Hardware A new computer?

[Originality]

You can overclock the i7-2600K to 4Ghz (or 4.5Ghz) easily, and it won't increase the power draw/heat produced by much. When it's so easy, it's almost a shame not to do it.

Anyway, he main purpose of a better heatsink is to handle heat more effectively and prolong the lifespan of the CPU. 80% of the heatsinks out there are better than the Intel stock HSF, and many of them are much quieter too.

 

[PettingZoo]

$2500 AUD for a computer can get you something fairly high end, although a couple months ago I built myself a mid to high end PC for around $1300~ (including just a $16 HDMI cable, $50 wireless adapter and $170~ LED monitor).

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE 3.4ghz - Well priced, great performance, room for overclocking in future
MoBo: ASUS M4A89GTD PRO (USB3, SATA III) - Decently priced motherboard, plenty of PCI-E slots, Sata 6gb/s, USB3
RAM: 4gb DDR3 at 1333mhz - some G.Skill RAM I picked up since it was pretty cheap and performs well
HDD: WD Caviar Black 1TB 7200RPM - I'd have gotten a Samsung F3 Spinpoint which does pretty much the same job and approx half the price although I couldn't find any in stock (brisbane floods)
GPU: AMD 6950 2gb DDR5 VRAM (Gigabyte) - Very nice card, has the possibility to be flashed to a 6970, decently priced for Australia, if I had waited a little longer I probably would have gone with an Nvidia GTX 560 Ti
CASE: Lian Li k60 - I picked this up rather than the k58 since it was the same case but $10 more got me 2 extra fans, nice looking, nice airflow, good cable management, good price
PSU: Corsair HX650w Professional - Well priced, reliable, modular, 80 Plus Bronze Certified, good leeway for power usage (ie: crossfiring another 6950)
DVD/RW: Some cheap LG lite on drive - Cheap priced, does a good job, 24x I think

I ordered all of these from Umart and then picked them up at a couple of their stores (Brisbane / Gold Coast, Stock issues since Brisbane flooding), I then picked them up the same day and built my computer. As for you never building a computer, just look up some videos around youtube, google some guides, in all reality building a computer is just like putting lego together except being a bit careful.

There is also a Umart situated in Melbourne if you want to check it out (Umart Melbourne), it's easy to order and if you're unsure about building it I think you're able to get them to put it all together for you (that's what the guy said to be when I picked my stuff up), but other places to order parts from are able to do this I'm pretty sure.

 

[Chhotu uttam]

you can take amd phenom x6 or x4 as you wish.they are good for gaming and are cheap too.

 

[Originality]

Phenom II is not nearly as good for gaming as Sandy Bridge is. I think most of the board would agree with me in saying he should get a Core i5-2500K or a Core i7-2600K.

 

[Chhotu uttam]

phenom II x6 is a much good processor than i5 and somwhat slower than i7(more than 250$) so in my opininon phenom II x6 is a good deal

 

[Originality]

phenom II x6 is a much good processor than i5 and somwhat slower than i7(more than 250$) so in my opininon phenom II x6 is a good deal

Maybe the Phenom II X6 might've been roughly level with a Core i5-750, but a Core i7-920 (and subsequently 930 and 950, which were each released at the same price as the 920) was 40% stronger at games (rated by Instructions Per Second, which is what games need a lot of) than a Phenom II X6 1090T (the 1100T apparantly didn't do as well in games as the 1090T). That's just Lynnfield/Bloomfield. Sandy Bridge CPUs are another 40% stronger than the previous generation.

If a Core i7-2600K (4 core, HyperThreaded) can beat a Core i7-980X (6 core, HyperThreaded) in all but one test, and a Core i5-2500K (4 core, non-HyperThreaded) can just about match the performance... how can an old architechture like the Phenom II series hope to stand up against it?

