SgtJoo

Mainly wanted to put this here so that I can have abc's input without bugging him on steam. Gonna build a PC and this is what I've worked out/recall from earlier conversation with the aforementioned abc.

Samsung DVD Burner
HAF 932 Case
Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB hard drive
Hanns G 22" monitor
Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro)
Corsair 650TX power supply
Logitech MX 518 mouse + keyboard + steelseries mouse pad
G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB (2x2) 240-pin DDR3 1600
Asus P7P55
Intel i5-750
Some arctic silver 5 thermal paste

Would that work out well?

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abc

Make sure the Hanns G has got DVI or HDMI. If you're planning HDMI make sure the mobo has a "digital audio out" (i believe that's the correct terminology) DVI is absolutely fine btw.

If that's the very basic P7P mobo then it'll have the bells but not the whilstles, just take a look incase you're desperately expecting anything which you may not get (e.g. firewire, e-sata) I wouldn't fuss over the mobo though, this one will OC ok, and this build doesn't shout "I want THE best rig for overclocking" anyway so "ok" is sufficient I'd imagine.

The CPU will come with a HSF & thermal paste. If you want to pay £5 (for the AS5) to save 2 - 4 degrees C then be my guest. In terms of "degrees C saved per pound" you'd be much better off buying a cooler instead of AS5 but obviously the minimum cost is 6 times more.


Oh and if I'm having a good game then feel free to interupt me as much you want (it was one of those "5 kills? very easy. harrier. cg. profit. eventually die. repeat" games) Conversely, if I'm having a bad game, feel free to interupt me until the next round

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"I don't like new Linkin Park, I don't like old Linkin Park... I JUST LIKE LINKIN PARK"

COD owner - COD expansion pack owner - COD2 owner - COD2: BRO player - COD3 owner - COD4 owner - COD:WaW owner - COD: MW2 owner - COD: BO owner

This is getting repetitive.

SgtJoo

This for the Mobo: Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55 WS SuperComputer with NF200 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

This for the Monitor: Newegg.com - Hanns·G Hi-221DPB Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 Built-in Speakers

And thanks for the advice on the paste...

Ninja edit: The Sapphire just went out of stock on newegg... will an HIS Cypress Pro be just as good or should I pay almost 50 bucks more for the Sapphire Toxic edition?

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abc

I don't know if there are reasons you haven't mentioned (e.g. wanting CF AND SLI capability - in which case good choice, or if you were planning to run $50,000 worth of super-computing GFX cards thus needed 5 GFX card slots...) but neither of those apply I'd just get this:

Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55D EVO LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

From what I can tell it's exactly the same (e.g. same memory support, same number of SATA ports etc) but cheaper due to "only" having 2 PCIe x16 slots.


Monitor has DVI so that's errm... good... you'll be able to plug it in as opposed to just have it sitting there looking pretty but doing nothing... err yeah anyway


5850 is 9.5 inches. Just measured my case (I r haz antec 300 - it's fantastic) and there's a very clear 10.75 inches which no obtrusions etc from PCI backplate to the HDD cages. With a HDD in the opposite cage that is probably reduced by an inch (if you're clumsy with cable management) or half an inch if you're cables are tidy. Nevertheless, my main point is that HDD bays 1,2,3 and 6 are too high or too low to block a PCIe slot. So with CF 5850 you would "only" be able to easily have 4 HDDs. However, this is probably enough...


List of 5850s: Newegg.com - 5850 radeon

I'd avoid HIS (not great for OC'ing apparantly) and visiontek. I'd also avoid ones with the stock cooler
All of them are "stock" clock speeds up until the gigabyte which has a slight OC. It will make a difference in the region of 0.1% to 3% difference. Negligible. Then again every little helps. But then again the 5850 is plenty fast enough.
Buying one that isn't OC'd would make crossfire easier as you wouldn't need to OC the second card or find the exact same one in 12 months.
The ones with two fans should be quieter and run cooler.
Some have free shipping. Some have games. Some look better.
Some have lifetime warranties (this may be worth it?)

So really they're all even and all between $299 and $315 inc. shipping. Get whichever one you want bar the HIS and Visiontek.

__________________
"I don't like new Linkin Park, I don't like old Linkin Park... I JUST LIKE LINKIN PARK"

COD owner - COD expansion pack owner - COD2 owner - COD2: BRO player - COD3 owner - COD4 owner - COD:WaW owner - COD: MW2 owner - COD: BO owner

This is getting repetitive.

SgtJoo

Would you recommend an Antec 300? They're pretty cheap but it seems to be pretty good.

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abc

Yes, I would recommend an Antec 300 as the best solution for a high performance PC to anyone with a budget of $0 to $80 for a case.

If you could stretch to $100, I'd recommend a Lian Li KC58w instead.

Yeah I bought an Antec 300 because I wanted THE best performing (not the shiniest or the l33test looking one) most expandable most spacious best built case for the least amount of money (under £90 - the cost of an Antec 900, i.e. what I really wanted but wasn't going to pay almost £100 for a case)

At that sort of price level there is stuff that gets close (Thermaltake M9, Coolermaster 690, Lian Li, HAF) but because of the price/performance in reality the 300 wins the sales war convincingly.


