2 Build ideas: AMD tri 5870 -or- LCS with dual 480

The only thing I can think of is to make the same config with a Special|Ops, only because the Black|Ops doesn't offer the Super warranty. I dont see any reason to go Black|Ops anymore... IMO The HAF-X Is a better case for the money. Beter Airflow IMHO

About the rest of the config, I would wait for justin.kerr or DST4ME to oversee it. They own the forums

Edited by AustinHiggs - 20 Jun 2010 at 5:36am

Hi Austin,

Thanks for the response. The striped 150s with 1 optical drive is plenty for me now.  I guess the big things I was trying to muddle through was cooling / video card choice and the cases for those choices.  I am not a big stacker fan for aesthetic reasons although they look like big cfm movers.  :-) Here is the non 5870 build with dual H20 480s.  Trying to figure out which is better overall for gaming.  I figure H20 will keep the 480s quiet and temps low but the idea of H20 + electronics makes me nervous.  How much effort *after* the system arrives is required to keep things running stable? Are 3 air cooled 5870s stable / better performers than 2 H20 480s in SLI? Love to hear from someone who has run a similar setup?

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS HailStorm Edition
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition (3.2GHz) (6 Core) (6 MB Cache) AM3 Socket
Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair IV Formula (AMD 890X Chipset) (SATA 6 and USB 3.0) (Socket AM3)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1333MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1500W Silverstone (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Recommended)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 2x (150GB Western Digital VelociRaptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Set 1 Raid Options: Configure HDD Set 1 to a Raid 0 Config - Stripe Performance (Requires Two HDDs)
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 6: Sub-Zero LCS Dual Loop: CPU & Dual SLI/CrossFire Video Cards & Chipset
H20 Tube Color:Red Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive)
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (UV) (Creates Glowing Effect for H20 Tubes)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: HailStorm & 950Si: Processor & Video Card Area: Drill and Mount Two Side Window 120mm Fan Blow-Holes
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended)
Boost Video Card: FREE: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
Boost Memory: Memory Fan Kit Only (Does not include memory overclocking service)
Boost OS: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (32-Bit Edition)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Install/Test Game: FREE: Hot-selling game with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or above graphics card
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Xtra Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Limited Warranty with Life-Time Customer Support (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Parts)

Ugh. I've been avoiding this thread because I really don't want to get into it all, that whole config is really bad for a lot of reasons. Let me at least cover the most important two things before you hit the buy button though.

Flat out, the Intel i7 930 beats any CPU currently offered by AMD in almost every single possible way, both in performance and price. Someone can grab some benchmarks for you if really necessary but you should be able to quickly see for yourself if you search for any on the web.

Secondly, never never never bother with VelociRaptor HDDs. A 1TB 7200RPM 32MB drive has quite literately 90% of the speed of the fastest VelociRaptors, while also having way more space and being way less expensive. You'll never notice the difference between the two and they both pale so much compared to SSDs it is silly.

An Intel SSD has 80-100 times faster small file read/write performance and at least twice the sequential (large) file read performance of any conventional HDD available. Once you've had one you'll never go back to conventional HDDs for anything other than media storage. Get an 80GB Intel SSD for OS/apps and 500GB or 1TB HDD for games/music/movies/pictures. You will also have enough room on the SSD for a small library of games but overall games do not benefit from a SSD's faster speeds very much so you can freely install them on the normal HDD and you won't be missing much.

For the price of two 150GB VelociRaptors you can get an 80GB Intel SSD for OS/apps and a 1TB 32MB HDD for everything else, which is a much faster setup and over three and a half times the storage space.

As for the rest, ugh, just some quick observations, someone else can give you more details if you need. What resolution does your monitor display up to? If it is 1920x1200 or less ditch the second 480, it is a complete waste. You could select a smaller PSU, a 1250w would still support 2 480s, in case you want to add in a second one in a few years. Ditch the liquid cooling. Ditch the Hailstorm. Ditch the memory fan kit. Ditch the OS tweaks. Select the Father's Day free 4 year labor 2 year parts warranty.

Oh yeah, if your going dual 480s, prepare to pay triple on your electric bill.

Hi Dragonseal,

I am up on Intel & AMD benches.  I have waffled on trying an Intel build.  I have always enjoyed my AMD systems have not cared for my Intels quite as much.  My last AMD build socket 939 (fx-55) with dual 8800s just died on me after 5 years of hard gaming.  I must say it played metro 2033 and farcry 2 just fine.......