Now a Phenom II 1090T costs $200 in newegg. Core i5-2500K costs $225, and the Core i7-2600K is $329. With a moderate budget (~$800) there is no reason to get a Phenom II X6 1090T. With a low budget (

 

[Chhotu uttam]

phenom II x6 is a much good processor than i5 and somwhat slower than i7(more than 250$) so in my opininon phenom II x6 is a good deal

Maybe the Phenom II X6 might've been roughly level with a Core i5-750, but a Core i7-920 (and subsequently 930 and 950, which were each released at the same price as the 920) was 40% stronger at games (rated by Instructions Per Second, which is what games need a lot of) than a Phenom II X6 1090T (the 1100T apparantly didn't do as well in games as the 1090T). That's just Lynnfield/Bloomfield. Sandy Bridge CPUs are another 40% stronger than the previous generation.

If a Core i7-2600K (4 core, HyperThreaded) can beat a Core i7-980X (6 core, HyperThreaded) in all but one test, and a Core i5-2500K (4 core, non-HyperThreaded) can just about match the performance... how can an old architechture like the Phenom II series hope to stand up against it?

Now a Phenom II 1090T costs $200 in newegg. Core i5-2500K costs $225, and the Core i7-2600K is $329. With a moderate budget (~$800) there is no reason to get a Phenom II X6 1090T. With a low budget (

 

[Deleted User]

His then, super, graphics card would probably be bottle-necked by processor, for more intensive games. Did you read Originality's post at all? Games need instructions per second, which AMD isn't as aptly optimized for. The problem is this; he's not, likely, going to be doing tasks that would benefit from the extra 2 cores. If he can also suggests that he doesn't think much usage wise beyond a dual core or quad core processor; just because you can do something; doesn't mean you should.

AMD processors generally excel in everything non-gaming, but when it comes to gaming; they tend to lag behind considerably. The problem is this; the i5-2500k and i7-2600k can directly compete with the flagship i7-980X and i7-990X in terms of performance at a fraction of the price; AMD processors can't compare to this level of price-performance yet until Bulldozer/Bobcat processors are released.

General computing tasks are more optimized toward dual-cores and quad-cores, if you're not making use of specialized tasks that make use of the extra AMD cores (+2) then they're wasted. I'm also unsure of whether the new processors will be backwards compatible with whatever socket iteration AMD is currently using, be it AM3+ or whatever.

 

[trumpet-205]

A lot of people here seems to list the best components because OP has such an enormous budget. Depending on what OP really needs (how much serious gaming?), those extra power may be a waste.

Generally speaking, you would want to build a computer that does well in what you need but also have room for future update.

OP mentioned gaming, but what kind of gaming? Is it 2D gaming? Is it 3D gaming like in 2006? Is it 3D gaming like Crysis? Also how big your monitor is going to be? Do I need multiple monitors?

If I go with a 19-inch monitor (1440x900) and moderate 3D gaming, graphics card like HD5670 can get the job done.

Do I need multimedia encoding and/or decoding? Do I do a lot of programming?

Just because OP has 2.5K of budget does not mean he needs to spend every dollar.



PS. In most cases, graphics card is the one that is bottle-necked, not CPU.

 

[Berthenk]

General computing tasks are more optimized toward dual-cores and quad-cores, if you're not making use of specialized tasks that make use of the extra AMD cores (+2) then they're wasted. I'm also unsure of whether the new processors will be backwards compatible with whatever socket iteration AMD is currently using, be it AM3+ or whatever.

Bulldozer won't fit on (most) AM3 motherboards, some AM3 boards get BIOS updates to support them, but then again, you're likely to have one that won't get an update. AM3+ boards, however, will support AM3 processors.

 

[gifi4]

Wow, I haven't even looked at this thread in awhile, nice to see so many replies, I'm sticking with the i7 2600K.

Just a quick question as I'm getting the parts in 2 weeks, is everything compatible and will it all fit in the case? and what else do I need (not want, need) to make it run perfectly?

