# I want to Build my Own Pc but I Need A LOT of Help



## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Alright I don't know why i'm nervous asking. I know that someone who knows nothing about pc's shouldn't be building their own pc but I don't trust that i'll get something great that'll last me for years to come. I don't plan to upgrade much of anything after this build. I have so many questions and need a lot of suggestions and info. Hopefully you guys can help. I sort of want to future proof my pc though I know it's not possible. It'll probably take me 3-4 months to get all the funds together but i'm looking to spend between $1,200 - $1,500 MAX. Hopefully less. Now I know it sounds funny but I watched how to build your own pc on youtube and the basic put together seem easy enough. Read manual and follow instructions on where to plug what where. 

After that though do I just simply turn it on and install a OS? I would stick with something familiar like XP but that's probably not possible so... I could just get windows seven or something right? What's the difference (obviously twice as many) between 64bit and 32 bit OS? Will my xp32 bit software be able to work on 64 bit? Should I just stick with 32 bit?

Here are some parts i'm looking at. I need to know if everything will fit easy or are they compatible?

Case
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0026FCI2U/?tag=tec06d-20

Do fans come with it or do I have to buy my own?

Motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0034CSTFY/?tag=tec06d-20

Does this board support pci-e 2.0? How much ram does this support? (5,6,8GB?) does it have a HD audio sound card? Do I have to buy my own sound card? Will that mobo fit in that case? what exactly is a gigabit board and how is it better? Does it support DDR5? It says it supports processors up to 6 cores....


Processor
I need help finding at least a quad core processor that's compatible with the board. Where do I get the glue for cooling or whatever that  you're supposed to put on the chip? Does it come with it or the fan the comes with the processor will be all I need?

Graphics Card(s)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EEMFTI/?tag=tec06d-20

or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0034JLTNG/?tag=tec06d-20

What's the benefit of having two graphics cards? Can I use my nvidia 9400GT or should i get one of these newer ones?

Drives
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0037FSYQC/?tag=tec06d-20

and or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0046K062C/?tag=tec06d-20

HDD (2x)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZCXK0I/?tag=tec06d-20

Ram
I know crucial site can tell me what's compatible but I think they only scan your pc and since I won't have it up and running I would need ram first. So info on compatible ram is needed as well.

capture card (not priority)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002SQE1O0/?tag=tec06d-20


What else will I need. Power supply? I know this is asking a whole lot and taking up everyone's time but I'd just really like to have a really good pc now and be done with needing to upgrade for years. At least I'd be done upgrading for years is what I mean. Help is appreciated.


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## Red_Machine (Dec 17, 2010)

I wouldn't buy from Amazon, personally.  You're in the States, so I'd reccommend Newegg.


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## brandonwh64 (Dec 17, 2010)

Ok you live in the US correct if so, use newegg cause you can usaully get combined shipping and combo prices.

http://www.newegg.com


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

If you guys suggest newegg (which I've heard alot researching) then I'll use them. I know i'm asking a lot of questions so I'll be patient waiting for answers.


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## brandonwh64 (Dec 17, 2010)

Yes use them. also what are you using this computer for and what do you prefer intel or AMD?


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

brandonwh64 said:


> Yes use them. also what are you using this computer for and what do you prefer intel or AMD?



Intel or AmD? Honestly I have no idea. I would just go with intel because based on their listing they label what core is what. I just need something that's fast and is compatible with the motherboard. That suggestion I leave up to you guys.

I mostly wanted to watch hd video and edit hd video. Have multiple programs run at once. Does more ram and a multi-core cpu make saving video faster? I also might want to try some old games at some point. I do not intend to upgrade yearly for playing games. Mainly i'll be video editing, watching and burning movies and using the net.


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## brandonwh64 (Dec 17, 2010)

Im not a fan boy but it comes down to power and an intel system is very powerful even a an I5 750 gets over the Phenom II quads. I know other people will voice there opinion but i would go either P55 I7 860 or X58 I7 930 or 950.

only issue is that sandy bridge will be released here soon so its up to you if you want to wait or pickup a fast intel now


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## Munki (Dec 17, 2010)

man, most of us live here. lol ask questions you shall receive answers. 

hehe, missed an entire post. SO yes now I totally agree with an I5/I7.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

brandonwh64 said:


> Im not a fan boy but it comes down to power and an intel system is very powerful even a an I5 750 gets over the Phenom II quads. I know other people will voice there opinion but i would go either P55 I7 860 or X58 I7 930 or 950.
> 
> only issue is that sandy bridge will be released here soon so its up to you if you want to wait or pickup a fast intel now



Okay i'm going to look for info on those and see what fits in budget. I just got a message from another user 'TheMailMan78' who also suggested getting an i7 or amd for 6 cores.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Munki said:


> man, most of us live here. lol ask questions you shall receive answers.
> 
> I agree with Brandon with the intel chip, but I would consider what your going to be doing with the pc that would be the normal determining factor with me.
> 
> Whats going to be this pc's main purpose?



editing, converting and watching high quality video. surfing the net, music, pics. Basically home entertainment. Maybe some games at some point.


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## cdawall (Dec 17, 2010)

Amd phenom x6 1055t
2x4gb ram
890fx (biostar makes a nice one)
Corsair psu
Samsung/seagate hdd
Case is a personal preference thing
Video card...6850 or 5850 

That should be under 1200 by a very good bit


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## brandonwh64 (Dec 17, 2010)

This is my recommendation for you

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=14696145


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## Red_Machine (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> Okay i'm going to look for info on those and see what fits in budget. I just got a message from another user 'TheMailMan78' who also suggested getting an i7 or amd for 6 cores.



Wait, he reccommended BOTH Intel and AMD?:shadedshu


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Red_Machine said:


> Wait, he reccommended BOTH Intel and AMD?:shadedshu



I'll just post what he said
---------------------------------
The MailMan78

"Ok man normally I would post in your thread but I am serving a short ban right now. Anyway feel free to post anything I say in the thread if you want so you know I ain't screwing with ya

Ok....

