Building a i950, please help.

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SteelmanUUs

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I am in dire need for a new computer and I want a good quality high-end processing power computer and I want to build it myself. I have never built a computer before but I have been doing some research. I am not looking to spend a god awful amount but I want my moneys worth. And I don't really feel comfortable overclocking my first time around so lets keep it simple. First off, I use the computer for video editing and rendering 720p HD video so fast rendering times would be a good thing!

This is my build, please help me if I am paying too much for something, getting something I don't need, or if something isnt right. Also I am a little confused in the video card department can someone recommend one for me, keep in mind I don't do any gaming on this computer so keep it on the cheaper side for me please. I can always add a better one later if I start gaming.

mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157163

processor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115211

case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058

ram - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225

p/s - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

HDD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

optical drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136167

My main questions are:

The P/S, is that too much for that system, can I get a cheaper one?

The ram, 1600MHz too much, can I save some money and get a 1333MHz package

And a video card, ?????? completely lost.

Thanks in advance!
 
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I would never spend $500 on a processor and skimp on the motherboard. I would rather spend $500 on a Motherboard and $175 on a processor lol.

Anyway, good case, RAM... better PSUs out there and consider a 1TB Caviar black instead.
 
MJZ said:
I would never spend $500 on a processor and skimp on the motherboard. I would rather spend $500 on a Motherboard and $175 on a processor lol.

Anyway, good case, RAM... better PSUs out there and consider a 1TB Caviar black instead.
Click to expand...

That's great advice thank you. I wish I was confident in OCing on my first time then I would agree with you, but since I'm not OCing I don't know if I'm making the wrong decision or not since I am concentrated on rendering speeds. Would I be just as happy with a stock i920 processor?
 
Get a better motherboard and a 920 - there are TONS of guides out there on OCing as well as this forum.

Don't skimp on the ram either. Go with some GSkill trident ddr3-2000
 
SeaFoam said:
Get a better motherboard and a 920 - there are TONS of guides out there on OCing as well as this forum.

Don't skimp on the ram either. Go with some GSkill trident ddr3-2000
Click to expand...

Could someone mock a i920 build together for me? As far as a good parts list of everything I need, one that I can overclock.

Would anyone be that nice to a computer newbie?
 
i7 920 (these go for 199 - 229 at microcenter)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202&cm_re=i7_920-_-19-115-202-_-Product

ASUS p6x58d premium
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614&Tpk=asus p6x58d premium

6GB GSkill trident ddr3-2000
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=gskill_ddr3_2000-_-20-231-254-_-Product

ATI Radeon 5870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=ati_radeon_5870-_-14-150-456-_-Product

DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...89&cm_re=dvd_dl_burner-_-27-106-289-_-Product

Case -- I like the cooler master case better because of easy access to the hard drives.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...37&cm_re=cooler_master-_-11-119-137-_-Product



The WDC Black isn't too bad, I've been using Hitachi because they are cheaper.
 
SteelmanUUs said:
That's great advice thank you. I wish I was confident in OCing on my first time then I would agree with you, but since I'm not OCing I don't know if I'm making the wrong decision or not since I am concentrated on rendering speeds. Would I be just as happy with a stock i920 processor?
Click to expand...

Don't worry about overclocking. A stock i7 920 will actually run at 2.8ghz (I think the 950 runs at 3.33ghz) with Turbo Mode.

Since this is your first build, get it up and running and once you are comfortable, getting the i7 up to 3.33ghz is like flipping a switch... very simple (you can basically do it with almost all settings on Auto).

The 920 will be much better value than the 950, and you could use those funds to get some quality components. Depending on your budget, I would suggest:

Keep:

Memory you chose
Case you chose

Swap:

i7 950 for a 920
PSU for Corsair HX650, Seasonic M12D, or Antec True Power New supply. If you are running high end graphics, consider going to higher power units from these same lines.
Caviar Black 1TB

Motherboard wise, I would do some more research on to find what you need. Do you need to spend $300 on a mobo? No, a good $200 one will do just fine as well if you don't need the features found on the $300+ ones.

Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte are popular and safe choices. There aren't too many X58 boards out there, so take a look at each one.

