BleepingComputer.com: First build need advice

Let me know what you guys think, this is my first build trying to keep under a thousand i already have the OS. I plan on overclocking only the CPU. not sure if there is any other fans or heat sinks i would need. The computer will be used for gaming, programming, and picture and video editing. Everything will be running on a 24 or 25inch monitor. Also the computer I need it to last at least 2 years. Thanks for the help

LG 22X DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model GH22LS50 LightScribe Support
$30.99

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$99.99

Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5
$84.99

HIS H577F1GDG Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
$174.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
$109.99

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
$6.99

OCZ Obsidian 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model OCZ3OB1600LV4GK
$78.99

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD6 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard w/ USB 3.0 & SATA 6 Gb/s
$249.99


Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860
$289.99

Total price 1,126

Don't get thermal compound. There is a thermal pad already applied to the stock HSF. Adding thermal compound on top of this will cause it to act as an insulator, which will fry your CPU.
If you want to use a different heatsink, I recommend you get the ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro and use OCZ Freeze. Arctic Silver is all hype.

I would recommend you go AMD. The Phenom II 965 matches the performance of the high-end Intel processors.
The GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P is a great motherboard with which to use this processor. It uses DDR2 so you would need to get different memory. The OCZ Gold 8GB memory is very good.

750W is probably overkill. 650W should be enough, even for crossfire. Look at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817139005

With those changes, you will get better performance for less.

This post has been edited by RainbowSix: 08 November 2009 - 08:10 PM

Given what you are going to be doing with this PC, I suggest maxing out the RAM with three of those kits. You also don't need any thermal compound since it comes with the CPU. That is, unless you already have an aftermarket cooler and you are buying the compound to reapply. If you're into high-end gaming, you may want to consider the Radeon HD 58xx series but the 5770 would be able to handle most things thrown at it well. I also don't suggest getting one massive drive to put everything on. Typically, I would get a single 500GB drive to contain the OS and applications and buy a 750GB drive to contain my media and other data files. Finally, be aware that the mid-tower cases may not handle the large graphics cards and could cause heating issues if they are used in a multi-GPU configuration. Other than these few things to consider, that is a solid setup. Having looked at the benchmarks for the i7 CPU you chose, it will slightly outperform the Phenom II however, the Phenom II is cheaper so you would be able to afford a few more bells and whistles like more RAM or a better GPU. If you do go for the AMD setup, go for one that is AM3 only. It uses DDR3 and isn't being phased out like the AM2/AM2+ boards are.

This post has been edited by DJBPace07: 08 November 2009 - 08:03 PM

Hey man, here's the build I made for under $1000. It has a good CPU cooler in there for your overclocking needs, and supports the 1156 socket too!
Edit: You could actually reduce the PSU to maybe a 500 Watt one and put the extra money towards more RAM, for your video/pic editing that might be very useful to you.
Changing the PSU to this and changing the RAM quantity to x2 for a total of 8GB the total cost $980.

This post has been edited by IrishGrimReaper: 08 November 2009 - 08:49 PM

Looking over IrishGrimReaper's build....

That looks fine though you don't need any thermal compound since it comes with the heatsink (stock or aftermarket). A high-end aftermarket heatsink generally isn't required unless you are overclocking. Stock or an inexpensive aftermarket cooler will do well under standard conditions. The initial build also has X2 memory since that socket doesn't use triple channel. I do prefer the original motherboard the OP selected since it has six RAM slots under a dual channel configuration. The CPU chosen by the OP was also better. With the 5770, a 450W PSU is required, however, having 550W PSU or larger is preferred for an extra margin.

thanks guys for the fast replies, The reason why i went with single hard drive I can always add when i need and i have 1Tb external hard drive for media. i don't have any aftermarket coolers, basically I can't reuse anything from my old computer its P4 2.2 ghz with 512 ram its like 5 or 6 years old. I'm just looking for something I can use maybe for 6 months and can handle anything like games, Adobe suite etc. I can always change the video card later or add another one. I will prob most likely be running win 7 ultimate of course 64bit edition... If you guys can post any good builds that can be upgradeable if needed. Thanks again

There's nothing wrong with the upgradability on that, that CPU should last a good few years and the GPU is as easy to change as take out the old one and pop in a new one. The reason I put AS5 in there is cause he intends to overclock, it probably won't make much of a difference maybe 2 or 3 degress, but when it comes to OC'ing every little thing to reduce temps will help! I also use that paste on my CPU cooler, not like $7 is gonna kill someone.

