Need help with second build

So I'm attempting a second build, since my first had a few flaws that'll be too much work to fix. I'm trying to keep it below 1500 CAD, but it's standing at ~1750 atm. If there is anything that I could possibly trade for something cheaper without sacrificing too much, I'd really appreciate it if you can tell me. Here's what I have so far:

Memory

Case

PSU

CPU

DVD Drive

Motherboard

GPU (Crossfire)

HDD

Thanks in advance.

So I'm attempting a second build, since my first had a few flaws that'll be too much work to fix. I'm trying to keep it below 1500 CAD, but it's standing at ~1750 atm. If there is anything that I could possibly trade for something cheaper without sacrificing too much, I'd really appreciate it if you can tell me. Here's what I have so far:

Memory

Case

PSU

CPU

DVD Drive

Motherboard

GPU (Crossfire)

HDD

Thanks in advance.

ravenguard90

Memory looks good, case is good.

PSU, you could probably run off of a 700W PSU quite easily, if not lower. You could save $50 right there alone.

CPU, you could save $70 or so by buying a Q9550 instead of the i7. This would also reduce power consumption.

DVD, not all THAT important, so just buy what you want.

Motherboard, you could find a cheaper motherboard of the same quality. Most expensive does NOT mean highest quality.

You could save $60 by changing from HD 4870 X2 to HD 4850 X2

HDD is an excellent deal, take it.

• I think it's a good ratio of price/performance. It should be all you'll need for quite some time. I prefer cases with bottom mount PSUs and modular power supplys, but that's a personal preference. Also the choice of a case with a side fan should work well as the pair of 4870s will produce a lot of heat. Trust me on this, I know. Also I don't think you can beat CrossFired 4870s for performance/price. I also stick with at least 850W on the PSU. You'll want the headroom with what you've chosen.

• I think it's a good ratio of price/performance. It should be all you'll need for quite some time. I prefer cases with bottom mount PSUs and modular power supplys, but that's a personal preference. Also the choice of a case with a side fan should work well as the pair of 4870s will produce a lot of heat. Trust me on this, I know. Also I don't think you can beat CrossFired 4870s for performance/price. I also stick with at least 850W on the PSU. You'll want the headroom with what you've chosen.

jevery57

The CrossFired 4850s would be fine, and cheaper. For performance/price, get the 4850's CrossFired. There is no reason to get 850W, it's overkill. The i7 is unnecessary as well. Get a different quad core, with higher single-core performance, such as the Q9550 with the 2.83 GHz cores.

if he will overclock and play at 1920x1200 and : Crossfire card 4850/4870 : it will offer better performances on a core i7 920 at 3.6ghz+ OC then a Q9550 at 3.6/3.8Ghz OC

But he would indeed save money on a Q9550 & X48 But I heard newest X58 Would support Core i9 But Core i9 only release at Like december 2009 (2009 Q4)

[QUOTE="jevery57"]

• I think it's a good ratio of price/performance. It should be all you'll need for quite some time. I prefer cases with bottom mount PSUs and modular power supplys, but that's a personal preference. Also the choice of a case with a side fan should work well as the pair of 4870s will produce a lot of heat. Trust me on this, I know. Also I don't think you can beat CrossFired 4870s for performance/price. I also stick with at least 850W on the PSU. You'll want the headroom with what you've chosen.

Demonsoul98

The CrossFired 4850s would be fine, and cheaper. For performance/price, get the 4850's CrossFired. There is no reason to get 850W, it's overkill. The i7 is unnecessary as well. Get a different quad core, with higher single-core performance, such as the Q9550 with the 2.83 GHz cores.

These are opinions - to each his own. Sure a lesser system would be cheaper and would run the games, though not quite as effortlessly. I run a 9650 with 4870's and demanding games run easily, but I still wish I'd have built an I7 system for a little more than what I've eventually invested in mine.I run a 700W PSU when the calculater estimates I need about 600, but will no doubt replace it with my next system. If I'd have gone 850 or 1000 it would have been good for two builds. In the end we all have to decide if we want the Camry or the BMW.

