[willystyle]

Originally only budgeted $1100-1200 (after tax.) for my new rig, so that it would last me 3-4 years. I don't do much gaming at all, except for the occasional Sims 3, Civilizations, and other non-intensive graphical games. Unfortunately, after putting this system together, it went over by a few hundred dollars. Is this rig worth the extra cost or should I re-compile new parts?

Yes, I do plan to overclock the system.

http://i38.tinypic.com/14xfb5u.jpg

[Crowtservo]

Looks like a great system to me. Very similar to what I'm running currently. Only thing I would say is I have the TRUE 120 heatsink and I love it, though I don't know a lot about the Noctua you picked so I can't compare the two. I would switch your fan choices to either Yate Loons or Scythe slip stream for less than half the price. You could also save ~$30 by dropping to a 640GB black unless you need the extra space. Also you MAY be able to save some money on a non-modular PSU but you found a really good deal so you wouldn't save much (not a huge fan of OCZ power supplies but the specs are great for the price). I would say if you can afford it, go for it. You not going to be able to drop 300-400 without drastically changing the system.

[willystyle]

Damn, it's expensive to build a i7 rig, I might just have to downgrade to an i5, but I'm worried that it might not meet my needs.

[kchan]

first of all, i would get a 5770, providing its the next-gen card supported direct x11
in terms of performance of 5770 and 4870, its not much noticeable
but the price should be fairly the same
over all, i really dont think u need the extra 3 noctua fans

spend the extra 100-200 now, and dont have to worry :)
the i7 is good for the price

[willystyle]

first of all, i would get a 5770, providing its the next-gen card supported direct x11
in terms of performance of 5770 and 4870, its not much noticeable
but the price should be fairly the same
over all, i really dont think u need the extra 3 noctua fans

spend the extra 100-200 now, and dont have to worry :)
the i7 is good for the price
Yeah I was thinking of dropping the 3 Noctua fans for the case as well, but I'm worried that the CPU might overheat as my bedroom is very hot during the summer.

Thanks for the suggestion regarding the Video Card.

Couple of years ago, all the techies were raving about Nvidia, but why is ATI the preferred choice now?

[tgill]

Yeah I was thinking of dropping the 3 Noctua fans for the case as well, but I'm worried that the CPU might overheat as my bedroom is very hot during the summer.

Thanks for the suggestion regarding the Video Card.

Couple of years ago, all the techies were raving about Nvidia, but why is ATI the preferred choice now?
price & performance
ati brought their A-game and forced nvidia to step it up (and lower prices). 4890 can be had for sub $200, and 5870 is the single fastest gpu around.

thats a high res your monitors running at, i'd go with either a 4890 for $200 or even better a 5850 which if can be found is $300. (xfx is great, avoid sapphire)
http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image//skymtl/GPU/GIGA-275-SOC/GIGA-275-SOC-80.jpg

[Crowtservo]

Before the 5000 series came along I would have recommended an Nvidia card. Since you are not really interested in gaming and graphics isn't a major concern for you you won't notice much difference in the sub-$200 newer cards from either nvidia or ATI.

[.Renn.Sport]

just downgrade to a i7-860 and you'll be fine
you'll save at least 100 bux from going to P55 base

[Crowtservo]

Yeah I was thinking of dropping the 3 Noctua fans for the case as well, but I'm worried that the CPU might overheat as my bedroom is very hot during the summer.

Thanks for the suggestion regarding the Video Card.

Couple of years ago, all the techies were raving about Nvidia, but why is ATI the preferred choice now?

Also don't drop the fans, just get cheaper ones (Yate Loon or Scythe slipstream). That case only has 1 fan and you're going to want at least 1 intake fan and possibly another exhaust.

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

a good case should come with all the fans you need.

[Euro7r]

Paying way too much for fans. Get Yateloons and undervolt, cheaper alternative.

[EDawg]

sweet build man
im going with something similar
im getting the HD 5850 and a 750W PSU
Antec 900, so it fits all my parts comfortably

good luck with your build! let us know how it goes :)

[SkinnyPupp]

No reason to go i7-920, when you can not only save money by going with i7-860, it'll be faster a lot of the time too.

i7-920 and X55 is a foolish choice, an outdated notion as soon as Lynnfield came out.

[willystyle]

When's Lynnfield coming out?

[asian_XL]

a good case should come with all the fans you need.

This baller spends $63 for 3 fans...:eek:

I only have two 120mm $6 fans speed controlled by the motherboard.
my case is cool as hell.

also you don't need 24x DVDwriter and those silly mouse/kb

[SkinnyPupp]

When's Lynnfield coming out?
About 2 months ago

[willystyle]

This baller spends $63 for 3 fans...:eek:

I only have two 120mm $6 fans speed controlled by the motherboard.
my case is cool as hell.

also you don't need 24x DVDwriter and those silly mouse/kb
If my computer gets wipe out, how am i suppose to troubleshoot without a boot disk via. DVD drive?

[asian_XL]

I am talking about getting some older/cheaper 18x

[impactX]

Why would you get a new rig to run those games that neither would neither stress your CPU nor the GPU? And you certainly don't need to overclock anything to run those games. If you are going to be playing some nice new games that are graphics-intensive, then by all means! But if not, then it's almost like buying a Ferrari and picking up ugly girls that you could've picked up with a Civic.

