OK so I am building a new gaming rig. It is going to be pretty high end and I have been researching and looking for the past 6 months. Here is the build I am looking at (with prices, I'll follow up with some questions): Thermaltake SwordM VD5000BNA Black/ Silver Aluminum Extrusion ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail 319.99 *MSI NF980-G65 AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail 159.99 **2 x BFG Tech BFGEGTX2851024OCBE GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail 779.98 Antec TPQ-1200 1200W Continuous Power with PowerCache Technology SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular ... - Retail 279.99 ICY DOCK MB882SP-1S-1B 2.5" to 3.5" SSD & SATA Hard Drive Converter - Black - Retail 19.99 AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ965FBGMBOX - Retail 179.99 CORSAIR DOMINATOR 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMD8GX3M4A1600C8 - Retail 297.99 Corsair P128 CMFSSD-128GBG2D 2.5" 128GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Retail 355.00 Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive 99.00 LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM 26.99 Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM 139.99 Total Price: $2,656.89 Questions - Updated - Probably going to be ordering this weekend so any more tips/comments would be appreciated! By the way whenever I do build it I will be taking (and posting) many pics. Questions/Comments?
As for triple SLI, not really needed, especially with the powerhouse cards you have. Unless you are trying to set cool benchmarks in some club, SLI is plenty (and overkill for most). Not understanding why you'd get a SSD HD and a Velociraptor. You are gonna boot off your SSD, not a whole lot of benefit to spending the extra bucks on the Raptor. You can save a buttload by going with a decent 1TB solution or hell can even save going with RAID and a couple 500s. I don't know, I'd either spend the cash on SSD or Raptor, not both. Take the money you save by pulling th Raptor and buy and 80G SSD and boot all your essentials from it.
I agree with what is said above ... stick with just 2x sli no need to get that crazy unless you are tryin to benchmark something also agree with getting the 80 gig SSD and then get the Western Digital Black 1tb drive ... we sell em at work for 100 bucks so im sure newegg is about the same price with that 80 gig u throw on your OS and 1 or two games you play alot and everything else on the black drive wam bam thank you maam
Thanks for the answers. I am going to get a 128gb ssd and a 1tb storage drive. And only 2 285's. Do you think the memory is OK - It says that the memory is "quad channel kit" but that mobo says "dual channel". Will there be an issue with me using that memory in this mobo? memory link - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145267 mobo link - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130236
Nevermind about the memory. I think it will work. "quad channel kit" means 4 memory modules. So I think it will work well.
I am extremely confused by this build. I'll just start off with a couple questions. What liquid cooling system are you planning on putting in this case? If you're going extremely high end with your cards/ram/drives why are you going low on your mobo? Gigabyte has some awesome Sata 6.0 / USB 3.0 boards out for AMD now, I don't think Asus has any yet, but I haven't looked. You may want to spend the extra money and upgrade the DVD-RW to a Blu-Ray(R) / DVD-RW, for an extra 50 bucks you'll get your money's worth. What games/apps are you running that you'll need 2(3)x 285's to get optimal performance? 1200W PSU? Really? If you're going to go with something that big that will last you a VERY VERY long time, get a Corsair. >100,000 hours uptime (Corsair) vs 5 Year (Antec) warranty is a pretty simple choice. Not to mention the new models don't force you to have every stupid cable connected at once. LINK Anyhow, I have to run out for the day, I'll take some more time to look over it tonight.
The Case is a good case not just for liquid cooling. I want a big beefy case that is going to last and still be aluminum. it looks like this case will be easy to work on due to the back being open and the many easy access points. I was looking at the corsair PSU at first. Antec is a PSU staple, so I'm not worried about it dieing and it's 1200w. I've had Antec PSU's in my PC for the past 8ish years. It is also modular just like the corsair PSU. And it has 6 12v rails vs the corsair's 2 12v rails. As far as the other question about why this somewhat crappy MSI board (compared to the new hotness with USB 3.0 etc.) I am going with Nvidia video cards (3xsli possible) with an AMD proc. because I don't like Intel proc's. This is the only 980a board on newegg at the moment. So my options are limited. I mean if i wanted to up the price to 3500ish I could go to one of those sweet new Mobos with an Intel chip but I think this build is good for the monster PC I'm looking for. I have little interest in burning bluerays and I have a ps3 to view bluerays on my big screen. If i see a need in the future I will just shell out w/e it is for a blueray burner at that time, for now I think a DVD burner is sufficient. I'm basically hoping to use this computer for the next 2+ years without adding anything significant. Playing any new games that will be coming out then. Thanks for the great questions/tips Vandiego.
