New Computer Build

[derek.haines]

A few years back I spent the better part of 2 years rebuilding computers for non-profit organizations. The knowledge I gained from that has followed me to this day, and I'm still 100% comfortable knee-deep in components. But when I recently made the decision to build my wife a tower for gaming and heavy graphics work, I realized something: I am really out of date.

Perhaps I've been away from PC building for a little too long, because I no longer have any idea what constitutes top-of-the-line. So I need help knowing what to expect when I jump into this build. What should I be shooting for to get the best graphics card I can, and what sort of motherboard will I need to optimize its performance? (SLI? Crossfire? Oh dear.)

Clearly, I am in need of assistance.

 

[Mr.Bazerkus]

I will give suggestions for every component. You can google or go onto newegg, and pick which one fits your needs the best.

Cases- For this I would recommend getting one of these cases
Antec 300/900,1200
Tempest CM690/HAF932
They have very good cooling, and cable management both things that will help if you ever want to overclock your components

Motherboards- For motherboards I would personally get either the biostar tpower x58 or tpower x58A. What ever motherboard you get make sure that it is I7 compatible. Because of how I7 uses ddr3 instead of ddr2 memory. You'll have to get memory in 3s instead of two. The standard now is to get 6gb of memory instead of just 3. I'd look for a motherboard with a max of 24 GB, and about crossfire and sli the I7 board would be compatible with both.

Processor- I would definitely go with the i7 920 its not the fastest, but you can overclock it to speeds faster then the extreme edition. So in that way it is the best deal. Just make sure to get a good cpu cooler.

* A good thermal past can really help with lower your processor temps and overclocking. I would suggest the OCZ Freeze or IC Diamond. Both very good options
* And for cooling your processor you could use the fan that comes with the i7, but if you want to really push your hardware to the limit.
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler
Noctua NH-U12P 120mm SSO CPU Cooler.
Prolimatech Megahalem for Intel Socket 775 / 1366 the best
Thermalright True Black Edition

Ram- Any DDR3 Ram will be good, but ocz ram is suppose to be very good, and they make overclocking very easy with preset profiles so I'd probably get one of those. And I would get a 3 pack of 2gb each stick.

Hard drive- WD is very good so are other companies, but I prefer Western digital. I would try to get a 1.5 TB drive at the least. The price difference between the 1.5 drive and the 1 TB drive is very little. So the 1.5 drive will be the best deal. if you have enough money get the 2 TB drive. Memory is very cheap these days. Oh yeah I'm not sure, but do some research on window vista hard drive limit. I think it can only recognize up too 2TB of memory.

Graphics cards- Okay for graphics cards I would personally get the 275 gtx. In my opinion it is one of the best cards, and it is sold at a very reasonable price. About 200 dollars on newegg from evga. It is only a few fps slower then nvidia's second fastest card the 285. If you wanted to sli I would definitely get two 275 gtx. You'll need a better power supply, but you get more frames then one 295 in lots of games. And you'll save a couple hundred dollars do it. For companies I would either get evga or bfg they have the upgrade program. So if a better card comes out right after you buy a gpu. You can return it pay the difference and get the better card.

Power supply- IDk this always confuses me. I would personally just go with one the corsair power supplies their supposed to be very good. I would recommend the 750HX or 750TX. If you have money get the modular one. If not get the cheaper one. If you want to do three way sli. You'll need one of the hefty 1000+ watt power supply, and it will need 6 pci expresss cables. Two for each card. One thing to remember is don't go cheap on this part. This one of the most important parts you can buy. Read the reviews. Get one that is popular, and that has been tested by other users so you can get the best one.



Operating system- You'll definity want a 64 bit operating system for this computer. Its kind of hard for me to say to you go get vista 64 bit. The reason being windows 7 is coming so soon. It would just be a waste of money. I would wait it out. Do some research, and see if microsoft or retailers are offering any upgrade plan for vista buyers.



Anyways hope this helps

 

[Mr.Bazerkus]

1 295 will set you back about 480
- 2 275 which will set you back about 400 dollars. At 200 dollars each
________________________________________
So you'll save about 80 dollars, and you get more fps in most games. So 2 275 will beat 1 295 in most cases.

 

[Superstar]

It depends on your budget, actually. If you ACTUALLY want top of the line, get one of the Intel Quad Cores 3Ghz and up [not the i7 line] if you don't plan on overclocking. i7 Quads at 3Ghz and up is expensive. i7s though overclock crazy.

For gaming, higher clock > number of cores. For work, number of cores is more important [but not to overpower higher clock, maybe equal.

I wouldn't recommend getting 2 of the same GPU though. Much more power needed, higher bills, and it's not "double" the power, not exactly. Just get one good one.

If you want something cheap but strong, ATI CPUs are actually pretty good. They run hotter than Intels but are very cheap in comparison. An AM2+ Phenom II Quad Core 3Ghz runs for 180 bucks, compared to Intel's 3Ghz Quad at about 160 bucks.

 

[Mr.Bazerkus]

1. Well he wouldn't have to get a he could just get a i7 920 and overclock it to 3 ghz easily. With a good case, power supply, and cpu heatsink, and fan.

2. I know it wouldn't be twice the power, but it would provide more fps then just having a 295. As you can see from the graphs.

It would consume more power, but you'll have to decide for yourself what matters more to you.
Getting more frames in games. Or having the most power efficient card. Remember
1 275- If your low on money
1 295- If you have money,but do not want to pay higher bills for a power hungry sli setup
2 275- If you have money, and are willing to pay a little extra for power bills

 

[Superstar]

It would, but then you're using a lot of power. Need better cooling and that stuff.

You COULD overclock, but a lot of people don't like that. But it's for graphics work as well, so get a Quad Core of AT LEAST 2.6Ghz. It does not have to be an i7.

The lowest end graphics card you should buy is a 9800GT, as it's for graphics. A GTX 275 might do well, but only one is needed.

For Motherboard, just get something that's compatible with the CPU that interests you [and is good].

 

[Mr.Bazerkus]

yeah defiantly get a guad core. More and more games and applicantion utilize 4 or more cores.

MSI and Biostar make very good motherboards now. But you'll always want to read the reviews. See what others say about your motherboard. And if you can look for professional reviews from pros.

Anyways hopefully all these suggestions help you make a decision of your own.

Edit: http://www.overclock.net/intel-general/
Post all the parts your buying here, and they'll help make suggestions. And tell you things you should change. they were very helpful when I posted my setup. So I'd definitely post yours, and wait for some feedback. Before going and buying the parts. If your using ati go to the ati general page

 

[Amon Amarth]

I really suggest looking at the Phenom Black Editions. Especially the top of the line. Same performance as i7 and much more cost effective.

 

[derek.haines]

Wow--thanks very much to everyone who posted. All of these suggestions are going to be EXTREMELY helpful when I jump into this.

As for the performance vs. power consumption thing, I'll either be living in base housing with free utilities, or hopefully finding an apartment with free utilities, so I'm not terribly concerned with wattage. I'm more interested in raw power.