Should I change the Motherboard to this:Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD7B3 P67

PS: I know some people are saying I don't need to spend it all but I plan on doing some video editing plus gaming (Latest games, and older using emulators plus DOS games and a lot more!) And I eventually intend to overclock the cpu.

 

[Deleted User]

The i7-2600k is the god-mode of computer processors at the moment, it'll last you an extremely long time whether you plan to OC or not. They're extremely solid OC'ers as well.

 

[Minox]

Some words of advice though. Intel Sandy Bridge undoubtedly offers the best performance (even beating a 6-core Core i7-980X in some tests), but the motherboards have a design flaw involving the SATAII controller (20-30% of being affected, which will cause the I/O to degrade in 1-3 years rendering them inoperable). SATA III ports are unaffected though, and you can use a PCI-E port to add extra SATA II/III ports as necessary. If you follow Raven's advice and get a SSD and 1TB HDD (along with a DVD drive), you have to keep that in mind as there are only 2 "safe" ports. Revised motherboards with B3-stepping (instead of the faulty B2) are expected in the coming couple of months.

From what I heard Intel ordered a recall of all motherboards with that defect, and newer motherboards produced should not contain the same design flaw so that should not be an issue at all unless he'd happen get hold of an old motherboard with the flaw intact somehow. Most reputable retailers should not stock the faulty motherboards any more.

 

[Berthenk]

The i7-2600k is the god-mode of computer processors at the moment, it'll last you an extremely long time whether you plan to OC or not. They're extremely solid OC'ers as well.
Too bad there's a limit on how far they can go.

QUOTE(Originality @ Mar 1 2011, 11:52 AM) Some words of advice though. Intel Sandy Bridge undoubtedly offers the best performance (even beating a 6-core Core i7-980X in some tests), but the motherboards have a design flaw involving the SATAII controller (20-30% of being affected, which will cause the I/O to degrade in 1-3 years rendering them inoperable). SATA III ports are unaffected though, and you can use a PCI-E port to add extra SATA II/III ports as necessary. If you follow Raven's advice and get a SSD and 1TB HDD (along with a DVD drive), you have to keep that in mind as there are only 2 "safe" ports. Revised motherboards with B3-stepping (instead of the faulty B2) are expected in the coming couple of months.

From what I heard Intel ordered a recall of all motherboards with that defect, and newer motherboards produced should not contain the same design flaw so that should not be an issue at all unless he'd happen get hold of an old motherboard with the flaw intact somehow. Most reputable retailers should not stock the faulty motherboards any more.

The chance on getting a faulty motherboard is already really slim, and you can always contact the motherboard manufacturer about it if it does turn out to be faulty, which, in turn, you'll only notice with Sata-300 hard drives and their connectors on the motherboard. The transfer-speed degrading is actually pretty slow and they say you'll only notice it after 1 or 2 years.

 

[Originality]

4.9Ghz is the current limit for i7-2600K, and 5.0Ghz is the limit of i5-2500K. Probably better motherboards will perhaps push that by another 0.1Ghz. This is based on air cooling, and I imagine water cooling may be able to push it up by another 0.3Ghz.

@Minox, note that I made that post a couple months ago, back when there were only B2-stepping motherboards on the market. You may have thought that retailers would not stock faulty motherboards, but in fact many actually did along with the warning that there is a design flaw. As I described, they could work, but there was up to a 25% chance that the SATA II ports would degrade and die in 3+ years. Now that B3-stepping motherboards have had a full release to the market (a couple of months after the recall, exactly as I said), the only thing anybody has to remember is to look out for "B3" or "Rev 3" in the name.

