New build planned. Need general advice

[Lebon14]

Hi guys.

It WILL happen this time. I guaranty it. I saved money over the last 5½ months to make a 2000$ CAD budget for a brand new computer that will replace my current one.

I will...
* NOT be overclocking.
* be playing some games from time to time.
* be watching Blu-ray movies even if I hate those stupid DRMs.
* NOT be setting up RAIDs
* NOT be setting up CrossFire or SLi

So here are the parts. All price are in Canadian dollars and from Newegg.ca

-----------MODIFIED BUILD WITH RECOMMNADATIONS--------------

Hardware name colored in red = changed. Hardware name colored in green = Added.

CPU Core i7 950 3.06GHz - 318.99$ (Link)

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R - 189.99$ (Link)

RAM Corsair XMS3 3x2GB DDR3 1333MHz 9-9-9-24 - 122.49$ (Link)

SSD OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD2-2AGTE90G 2.5" 90GB - 189$ (Link)

GPU ASUS ENGTX460 GeForce GTX 460 1GB - 247.49$ (Link)

Optical Drive LG UH10LS20 CD/DVD burning + Blu-ray reading support - 99.99$ (Link)

Sound card On-board + HT-Omega Claro Halo - 164.99$ (Link)

Case Lian-Li Lancool PC-K62 - 99.99 (Link)

Power Supply SILVERSTONE DA700 700W (Modular) - 100.99$ (Link)

Monitor Asus VW246H 24" 2ms - 229.99$ (Link)

Accessories
Cables Unlimited Anti-static Wrist Strap With Grounding Wire - 7.49$ (Link)
Nippon Labs Premium 6 ft. HDMI to mini HDMI cable - 9.49$ (Link)
Koutech IO-RC522 All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader / Writer - 10.99 (Link)
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - 9.99 (Link)

-----------ORIGINAL BUILD-------------

CPU Core i7 950 3.06GHz - 318.99$ (Link)

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-X58-USB3 - 184.99$ (Link)

RAM Corsair XMS3 3x2GB DDR3 1333MHz 9-9-9-24 - 122.49$ (Link)

SSD G.Skill Phoenix Pro Series FM-25S2S-80GBP2 80GB - 175$ (Link)

GPU EVGA nVidia GeForce GTX 460 - 254.99$ (Link)

Optical Drive LG UH10LS20 CD/DVD burning + Blu-ray reading support - 99.99$ (Link)

Sound card On-board + HT-Omega Claro Halo - 164.99$ (Link)

Case Lian-Li Lancool PC-K62 - 99.99 (Link)

Power Supply Corsair HX Series CMPSU-620HX 620W (Modular) - 112.49$ (Link)

Monitor Asus VW246H 24" 2ms - 229.99$ (Link)

Accessories
Cables Unlimited Anti-static Wrist Strap With Grounding Wire - 7.49$ (Link)
Nippon Labs Premium 6 ft. HDMI to mini HDMI cable - 9.49$ (Link)

--Software/hardware From Current build that will be transfered--

Hitachi 7200RPM 500GB HDD (holds data)
Western Digital VarRPM 1TB HDD (holds data)
Eagle Arion speakers
Samsung ML-2010 Laser Printer
Canon LiDE 200 Scanner
Keyboard (Logitech Media Keyboard Elite)
Mouse (Logitech LX7)
Windows 7 Édition Familiale Premium (Home Premium French)(full retail)
Office 2007

Questions time! EDIT : And those has been answered!
1. Do I need thermal paste (or is there any pre-applied?)
2. Is the SSD a good choice.
3. Enough wattage from PSU?
4. Is there any conflicts or known compatibility problems between two hardware (ex. RAM with Motherboard)

So, do you have any other suggestions to this build? I can change parts as long as I stay UNDER the 2000$ mark. For the SSD, I would like no less than 80GB. I currently use 70GB on my current disk and well, 64GB is not gonna do it.

Hope you guys will help me out through my first real build from scratch.

Later

EDIT

Epic 900th post.

 

[James Colbert]

Hi Lebon14,

I would choose this motherboard for the 6GB/s sata:

Newegg.ca - GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

James

 

[Kipper]

1. The included fan and heatsink for the i7 950 has TIM pre-applied. Since you wont be doing any OC you will be fine.

2. The Phoenix Pro uses the SF controller which is very good but it is somewhat crippled by the firmware; for a little more money you could get the Corsair Force 100GB with no crippled firmware.

3. With the components you have listed the PSU will be fine; if you later decide to double up the 460 and go SLI you would be better off with a little more horsepower.

4. Your RAM selection should be fine once again with not doing any OC you will be fine.

Will you be adding an additional drive; a spinning drive for you DATA, Backups, and such? If so I would recommend that you get a 7200RPM drive.