[QUOTE="Demonsoul98"]

[QUOTE="jevery57"]

• I think it's a good ratio of price/performance. It should be all you'll need for quite some time. I prefer cases with bottom mount PSUs and modular power supplys, but that's a personal preference. Also the choice of a case with a side fan should work well as the pair of 4870s will produce a lot of heat. Trust me on this, I know. Also I don't think you can beat CrossFired 4870s for performance/price. I also stick with at least 850W on the PSU. You'll want the headroom with what you've chosen.

jevery57

The CrossFired 4850s would be fine, and cheaper. For performance/price, get the 4850's CrossFired. There is no reason to get 850W, it's overkill. The i7 is unnecessary as well. Get a different quad core, with higher single-core performance, such as the Q9550 with the 2.83 GHz cores.

These are opinions - to each his own. Sure a lesser system would be cheaper and would run the games, though not quite as effortlessly. I run a 9650 with 4870's and demanding games run easily, but I still wish I'd have built an I7 system for a little more than what I've eventually invested in mine.I run a 700W PSU when the calculater estimates I need about 600, but will no doubt replace it with my next system. If I'd have gone 850 or 1000 it would have been good for two builds. In the end we all have to decide if we want the Camry or the BMW.

EDIT: And yes, these are opinions. But regardless opinion, fact, and truth are one and the same in this case. There is no reason for those parts not to be swapped out to save a fair amount of money.

Sure can be tough to state opinionhere without conflict. It's a basic principal. Some of ue are willing to pay more for higher performance (whether performance means looks, speed, reliability doesn't really matter), and some of us are happy with a little less for cheaper. Same holds true for about everything that costs money.

Well other than the reason that he'll have a slower machine.

I've changed a few things now on my list (along with going with newegg only, now) and the total came up to $1,471.76 CAD. I have two questions, though: when you put in your items, and it gives you a total on the bottom, is that what you pay, or are there more additions to it before the order is made? And secondly, as for the PSU, do you think 750W would be able to run anything that comes out (gpu, specifically) in the next, say, 2-3 years? I really appreciate all the help, by the way.

EDIT: Oh, and here's what I have now:

Dvd Drive

Case

HDD

GPU (Crossfire)

PSU

Memory

Motherboard

Crossfire Bridge (mobo nor gpu comes with one =.=)

CPU

Bump.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102837
you shoudl get this instead : 1GB in crossfire would perfrom better then 512meg in Crossfire :P

And According how it going a 750-850W would last you up to until pc decide they consume more wats then now not going on that way apprently they reducing the wat consumation of device so when you get max gpu setup year by year it consume less like Two 295GTX vs TWO 9800GX2

But For what ur doing you should be having enough with a 750W unless you decide to get like 2x 4870x2 / 3x 4850 512/1GB / Two 295GTX Then they say to buy a 1000W

it sure core i7 Overclock consume lot but it hink core i9 will overclock further and consume less wats as it overclock :)
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2008/11/06/overclocking-intel-core-i7-920/14
I heard of Release date of Core i9 is 2009 December and will work on current X58 motherboarb
I haven't heard so good of Foxcoom on X58 maybe cause they only got 3 slot of Ram instead of 6 slot making it ram max capacity 3x2GB

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/x58-motherboard-i7,2164-20.html
But Anyway I think it should do the job for price X58 Extreme of gigabyte in canada is still so expensive 381$ and msi eclipse like 350$ both of them perform better overclocking then BloodRage on memory / cpu aspect

Is everyone here getting a dam I7 for their new rig??? Fail.

Dvd Drive

Case

HDD

GPU

PSU

Memory

Motherboard

Crossfire Bridge (mobo nor gpu comes with one =.=)

CPU

I keep seeing all these suggestions about swapping out the i7 for a q9650. Last time I checked they were roughly the same price and nobody has mentioned that he would need to pick a different mobo as well. And in regards to Slig0, yeah we are all getting i7's for our new rigs because the one thing that made an AMD comparable to an Intel back in the p4/Athlon days is now part of the i7 architecture. An integrated memory controller. Take another look at your cpu, not only is it more expensive than a i7 but it performs worse as well. And lastly, you suggest a crossfire bridge to go along with a gtx295. You are a noob of epic proportions. FAILfreesafety13

And if you think your CPU is better than mine...

