i bought this computer: gateway FX6800-03h Intel Core i7-920 9GB DDR3 (6x 1.5 GB sticks) ATI Radeon HD4870 1TB SATA2 HDD some unknown Mobo some unknown PSU (500w, apparently) since then, i added: (a second) 1TB SATA2 HDD and now my plan to trade out my current gear for: Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W PSU Linky ATI Radeon HD5870 Linky Now. i would like opinions on my hardware choice, as far as i can tell, these are good, but hardware buffs might know something i dont. also, can anyone see anything horribly wrong with this set up that ive missed?
If you plan on eventually going Crossfire you may consider going with a larger power supply. Other than that, you have a beast.
I agree, the processor / ram is great (Though, I didn't know they made 1.5g sticks ??) - will last a long time. I'd suggest a 750w is fine, unless (as stated above) you are going to crossfire. But even then - you might be fine - I don't know the loads on ATi cards. Mobo could be a problem later on, since you are saying 'unknown' but if you are upgrading to a new one then that can be discussed. I think I missed the question :X
If you have money to burn I'd swap out your main hdd for an SSD drive for faster load times. What is your optical drive and case?
Since we talking about the subject I was thinking about getting this. Shopping Cart 1 ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM 1 COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail 1 Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3. 2 ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail 1 SAPPHIRE 100281SR Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready 1 CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply 1 IMC IMC-black USB 2.0 Card Reader - Retail 1 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM 1 CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop 1 GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel 1 Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model 1 ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler - Retail 1 Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2M080G2XXX 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - OEM My two areas of concern are highlight. Originally I was going to purchase the Phenoms to save money but after reading a little on Toms I realized that I should just fork over the cash for Intel in that department. I was wondering is 850W enough for that system? What about 6GiGs of Ram do I need more. I haven't built a new computer in over 5 years I'm a little out of touch of whats good and whats recommend.
I've been looking at the same card apparently its the best card you can get on the market without going overkill with the 5970.
You may want to make sure to pick up some HDMI/DVI cables from monoprice as I don't think your card has 2 HDMI outputs on it. 1 ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM If you're going to get a new optical drive instead of pulling the one out of your current system why not get a Blu-Ray. The LG's Blu Readers can still write to dvds. 1 COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail With your HDD bays being at the bottom you may want to make sure there is enough space for your video card, as the one you picked is a monster. 1 Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3. You could get the 1.5TB WD Green for $10 more 2 ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail I haven't used an Asus monitor yet I'm brand loyal to Samsung/Dell, by far the best imo. SAPPHIRE 100281SR Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Good card but like I said make sure it'll fit in the case. 1 CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply AWESOME PSU, simply due to the fact that you only have to connect the power lines you're going to use. For a single card system this is more than enough power. IMC IMC-black USB 2.0 Card Reader - Retail If this isn't free don't buy it. CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Download the mobo's manual and make sure this RAM is on the QVL before you buy it. GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Gigabyte and Asus are first to market with the USB 3.0 and Sata6 just make sure to save those ports for large data xfer devices. Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model You won't have any issues with this CPU ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler - Retail Not a fan of A.C. as they're usually very noisy, or at least mine were. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010&Tpk=corsair cool Corsair's CPU Cooler it's really nice, there are instructional videos on Corsair's website on how to install it.
you shouldnt need to buy artic silver compund as the fans generally come with some of there own in the package. Because the fans u get with cpu always have it on them already.
also dont forget if ur gonna get more then 4gigs of ram make sure u have a 64bit OS otherwise it wont recognize more then 4gigs
If you're buying retail, if it's OEM and you're not sure if it does or doesn't I would suggest getting the ASC as it never hurts to have an extra syringe.
Nishua hi-jacked this thread, so in turn I will too! PS: Van, was it you that was an eVGA loyalist? If so, what nVidia card would you recommend because a lot of places I read (mainly Tom's Hardware) says the ATi is the best bang for your buck right now, but for some reason I just can't make myself switch to ATi. Any suggestions?
You should get a name brand power supply, if your power supply fries usually the motherboard or the video card go along with it. It will end up saving you money in the long run if it helps stop that from happening. I recommend OCZ or Enermax power supplys, although OCZ is alot higher quality then Enermax. Antec is pretty good too. Right now the kings of the video card benchmarks (from fastest to slowest, top 14 are): 1) Radeon HD 5970 2) Radeon HD 5870 3) Geforce GTX 295 4) Radeon HD 5850 5) Radeon HD 4870 X2 6) Geforce GTX 285 7) Radeon HD 4850 X2 8) Geforce GTX 280 9) Radeon HD 4890 10) Radeon HD 5770 11) Geforce GTX 275 12) Geforce GTX 260 Core 216SP 13) Geforce GTX 260 Core 216 14) Geforce GTX 260
Thanks for condensing this, I could read a lot but.. I have a cold and don't really feel like it. Heh. Would you recommend Corsair for a power supply? They seem to have good power supplies (and memory too, which I've always used - probably going to switch to g.skill kits soon). Or do you just prefer OCZ?
yw, I have used G.Skill memory before too for my desktop builds, their really good for overclocking and often have the lowest latency. For Desktop memory I would go with G.Skill, Corsair, Mushkin, or OCZ. For Power supplys you asked if Corsair makes good power supplys, yes they do, all their power supplys have 5 star ratings on newegg.com except for their 950W and 1000W power supplys. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ATCH&Description=corsair+power+supply&x=0&y=0
Yes, I love and only buy EVGA video cards. Basically, it simply comes down to how much you want to spend. Give me a price range and I'm sure I can find something for you.
I agree with everything Reinier said here, I have Corsair memory in this PC, G Skill in my HTPC and OCZ sitting on my shelf incase something bad happens. I don't like Mushkin as I had a double DOA incident with them which really turned me off. As for PSU, I can't say enough about Corsairs. I have a 650 and 800 right now in my two boxes and love them both. Not to mention they all have a standard 11 year warranty which is basically lifetime. Also, the newer Corsair PSUs don't make you use all the cables they have double male ends so you only have to put the lines in your box that you're going to use, which is a dream for cable management (and pc heat). Corsair also has (in my opinion) the best case on the market right now.
Ill throw a few words in here being that this is what i do for a living now ... I always recommend corsair or OCZ psu's when ever someone is doing a build ... they are the best we have to offer and the best you can get ... great product and very reliable as for video cards all of us BUT 1 in the entire store like nvidia cards not because of performance but because of the way they look in games and the driver support is much greater. As for a build I am a loyal Evga graphics card buyer ... last 3 cards have been from EVGA and there customer support is second to non ... id say corsair and EVGA F T W!!!