If I were buying again I'd stretch to a Lian Li. If you don't have $100 for a metal box then I'd just drop straight down to the Antec 300 due to it's killer value.

I think the Lian Li cases are slightly more perfect overall (better looks? window, CPU cutout, more advanced cable management) than the 300, but almost twice the price. In terms of sheer cooling ability I think other stuff is close but not better.

Lian Li cases (need to do a bit of scrolling to get to the $80 - $90 mark)

Of the bunch of proper (mid tower) cases I like the KC58w the best. If I was designing a 300 mark II it would be that case. 300 + a window, CPU cutout, better cable management. It "only" has 4 HDD slots, slightly less efficient cooling and is twice the price. Oh well.


I sure hope that's comprehensive enough

__________________
"I don't like new Linkin Park, I don't like old Linkin Park... I JUST LIKE LINKIN PARK"

COD owner - COD expansion pack owner - COD2 owner - COD2: BRO player - COD3 owner - COD4 owner - COD:WaW owner - COD: MW2 owner - COD: BO owner

This is getting repetitive.

SgtJoo

I definitely have a little extra to spring for the Lian Li.

This?

Newegg.com - LIAN LI Lancool PC-K58W Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic + Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Also, could I add a couple of LED fans just to add some color to the case and push some more air out?

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abc

All the Lian Li cases will be very good if not excellent. The KC58w is my own personal choice. They all have the same features etc as far as I can tell, so I picked the KC58w because it looks more like an Antec 300 than the KC61 (?) and I prefer this look. I also liked the windowed version.

For a 4 figure budget I'd definitely spend the lil bit extra on the Lian Li. Better looks. Easier to build with. More expandable in the areas that count (?) Nearly as good at cooling as the 300 (which is a compliment in itself)


It comes with a 140mm HDD bay and rear 120mm exhaust fan. The PSU mounts upsidedown (which, ironically, is the right way up...) so you are placing all of your hopes on a single 1500RPM 120mm fan. Up top you've got room for a 240mm x 120mm radiater (for watercooling) so you can mount some 120mm fans there. It's impossible to say what is best because I'd definitely change my opinion if there's two 5850s and CPU temp becomes a crucial factor (seems as if your going to have to trade some CPU temp for better cooling of the two GFX cards - which will need it more than the CPU. Cooling is all about the number, position and orientation of fans. Incidentally having a "tower" style CPU cooler would make cooling two 5850s a lot easier to plan, but until you have two 5850s I don't want to suggest you spend money on a great cooler when the stock one is fine since you won't (assumption?) OC - although with crossfire 5850s I'd OC at least a little bit in order to get the most out of two cards.) That was long. Haven't got onto my best point yet.

The Cold Cathode Tube. AKA the "CCFL." They aren't as pretty as coloured fans but if you want to light up the insides of your case (why wouldn't you if you've a 5850 and buying a windowed case) they are much better. Unlike a fan you can stick them anywhere, you can stick them anywhere without affecting cooling and turn them on and off easily. They come in all sorts of colours if you shop around. They come in 1x12", 2x12" and 2x4" kits. They will break after 8 months to a year though. But yeah, they look much better than coloured fans especially if you've got a window.

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware,Logisys Computer,Case Accessories (Those LED things at the start really are crap so just scroll right past em) Your PSU will have enough connectors for at least 4 kits (8 strips of light, i.e. more than you'd want. Wait, I have 5 strips. Two 12" strips either side of the window should look great. Wish I had a window...)

example of CCFLs w/o a window:


They work during the day too:


Obviously that could have been done better. Top one is a tad slanted... But yeah. Hide them behind a bit of metal and you get the nice glow but not the really bright strip that just looks white-ish in photos.

__________________
"I don't like new Linkin Park, I don't like old Linkin Park... I JUST LIKE LINKIN PARK"

COD owner - COD expansion pack owner - COD2 owner - COD2: BRO player - COD3 owner - COD4 owner - COD:WaW owner - COD: MW2 owner - COD: BO owner

This is getting repetitive.

SgtJoo

So I'm close to finishing what I'm going to get... can I get one last input? (I'll put links with everything)

Samsung DVD Burner: Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 4X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24x DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

Lian Li case: Newegg.com - LIAN LI Lancool PC-K58W Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic + Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Spinpoint F3 1TB: Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Hanns-G 22" Monitor: Newegg.com - Hanns·G Hi-221DPB Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 Built-in Speakers

XFX 5850: Newegg.com - XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity

Corsair 650TX: Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

Logitech keyboard: Newegg.com - Logitech Deluxe 250 Black 104 Normal Keys USB Wired Standard Keyboard - Keyboards

MX 518 mouse: Newegg.com - Logitech MX 518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming Mouse

G.Skill 4GB: Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL

Steelseries mouse pad: Newegg.com - steelseries 63004SS QcK Mouse Pad - Mouse Pads & Accessories

2 LED lights: Newegg.com - LOGISYS Computer CLK12BL 12" Cold Cathode kit

Mobo: Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55D EVO LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

i5-750: Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor

Windows 7: Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - Operating Systems

Total with shipping is $1,450.87 or £978.81

Good parts and worth the price?

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