Okay, now that the fanboy flamewars have died down (hopefully), I've put in several different builds to see what I can get, and have come up with this final version. What do you guys think? It's 1444.28 CAD with shipping and taxes:

Wish List

CPU/Mobo Combo

I think your graphics card is overmatched for a 955 system.

As it is in this comparison, (CrossFired 4890s)

While when paired with lesser graphics such as a single GTX 260

as in this review, it compares favorably to the I7.

Quote from the first article'

"We learned that new game titles will definitely see a benefit from the high CPU power that the Core i7-920 brings to the table. The results speak for themselves, so we can't really be accused of brand favoritism for choosing a Core i7 system over a Phenom II in the System Builder Marathon series. The results are as plain as day: the Phenom II can bottleneck a theoretically-superior graphics system in modern game titles, and even a stock Core i7 will allow those games to stretch their legs.

Are we saying that the Phenom II is a bad buy? No. But Phenom IIs shine most brightly where they make sense: in low-cost systems that a Core i7 can't reach due to comparatively-high platform costs."

So you're saying that the 955 BE would actually bottleneck the 4870 x2? But... isn't ATI a joint company of AMD now? That just doesn't make sense..

Wrong Phenom 955 Be Overclock is About same power as Core i7 920 Overclock : tomhardware isn't relaly the best website to get information ever Since 2 year ago But there information is suggestive to get at last more information about product

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=807&p=7 : But if you crossfire 4870x2 / sli 295GTX core i7 920 at 3.6ghz+ OC will have the best result in most of benchmark : mean while Phenom II X4 955 Be at 3.6GhZ+ OC Will do a Quite Good job in rival in most of benchmark and will equalize the core i7

so no bottleneck sir

Lol, that's really good to hear. But before I read that, I managed to muster up a decent i7 build in the process :P Here's what I have:

HDD,DVD,PSU and Case

Memory and GPU

CPU and Mobo

So it all comes down to which one would be best to get: the i7 build or the 955 build?

core i7 920 i donno if P6T Special Ediiton could maybe gonna bottelneck the overclock rate ooer the P6T Deluxe / MSI 58X Extreme if you overclock to around 3.6 / 3.8Ghz to get lot of power :P

but you will save a 200$ for go Phenom II 955 BE + one of best motherboard in a combo and as well overclocking it with an cpu cooler and get similar or equal performances if you get like the 955 at 3.8Ghz

the 955 is a super powerful quad-core THE GTX 385 OR 5870X2 WONT BE ABLE TO BOTTLENECK THIS PIECE OF OF SOLID CPU.

Your build is not good my friend listen to me please.

Get the AMD 955. AND ULL SAVE MONEY. and with the money you save you get the 4890 crossfire.

AMD 955 IS FASTER THAN I7 920.

sometimes you dont have to be a closed minded intel fan that wont change its overpriced processor for anything.

come on man face it, the i920 had that same price for over 7 months. while amd 955 lowered its price past week.

amd955>i920 i955.

Intel core i7 Overclock is still on the board While it like i say you could save a good 200$ for go Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition but it up to him to make that choice

note that he will need to overclock both cause Both core i7 / Phenom II X4 955 BE at Stock are Giving a huge 10fps Behind in lot of Bench if he play at 1680x1050 / 1920x1200

and Dude don't say Phenom II X4 955 Black edition Beat core i7 In therm of power that be Blasphemy : the Phenom II X4 955 Black edition can't reach higher then 3.94Ghz Stable : mean while Phenom II X4 965 Black edition will run smooth at 4.3/4.4Ghz According Test = Great

which mean It Will make The Phenom II X4 Series one Step Closer to Defeat Core i7 920 overclocking making intel to have make better Core i7 Price or Core i9 Soon (coming soon 2009 Q4 / 2010 Q1 (MAX)

How does this one look then? I upped the GPU again from the gtx 285 to the 4870 x2, but that puts me above 1500 again, so I think I'll pass on an aftermarket cpu cooler:

Link

Do you know if I'll be able to get a decent overclock from it using the stock cooler?

no you won't be able you need to spend 30-50$ I suggest for economy & power : A Scythe mugen II even if it look ugly appearance don't matter in therm of overclocking all that is matte is massive AIRFLOW to cooldown the hardware and this heatsink from scythe the mugen II + TWO Scythe ultra kaze does the job

so you can buy it and then add them Two Scythe ultra kaze 120mm fan at 3000rpm static pressure : ul be able to overclock like a pro
as good as BeefDog on Gamespot is Phenom II X4 955 I got From 3.8Ghz to 3.94Ghz : It will depend on case for 3.94Ghz

