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?
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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.
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920 overclocked is what I did.... with an HD5970 (heavy as ****)
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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.Dolphin1184 likes this. -
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.Dolphin1184 likes this. -
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.Dolphin1184 likes this. -
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.Dolphin1184 likes this. -
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?
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Gigabyte is aimed more at the middle and budget tiers, but their products are GREAT. Can't go wrong with them.Dolphin1184 likes this.
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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.
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I ended up ordering the Gigabyte board. Thanks for the help guys.
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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.
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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.
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I got some OCZ freeze extreme thermal compound. Now I just have to wait for my other stuff.
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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.
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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]