# I finally bought the parts for the computer I've been talking about.



## Monkey_Business (May 16, 2010)

*Core i7 930 + ASUS P6T SE motherboard (bundle)
*6GB DDR3 1333 tri-channel RAM
*Corsair TX850 850W PSU
*Hitachi 2TB 7200RPM hard drive
*18x DVD ROM
*Zalman CNPS9900 CPU cooler
*Logitech 2.1 speakers

I have not gotten the GPU yet, because they did not carry the one I wanted (Sapphire HD 5870 Vapor-X. Also, that Asus motherboard, was not my initial choice, but I saved $200 by buying the CPU+mobo bundle special they were having. I initially wanted the Gigabyte X58. It's the exact same chipset, so I doubt there will be much difference in performance.

I'll get the OS (W7 HP 64-bit) at a later time. I already have the CM HAF 932 full tower case. The only part I'm concerned may be cheap or low quality is that Asus P6T SE motherboard, which could result in crashes, and system instability.

How does that Asus board overclock? How high could I get that i7 930 to, with the Zalman CNPS9900?


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## Kantastic (May 16, 2010)

You'll be fine with that board, I won't bother explaining anything 'cause you're you  but congrats on the new rig.


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## CDdude55 (May 16, 2010)

Looks like a great build, and that Asus board should OC nicely.

And if you can, post some pics.


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## Monkey_Business (May 16, 2010)

They had the EVGA X58 classified, currently the very best LGA 1366 motherboard money can buy. Too bad it was too expensive.


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## CDdude55 (May 16, 2010)

Monkey_Business said:


> They had the EVGA X58 classified, currently the very best LGA 1366 motherboard money can buy. Too bad it was too expensive.



The Asus P6T is a great board from what i hear. It really all depends what features you what on the motherboard that makes it the best. For some the EVGA X58 boards have to many features they're not gonna use, making it not a good buy.

I have heard great thing about the Asus X58 boards though, you should get some nice clocks out of it.


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## mdbrotha03 (May 16, 2010)

just a warning there have been some issues in the past with Asus Mobos having issues with 12 GB of ram.  I currently have 12 GB of ram installed but only 10 shows up in the bios and in windows.  CPU z shows the correct amount of ram.


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## Kantastic (May 16, 2010)

mdbrotha03 said:


> just a warning there have been some issues in the past with Asus Mobos having issues with 12 GB of ram.  I currently have 12 GB of ram installed but only 10 shows up in the bios and in windows.  CPU z shows the correct amount of ram.



I've heard the same with Gigabyte, but with only 8GB being seen.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1035717932


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## boulard83 (May 16, 2010)

If you plan on OCing, grab some 1600mhz ram.


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## erocker (May 16, 2010)

What brand RAM did you buy? What cas latency and voltage?


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## Champ (May 16, 2010)

Monkey_Business, I hate you so dam much


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## Monkey_Business (May 16, 2010)

erocker said:


> What brand RAM did you buy? What cas latency and voltage?



6GB of Patriot DDR3 1333 MHz tri-channel. I'm not sure about the latency or voltage though...


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## boulard83 (May 16, 2010)

You should aim from ~1600mhz CAS8 at least.


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## Monkey_Business (May 16, 2010)

boulard83 said:


> You should aim from ~1600mhz CAS8 at least.



Faster memory provides barely better gaming performance. The faster the RAM, the hotter it gets, and the shorter it lives.


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## boulard83 (May 16, 2010)

As i told, if he is planing on OC. 1333mhz ram can limit the OC he can reach. 

1600mhz Ram is becoming cheap and good.


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## erocker (May 16, 2010)

Monkey_Business said:


> Faster memory provides barely better gaming performance. The faster the RAM, the hotter it gets, and the shorter it lives.



That is simply not true.

1. What color are the heatsinks on the ram? Blue, grey? What does it say on them

2. Do you know how to overclock the parts you just bought?

3. Do you understand overclocking terminology?

4. Can you provide pictures of the Bios of the motherboard.


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## boulard83 (May 16, 2010)

+1 on this erocker. 

