# College Build



## Cptnyr (May 8, 2009)

Looking into making a fresh build for college... im going into graphic design so i will be needing a computer that will handle photoshop, illustrator and other various programs. And i will be gaming often aswell.  Here's what i came up with as of now.... i dont necessarily have a set budget yet but under 2000 would be great.  I plan on taking out my cd drive and cooler from my current build as well.


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## cdawall (May 8, 2009)

wrong ram phenom only does dual channel and only has 4 dimm slots


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## h3llb3nd4 (May 10, 2009)

True^^
unless you don't plan on using 2 of those rams...
 your college build pwnd my pc's ass


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## icon1 (May 10, 2009)

better get Ati Cards.. afaik you can't use 2x GTX280 on that board, it doesn't have SLI support (amd 790fx chipset) anyway you can use 1 gtx 280 on that board


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## Hayder_Master (May 10, 2009)

like my friends say here , go for dual channel rams with ATI card cuz you chose an crossfire mobo go for 4890 or 4870x2


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## Cptnyr (May 10, 2009)

Alright heres me second go...changed to 4870x2 and got different ram...thinking im going to get another set of ram to get 8gb


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## h3llb3nd4 (May 10, 2009)

Why not the HAF?


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## erocker (May 10, 2009)

I like what you are picking so far with some exeptions.  For graphic design a 4870X2 is utter overkill and expensive.  A single HD 4890 or GTX 260/280 will be more than enough.  The case you chose is allright, but you're not some for the lack of a better term 1337 gamer so go for quality over flash.  

This case is far superior to anything made by CM or Antec in it's price range or lower: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112173

Everything else is a win!


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## h3llb3nd4 (May 10, 2009)

Yes! also Lian Li's will last you a long time
frikkin good brand If I must say


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## Cptnyr (May 10, 2009)

erocker said:


> I like what you are picking so far with some exeptions.  For graphic design a 4870X2 is utter overkill and expensive.  A single HD 4890 or GTX 260/280 will be more than enough.  The case you chose is allright, but you're not some for the lack of a better term 1337 gamer so go for quality over flash.
> 
> This case is far superior to anything made by CM or Antec in it's price range or lower: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112173
> 
> Everything else is a win!




well i will be doing some gaming like l4d and when the new cod comes out that too... should i just go for a 4890 instead of the 4870x2?  

and on the case i kinda like the flash.... but i do like that lian li it looks more professional then the antec.


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## icon1 (May 11, 2009)

imho, 4890 is already a strong card & will do the job till the new series of v.cards from ati / nvidia arrives (save a few bucks for the new series of cards if you really want more horsepower )..  full tower cases from Lian-Li is a good choice too.. im using one right now and I'm pretty satisfied with it, lots of room inside.. a little expensive than Antec but it's worth it for me..


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## wiak (May 11, 2009)

cdawall said:


> wrong ram phenom only does dual channel and only has 4 dimm slots


WRONG, Phenom's do 4 sticks, but you have to downclock the ram to 800 with all four sticks


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## BrooksyX (May 11, 2009)

Go with the 4890, it is a awesome card and will handle all your games with ease.



wiak said:


> WRONG, Phenom's do 4 sticks, but you have to downclock the ram to 800 with all four sticks



No right. Phenom does 2 sticks. It is dual channel cpu not tri channel like the i7. The am3 motherboard can 2 slots, 4 slots, 6 slot, 8 slots, etc. But no matter how many slots it has it will only be be dual channel. (That means 2 sticks).


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## Cptnyr (May 11, 2009)

BrooksyX said:


> Go with the 4890, it is a awesome card and will handle all your games with ease.



I think im just going to get a single 4890 and maybe later on get another one for xfire or wait a couple years for an upgrade.

Is the 790fx motherboard i have picked the best choice?


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## cdawall (May 11, 2009)

wiak said:


> WRONG, Phenom's do 4 sticks, but you have to downclock the ram to 800 with all four sticks



umm are you really going to argue with me about what phenoms can and can't do?

and they can do 4 sticks at 1066 i can run benchmarks for you if you want.

and on top of that its dual channel hence 2 sets of 2 sticks of ram. no quad channel on phenom.


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## crazyeyesreaper (May 11, 2009)

the biggest thing is he is using DDR3 at 1800mhz the Phenom II defaults to 1333mhz DDR3 so if i remember correctly therefore he will need to overclock to get his ram where it belongs i realize that the M4A79T will has a memory standard of 1600 so actually he should be fine with that maybe even get some nice tight ram timings at stock if he dosent overclock

and of course cdawall is correct in the first image the op had tri channel ram thats a no no with PhenomIIs and DDR2 800 is again only for Phenoms running on AM2+ or Am2 socket 

PhenomII boards use 4 ram slots so 4 sticks of ram equals dual 2 sets of dual channel last i knew phenomII ram standard was 1333mhz DDR3 or 1066mhz DDR2 depending on the board

Phenom the original can use ONLY 2 sticks of 1066 in dual channel if u use more then 2 sticks it defaults to 800mhz 

while im new to the board i will say this much


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## Cptnyr (May 11, 2009)

well i dont really understand what any of you are talking about so can someone point me towards the right ram...or explain it to me


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## Fitseries3 (May 11, 2009)

here....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148150

i HIGHLY reccomend them.

