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The (new) Official PC building thread!
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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27. December 2007 @ 15:02 |
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Hydro: Me and a friend use 36.7GB raptors and they've proven very reliable. It's the 150GB versions we're moaning about.
As for the RAM, I always recommend two sticks over four.
On the keyboard, I don't like wireless peripherals of any kind, as a gamer I find the responsiveness of even the best unacceptable. I use a Saitek Eclipse 2, it doesn't have a snazzy display (but I use a Pertelian X2040 for that) but does light up in one of 3 different colours, red blue or purple. It's comfortable, quiet to type with, and pretty durable. If you want something a bit more subtle, I used to use a Logitech Media Keyboard Elite, which was quite nice. The software for the extra buttons was a bit rubbish, but I never really use those anyway.
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Newbie
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27. December 2007 @ 15:04 |
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Just to clarify, this build is to be the heart of my media center, which will perform the following:
HD satelite television, PVR, encode/backup.
Music player of which my music collection to date is @ 1.65TB (hence the 4TB of storage).
Internet surf/download 20mb BB (100mb trial on Virgin Media late 2008)
Online/Offline gaming.
Photo storage/viewer.
MS Office apps
and so on...
QUAD Extreme QX9650 3.2GHz 12MB 1333MHz (Sorry but I still want this)
Asus P5E3 Premium/Wifi@N Intel X48 DDR3 Motherboard
Adaptec AAR-2420SA 4-Port Raid Controller
2 x HIS Radeon 3870 512MB GDDR4 PCIE DVI/HDMI
4 x 1024mb OCZ Platinum Edition Memory 1800MHz DDR3 PC3-14400
2 x Western Digital Raptor X 150GB S150 10,000rpm (For OS/Software)
4 x Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM 32MB S300 (Not let me down yet)
2 x LG Blu-Ray Re-Writer/HD DVD-ROM SATA
Hauppauge Win"HD"TV HVR 4000 DVB S2 DVB S DVB T Receiver
PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 1000W 1KW-SR PSU
Thermaltake VE2000BWS Armour Super Tower + Liquid Cooling
Logitech Z-5500 Digital 500W RMS Dolby® Digital & DTS®
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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27. December 2007 @ 15:07 |
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Again, ditch the uselessly expensive power supply, and go with a normal unit like a Corsair HX 620W. That will easily power that system at a fraction of the cost, and with half the noise.
As for the games, what games do you play? Unless it's top current titles, there's no need for the crossfire combination.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 27. December 2007 @ 15:07
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AfterDawn Addict
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27. December 2007 @ 15:07 |
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Hydro x86,
Quote:
Why is that? I had the 800 speed ram just laying around, I figured I would just throw it in there. Wouldn't the system benefit from an extra gig of ram even though there will be a little of a bottleneck because of its slower speeds? Or will the bottleneck give a performance hit that makes the extra gig not worth it?
If you mix different speeds of memory, all the memory runs at the slowest rated speed so your 1066 memory would only run at 800MHz negating any advantage of the 1066 memory.
Best Regards,
theone
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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27. December 2007 @ 15:08 |
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Not to mention your overclocking potential would be severely stunted...
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Newbie
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27. December 2007 @ 15:17 |
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sammorris
Current playlist: Fifa08, CoD Modern Warfare, NFS Pro Street, CM08, Empire Earth.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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27. December 2007 @ 15:27 |
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COD4 and Pro Street are quite demanding, but you could still run all those well on a single HD3870, or even an HD3850.
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AfterDawn Addict
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27. December 2007 @ 15:29 |
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jazmanuk
Quote:
QUAD Extreme QX9650 3.2GHz 12MB 1333MHz (Sorry but I still want this)
We'll just have to take you out and beat you! LOL!!
Seriously, just build whatever you like and enjoy what you are able to do with it. I once built an Intel D-940 when everyone else was building AMD 64x2s and answered all sorts of questions as to why I didn't go AMD for about the same money. Today that answer is simple. I had no experience with the 64x2 or 939 motherboards and I was fairly new to overclocking, so I stuck with what I knew best! The whole thing didn't cost me that much, I learned a lot and wound up with a good, reasonably fast computer which is still in daily use by my roommate!
Build what you want from the components you choose and enjoy it. The advice you've gotten is good advice, but the ultimate choice of what you do build is up to you!
Best Regards,
theone
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
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Senior Member
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27. December 2007 @ 15:48 |
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@jazmanuk
Quote:
Or will the bottleneck give a performance hit that makes the extra gig not worth it?