Case: Great! I own one. I've owned a bunch of cases and for the money its awesome.

Board: Looks pretty good. However If you use an Nvidia card you'll never be able to do SLI. I would look for an x58 chip-set. This way you can do both if you wish later on.

GPU: Go with the 470. However if I was in your shoes I would get a 570.

Optical Drives: Just get the cheapest. They really don't matter all that much.

HD: I wouldn't go with WD greens. If you are going to use a standard WD drive then get WD Blacks. Much faster.

RAM: Depends on the board you get. I am not a big fan of Corsair. I would stick with G.Skill and Patriot.

CPU: If you are going Intel and only doing gaming then go with the i5. If you want more beef then go with the i7. With that being said and you think you might want to go 6 core then AMD is the cheaper solution. Just keep in mind that you wont be able to do AMD on an x58 board.

PSU: Man you didn't mention this so I KNOW you are new. Listen this is the MOST IMPORTANT thing in any rig. DO NOT GO CHEAP. Get one of the following brands. Enermax, Corsair, Antec. "


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## Fourstaff (Dec 17, 2010)

Red_Machine said:


> Wait, he reccommended BOTH Intel and AMD?:shadedshu



Its TheMailMan we are talking about. 

Personally, I would wait for Sandy Bridge (new Intel chips), but if you can't wait, your choices will be determined by what programs you use. 

If its gaming, then its probably going to be i7 9xx based, or i5 760 based. However, if you do other things more heavily such as encoding videos and stuff like that, then it will most likely be an AMD 10xxT based build.

Aad +1 to psu advice, get something quality if you dont want to turn your new shiny rig into fireworks. something along the lines of 500-600w is enough for 1 graphics card, about 800w for 2.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

brandonwh64 said:


> This is my recommendation for you
> 
> https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=14696145



It won't let me see it. Anyway I can get a picture or just the name of the list if it's public so I can search for it? 

BTW does the motherboard support ddr5? my current is ddr and can't upgrade so I want ddr5 since the graphics cards I posted are for ddr5.


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## Red_Machine (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> Board: Looks pretty good. However If you use an Nvidia card you'll never be able to do SLI. I would look for an x58 chip-set. This way you can do both if you wish later on.



Not true.  It requires a small hack, but can be done fairly easily.


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## brandonwh64 (Dec 17, 2010)

There is no such ram as DDR5 on a motherboard, only GDDR5 on video card

DDR3 is what were up to now


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## JrRacinFan (Dec 17, 2010)

cdawall said:


> Amd phenom x6 1055t
> 2x4gb ram
> 890fx (biostar makes a nice one)
> Corsair psu
> ...



Good recommendation.



brandonwh64 said:


> This is my recommendation for you
> 
> https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=14696145



Your wish list is empty or you didn't make it public.

Here's mine:
Newegg.com Account Login Page


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## Red_Machine (Dec 17, 2010)

cdawall said:


> Amd phenom x6 1055t
> 2x4gb ram
> 890fx (biostar makes a nice one)
> Corsair psu
> ...



Don't just reccommend AMD, perhaps the OP doesn't want driver issues.  nVidia cards are superior now, tho they are more expensive.  I'd say a GTX 460 minimum, and the HD5800 series is still good and going down in price.


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## brandonwh64 (Dec 17, 2010)

Maybe this helps


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Phew okay i'm trying to keep up 

Just posting TheMailman78 picture he sent me






Now to look at all of your suggestions. And no need to answer about the power supply being psu (smacks forehead) nor the sound card (already on motherboard).


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## brandonwh64 (Dec 17, 2010)

Similar to mine i posted but different motherboard and case.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

brandonwh64 said:


> There is no such ram as DDR5 on a motherboard, only GDDR5 on video card
> 
> DDR3 is what were up to now



Thank you for clearing that up. Sorry about the dumb question.


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## Josh154 (Dec 17, 2010)

Hey man! It can be a bit nervous building your own PC for the very first time. I built my first this spring when i was 15, and although it had some very good components it also had some very poor components. My budget was less than half of yours though so with a budget like your's you can build a VERY VERY good computer. Shoot it's even better than my current build what you can get!

You say you want to watch and encode HD video? I'd say a i7 with your budget would be great  Ill throw together a parts list here quick for you.

Processor-Intel core i7 950

Motherboard-EVGA X58 SLI 

RAM-Mushkin Blackline 3x2gb CL8 DDR3 1600mhz

GPU-Evga gtx 570 

Case-CoolerMaster HAF 932

HDD-Samsung spinpoint f3 1tb

PSU-Corsair HX 750w

DVD burner-Asus Sata DVD burner

OS-Windows 7 home premium 64-bit
Total price so far $1466.91, now if you wan't to overclock that chip your going to need a better heat sink fan for the CPU.

Best cpu heat sink fan for the money!

You will then need some thermal paste to go between the processor and heat sink.

This thermal paste is starting to take over

Total price shipped will probably be about $1530 max. I know it's $30 over your budget but this is all high quality components and this build will last you a long time and not age quickly.


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## PaulieG (Dec 17, 2010)

You can't go wrong with Brandon's, MM's, or CDA's suggestions. I've have many current generation chips and boards, and for most anything you do, both platforms will serve you well. If I have one opinion, it's on the board. I've owned probably 14 different Intel 1366 and 1156 boards over the last  2 years, and I can say that Gigabyte boards have been the best by far in terms of performance and reliability. With AMD, I would recommend Asus first, then Gigabyte and Biostar. If I had to pick a configuration for you, I'd probably offer something very close to Brandon's, though I'd add an SSD for a boot drive, and to save a little cash I'd go with a gtx 460. That's just me though, as I'm not an avid gamer.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

so i like the 

i7 950 processor
both cases look great to me
ddr3 3 x 2g ram
I think I should go with the 850w psu
as for graphics card i'll stick with the one from amazon it's about the same but $120 cheaper.
also i'll stick with the pioneer bluray drive i found on amazon
I think i'll get a 500GB HDD for my main HD. Might be more stable than a 1TB.

as for OS. Shoud I get windows 7? Does the cooling gel for the processor come with it? Do I even need it? Can i get that at newegg if so? Should I also buy the wrist band grounding clip for static?


