New Member, New Build, New Ideas!
 

Hi, it's been a while since I last built a computer, so I want some advice.

CPU: i7 920 (have)
Mobo: Asus P6X58D
RAM: OCZ DDR3 PC3-12800 1600 MHz Gold XTC Triple Channel Kits 6GB (have)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB + possibly a SSD
Video Card: BFG GTX 260
Case: Antec 1200 (have)
PSU: Antec TruePower 850W

How does that sound?
I am still assembling the parts.. so let me know what you guys think!

O yea, first post being on this site,

:punk::punk::punk:ROCK ON CANADA!:canadianwave::canadianwave::canadianwave:

Cheers

Aside from the PSU being fairly heavy duty for a 1 gpu rig, it all seems like the typical high performance machine. But maybe you intend on SLI later.

Couple changes I'd make:
I think the Spinpoint F3 is faster than the Caviar black, and you can probably find it cheaper too. The Caviar Blacks seem to be a little pricier than competing drives.

I wouldn't go with a GT200 card; outdated hardware. Go with a 5770 (though a 5850 or two is more fitting to the performance of the CPU). If you're set on Nvidia, I'd say wait it out until Fermi.

I'm generally not a big fan of Antec, so I'd say go with the Corsair TX750 if you go for a 5770 (or HX850 if you can afford it if you go for a 5850 or Fermi; a 750W is more than enough for a 5850, but might as well give yourself some headroom in case you do two or three GPUs).

There are some good reviews and comparisons of heatsinks on the front page here. If you decide to go liquid http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source...DCc_xgz-yywfkg look at this site.

@clone63 - I actually intend on doing an SLI later, but not atm.
@Raserei408 - I don't know much about ATI cards, are they reliable? I have always been with Nvidia, but again I am open to any suggestions.
@ZZLEE - I think I will build a proper computer first, I will wait after a while before I go liquid cooling.


Cheers

funny boy..... the Black Western Digital are warranty 5 years I said 5 years... not 3 years like the spin points. And we all know how it's hard to have RMA with Samsung in Canada

to the OP : use a WD , I have also a twelve hundred... a little tight at the back for the cable management, but a great case. with adjustable fan and nice blue led , will be perfect for your hot 130 watts I7-920

You don't say if you gone fold...if so your 260 gtx will give you over 8200 ppd with few OC... an AtI....around 3000 PPD , and you will not a Bigadv with it, it will eat 20-25 % of your cpu usage.

^^^^ Agreed with everything Mark stated above, btw your Rig looks great and welcome to the Forums!!

Nice Build

How about any light overclocking? Pick up this $30 heatsink: NCIX.com - Buy Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366 LGA775 LGA1156 120MM - RR-B10-212P-GP In Canada.

It will keep you safely cool at 3.4 GHZ, especially in the Antec 1200. You can post a quick thread on some settings (although 3.4GHZ will be easily done by simply leaving all settings on 'Auto' and changing the BCLK to 170, and the multiplier to 20). If that OC seems tame, lots of folks on here can help you reach better OCs.

Yeah, ATI cards are perfectly fine. I was an Nvidia fanboy until recently (though I've only been in computers for about a year and a half, I was a fanboy for about a year), but getting a GT200 at this point just seems silly. Either wait out Fermi or get the 5 series now. My personal opinion. As Mark said though, if you're a Folder, you'll want to go with Nvidia because the current ATI folder is...well...it sucks.

However, if you've got a decent GPU you can carry over for a few months to the new rig (until Fermi comes out) I'd actually recommend doing that; it gives you the option to compare ATI's cards to Fermi, and even if you decide against it, large price drops are expected by ATI once Fermi releases, so you might even be able to get a 5850 (or at least a 5770 for less).

Also, if you're going X58, you need to do dual GPUs (not necessarily right now, but at some point). The power is totally wasted in games, since you'll hit a GPU bottleneck long before you use the CPU.