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1st Time Power Builder

(10 posts)
  • Started 4 years ago by djfrenchy
  • Latest reply from djfrenchy
  • Topic Viewed 877 times

djfrenchy
Posts: 5

Hello all!

I've built a few PCs over the past few years for family members, nothing spectacular though. I'm in the market for a power gaming PC, and was considering building it myself to save some coin. Newegg has been my source for components before, and will probably remain the same.

Currently my build looks something like this:

Case -- Thermaltake Armor+MX
PS -- Thermaltake Toughpower 1000w modular
MB -- Asus Rampage II Extreme 1366
CPU -- i7 940
RAM -- 12GB (6x2GB) Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600)
OS HD -- Velociraptor 300gb
Storage HD -- Seagate Barracuda 1.5 TB
VC -- Asus ENGTX295/2DI/1792MD3/A
DVD -- LG GH22NS30 22x SATA
OS -- Vista Ultimate x64

Several questions pop into my head before I go spend a whack of cash on a new toy.

#1: Is anything in this build going to trip me up when I put it all together? I don't plan on messing with any O/C settings, that's just a bit out of my tech range.

#2: Which drivers should I update before settling in for use? I'm on a dialup connection at home and driver downloads can take days, so I'd like to have a shopping list for when I decide to mooch some high speed.

#3: Would you recommend any online retailers that could supply a similar build in around the same general price range? If I could save myself a hassle by having a pro do the build, it might be worth an extra $50-$100.

Thanks for reading my post. Any tips would be greatly apprecicated!!
Matt

Posted 4 years ago #
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ScottW
ScottW
Posts: 6609

djfrenchy, the first thing that stands out is the Seagate Barracuda drive. Some models have been failing at an alarming rate:
http://www.howtogeek.com/forum.....re-failing

#1. I don't see any problems, but it is easier to assess if you provide a link to the parts or to a saved list at Newegg. See other threads for examples.
#2. You should always check online for the latest drivers for any component that uses drivers. If it were my build, I would get it all in advance if possible. The latest BIOS/firmware for the motherboard, chipset drivers, video drivers, optical drive firmware, and so on.
#3. You didn't specify a price range, but I doubt that someone will build it for you for the price of parts + $100. I don't know of any such service.

This build should be a screamer with the i7 CPU, 12 GB RAM, Velociraptor HDD, and GTX 295 GPU!

Posted 4 years ago #
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raphoenix
raphoenix
Posts: 14920

I agree.

Use (4) matched Velociraptor HDs because the MB can be configured so many ways.

Regards,
Rick P.

Posted 4 years ago #
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djfrenchy
Posts: 5

Here are the links to the gear:

Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6811133062

PS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6817153053

CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6819115201

MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6813131352
also considering
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6813131358
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6813130215
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6813128361

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6820145233

OS HD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6822136322

Storage HD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6822148337
also considering
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6822136344
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6822136284

VC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6814121296

DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6827136152

BR-DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6827136133

OS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6832116493

On the Seagate HD, would using the quad raptors yield any performance increase? I do have a WD 320gb SATA from my current rig that I would like to transfer since it holds all my media collected over the past few years. The Rampage only has 6 ports, so if I went with the quads I could dump the BD-ROM. One other issue with this is that I am not at all familiar with RAID, either how it's setup or which setup to use.

Another issue on the Rampage, is the included sound card enough to warrant not buying a separate card? I won't be using the rig for any HTPC duties, just games and music mostly.

On cooling, will traditional air cooling be adequate considering no overclocking? Will I need to buy an aftermarket CPU cooler? I may try to adjust the settings so I can at least get the stated values from the RAM sticks, if they are being undercut by factory settings.

Once again, thanks for reading!!
Matt

Posted 4 years ago #
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djfrenchy
Posts: 5

Another thing I just thought of...will the SATA HD that I have be ready to install as it is? The drive is currently residing in an XP Media Center PC, so will it be just plug-and-play with the Vista software in the new rig?

Posted 4 years ago #
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ScottW
ScottW
Posts: 6609

If the SATA HDD that you already have does not contain an operating system and is formatted in a recognizable way, e.g. NTFS or FAT32, then there will be no problems moving it to the new build.

Posted 4 years ago #
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raphoenix
raphoenix
Posts: 14920

djfrenchy,

WILL HAVE TO READ DETAILED PARTS LIST TOMORROW.
OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.........

All HDs should be (EXACTLY) matched.

New Seagate HDs have a problem with Failures.

Air cooling should be fine as long as you use plenty of case fans and move a lot air.

Use on-board sound and save money. It will work fine.

Download the Asus MB Manual, read and understand everything about your Build BEFORE purchasing one part !!!!!!!!!!

If you plan on booting from a drive with O/S installed used in another machine, probably will not work as new Build has complete different hardware and drivers. You will need to Clean Install O/S.

Will get back to your post after looking up your specs. Bare with me.

Best Regards,
Rick P.

Posted 4 years ago #
Top
 
raphoenix
raphoenix
Posts: 14920

djfrenchy,

Looks good.

Recommend these components in your Build List.

MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6813131352

(4) HDs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6822136322

Regards,
Rick P.

Posted 4 years ago #
Top
 
djfrenchy
Posts: 5

Thanks for the replies.

A question about the video card. Anybody have any recommendations on brands for the GTX 295? The Asus model I had chosen for the build (for no apparent reason other than pairing it with an Asus MB) is no longer available from Newegg. I've read the customer reviews for the other models on Newegg (MSI and eVga), and don't see much differance between them. If anyone has some experience with the 295, and are satisfied with performance/stability, please let me know.

Thanks for reading!!
Matt

Posted 4 years ago #
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djfrenchy
Posts: 5

I finally broke down and placed my order yesterday. I downgraded the CPU to the i7 920, and the video card to an EVGA 285 SSC edition. Is there a severe shortage of 295s? I couldn't seem to find any available anywhere.

When I go to put this beast together, would it be better to install all the parts at the same time, or just step-by-step/piece-by-piece? What I was thinking was just going with the OS HD and DVD drives first. After getting them squared away, including MB BIOS and chipset updates, I would then put the rest of the parts in. Any dissenting opinions on this strategy?

Another thing I read about was the issue of RAM voltage. If the RAM is rated at 1.50 volts, how would it be affected by using the stock MB settings? I'm mainly concerned about stability over performance until I can become a little more familiar with the intricacies of overclocking, which is one of the reasons I opted for the "enthusiast" level gear.

I want to thank you guys again for your help in this process. I needed to know what I was getting myself into before dropping a bunch of money, and you guys helped me through it perfectly.

Thank you all very much!!
Matt

Posted 4 years ago #
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