Exactly...You answered your own question...
@phill2000 Quote:
I really can't see why people apart from a few like Jazman say Raptors aren't fast?
No one said they were not Fast...everyone said they would be Faster...but they still have there drawbacks...Noise...Heat...Power Consumption...Dependability...and Price...those drawbacks...for very little gain in performance in my opinion make them completely unnecessary for what he is trying to accomplish...If this was just an OC'ing and Gaming only rig...then they are fine...he is talking about a Media Server...which runs 24/7...I would not recommend a Raptor in any computer that runs 24/7...We are not trying to Rain on anyone's Parade...we are just trying to help someone make sound decisions...on component choices...
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AfterDawn Addict
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27. December 2007 @ 16:39 |
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sammorris,
Quote:
The noise level of Raptors, provided they're properly mounted is no higher than any other drive
I have to say you must have been very lucky, as the #1 complaint since the inception of the small Raptors has always been noise, with far too many complaints published about it to just be ignored!
Lp531 wrote:
Quote:
No one said they were not Fast...everyone said they would be Faster...but they still have their drawbacks...Noise...Heat...Power Consumption...Dependability...and Price...those drawbacks...for very little gain in performance in my opinion make them completely unnecessary for what he is trying to accomplish...If this was just an OC'ing and Gaming only rig...then they are fine...he is talking about a Media Server...which runs 24/7...I would not recommend a Raptor in any computer that runs 24/7...We are not trying to Rain on anyone's Parade...we are just trying to help someone make sound decisions...on component choices...
These comments are for the 150s and the failure rate on them has been reported to be extremely high (reportedly around 50%). Everyone I know (6) that has owned one, has experienced problems requiring an RMA! Based on that, I have to agree with Lp531!
As you pointed out, with a fresh install of XP-Pro, they are quite fast! However it doesn't take too awful long for most of that speed to disappear, negating much of the speed advantage. My boot-up time is only 20 seconds longer than the 1:10 you mentioned, yet my XP-Pro on this particular hard drive is extremely old, dating back to when I first built the E4300 last April. The computer averages about 14 hours or so a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I have no problems with the OS, so I'm not about to wipe the drive and replace the OS just so it boots up twice as fast.
Respectfully,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
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Junior Member
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27. December 2007 @ 16:47 |
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I mean I was expecting a large case, my other computer is a full tower too, but the Stacker seems even bigger than that one. Its pretty heavy, at least 20-25 lbs empty, no where near 50 though, jeez. Haha, your case made outta solid steel or what?
If anybody is around, I have a pretty stupid question that I just can't find a solution for. I don't wanna screw anything up.
I'm in mid-build on the system I listed yesterday, my first time building from the ground up. I got the heat sink and CPU installed on the mobo and everything is good to go, except one thing. The Tuniq Tower 120's fan wire has a 3-pin connector on the end, but the CPU_FAN lead on the motherboard is a 4-pin, and I can't seem to attach it no matter how I position it.
Am I missing something easy?
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Senior Member
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27. December 2007 @ 17:04 |
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@sam
Don't you have yours in a...internal H/D Cooler Chassis...to help with Noise...and Cooling...I know someone in here did...and they said it helped tremendously...
The (4) pin connector...should have a cutaway so a (3) pin can attach...and attach only one way...
Repost your parts list so we do not have to go searching...
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 27. December 2007 @ 17:08
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AfterDawn Addict
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27. December 2007 @ 17:11 |
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Hydro x86,
Quote:
The Tuniq Tower 120's fan wire has a 3-pin connector on the end, but the CPU_FAN lead on the motherboard is a 4-pin, and I can't seem to attach it no matter how I position it.
Am I missing something easy?
There should be a notch on the fan plug that matches the little "tongue" that sticks up from the CPU fan header. Just match the tongue to the notch and it should work fine. I've never seen a fan with one that wouldn't work!
Best Regards,
theone
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
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Junior Member
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27. December 2007 @ 17:22 |
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Hey Russ, thanks for the response.
I see the little tounge tabs that stick up off all the fan headers on the mobo. I have CPU_FAN which has 4 pins, with the little tounge in front of 3 out of 4 of them. My mobo manual says that the 4th pin is for speed control. The Tuniq has a 3-pin female connector that will fit over the 3 "tounged" pins on the CPU_FAN header, but leaves the 4th speed controller pin uncovered.
