Poll: Build a PC 2.0

[TOO S0BER]

Ok, this is a sequel to "Poll: Decided to build a PC, what do you think?". I've made several changes to the old build thanks to input by many helpful people. Now, I gonna post this new build (2.0) to further refine before I start buying the parts. I've already bought a couple of parts, due to no one (or very few) people providing input on them. Without further adue (spelling?):

CPU: Intel Core i7 2.8 GHz (3.46 GHz) 8mb Level 2 (LGA1366) (NOT Overclocked)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 FTW3 132-GT-E768-KR LGA 1366 SATA 6Gb/s ATX Intel
GPU: XFX ATI Radeon 5770 (Only 1)
RAM: Corsair 1600MHz 6GB (Three sticks, two GB each memory pack)
Heatsink: Thermaltake ProWater 850i
PSU: Thermaltake 1,000 W TR2 ATX
HDD: G.SKILL Phoenix Pro Series 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal (SSD) (x2)
Case: NZXT Phantom

If you want to see the previous forum for the first build, click this link:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.234604-Poll-Decided-to-build-a-PC-what-do-you-think

I'd like to point out that I don't plan on buying all of this from Best Buy. I simply used their links to provide information. I know there are better deals out there for the same product.
Links:
PCU: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Intel%26%23174%3B+-+Core%26%238482%3B+i7-950+Processor/9486503.p?id=1218112691211&skuId=9486503
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188065&cm_re=EVGA_Motherboards-_-13-188-065-_-Product
GPU: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/XFX+-+ATI+Radeon+HD+5770+1GB+GDDR5+PCI+Express+Graphics+Card/9715752.p?id=1218156775758&skuId=9715752&st=XFX ATI Radeon 5770&cp=1&lp=1
RAM: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Corsair+-+3-Pack+2GB+PC3-12800+DDR3+DIMM+Memory+Kit/9590622.p?id=1218128732706&skuId=9590622
Heatsink: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=207_160_45&products_id=8066
PSU: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Thermaltake+-+1000W+TR2+ATX+Power+Supply/9827295.p?id=1218179698777&skuId=9827295&st=Thermaltake 1,000 W TR2 ATX&contract_desc=null
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231377
Case: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_238&products_id=15089

This build still does not include devices like peripherals, or software. A couple of components I have already bought and are on their way through the mail (The CPU and the RAM).

 

[Skorpyo]

The specs made me drool a little, but it doesn't seem like too much of an improvement.

Also, an ATI over the GTX you were going to use? *puke*

 

[Delusibeta]

Really, the only difference is that the dual Nvidia cards have been replaced by an ATi card. Still gratuitous overkill. Thumbs down on dual SSD, however: 120Gb is not enough these days. One SSD and one standard (preferably 1 Tb) hard drive will do.

 

[TOO S0BER]

@Delusibeta Yeah. What I want is the faster boot speed I hear SSD gives. Can I still get that boot speed with 1 SSD and an HDD?

 

[Inconnu24]

Use the SSD as your boot drive and you'll have the faster boot speeds. Whatever other drives you have won't affect the boot speed as long as the OS is on the SSD.

EDIT: For example, I have Win7 installed on a 60GB SSD. I can hit restart from within Windows and can be back in my desktop within a minute.

 

[tehroc]

Check http://www.pricewatch.com it's the best site I know of to find bargain prices on hardware.

 

[rabidmidget]

Now all it needs is a name!

Seeing as the case looks like the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey, I would suggest HAL9000

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

Thumbs down on dual SSD, however: 120Gb is not enough these days. One SSD and one standard (preferably 1 Tb) hard drive will do.

I agree. I'd go with a 60-90GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD. Some people even like to run 2 1TB HDDs, but that's complete overkill unless you're a major movie buff and download 5 a week or something.

 

[Ekonk]

Now all it needs is a name!

Seeing as the case looks like the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey, I would suggest HAL9000

I'd go with HAL2010, but any HAL will do, really.

We'll laugh when it becomes sentient, kills your crew, and refuses to let you in.