I just replaced my old thermaltake armor with the R2 from fractal, after a few years with a hulking case I'm apprecating the smaller design an better sound insulation it has.
Oh, one more thing. I don't see an aftermarket CPU cooler. NOw, the cooler that comes with your chip is fine for most apps, but if you plan on stressing the CPU a little more by running multiple apps (games, vent, chats, browser), I'd upgrade to a decent cooler. ANd get some good thermal paste. Decent coolers can be found starting in the 30 dollar range and going up from there. Anyway, I envy you building this box. I love to tinker with hardware. I replaced my love of working on cars with working on comps now that you can't much touch a car motor without 20K worth of 'specialized' bullshit tools. But I digress........
I totally understand wanting to have a beast by your feet, it's just this is a sexy sexy sexy case to run radiator in, hell that's what it's designed for, although I think the hydraulics are a bit much. Did you run a power consumption test on your proposed rig to see how much juice you're going to need? 1200w is gonna put a hefty dent in your power bill (not that a 1k would be much better). I was making this statement more so for the Sata 6.0 instead of the USB 3.0 (although USB 3.0 is just fast as hell). Granted Sata 6.0 SSD's are still quite new and super expensive, but they should drop fairly quickly once more come to market. This is basically me being naive and assuming everyone uses their PC as the brains of their house like I do. I have all my media stored on my system so I need the blu-ray for "back-up" purposes. The only other question I have is why Tri-Sli? I never really understood people's fascination with it. What I'm getting at is, instead of dropping $750 on your GPUs. Why not just get one and see how it fairs with your Mark3D test, if it isn't up to snuff, then add a second card? ---------------------------------------------- Someone get grandpa his prune juice. I have to agree with Seven on this one, if you do decide to go Tri-Sli without using a radiator to keep your box cool, you're going to be putting of a TON of heat in a very small area. It may not be egg frying hot but if your cards are sitting just above your PSU which will be putting off a lot of heat (even if it has a bottom panel exhaust), it's going to get pretty toasty in there. I'd fill every 120mm slot you can in that thing, it may get a bit loud but it's better than smelling sulfur. Just remember to turn the fans on the top to exhaust if they don't come stock.
Great info Vandiego! Thanks. Yeah I'm going to be getting a Zalman beefy proc fan thing. Link Also, im doing dual SLI not tri-sli. Tri is a little overkill at the moment. I was looking at that Corsair liquid CPU cooler. I am not going to be OCing at all so do you guys think this zalman cooler is good enough?
If I remember right, your door is designed for 2 120mm fans, if those don't come stock (I think there's 2 models one for LC one not, and I believe the LC one comes stock) you can just turn both of those on your GPUs and that should be enough to keep them cool, so long as you have the top set for exhaust. If you're a smoker, I'd definitely suggest putting dryer sheets between the door and fans as you don't want to get any ash in your box. Edit: I have the Zalman in the box I use for gaming now, beefy doesn't really do it justice as it's fucking huge. My only suggestion is be careful if your RAM slots are really close to your CPU tray you may be touching with the fan. It is BIG.
Most default coolers aren't that great, its better just to buy one. I never have bought an after-market cooler, my default ones have been fine, but I don't have cooling problems, nor do I O/C a lot - yet you can get some pretty bad "standard" coolers when you grab a CPU though.
Just let me get my walker lubed up and I'll show you a good ol' fashioned grandpa ass-whippin'!!! Now really, someone get me my prune juice, I ain't had a movement in a week!!!!
Man, I really miss chattin' with you 7. That Zalman is great, I ordered it when I built a friend of mine's PC and it worked just fine, you should be good to go. Good luck ordering! Wish I had some money to drop on my now-2-year-old-box.
Thanks Sogetsu... Looks like it'll be shipping out on Monday and I should have the pieces later on in the week. I'll keep you guys updated.
A little late, but that Zalman 9900 is very nice for the price. It was one of the top coolers of its type when it first appeared and still has class leading cooling/price ratio. Very good choice. I have the Zalman 7700 (very old) on my ancient gaming box and it hasn't ever even whimpered. I OC my AMD 4400 by 15-18% regularly and it keeps it frosty. Good Luck!!!!!