Now, the Tuniq also came with a fan controller that can be installed in the back of the system, but this fan controller has a male (pins, not holes) 2-pin connector on it. The Tuniq also came with no instructions when it comes to connecting the fan controller.
How are fan controllers usually hooked up? I can't come up with a configuration that would let me use the fan controller and have the Tuniq fan hooked up to the CPU_FAN header.
**EDIT**
Nevermind Russ, I think I got it. Turns out theres a little 2-pin connector that was hidden inside the fan, which is hidden inside the Tuniq. I'm hooking the controller up to that, then just leaving the 4th controller pin uncovered on the CPU_FAN header.
But thank you again for your help, sometimes when you get thrown for a loop, it just takes triple and quadruple checking for things to make sense.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 27. December 2007 @ 17:26
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REAM
Suspended permanently
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27. December 2007 @ 17:35 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
COD4 and Pro Street are quite demanding, but you could still run all those well on a single HD3870, or even an HD3850.
but for any of the GOTY, aka UT3, COD4 and crysis, the scaling of Xfire has been over 65% (with the newer patches)
and if he wants to game at 2560 x 1920 (IICR the 30" resolution) and wants FULL eye candy and no jaggies (full AA) then he will need a Xfire 3870.
Id say its a damned good build, and probably one of the best in the world. if we wants to 3dmark it, hell deffo be in the top 100. and for the stuff he wants to do, he wont have to upgrade for a good few years, which noramlly alot of enthusiasts go every year, or two, spending 1-2k to last the the couple of years. i think hell do fine if he keeps it under 4K.
in the end one cannot tell anyone what to do with their monies, only advice.
If he want the best of the best, then good on him.
i would love to see the final build of this, and would love to see your 3dmark ,a nd super PI scores.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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27. December 2007 @ 17:36 |
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Lp: Just a few points about raptors
Noise: Quieter than a 160GB IDE drive, quieter than a 250GB Barracuda when seeking
Heat: Runs cooler than both the 250GB Barracuda and 400GB Samsung drives I have
Power: Uses about 2W more than normal hard drives (2W, less than 1% of your PC's total power consumption, who cares?)
Dependability: Earlier 37 and 74GB Raptors are very reliable drives
Price: You've got me there, although they still beat SAS and Flash drives on that basis
As for the drive noise, I use a noise-reduction bay for both my PC's internal drives, not just the Raptor. The main area they reduce noise is the seek, which is why I find it alarming that the 7200.9 drive when seeking is still by far the loudest component in my PC.
REAM: It's 2560x1600. 1920 would be a 4:3 resolution. Perhaps you're thinking of 5.1Mp Digital camera photos?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 27. December 2007 @ 17:37
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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27. December 2007 @ 17:45 |
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Tongues? Female Connectors? We still talking about computers here? ;)
I'm so immature...
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AfterDawn Addict
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27. December 2007 @ 18:23 |
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hydro x86,
Quote:
But thank you again for your help, sometimes when you get thrown for a loop, it just takes triple and quadruple checking for things to make sense.
You're more than welcome! As you've probably noticed, it's not all that hard to put together. It's good that you put caution first! Many people don't! That's why after a while when reading reviews at Newegg, after a while you can easily figure out who the idiots are! LOL!!
My personal preference is for the motherboard to control my CPU cooler fan as I've found it works best for me. If I run the fan at a steady controlled speed, it just doesn't work as well, even at full speed! I would strongly recommend that you put the 3 prong female plug from the fan directly on the CPU fan header and set the control in the bios by setting the Smart Fan Control Method to Legacy and the Smart Fan Control to Auto. You will find these controls in the PC Health Status section of the setup. I've tried it all different ways, and overall this seems to work the best as the fan speed is then controlled by the temperature of the CPU! Just remember, you have to select the method or the control part won't work!
Good luck with the new build!
@abuzar1,
Quote:
Tongues? Female Connectors? We still talking about computers here? ;)
LOL!! If you look carefully at any 3 or 4 pin fan header (not molex!) on just about any motherboard you will see a little piece of plastic sticking up. If you look at a 3 pin fan plug you will see the grove it fits in. I guess you could call it a guide but I've always called it a tongue. In the future I'll try to remember to call it a guide! Don't want to be accused of corrupting the minds of the innocent youth of the World! ROFLMAO!!
