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http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=15156565
This is the desktop build I am currently looking at. Ignore the Omega sound card, that may or may not be something I add on in the future. I have already picked up the video card (got it on sale for 200) and the power supply (needed it for my current computer to run the 5870.
As a qualification, I'm going to try to push 5.0 gHz on the processor so that's why I am going with the big-ass Noctua NH-D14.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=15467965
This is the build I'm currently looking at for a small home server. I'm going with a decent processor on it because some of my CS classes have projects that require a great deal of processing (sometimes with Python so... yeah...) and I would like something that would be able to handle that efficiently so I wouldn't need to use my desktop. Of course, on top of that I would to use it as a media server among other things.
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@Gryff:
There are a lot of differences between the new i5-2xxx compared to the old i5-7xx other than the clock speed, even though both are quad cores. Suffice to say, the new ones are faster per clock, use less power, have integrated graphics included (though you won't use it), and support more instructions. There's no reason to consider getting the old i5s.
If you don't want to overclock the CPU, the i5-2300, i5-2400, or i5-2500 would be fine. The i5-2500k allows you to overclock (you also need a P67 motherboard for that), but it costs more. Any LGA 1155 motherboard is compatible. Just get whatever has the ports you need. If you don't plan on using any more expansion cards other than the video card, then a microATX motherboard is probably fine. Just keep in mind that some only have 2 RAM slots.
If you're using a discrete graphics card, then any type of video output from the motherboard is unnecessary. Those are for use with the integrated graphics. The video card has its own video outputs like HDMI.
1333 MHz RAM has practically no worse performance in real programs than 1600 MHz RAM, so I wouldn't worry about RAM speeds. Just get what's cheaper.
The Raidmax should work, though I wouldn't generally recommend it when you have plenty of alternatives available.
If you're not overclocking, a i5-2xxx with pretty much any GPU will run on a good 400W PSU. Corsair is generally a good brand, since most of their PSUs are fairly high-end designs from Seasonic and CWT. Many models are pretty outdated and are a little overpriced compared to the competition these days, and in most wattage ranges, none of their units are tops or even best price/performance, so I wouldn't call them the best necessarily. (Nothing under their label sucks, but the same could be said for some others too.)
If I recall correctly, there were some firmware issues with early 7200.11 hard drives that caused massive failure rates, but those are not an issue with currently shipping units I think. That explains the low cost, since the name was tainted.
On a i5-2xxx and HD 6870 with no overclocking, the Corsair CX430 would not be a bad choice if you want to save money. The CX430 is a somewhat cost-cut CWT unit based on their DSA platform, but the performance is still ood. Long-term reliability may not be great though.
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@Triscuit
What exactly is this build for? The only difference between a core i5 2500k and a core i7 2600k is hyperthreading and a small amount of cache. There will be a very minimal difference in gaming performance unless the game actually utilizes multi-cores which very few actually do.
A 5ghz overclock on Sandybridge is extremely easy. It can be attained using a Coolermaster Hyper 212+ as well.
I would not pay $280 for a second generation SSD. I'd advise stepping down to a Sandforce-1222 based SSD such as the Vertex 2 120gb which can be found for around $190 (usually $160 AMIR) or step up to a 3rd generation SSD such as the Intel 510.
If you don't care about the extra 2 years of warranty that Western Digital provides for their Caviar Black series, I'd just get a Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB for $25 less: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
For your server build, you can just get ram without heatspreaders: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253
Do you plan on doing a RAID of some sort for your home server? If so, why not just get the Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB for the same price? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
Get the X4 645 as well. It's cheaper (= http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103885
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Hi TL
I'm tired of gaming on my laptop so I figured it was time to build a beastly stationary. But, being all new to this, I could really use some feedback from you guys 
Here's the build I'm currently looking at:
CPU: Intel Core i7 Quad Processor i7-950, 3.06 GHz
GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 460 1GB PhysX CUDA
RAM: Kingston DDR2 HyperX PC8500 4GB KITx2
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Two Midi Tower
PSU: Corsair HX 850W PSU
Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH X58, Socket-1366
HDD: Western Digital Caviar® Green™ 1TB, dynamic 5400-7200RPM
SSD: Corsair SSD Force Series 2,5" 60GB
I'm gaming at a resolution of 1920x1080, and want to be able to play newer games at high graphics, aswell as maybe streaming some SC2. While I'm sure this system will do that quite easily, there's probably some silly mistakes I've made with this build. So if anyone who has a clue could take a look and provide some feedback, I'd be very grateful.
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On March 08 2011 00:51 Oreon wrote:Hi TL I'm tired of gaming on my laptop so I figured it was time to build a beastly stationary. But, being all new to this, I could really use some feedback from you guys Here's the build I'm currently looking at: CPU: Intel Core i7 Quad Processor i7-950, 3.06 GHz GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 460 1GB PhysX CUDA RAM: Kingston DDR2 HyperX PC8500 4GB KITx2 Case: Cooler Master HAF X Big Tower PSU: Corsair HX 850W PSU Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH X58, Socket-1366 HDD: Western Digital Caviar® Green™ 1TB, dynamic 5400-7200RPM SSD: Corsair SSD Force Series 2,5" 60GB I'm gaming at a resolution of 1920x1080, and want to be able to play newer games at high graphics, aswell as maybe streaming some SC2. While I'm sure this system will do that quite easily, there's probably some silly mistakes I've made with this build. So if anyone who has a clue could take a look and provide some feedback, I'd be very grateful.