BOSS HOSS ram there. 120% serious man.

i have 3x2gb kit on my I7 rig and i can run them 800mhz 4-4-4-12-1t all the way to 2100mhz 9-8-8-20-1t NO PROBLEM. they dont need heatspreaders either.... ddr3 doesnt get that hot. they have micron D9JNL chips on them just like the CSX diablos, teem group, cellshock, and other $$$$$ mem. its all a waste of money. your just paying $$$$ for a fancy piece of aluminum.


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## cdawall (May 11, 2009)

crazyeyesreaper said:


> the biggest thing is he is using DDR3 at 1800mhz the Phenom II defaults to 1333mhz DDR3 so if i remember correctly therefore he will need to overclock to get his ram where it belongs i realize that the M4A79T will has a memory standard of 1600 so actually he should be fine with that maybe even get some nice tight ram timings at stock if he dosent overclock
> 
> and of course cdawall is correct in the first image the op had tri channel ram thats a no no with PhenomIIs and DDR2 800 is again only for Phenoms running on AM2+ or Am2 socket
> 
> ...



all phenom II AM3 boards allow a memory divider for DDR1600 you have to overclock to get over that



Fitseries3 said:


> here....
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148150
> 
> ...



my AMD has them running 1600 7-7-7-20 @1.75v along side a kit of D9GTS

DDR1700 cas6-6-6-18 2.14v DDR1800 cas7-7-7-20 2v (max on AMD ATM)


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## farlex85 (May 11, 2009)

Graphic design and such I'd go for i7. A bit more expensive, but not by much ($100 maybe) and damn worth it in this case. 4870x2 isn't needed, I'd go w/ a gtx 280/285.


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## crazyeyesreaper (May 12, 2009)

thanks for the clarification cdawall  my only experience with AM3 ddr3 was back when there were having issues with the ram not running at default DDR3 1333 etc glad to see its sorted out and the ram works as intended now


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## fire2havoc (May 13, 2009)

For a budget of $2,000, you can have an i7 build which is better than the AMD build.

$280 - i7 920
$250 - ASUS P6T
$175 - 12 OCZ DDR3 1600
$70 - Western Digital 640GB Caviar Black
$520 - 2 x EVGA GTX280 
$145 - Corsair 850TX ($25 rebate)
$180 - Antec 1200

*TOTAL:* $1,620 before shipping, taxes, rebates


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## icon1 (May 13, 2009)

^^
yeah, that's one good option too.. i7 platform will perform better than AMD build & X58 boards supports SLI/X-fire. I will not have a headache whether to go for an NVIDIA or ATI graphic cards. Anyway it's still your choice dude you can't go wrong with AMD's PII or Intel's i7 coz both platform is great.


*but personally I'll go for an i7 build.. just my 2 scents


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## fire2havoc (May 13, 2009)

The reason I suggested the i7 build is because it will outperform that AMD setup and will have upgrade options as well since the 1366 chipset will support Intel's new 32nm Gulfstream.


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## icon1 (May 13, 2009)

fire2havoc said:


> The reason I suggested the i7 build is because it will outperform that AMD setup and will have upgrade options as well since the 1366 chipset will support Intel's new 32nm Gulfstream.



yeah, maybe a little BIOS update and you're up for some 32nm goodness


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## n-ster (May 13, 2009)

i7 is the way to go...

it is 230$ + tax at Microcenter (there are 2 in IL)
RAM 6gb OC incredibly like Fit said (86$)
RAID 0 caviar black (2x70$ = 140$)
4850x2 (260$ - 10$MIR)
HAF 932 case (150$ free ship with Maysaving)
Corsair 750TX (120$ - 20$MIR)
and mobo, I'll get back to you on that  but until now it's about 1k$ - 30$ MIR and mobo should be 200 to 250$ max

if you want REALLY good stuff, you might want 2 30gb Vertex SSDs in RAID 0 with 1 tb storage drive (add 235$ for that) so with that and mobo = 1500$ for MUCH better stuff 

edit: ok get the ECS X58 board (190$ - 20$MIR) and This storage HD and 2x Vertex 30gb (2 x 149$ = 300$) instead of the 2 Caviar Blacks and you got an awesome computer!

Oh and you'll need thermal paste if you don't have some and a backplate to mount to lga 1366... that's like 20 to 25$ more, so total will be 1550$ - 50$ MIR = 1500$


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## Pickles Von Brine (May 13, 2009)

There really is not difference in gaming with the i7. What is the PC going to be used for exactly? Also, if you want, go with either 1 4890, or 2 of them in xfire. That will be MORE than enough. Or if you want. Go with 2 4770s in xfire. It does a damn good job and even a single 4770 OC to 915/1000 is on par with a 4850x2


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## n-ster (May 13, 2009)

a single 4770 on par with a 4850x2 since when? but you can get 2 4770 in xfire instead of 4850x2 if you want  that'll lower the price to!