If you want to reach is setup just copy-cat is cooler :P A Promalitech megahalem + 120mm fan ultra kaze 3000 rpm static + is motherboard lol + HAF 932 (that would end you cost to up to 150-200$ more in canada :

But i think pretty much that within the setup you have a CM 690 + this cooler i mention would reach 3.8Ghz

Okay, so I've finally purchased my computer. Turned out to be 1600, but I think I did pretty well considering I needed a monitor and keyboard/mouse. Let me know what you think:

AMD Phenom II x4 955 BE

WD Caviar Blue 320GB HDD

Powercolor PCS 4890

Prolimatech Megahalems (w/ 2 Scythe Ultra Kaze's)

OCZ 4gb DDR3-1333

Coolermaster CM 690 case

Antec Truepower New 750W PSU

Asus 20" 1600x900 Monitor

Samsung DVD Writer: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=41501&vpn=SH-S223B%2FBEBE&manufacture=Samsung

MSI 790FX-GD70: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=37088&vpn=790FX-GD70&manufacture=MSI%2FMicroStar&promoid=1015

OCZ Freeze Thermal Compound

Logitech Wave Cordless Desktop

This might be better.

you picked a non standard monitor gaming res 1600x900 hopefully you enjoy it since standard is 1680x1050 / 1600x1200 : i dunno for 1600x900 but i hope it give good res

AND OMG canada still see Blue Caviar at around 64$ ? they where suppose to be replaced by Black Caviar of 500GB for that price worth / Or 7200:11/12 Of Seagate If you compare Blue caviar to 7200:11 7200:11 is Greater : but 7200:12 is Said to be Greater then black caviar (Bit-tech)but tech-report is against it (contradictory review)

Anyway hope you enjoy ur rig and overclock it very well to 3.94Ghz Worth (Such as Beefdog) to have Bough that much of cooling
even tough Beefdog as a HAF 932 : You should be Able in cm 690 + the same cooler he have :P

This might be better.

Slig0

Only problem is it isn't available in Canada just yet, so I just went ahead and bought the 955 since I didn't want to wait anymore.

you picked a non standard monitor gaming res 1600x900 hopefully you enjoy it since standard is 1680x1050 / 1600x1200 : i dunno for 1600x900 but i hope it give good res

AND OMG canada still see Blue Caviar at around 64$ ? they where suppose to be replaced by Black Caviar of 500GB for that price worth / Or 7200:11/12 Of Seagate If you compare Blue caviar to 7200:11 7200:11 is Greater : but 7200:12 is Said to be Greater then black caviar (Bit-tech)but tech-report is against it (contradictory review)

Anyway hope you enjoy ur rig and overclock it very well to 3.94Ghz Worth (Such as Beefdog) to have Bough that much of cooling
even tough Beefdog as a HAF 932 : You should be Able in cm 690 + the same cooler he have :P

marcthpro

There was an asus monitor that was at 1680x1050, but it was sold out, so I just settled for this one. Maybe I should've waited a little longer until it came back in stock, but I really didn't want to wait any longer :P I'll just stick to 1280x720 if need be.

Okay, so I'm done with the build. Sad news is that I can't get it to beefdog's clock speed. Seems I can only get it stable at 3.85 ghz, with a 54C load temp. I'd imagine that temp being ridiculously high, but so far it seems semi-normal according to all the forums I've been reading. Perhaps someone can help me with the voltages? Here's what I have now:

CPU voltage: 1.49 (220x17.5 = 3850)

CPU-NB voltage: 1.32

NB Voltage: 1.32 at 220x11 = 2420

SB Voltage: 1.32

HT Voltage: 1.3 at 220*9 = 1980

Memory Timings: 8-8-8-22 1T at 1172

Anyone?

I don't know if the price is still the same but about a month ago the i7 was at about 220$ at microcenter. That's 80% you save. Check it out. If you live in canada, if there are none in canada, the closest one is in michigan. So it depends if you see a 1 hour 30 minute ( that's if you live in windsor) drive worth saving 80$.