unit for the CPU, if I do decide to overclock it?

For i7 you should purchase an aftermarket cooler regardless of whether you're OCing or not.

 

[LittleLizard]

For i7 you should purchase an aftermarket cooler regardless of whether you're OCing or not.

agree. as is your first build we are going with something easy to install yet quite powerful.

Get this cooler XIGGY S1283V Dark Knight. Cools pretty well, is black with led and easy to install.

Oh, and get a decent case, if not it may not fit.

 

[chemjeff]

LittleLizard and Kantastic,
Thanks a bunch. Sadly, I'm now over budget (and it's a pretty strict budget for me this month) so I will have to put it on hold for now. But I've saved all this in my notes until I get some more cash.

 

[LittleLizard]

you can save a bit by just buying one kit of memory and then adding the second. also buy cheap yet powerful case like the antec 300 or the cm 590