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## Pickles Von Brine (May 13, 2009)

If you overclock it bud. Thats what I did and I am getting better scores


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## n-ster (May 13, 2009)

scores but not fps...


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## fire2havoc (May 13, 2009)

n-ster said:


> a single 4770 on par with a 4850x2 since when? but you can get 2 4770 in xfire instead of 4850x2 if you want  that'll lower the price to!



That's incorrect. Clock for clock, an overclocked 4770 will not perform as well as a 4850x2.


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## pepsi71ocean (May 14, 2009)

While im currently on an Intel rig and ive always been an AMD fan boy, i would say that the i7  would help with photoshop better.

Heck i went with my rig because i do video editing and photo shopping as well. But my computer was overbuilt for its job.


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## n-ster (May 15, 2009)

More power for less... why not?  I am quite proud of the build I suggested, though you can take out the 4850x2 and replace it by 2 4770... Thoses SSDs in RAID 0 = 400mb/s average! All of the things I suggested are quality and perform well...

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me!


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## Cptnyr (May 20, 2009)

OmegaAI said:


> There really is not difference in gaming with the i7. What is the PC going to be used for exactly? Also, if you want, go with either 1 4890, or 2 of them in xfire. That will be MORE than enough. Or if you want. Go with 2 4770s in xfire. It does a damn good job and even a single 4770 OC to 915/1000 is on par with a 4850x2



i will be using it for photoshop and any other programs needed for graphic design in college so im guessing some 3dmax type type things. and i will be gaming a good amount so i need to be a able to handle that...

as of now im stuck with amd but thats only because i have only used amd and i like it.  But if you convince me that the I7 will be a better choice for me i will consider it


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## n-ster (May 20, 2009)

It will be a better choice, it isn't that much more! and it'll last you WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Longer than anything else... With 2 vertexs in RAID 0 and an i7 and triple channel RAM with 2 4770 in XFIRE or a 4850x2, you'll be living in the future my friend  it'll last you freaking long... you won't run out of power for a long time...

If you go PII, it isn't a bad choice but for what you need it for and your expectations, it won't suffice..


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## Cptnyr (May 20, 2009)

n-ster said:


> It will be a better choice, it isn't that much more! and it'll last you WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Longer than anything else... With 2 vertexs in RAID 0 and an i7 and triple channel RAM with 2 4770 in XFIRE or a 4850x2, you'll be living in the future my friend  it'll last you freaking long... you won't run out of power for a long time...
> 
> If you go PII, it isn't a bad choice but for what you need it for and your expectations, it won't suffice..



alright i made an i7 shopping cart...like the idea of the ssd's so ill do that

here it is


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## n-ster (May 20, 2009)

you could go 2 4770 since that may be better performance AND cheaper... I don't like WD greens... Get the Black instead... You can get the i7 from your local Microcenter!!! only 230$ + tax!


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## LittleLizard (May 20, 2009)

n-ster said:


> you could go 2 4770 since that may be better performance AND cheaper... I don't like WD greens... Get the Black instead... You can get the i7 from your local Microcenter!!! only 230$ + tax!



agreed that 2 4770 will be better. the driver support  for the 4850x2 is crap. As for the hdd, go black, .12 or spinpoint, those are the best.


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## Cptnyr (May 20, 2009)

LittleLizard said:


> agreed that 2 4770 will be better. the driver support  for the 4850x2 is crap. As for the hdd, go black, .12 or spinpoint, those are the best.



i cant decided on a vga now...how long will 2 4770's last me?


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## n-ster (May 20, 2009)

longer than 4850x2... get 2 4770... I'm sorry I mislead you... Also, Get this RAM... It actually may be better than the crucials at a lower price OR you could get a 1600 cl9 kit... it'll be EASIER (minimal OC) to get good RAM, but IMO the SuperTalents are a much better choice


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## LittleLizard (May 20, 2009)

Cptnyr said:


> i cant decided on a vga now...how long will 2 4770's last me?



dont know but more than a year for sure. as for the rest of the pc i would say 3 years easy.


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## n-ster (May 20, 2009)

LittleLizard said:


> dont know but more than a year for sure. as for the rest of the pc i would say 3 years easy.



omg you have low expectations  No, for what you are doing both will last you VERY long... ACTUALLY, if you want best futureability, you might want to get only one 4770 and then upgrade to a DX 11 card for christmas

IMO the rest will last you 5+ yrs... depends if you want the best or a good machine suffices for you


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## LittleLizard (May 20, 2009)

n-ster said:


> omg you have low expectations  No, for what you are doing both will last you VERY long... ACTUALLY, if you want best futureability, you might want to get only one 4770 and then upgrade to a DX 11 card for christmas
> 
> IMO the rest will last you 5+ yrs... depends if you want the best or a good machine suffices for you



sorry, is that im not good at saying how much a hardware would last.


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## n-ster (May 20, 2009)

LittleLizard said:


> sorry, is that im not good at saying how much a hardware would last.



I am not either  actually, very few are, since hardware changes way too fast xD It may last 20 years because we've hit a part where hardware is way better and can't be utilised by the software completely, or it could last 2 years cuz 1nm comes out and we have 800core CPUs and all software will utilise everything


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