 

[Bearjing]

I'm pretty sure that psu is over double the amount of power you need. I would go with something like this, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006. I mean any of the corsair's power supplies are some of the most reliable psu.

And personally i would check out newegg for everything. Not always the cheapest, but usually close and they have awesome customer service (also everything always gets to me in 2-3 days).

Also, i have that video card. It is nice and worth the money i spent on it. But you wont be able to 100% max out EVERY game. Most you can and those you cant you can still get it pretty high. Just thought i should warn you.

EDIT: oh yeah dont buy that card from bestbuy. Here it is on newegg 50 bucks cheaper
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447

EDIT EDIT: Also why are you getting a water cooling system?

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Ok, this is a sequel to "Poll: Decided to build a PC, what do you think?". I've made several changes to the old build thanks to input by many helpful people. Now, I gonna post this new build (2.0) to further refine before I start buying the parts. I've already bought a couple of parts, due to no one (or very few) people providing input on them. Without further adue (spelling?):

CPU: Intel Core i7 2.8 GHz (3.46 GHz) 8mb Level 2 (LGA1366) (NOT Overclocked)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 FTW3 132-GT-E768-KR LGA 1366 SATA 6Gb/s ATX Intel
GPU: XFX ATI Radeon 5770 (Only 1)
RAM: Corsair 1600MHz 6GB (Three sticks, two GB each memory pack)
Heatsink: Thermaltake ProWater 850i
PSU: Thermaltake 1,000 W TR2 ATX
HDD: G.SKILL Phoenix Pro Series 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal (SSD) (x2)
Case: NZXT Phantom

If you want to see the previous forum for the first build, click this link:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.234604-Poll-Decided-to-build-a-PC-what-do-you-think

I'd like to point out that I don't plan on buying all of this from Best Buy. I simply used their links to provide information. I know there are better deals out there for the same product.
Links:
PCU: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Intel%26%23174%3B+-+Core%26%238482%3B+i7-950+Processor/9486503.p?id=1218112691211&skuId=9486503
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188065&cm_re=EVGA_Motherboards-_-13-188-065-_-Product
GPU: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/XFX+-+ATI+Radeon+HD+5770+1GB+GDDR5+PCI+Express+Graphics+Card/9715752.p?id=1218156775758&skuId=9715752&st=XFX ATI Radeon 5770&cp=1&lp=1
RAM: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Corsair+-+3-Pack+2GB+PC3-12800+DDR3+DIMM+Memory+Kit/9590622.p?id=1218128732706&skuId=9590622
Heatsink: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=207_160_45&products_id=8066
PSU: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Thermaltake+-+1000W+TR2+ATX+Power+Supply/9827295.p?id=1218179698777&skuId=9827295&st=Thermaltake 1,000 W TR2 ATX&contract_desc=null
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231377
Case: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_238&products_id=15089

This build still does not include devices like peripherals, or software. A couple of components I have already bought and are on their way through the mail (The CPU and the RAM).

damn pretty good job, the cpu and ram you got are perfectly fine and will last you for years (unless due to random glitch/breakdowns...shit happens as i like to put it) and i have a 5770 also, i have ran it on high/ultra high on near everything and it runs perfect so hopefully it works the same for you.

im diggin the case, seems pretty solid, just make sure it fits with your mobo (which i think it does) and make SURE you are STATIC FREE when you are building it, having to buy all this and have it shipped to you to only have it short out on you would be a major bummer =\ otherwise good job and good luck, just did my first build recently and its quite fun once you got your beast done

 

[Another]

I approve and will agree with what others said. Boot from an SSD, then get a 1 TB.

Your case looks like its wants to assimilate the minds of sentient beings tho. Which makes it awesome.

 

[CaptainKoala]

This system will rape every game to come out in the next 3 years, on full graphics.