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## PaulieG (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> so i like the
> 
> i7 950 processor
> both cases look great to me
> ...



Windows 7, without question. Get some good quality thermal paste. It will help keep temps down. You may want to consider an aftermarket cooler too, if you ever want to overclock your cpu. No need for the antistatic band. Just make sure you work on a hard surface, and ground yourself by touching the case frame before working on the build. I've built nearly 500 systems, and never shorted out a board doing a build.


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## Josh154 (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> so i like the
> 
> i7 950 processor
> both cases look great to me
> ...



Look at my post.. You don't have to get the 932 if you don't want too.

The PSU i reccomended is a very good one. It's the HX series which is much better than the TX brandon suggested.

The GPU you found on amazon is already 1 generation old. A gtx 570 performs like a gtx 480 and uses less power and less heat.

A bluray drive isn't a bad idea. Just get it off newegg.

Just grab the 1tb drive if your doing a lot with video stuff. It take's up quite a bit of space eventually and you will want a 1tb. A 1tb drive will last you as long as a 500gb drive and their is no problems with stability.

Definitely go with windows 7. Xp is getting way out dated and you NEED a 64-bit version.

The stock intel heat sink fan comes with the core i7 as it is a retail version. These already come with pre applied thermal paste so no need for that. If you look at my post above though it will be very beneficial on thermal paste and a different CPU cooler.


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## PaulieG (Dec 17, 2010)

Josh154 said:


> Look at my post.. You don't have to get the 932 if you don't want too.
> 
> The PSU i reccomended is a very good one. It's the HX series which is much better than the TX brandon suggested.
> 
> ...



The only thing that makes the HX series "better" is the modular design. The circuitry is nearly identical. If modular cables are worth the $40 extra, then go for it. I personally like them, because you avoid having to tie back unneeded cables, and gives you more room inside of your rig, but some would argue that that a modular design can create some power stability issues.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Josh154 said:


> Hey man! It can be a bit nervous building your own PC for the very first time. I built my first this spring when i was 15, and although it had some very good components it also had some very poor components. My budget was less than half of yours though so with a budget like your's you can build a VERY VERY good computer. Shoot it's even better than my current build what you can get!
> 
> You say you want to watch and encode HD video? I'd say a i7 with your budget would be great  Ill throw together a parts list here quick for you.
> 
> ...



Thank you. Wow where do I start. Okay you guys love that graphics card haha. But i'm going with something cheaper. The windows 64 bit. will all the software i've downloaded for windows xp work on w7 64bit? I see that's OEM and quite a bit cheaper than the regular price. Exactly what does it lack? I don't know how to overclock and won't go there. I don't want to make my system unstable. As for the drive i'm going with a blu-ray/dvd/cd one. Are you guys sure I should go with a 800w psu? I like the board too but the gigabyte has my eye.


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## Red_Machine (Dec 17, 2010)

As long as the software is fully coded in 32-bit (99.9% of stuff this decade was), you'll be fine with 64-bit.  OEM is no different from retail, except you don't get a box.


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## Josh154 (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> Thank you. Wow where do I start. Okay you guys love that graphics card haha. But i'm going with something cheaper. The windows 64 bit. will all the software i've downloaded for windows xp work on w7 64bit? I see that's OEM and quite a bit cheaper than the regular price. Exactly what does it lack? I don't know how to overclock and won't go there. I don't want to make my system unstable. As for the drive i'm going with a blu-ray/dvd/cd one. Are you guys sure I should go with a 800w psu? I like the board too but the gigabyte has my eye.



Yeah, go for that gigabyte board then. Here is another good gigabyte board that's cheaper. The gtx 470 isn't a bad card either so go for that if that's all your budget can reach. Overclocking isn't hard at all and im sure after you get the rig you will want to OC it as their is a huge performance benefit.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Josh154 said:


> Look at my post.. You don't have to get the 932 if you don't want too.
> 
> The PSU i reccomended is a very good one. It's the HX series which is much better than the TX brandon suggested.
> 
> ...



Thank you so much josh. This is a big help. I'll go with the psu you suggested. okay, it's Thermal Paste (cooling gel lol). 

But it's so much more. I definitely think about it if it's less power and less heat. Maybe by March, April it will have dropped slightly in price? Hopefully.


Sorry for the late post. Windows crashed and I had to start up again.


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## Josh154 (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> Thank you so much josh. This is a big help. I'll go with the psu you suggested. okay, it's Thermal Paste (cooling gel lol).
> 
> But it's so much more. I definitely think about it if it's less power and less heat. Maybe by March, April it will have dropped slightly in price? Hopefully.
> 
> ...



Yeah no problem man! If you see any helpful posts you can hit the thanks button in the bottom right of the post. So their has been alot of helpful post's in here that im sure people would appreciate if you thank'd them with the button 

Anyways yeah, it's up to you on the PSU. It's a modular PSU that you don't have all the extra bulk and cables that your not using and don't need to hide. Im currently running a modular PSU and im glad i am. All im using is 1 string of sata cables and 1 string of molex cables so those other strings would be getting in my way.

Weird i just had a problem with my m2000 and now all it's doing is loading windows and BSOD's


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Red_Machine said:


> As long as the software is fully coded in 32-bit (99.9% of stuff this decade was), you'll be fine with 64-bit.  OEM is no different from retail, except you don't get a box.



That's it. And I save about $100-$200? Hold on but does it also lack any documents or manual that I might want?


