lickuid Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 Hey everyone, I'm about a week away from my 3rd build and 1st watercoolling setup. Lemme say first off, I appreciate any help at all. On the side, I'm wondering if there's any way I can improve on any of this. Or if there's any new tech coming out close down the road? Maybe I should wait? I want this setup to truly kick the butt of any game i throw at it. It'll also double for 3d modeling and rendering. *Note: I need help with the waterblock, I'm not 100% sure if it'll be compatible with my CPU *I'm partial to AMD (been with them for years because of great performance), but could anyone give me a good reason to go with Intel? Is there that much a diff? *With the Corsair Dominator: Can the built-in heat sinks be removed? i'd like to water cool the ram as well. *The PSU: I'm not sure if the one i picked is completely suitable for all my components. *I'm skimping on the keyboard So... Here we go! CPU AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz GPU 2x BFG GeForce GTX 295 Power Supply Ultra X3 ULT40311 1000 Case COOLER MASTER HAF 932 HDD Western Digital Caviar 750GB Memory CORSAIR DOMINATOR 8GB MOBO ASUS M4N82 Deluxe Cooling Fluid Feser One UV Blue RAM Heatsink RAM-35 (Single DDR/DDR2/DDR3/SD) x4 RAM HS connector RAM-35 Sliding Connector x5 RAM HS U connector RAM-35 180-Degree "U" Connector Block Tubing Clear UV-Reactive PVC (ID:3/8") 8' Tubing Spring Tubing Spring Wrap, Black 6-32" x8 Clamps Hose Clamp [For OD: 19mm (3/4") Radiator Thermaltake Aquabay M2 2U 120mm Radiator x2 Waterblock OCZ OCZTHYDF HydroFlow HF-MK1 CPU Waterblock Pump /Reservoir XSPC Dual Bay Reservoir Pump Combo Monitor viewsonic VX2262wm Widescreen LCD Mouse Logitech G9x *I'd like to one day overclock the components. I read that you can overclock the Phenom 955 to 4GHz, but I'm not sure if the Motherboard will allow it (sadly haven't looked that far into it). The GTX 295 H2O OC is overclock-able, but I'm not sure if the Corsair Dominator is, so Have at it. What do you all think? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glow of fire Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 i7 920 would probably be a better choice for a quad GT200 SLI. With 295x2, you're looking at the AMD 955 bottlenecking your performance in quite a few more games than you may like. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zertz Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 (edited) I would go for a Corsair PSU over that Ultra, otherwise it looks great. I wouldn't watercool the RAM, it's just not worth it. If you really want to, OCZ has those: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820227405 Yes, the GPU's are overkill, but I'm not one to tell you what to do with your money. However, single PCB (read: cheaper) GTX295's are on the way and next gen cards aren't too far off either... Your water cooling setup definitely needs an overhaul Since you're going for huge GPU power, I would opt for at least a 24" monitor. @Glow: the GTX295's will be bottlenecked no matter what CPU you use I'm not sure how much you can stretch the budget (or reorganize it), but an OCZ Vertex SSD would fit well in there Edited May 30, 2009 by Zertz Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheConqueror Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 Woooow 2 x GTX 295's?? Can I ask what you need with to do with them? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zertz Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 (edited) Woooow 2 x GTX 295's?? Can I ask what you need with to do with them? I want this setup to truly kick the butt of any game i throw at it. It'll also double for 3d modeling and rendering. Let's not start this again. Edited May 30, 2009 by Zertz Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lickuid Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 (edited) Firstly, Thanks for the timely replies. Also, thanks for the sober replies. I don't care all that much about being flashy, I just want to get this build right and at the risk of sounding unintentionally cocky, I'm looking for the best i can get from what's out right now. It's tempting just to join forums and ask people to essentially piece together a rig for me, but I don't want to be lazy. I thought i was doing adequate research but, in truth, the high end CPU hurting performance is news to me. Your guidance is much appreciated. In what ways is the i7 920 superior to the 955? About bottlenecking GPU performance: Is it possible to see less performance with quad SLI coupled with my processor as opposed to sticking with one GTX295? I'm thinking if anything, quad SLI would perform better even if it's slowed down by my current cpu. Again, I'm not certain, but with the way new technology is developed, I wouldn't be surprised that by the time CPUs are out that could fully handle 2 GTX295's, the cards themselves would probably be outdated (albeit likely still competitive). Bottom line though, is it really not worth going with 2 GTX295's? If not, why not? Also, how bad could the AMD hold it back? @Zertz: No question that I'm new to watercooling... How can I improve my loop? I'll definitely check out that OCZ ram... I had a hunch watercooling the memory wasn't all that necessary. And, I can save a good deal of money X'ing that crap out. Oh, and could you point me to a good 24" monitor? Thanks again! Edited May 30, 2009 by lickuid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zertz Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 (edited) I just want to get this build right and at the risk of sounding unintentionally cocky, I'm looking for the best i can get from what's out right now. Those build are the most fun In what ways is the i7 920 superior to the 955? The i7 is a faster processor, that's a fact. However, gaming performance is very similar About bottlenecking GPU performance: Is it possible to see less performance with quad SLI coupled with my processor as opposed to sticking with one GTX295? I'm thinking if anything, quad SLI would perform better even if it's slowed down by my current cpu. Again, I'm not certain, but with the way new technology is developed, I wouldn't be surprised that by the time CPUs are out that could fully handle 2 GTX295's, the cards themselves would probably be outdated (albeit likely still competitive). Bottom line though, is it