1st complete self-build (check plz)

Crawlerz

Crawlerz

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Nov 17, 2008
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174
...it's finally happened. my relatively new DELL pc gave out after near constant use and gaming over 2.6 years. buying a new video card I saw that the DELL (cheap-ass bastards) put only a 375W PSU into the PC. so now it's video card + PSU (at least 600W - finally chose a 850W) which is tons of semolions. then I got to thinking "what if something more than I know is dead in the DELL or it'll hurt my new shine ATi 4870 card? to hell with that, I can construct a tower in newegg for relatively the edge of what I can afford but at least it'll be a i7!" now I am completely building this myself with "choosing" advice from forums such as your truly (edgegamers) and overclockers http://forums.overclockersclub.com/index.php?showtopic=165310&st=0 and as stated in that thread I'm (so far) set on:
- case: antec 902 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058 right now in a "combo" with a 850W PSU (and I don't beleive in combos USUALLY) - the guy at overclockers warned me to stay away from the 902 and get the 900 revision instead - I can't see it - what is in can you help?
CPU: i7 920 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202 probably a bit overclocked at some point when I'll get bored
mobo: foxconn bloodrage http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186169 SLI/CrossFire capable + i7 + many PCI's
RAM: gskill http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225
video: sapphire 4870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102826 and here I'm unwilling to compromise since I'm running GTAIV and want all the details/farthest veiw possible
HDD: WD caviar black http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
cooling: dark knite http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029
OS: none chosen yet... please adise - vista ultimate? seems expensive! and e-ville

any and all input will be greatly appreciated.
the main purpose of this PC will be gaming (gta4, cod 4/5, fallout 3, etc.) and some video rendering. a bit of work too *coughs* yeah "work" *coughs*
another main point is last-ability. I want this PC to last until I run it into the ground and I don't want to upgrade it (if I can help it).
THANK YOU!

*edit* why does it say "foxconn channel is shutting down...which means they're gonna stop producing these high end motherboards for good. What a shame that such a great brand has to downgrade due to the times" - what does that mean? that they'll stop producing drivers? that I shouldn't buy it? WHAT?
 
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There is nothing wrong at all with this build. Everything will work together perfectly and you will have a screaming fast computer.

If you want to save money, you could get similar performance for less money by looking at any of the following:

1. a Phenom II 940 setup
2. a cheaper motherboard
 
your position is exactly what mine was a couple months ago
its a great idea

u can always get a fake copy of vista ultimate
mine works perfectly
i have it running on 3 comps and none of them have had a problem
 
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Crawlerz said:
I nearly did - will the fake update itself?

about the mobo - I want plenty of PCI and I want onboard sound - I won't spend money on a sound card, when onboard can work just as well
Click to expand...

Yes it will. But don't talk about that stuff here :D


Also, if you have any question related to overclocking the motherboard you can ask me, or Wal-Mart-Security, he owns the same motherboard. I own a Asus P6T Deluxe with a Core i7 920..
 
I understand about not posting this - I will not. I don't got steam, sorry. xfire? -for now no xfire either as I got no PC to work on - mine's dead.
 
•Jv•;862803 said:
Also, if you have any question related to overclocking the motherboard you can ask me, or Wal-Mart-Security, he owns the same motherboard. I own a Asus P6T Deluxe with a Core i7 920..
Click to expand...

What he said :thumbup:

I have the Bloodrage and so far its been pretty awesome. I'd also recommend Jv's mobo if you looking to spend a little less, the P6T is a nice board.

If you have any questions feel free to as Jv or I :)
 
I'm guessing you already ordered the PSU, so I'll skip my Corsair sales pitch. For the motherboard, any of the i7 boards will work fine because it's still relatively high end only. However, I recommend Gigabyte for the motherboard. I've used all brands of motherboards and I haven't had a Gigabyte die yet. There are two things you should never compromise in a system. The power supply and the motherboard.

So give Gigabyte a look, and I promise you you'll never be disappointed. For the OS, why not give Windows 7 RC a shot? It's free till next year, and it seems more stable than my Vista install. The biggest problem may be finding drivers, but with your hardware I doubt this will be an issue. If you want Vista, get Home Premium. Ultimate is a waste of money in my opinion.

PM me if you have questions, and I'd love to answer them.

-Xen
 
Wal-Mart Security said:
What he said :thumbup:

I have the Bloodrage and so far its been pretty awesome. I'd also recommend Jv's mobo if you looking to spend a little less, the P6T is a nice board.