I buyed 2000mhz Ram. And finnaly clocked it at 1530mhz 7-7-7-21 but with 1.54v for my 24/7 OC. but i know that i have plenty of room for bench Session.


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## Monkey_Business (May 16, 2010)

erocker said:


> That is simply not true.
> 
> 1. What color are the heatsinks on the ram? Blue, grey? What does it say on them
> 
> ...



This computer is not yet assembled. I have yet to buy a graphics card and OS.

The heatsinks for the RAM are blue.

I do not know yet how to overclock, but I might try it after the warranties have expired, and I've learned more.


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## erocker (May 16, 2010)

Monkey_Business said:


> This computer is not yet assembled. I have yet to buy a graphics card and OS.
> 
> The heatsinks for the RAM are blue.
> 
> I do not know yet how to overclock, but I might try it after the warranties have expired, and I've learned more.



Ok cool! That RAM is nice stuff. If I'm not mistaken it's 1333mhz cas 7 1.65v. Same stuff as their 1600mhz cas 8 ram. 

So what kind of GPU are you looking at?


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## Wile E (May 16, 2010)

I want to know how that Hitachi 2TB drive performs. I've been looking at them with much interest lately.


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## Monkey_Business (May 16, 2010)

erocker said:


> Ok cool! That RAM is nice stuff. If I'm not mistaken it's 1333mhz cas 7 1.65v. Same stuff as their 1600mhz cas 8 ram.
> 
> So what kind of GPU are you looking at?



Either a single HD 5870 or GTX 480. Preferably the HD 5870 because it runs much cooler than the Fermi cards. The GTX 480 is barely faster than the ATI card. It has problems constantly overheating under heavy loads. In some benches, the HD 5870 has actually beat out the Fermi.

They did not have the HD 5870 in stock, especially not the particular one I wanted, the 2GB Sapphire Vapor-X edition.

I may have to end up getting it off of newegg. I can't find it for sale ANYWHERE retail.

SAPPHIRE Toxic 100281-2GTXSR Radeon HD 5870 2GB 25...

The factory overclock on that HD 5870 should par it's performance with the Fermi. 2GB of VRAM will come in handy for AA and higher resolutions.


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## Wile E (May 16, 2010)

Monkey_Business said:


> Either a single HD 5870 or GTX 480. Preferably the HD 5870 because it runs much cooler than the Fermi cards. The GTX 480 is barely faster than the ATI card. It has problems constantly overheating under heavy loads. In some benches, the HD 5870 has actually beat out the Fermi.
> 
> They did not have the HD 5870 in stock, especially not the particular one I wanted, the 2GB Sapphire Vapor-X edition.
> 
> ...


The 480 does not overheat, unless you put it into a case that has very poor airflow. There are plenty of people on these forums that can attest to that.

5870 does draw a hell of a lot less tho, although it doesn't have the nifty CUDA features. 

Depends on your needs. Like using the gpu to convert videos and like and own some Physx titles? Grab the 480.

Like having lower temps and power draw and maybe want to make an Eyefinity setup? Grab the 5870.

I will say tho, the 2GB 5870s are not worth that much money, imo. They still don't match the 480's performance, yet cost the same amount.


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## Monkey_Business (May 16, 2010)

Wile E said:


> The 480 does not overheat, unless you put it into a case that has very poor airflow. There are plenty of people on these forums that can attest to that.
> 
> 5870 does draw a hell of a lot less tho, although it doesn't have the nifty CUDA features.
> 
> ...



There are very few games which actually support PhysX.

What the hell is CUDA anyway?


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## erocker (May 16, 2010)

Well if you don't know what CUDA is, I doubt you need it. Honestly, save your money and get a 5850.


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## Wile E (May 16, 2010)

Monkey_Business said:


> There are very few games which actually support PhysX.
> 
> What the hell is CUDA anyway?



CUDA is nVidia's language that allows you to run programs on their video cards. Using CUDA, my 8800GT can convert a DVD movie into a ps3 compatible h264 mp4 at about 250-300fps. The same settings on my QX9650 can only manage 1/5 of that at best. 

If you do not convert a lot of videos, do scientific calculations, or are not interested in Physx, it's not really a big deal.



erocker said:


> Well if you don't know what CUDA is, I doubt you need it. Honestly, save your money and get a 5850.