CPU: The i7-950 is a good cpu, but compared to the new sandy bridge processors, it is not worth its price anymore. Go for the i5-2500k if you want a great processor. It is cheaper and faster than the 950.
GPU: For SC2 the GTX 460 is great, but for other newer games you should invest more into the graphic card. E.g. the successor of the 460, the GTX 560 Ti.
RAM: DDR2 won't work with newer processors. You need DDR3. But usually DDR3 is cheaper anyway, so thats great. Just chose the cheapest DDR3-1333 4GB Kit.
Case: Depends on your taste, but do you really need a big tower?
PSU: Way too powerful. 500-600W is easily enough. E.g. the Coolermaster Silent Pro 600W is great. But there are a lot of alternatives.
Motherboard: As you should go for the new processors you will need a different socket. There has been a problem with the boards for sandy bridge but more and more new ones are coming now. You will want a P67 motherboard. The more expensive ones are generally not worth it. Just chose one that has USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB. Should be around $100 i guess.
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There's no reason for most anyone to get the i7-950 nowadays. Here's a comparison with that vs. the i5-2500. Note that the single-threaded results are most relevant to most applications including games, and that many tests are skewed towards multi-threaded performance. (the i5-2500k is the same but allows you to overclock freely...but the results below are without overclocking)
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/100?vs=288
If you're not looking to overclock the CPU, any of the i5-2xxx with any LGA 1155 motherboard is okay. DDR2 RAM is not compatible with modern systems, so you'd want to get a 2 x 2GB DDR3 RAM kit ($40).
HAF X is way overkill in terms of size and airflow, but you can get it if you like it. Any particular reason to get a full tower case? I wouldn't be afraid of cheaper alternatives.
Corsair HX 850W is an extremely high-end PSU, but it costs about 3-4 times more than what decent budget PSUs do that could run your system. Granted, some cheaper PSUs may not have cables long enough to reach or reach comfortably in a full tower case, if you really want one (but you can get cable extenders). An i5-2xxx and GTX 460 system will take less than 300W fully loaded if not overclocked.
Do you want an optical drive? HDD and SSD look good.
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Wow, I'm so glad I posted here lol
Thanks a bunch ZeRo and Myrmidon, saved me a couple of hundred bucks there :D
My revised system based on your advice:
CPU: i5-2500k
GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 560Ti
RAM: Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600MHz 4GB
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Two Mdid Tower
Motherboard: ASUS P8P67-M
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro M700 700W (cheaper than the 600W version for some reason)
Does it look okay now? Thanks again for taking the time <3
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@Oreon
The only reason someone would get the Antec 902 would be because they like the aesthetics of it. There are much spacious cases with tool-less designs such as any case from Coolermaster, Lian Li, or Corsair.
I'm not sure why you aren't stepping down to a 500W power supply. Do you intend to keep this power supply for the next ten years and intend on doing SLI with future builds?
You probably want a heatsink such as the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ if you intend on overclocking.
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On March 08 2011 02:32 skyR wrote:
@Oreon
The only reason someone would get the Antec 902 would be because they like the aesthetics of it. There are much spacious cases with tool-less designs such as any case from Coolermaster, Lian Li, or Corsair.
I'm not sure why you aren't stepping down to a 500W power supply. Do you intend to keep this power supply for the next ten years and intend on doing SLI with future builds?
You probably want a heatsink such as the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ if you intend on overclocking.
Aesthetics doesn't matter to me, but I would prefer a smaller casing. I'll look more into the casing options, not hugely important to me tho...
About the PSU: there's only a tiny price difference going from 700 to 500, and 600W is actually more expensive on the site I'm ordering from :S
I don't trust my technical abilites enough to mess with overclocking, will going without a heatsink lower the longevity you think?
Thanks for the input! :D
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If you are not overclocking than there is no reason to get a 2500k over a 2500 as the only difference between the two (besides the price) is the K offers an unlocked multiplier (used for overclocking). Going without a aftermarket heatsink will not lower the longevity of the processor.
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On March 07 2011 15:43 skyR wrote:
@Triscuit
What exactly is this build for? The only difference between a core i5 2500k and a core i7 2600k is hyperthreading and a small amount of cache. There will be a very minimal difference in gaming performance unless the game actually utilizes multi-cores which very few actually do.
A 5ghz overclock on Sandybridge is extremely easy. It can be attained using a Coolermaster Hyper 212+ as well.
Essentially this is going to be primarily from gaming, but also somewhat of a workstation, as I am a CS major and want a computer that is not going to take 6 hours to finish some of the tasks that I'm going to be throwing at it.
And I really want this to be a computer that is going to last me 5 or 6 years strong like my current computer has. Maybe I'm living in a fantasy world, but I am trying to prepare for the inevitable switch by software engineers to write good multi-threaded code. Maybe that's a bit hopeful, but with effectively double the amount of threads, it is hard for me to compare the 2500k and the 2600k.
