Hello again.... I need some advice about computer components: While I have a rough idea of what a good computer needs (large processers, high levels of RAM, etc), I have no idea what a computer needs to support it (what types of motherboard are compatable etc) . So I come to the forums of Bit-tech seeking the wisdom of my betters . I would like to build a high spec computer. I'm starting an Engineering Design degree at Uni next year, so the computer needs to be suitable for running 3D rendering software and computer simulated models. (and play some kick ass games ) I was hoping that you could give me different possible setups. One where money is not a problem, and one where I have a budgit of £1000 for the whole build (just so I can compare the two) thank you for your time and advice (in advance)
whats ur budget? u planning on high end? if u going for a design degree get a nice monitor with a good pannle after that which will cut down ur budget alot, go ahead and choose ur specs
well, I already have a reasonably good screen, but at the moment, I think I'd prefer to spend my money on the hardware, and update the periferals at a later date. I'd rather not spend more than £1000, but if I'd get far more for my money, I'd seriously consider going the extra "mile"
Then its simple, hehe £1000 is alot of money since u dont need a screen then u should go for: i7 920 @2.66Ghz TRUE 120 extreme heatsink If u dont like SLi go for the 285 GTx, if u like ATi the 4870 If u like SLi go for the 295 GTx, again if u like ATi go for the 4870x2 Or 2x 260 GTx in SLi with 216 cores After that get some Tri-Channle Memories 6Gb ( Get Dominator or Patriot Viper those are among the best) As regards the Mobo, i would go for one of the following: (Price Range from 200-400 USD) - EVGA x58 - Gigabyte Extreme GA-X58-EXTREME - Gigabyte GA-X58-UD5 - Gigabyte GA-X58-UD4P - ASUS P6T Dlx - ASUS RAMPAGE 2 EXTREME And the go for the HDD configuration u would need Any Raid hehe or simply just a nice mechanical Samsung F1 1TB
huh?? I got the referances about the processer and the heat sink, but I wouldn't know the difference between the motherboards if you started hitting me between the eyes with them . Also, what power supply would you recommend?, and how many fans would I need to stop this boiling away? And would you recommend getting 1 large (Tb) harddrive, or spreading the load between several (2x 500Gb or 4x 250Gb) adn what size case would you recommend. Sorry, I am REALLY greatful for your advice, but I need more help .
heheh Its fine, well u got quite a load on those mechanical drives for the PSU Let me start with the PSU: If u going for SLi as stated above, ull need a nice high-end 12volt rails cuz as u know the Video Cards are usually power eaters So if u planning on making future updates and keeping some parts for future rigg (i.e.: case/psu/hdds) i would go for a nice 900W+ PSU since with this, if u go for SLi in the future and add a second GPU or other components ull have many watts to spare. if u wanna get just what u need, u can get a 650W-700W and ull do fine (unless u using SLi ) For The HDDs It depends what you usually do, i have myself a mirror HD so i have a nice back-up of everything i do and also i have 2xSolid State Drives in Raid-0 (working together) for my OS but that was just a shopping spree hehe If u like backup and order go for several drives in a nice set up if u just want a bit amout of Memory go for a big Hdd As regards the Case: In my personal opinion and taking into acount the size of the High-End Equipment (Heat sink and GPU speacialy) i would go full Tower, Heatsink for the CPU is about 15-17 cm tall, so if u are going for an aftermarket cooler ull need to have that into account. if u got space to spare, go ahead and get a nice Full tower case since it will last, and will provide good air cooling for ur component - Usually mid towers seem in the end like everything is stuffed in there.IMO heh How to stop this from boiling awat? hehe well the Nvidia GPUs have lower temps than the ATi. the CPU with a nice aftermarket Heatsink will be fine and there will be no high temps the fact is that you will need a nice AirFlow in your case to get that hot air out of the case, depending on the case ull have different ways to make the air flow, the usual traditional set-up is front air intake, back air outtake. think i got it all covered as regards the Mobo, go ahead and read Bit-Tech reviews, since it mostly depends on ur preference and past experiences hehe i myself have a Gigabyte Extreme GA-EX58-Extreme