Add:

If you don't need a high end GPU, get the cheapest Nvidia or ATI card you can find on Newegg with the features you want. Direct-X 11 - a 5670 maybe? If you want CUDA, a GTS 250 or 9800?
You'll probably also want some more fans. The Antec Tri-Cools that 902 case comes with are fairly loud (or silent and useless on the lowest setting). I'd get some Scythe S-Flexes for quiet performance.

I would also highly recommend buying from Amazon.com over Newegg, if you can help it. (If you a Microcenter nearby, that works too). If you get a bum part, you'll be out shipping costs to Newegg and you'll have to contact them to try and get the restocking fee waived. Amazon.com mostly means free shipping, free return shipping, no restocking fee (no questions asked, just don't abuse).
 
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SteelmanUUs said:
The P/S, is that too much for that system, can I get a cheaper one?

The ram, 1600MHz too much, can I save some money and get a 1333MHz package

And a video card, ?????? completely lost.
Click to expand...
The Corsair 650TX is not too much nor too little for that setup. I'd recommend sticking with that PSU as it is one of the best bang for your buck PSUs in that price range. There are cheaper PSUs out there but they have a severe drop in quality and price to performance value compared to the Corsair 650TX. I see no reason to ditch the 650TX for any of the PSUs that MJZ recommended besides the need for a modular PSU

DDR3 1333 RAM is just fine if you're not overclocking. With that said, the price difference is only $10. The cheapest 6GB DDR3 1333 RAM set I found on Newegg was $140 shipped. I recommend spending the extra $10 just in case you get the courage or expertise to overclock your CPU one day. Besides, you also get red heatsinks as well for that extra $10! :)

Oh and no, you wouldn't notice the difference between DDR3 1600 and DDR3 2000 when it comes to overclocking.

Video card wise, you could go as low as the Radeon HD 4350 or the GT 210 cards. They're around $40 to $45 or so. No need for any higher-end card than those in your case.

SteelmanUUs said:
Would I be just as happy with a stock i920 processor?
Click to expand...

Yes. The i7 950 is only clocked 400Mhz higher than the i7 920. You would honestly not notice the difference with that 400Mhz. Hell, you wouldn't even need to OC the the i7 920 to notice the same performance as with the i7 950. That extra cash can be better spent elsewhere.

Hard drive wise, ditch the WD 1TB Black as you can get the faster Samsung F3 1TB drive for less:
$90 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Mobo wise, haven't heard anything about the Asrock mobo.

Case wise, definitely go with the Coolermaster RC-690 case that q2brass recommended. Cools about the same but has significantly more room in it and better cable management than the Antec 900-2
 
^ I'd definitely recommend a modular supply as you will run of space to tuck the cables fast in the Antec 902 case. They are not much more expensive than non-modulars in this price bracket.

Cases are subjective but I would never touch a Cooler-Master, they look extremely cheap and plasticky in person.

I read that the SpinPoint F3 is more optimized for sequential speeds while the Caviar Blacks were better all-around performers. Either way, I would get the cheaper one, you probably wouldn't notice the difference.
 
So your saying a stock i920 vs a stock i950 I wouldn't see any difference in performance in rendering a video? Which uses 100% of the CPU's processing power. And I have no need for GPU's since the program I use doesn't support it.
 
SteelmanUUs said:
So your saying a stock i920 vs a stock i950 I wouldn't see any difference in performance in rendering a video? Which uses 100% of the CPU's processing power. And I have no need for GPU's since the program I use doesn't support it.
Click to expand...

You will but the difference won't be huge.
 
Okay new build then to save some $$$$

i920 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202&cm_re=i7_i920-_-19-115-202-_-Product

mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=ASUS_P6TD_Deluxe-_-13-131-403-_-Product

Ram - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225

optical drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136167

HDD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

P/S - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012&Tpk=hx650

case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058

video card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161319&cm_re=5670-_-14-161-319-_-Product OR http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150466&cm_re=5670-_-14-150-466-_-Product ????


Now you guys can critique this build =)
 
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SteelmanUUs said:
Okay new build then to save some $$$$

i920 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202&cm_re=i7_i920-_-19-115-202-_-Product

mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=ASUS_P6TD_Deluxe-_-13-131-403-_-Product

Ram - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231225

optical drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136167

HDD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

P/S - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005
(or someone suggest a modular one that will be perfect for me, I think it would simplify my install since this is my first build.)

case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129058

video card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161319&cm_re=5670-_-14-161-319-_-Product

Now you guys can critique this build =)
Click to expand...

