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New rig. Any suggestions.

Post Date: 2010-11-16
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Nid View Drop Down
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Posts: 13 		  Quote Nid Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: New rig. Any suggestions.
    Posted: 16 Nov 2010 at 6:37pm
I'm have DSO build a new PC and need some suggestions.  My current PC is 8 years old and I've been out of the market for a while so my knowledge is limited.  I'll use it for gaming 90% of the time.  I currently play WoW some but due to my current PoS PC I mostly play console games. 

My budget after everything is said and done is about $2800 with maybe $50 to spare. This build is right on target as far as price.  I was debating between the gtx580 and the Black Ops gtx580 due to the fact I know tested clock speeds on the Black Ops vs. the generic gtx580 (DSO was unable to specify the exact brand being used and some post different clock speeds).  My CPU, GPU, and PSU are set in stone.  Otherwise I'm open for suggestions.

1. Budget: $2800 (have mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc...)

2. Want the ability to play current games at near max settings (if possible) with   single monitor with room for upgrades down the road. Not looking to break records.

3. Mostly gaming, lots of multimedia, hours of internet browsing, followed by some photo/video editing.

4. Mentioned in other parts of the post.

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Processor: Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 FTW3 Edition 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (USB 3.0 & SATA 6Gb/s) (Model: 132-GT-E768-TR)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: Drive Force Series CSSD-F120GB2-BRKT)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition WD1002FAEX)
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H70 Liquid CPU Cooler (High-Performance Edition)
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)
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)

Which raid config (if any) do I use with the SSD+HDD combo?  Wanting to put OS and some heavy apps on SDD and others on the HDD.  I'm debating on the HAF X vs. the Raven 2.  I also plan to add an additional GTX580 sometime late 2011.  I'm open to suggestions. 





Edited by Nid - 16 Nov 2010 at 6:41pm
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BeastBubba View Drop Down
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Posts: 22 		  Quote BeastBubba Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 16 Nov 2010 at 7:09pm

I'd suggest the 80g Intel SSD.  Intel has a faster SSD, and 80g should be able to hold everything you need it to for years and years.

I woulden't get the Nvidia 580, it is alot more expensive that the 480 and not that much better.
 
Ohh and the USB 3.0 & SATA 6Gb/s motherboards are sapposed to be a bad idea.  There is a huge form post somewhere on here about them...
 
Note:  I'm not tech savy, just giving out some of what I have figured out trying to create my desktop.
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Aroberts0820 View Drop Down
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Posts: 69 		  Quote Aroberts0820 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 16 Nov 2010 at 7:23pm

Regarding your raid question. You probably wouldn't want to RAID-0 any SSD's, while it's arguable, you might not notice a giant leap in performance and you lose TRIM, etc. As far as getting a couple larger non-SSD's for storage and setting them in RAID-0 for performance, you could do that for much cheaper than you could get another SSD. Beast was right in recommending Intel for SSD's.

As far as going with the 580 over the 480, I would say go for it, your video card with give you more bang for your buck than anything else in your build. While the difference is $100 bucks, I would say that's a samll price to pay for latest and greatest. Not to mention the 'supposed' heat and noise difference between the two.
 
I don't have any personal experience with Corsair's H-70 liquid cooling system, I have heard that all-in-one liquid cooling loops are supposed to be avoided like the plague. Don't take my word on it though, look around for some reviews. You may want to consider a Noctua processor cooler. They get AMAZING temps with air, probably (and this is spectualation) as good or better than the corsair liquid loop.
 
Beast also hit the nail on the head with SATA 3.0. There's a really good thread by !ender to help people with configuring systems. Dunno if you've already read it.
 
Hope this helps.
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Nid View Drop Down
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Posts: 13 		  Quote Nid Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 16 Nov 2010 at 8:38pm
Thanks for the replies.  I've skimmed !ender's post but will go back and read it in full.  As for the GPU, I'm set on the 580.  In actuality, waiting for the 580 is the only reason I didn't go with an Alienware a month ago.  So I consider it destiny lol.
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Aroberts0820 View Drop Down
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Posts: 69 		  Quote Aroberts0820 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 16 Nov 2010 at 8:45pm
Ugh Alienware, I mean they were pretty decent builders (should be for the price) but their customer service, or lack there of, left much to be desired. Now that Dell bought them you're paying extra dollars for an assembly line machine that is 'custom built'. Not that I'm sure you need any convincing.
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Nid View Drop Down
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Posts: 13 		  Quote Nid Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 16 Nov 2010 at 9:03pm
I was uninformed!  After they sold to Dell, the executives started a new Co.  But you pay a premium.  I went from sold on Alienware -> Cyberpower -> DSO.  Sold on DSO as of now.  If the support is 1/2 as good as everyone claims, then I'm happy.

So... I've read !ender and Dragoonseal's posts in entirety and I've reconfigured my system.  But I still have one question.  I'm very unclear about 2 HDDs and the need for raid (or in fact what it is).  I'll be going with the Intel 80gb + Hitachi 1TB drives.  Do I need to select some type of raid or will they work together automatically when the set them up (OS on SSD & games, movies, etc... on other) ?
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Posts: 69 		  Quote Aroberts0820 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 16 Nov 2010 at 9:21pm
Basically, RAID utilizes multiple hard disks to attain redundancy for security or for speed depending on the RAID steup. All the drives should be identical for the RAID array to work properly and stable. Here are some common examples of different RAID setups.
 