 

[Lebon14]

Hi Lebon14,

I would choose this motherboard for the 6GB/s sata:

Newegg.ca - GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

James

Thx for the reply!
I'll be taking this into consideration.

Cheers.

 

[James Colbert]

Questions time!
1. Do I need thermal paste (or is there any pre-applied?)
2. Is the SSD a good choice.
3. Enough wattage from PSU?
4. Is there any conflicts or known compatibility problems between two hardware (ex. RAM with Motherboard)

Sorry I missed these, and congrats on your 900th!

1) Yes. You can search newegg for Arctic Silver. Follow the instructions. Be careful not to apply too much.

2) Yes, but if you can afford another $50, you could get the 120GB version...you'll be wanting to place apps and games on this drive as well (you could partion it if you like):

Newegg.ca - G.SKILL Phoenix Pro Series FM-25S2S-120GBP2 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

I can't speak to the quality of any SSD drive, given that I've not built a system with SSD in it yet.

4) The RAM you've chosen is compatible with the board link in my earlier post. If you choose to go with your board, you can check for compatibility here:

Welcome to Corsair :: Memory Configurator

That said, I think building a new system without 6 GB/s sata would be a mistake.


James

 

[Lebon14]

1. The included fan and heatsink for the i7 950 has TIM pre-applied. Since you wont be doing any OC you will be fine.

2. The Phoenix Pro uses the SF controller which is very good but it is somewhat crippled by the firmware; for a little more money you could get the Corsair Force 100GB with no crippled firmware.

3. With the components you have listed the PSU will be fine; if you later decide to double up the 460 and go SLI you would be better off with a little more horsepower.

4. Your RAM selection should be fine once again with not doing any OC you will be fine.

Will you be adding an additional drive; a spinning drive for you DATA, Backups, and such? If so I would recommend that you get a 7200RPM drive.

Thanks for answering my questions! About the firmware, does it matter THAT much?

About the additional storage... look what I will be importing from mycurrent rig I don't need another one. I have plenty!

Sorry I missed these, and congrats on your 900th!

1) Yes. You can search newegg for Arctic Silver. Follow the instructions. Be careful not to apply too much.

2) Yes, but if you can afford another $50, you could get the 120GB version...you'll be wanting to place apps and games on this drive as well (you could partion it if you like):

Newegg.ca - G.SKILL Phoenix Pro Series FM-25S2S-120GBP2 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

I can't speak to the quality of any SSD drive, given that I've not built a system with SSD in it yet.

4) The RAM you've chosen is compatible with the board link in my earlier post. If you choose to go with your board, you can check for compatibility here:

Welcome to Corsair :: Memory Configurator

That said, I think building a new system without 6 GB/s sata would be a mistake.


James

Hmm... the Corsair Force heh? Well, I'm really tight now for any change. 50$ will pretty much remove any margin I have left. I chose the G.Skill because I heard that the Sandforce controller is very good.

Btw, thanks for the link to the memory configurator

About the thermal paste, I think I should buy some just to apply some to my current rig (that I will still use for decrapping other people's PCs and much later, as a media center) because I never apply some new in about 4 years.

Thx for the replies!

 

[LiquidSnak]

Intel stock fans are terrible, IMO. I would go with a more efficient, quieter cooler and apply arctic silver thermal paste.

 

[Lebon14]

Intel stock fans are terrible, IMO. I would go with a more efficient, quieter cooler and apply arctic silver thermal paste.

Hi. Thanks for your input.

Personnaly, I never had any problem with stock cooling. I always used that and it always its job correctly. Also, I don't see why I should put more money on a separate cooling fan when the CPU gives me one. Maybe it's quieter and more efficient but I am okay with stock cooling with what I will be doing.

Cheers.

 

[Desslok]

What are you going to be using it for mostly? And which games?

 

[DirtyElf]

CPU: If you wont be overclocking why would you go with the i7-920? I would go with a LGA1156 and save some money on the processor. i7-870 should do just fine if you arent planning to overclock. The 900 series of processors are the LGA 1366 socket. The newer socket does provide some benefits such as the 900 series being able to unlock the mulitplier for overclocking (you dont want) and being able to run 2 pci-e slots at x16 for SLI/x-Fire (which you dont want). Also I have read from others around forums that the 1366 socket is less stable and more for overclocking enthusiasts. Then you can switch to a LGA1156 socket MOBO and save a little cash. I have an asus board so I would reccomend them, but there is nothing wrong with gigabyte as far as i know.

PSU: a 650W power supply will power 99% of all 1 gfx card systems on the planet, corsair is an excellent brand. The only reason to go for more power is if you plan to add lots of usb peripherals or more HDDS, etc... 620W should be fine.