Most of your links don't work.

Anyway, that mobo is fine.

Get an XFX card - I wouldn't consider any other brand because of the warranty:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150466&cm_re=5670-_-14-150-466-_-Product

$100 Corsair HX650 Modular unit (After rebate): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012&Tpk=hx650

$130 Corsair HX750:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010&Tpk=hx750
 
SteelmanUUs said:
I fixed my links, sorry.
Click to expand...

It looks good. You may want to consider getting a good CPU cooler as i7s run hot (especially if you will be doing a lot of encoding). Lots of good ones out there, depending on your preference.
 
MJZ said:
It looks good. You may want to consider getting a good CPU cooler as i7s run hot (especially if you will be doing a lot of encoding). Lots of good ones out there, depending on your preference.
Click to expand...

What about just adding a corsair H50 to it? Would that do all the cooling I need?
 
SteelmanUUs said:
What about just adding a corsair H50 to it? Would that do all the cooling I need?
Click to expand...

An H50 would work fine. If you're set on the Antec 902 case, you should consider buying a few fans. The case does not come with a side intake fan, which can help a lot. You can run an H50 to the rear as exhaust with the stock Antec Tricool and the H50 stock fan in push/pull and it should work quite well.
 
MJZ said:
An H50 would work fine. If you're set on the Antec 902 case, you should consider buying a few fans. The case does not come with a side intake fan, which can help a lot. You can run an H50 to the rear as exhaust with the stock Antec Tricool and the H50 stock fan in push/pull and it should work quite well.
Click to expand...

I want a decent looking case.... Is there another case that is set up better for me?

Also, which of those video cards?
 
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SteelmanUUs said:
I want a decent looking case.... Is there another case that is set up better for me?
Click to expand...

Cases are highly subjective... you can look through the hundreds of cases on Newegg and see what strikes your fancy.

I have a $300 Corsair 800D, which is definitely not for everyone, but it is actually the favorite part of my system and I would not get anything else on the market.

I still have an Antec 902 which I'm going to use as a spare build, going for a blue theme for this one (my 800D has a red color theme).

Stay away from HIS. XFX has the best warranty and customer support if anything goes wrong with your card. I would trust a Gigabyte, Asus or MSI product as well but not Sapphire or HIS.
 
SteelmanUUs said:
I want a decent looking case.... Is there another case that is set up better for me?

Also, which of those video cards?
Click to expand...

Some of my personal favorites when it comes to cases:
$70 - Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$70 - Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$100 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$120 - Thermaltake ElementS VK60001N2Z ATX Case
$130 - Cooler Master Storm Sniper ATX Case
$140 - Lian Li PC-7FN ATX Case
$140 - Antec P183 ATX Case
$140 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$180 - Cooler Master ATCS 840 RC-840-KKN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case
$180 - Lian Li PC-9 ATX Case

XFX hands down. Better warranty and far better customer support.
 
Why a P6TD for $290?
He could get a P6T SE for $205 It's a solid reliable board that performs well, has the features he needs, and if his chip can overclock to 4Ghz the board will take it there without a problem. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131386
And if he's going ATI he doesn't need SLI

and with everyone telling him he will be able to overclock cooling was only bought up once and it was a Corsair H50, okay it was the OP, but air cooling would be the best choice for a first time builder. A lot fewer things could go wrong that way, and in the long run a lot easier to maintain, the only moving part of an air cooler is the fan. And for an I7 the H50 is no better than a Mugen-2 or True-Ultra 120 Extreme.
The Scythe Mugen-2 is half the price and the True-Ultra 120 Extreme is about the same

And to the OP do not skimp on the video card now. Your not a gamer, but a year or two from now you will wish that you spent the extra $40-$50 on the next card up.
And pick a case that you like. Go to Microcenter or Fry's and look at them. You might be surprised at how big some of these cases are. Full tower cases are monsters, even mid-towers are a good size. There have been some good suggestions. Danny Bui some good ones. The Cooler Master ATCS 840 is great, but it's HUGE, I have one and love it, but like I said it's HUGE.
RAM good 1600Mhz ddr3 from OCZ, Corsair, G.Skill, Kingston HyperX,Patriot, or Mushkin
this OCZ gold is $150 and has a $20 MIR right now and better timings 8-8-8-24
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365
 
tom.slick said:
And to the OP do not skimp on the video card now. Your not a gamer, but a year or two from now you will wish that you spent the extra $40-$50 on the next card up.
Click to expand...