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## Beertintedgoggles (Dec 17, 2010)

Just a quick heads up, check to see if there is a Microcenter near you.  You can grab that i7 950 for $199 there: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0346210


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## PaulieG (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> That's it. And I save about $100-$200? Hold on but does it also lack any documents or manual that I might want?



You really don't need any doc for Win 7. If you really need to troubleshoot, google is your friend.


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## Josh154 (Dec 17, 2010)

Yep, i forgot to mention that! I'm taking a trip to texas after christmas and will be stopping at a micro center and picking up a 950 for that 200 deal!


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Beertintedgoggles said:


> Just a quick heads up, check to see if there is a Microcenter near you.  You can grab that i7 950 for $199 there: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0346210



Cool. I just checked and it looks like they just opened a store in Yonkers, NY. In the Bronx and I live in Queens. Though i've never been to the bronx I could probably have someone get it for me or maybe they'll ship it to me. That will probably be like a $80 savings. Thanks man. I may pick it up first next month if it's still the same price.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Silly Question but Why are the memory slots different colors on the gigabyte motherboard?


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## Josh154 (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> Silly Question but Why are the memory slots different colors on the gigabyte motherboard?



Just different color comobos compared to different other brands. Say there is 3 blue slots and 3 white slots all the blue slots is 1 channel and all white slots is another channel.


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## brandonwh64 (Dec 17, 2010)

Different channels

Make sure you get windows 7 x64 home or pro (ultimate is a waist for normal use)
x64 will let you use your 6gb of RAM


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## JrRacinFan (Dec 17, 2010)

Just trying to understand something:

Why not go with the Xeon I posted? 4core 8 threads just like your i7 950 and costs hundreds less to build, comes with a blu ray burner, not slacking in the graphics nor in the ram department. It isn't no slouch.

Newegg.com Account Login Page

LIAN LI Lancool PC-K56W Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic...

GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 USB 3.0 AT...

SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 ...

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready...

Intel Xeon X3440 Lynnfield 2.53GHz 8MB L3 Cache LG...

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 ...

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RP...

LITE-ON  12X  BD-R 2X  BD-RE 16X  DVD+R 12X  DVD-R...

Could even add an SSD or another 6850 to that.


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## brandonwh64 (Dec 17, 2010)

That is true the X3440 is a nasty chip! i have a X3430 (same as x3440 but without HT) and i wprime32 @ 7.9 sec and on my i7 its @ 6.7 sec, there very close in performance but with the extra HT it would run close to the I7 950


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## brandonwh64 (Dec 17, 2010)

OMG! Mushkins 2x2gb DDR3 1333mhz CL9 1.5V>>> 42$ shipped! 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146748

i see these chips doing 1600mhz 8-8-8-24 1.65v


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

JrRacinFan said:


> Just trying to understand something:
> 
> Why not go with the Xeon I posted? 4core 8 threads just like your i7 950 and costs hundreds less to build, comes with a blu ray burner, not slacking in the graphics nor in the ram department. It isn't no slouch.
> 
> ...



I like the graphics card. That board seems to have some features that the more expensive one doesn't but the GA-X58 says it's triple channel and has a higher memory capacity. Also it has support for a 6 core cpu if I ever wanted to upgrade mines in the future. 

Does that Blu-ray writer do double layer?


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## GSquadron (Dec 17, 2010)

Wait at least a month to get your hands to the new 1155 lgas from intel.
I heard that the mobos are already out to buy, but there are no processors


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## Black Haru (Dec 17, 2010)

Aleksander Dishnica said:


> Wait at least a month to get your hands to the new 1155 lgas from intel.
> I heard that the mobos are already out to buy, but there are no processors



I somewhat agree. since it is going to take you a few months to get the cash together, consult us again before you buy anything. 90% of what we recommended won't change, but (such as will likely be the case with Intel's new line) if by chance something better/cheaper has come around, then you don't want to regret getting a bad deal.


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## PaulieG (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> I like the graphics card. That board seems to have some features that the more expensive one doesn't but the GA-X58 says it's triple channel and has a higher memory capacity. Also it has support for a 6 core cpu if I ever wanted to upgrade mines in the future.
> 
> Does that Blu-ray writer do double layer?



They are different platforms. The 950 is 1366, and the xeon system is 1156. All 1366 boards are capable of triple channel, 1156 just dual. The 1156 will be cheaper, the 1366 is a slightly better platform.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Paulieg said:


> They are different platforms. The 950 is 1366, and the xeon system is 1156. All 1366 boards are capable of triple channel, 1156 just dual. The 1156 will be cheaper, the 1366 is a slightly better platform.



How about this board? I just came across. If much more expensive though. What are it's advantages that make it so?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131666


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## JrRacinFan (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> I like the graphics card. That board seems to have some features that the more expensive one doesn't but the GA-X58 says it's triple channel and has a higher memory capacity. Also it has support for a 6 core cpu if I ever wanted to upgrade mines in the future.
> 
> Does that Blu-ray writer do double layer?



One thing to mention, by the time a 6 core cpu is needed, odds are you will want to upgrade to different board/platform anyways.

And yes it does dual Layer BD and DVD. 1366 is a slightly better platform it just provides faster bandwith. The triple channel memory is about 4-7% faster, provides more capacity but costs a touch more.

@Black haru

Totally agree in the aspect.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

JrRacinFan said:


> One thing to mention, by the time a 6 core cpu is needed, odds are you will want to upgrade to different board/platform anyways.
> 
> And yes it does dual Layer BD and DVD. 1366 is a slightly better platform it just provides faster bandwith. The triple channel memory is about 4-7% faster, provides more capacity but costs a touch more.
> 
> ...




This is why i wanted to get a board that can already handle so all i'd have to do is simply upgrade to a 6 core processor in the future if I ever needed/wanted to do so.


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## PaulieG (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> How about this board? I just came across. If much more expensive though. What are it's advantages that make it so?
> 
> ASUS Rampage III Formula LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6...



