Building a new rig (opinions please)

**Arreo** · 11-24-10, 10:28 AM

Alright, so I'm finally getting to the point that I need to upgrade my rig. The g-card died a few weeks ago and I've been getting by on a 8600gt, which is kind of sad with a lot of the modern generation of games that I'd like to play. So, I am upgrading my computer.

I have and am reusing a fair number of parts, namely:
Antec P180 case: massive, steel and great.
DVD-RD drive
3 sata hard drives totaling 2 TB
A 620 watt PSU <-- Maybe, I'm not sure it will be enough.

The components I'm looking at getting:

Newegg.com - ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8TU-6GBPI

2x in SLI Newegg.com - MSI N460GTX CYCLONE 1GD5/OC GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Now... how much power do though components need, because using various online PSU calcualtors I get numbers ranging from 615 watts to 1000 watts. Going with the high end of that I'm looking at either of these two PSUs.

Newegg.com - Antec TPQ-850 850W Continuous Power ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

Newegg.com - KINGWIN Mach 1 ABT-1000MA1S 1000W ATX / BTX SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

I don't know, what do you guys think of it as a build in general? Any suggestions?

**Arreo** · 11-24-10, 10:32 AM

Also, do you guys think I need a aftermarket CPU cooler (it comes with a stock one, and the case has good airflow with 3x 120mm fans).

I don't intend to OC this rig very much, if at all. In truth I've never really OCed anything and if I do I'll ask for your guys' help.

**Riot_Starter** · 11-24-10, 10:49 AM

I would get an aftermarket CPU fan + heatsink. Intel's stock fans are usually not up to the job and are just a pain if they happen to be the push-button install types. A decent one isn't that expensive and will be many times better than the stock.

**Arreo** · 11-24-10, 10:58 AM

~~Hmmm suggestions then? Looking around on newegg there don't seem to be that many options for a LGA 1366.~~

EDIT: actually I have one currently in the rig that is a ZALMAN universal one similar to this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118046 I'm betting that it would fit the 1366 socket...

**HeavyG** · 11-24-10, 11:50 AM

Are you going to overclock? If not, stick with the stock cooler. If you are going to overclock, you will likely need a new cooler. That Zalman cooler will not likely fit. The X58 boards require a custom mounting bracket. Newer CPU coolers come with universal or custom fitted brackets depending on your platform.

A cheap alternative cooler would be the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus.

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU Cooler

You really can't beat this cooler for $30.

**Arreo** · 11-24-10, 12:24 PM

That one looks good Heavy (especially since it has a $15 rebate)... I think I'll just get it so I can OC it in the future if I feel motivated to do so.

But otherwise you guys think the build and components are good? Relatively future proof?

**Warprosper** · 11-24-10, 12:31 PM

I would downgrade the PSU to 800 watts and get a next step up video card... The 460 doesnt impress me that much.

**Arreo** · 11-24-10, 12:44 PM

Hmmm... so maybe a single GPU:
Newegg.com - MSI N470GTX Twin Frozr II GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
and a
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series RS800-80GAD3-US 800W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
^ 80 Plus gold certified is pretty sexy....

EDIT: switched up the RAM for some lower latency stuff with better heatsinks

$1100 isn't bad a all...

**HeavyG** · 11-24-10, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by Warprosper

I would downgrade the PSU to 800 watts and get a next step up video card... The 460 doesnt impress me that much.

Dual GTX 460s in SLI will beat out a single GTX 480 and even the newer GTX 580 at some things. The GTX 470 is a good card, but they run hot and consume a lot of power. Dual 460s is the way to go and will only cost you $400.

Spend the extra $100 and go for the dual GTX 460s over the single 470... you won't regret it.

The Cooler Master Silent Pro PSUs are great. I have a 700w Silent Pro that I am running 4 hard drives, 2 optical drives, 2 GTX 460s and 7 120mm fans. It is a pretty solid PSU.

**Arreo** · 11-24-10, 03:24 PM

Yeah, and the wife is pretty enamored of the idea that I could buy the computer now with only one of the the GPUs and then add the second later down the road when I need it...

EDIT: Holy hell you are correct Heavy Toms hardware link