Why? He's not gaming and general desktop usage and high-end video encoding won't take advantage of the GPU that much in a year or three from now.
 
Okay I am going to go with this case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

I am going to stick with a stock i920 as well, no need to overclock it for what I am going to use it for. Let me know what you think about the parts I am going to use.

i920 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202&cm_re=i7_i920-_-19-115-202-_-Product

mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=ASUS_P6TD_Deluxe-_-13-131-403-_-Product

Ram - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225

optical drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136167

HDD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

P/S - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012&Tpk=hx650

case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

video card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150466&cm_re=5670-_-14-150-466-_-Product
 
I'm guessing you're planning on watching HD content with bit-streamed audio via HDMI? That's the only reason I can see why you need/want a HD 5670 so far.

Also, any particular reason why you're going with that mobo?
 
Danny Bui said:
I'm guessing you're planning on watching HD content with bit-streamed audio via HDMI? That's the only reason I can see why you need/want a HD 5670 so far.

Also, any particular reason why you're going with that mobo?
Click to expand...

I am just going to be watching videos like this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQlP21yemaQ thats it. Also editing and rendering them.

And no no particular reason for the mobo, just thought it looks like a good one :\ I am a computer noob
 
SteelmanUUs said:
And no no particular reason for the mobo, just thought it looks like a good one :\ I am a computer noob
Click to expand...
Then the Asus P6T SE or the following Gigabyte mobos will fit your needs as well:
$207 - Asus P6T SE Intel X58 ATX Motherboard
$210 - Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Intel X58 ATX Motherboard
 
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Danny Bui said:
Then the Asus P6T SE or the following Gigabyte mobos will fit your needs as well:
$207 - Asus P6T SE Intel X58 ATX Motherboard
$210 - Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Intel X58 ATX Motherboard
Click to expand...

Okay sweet, what about the video card

And what do I need to do about cooling
 
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SteelmanUUs said:
Okay sweet, what about the video card

And what do I need to do about cooling
Click to expand...

Yeah with what you've described and mentioned so far, you're not gonna notice a difference between the HD 5670 and this $37 card:
$37 - Asus EAH4350 SILENT/DI/512MD2(LP) Radeon HD 4350 512MB PCI-E Video Card

As for CPU cooling, this is a good HSF for the i7 920:
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
 
Danny Bui said:
Yeah with what you've described and mentioned so far, you're not gonna notice a difference between the HD 5670 and this $37 card:
$37 - Asus EAH4350 SILENT/DI/512MD2(LP) Radeon HD 4350 512MB PCI-E Video Card

As for CPU cooling, this is a good HSF for the i7 920:
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
Click to expand...

And these are first time build friendly?
 
Danny Bui said:
Yeah
Click to expand...

Sweet, so double check this for me and let me know if this looks like a good build for my needs. Totals out to like 1200$ with windows 7 I believe

i920 290$ - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202&cm_re=i7_i920-_-19-115-202-_-Product

mobo 210$- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131386&Tpk=asus p6t se

Ram 150$- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225

optical drive 35$- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136167

HDD 90$- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

P/S 126$- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012&Tpk=hx650

case 120$- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

video card 37$- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121310 This card will be good for rendering and editing HD video? Don't I need one At Least direct 11 compatible?

extra cooling 30$- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
 
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Looks great. The Video card should be fine for rendering video content.
 
SteelmanUUs said:
Alright sweet! If I do game later this card is only 20$ anyways so I can just upgrade later correct?
Click to expand...

Absolutely.

Oh and I use the same card as a secondary card just for connecting my desktop to my 40" 1080P via HDMI and watching blu-ray movies. Works like a champ.

Oh and something to remember, assuming that you are ordering everything that you listed from newegg.com, you can go to http://www.bing.com/cashback and get 2% cashback on everything that you purchase at newegg.
 
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