Not worth the money. If you want to spend more, spend it on this:

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s...

It may be the best motherboard I've ever owned, on any platform...and I've owned more than 100 different boards over the last 5-6 years.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Black Haru said:


> I somewhat agree. since it is going to take you a few months to get the cash together, consult us again before you buy anything. 90% of what we recommended won't change, but (such as will likely be the case with Intel's new line) if by chance something better/cheaper has come around, then you don't want to regret getting a bad deal.



Is that simply a rumor at this point and if not would it be worth it or is there no information on it yet? Since I suck at saving I was just going to buy some parts every month until I had them all. I guess I can still buy the case, drive, hdd and software if I wanted to wait.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Paulieg said:


> Not worth the money. If you want to spend more, spend it on this:
> 
> GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s...
> 
> It may be the best motherboard I've ever owned, on any platform...and I've owned more than 100 different boards over the last 5-6 years.



I'll put that at the top of my mobo suggestion list. Please tell me what's the benefits of this board over these...

EVGA 131-GT-E767-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 SLI 3 SATA ...
GIGABYTE GA-X58-USB3 LGA 1366 Intel X58 USB 3.0 AT...


If 32nm 6 core processors are the next step. Would the board you suggest be able to support that if I only wanted to upgrade my processor or would I need a different mobo for that when that time comes?

Also for the board you suggested. If I wanted to max out the memory I would need to spend a lot more and buy these correct?
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3...


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## dr emulator (madmax) (Dec 17, 2010)

personaly if i were you i'd go with the gigabyte ud5 

why ?

well if you do use you old version of windows xp, you might need to install sata drivers through the floppy drive connection, 

and none of the above boards you have listed have a floppy drive connection 

plus you'll be able to plug in an old parallel ata harddrive in the ud5 through the pata socket (another thing missing from the boards listed above)

one thing i will say is that when i installed windows xp on my ud7 motherboard (next version up from the ud5) was that my board needed a windows xp disc with service pack 2 installed on the disc (it should say on your xp disc which version you have )


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

dr emulator (madmax) said:


> personaly if i were you i'd go with the gigabyte ud5
> 
> why ?
> 
> ...



Oh. I thought I could simply buy a (A drive = Floppy?)  and install it. Can you give me a link to the board you're talking about? That could set me back but I guess not really if I don't have xp software. If I wanted to use xp i could just use my current pc or there is a way to have two OS right? (maybe for different users?)

Sorry for the confusion. I don't actually own XP software. Mines came pre-installed. I mis-spoke. I was talking about Applications that I have for XP. But I did want to buy XP software at first.




As for Graphics Cards you guys suggested
EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-AR GeForce GTX 570 (...
EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB...

But if I up the budget a little I'm wondering if you folks think I should go with one of these instead
EVGA SuperClocked 015-P3-1582-AR GeForce GTX 580 (...
EVGA 015-P3-1482-AR GeForce GTX 480 (Fermi) SuperC...


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Should I wait for this newer processor to come down in price? The highest rated review says I shouldn't.

Intel Core i7 980X Extreme Edition 3.33GHz 12 MB L3 Cache LGA1366 Desktop Processor BX80613i7980X - Retail
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003922WES/?tag=tec06d-20

Intel Core i7 975 Extreme Edition 3.33GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366 Desktop Processor
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002A6LOI4/?tag=tec06d-20


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## Black Haru (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> Is that simply a rumor at this point and if not would it be worth it or is there no information on it yet? Since I suck at saving I was just going to buy some parts every month until I had them all. I guess I can still buy the case, drive, hdd and software if I wanted to wait.



see here

your case, hdd, optical drives, software, and power suply are very unlikely to change (the only thing I can see for those is if something goes on sale unexpectedly)

As far as motherboard/graphics/processor (possibly RAM too), chances are we will be able to tell you if it's worth it to wait. since sandy bridge is so close, and you want an i7, I would wait and get something from the new line.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Black Haru said:


> see here
> 
> your case, hdd, optical drives, software, and power suply are very unlikely to change (the only thing I can see for those is if something goes on sale unexpectedly)
> 
> As far as motherboard/graphics/processor (possibly RAM too), chances are we will be able to tell you if it's worth it to wait. since sandy bridge is so close, and you want an i7, I would wait and get something from the new line.




I think i'll wait if it's coming in January. So since it's i7 it'll work on the motherboards already posted here right? And if it's only $300 why is that i975 at amazon going for $1100?


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## Black Haru (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> I think i'll wait if it's coming in January. So since it's i7 it'll work on the motherboards already posted here right? And if it's only $300 why is that i975 at amazon going for $1100?



amazon likes money. heck, even the 980x is only $1000 on newegg.

the biggest thing is it will NOT work with the motherboards posted here.  intel is introducing a new socket (1155)

however, these same manufacturers will be releasing boards at the same time (January most likely), and they should be in the same price range.

a move to a new socket type is actually your biggest reason to wait. while old sockets will still be supported, upgrading to something "better" at any point will be difficult if you are using a last gen board.

don't get too worked up over this. save up and buy your other parts, and when you have the cash to go for the board/processor, we will make sure you get the best bang for you buck.


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## Blaiyan (Dec 17, 2010)

Black Haru said:


> amazon likes money. heck, even the 980x is only $1000 on newegg.
> 
> the biggest thing is it will NOT work with the motherboards posted here.  intel is introducing a new socket (1155)
> 
> ...



Thank you and thanks to everyone for all the information and help. I'm going to take a break from getting on everyone's nerves with all the questions for a while but i'll definitely be back when i'm ready. Once again Thanks to everyone who helped me.


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## Josh154 (Dec 17, 2010)

Blaiyan said:


> Thank you and thanks to everyone for all the information and help. I'm going to take a break from getting on everyone's nerves with all the questions for a while but i'll definitely be back when i'm ready. Once again Thanks to everyone who helped me.