Also if 5ghz is easy then I want to go for something higher, lol. I want to get as much as I can out of this processor, without damaging its longevity.
I would not pay $280 for a second generation SSD. I'd advise stepping down to a Sandforce-1222 based SSD such as the Vertex 2 120gb which can be found for around $190 (usually $160 AMIR) or step up to a 3rd generation SSD such as the Intel 510.
You may be on to something there. The Vertex 2 gives better performance than the 128gb C300 according to anandtech.com/bench but I may just wait for the Vertex 3 since I'm already waiting on the P67s and I kinda like the idea of SATA III.
Hm, maybe. I have never had a drive go bad on me so I'm not sure if the warranty would be worth it. Also I kind of thought that the 64MB cache would make a big difference but according to some posts in the internet, the performance difference isn't that big. Any thoughts on this?
I figure the 10 bucks also buys me a CAS latency of 8 as opposed to 9. Though I really don't know how RAM performance affects the ability of a server to do its job.
I think I'll probably do a RAID 1, now that you mention it. That just seems like a much better idea to me right now. What is the difference betwen the Spinpoint F3 and the Caviar Green in regards to RAID?
Maybe that was a deal because it is showing me that it is 10 bucks more. 
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This is a build or whatever someone made for me earlier in this thread awhile ago. I was wondering what would be the best and cheapest upgrade/addition to make my computer faster/smoother etc?
I was looking at another HD or SSD, but I don't know if they'd make anything faster!
Also not overclocked, I know nothing about that though, would that be helpful with my computer?
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@Triscuit
5GHz is basically the most you can get out of Sandybridge without potential damage. This frequency can be achieved with around 1.4v. Going above 5GHz is going to require a lot more voltage (probably exceeding 1.5v). Whatever you decide to overclock to, just keep in mind that Intel specifies that you should not exceed 1.52v for 24/7 usage.
I've used both the Samsung Spinpoint F3 and Caviar Black series. I don't think you will notice a performance difference that is worth the cost difference unless you are benchmarking.
I'm not sure how cas latency affects server performance. I'm sure someone else more knowledgeable can fill you in on this.
If you're doing a RAID 1, I'd just get whichever is cheaper / whichever brand you are more comfortable with.
Hmm seems like the 645 was a daily deal ><
@Nokeboy
If you're looking to improve FPS in games than a graphics card upgrade would be the best option. Something such as the GTX 460 1GB for ~$190 or GTX 560 for ~$250.
If you're looking at improving load-times and responsiveness than you should get an SSD such as the Vertex 2 60gb for ~$100 / 120gb for ~$190.
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I'm building my first computer and am wondering if i should wait out this LGA 1155 problem till may (when i'm done with school and can build my computer) or grab a Mobo that works with a Phenom II x4 965?
I want to use the computer for gaming. Is it worth it to wait so i can use i5 2400k? If i get the Phenom can it run a HD Radeon 6870? or should i use the extra money to get a 6950?
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@Gryff
This depends on your budget and if you already own the Phenom II X4 965 or not.
If you do not own the processor than it would be best to wait for Sandybridge (LGA 1155). The fixed motherboards are slowly tricking into the retail channels as we speak so you don't have to wait till May to build a LGA 1155 system, you can build one now if you wanted too. There is no such thing as a core i5 2400k, do you mean the core i5 2400 or core i5 2500k?
This is a review of the core i5 2x00 processors vs the other processors. See for yourself if the performance difference is worth waiting for: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/20
If you already own the processor and your budget is tight than you may as well grab a AM3 motherboard. A graphics card just requires a PCI-E x16 slot (which all current motherboards should have) and an adequate power supply to run.
I believe MSI GTX 560 Twin Frozr for $250 @ Newegg would be better than both options you presented.
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I need to build a computer to run solidworks and web browsing, (2 dvd drives, run XP) and not much else. I don't really know how powerful this has to be though. This is what I am looking at:
+ Show Spoiler +
I really don't know what to do about the motherboard/processor/video card. Any suggestions? I would rather go cheaper over the best performance, but not completely budget.
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I want to keep it in the $500-600 range, so about $250-350 for the cpu/mb/gpu
All the intel quad cores look like they are going to put me over that considering the card is going to cost me ~120 - something like this I think?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447
So should I look for a good amd combo w/ the motherboard or go for like an i3 2100 and a cheaper gpu?
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It really depends on the scope of your projects in SolidWorks.
I think a i3-2100 is a better idea than an AMD quad core, though an i5-2xxx is preferable. Some operations are threaded well in SolidWorks, but others are not so much. $75 for the Seasonic S12II Bronze 520W is a little much. Antec's Neo Eco line is a slightly cost-cut version of the S12II Bronze by Seasonic, and the 400W version is going for $35 right now, so you can save $40 there:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371029
One thing to consider is that you can often install the workstation FirePro or Quadro drivers on a normal Radeon or GeForce. e.g. A HD 5670 can get FirePro 3D V4800 drivers to improve performance for most CAD programs.
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EPT