If you have any questions feel free to as Jv or I :)
Click to expand...

I knew you wouldn't mind helping a co-i7 owner :p
 
guys? can I use my vista DVD onto the new pc? no, right? BUT, what if I take the c:\ out of the DELL and put it into the new PC, thus "saving" the OS? will that work?

I'd also be happy to give Win 7 a try... where do I get it?
*edit* OH! nvm I found it. -also by the time 7 will stop functioning, it'll be available in the store, right? yes. I heard it'll come in ... October-November, so probably this year?
 
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You can't use Dell's DVD. It won't work. However, you can take a plain Vista DVD and use the license that is on the sticker on your Dell.
 
the OS question has been solved - I just dl'd and burned windows 7 onto a DVD. I think it'll work, and when the time comes, I'll just buy windows 7 probably.

-another topic popped up. (my grand father who worked in aircraft engine design in Russia, calls this "over-read-itis"). I am now (I can't beleive I'm saying this) am questioning my Radeon 4870 2GB choice. looking at seveal thngs:
- money aspect (I'm in no way printing my own Benjamins)
- GTA4 @ 1680x1050 (more later, whenever I decide I need a HD monitor) (most resourse-intesice game I have) at high/max settings and some video rendering
- I have NO desire to ever upgrade this PC, just play it until I run it into the ground. if that means more vRAM now, so be it.
- I would not want to SLI/xfire now orlater. (as it is someone told me, GTA4 will not use the second GPU anyway)

please help me pick between the nVidia and the Radeon: -why's the 2GB 285GTX nearly twie as expensive as the 2GB Radeon 4870? -should I even consider 2GB cards, or is that just pretty numbers/shiny objects I'm seeing and 1GB will crush everything anyway?

any help is appreciated. thank you.
 
If you're never going to upgrade and this PC will have to last for years, then build the best PC you can afford now. Don't skimp now or you'll be regretting it in a year.

Also, if you're never planning on upgrading the PC, then pick the motherboard and PSU that will support your current build and nothing more. Don't look at what it might support in the future as a selling point. Don't get a PSU that will support quad SLI cards if you're never going to use it.

If you're not going to overclock, don't bother with an expensive CPU cooler, the stock fan/heatsink will work fine. Most Intel stock fans perform as good as if not better than 3rd party ones anyway.

Other than that, your build sounds solid, but you can never really tell until you get it all put together. Some parts just won't work well with others no matter what you do. Save your receipts.



One last thing about Newegg... if you don't need a new PC right this second, consider buying the pieces one at a time when they go on sale. You can save hundreds of dollars if you wait for the right sales.
 
-yes I need a PC yesterday, mine burned out. (parts of it, at least, the healthy parts will go to my baby-brother.)

-I am going to try to overclock the i7 920 - any heatsink suggestions? I'm planning on the dark knite fan/heatsink. what you guys think? will that be enough?

-I want to (ideally) never upgrade. and I'm planning on NOT using SLI/xfire even in the future.
-sound? I hope to get away with onboard Foxconn's sound (realtek 8 channel EAX thingamajig) I never was one to distinguish between studio quality and OK gaming sound.
-PSU - NONmodular (because of loss between connectors), 80mm rear-facing fan (because that allows for better heatloss than 120-140mike mike fan(s))

STILL PLAYING AROUND WITH THE *CENSORED* VIDEO COMBINATIONS!
 
finalized --
case: antec 900 (why the 902 - for many bucks more I'll never know. I'm OK w/o cable management)
cpu: i7 920
mobo: foxconn bloodrage (with onboard sound)
ram: 6GB (3 x 2GB) gskill ddr3 1600
video: loooooooong struggle with this one - finally settled onto a HIS radeon 4890 1GB (some cool rebaits await me, but chosen NOT because of them), if it'll not be enough later when I get HD monitor, I'll xfire
hdd: 640GB WD caviar black
psu: P&C silencer 910W continuous (1000W peak), 80mm (not 120-140mm) fan, NOT modular, thank god
cpu heatsink: dark knite

if you want to point out one of my stupid choices, please do so, you have until Saturday. THANK YOU, COMMUNITY, FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE.
 
w0rM said:
It's seriously uncool to steal software
Click to expand...

Was gonna say but didn't want to step on any toes... It's theft, regardless of if you feel that you should pay for it or not, it is someone else's work / property and theft is theft.

This is one of the reasons we have securom on most games these days :crying:
 
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