No problem man. Stay here and READ, READ, READ! Trust me if you read for a month before your purchase, you will think twice about over clocking thats for dang sure. Also check out our folding section


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## Blaiyan (Jan 8, 2011)

I figured i'd post here instead of making a new thread. It looks like i'll have $1350 to spend this month. That's including shipping and or warranties. I know it was recommended that I wait for the new chips and boards but i'm not looking to keep up with the joneses. I keep reading people saying a quad core is good enough to last for years. Get two good graphics card (if I wanted to ) and I should be good for gaming for years to come as well. I can always upgrade in the future when prices come down.

Anyhow I'm going to post my newegg buy/wishlist. 

 Once You Know, You Newegg

A few questions. what should I buy now and what can wait until next month? I especially would like info on the compatibility of the products. Mainly the PSU and Memory. Also to just get up and running quicker could I hold off on getting Windows 7 and use the free Linux Unbuntu instead? Or will there be hardware compatibility problems with that OS? Could I also use my current Nvidia 9400GT card until I get the card on my list? Those two things right there would be $500-$700. Maybe take another $100 off for for the blu-ray drive and get a dvd drive first.


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## Josh154 (Jan 8, 2011)

You don't really need windows ultimate. I used to have it and didn't use 1 thing that i wouldn't in home premium. I sold my ultimate and bought home premium and couldn't be happier.

Build look's pretty good. Ditch that PSU though and get a seasonic antec or corsair whatever you want to spend max on. The corsair AX or HX series are great.

Other then that it looks good. You could use your 9400gt at first but it's gonna be shit slow.


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## JrRacinFan (Jan 8, 2011)

I agree Josh. Don't need 1Kw for that rig, a nice 750W would be plenty.

Also just an option:
Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...

Add your video card(s), cpu cooler, operating system and optical drive.


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## Josh154 (Jan 8, 2011)

Best deal ever right there that JR listed. Can't get any better for the money really


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## Blaiyan (Jan 8, 2011)

I thought the 1000w would be necessary for 2 graphics card and a capture card. Okay I chose a different PSU.

CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EP...

As for the software, I keep reading Ultimate is better and faster so i'll stick with that even though it's a $100 more. I just have a question that might sound weird to you guys but I never bought my own OS software before. Do they sell 32 bit and 64 bit win7 OS seperate or is it all in the same package and simply gives you the option of which you'd like to install?

The extra graphics card can wait and so could the blu-ray optical drive. That's about $300 off and I should be up and running next month. 

I just keep looking for ways to get up and running quicker. I figure if I hold off on both graphics cards until next month and use my 9400GT that'd be $420 down. Also I currently have 3 hdd's in my pc. I can transfer all data to my 1TB drive and take that drive out and use it in my new build. That's another $90. Hold off on the blu-ray drive and that's another $100. It's probably not worth doing all that. I think i'll show some patience and just wait instead of trying to get started so quick. The extra gpu and blu-ray drive aren't necessities and waiting may see the gpu price drop. CPU and HDD i'll get next month. It'd be nice if that cpu priced dropped to $250 next month ha but I doubt it.


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## Josh154 (Jan 8, 2011)

Blaiyan said:


> I thought the 1000w would be necessary for 2 graphics card and a capture card. Okay I chose a different PSU.
> 
> CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EP...
> 
> ...



Yes that PSU is MUCH better. With your windows operating system. The full retail packages come with 32 bit discs and 64 bit discs. So you would use the 64 bit disc on your new build and use the product key. If the product key is in use don't think you can put that 32 bit disc in another machine and use it cause you cant 

As far as im concerned there is NO speed difference from home premium to professional to ultimate. It's just different features that ultimate supports. Compare them all and see if you really need ultimate.

I pay 30 bucks for home premium, have the choice to pay 40 for professional and 50 for ultimate, and i still choose home premium. I don't need the features professional or ultimate give and trust me my PC is just as fast as one with ultimate.

Did you look at that combo deal JR posted? It's a phenomenal package man and at a great price.


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## Blaiyan (Jan 8, 2011)

Josh154 said:


> Yes that PSU is MUCH better. With your windows operating system. The full retail packages come with 32 bit discs and 64 bit discs. So you would use the 64 bit disc on your new build and use the product key. If the product key is in use don't think you can put that 32 bit disc in another machine and use it cause you cant
> 
> As far as im concerned there is NO speed difference from home premium to professional to ultimate. It's just different features that ultimate supports. Compare them all and see if you really need ultimate.
> 
> ...



ah man, that's lame. That answered another question I had forgotten. I wanted to upgrade my sister's pc from windows vista 32-bit to win7 with my software as well. $300 and I can only upgrade software on one pc? *sigh*

Yes I did spend some time looking at JrRacinFan's suggested bundle. Everything looked nice but I wanted 12GB of ram (even though I probably won't need it) instead of 6. The case was nice but I didn't want to have to remove the bays for SSD nor have a flip door dor my optical drives. The asus board was nice but the gigabyte had more pci-e slots. So I could likely have 2 gpu's and throw a avertv hd capture card in there as well. And the more expensive corsair I linked to had more connectors and i'd rather just have them to be safe.


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## Josh154 (Jan 8, 2011)

Blaiyan said:


> ah man, that's lame. That answered another question I had forgotten. I wanted to upgrade my sister's pc from windows vista 32-bit to win7 with my software as well. $300 and I can only upgrade software on one pc? *sigh*
> 
> Yes I did spend some time looking at JrRacinFan's suggested bundle. Everything looked nice but I wanted 12GB of ram (even though I probably won't need it) instead of 6. The case was nice but I didn't want to have to remove the bays for SSD nor have a flip door dor my optical drives. The asus board was nice but the gigabyte had more pci-e slots. So I could likely have 2 gpu's and throw a avertv hd capture card in there as well. And the more expensive corsair I linked to had more connectors and i'd rather just have them to be safe.