Okay. With a budget like yours, here's the basic idea of what to look for. CPU (Processor): Intel Core i7 - The best rendering CPU available, period. Motherboard: Most anything with an X58 chipset from a reputable brand that doesn't have a truly insane price tag. RAM (Memory): Three 2GB sticks of DDR3 (basically the socket/form factor, as opposed to the cheaper DDR2), for a total of 6GB, running at speeds of 1333MHz or 1600MHz. HDD (Hard Drive): Somewhat dependent on what you'll be using it for. Since you have games and rendering projects listed, as well as (one would assume) your own collection of media, 1TB is probably where it's at for you. Heck, if you need more space later, you can just get another. GPU (Graphics Card): nVidia is probably the way to go for you. If you can find a GTX 280 or 285 on the cheap, by all means pick one of those up - but your budget probably puts you more around the GTX 260-216 area. Case: Undercloaker recommended full-tower, and for sheer airflow, he's right. But you're in college, and physical space is at a premium. Something more normal-sized like the Antec 900 will still give a great amount of airflow and not take up your entire desk. PSU (Power Supply): If you plan on going with SLI at any point, 650W is the absolute minimum that I could recommend. Especially if you're thinking of going with two GTX 280s or 285s, you'd want 750W or even a bit more. Other things to look for include 80+ Certification (at least 80% efficiency when converting AC from the wall to DC for the computer), modular cabling if possible (allows you to detach some or all cables that you don't use), and four or more PCI-Express cables (high-end GPUs use dedicated cables for the extra power they require). Heatsink: The TRUE (ThermalRight Ultra Extreme) is a good choice, as is anything made by Noctua. - Diosjenin -
Good thing Diosjenin thinks quite the same as i do he actually has a better english than i do so its good he cleared everything up Ty
thanks guys. Time for more reasearch and time wasting btw, what do you think about the MasterCooler Cosmso S as a case. I know is expensive, but it has room for upgrades, and the potential for a Case Mod +1 to the both of you for being so patent and helpful
A very nice case imo, but as you said it's pretty expensive (£140 when I bought mine). If your friend is in anyway interested in watercooling it has the option of mounting most 360 rads at the top without any modding required. Served me well for my first water cooling adventure
The Cosmos S is a nice case, but it is also very expensive. You will want a fairly large case with a fair bit of airflow for all of that. Have a look at what Antec make, the 900 or 1200 are both very good at reasonable prices.
If price is not a problem the cosmos S is a nice case, It certainly depends on what is ur priority The Categories are : Cooling / Space / Cable Managment / Price / Style / Time / Noise By cooling i mean a nice air flow which goes hand in hand with space By space: do u have space for a full tower or would prefere a suitable mid tower By cable managmente, well it depends how tidy and neat u want your case to be, mainly this can be taken care of later by modding By time: well, if u looking for the ultimate buy which u will never change then it comes to price By Price: As said before it goes hand in hand with time, if u wanna keep it forever and future riggs, by a nice and good aluminum case and u wont regret it By noise, well how comfortable are u with a turbine beside u, hehe And finaly by Style, u love ir or its just functional So u make ur list of priorities (A<B<C<D) and then u make ur pick hehe High end expensive full alu cases are lian-li, but lately they have crappy cases IMHO Good cooling are cases lately are Antec and Cooler Master (some models u can look up are as said before Antec 900, 1200, Coolermaster Cosmos S (black edition rox ), 830 Stacker,HAF 932 , 840. Sniper etc )-.--> Usually this cases go from high to low prices mainly depending on specs I got myself a 830 stacker, its quite expensive but its full aluminum case with extreme cooling (up to 9x12cm vents), im in love with mine hehe but for example i had issues with the Aftermarket CPU cooler since it was too tall for my Fan rack but with some cuts here and there and i have it all up and running I would recommend to go ahead and just surf around and check on the cases, there are many nice reviews here in Bit-Tech
**BUMP** Right, change of plan: Instead of building a new set-up from scratch, I want upgrade my exsiting set-up. This is the current set up: Packard Bell BV Cuba MS-7301 1x Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 3.00Ghz (Duel Core) VIA Technologies Inc Standard Bridge Host NVIDIA GeForce SE/7200GS Two HDD (1 150Gb and 1 30Gb, both ATA) 2Gb ram This change of plan is due to me desiding to start a case build in the same period of time, and I'm not made of money