 

[octafish]

Not overclocked? Dump the cooler. Stock is fine for stock speeds. Without a serious OC water is more trouble than it is worth. Even a mild OC is better off with aftermarket airAlso that 5770 is seriously underwhelming, how many pixels are you pushing? The new GTX 460s are pretty good right now, even better than the ATI 5850, those are the two cards I'd be looking at especially if you are paying for a 1366 mobo and chip. Why strangle it with an entry level GPU? The 5770 just isn't worth it unless you are on a sub HD monitor and even then it won't max many games.

 

[TOO S0BER]

The specs made me drool a little, but it doesn't seem like too much of an improvement.

Also, an ATI over the GTX you were going to use? *puke*

So GTX is better than ATI hmm? How and Why? What model would you use? I honestly don't know a whole lot about this stuff. This is my first CP build.
EDIT: Also, is it compatable with the other stuff? Thats my main worry is compatability.

 

[TOO S0BER]

Really, the only difference is that the dual Nvidia cards have been replaced by an ATi card. Still gratuitous overkill. Thumbs down on dual SSD, however: 120Gb is not enough these days. One SSD and one standard (preferably 1 Tb) hard drive will do.

Hmm. So using an SSD as a boot drive? Any idea how to set that up?

 

[TOO S0BER]

Everyone keeps telling me the PSU is overkill. If anyone can give me a site or some method to calculate what wattage I would need would be great.

 

[TOO S0BER]

Is this the GTX 480 card that everyone is suggesting? Cause this is crazy expensive. Yes I know it's only best buy.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+NVIDIA+GeForce+GTX+480+1.5GB+GDDR5+PCI+Express+Graphics+Card/9955287.p?id=1218200374187#tabbed-customerreviews&skuId=9955287

 

[octafish]

Is this the GTX 480 card that everyone is suggesting? Cause this is crazy expensive. Yes I know it's only best buy.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+NVIDIA+GeForce+GTX+480+1.5GB+GDDR5+PCI+Express+Graphics+Card/9955287.p?id=1218200374187#tabbed-customerreviews&skuId=9955287

Gahk Uhrk No No No, stay away from that pig... Yes it is the single most powerful card on the market, but it is also the most expensive, most power-hungry and the hottest. At that price range the 5870 is a better buy, cheaper, cooler, less hungry, and only slightly slower, otherwise look at the GTX460. It's the Nvidia equivalent (roughly) to the 5850 and it's quite good.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

Hmm. So using an SSD as a boot drive? Any idea how to set that up?

Install Windows on the SSD and that's it. Store all of your data on the much bigger non-SSD drive. You should never put data on the OS's partition (like saving stuff on the Desktop or My Documents) because if Windows craps out, you can easily reformat and reinstall Windows without any worry of losing any data; I'd recommend imaging the Windows partition regularly so if something fucks up on Windows, you can just load an the image and be back up and rolling in less than 10 minutes. I would then recommend getting a 3rd HD just for storing data you never want to lose (anything work or school related, music, movies, etc.); find a cheap drive for this, you probably don't need anything too big (you can get 250 GB drive for $30) as you were planning on going with a 120GBs of total HD space, and video is the only thing that really eats up drive space. You'll want to have everything saved on the main HD and then everything you never want to lose replicated on another HD (your boot HD probably won't be big enough). Hard drives WILL crash so you want to backup what you want to have forever on another HD so you don't have to rebuild a music collection.

Everyone keeps telling me the PSU is overkill. If anyone can give me a site or some method to calculate what wattage I would need would be great.

Just as long as you get a quality PSU that can cover you system's power needs, you should be fine. If you go a little overboard, then you don't have to about power requirements when you go to upgrade something or use 2 video cards.

Is this the GTX 480 card that everyone is suggesting? Cause this is crazy expensive. Yes I know it's only best buy.

I'm not really up on who is the best video card maker but I've always preferred ATi over Nvidia. I'm sure the ATi card that is comparable to the GTX 480 will give you about the same performance. I always remember reading that ATi's cards were a bit better than Nvidia's cards but Nvidia's drivers were better than ATi's drivers; that may no longer be accurate but it used to be. ATi and Nvidia both make quality cards so pick your pice bracket and read a review or 2 on the best ATi card and best Nvidia card you can find in that bracket to decide which is best.