RAID 0 (striped)- Uses two or more identical drives. Data is split up and then written and later read simultaneously to all drives, thus greatly increasing read and write speeds.
 
RAID 1 (mirrored)- Uses two or more identical drives. Data is written identically to all disks. So if you have 2 1TB drives, you only get 1TB of actual storage space. This is used for security, if one drive craps out you can still have it all "backed up" on the other drive.
 
RAID 5 (striping with parity)- This is a little different. This uses 3 or more identical drives. When using this configuration you will lose exactly 1 drive's worth the space. So if you have 5 1TB drives you will actually have 4TB of storage space. This uses a striped method of recording data, and uses the 'extra' drive to store parity data which is usedto rebuild a lost drive. Basically, if you have one drive die on you, you grab a new drive from the store or DSO, plug it back in and the OS will rebuild the lost data using the parity data on the 5th drive.
 
There are actually many more RAID configurations but these are the most common. Hopefully this will give you a better idea where to go. Most people go with RAID 0 for the speed benefit, after all rebuilding a Desktop if one dies is a lot easier and faster then rebuilding a domain controller.
 
Hope this helps. Ninja
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Posts: 2247 		  Quote Dragoonseal Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Nov 2010 at 3:10am
Oh, you don't need RAID when using two separate drives for different things.

You know how, for instance, when looking under My Computer the HDD is the C drive and the CD/DVD drive is the D drive? With an SSD as the OS drive and an additional HDD installed you see the SSD as the C drive, likely followed by the HDD as the D drive, and finally the CD/DVD drive as an F drive.

Basically you'll just see extra drive letters pop up. It will be up to you to install or store things on them how you wish. Keep mostly OS/apps and maybe a few games on the SSD, and use the HDD for the rest of the games/movies/music/media.
Lilim
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HAF 932 - Dual SLI Nvidia GTX 480s
3x Intel X25-M G2 (80GB) SSD RAID0
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Nid View Drop Down
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Posts: 13 		  Quote Nid Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Nov 2010 at 10:15am
That answered my question and I have a question for you too Dragoon.  I read your post concerning the new USB 3.0/SATA III boards and needed your suggestion on a MOBO. 

I initally selected the EVGA X58 FTW3 but after reading your post it makes me feel this is a bad decision.  I could upgrade to the EVGA X58 Classified but I feel it's a bit overkill and also forces me into the HAF X vs. the HAF 932.  I'd rather stay with an EVGA but I guess I don't have to.  Is the SATA III utilized on the board if your HDDs are SATA II or just when your HDDs are SATAIII?  I want to avoid the troubles you spoke of with the SATA III controller.

I've pretty much reconfigured my rig per !ender and your posts.  Now I'm just trying to decide which MOBA.  

Edited by Nid - 17 Nov 2010 at 10:28am
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Posts: 2247 		  Quote Dragoonseal Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Nov 2010 at 10:48am
Originally posted by Nid

That answered my question and I have a question for you too Dragoon.  I read your post concerning the new USB 3.0/SATA III boards and needed your suggestion on a MOBO. 

I initally selected the EVGA X58 FTW3 but after reading your post it makes me feel this is a bad decision.  I could upgrade to the EVGA X58 Classified but I feel it's a bit overkill and also forces me into the HAF X vs. the HAF 932.  I'd rather stay with an EVGA but I guess I don't have to.  Is the SATA III utilized on the board if your HDDs are SATA II?  I want to avoid the troubles you spoke of with the SATA III chips.

I've pretty much reconfigured my rig per !ender and your posts.  Now I'm just trying to decide which MOBA.

Don't pay extra for a SATA 6Gb/s board, but if it comes with one you were getting anyway then that's fine. The issue used to be that only the more expensive boards had onboard SATA 6Gb/s and people were paying a lot to get them for no other reason than the SATA 6Gb/s ports thinking they were amazing, not knowing that in reality they actually suck.

These days even the staple cheaper boards all have it, so it doesn't really matter. Just don't bother with the SATA 6Gb/s ports unless you run out of Intel ports, at which point you can use them for CD/DVD or HDDs to free up a couple Intel ports.

The FTW3 is basically the same thing is the newer cheaper SLI3, so I would definitely recommend the SLI3 over it, but as it is currently backordered you are stuck with either the FTW3 or the ASUS Sabertooth if you don't want to wait. The Sabertooth is a good board too though, so I'd go with it unless the FTW3 has something you really need (I don't recall the differences off hand, I think just number of PCIe lanes).
Lilim
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3x Intel X25-M G2 (80GB) SSD RAID0
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Posts: 1074 		  Quote MagiK Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Nov 2010 at 11:56am
All X58 boards have the same number of PCIe lanes(38 I believe) (the 38 was off the top of my head read that it might actually be 40 but definitely not NOT 48)

The only boards that have more lanes are AMD oriented boards and there are only a few of them.


Edited by MagiK - 17 Nov 2010 at 12:00pm
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