That's what I say, 5850 or GTX470.


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## Monkey_Business (May 16, 2010)

Here is one photo to completely sum up the GeForce GTX 480.


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## Wile E (May 16, 2010)

Monkey_Business said:


> Here is one photo to completely sum up the GeForce GTX 480.
> 
> http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/kitchen/2009-06-25-FriedEgg.jpg



And if you actually paid attention to what real owners are saying about their retail bought cards, you'd know that the temperature problems the reviews had have been solved on the retail cards.


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## Monkey_Business (May 17, 2010)

Wile E said:


> And if you actually paid attention to what real owners are saying about their retail bought cards, you'd know that the temperature problems the reviews had have been solved on the retail cards.



I should have gotten the GTX 480 when I had the chance. I was hesitant about the Fermi cards because of the massive heat they produce, and inefficient stock cooling. I was looking at this card, on newegg. They're out of stock, but do you know if it will become available again?

SAPPHIRE Toxic 100281-2GTXSR Radeon HD 5870 2GB 25...


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## roast (May 17, 2010)

Monkey_Business said:


> I should have gotten the GTX 480 when I had the chance. I was hesitant about the Fermi cards because of the massive heat they produce, and inefficient stock cooling. I was looking at this card, on newegg. They're out of stock, but do you know if it will become available again?
> 
> SAPPHIRE Toxic 100281-2GTXSR Radeon HD 5870 2GB 25...



It will come into stock at some stage. maybe shoot NewEgg an email to see when.
I really dont think you need a GTX480 OR a 2Gb 5870, if you're just gaming. A standard reference-design 5850 would be sufficient, and at most at reference 5870 - if all you're doing is gaming with it.


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## scaminatrix (May 17, 2010)

Monkey_Business said:


> I should have gotten the GTX 480 when I had the chance. I was hesitant about the Fermi cards because of the massive heat they produce, and inefficient stock cooling. I was looking at this card, on newegg. They're out of stock, but do you know if it will become available again?
> 
> SAPPHIRE Toxic 100281-2GTXSR Radeon HD 5870 2GB 25...



Personally I'd never buy another graphics card without heavily considering the Vapor-X/Toxic range.

There's 2 different Vapor-X 1GB 5870's, the 11161-03-50R and the 11161-05-40R does anyone know the difference apart from the 25MHz on the core?

I know what you mean about getting a 2GB card compared to a 1GB card, it feels like you're getting double for about an extra $70. When you've already spent $500, why not go the extra? Also futureproofing bla bla.
I would have loved to get a 2GB Vapor-X 5770


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## Monkey_Business (May 17, 2010)

scaminatrix said:


> Personally I'd never buy another graphics card without heavily considering the Vapor-X/Toxic range.
> 
> There's 2 different Vapor-X 1GB 5870's, the 11161-03-50R and the 11161-05-40R does anyone know the difference apart from the 25MHz on the core?
> 
> ...



The 2GB VRAM is good for higher resolutions and AA.


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## roast (May 17, 2010)

Monkey_Business said:


> The 2GB VRAM is good for higher resolutions and AA.



But you're running at 1680x1050. Trust me its not going to make much of a difference.


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## Monkey_Business (May 17, 2010)

roast said:


> But you're running at 1680x1050. Trust me its not going to make much of a difference.



Crysis and Crysis Warhead at very high/enthusiast, even at low resolutions and no AA, will bring any single GPU to it's knees. Even an HD 5870 or GTX 480.


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## Binge (May 17, 2010)

Monkey_Business said:


> Crysis and Crysis Warhead at very high/enthusiast, even at low resolutions and no AA, will bring any single GPU to it's knees. Even an HD 5870 or GTX 480.



That's bullsh!t.  My 5850 solo kills Crysis 1920x1080 4xAA.  You have no idea what you're talking about w/respect to these GPUs and it shows.  The funny thing about this hardware is that you still won't understand no matter how many reviews you read.  Your personal experience will set you on the right path, but no amount of reading will give you an idea of the power of these components.  Just get the sh!t, compare it to what you've had before, and then you'll understand how the current generation sizes up.