Ahh i see where your coming from there. Check out the windows 7 home premium family pack if you wanted to upgrade your sisters PC to windows 7. It's like $150 bucks for 3 full copy's that you can have installed on 3 different machines at once. Best bang for your buck deal out there right now.

What are you going to be using your PC for? Are you going to be doing alot of virtual machine stuff?

I run 6 gigs on my 920 and it's honestly all im going to need for a while. While folding on a -bigadv unit and gaming illl hit like 4-4.5 gigs of ram usage. 6 gigs is that perfect point for me. Im definitely glad i went the 1366 route instead of 1156.

Have you thought about buying used? I seriously have less than $700 in my i7 build and here's what i paid for everything. My gts's are on par with a 460 gaming wise, they just don't support dx 11.

i7 920 $200
ASRock x58 extreme $80
G.Skill 6gb 1600mhz $65
NZXT Lexa S $45
PC power and cooling 750w $40
320gb wd blue $30
lg dvd writer $15
2x evga 8800gts's $110
Corsair h50 $55

My total price is $640 for a good -bigadv rig that will hit 4.0ghz stable and the cooler allows me too.

EDIT: For example here is a core i7 930 for $160 bucks. That will save you over $100 dollars on your processor alone which when OC'd both perform the exact same. The 950 just has a higher multi. The 930 has a max multi of 22 and my 920 has a max multi of 21. If you have a good board, 920 and 930 D0's are said to be the best overclockers out there anyways.


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## Blaiyan (Jan 8, 2011)

Josh154 said:


> Ahh i see where your coming from there. Check out the windows 7 home premium family pack if you wanted to upgrade your sisters PC to windows 7. It's like $150 bucks for 3 full copy's that you can have installed on 3 different machines at once. Best bang for your buck deal out there right now.
> 
> What are you going to be using your PC for? Are you going to be doing alot of virtual machine stuff?
> 
> ...



No, I haven't thought about buying used. As it is my first build I just wanted to start with everything new (though that wouldn't guarantee that a part couldn't arrive DOA or die in a short period). Also I haven't read up and learned about overclocking (other than go to bios and check temperatures). I don't plan on overclocking but will most likely learn about just to learn about it. At least not anytime soon. I can see me attempting it in the future though. Right now i'm not looking to increase heat for anything if I don't have to.


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## hellrazor (Jan 8, 2011)

Blaiyan said:


> ah man, that's lame. That answered another question I had forgotten. I wanted to upgrade my sister's pc from windows vista 32-bit to win7 with my software as well. $300 and I can only upgrade software on one pc? *sigh*



If it's your sisters PC you might want to give Linux a try, it's FREE. /linuxplug

But wait until you get done building this rig, we don't want to teach you too many things at once  overexposure is a deadly thing.


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## Josh154 (Jan 8, 2011)

Oh yeah, you will most definitely OC in the future i can almost guarantee it 

Buying used can be good and bad in both ways just like buying new. When you buy something used you know it will work and most sellers guarantee it from being DOA. I've never had a problem with a buying a product used. In fact the only build i had that was new was my first build cause i was in your same situation. I didn't want to buy used and just wanted all new things cause it's easier or something that way. Now 4 rig's built later and im still buying every product used.

You seem as if you know what products you really want. Start ordering what you can now and we will help you start building it.

Oh also you don't need a case right away. You can set it all up on your motherboard box and have a running PC. I've done this many times but i don't reccomend it if you have little siblings as they like to poke and oooh at it.

For your case also, the haf blue edition comes with the beige interior. After having owned 1 beige interior case i painted it within about a month. The beige is disgusting, and being new you don't really seem like you want to mod anything all that soon yet by painting the interior black so that's why im reccomending this to you. It is the exact same case except for the fan's aren't blue but the interior is already painted black and it's cheaper than the blue editon saving you about 30 bucks there.

I'd say the first thing's to buy are your
-mobo
-cpu
-ram
-power supply

Then you can use your current HDD left over, your old gpu, and a dvd drive. You will have a running PC and then you can buy your case and new gpu later.

Sorry if im not making sense, im dead tired and im heading to bed after this post. I'll help ya out more tomorrow just like everyone else will im sure


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## JrRacinFan (Jan 8, 2011)

A few things if you do buy used:
Buy an MSI board or buy a new board(not open box asus); in case if anything goes wrong with the motherboard. I beleive they still do RMA's through the serial no.(because they have manuf date in the serial) and not the model # + proof of purchase.

Do NOT buy a used power supply.

RAM; make sure you have your seller memtest them for at least 5 passes to make sure they are still good and functional. 

Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...

Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...

Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...

I also suggest not getting 12GB and to try out 6GB first and foremost.


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## Josh154 (Jan 8, 2011)

What Jr just listed would also be a great choice. Add your OS and a BD and it's more than 500 off of what you originally listed.

Id definitely agree with what he said about buying used PSU's and mobo's also. That's the only thing im skeptical about anymore and i would like to buy new mobo's for warranty purposes but i just can't afford it right now


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## Blaiyan (Mar 7, 2011)

I just wanted to make a little update. So I had two plans and surprise surprise nothing worked out exactly how I wanted and both fell through money wise. No big deal I just have to stick to my initial plan. I should hopefully be ready to start in May. So let's see...

I got the Asus Rampage III Formula instead of the gigabyte ud5. I know it was recommended but I just really liked the spacing on the asus board better. The UD5 would've had one extra pci-e 2.0 slot but it would've been of no use since the graphics card would've covered it up. 

I was all set to get the g.skills ripjaw (2 x4GB) ram but i'm having trouble finding if that is compatible with my board. I know about Crucial but their site would be better if it could cover all the ram currently available from more than two brands. Anyway i'm supposed to buy the hyper 212 cpu cooler and this ram in a couple days but the ram keeps going out of stock quickly. 

I got the haf-932 cooler master case with 5 blue led fans. I kind of think I should've gotten the haf x with all black insides but I like my choice. Also bought a lg blu-ray burner.

