i7 gaming/multitasking build

[iufan4lifeul]

Ok after my first post regarding my computer and reading a bunch of reviews I think I have come up with what I am getting. As said in the title this will be used for gaming, multi-tasking, multimedia etc.

GA-P55A-UD4P LGA 1156 P55 ATX Motherboard - $175 (microcenter)

Intel Core i7 860 2.8GHz - $220 (microcenter, if they have the 875k available I will get that instead. My cousin lives in Philly and is coming to visit me in a week so he is buying me the CPU and mobo and bringing them with him )

G.SKIL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR SDRAM 1600 (PC3 12800)- $110

Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 RPM- $80

Antec Earthwatts EA650 650 watts- $75

Antec 900- $100

EVGA Nvidia GTX 470- $329

21.5" ASUS VH222H 1080p- $150

$1239

Will run the processor at stock settings for a while, will eventually purchase something like a Cooler Master 212.

Only questions:
1. GTX 470 or 5850. I have always like nvidia just slightly more, it has more memory, and with recent drivers has been closing in on the 5870.
2. Is everything here capable of overclocking and able to carry me for several years into more complex applications/games without having to upgrade (I realize its not future proof by any means)


Please critique before I buy!


http://detonator.dynamitedata.com/c...com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

 

[mfenn]

If you're interested in overclocking, I would go with a reference 5850. You can get them to 5870 speeds pretty easily. Overclocking a GTX 470 is like trying to reenact Chernobyl inside your case.

The 875K is a pretty good overclocker, but I don't see any aftermarket CPU cooling listed. You'll want to pick up something like a TRUE, Megahalems, NH-U12P, etc. to get a good overclock out of it.

Otherwise, everything looks good!

 

[Sp12]

As said in the title this will be used for gaming, multi-tasking, multimedia etc.


21.5" ASUS VH222H 1080p- $150

$1239

Will run the processor at stock settings for a while, will eventually purchase something like a Cooler Master 212.

Only questions:
1. GTX 470 or 5850. I have always like nvidia just slightly more, it has more memory, and with recent drivers has been closing in on the 5870.
2. Is everything here capable of overclocking and able to carry me for several years into more complex applications/games without having to upgrade (I realize its not future proof by any means)

Please critique before I buy!

The CPU/mobo choice is definitely excellent, the P55 I7's tend to be a better value for single-GPU setup.

I'm not a fan of that monitor, the resolution for the size is excellent, but it appears to be a TN panel.

470 vs. 5850 is a tough one, but if you get a reference 5850 chances are it will overclock past stock 5870 performance. Per clock, the 5850 almost matches the 5870.

The 470 isn't much of an overclocker, but it has physx (meh) and CUDA, which can be good if you have CS5/specific video transcoders.

Overall, I would go for the 5850.

 

[iufan4lifeul]

Cool thanks for the input!! Only thing that really pushed me for the gtx was performance with tesselation enabled was better than the 5870 not overclocked and also the article mentioned that it overclock really well... Although I do realize they get very hot at stock speeds.

In regards to the monitor is there any other 1080p monitor for less than $200 that's really good?

Also as far as overclocking the CPU I will run it at stock speeds/stock cooler for a while then buy a scythe or coolermaster CPU cooler down the road and overclock it.

 

[jaydee]

I like the Asus LCD's, but you should be able to get 23/24" 1080's for ~$180. That seems to be the sweet spot these days, you'll just have to keep checking for deals (bensbargains.net). Or for just a little more, you should be able to get two 20" monitors for ~$115 each. Best yet, two 20" LCD's on each side of a 24"!

 

[iufan4lifeul]

Wow yah of you can find me a link to a 23-24" 1080p I would be very grateful! Also here is the link to the review, given it is just one review but it definitely pushes me towards the gtx.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...s/30321-nvidia-geforce-gtx-470-review-21.html

 

[Sp12]

Wow yah of you can find me a link to a 23-24" 1080p I would be very grateful! Also here is the link to the review, given it is just one review but it definitely pushes me towards the gtx.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...s/30321-nvidia-geforce-gtx-470-review-21.html

You mean Unigine? Unigine heavily favors Nvidia cards, or more accurately disfavors ATI cards. I wouldn't worry about it.

Also, Nvidia typically sends specially binned cards to reviewers that run cooler and overclock better; check out some forum posts on 470 overclocking for a more realistic view.

 

[jaydee]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236074

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236059

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236052

 

[iufan4lifeul]

Thanks for the links!!!

Ok, now the final question comes down to the graphics card. This is not an easy one. My options are a 5850, 470, or 5870. Now, I do realize the 5870 is the best in the list but I am in college still and so if I can save some money I will do that. It seems like the 470 edges out the 5850 in most things especially with tessellation factored in. Overclocking/Temperature/Power it seems the 5850 wins all arguments. I will be gaming in 1080p and I and questioning whether the extra 1/4 gig of memory on the gtx will help at those high resolutions. I will have means of keeping the graphics card cool so that is not really a factor for me. It also seems like the 5850/5870 have fully matured as far as drivers go whereas the 470 still has a little improvement to go. I have to admit I am leaning towards the 470 but I am listening to what you all are saying!

