I am considering building a new rig; this is my first time building a PC. I know the focus is on PS3/Xbox/Wii, but hopefully some people here have built PC's.... Mor maybe? Anyway, I am torn between the ASUS P6T and EVGA SLI 3x motherboards. I know both boards have their fanboys. I have heard that ASUS is infamous for having DOA boards, but they have a good BIOS. I also heard that EVGA's support is outstanding. These are the two boards: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B001NZSAO4/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance"]Amazon.com: Asus P6T Core i7 / Intel X58/ DDR3/ CrossFireX & SLI/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard: Electronics[/ame] [ame="http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-132-BL-E758-A1-Motherboard-Tri-Channel-Utility/dp/B001KX8VES/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267824985&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 X58 3-Way SLI Core i7 Motherboard with Tri-Channel DDR3 and Tuning Utility: Electronics[/ame] Other stuff: Case - [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Guardian-921-Power-Crafted-Chassis/dp/B001E1D5XI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267825037&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: NZXT Guardian 921 No Power Crafted Series Mid Tower Steel Chassis (Black): Electronics[/ame] Memory - [ame="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B001IT4BWA/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance"]Amazon.com: OCZ OCZ3G1600LV6GK DDR3 PC3-12800 1600 MHz Gold XTC 6GB Triple Channel Kits: Electronics[/ame] Video Card: [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Visiontek-Radeon-HD5850-Express-900297/dp/B002QEBGGA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267825154&sr=1-2 or http://www.amazon.com/XFX-RADEON-5870-Express-HD587AZNF9/dp/B002Q5V704/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267825181&sr=1-2[/ame] Which motherboard would you recommend?
Total cost is going to be around 1200/1300 dollars depending on what I get. Equivalent brand PC would be $2500+. Core i7 920 is $270 and is highly overclockable. Plus I have my own copy of Windows 7 Ultimate. Another. 200. dollars. saved.
I built my Rig three years ago (1200$) and have upgraded the video card once (DDO fried the origional) just finished ME2 with all the goodies turned on..methinks you could build a good one for that price.
If Asus has ever had a problem with DOA motherboards, I haven't heard about it, or they've rectified the issue. I've got an Asus PQ6 Pro and the thing is rock-solid. Don't shy away from that brand, they're one of the best. As for SLI, you only need that feature if you plan on getting multiple Nvidia cards. In most instances, multi-GPU setups are just wastes of money, not to mention that you have to deal with microstuttering. For $1000, I would imagine you can get a Core i7-860, a mid-level motherboard, a Radeon 5850 or 5870, and sufficient amounts of RAM (3x2GB). If you want to save a few bucks, go with a Core i5 instead of a Core i7; the only differences between the i5 and i7 is price and Hyperthreading. Don't forget an aftermarket CPU heatsink, too.
Right now I am slightly favoring the ASUS board. It is cheaper and seems to be more highly regarded by tech sites than the EVGA board. I probably am not planning to use crossfire now. Maybe in the future. The rest of what you mention is basically what I had in mind. In terms of memory, is corsair really worth the extra money compared to a brand like OCZ?? Speaking of heatsink, have you heard anything about the Corsair H50 cooling system? I heard good things about it. As for the processor, I am willing to spend a little more for the Socket 1366 processors, which intel is going to use for their future chips (6 core). Spending $1200-1400 on a high quality components IMO will last far longer than any OEM that is in the market.
No. RAM is generally fungible. You only need to pay a premium if you plan on hardcore overclocking. I've got 4GB of G.SKILL DDR2 in my Core 2 Quad build, it works fine. (I've got the Q6600 overclocked from 2.4GHz to 3.6GHz.) Water cooling is unnecessarily expensive and complex. Just get a large HSF combination, like the Thermalright TRUE or something similar. I have a Xigmatek HDT-S1283. I'd still stick with the i7-860, but it's your build. My rule of thumb is that CPUs and motherboards get upgraded as a pair.
Thanks for the advise Desides. I may be looking into the AMD Phenom V2 x4 processor as well. Either way, whether I use any of the processors, this computer should last.
I've used Asus MB's to build rigs for many years and never had a single issue. Maybe I've just been lucky but their boards have always been tank tough and put up with a lot of abuse from me. You might want to check newegg.com as an alternate source. Sometimes they have a better price than amazon and often get it to you faster.
I'm a little bias since I only buy EVGA MB & GFX cards. I have an i7 920 D0, EVGA 285 FTW and the exact MB you listed. I recommended it to all my friends. I have a buddy that has the exact hardware as I except he does watercooling while I don't. We both OC'd our CPU's to 4.0 & never ran into issues. The reason why we went EVGA besides having great previous experience with them is because their products are for highly OCable & have great CS support.
Great advice guys. I suppose I couldn't go wrong with any of the MOBO brands now. Any of you guys have experience with Gigabyte boards?
Gigabyte is aimed more at the middle and budget tiers, but their products are GREAT. Can't go wrong with them.
They definitely look solid. If I go Gigabyte, I think I may go with this one then: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B001KAFRCK/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance"]Amazon.com: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 Motherboard: Electronics[/ame] Has everything I want, and looks like a solid build.
i have a phenom 2 x4 945. works great but gets hot often. idles at 41 C ish on a stock heat sink / fan. for a gaming rig, i have it with 8 gigs of ram and a 5770. mw2 runs maxed out and cryisis is on "gamer settings" at 1920 x 1080. tbh, you can probably put together a machine for a lot closer to $500 - $600.
For a cooling fan, I am looking at the Noctua fans. They seem to get rave reviews from tech websites. I at first got the ThermalTake SpinQ, but the reviews were mediocre at best.
Desides I took your advice and went with something by Thermalright. http://www.ultimatepccooling.com/thul120ex13r.html This one has consistantly got rave reviews from people.
Good choice. That's a nice one. Don't forget to get some good thermal paste for use in applying that onto your CPU. Arctic Silver 5 is good stuff.
It took me 7 hours to build my computer, and it POSTed the FIRST time I turned it on! Not bad for a first time builder. I have the OS and everything installed. I will have pictures soon.
Nice man, good job! Go get ARMA 2 and see if it can be run on full everything. That is the best benchmark out there now I'd say. Until CryEngine3 comes out. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Kvl31g77Z8"]YouTube- CryEngine 3 Beauty Speed Interaction Trailer [HD][/ame]
