Legit Reviews

This is basically my "blueprint" for the rig I'm building over X-mas holiday.

Mobo (either one of these)
- ASUS 890GX PRO (the one with USB3 and SATA 6GB/s) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product
- Gagabyte 890GX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... te%20890gx
- ASUS 890FX PRO http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product
- Gigabyte 890FX (not the one with the "PCI-E X16 slots o' plenty") http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

CPU:
- Phenom II 955
OR
- Phenom II X6 1090T (if the prices drop a bit more around X-mas I'm grabbing one of these)

RAM:
-Corsair Dominator (2 X 2GB) 1600MHz C8

PSU:
- Corsair HX750 750W Modular PSU
OR
- Corsair HX850 850W Modular PSU
OR
- Antec (I've used antec PSUs and they're pretty good, but I'm giving Corsair a try..but if if Antec got something good that changes my mind, I'll get that instead)

CPU cooler:
- Corsair H70 (prices on these has gotten up a little bit since release...might get a tower cooler instead)

Case:
- CM HAF 932
OR
- Antec 902
OR
- Antec DF-85

GPU:
- Radeon HD 5850/5870 (might get one at first, then I'll get anther to put them in Crossfire. I'm getting these after the 6900 series are released because the prices on them are bound to drop)
OR
- Radeon HD 69XX (I'll proabably get one, then add another in if I need more power)

1. The DF-85 is down to $139.99 on NewEgg..so at the same price as the HAF 932; do you think the prices on them will drop some more?
2. Both the Corsair PSUs are down $10, minus another $10 with their rebate card. Basically, they dropped $20 form their original price, thinking of grabbing one, but dunno if I should wait until it drops even lower.
3. A relative told me to get a 850W+ PSU, but I thought a solid 650W or 750W would be enough.
4. the Corsair Dominator RAM comes in cas7, cas8, and cas9. Will it make much difference -or any difference at all- if I plan on Oc'ing the system to the highest & most stable possible?

The sub-total price is about $1300 (including Hard drives, disk drives, and acessories) *excluding taxes & shipping costs*

And suggestions, opinions, or epxeriences/tips with any of these parts would be great. Thanks

With the vid cards you are looking at, I would go with the Corsair 850 PSU. I have the HX1000 and had the HX620 before that and they have been solid.

FZ1 wrote:With the vid cards you are looking at, I would go with the Corsair 850 PSU. I have the HX1000 and had the HX620 before that and they have been solid.

Hmm.. I see. I thought about the HX620 since it does so well; that's what made me think if a 850W is a good choice, or that it may be a little over-kill

Your build, even with HD 5870 CrossFire is unlikely to use more than 700W full load (e.g. Furmark). Going with 850W is probably just for capacitor aging. With just a single HD 5870, you're probably looking at less than 400W full load. Even lower if you go with the HD 5850.

This is the power consumption of several different AMD boards. This is with a Phenom II X6 1055T and a HIS Radeon 5870. If you were to add in another 5870 you could expect another 220+ watts under full system load.
Hope this helps ya out. You can find the original review page here. I would probably go with a quality 850W unit like the corsair recommended above.

Thanks for your opinions everyone .

Is it worth upgrading to 8GB of RAM or stick with 4GB? Someone recommended that I upgrade to 8GB instead of haivng 4GB, but doing so is a pretty big up in $$, and it -i think- goes over my budget limit slightly...
Also, does the Cas latency matter at all if plan to overclock the RAM anyways?

Nowadays, you can get 8GB kits for $130 or so. I got some Kingston ValueRAM kits from Amazon when they dropped to $125-ish. A quick search at Newegg came up with the following:
CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M2A1333C9, $119.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL, $139.99
CORSAIR XMS 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M2A1600C9, $144.99

The CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB DDR3 1600 kit you plan on using is only $10 cheaper than the CORSAIR XMS3 8GB DDR3 1333 kit. Assuming you're installing a 64-bit OS, I'd personally go for more RAM instead of faster RAM.

hnzw_rui wrote:The CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB DDR3 1600 kit you plan on using is only $10 cheaper than the CORSAIR XMS3 8GB DDR3 1333 kit. Assuming you're installing a 64-bit OS, I'd personally go for more RAM instead of faster RAM.

That's the truth. The only time you'll actually notice the faster RAM is in generic benchmarks. Since lordvic is looking at Black Edition processors having better overclocking RAM isn't as big of an issue.

Personally I'd skip the H70. It's cool to say that your computer is water cooled but the performance isn't there to justify keeping an eye out for leaks. You can pick a monster tower cooler with a couple good fans and get comparable/better performance.

Major_A wrote:

hnzw_rui wrote:The CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB DDR3 1600 kit you plan on using is only $10 cheaper than the CORSAIR XMS3 8GB DDR3 1333 kit. Assuming you're installing a 64-bit OS, I'd personally go for more RAM instead of faster RAM.

That's the truth. The only time you'll actually notice the faster RAM is in generic benchmarks. Since lordvic is looking at Black Edition processors having better overclocking RAM isn't as big of an issue.

Personally I'd skip the H70. It's cool to say that your computer is water cooled but the performance isn't there to justify keeping an eye out for leaks. You can pick a monster tower cooler with a couple good fans and get comparable/better performance.

+1 on both aspects

Thermalright and Noctua have top notch heatsinks

Thanks a lot with everyone's feedbacks/opinions! I'm defintely thinking about gettings 8GB instead of 4GB; not much of a price difference!

Still thinking about the H70. If price drops down to under $100 and the 1090T price drops a bit around X-mas...

On the other hand, if I get the 955 instead -or I bump into some issues- I'll get a tower cooler instead and save a bit of cash for something else.

NewEgg currently has the Haf 932 for $129.99. Has anybody seen the price of this particular case drop down lower before? I'll most likely get the HAF instead of the Antec.

If you're going to buy a 955, then i would recommend a Xigmatek Dark Knight. It's in my own system (cooling a 955) and i've never seen the temperature go over 35C.

Ok, I have more specific parts settled for now, and they are the following:

- Cooler Master HAF 932 priced at $89.99 on Newegg
- Sapphire 5870 for $215. It's the one with the thread in "Legit Deals". Does the Promo code sill work?
- Corsair AX850 850W fully modular PSU for $149.99. Same price as the modular HX850, so why not get a better one.

NewEgg has the Corsair H70 for $84.99; not sure if the price will continue to drop...should I get it now or later?!

4GB (2 X 2GB) G.skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600Mhz for $49.99, or 8GB (2 X 4GB) 1333Mhz for $89.99. They sound tempting, but I've seen RAM prices lower. should I grab a set or wait?

Waiting for other components to drop in price also...

GET A KIT NOW!!!!

Apparently RAM is finally coming back down in price. It is supposed to continue through Q1 2011.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/ ... lf_of_2011

Major_A wrote:Apparently RAM is finally coming back down in price. It is supposed to continue through Q1 2011.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/ ... lf_of_2011

Thanks for the heads up! Haha The G.skill ripjaws 8GB kit just went back up to original price again - too late anyways.

EDIT:
I saw Fry's had the HAF 932 + Thermaltake Frio CPU cooler bundle on sale, so I got that instead. The combo was cheaper than the case alone from NewEgg (after rebates)!!
Has anyone had any experience with the Thermaltake Frio, and how well does it perform?
http://www.frys.com/product/6472762?sit ... IN_RSLT_PG

Thanks in advance!