Build Advice $3400 Final build list - Please Review & Approve before I purchase! (purchased)

Thanks to all the helpful people here at bit-tech, I arrived at the following list over the last few weeks. It's well over what I wanted to spend going in (2000-2250) but I feel now that I'm getting a much better pc for the investment, especially in the longrun.

Please check over my list, I'd appreciate any and all comments & suggestions!

**EDIT - LIST IS FINAL AND PURCHASED! THANKS FOR HELP!**

Case

MODEL: Zalman GS1000
PRICE: $200.00

NOTES: I've checked other cool cases, including Antec, but I've decided on this one for it's sophisticated and modernistic look

Monitors

MODEL: HP LP2475w Black 24" 1920x1200
PRICE: 2x $535.00 = $1070

NOTES:

CPU:

MODEL: Core i7 920
PRICE: $280.00

NOTES:

Motherboard

MODEL: ASUS P6T Deluxe V2
PRICE: $290.00

NOTES:

RAM:

MODEL: OCZ XMP Ready Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
PRICE: $240.00 (item x2)

NOTES:

HDD

MODEL: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7200 RPM
PRICE: $95.00

MODEL: Samsung F3 1Tb
PRICE: $75.00

NOTES:

SSD

MODEL: OCZ Vertex Series 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk
PRICE: $370.00

NOTES: Upgraded to 120Gb from suggestion, apparently it gets performance upgrade for larger sizes. Can't find the Intel at Tiger/Newegg

PSU

MODEL: ENERMAX REVOLUTION 85+ 1050W Modular
PRICE: $275.00

NOTES:

GPU:

MODEL: EVGA CO-OP Edition GeForce GTX 295 1792MB
PRICE: $510.00

NOTES: Getting another one when the price drops, for 2x SLI

Optical Drives

MODEL: LG Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM SATA Internal Combo LG Blu-ray Reader & 16X LightScribe DVD±R DVD Burner
PRICE: $130.00

NOTES:

Cooling

MODEL: COOLER MASTER 120mm Case Fans 4-Pack
PRICE: $12.00

NOTES: Water/CPU cooling will come later when I get 2nd GTX 295 and OC everything

Peripherals

MODEL: Logitech G5 7 Buttons Tilt Wheel USB Wired Laser 2000 dpi Mouse
PRICE: $50.00

MODEL: Steelseries S&S Solo Mouse Pad
PRICE: $25.00

MODEL: Logitech G19 Black 104 Normal Keys USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard
PRICE: $195.00

NOTES:

Sleeving & Mounting

MODEL: murderMod MDPC-X Psychopack Sleeving kit
PRICE: $62.00

MODEL: ATX Connector Removal Tool
PRICE: $9.00

MODEL: Mod/Smart Wire Saddle - 1/2" Cuff Style
PRICE: $5.00 (item x5)

MODEL: Window Rubber Molding+Washer
PRICE: $15.00 (5ft)

NOTES: I want my system to be fairly close to those on MDPC so I bought the same sleeving used, and some black mounts. I disassembled the entire case and spraypainted the steel shell with low gloss automotive engine paint, so to not get the lit up cheap steel look with the blue lighting.

Accessories

MODEL: ICY DOCK 2.5" to 3.5" SSD & SATA Hard Drive Converter
PRICE: $25.00

MODEL: LOGISYS Computer Blue Laser LED
PRICE: $4.00

MODEL: LOGISYS Computer 12" Cold Cathode kit
PRICE: $5.00

NOTES: Bought the SSD cradle instead of the cheap methods I read about all over the net..

-----------------------

TOTAL PRICE: $3992.00

 

1. PSU is overkill. 850W is enough.

2. I would get the new Intel X25-M G2 instead of the OCZ Vertex , as written about here:

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3607

(Check page 4)

This offers much better performance for around the same price.

 

Quicker RAM maybe? You can get OCZ stuff similar price to that running at 1600:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227388

109.99 * 2 = $219.98

Cheaper, same amount, and quicker!

Can vouch for it personally, rock solid at 1600 Mhz, undervolted from 1.4 to 1.3 so my over clock is cooler

 

Go for some DDR3 1600MHz RAM over the 1333, and I would personally go for two GTX 275's over a single 295 unless you need the motherboard slots (and it doesn't sound like you do). The 295 is simply 2x 275's together slightly underclocked. Two 275's beat it outright, and two overclocked 275's beat an overclocked 295 by a decent amount since they each have their own cooler and can be overclocked higher.

The 1000 watt is overkill, I personally would recommend the Enermax Revolution 850w for the performance and efficiency, though you can find very good 850w's for cheaper if need be.

