Rate my final build!

[DrafonGire]

Hey guys,

 

I posted a couple threads back my tentative build and I've finally tweaked it to my final version.

 

Case: Coolermaster Storm Sniper Mid-Tower

CPU: Intel i7-940 2.93 (Free upgrade from the 930 through Cyberpower)

CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight

Mobo: Asus Rampage III Extreme

Memory: 6GB Corsair Dominator

GPU: GTX 480 1.5GB (Single, plan to get another in 3 years or so and SLI)

PSU: 850W Corsair HD: 64GB Corsair Nova V64

Data: 2x 640GB SATA III Drives in RAID 0

Optical: Samsung 8x Bluray reader/DVDRW Combo

Speakers: Logitech Z313 2.1

Goals: Ridiculously fast, all games on maximum setting for a number of years to come.

 

What do you guys think?

[joel.monteiro]

Wht res are u gonna game at?

[dihartnell]

Will perform very nicely, although I'm sure some game will come along before the 3 years is up that will drive you to upgrade some more. Crysis 2 comes to mind.

 

I wouldn't run the below config for a data drive. It doubles the risk of data loss from HDD failure as either of the 2 fails and you will loose the lot. Better off getting one large drive. Can recommend Western Digital Caviar Black (1TB, Sata 3, 64mb cache) like I use. Also the Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB drive also comes highly recomended.

 

 

 

Data: 2x 640GB SATA III Drives in RAID 0

Edited August 11, 2010 by dihartnell

[IVIYTH0S]

Get one SSD for the OS/Apps/Games then get a 2TB for storage. Don't put two mechanical drives together and assume they'll be fast, other than that looks pretty sweet.

You may want a bigger power supply if you are considering a second 480 down the line, that wont be enough

[DrafonGire]

Get one SSD for the OS/Apps/Games then get a 2TB for storage. Don't put two mechanical drives together and assume they'll be fast, other than that looks pretty sweet.

You may want a bigger power supply if you are considering a second 480 down the line, that wont be enough

 

Thanks for the replies guys!

 

First I plan on using my 720p 42" TV as a monitor, then upgrading to a 24" max res samsung monitor. What do you guys think of this setup?

[IVIYTH0S]

Thanks for the replies guys!

 

First I plan on using my 720p 42" TV as a monitor, then upgrading to a 24" max res samsung monitor. What do you guys think of this setup?

do you already have that HDTV?? 720p will be a longshot from making the 480 work hard I'll tell you that now

[Scott P]

Thanks for the replies guys!

 

First I plan on using my 720p 42" TV as a monitor, then upgrading to a 24" max res samsung monitor. What do you guys think of this setup?

 

I think you will be disapointed by the limits of a 720p resolution.You are better off with a real monitor.

[DrafonGire]

I think you will be disapointed by the limits of a 720p resolution.You are better off with a real monitor.

 

Is it that bad that I should go AMD and a cheaper system so I can just purchase an awesome monitor?

 

What size is a legit monitor that will maximize the potential of my system?

[joel.monteiro]

A nice 1920x1080 res will be good for 480,i can recommend my monitor working flawless,its in my sig.

[SenitaL]

Okay why does everyone always bash 720p res, what is it just because consoles happen to occasionally use it? Theres nothing wrong with a 720p monitor, im using a Samsung 26" at 720p and can say the only problem would be desktop space. That said, If your getting a screen larger then a 26" then yes get a 1080p res monitor else 720p wont be too great with larger screens.

 

Gaming wise its best for you to use your monitors native res, who here can tell the difference in-game between a native 720 and 1080 res (assuming both monitors are native at those 2 respective resolutions) you probably cant, theres no actual quality improvement either, though if your running at 1080p you wont need to use half as much Anti-Alising in games, but if your running at 720p you can just ramp up the AA to super sample at 8X and everything will still play smooth and look just as sweet

 

Oh and you'll be able to play loads of future games maxed out at 720p for a good number of years, cant say the same for playing at 1080p though!

Edited August 12, 2010 by SenitaL

[DrafonGire]

Okay why does everyone always bash 720p res, what is it just because consoles happen to occasionally use it? Theres nothing wrong with a 720p monitor, im using a Samsung 26" at 720p and can say the only problem would be desktop space. That said, If your getting a screen larger then a 26" then yes get a 1080p res monitor else 720p wont be too great with larger screens.

 

Gaming wise its best for you to use your monitors native res, who here can tell the difference in-game between a native 720 and 1080 res (assuming both monitors are native at those 2 respective resolutions) you probably cant, theres no actual quality improvement either, though if your running at 1080p you wont need to use half as much Anti-Alising in games, but if your running at 720p you can just ramp up the AA to super sample at 8X and everything will still play smooth and look just as sweet

 

Oh and you'll be able to play loads of future games maxed out at 720p for a good number of years, cant say the same for playing at 1080p though!

 

Awesome, thanks again for all the help guys.

[ebarone]

When do you plan on upgrading from the 720 to the 24 inch monitor, and how far will you be sitting from your TV? A 42" at 1280x720 (720p) wont look very good at all if you're too close, and a GTX 480 is worthless if you're too far from a low res screen like that... you could save loads of cash and get a cheaper card for the same visuals.

 

Rampage III Extreme is sweet, but have you considered anything cheaper? On Newegg those are ~$370, whereas something like a Gigabyte UD3R is ~$210, or even an MSI Big Bang at $299. Bottom line is you can shave off some money there and put it towards either another SSD (RAID0 those bad boys for some KILLER performance) or that sweet looking monitor... *much* more bang for your buck, and performance differences wont be noticeable among different motherboards.... all you will miss out on is some of the bells and whistles that are nice when you first get the system but then their usefulness peters out quickly.

 

I have a soft spot in my heart for Xigmatek, so if you dont plan on overclocking past 4GHz by all means go with them. If you do want to push the limits of your chip, I'd recommend something beefier, an H50 is my personal choice, but a lot of people here love their Megahalems and Noctuas.

 

Lastly, ensure that a mid-tower case is big enough for what you're doing here... Personally I love full towers and will never use anything smaller again, the added space makes tinkering and system building MUCH less of a hassle. But thats just personal preference... if everything fits and you have adequate airflow, you're golden