 

[marcus134]

Sorry if enter the conversation a bit late but if you are interested into assembling it yourself, i can direct you to this guide from tom's hardware:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-...wn-pc,2601.html
In part three, they give instruction that should keep you away from expensive newbie trap. Although I disagree with the fact that they only use 7 nuts on a ATX mobo, unlike pictured in the guide, you should use 9 (there are 9 holes in the board anyway) to make sure you don't crack it when you plug the cables.
You can also look at the mobo instruction manual witch should give you all the details that are specific to your system.

your build should be working if it's what shown on the second page of the tread, although I would agree with Originality about the HDD.
Also, value ram in a high end system :-( it's not that I have personal problem with unnamed value ram, it's just that you should go with basic ram from a recognized brand such as Kingston at the very least.

don't forget the OS.


if you haven't bought your stuff already tom's hardware posted an article called " Best Graphics Cards For The Money: May 2011"
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-g...-6670,2935.html

 

[gifi4]

Well, it's taken a damn while but I've finally started buying parts.

This is my new 'baseline':
Case: Cooler Master HAF X RC-942
DVD Drive: LG - GH22NS70
Motherboard: Intel - BLKDP67BAB3
GPU: Gigabyte NVIDIA GTX580 1536MB(N580UD-15I)
CPU: Intel - Core i7 2600k LGA1155 @ 3.4GHz
HDD's: 2x Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA
RAM: 2x 4GB (Corsair - CMX8GX3M2A1600C9)
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro 80+ M700W
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium Retail
Speakers: Creative - T3130

Now 3 things:
1. Is this good?
and
2. Does the case support more than 2 SATA Devices?

The specs of the case say:
5.25" Drive Bay= 6 (2 converted SATA HDD drive bay available)
And also:
2.5"/3.5"- SATA HDD Drive Bay= 2 (converted from 5.25” drive bays)

3. If the case supports more than 2 SATA devices, how do I go about adding them if the bays are different sizes?

 

[FireGrey]

Well, it's taken a damn while but I've finally started buying parts.

This is my new 'baseline':
Case: Cooler Master HAF X RC-942
DVD Drive: LG - GH22NS70
Motherboard: Intel - BLKDP67BAB3
GPU: Gigabyte NVIDIA GTX580 1536MB(N580UD-15I)
CPU: Intel - Core i7 2600k LGA1155 @ 3.4GHz
HDD's: 2x Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA
RAM: 2x 4GB (Corsair - CMX8GX3M2A1600C9)
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro 80+ M700W
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium Retail
Speakers: Creative - T3130

Now 3 things:
1. Is this good?
and
2. Does the case support more than 2 SATA Devices?

The specs of the case say:
5.25" Drive Bay= 6 (2 converted SATA HDD drive bay available)
And also:
2.5"/3.5"- SATA HDD Drive Bay= 2 (converted from 5.25” drive bays)

3. If the case supports more than 2 SATA devices, how do I go about adding them if the bays are different sizes?

Some might call it an overkill

 

[marcus134]

I would recommend taking an other motherboard as intel mobo tend to be hi-priced and feature-less.
Especially with your build, your choice of cpu and ram should be good for over clocking, however this intel motherboard doesn't allow overclocking.

almost any asus or gigabyte P67 mobo would be better.

2. Does the case support more than 2 SATA Devices?

The specs of the case say:
5.25" Drive Bay= 6 (2 converted SATA HDD drive bay available)
And also:
2.5"/3.5"- SATA HDD Drive Bay= 2 (converted from 5.25” drive bays)

3. If the case supports more than 2 SATA devices, how do I go about adding them if the bays are different sizes?

The total number of sata drives is defined by the mobo, not the case. Sata drive can either be hdd, ssd, dvd or blu-ray drives.
What the case description says, there's 6 external 5.25 drives which 2 of them can be converted to 2.5 internal (ssd) (and probably to 3.5 external drives too from the picture), in addition of the 5 internal 3.5 bays for conventional hdd.

 

[gifi4]

Is SATA backwards compatible?
For example: If I have a SATA 3 HDD, can I plug it into a SATA 2 port?

Also, what's Power Protection and UPS? Are they necessary? How do I install them?
All I know about them is they stop your computer from power surges or something...
Can yous recommend me one please?