For some ridiculous reason I bought the corsair ax-1200 psu. I could've just gotten the 850w and saved $100. I don't know. I just thought I should have more than enough power for whatever.

Next month I buy the processor. I was settled on the i7-950 but as you know the priced dropped on the 960. It's $30 more for only .2ghz. I'm still settled on the 950 because the 970 will likely be $300 by this time next year and i'm going to buy that as my final processor upgrade for this pc. Plus the 950 comes with two free game coupons.

After some struggling on a decision I'm staying with the plan to get the twp evga gtx 460's even though the 560 Ti's almost had me changing my mind. I'll get one in May and other for SLI in June and probably a $40 memory card reader.

Cut the HDD to 500gb for c drive. The only thing that I plan to save to the c dirve is installed software. As I have a tendency to restore to factory settings a lot. I considered the SSD drives but they are overly expensive to me and I heard they don't last long. Anyhow I looked at the 10,000 rpm velociraptor WD drives. If it wasn't $100 extra (plus 200 less gigs though not even needed) I might have considered them. I watched vids saying that they're really fast if you get two and put them in Raid-0 but I just want to know if that would somehow improve recording video to your hard drive? Speaking of, I recently spent about 48 hours trying to figure out how to clone a drive on my mother's old hard drive. Software didn't work and I didn't understand partitions. I thought she had a 15gb hard drive lol. And was super worried when I took out a drive and the pc was still showing a c and d drive lol. Anyway finally figured that out. 

I'm taking you guys advice and now i'm not getting the windows seven ultimate full version. I'm getting windows 7 professional oem. No sense it spending extra money and not being able to use the software on more than one pc.


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## Blaiyan (May 13, 2011)

I know it's annoying to revive old threads but this will be my last update. I finished building my PC and everything is running great. I just want to give finals thanks to all those who helped me out here. Thanks You. 

Here are the final parts I settled on.

Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield 3.2ghz (leveled up to 3.6ghz)
LG Black 10x Blu-ray Burner
Cooler Master Haf 932 Blue LED (full tower case)
Corsair AX1200 Modular PSU
G.Skills Ripjaw (2 x 4GB) ram (auto 1066 now 1200 with level up)(can't do 1600)
Hyper 212 Plus (cooler) feels a little loose but work really well.
Asus Rampage III Formula (motherboard)
Logitech MK550 (Keyboard & Mouse)
Artic Silver 5 (thermal paste)
Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB HDD 
Windows 7 Ultimate (retail)
EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit (used evga precision to bump the shader clock to 1800 from 1700 but the effective memory clock only goes to 2500 but newegg says is supposed to be 4100. Is something wrong or is it normal for it to only be half?)


Of course I'll be adding a lot more to my pc over time (next month a card reader and or capture card) and swapping out parts but this is great for now. I couldn't even run nba 2k9 without stuttering on the lowest settings on my old pc but now it's smooth. I'm going to try forcing higher image quality with control panel.


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## InnocentCriminal (May 13, 2011)

Don't forget to fill in your System Specifications now you're done.


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## Crap Daddy (May 13, 2011)

The memory is DDR which stands for double data rate so it should be double of what you see in Evga precision. What about core clock, you didn't push that also?


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## The Von Matrices (May 28, 2011)

Red_Machine said:


> I wouldn't buy from Amazon, personally.  You're in the States, so I'd reccommend Newegg.



Why not Amazon?  I've bought many parts from them in the past, most recently a P8P67 Pro motherboard, and I am very happy with their service.  Plus, they were cheaper than Newegg.


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## lilhasselhoffer (May 28, 2011)

The Von Matrices said:


> Why not Amazon?  I've bought many parts from them in the past, most recently a P8P67 Pro motherboard, and I am very happy with their service.  Plus, they were cheaper than Newegg.



Return policy, ease of finding parts, and customer service.  Newegg has all three of these things down and right, where amazon is towing the line between acceptable and crap in each of these categories.

Additionally, Amazon does not exclusively deal in computer hardware.  Newegg does, and generally understands that what you need is a quick response.  This translates to cross-shipping for parts, and a fast RMA process.  

The first time something needs replaced you'll spend more on Amazon than you saved.  Newegg might be slightly more expensive on some products, but an investment of several thousand dollars deserves an extra 20-40 for the security that Newegg provides.  

Put concisely; Newegg or Tigerdirect are the only two places you should deal with (barring a local Fry's) when building a PC.  Amazon is fine for some things, but is a headache for PC building.


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## The Von Matrices (May 28, 2011)

lilhasselhoffer said:


> Return policy, ease of finding parts, and customer service.  Newegg has all three of these things down and right, where amazon is towing the line between acceptable and crap in each of these categories.
> 
> Additionally, Amazon does not exclusively deal in computer hardware.  Newegg does, and generally understands that what you need is a quick response.  This translates to cross-shipping for parts, and a fast RMA process.
> 
> ...



I agree with the quick response, but how did you get Newegg to cross-ship?  They have explicitly stated to me that cross-shipping is not part of their return process a few times I had to RMA something.  They even once sent me the wrong motherboard (in 2008), and I contacted them to get them to replace it with the correct one.  They refused to cross-ship it to me even when I suggested that they could charge the second board to me while it was in transit; the service rep told me that the only way I could do cross shipping is if I returned the wrong motherboard the standard way and took the 15% restocking fee.  

In all honesty, the retailer only matters for the first month.  After 30 days at most sites, including Newegg, you have to go through the manufacturer to initiate the RMA, and thats hit or miss with regards to the quality of service.


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## LordJummy (May 31, 2011)

Just so you know, it would be cheaper to buy the 970 now than to buy a 950 then upgrade to 970 for $300 ish later. It will come out to the same amount or more than for a 970 now. I have a 950 and 970, and trust me the 970 is worth the extra money if you'll actually be using it.


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