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## roast (May 17, 2010)

Monkey_Business said:


> Crysis and Crysis Warhead at very high/enthusiast, even at low resolutions and no AA, will bring any single GPU to it's knees. Even an HD 5870 or GTX 480.



You tend to be just gargling some spiel you've read somewhere on the interwebs.
Dude I run Warhead at 1440x900/EVERYTHING maxed, WITH a bottlenecked GTX285, and the game runs perfectly acceptable.

Crysis game engine is a piece of wank anyway, dont judge a GPU by whether it can run crysis.


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## Monkey_Business (May 17, 2010)

OK, how many frames should I be getting with Crysis on very high, 1024x768, 0x AA and motion blur disabled, with an i7 930 @ 2.8 GHz, 6GB DDR3 1333, and a single HD 5870?


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## Binge (May 17, 2010)

Monkey_Business said:


> OK, how many frames should I be getting with Crysis on very high, 1024x768, 0x AA and motion blur disabled, with an i7 930 @ 2.8 GHz, 6GB DDR3 1333, and a single HD 5870?



Shut up.  I really don't like you anymore.  You don't read a thing.


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## erocker (May 17, 2010)

Who knows? Since nobody in their right mind uses1024x768 anymore. I think you would of been better suited with a console. But since you have all these parts, buy a video card and find out.

I'll tell you this. Asking questions, getting answers then coming back with your answers that are taken from some advertisement is trolling. If you do it again, infractions are coming and you will be shown the door.


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## roast (May 17, 2010)

Read facts.







Full Crysis bench for the 5870 here... http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ATI/Radeon_HD_5870/10.html


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## Binge (May 17, 2010)

1024x768 is mostly CPU driven anyway!  :shadedshu


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## epicfail (May 17, 2010)

roast said:


> Read facts.
> 
> http://tpucdn.com/reviews/ATI/Radeon_HD_5870/images/crysis_1024_768.gif
> 
> Full Crysis bench for the 5870 here... http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ATI/Radeon_HD_5870/10.html



he doesnt read just waits for it to be handed to him in big platter with those useless green things on top of the answers.


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## Binge (May 17, 2010)

Processor: Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU           X5677  @ 3.47GHz @ 4146 Mhz
CPU ID: Intel64 Family 6 Model 44 Stepping 1
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate   
Physical memory: 5.99 GB
Display adapter: ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series  1024 MB
Video Processor: ATI display adapter (0x6899)
Driver version: Catalyst 10.4 (8.723.5-100419a-098854E-ATI)
Motherboard: ASUS P6T6 WS REVOLUTION Rev 1.xx

sys_spec_MotionBlur = 1
sys_spec_GameEffects = 4
sys_spec_Water = 1
sys_spec_VolumetricEffects = 4
sys_spec_Texture = 4
sys_spec_Sound = 4
sys_spec_Shadows = 4
sys_spec_Shading = 4
sys_spec_PostProcessing = 4
sys_spec_Physics = 1
sys_spec_Particles = 2
sys_spec_ObjectDetail = 4

==============================================================
TimeDemo Play Started , (Total Frames: 3145, Recorded Time: 83.68s)
!TimeDemo Run 0 Finished.
    Play Time: 58.56s, Average FPS: 53.71
    Min FPS: 18.31 at frame 2054, Max FPS: 72.01 at frame 808
    Average Tri/Sec: -11170819, Tri/Frame: -207990
    Recorded/Played Tris ratio: 0.59
!TimeDemo Run 1 Finished.
    Play Time: 56.63s, Average FPS: 55.54
    Min FPS: 18.31 at frame 2054, Max FPS: 72.01 at frame 808
    Average Tri/Sec: -11251043, Tri/Frame: -202586
    Recorded/Played Tris ratio: 0.60
!TimeDemo Run 2 Finished.
    Play Time: 56.79s, Average FPS: 55.38
    Min FPS: 18.31 at frame 2054, Max FPS: 72.01 at frame 808
    Average Tri/Sec: -11261492, Tri/Frame: -203355
    Recorded/Played Tris ratio: 0.60
TimeDemo Play Ended, (3 Runs Performed)
==============================================================

//////////// Summary \\\\\\\\\\\\\

05/17/2010 13:06:59 - Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate   

DirectX 10 CUSTOM 3X @ Map: avalanche @ 0 1920 x 1080 AA 4x 
==> Framerate [ Min: 18.31 Max: 72.01 Avg: 55.46 ]


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## Black Panther (May 17, 2010)

Uhhh, what was the thread topic again?