Best Regards,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 27. December 2007 @ 18:24
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Junior Member
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27. December 2007 @ 18:31 |
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Sonofabitch! The Tuniq doesn't fit in the Stacker because of that giant fan panel on the side of the case. It's removable but without it there's only two fans in the case, three if you include the fan inside the cooler. Needless to say I'm pretty pissed right now, looks like the case wasn't THAT big huh azubar? haha...
Looks like I gotta get another cooler, how good is NewEgg's return policy once the stuff has been opened and installed?
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Senior Member
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27. December 2007 @ 18:34 |
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@sam
Quote:
Lp: Just a few points about raptors
Noise: Quieter than a 160GB IDE drive, quieter than a 250GB Barracuda when seeking
Heat: Runs cooler than both the 250GB Barracuda and 400GB Samsung drives I have
Power: Uses about 2W more than normal hard drives (2W, less than 1% of your PC's total power consumption, who cares?)
Dependability: Earlier 37 and 74GB Raptors are very reliable drives
Price: You've got me there, although they still beat SAS and Flash drives on that basis
As for the drive noise, I use a noise-reduction bay for both my PC's internal drives, not just the Raptor. The main area they reduce noise is the seek, which is why I find it alarming that the 7200.9 drive when seeking is still by far the loudest component in my PC.
So sam your saying Raptors are known for being...
Quiet...Cool...and Power Conscious...
Nothing says that like having multiple 10,000rpm spinning platters..:) and of course...I am assuming that the high rpm's must make them last longer...because...the H/D's Internal Fan...makes them...cool them selves better...LOL..:)
Come on a 7200.9 seagate...with what...a 2mb buffer...How Old is that thing?..:)
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AfterDawn Addict
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27. December 2007 @ 19:43 |
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hydro x86,
Quote:
Sonofabitch! The Tuniq doesn't fit in the Stacker because of that giant fan panel on the side of the case.
I know I'm going to catch all kinds of hell for this, but get a Freezer 7 Pro, put it in and be happy! I have a Dr. friend of mine who has the same CPU as you that's overclocked and the freezer 7 works fine in his and you have a much better case than he has! They're inexpensive and they work. My first high dollar CPU Cooler was a Zalman 9500 that eventually lost it's cooling fluid. I replaced it with the Freezer 7 and sent the 9500 to Zalman for warranty replacement. When I got the new one, I did some extensive testing on 3 different platforms and the Freezer 7 was the better of the two! No, it's not a Tunig Tower, but it cools well enough and heat has never been an issue. Not with a P4 Prescot, a D-940, an E4300 or my present E6750. All were overclocked and two of them were in Cheap Inferior $15 cases that had totally inferior cooling. I put a Freezer 64 in my AMD 4000+ and overclocked it to 2.8GHz and again, temperature was never an issue even when it spent a year in a room with nothing to cool it but a swamp cooler in 110+F heat. I swear by them! Just set the SmartFan Control Method to Auto and the SmartFan Control Mode to PWM and it's set! It fits too! LOL!!
It's 82F in here right now, my computer has been on since 7 AM and I just got done watching a DVD
I rest my case!
Best Regards,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 27. December 2007 @ 20:03
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mphsbelle
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27. December 2007 @ 19:45 |
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Anyone have the gift of the magi when it comes to BIOS? I am really stumped. I can reach Bios but everything I try ends up a dead end? Help please
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AfterDawn Addict
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27. December 2007 @ 19:48 |
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mphsbelle,
Quote:
Anyone have the gift of the magi when it comes to BIOS? I am really stumped. I can reach Bios but everything I try ends up a dead end? Help please
What's your motherboard and exactly what do you mean by "dead end"?
If it's a GigaByte than you need to press Ctrl + F1 in order to set at and have the seetings remain when you re-boot!
Best Regards,
theone
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 27. December 2007 @ 20:02
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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27. December 2007 @ 20:07 |
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hydro_x86, my name isn't azubar lol :). I'm just playing, I know it was just a typo. Can't you just take the Fan panels off? You should have gotten a Thermaltake Armor case, they look better anyway. ;)
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mphsbelle
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27. December 2007 @ 20:38 |
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I have an Intel Media Center MB and Q6600 processor. I press F2 during boot up as per specs and enter BIOS. I go to Boot First and select DVDRW drive as 1st and HD as second. Exit and restart and screens come up faster than I can read and then it tells me media xxx failed; check cable." Duh, what? I have already tried to install OS and it does start reading the disc, so I am somewhat confused. Thanx
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