Also, +1 on the new Intel SSDs. They will support TRIM in Windows 7 out of the box. As far as I am aware, it's currently the only one that will (at least the only Intel one).

 

Thanks for the tips guys, I edited the list with the OCZ RAM. Saving $ already ;-)

As for the GPU's, I just switched to a single 295 from my previous decision of 2 275's. Reason is that while 2 275's will outperform a 295 now, I won't have a lot of upgrade room in the future. When prices drop, I'm picking up another 295 for SLI, which will be beyond incredible. I should've mentioned I'm waiting for SLI in the first post sorry

And as for the PSU, now that you know I'm gonna have 2 295's does that change things? Or will a 850w power 295's in SLI?

I'll check that Intel SSD, having trouble finding that exact model.. but I have to watch my budget even when I find it.

 

If you will eventually go for 2x 295's then don't go for the 275 (though from what I have found on the subject, 3x SLI seems to scale better than 4x SLI, but the motherboard you chose won't easily support 3x SLI).

Same for the PSU, if you're going for quad SLI, stay with the 1000+w. I just picked up a 1050w Revolution for $250 from newegg... Steal of a price for one of the best PSUs on the market.

 

Well for the foreseeable future, I'm only ever going to go 2x SLI, with 2 295's. MAYBE three cards, but that would be years from now, whether another 295 or a new line of cards. Never 4x thou.

So yea the big question for me is will a 850w power 2 295's? I'd rather get what I need now so don't have to change later.

Also, that SSD isn't available anywhere I'm searching :-(

 

Also, just to let you know, since the memory controller is built into the i7 chips, the more RAM you throw into the system, the lower overclock you will be able to achieve generally speaking. The memory controller is based off of the BCLK, so when you increase one, you affect the other. I know of one case of an i7 920 dying when upping the RAM amount from 6gb to 12gb on the same overclock settings... The memory controller burnt out.

Just something to keep ing mind. Fewer RAM modules = less stress = higher overclock, again generally speaking. YMMV.

Quick edit, as stated, the 295 is 2x 275's together. That is to say it's already 2x SLI. Adding a second one would be 4x SLI.

 

Thanks for bringing up that point, however in the case of this build I'd rather sacrifice overclocking for more RAM, as it will be more of a workstation than a gaming (speed) based PC. I plan on OCing but not really too much..

As for the 295, I'm confused here.. I'm actually getting the Co-op edition, which I heard is 2 chips joined together for one slot, not sure how this works or how it might affect what you're explaining?

 

What he was getting towards is earlier on in the post there we're brief mentions of 3x SLi and 4x SLi, and I think you we're confusing each other.

Jared suggested 275's in SLi outperform a single 295, to which you pointed out the lack of upgrade path, with you considering dual 295's at some point in the future.

All 295's are dual core, so when you buy you 295 your effectivley getting a 2x SLi system albeit from a single slot.
What he was getting at was for scaling purposes, as in performance gained per card, was 3x SLi give more performance gains than 4x SLi. When you add your second 295 you'd have 4x SLi (2 dual core cards)


...hahaha reading that doesn't look any easier to understand but I hope you get it

2 x 275 > 1 x 295
2 x 295 > 2 x 275
3 x 275 >= 2 x 295 (if he's correct about 3x SLi having better scaling than 4x)

 

lol thanks Swift, I think I understand now. I didn't know that the 295's dualcard concept counted as SLI, even though it's one card using one slot.

In that case, if 2 295's are roughly around 3 275's, the question then is would the scaling stuff not matter at only 1920x1080 resolution? I saw in many charts that cards perform very differently than competitor's depending on resolutions, with some cards actually reversing effectiveness as they work on smaller res's (weird).

I'll do some quick homework on that.

Also, does anyone have a concrete answer on an 850 watt running SLI 295's, and a liquid cooling system too?

I used a PSU calc online and it gave me a little over 700w.. Still wary though.

 

Swift is correct. The 295 is 2x 275 cores on a dual or single PCB board. There is a chip on the card (I presume it's the same nVidia 200 chip on some motherboards) that takes a single 16X PCI-e lane and splits the 16X lane into two 8X for each core to use. It really is nothing more than 2x 275 cards put together to form a single dual-slot single PCI-e connection SLI setup.

Unless something has changed, you will have to enable SLI in the nVidia control panel even with a single 295 card.

Edit: as for the PSU, you would be better off buying the 1000 watt. I bought a 1050w for the specs in my signature. The main issue isn't the watts for the dual 295s, it's the amps on each rail. Each card needs a certain number of amps to run, and if you put more than X amount of amps on a certain rail, it won't provide enough power and the PSU will more than likely fail or enter a protection mode at full load. If you could find a PSU that had a single 12v rail with enough amps to power everything at 850 watts, it would work fine.

