FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Register Register  Login Login

i7 3930 Build review

Post Date: 2012-03-23
 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
dogwalker View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 23 Mar 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 10 		  Quote dogwalker Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: i7 3930 Build review
    Posted: 23 Mar 2012 at 10:26am
I am speccing out a new pc. Its been a while and since its hard to keep up with the latest and best in tech, please help me check the build out below.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Budget:~$3000
Expectations: Possibly a 2 monitor setup but 1 for now
Usage: MMO, the odd FPS, mainly heavy photoshop elements, lightroom and possibly editing of raw HD SLR video footage and other general uses
Special Needs: Lots of reliable storage. Trying to get a little more power so I won't have to replace it anytime soon. Avoiding any liquid cooling since the last liquid cooled rig I had had with the cooling that made it harder to fix and I'm just trying to stick to air.

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Obsidian 550D
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 3930K 3.2GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Six-Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X79 (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 800W Corsair GS (Dual SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 520 Series)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (2TB Hitachi/Seagate (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache)
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(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Technology) (EVGA 012-P3-1571-BR)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Corsair A50 120mm Fan High Performance Cooler
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
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
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

Edited by dogwalker - 23 Mar 2012 at 10:28am
Back to Top
FrankW View Drop Down
DS Veteran
DS Veteran


Joined: 22 Feb 2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2254 		  Quote FrankW Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2012 at 11:04am
Hi dogwalker,

You need to decide what your monitor setup is going to be and how powerful a gamer you want. The 570 1.2 is ok with a 1920 x 1080 but not good enough for two monitors. Even with one monitor to play some games you may have to turn down some settings. When you say a two monitor setup does that mean you want to game on two monitors? There new GPUs available now and you should consider one of them instead of the 570. The only reason to get the 570 now is cost.

There is nothing in your description that calls for a 6 core CPU. The 3820 4 core CPU will work for you. You don't need the X79 platform unless you just want it.

The A50 cooler is not good enough for a 6core CPU. If you want air then go with the D14.

Frank
Back to Top
tju76 View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 06 Mar 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 804 		  Quote tju76 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2012 at 11:14am
i like the x79 platform because of the pci3 support, and it seems like everyone that has the new 28nm graphics card whether it be amd/nvidia all run them on a x79 platform. 
Back to Top
Minka View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 22 Mar 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 75 		  Quote Minka Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2012 at 1:18pm
The HAF X also gives much better airflow. You might consider switching to that.
Back to Top
FrankW View Drop Down
DS Veteran
DS Veteran


Joined: 22 Feb 2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2254 		  Quote FrankW Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2012 at 1:28pm
Hi tju76,

There is no problem going with the X79 if that is what you want. It is a bit more money. We still need to know about your monitor situation.

Frank

Here is a system a little different than your build but very close to your budget. I like two 1Tb WD black label HDDs in stead of the 2Tb.

You will be much better off with the Corsair 1050HX power supply. It gives you the power to go SLI if you want to in the future. It has a 7 year factory warranty and is very efficient.

I know you said you wanted to stay away from LC but you should take a look at the Corsair H100. It is not a conventional LC system but is a closed loop and you don't have to open a loop to add a second GPU. There is no maintenance. It is not as reliable as the D14 but does cool a bit better. The D14 and H100 are priced the same.

The 680 is within your budget and I would go for it. especially if you are serious about dual monitors. With this system you are covered as long as you don't go crazy with monitors.

Configuration: 667803 Cost: $2,903

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 3820 3.6GHz (Turbo Mode up to 3.8GHz) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P9X79 DELUXE (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 520 Series)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (2TB Hitachi/Seagate (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache)
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 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB (Includes PhysX) (EVGA)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 Extreme Performance
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
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro or Deluxe Series Motherboard)
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: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
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: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

Edited by FrankW - 23 Mar 2012 at 1:39pm
Back to Top
kenage View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 03 Mar 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 59 		  Quote kenage Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2012 at 1:36pm
Bear in mind that you can buy Z68 or P67 boards with PCI-E 3 support, and with a firmware update and an Ivy Bridge CPU, you'll have the latest version. The ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 board supports PCI-E 3.0, and is the standard option on the Dreadnought configuration, which contains most all of the recommendations you'll get here.