[SkinnyPupp]

Gaming isn't the only thing that benefits from a good CPU. I agree that it would be a waste to spend more than $150 on a video card for playing older games.

[willystyle]

Why would you get a new rig to run those games that neither would neither stress your CPU nor the GPU? And you certainly don't need to overclock anything to run those games. If you are going to be playing some nice new games that are graphics-intensive, then by all means! But if not, then it's almost like buying a Ferrari and picking up ugly girls that you could've picked up with a Civic.
Cause I don't want to be building a low budget PC and getting it replaced every year.

Or would that be a better alternative according to my needs?

I don't play any 3D shooting games, which are usually the most graphic intensive.

[tonyvu]

we using the same video card :thumbsup:

why do you need so many fans? shouldn't your case come with the necessary number of fans?

[Crowtservo]

a good case should come with all the fans you need.


why do you need so many fans? shouldn't your case come with the necessary number of fans?

The antec 300 is an awesome case but unfortunately only comes with 1 exhaust fan. It's a cheap case that, if you put a really budget computer in, would do fine with 1 fan. If you want to put a high performance GPU/CPU in it, it's gonna need better cooling, especially if you are overclocking. Adding a couple $6 fans still makes the case half the price of comparable cases with 3+ fans stock.

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

just get a coolermaster or something, a GOOD CASE, should come with ALL the fans u need man.

a good case should be designed with more than 1 fan and with overclockers in mind etc.

just spend 100+ on a case, instead of 60 on a case, and then 20 20 20 on fans. and remember the bigger then fan, the more quiet it will be. my case has two i dont even know wha tthey fuck they are. they're like huge ass fans, way bigger than 120mm.

[willystyle]

What do you guys recommend for a GOOD CASE?
Antec Nine Hundred?

[Crowtservo]

What do you guys recommend for a GOOD CASE?
Antec Nine Hundred?

It's an OK case for the money. People usually buy it for the look and the large side window.

I would get a Coolermaster Haf 932 or 922 if it were me but then you're spending ~$150

GOOD cases:
Coolermaster Haf 932/922 ~$150
Antec nine hundred ~$120
CM 690 $80
Antec three hundred $60
NZXT Beta $60

I could justify reasons to get any of the above, the haf being my favourite and the antec 300 being the best budget one imo.

[tgill]

I always recommend the Antec P180/182/183 its a little pricey but has excellent sound dampening and thermal management only if your willing to take an hours to route cables properly.

your going to neeed to add 2-3 more 120mm fans in the optional mounting places. yate loons ftw.

[Crowtservo]

I always recommend the Antec P180/182/183 its a little pricey but has excellent sound dampening and thermal management only if your willing to take an hours to route cables properly.

your going to neeed to add 2-3 more 120mm fans in the optional mounting places. yate loons ftw.

I love my p180. I have 4 case fans plus 120mm hsf and it's still pretty quiet and I get great cooling my overclocked i7. I built a friend's setup with a haf 922 though and I gotta say it's really quite nice. I would likely get the haf over the p180 if I were putting together a new build today.

[tgill]

I love my p180. I have 4 case fans plus 120mm hsf and it's still pretty quiet and I get great cooling my overclocked i7. I built a friend's setup with a haf 922 though and I gotta say it's really quite nice. I would likely get the haf over the p180 if I were putting together a new build today.
thing is the haf series is ugly ('xtreme gamer look lol') and very open, where as the p182 series is very clean looking with great sound insulation. the latter qualities are something I look for in a case.

[Crowtservo]

thing is the haf series is ugly ('xtreme gamer look lol') and very open, where as the p182 series is very clean looking with great sound insulation. the latter qualities are something I look for in a case.

True. The determining factor for case choice is generally personal choice. Better cases tend to offer better airflow, cable management and convenience but all that maxes out pretty quickly and the decision comes down to what you think looks better. Part of me likes the sleek black look of the p180 and part of me likes extreme look of the Haf.

To the OP: decide how much you wanna spend on a case then pick one that matches your taste.

[Audi-Quattro]

Antec 300 actually has 1 exhaust at the back, and 1 exhaust at the top
Just get yourself 2 120mm intake fans and you're set with that case

[Eclypz]

That's a heck of a system to play The Sims with.
For what you use your system for, a C2D will do fine, but if you want something newer, I say go with an i5 setup.

4 years is a heck of a long time in computer years, and you're only kidding yourself if you think you can buy the best there is now to make it last 4 years. It just doesn't work that way....its like buying the most expensive car you can afford because it will last longer. In 2 years, you'll probably be handing this system to your grandmother to check her emails.
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[AsBannedAsItGets]

Change the case and video card.
At least go for 5850 so you can take advantage of DX11

[Audi-Quattro]

Change the case and video card.
At least go for 5850 so you can take advantage of DX11

5770 does support directx 11

[Crowtservo]

5770 does support directx 11

but the 4870 he currently has in his build doesn't.

Change the case and video card.
At least go for 5850 so you can take advantage of DX11

Directx 11 should not be a concern for the OP as only the newest games on the highest setting will require a dx11 card. By the time dx11 is a requirement for games the card will be too slow to run it anyway.