Just get a good efficiency 1000 watt PSUa and call it a day. The Revolution 1050 has its highest efficiency between 50% load and about 90% load. That being the case, running 700 watts would be in the ideal performance range of the PSU.

 

The 295 that existed up until very recently was actually two GPUs on two separate boards joined together with a single heatsink in between that cooled both cards. The newer 295 is rearranged so that both GPUs fit onto a single board. But both versions have exactly the same hardware capabilities, they look exactly the same to the OS, and they perform at exactly the same speeds. EDIT: Aagh, beat to it...

Oh, and if you ever actually follow through on getting a second one, you'll want the full 1000W out of your power supply. Just saying.


- Diosjenin -

 

So then it's 100% FACT that running 2 295's is the same as quad SLI? I would be able to put these both on the ASUS P6T Deluxe 2 right?

Also yea I'm gonna play it safe and get the 1000w. I heard "always go Corsair for PSU" from all over the net, but your mention of good efficiency with that model intrigues me, I'll check it out.

Doing some research on 2 295 CO-OP's vs tri-SLI 275's right now.

 

At bad ass resolutions the dual 295's would perform better because they have more video ram, meaning more texture memory, so more resolution love <3. This I suppose is on a purely academic level, unless your playing Crysis at 2500 res I doubt you'll notice the extra 900MB of VRAM on the 295's.

That said though I'm just talking general rule of thumb here so if i'm wrong here someone feel free to jump in.

All this talk of Tri Sli though would mean a different mobo, likely the EVGA Classified which retails here are £300, so $525 as long as the price doesnt change across the Atlantic. Then you'd have 3 water block's to buy instead of 2 etc etc.

But on the other hand you'd have a little bit more performance, and when you can't see your motherboard because of your graphics cards, you know something is very right

Up to you at the end of the day and the upgrade path you'll follow, and your own preference. I mean I wanted Tri sli, but I'm and Audiophile and that would have left no room for a sound card :O, and happy coincidence meant I also had room for a TV card. Don't forget to consider your other peripherals.

 

And yes it is 100% fact it's quad SLi, I used to have 9800GX2's and they were registered in the system as quad SLi.

EDIT: And yes you can put them quite happily on the P6T

Corsair make amazing PSU's true, but atm Enermax are making *the* best, just they've priced themself out of the sensible buyers price range, why people don't mention them much.

 

100% fact it would be 4x SLI, and they will fit just fine into that motherboard.

The PSU is probably the highest efficiency 1000+ watt PSU on market. Someone please correct me if I am wrong on that, however.

At 1920 x 1200 (or 1080) resolution you probably won't have much difference between the 3x and 4x SLI, though if you move up to a 30" at 2560 x 1600, there is a worth-while difference with 3 being on top of 4 cores (even with the extra memory).

Edit: with regards to extra memory, at 2560 x 1600, a single 275 896MB card outperforms a single 275 1792MB card. The extra RAM actually gives lower performance due to lower memory clocks. This is a consistent result as well across all 1792MB cards.

 

More than 1 GPU = SLI required to use them all in games to coordinate graphics processing between them. It doesn't matter whether they're all on one card, two, three or four - just count up how many GPUs you've got, and that's what you're getting.

 

Can't thank you enough everyone for all the help, can't imagine where I'd be without this forum. I visited 4 others and help there was minimal at best!

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the deal is set then,
A) dual 295's = more or less tri-275's
B) I probably won't notice scaling/performance difference as I'll be staying at around 1920x res
C) dual 295's = only takes 2 slots so I wont be filling up with 3 cards
D) only need to buy 2 waterblocks instead of 3

And I'll check and edit in that Enermax PSU.

My only issue now is either buy the Hydro Copper edition card, or wait till later and buy 2 waterblocks separate.. Probably cheaper that way I'm just worried the blocks will become RARE for the CO-OP edition card!

Thanks again!

 

Dont buy the Logitech g19 keyboard, I had one and sold it, its a gimick, there is not killer app for it, honestly drop the keyboard and put the money aside for a track IR 5 or a logitech G940 joystick or if possible both ?

Also what about a nice corsair h50 CPU cooler, Ive just spent 30 minutes reading about it and watching reviews and it looks awesome as long as you have a 120mm intake/ exit fan.


Drop the keyboard its a waste get a smart modest keyboard or get a razor, and im not sure but have you budgeted for a set of headphones? Razor have the new megladon out around now.

Edit: Dont forget the Steel Series SX mouse pad to really set your desk off right!

Also I hope you get better soon because you must be ill.. from having sold a kidney.