However, also consider that one single card, even if it's a GTX 680 or Radeon 7970 will not stress even PCI-E 2 channels at x16, while the latest ones might be able to stress PCI-E 2 at x8.

You will save a lot of money keeping these in mind, since you won't come anywhere near to utilizing the six cores of the 3930/3960, and won't benefit much from the quad-channel RAM support.

In short, the money you'll save can be put toward better use in upgrading your video card now, and cpu in a couple months when Ivy Bridge comes out.
— Kenage
MCTS, MCP, Security+, Network+
Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid doing entirely.
Back to Top
Martys View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 04 Dec 2011
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 68 		  Quote Martys Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2012 at 1:57pm
Also bear in mind that NVIDIA and disabled support for PCIE 3 on X79 motherboards. It's unclear why and some report they're working on a fix, but it doesn't exist at the moment. So if PCIE 3 is an important consideration waiting for a resolution before deciding on an X79 motherboard might be prudent. Here is one such report.

      Marty
Back to Top
tju76 View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 06 Mar 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 804 		  Quote tju76 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2012 at 6:54pm
this will be a driver fix correct?
Back to Top
dogwalker View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie

Email address used to purchase matched with forums account email.

Joined: 23 Mar 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 10 		  Quote dogwalker Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2012 at 7:29pm
Everyone,

   Thanks so much for the perspectives! I really appreciate the various replies.

Frank W,

   Thanks for the general build idea! I plan to play on a 1 monitor setup and work on a 2 monitor setup. I do play the odd FPS, but generally SWTOR, WoW is as far as I go in gameplay. I did a little more reading on the video editing needs, seems like I need lots of ram for sure, but not too clear on the cpu needs (Final Cut Pro).
Would a 570 2.5GB work?  Or is the 680 the one I should get?

Kenage, 
 
    The reason I considered the X79 was based off reports that I read, Ivy Bridge would not provide much of the jump in raw performance but rather in power efficiency due to the use of Intel's new 3D transistor design approach. So I figured, rather than get an I7 2600K, then upgrade to a Ivy Bridge, just get an Sandy E and be done with it.

Does everyone think at I7 2600K is good enough that I should pass on the X79 i7 series?



Edited by dogwalker - 23 Mar 2012 at 7:30pm
Back to Top
kenage View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 03 Mar 2012
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 59 		  Quote kenage Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2012 at 7:54pm
Originally posted by Martys

Also bear in mind that NVIDIA and disabled support for PCIE 3 on X79 motherboards. It's unclear why and some report they're working on a fix, but it doesn't exist at the moment. So if PCIE 3 is an important consideration waiting for a resolution before deciding on an X79 motherboard might be prudent. Here is one such report.

      Marty


The reason Nvidia disabled it on the X79 platform is because the platform is not validated for supporting PCIe 3.0. The drivers out right now are the press release drivers, and do not officially support the X79 platform. However, I think that Nvidia would be rather stupid to not validate the platform.


If you need some highly-threaded applications, then that's the only scenario under which I would go with the X79 chips. They cost a lot more, except for the 3820, and at that point you're buying the 40 PCIe lanes, rather than the increased CPU performance denoted by the enthusiast platform. According to information about the 680, it comes the closest to utilizing a full PCIe 3 lane. PCIe 3 supports up to 8 GT/s, which translates to about 32GB/s on a x16 link. As you can see in the review, the lone GTX680 has a data transfer rate of almost 12GB/s, which is just below what a PCIe 3 x8 link would be, same as a PCIe 2 x16 link (well not exactly, but effectively).
— Kenage
MCTS, MCP, Security+, Network+
Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid doing entirely.
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 4.492188E-02 seconds.