Edit: Oh, and will the PSU be able to handle moderate overclocks on both a 470 and the cpu?

 

[mfenn]

1080P is not "high" resolution. 1GB of VRAM will be sufficient for the useful life of the card. Likewise, tessellation is a non-feature this generation because by the time game devs actually use it to good effect (no the Heaven tech demo doesn't count...), all of the current gen cards will be hideously slow anyway.

 

[Deleted member 4644]

Looks like a very solid build. Almost exactly what I am running atm. I would say that you might consider the 5850 as well.

 

[iufan4lifeul]

Ok well sounds like the 5850 is the way to go with price in mind. What specific card has a really good cooler and ability to overclock, I'm assuming this card can handle pretty much anything out there and in the near future? Also I see a ton of people with the ud3 mothErboard, is there any real difference?

Thanks for the help!!!

 

[Sp12]

Ok well sounds like the 5850 is the way to go with price in mind. What specific card has a really good cooler and ability to overclock, I'm assuming this card can handle pretty much anything out there and in the near future? Also I see a ton of people with the ud3 mothErboard, is there any real difference?

Thanks for the help!!!

The UD4 has crossfire support, dual lan, a nicer soundchip, and firewire.

If you wanted to save ~20$ you could go with the ud3p or ud3.

The best overclocking 5850s are reference designs, as they have voltage controls. Any reputable brand will do.

 

[iufan4lifeul]

Cool thank you all so much for the help!! I will probably go with the ud4 then so in a year or 2 I can pick up a second 5850 and xfire.

Dumb question incoming, how can you tell which cards are reference cards?

 

[BinarySolo]

Get this and save a few bucks:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.425516

 

[mfenn]

Cool thank you all so much for the help!! I will probably go with the ud4 then so in a year or 2 I can pick up a second 5850 and xfire.

Dumb question incoming, how can you tell which cards are reference cards?

They have coolers that look like this. If you don't want to OC (or just don't need a ridiculous OC) any of the ones with fully-shrouded coolers will be fine.

 

[iufan4lifeul]

Ok thanks! One more question. Besides the SATA 3, USB 3, and 16x/8x (would be 8x/8x) would it be worth it to pick up the UD4 not the A version (advanced version). It is $75 cheaper at microcenter.

 

[mfenn]

Ok thanks! One more question. Besides the SATA 3, USB 3, and 16x/8x (would be 8x/8x) would it be worth it to pick up the UD4 not the A version (advanced version). It is $75 cheaper at microcenter.

Wow, $75 is a pretty steep discount. I would definitely be tempted by that.

 

[Sp12]

That's a pretty huge price drop.... I'm not sure.

Sata3 is going to be big pretty soon, as the next gen SSD's are going to actually use it. USB3 devices are trickling in now. But 75$ is a lot.

Actually, at that point I think I'd go for the p55a-ud3. You're limited to 4x crossfire (not good), but you keep sata/usb3. Depends on how long you want to keep the system I guess.

Though honestly, crossfire isn't that awesome of an ugprade path. While you may be able to get cards cheaper later, like the 4870 users who grabbed another one recently ended up with 5870 performance levels for only 100$ beyond their initial investment, but you end up needing more power, a more expensive motherboard, don't get perfect scaling, and don't get features found in the next-gen, like eyefinity or DX11 from the previous example.

 

[iufan4lifeul]

Well picked up the p55a-ud3 and the i7 860. Those will be hand delivered by my cousin Friday haha. The rest will be on order later this week. Anyone like a particular brand 5850?

 

[iufan4lifeul]

Is this a good monitor? Only reason I asked is there is a combo deal with the 5870.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824005145

Also, is the HIS 5870 a good card? Can they be overclocked like the 5850's?? There is a great deal on that 5870 on newegg

 

[Sp12]

Is this a good monitor? Only reason I asked is there is a combo deal with the 5870.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824005145

Also, is the HIS 5870 a good card? Can they be overclocked like the 5850's?? There is a great deal on that 5870 on newegg

The best I saw was 390, not exactly steller. They can be overclocked, but the 5850s are a better.

A 5870 is about 33% more expensive than a 5850, but is only ~15% faster. A 5850 at 880 core speed matches it.

 

[iufan4lifeul]

Right now there is a 5870 with free mw2 for $350 shipped with promo code. Didn't know if that was worth it or not. I already have mw2 for console though : /

 

[Sp12]

You sure it's 350? That's a much better deal.

 

[iufan4lifeul]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161329

10% off with promotion code