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## phanbuey (May 17, 2010)

srsly, looks like chew out the newbie time (dont know MB though)
.  Get the gtx 480 or 5870 if you can afford it, or get a 470/5850 OC them and put the money to a better/bigger monitor.

Nice setup... lots of places to save money though...


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## Binge (May 17, 2010)

phanbuey said:


> srsly, looks like chew out the newbie time.  Get the gtx 480 or 5870 if you can afford it, or get a 470/5850 OC them and put the money to a better/bigger monitor.
> 
> Nice setup... lots of places to save money though...



newbie or troll?

Processor: Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU           X5677  @ 3.47GHz @ 4146 Mhz
CPU ID: Intel64 Family 6 Model 44 Stepping 1
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate   
Physical memory: 5.99 GB
Display adapter: ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series  1024 MB
Video Processor: ATI display adapter (0x6899)
Driver version: Catalyst 10.4 (8.723.5-100419a-098854E-ATI)
Motherboard: ASUS P6T6 WS REVOLUTION Rev 1.xx

sys_spec_MotionBlur = 1
sys_spec_GameEffects = 4
sys_spec_Water = 1
sys_spec_VolumetricEffects = 4
sys_spec_Texture = 4
sys_spec_Sound = 4
sys_spec_Shadows = 4
sys_spec_Shading = 4
sys_spec_PostProcessing = 4
sys_spec_Physics = 1
sys_spec_Particles = 2
sys_spec_ObjectDetail = 4

==============================================================
TimeDemo Play Started , (Total Frames: 3145, Recorded Time: 83.68s)
!TimeDemo Run 0 Finished.
    Play Time: 49.65s, Average FPS: 63.35
    Min FPS: 37.40 at frame 2070, Max FPS: 79.53 at frame 797
    Average Tri/Sec: -13189555, Tri/Frame: -208209
    Recorded/Played Tris ratio: 0.59
!TimeDemo Run 1 Finished.
    Play Time: 48.88s, Average FPS: 64.34
    Min FPS: 37.40 at frame 2070, Max FPS: 79.59 at frame 777
    Average Tri/Sec: -13120399, Tri/Frame: -203931
    Recorded/Played Tris ratio: 0.60
!TimeDemo Run 2 Finished.
    Play Time: 48.91s, Average FPS: 64.30
    Min FPS: 37.40 at frame 2070, Max FPS: 79.74 at frame 776
    Average Tri/Sec: -13072368, Tri/Frame: -203302
    Recorded/Played Tris ratio: 0.60
TimeDemo Play Ended, (3 Runs Performed)
==============================================================

//////////// Summary \\\\\\\\\\\\\

05/17/2010 13:16:35 - Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate   

DirectX 10 CUSTOM 3X @ Map: avalanche @ 0 1024 x 768 AA 0x 
==> Framerate [ Min: 37.40 Max: 79.67 Avg: 64.32 ]

PS this should be in system builder's advice


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## phanbuey (May 17, 2010)

Could be U2K with a new SN


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## Wile E (May 17, 2010)

scaminatrix said:


> Personally I'd never buy another graphics card without heavily considering the Vapor-X/Toxic range.
> 
> There's 2 different Vapor-X 1GB 5870's, the 11161-03-50R and the 11161-05-40R does anyone know the difference apart from the 25MHz on the core?
> 
> ...



They are non-reference, and don't offer voltage control for real OCing. All they have is better cooling, and you can upgrade that yourself.

As far as the 2GB cards, no real advantage unless you own a 30" 2560x1600 or Eyefinity setup.


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## Tatty_One (May 17, 2010)

This threads turning into the Blitzkreig FFS and it's one of mine!  needs to be moved to system builders ( Not one of mine ) and burnt in a pot of "WTF".


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