GFX: dont know much about the newer nvidia cards, i chose amd/ati so i read alot more about those but the 460 is up there among the top performers

SSD: i know very little about SSDs except that they are expensive and fast

 

[johnwillyums]

Hi Lebon. Your build sounds great for the purposes you outline.
Every time someone puts up a thread like this I always ramble on about getting a better monitor. It's a crucial part of the pc in my view but often is added on as an afterthought
I'm sure the Asus you have chosen is a decent piece of kit but it is a TN panel. Once you have seen an IPS or PVA panel there is no comparison.
They have better, truer, colours and a much wider colour gamut plus true blacks and grey scale. Also, unlike a TN panel you do not have to sit exactly in front of it, at exactly the right height etc.
Check this review: PRAD | Review NEC EA231WMi-BK
This is a superb monitor, beautifully engineered with a proper ergo adjustable stand. I just looked on some US sites and you can pick up this model for about $330.

That's my thoughts anyway. Good luck with the build, John

 

[DirtyElf]

i like that monitor, no HDMI input tho

 

[Lebon14]

@DirtyElf : My plan was to get a Triple Channel rig. So the 9xx i7 still hold. I'm choosing the 950 because it's 3GHz and well, since I'm not overclocking, I'm getting the highest frequency I can buy. PSU wise, I don't think the overall consommation will go over 620W with 2 HDDs additional HDDs and USB powered scanner. Also, the monitor DO have HDMI... From the picture on Newegg :
http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/24-236-049-S10?$S640W$

@johnwillyums : Thanks for your input. However, that monitor would burst my budget by a good 100$. I do have a 24" LCD monitor which I believe have a TN panel and even not in front of it I clearly see my monitor and I think the colors are beautiful too. The only thing about my current monitor is OMG IT'S SO D**N BRIGHT (@normal brightness settings)! Last thing, I don't like the design...

 

[Lebon14]

I was also looking at the Asus Sabertooth X58 motherboard :
Newegg.ca - ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

What do you think guys?

 

[LiquidSnak]

I do have a 24" LCD monitor which I believe have a TN panel and even not in front of it I clearly see my monitor and I think the colors are beautiful too. The only thing about my current monitor is OMG IT'S SO D**N BRIGHT (@normal brightness settings)!

Are you talking about your ViewSonic? Mine is fracking bright too, it's crazy. I do love their colors though, they look really nice.

I love my ASUS board, and that one looks very nice, and has some nice features.

 

[Lebon14]

Are you talking about your ViewSonic? Mine is fracking bright too, it's crazy. I do love their colors though, they look really nice.

Yep. I'm talking about my Q241wb. The colors are nice I agree,

 

[Hopalong X]

If you decide to have some on hand go with Arctic Silver5
Newegg.com - Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - Thermal Compound / Grease

I was also looking at the Asus Sabertooth X58 motherboard :
Newegg.ca - ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

What do you think guys?

The mobo you list has the Realtec audio. This is not the one having all the audio problems.
This one uses Realtek ALC892 should be good alternative to Gagabyte.
Add the ASUS video card if you want same brand. All good choices.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121390 $175
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121396 $240
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121389 $245

I bought the middle of these three. At the time the $245 wasn't available yet.
The $175 was $225 then.
Now I'd go with 1st one for pricing or 3rd for performance advantage.

My two cents.
Mike

 

[amandeepmail]

Hi!
I will suggest you to get a small SSD for just windows and main programs. Small SSD will not be that costly and stil give a lot of performance boost. I prefer 64 GB just for Windows and main programs and rest you can upgrade later. Also, you can always use another SATA Hard Disk for your data if 64 GB doesn't fit it.

 

[Wishmaster]

For the SSD, I would go with something like the 80GB Intel.
Its about $25 more expensive.

the 40GB ones are excellent performers as well, although slighhtly slower than the 80GB version. However, only around $100.
40GB is plenty of room for Win7 and apps for the most part, if you keep all other User DATA/Games etc on other drives.

The Gskill ones look like they have decent speeds and reviews, but from what im seeing it looks like the Intel may be slightly faster for the OS.

For the record, I only know what Ive read and benchmarks Ive seen on those Gskill SSDs.

If you already have Spinners for user DATA that would be a great setup.

And as mentioned, to save a bit of extra cash, you may want to consider a P55 board (Socket 1156)

You will only have dual channel DDR3, but overall should still be a solid build.

 

[madtownidiot]

That build will need about peak at about 500 watts at 100% system load (which is when a PSU is most likely to fail) while it's new.. As the components age, it will draw more and more power. 2-3 years down the road you may be looking at closer to 600 watts .. add 50% to that to have room for future expansion, and because a psu that doesn't have to work very hard is going to last longer and produce less heat