1500 $ cad build no monitor

[Freefall]

I used to be pretty hardcore, but this is my first new PC in 4 years. Price limit is 1500 cad before taxes. I will be using it mostly for gaming and I have no brand loyalty. I want a system I can upgrade down the road with a second GPU to increase performance. I've done some research but I've been out of it all for so long I'm not going to pretend to be an expert. This is what I've come up with:


ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 mobo 249.99

Palit NE5X460SF1102 GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Sonic 1GB 229.99

Intel Core i7 930 298.99

Mushkin Enhanced Redline 6gb DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Ram 205.99

Lancool PC-K58W Case 92.99

KINGWIN Mach 1 ABT-1000MA1S 1000W ATX Power supply 170.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM HD 99.99

LITE-ON Black 24X DVD burner 25.99

Windows 7 Home premium 64 bit 104.99


Total before taxes and shipping : ~1480.00

Please let me know what you guys think.

P.S. At the moment I have no intentino to OC

[_dangtx_]

1366 will be eol soon.
ddr3 will be here for a little while, 1600 and up good to go
not too sure bout that case.
same with psu

get an 1156 affair,xeon 3440. you will oc :D eol as well, less money put in it.
sli/xfire board under 200.

try to wait for the giga or evga to go on special,460 wise :)
and try to dig in 2 now if you can

[Freefall]

So 1156 is actually more future proof than 1366? I guess I had it backwards :S

What kind of CPU should I put in it?

[_dangtx_]

no. eol as well. cheaper tough :D
xeon 3440. *heap hyperthreaded unit


*cheap by i7 standards. or get a 750 on special 180 from ncix.

or get a 1055t on a 750/980 chipset board.

whatever you do, get a cm212+ or a frio for double the price

[NorthwolfeCND]

Looks good to me, just a few changes I would make:
- MSI N460GTX CYCLONE 1 GD5 instead of the Palit (MSI uses better components - you won't be at risk of having "bad luck" with an under performing card).
- G. SKILL PI series Model F3- 12800CL6T (Cas Latency 6); or G. SkILL PI series Model F3- 12800CL7T (Cas Latency 7) instead of the Mushkin's. It's all about Latency...
- PC Power and Cooling Silencer 910W or Antec True Power Quattro 1kW. The KINGWIN just has too many ripple issues for my taste (and that's when it's new, how will it do after a couple of months?)

Apart from those small issues, I think the build will be solid. Good luck and have fun.

P.S. DDR3 - Best-Bang-for-the-Buck: Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1333 CAS 9 (and they overclock like crazy).
P.P.S. - You are way overpowered for your system. Even if in the future you decide to get another 460 for SLI you will still be overpowered. The PSU is the heart of any computer, buy a better one from a more reputable brand, even if you have to go with a theoretically less powerful one. This would be a great pick: SilverStone Decathlon DA750.

[Freefall]

Thanks for the reply.

The only reason I dont like the MSI cyclone is becuase the cooling on the card doesn't blow exaust air out of the case. I will only have one in for now but if I get a second card in a few months than that will be quite a bit of warm air to blow out via case fans. At least thats what I was thinking I'm no expert thats for sure.

PS would a 750W PSU be enough for a dual gtx 460 system?

PSS those Mushkins are CAS 6 Latency, is there another reason you don't like them?

[xlilmissmjx]

I would recommend a Corsair or Seasonic psu unit instead of all mention so far, better build quality imo. Go for Corsair's AX or HX series as they are modular, therefore easier cable management. A 750/850W psu should give you plenty of power while still giving you some extra headroom to spare.

Swap the Palit for EVGA GTX460's instead, better warranty and quality built.

Everything else is good :) Good luck with your build

[fishingfanatic]

+1 for the Corsair psu and Mushkin memory. Both solid components for any system. I also agree with the smaller psu. I would go 850, though 750 may be enough, the bigger will give a bit more head room so as not to overwork the unit. It'll only draw what it needs and won't work as hard. Good looking build otherwise.

[martin_metal_88]

Originally Posted by NorthwolfeCND

P.S. DDR3 - Best-Bang-for-the-Buck: Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1333 CAS 9 (and they overclock like crazy).

Overclock like crazy but go back to Crucial deadd fast. Stick with G.skill. Most of us here use G.skill to OC like crazy and bench.

[Freefall]

Thanks for the opinions all. I intend to follow everyones advice and go with a better quality, 850W PSU. I'l try to hold out for an EVGA Graphics card but they seem to be sold out everywhere. Is there any serious advantage in getting windows ultimate edition versus the home premium version?