I have a hard time justifying a 980x over AMDs hex despite the performance differences.

 I have been using raptor drives for over a decade have yet to have one fail on me yet.  SSD technology does intrigue me.  How long have you been using yours? Have you had any difficulties with them over the years? The 64 meg WD 1 terabyte blacks do look nice for the price but I hate the idea of drives dying on me have you had much luck with them? 

My monitor is 1900x1200 native ( it's 28") I have been running SLI for years the idea of just a single card in my system seems weird. :) I like the bigger PS -vs- smaller less load on it the better..... I know my electric bill is insane already....

I have mixed feeling about LC too? I don't want headaches .... I want smooth gaming. :) It's why I chose the 800d hailstorm case though otherwise I like the fortress assassin case for air.  I intended to choose the 4 year warranty for sure appreciate you pointing that out though! Why I was hoping for some responses from folks who actually run H20 systems? Is it worth it? :P Or is it a major pita? I don't mind some tweaking but I prefer a system with minimal headaches.  Why I am buying -vs- building.

Chipping in my config

>>>>416374<<<<

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 FTW3 Edition 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1500W Silverstone (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Recommended)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Extreme Performance) (Model: X25-M MLC Edition)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (2TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed WD2001FASS 2TB)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x ATI Radeon HD 5970 2GB
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Asus Xonar D2 (HOT SELLER) (PCI-Express Slot Based)
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 4: Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System: CPU Only
H20 Tube Color:Red Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive)
Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Green) (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds with Noise Dampening Material)
Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended)
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Install/Test Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Limited Warranty with Life-Time Customer Support (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Parts)

HAF 932 is built for maximum airflow, however, with that, it's effectively built for maximum internal LC potential as well.

With an ATI 5970, you still get the benefit of dual 5870s, in essence, without wasting 16 PCI-E 2.0 lanes. You can go dual GTX 480's and possibly get a bit better performance, but a lot more heat too (which could possibly radiate internally and leak onto the CPU cooler....i guess), and lose 32 PCI-E Lanes. (Explaining PCI-E Lanes - i7's support 36 lanes worth of PCI-E cards. Graphics cards usually take up 16 lanes, two take up 32 lanes, leaving you with 4 lanes. Using a single card like a 5970 saves you 16 lanes for upgrades. I dunno really what way you wanna go though, o.o)

i7 930 in there with an OC, video card OC skipped because it can potentially cause instabilities at times, and it barely proves any sort of difference for anyone.


Edited by ablahblah - 20 Jun 2010 at 5:37pm

Just a few thoughts.

For LC, first off, like everyone says. Asetek sucks. Period.

LC is not quiet, first off, most LC pumps are actually rated pretty loud. If you order LC though, make sure to specify what fans you want. Do a bit of research on fans. Second, it's supposed to be non-conductive fluid, but honestly, what works best is distilled water. It has the best conduction power, but requires more maintenance to keep biological organisms out. Theoretically though, it is still non-conductive.

For velociraptors, most people know that alone they're not worth it. In RAID Stripe though, that might be a different story. I dunno. But SSD's are unrivaled in speed anyways.

Hmmm.  My LC is quiet lol I haven't had to tell it shhsshh once.

Looks like the DS configurator changed overnight on certain cases with certain builds.  I thought the sale went through today? Guess the good news is prices went down on certain items. :) Anyhow thanks for the responses, I will try Intel over AMD and HD's other than raptors.  Although SSDs still make me nervous.  Anyhow revised build is below:

Really appreciate the input. :)

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS Assassin Edition
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 980X 3.33GHz (Hexa-Core) (Extreme Performance)
Motherboard: ASUS Rampage III Extreme (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 12GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1500W Silverstone (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Recommended)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 2x (1TBWestern Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Set 1 Raid Options: Configure HDD Set 1 to a Raid 0 Config - Stripe Performance (Requires Two HDDs)
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 3x CrossFire Triple (ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i7 Processors)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended)
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: Memory Fan Kit Only (Does not include memory overclocking service)
Boost OS: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Install/Test Game: FREE: Hot-selling game with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or above graphics card
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Xtra Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: FREE PROMO: 4 Year Limited Warranty with Life-Time Customer Support (4 Year Labor & 2 Year Parts)


Edited by Sirfin - 21 Jun 2010 at 5:44pm