really not worth going with 2 GTX295's? If not, why not? Also, how bad could the AMD hold it back? Performance won't drop between SLI and quad SLI, but scaling is somewhere between poor and mediocre in a lot of games. If you want to make it worth it, jump to a 30" monitor (2560x1600) or downgrade to a single GTX295 @Zertz: No question that I'm new to watercooling... How can I improve my loop? I'll definitely check out that OCZ ram... I had a hunch watercooling the memory wasn't all that necessary. And, I can save a good deal of money X'ing that crap out. Pump: MCP655 Radiator: Thermochill (140.3 and/or 120.4 should be available soon, otherwise, the 120.3 is a great choice) Block: I found a very complete list & testing couple nights ago.. I'll try to find it Reservoir: doesn't really matter, you could always go with a T-line instead, but that's a personal choice Tubing: Tygon, Clearflex.. doesn't make much of a difference actually Thanks again! No problem Hmm.. thought splitting quotes would be a good idea.. maybe not Edited May 30, 2009 by Zertz Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lickuid Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 (edited) The i7 920 (2.66Ghz) is faster than the 955 (3.2GHz) in spite of the clock speeds? Obviously my knowledge of processors isn't as deep as most of yours, but I have to ask so I can learn. Wow, 30" monitor? I'll look into it, I don't know if i can find a reasonably priced one though lol. What about a 24"? Performance won't drop between SLI and quad SLI, but scaling is somewhere between poor and mediocre in a lot of games. If you want to make it worth it, jump to a 30" monitor (2560x1600) or downgrade to a single GTX295 Zertz, could you explain scaling in a little more detail? As far as gaming is concerned, I want to play crysis (and games like it, esp. crysis2 when it comes out) with the highest settings at the highest screen rez. possible with (hopefully) no less than 60fps. When crysis came out, I played it on my HP lappie with a 17", a dual core and Geforce 8600M GS... While it's served/ing me well in the work arena, I've been a long-time gamer... and having to play everything at the lowest settings just hurts.... My last build was competitive when I put it together 6 years ago, but not an all out setup... this is kinda my one shot to really "go there" before i die. heheh Tnx as always. Oh, and reading the split quotes works for me Edited May 30, 2009 by lickuid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reagnon Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 (edited) With sli you would easely think that if you add a 2nd card the preformance doubles. this is not @ low res sli even slows things down... sli and crossfire only become handy when @ high res. (1920X1200 is the absolute minimum). That Quad sli setup you want needs a 30" to be loaded... For that 3D moddeling you could be better of with a special workstation card. they have special algorithems and they are faster with less pwer(only for moddeling not for gaming). if you use this system as a workstation and gaming rig and you stay with a 24" moniotor i would get one 295 and a workstation card. If you realy don't want a 30" monitor it might be better for you to buy 3 way sli (if you want the best you can get) you will get less sli loss. And because the 285 is better than 1/2 of a 295 your preformance might be the same or slightly better. you wil(with either setup) max everything out.and you won't notice the difference only with a benchmark this will be visible. Edited May 30, 2009 by Reagnon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lickuid Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 (edited) How about this monitor: ASUS MK241H Black 24" 2ms HDMI Widescreen LCD ? it's 1920x1200. Ok, then... let's say I drop the second GTX295, what framerate may i be looking at with crysis full everything at 1920x1200? or gta4 or games like that? Edited May 30, 2009 by lickuid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zertz Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 (edited) You really can't compare clock speeds across difference processors. AMD & Intel use different architectures which perform differently at the same clock speed for various reasons. Currently, i7 is the fastest you can get, but it's priced accordingly. 30" pretty much starts at 1000$, but gaming doesn't get any better than that.. assuming you have the GPUs to back it up! This article gives a great view on multi-GPU performance. Basically, every card you add doesn't improve performance like it theoretically should, varies from game to game and depends a lot on drivers. I don't know about that Asus monitor, it's probably decent enough. It uses a TN panel so while response time is very good, colors won't be quite as accurate as a more expensive monitor using a S-PVA or S-IPS panel. It depends what you've been using before. I always thought my LG monitor (TN) looked great until I moved to a S-PVA. Anyways, if you do stick to 24", Dell's 2408WFP is a very good monitor. On the video card side, I would simply get a pair of GTX285's (with a couple of those?) which is faster than a single GTX295. Nothing's stopping you from going all out and quad-SLI though Here's the water block thread btw: http://www.overclock.net/water-cooling/509...rblocks-i7.html * Short version: Heatkiller 3.0 is the best you can get at the moment, but it won't fit on AMD so something like Swiftech's Apogee GTZ should be on your short list. There are others too, but finding them in stock is whole different story... Edited May 30, 2009 by Zertz Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lickuid Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 (edited) say if i went with 3 285's, wouldn't they run hot? being that close on the board? it's 2:14am in my neck of the woods now so i'm still trying to keep up, but i don't have all my faculties. anyway.. Why can't I find the BFG GTX 285 H2OC anywhere? Have they stopped making them? If I try to go with 3 285's, I may need to re-eval my setup altogether. I'm also looking into S-PVA monitors. also, what brand of 285 to go with? and if i stick with the quad 295, what specific model/wattage/amp power supply should i use? tnx Edited May 30, 2009 by lickuid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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