$700-$800 first time build need suggestions

[Doomsday]

Yes, all of those listings are from Newegg. And that cooler has been added to the cart.

Optix, there were three Antec Three Hundreds listed, so I'm not sure which one you are referring to.

Now, having done all of this, would it be better to go ahead and get this or wait a few weeks for the new Sandy Bridges. I read that they are suppose to be great to overclock, but if I don't plan on overclocking, would it still be better than the build I have already posted?

And thank you all, for all of the great suggestions so far.

I have the money to go for an Asus P8P67, i5-2500k and Corsair 4Gb-1600Mhz Dominators!
BUT i'm also waiting on the revised chipsets!

If i buy it now, i can just use the two 6GB/s SATA ports, it will be alright right?!?

 

[Optix]

I'm mighty jealous, Doomsday. Yes, using the two onboard SATA 6Gbps ports will be fine. I'd look at a bump in your video card after that. The 560Ti's are a good place to start.

There is a lot of buzz about Biostar's XE P67 board but it only has 2 onboard SATA ports and I need at least 3 so I'm going to have to wait for the refresh with the fixed chipset before I make the change. I can just imagine Biostar's RMA process. Ugh!

 

[Doomsday]

I'm mighty jealous, Doomsday. Yes, using the two onboard SATA 6Gbps ports will be fine. I'd look at a bump in your video card after that. The 560Ti's are a good place to start.

There is a lot of buzz about Biostar's XE P67 board but it only has 2 onboard SATA ports and I need at least 3 so I'm going to have to wait for the refresh with the fixed chipset before I make the change. I can just imagine Biostar's RMA process. Ugh!

i have 3 HDDs so i'll also wait for a new batch of mobos!
the GPU will be my next upgrade after changing my cpu, mobo and ram!

 

[DarkStarr]

Try the P8P67 PRO, 4x Sata 6gb ports. Oh and if that were the case, any chance you want a second 57xx card? lol

 

[Doomsday]

Try the P8P67 PRO, 4x Sata 6gb ports. Oh and if that were the case, any chance you want a second 57xx card? lol

Hehee! No dude, lol, i'm going green this time!

The PRO will do nicely! Yess yess! Man buying and waiting for new stuff is excshiting!!

 

[Optix]

Hmm...a 5770 would be a cheap performance boost and the card based on the reference design can be had for about $135 Canadian. Of course, if you have the cash go for an upgrade. Crossfire, like SLI can be problematic at times.

 

[DarkStarr]

Bah SLI problematic, I have had no problems, well except the latest driver set sucks hard. No NVCPL, I put the old CP in and it just crashed when it was brought up so apparently NV drivers are not what they used to be. It makes me wonder how these problems get past their testing. Anyways back to SLI, no real problems, maybe if I played really really new games with no profile I would have problems. Oh and I am running SLI on a non SLI cert board perfectly. (Go SLIPatch!)

 

[TheCrimsonStar]

Oh and I am running SLI on a non SLI cert board perfectly. (Go SLIPatch!)

One thing I love about CrossFireX...no need for a certified motherboard or SLIPatch

 

[Doomsday]

crossfire and sli always have some driver issues so, i'll just be upgrading to a single GPU!

 

[DarkStarr]

Eh but SLIPatch works perfectly so no worries, its a run once operation unless you reinstall your OS.

 

[Trotts]

OK, new developments. I now have this,

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor

ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

SAPPHIRE 100314-2SR Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

Antec Dark Fleet DF-10 Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Antec 75003 120mm Case Fan

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

That put me at $905. Could you suggest a case that would be cheaper and you think would hold all of those parts comfortably and keep them cool. Looks are not important. Also, would there be much of a performance drop off if I was to switch from the 6870 to the 6850? Is there anything on that list I don't need?

I might also add, that this computer is mainly going to be an Internet and MMO gaming computer.

 

[TheCrimsonStar]

Case, here. It's $50 and it's a mid-tower. I use this, and I have a 6870 and everything fits perfectly. Even have 2 extra case fans and it holds the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ cooler (that beast one) as well. Oh yeah, also has free shipping as opposed to the $8 shipping for the Antec one

I do have a ton of cables at the bottom, because this PSU isn't fully modular. Also, this case comes with a blue LED fan in the front My PSU has a blue LED fan, and the two case fans I added are blue LED. You can also see how big the Hyper212+ is. lol

 

[DarkStarr]

The COOLER MASTER HAF 912, and the Antec Six Hundred, are pretty good. The HAF is larger in length and width but about an inch shorter than the others. The 600 comes with more fans than you can shake a stick at, 2 front 120's a rear 120, and a top 200mm.

HAF 912

Six Hundred

 

[Optix]

The two aren't even in the same price range though. In my opinion, if you have the fans to start out, the HAF 912 is the way to go.

 

[Trotts]

Now my question is, How many fans would I have to by for the HAF 912. The details for it says under Cooling System "1 x 120 mm front fans, 1200 RPM, 17 dBA". Then under Features "Supports two 120mm radiator fans" and "Supports 200mm Megaflow fans for increased airflow"

Does that mean that it only comes with the 120mm front fan and I would have to buy those fans listed under features? I found megaflow fans on new egg, but couldn't find and radiator fans. Is there a difference between a regular 120mm fan and radiator fans. Another point I my be taking too literal is, It says "Supports 200mm Megaflow fans " fan is pluralized but it doesn't say how many.

I guess all of that is just a wordy way of asking what fans do I buy to go with the HAF 912, and how many? Could I get away with fewer than it has places for?

 

[DarkStarr]

Of course you can, and for the 912 it supports one front and one rear 120mm fans and support another front 120mm (two front fans can be swapped for one 200 mm fan), one side 120/140mm and two top 120mm ( or one top 200mm ) fans. Personally, I just ordered a Red LED Megaflow fan for my HAF X on Ebay for a lot less than Newegg and its a brand new one. If I went with the 912 I would get a Megaflow or 2, they are dang quiet.

 

[Trotts]

OK, from best to worst in descending order, which would be the better gaming GPU. The HD 6870, 6850, 5870, or 5850?

 

[Doomsday]

OK, from best to worst in descending order, which would be the better gaming GPU. The HD 6870, 6850, 5870, or 5850?

i would go for the HD6870!!
HD5870 > HD6870 > HD5850 > HD6850 ...........??????????
dont look at the HD5000 series now! Its a thing of the past!

 

[TheCrimsonStar]

The 5870 would be the better one for now, but driver updates will make the 6870 perform better quite soon. the 6870 is amazing.

 

[DarkStarr]

I would try to get a 6850 and unlock it and OC it.