Quote

I think an i7 rig under $1000 is really pushing it. But I'll have a look and see if it's possible(don't think so though). That said though, the i5 is a great CPU nonetheless. The problem I have with that particular i7 model is that it's 1156 socket, and when the new i9 CPU comes out next year or so I think, it will be for 1366 socket only. And existing 1366 socket mobos will only need a mere BIOS update to support it. Which is great, cause no need for a mobo change.

Ok I managed to pull it off, the CPU cooler is a great budget cooler but the one I have is better ;) the GPU isn't as good and there's slightly less HDD space and a slower HDD(but not too bad). And the case had to go aswell, the Antec 300 rocks for it's price though. The mobo isn't great either, doesn't seem the best overclcoker but for under 1000 cuts had to be made hehe, I could change the mobo to a more expensive better one but the GPU would have to be changed and I don't think it's worth changing, you should just try OC with that mobo. The i7 920 is a great CPU, and the OC potential is brilliant, you can see my specs and I have mine at 3.9 stable, it can go to 4ghz but that's the max it'll hit on air for me. But that's an impressive OC by itself, I really think 3.6 is definitely doable for you though.

This post has been edited by IrishGrimReaper: 09 November 2009 - 06:55 PM

Would that 500 watt psu unit be enough to crossfire or sli?

Probably not. Here's a better one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817341018

Let me know if this is decent? Trying order by the end of the week. Also is there a way to save some money using amd processor and mobo and will this current case be able handle more than one graphics card, would there be enough room. Thanks guys for the help sorry want do it right the first time.

Eshlil, on Nov 10 2009, 01:34 AM, said:

It looks great!

The case can handle sli/CF but it's gonna be an incredibly tight fit ;)

To go cheaper and use AMD, I don't see why not go with the i5 I suggested instead. AMD hasn't got a cpu as good as the i5 or i7. The closest thing is the Phenom II x4 series CPU's. And for them you can get that i5 up there for around the same price.

If you want to go with sli/CF in the future I suggest you invest in a full tower now, the Coolermaster HAF is a good one and the Cosmos is nice too.
Cosmos
Full tower version HAF

The Cosmos is aluminium so it's more expensive. Here's some cheaper suggestions.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811103011
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811124121 - I do really like this one, Enermax are great, and it's lightweight case too!

Edit: Did a quick check there. here's 2 builds. And the i7 one up there aswell.
On this first i5 rig you'll need to change the cooler to this, as far as I'm aware unless there's a mounting kit somewhere it doesn't support socket 1156. but this here does, it's currently out of stock though and costs pretty much the same.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...3-065-_-Product

This post has been edited by IrishGrimReaper: 09 November 2009 - 09:43 PM

Yes, you sure can save money using AMD. The Phenom II x4 965 outperforms some of the i7 processors.
Phenom II 965 3.4GHz
GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P

I would recommend using OCZ freeze instead of arctic silver 5.

This post has been edited by RainbowSix: 09 November 2009 - 09:37 PM

RainbowSix, on Nov 10 2009, 02:32 AM, said:

Pretty much every test I seen the i7 won the majority. And also the i5 aswell. And for been priced the same really the i5 is better.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overcl...om-ii,2119.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/phenom...us-i7,2360.html

http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=794&page=1 this one is in favour of AMD at the end considering it's cheaper so you have more money for something else.
But for the same price the i5 is better than the PIIx4.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/819/1

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-de...1.0.3,1402.html
The Phenom II 965 came in third place with GTA4

The PII 965 does even better on this test! than the i7 920.

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-de...0.0.5,1403.html