PDA

View Full Version : Got a great deal, now I need help completing the package (New PC)


turtle
2009-06-19, 11:08
I just scored an Intel i7 920, Intel DX58SO and Vista Ultimate x64 with upgrade to Win7 Ultimate x64 on release. The best part, is it only cost my ~$320 shipped! So now, I need to finish out the system with RAM, power supply and optical drive. My plan is to use it to replace my aging P4 Media Center PC since I don't game. I'll make it a Hackintosh if it can work as one.

See, thing is I don't want to sink too much into this thing since I'm not really a PC guy, but it certainly was a deal I couldn't pass up. So how about giving me some ideas on which way to go with this new system? :)

ironlung
2009-06-19, 17:57
turtle slickdeals has a thread dedicated just for this purpose. I built a linux server recently really cheap and that thread helped a lot.

Luca
2009-06-19, 20:13
For power supplies, there are a lot of good ones and a lot of bad ones out there. One thing to pay attention to is the 12V rail—that's the part of the power supply that brings power to your CPU, hard drives, and video card, among other things. Some PSUs have a single strong 12V rail, while others split the power between two or more rails.

I'm not an authority on power supplies but I can at least recall my personal experiences. I used to have a Thermaltake 430W that I later learned was really more like a 300-350W, due to poor power along the 12V rail. It ran my system and didn't die, but it also prevented me from adding some components. A lot of people bought it, too, because it was so cheap compared to other seemingly-comparable PSUs out there. My new one is a Corsair VX550W, which has been wonderful so far. Easily handles my Phenom II X3 and Radeon 4870.

Other brands that I've read good things about are PC Power & Cooling, OCZ, FSP Group (aka Fortron), and Seasonic. Actually, a lot of the PC P&C, OCZ, and Corsair power supplies are actually made by FSP, Seasonic, Enermax, and others, but they're still generally good. Best way to find out for sure, though, is to look for reviews. Figure out what size PSU you need (400W will probably do it, maybe go 500W just to be on the safe side) and look for a comparison or shootout between a bunch of PSUs in your price and power range. I chose my VX550W thanks to a review on HardOCP.

PB PM
2009-06-19, 20:47
Also don't shy away from the higher end Antec PSUs, they are often made by Seasonic or another higher end brand, although I cannot really call which.

turtle
2009-06-19, 23:44
Thanks for the tips guys. I'm not sure when I'll be getting the shipment, but Intel said it would be "soon". I'm not sure if I'm going to go with triple channel RAM right away or just get it started and build up to it. DDR3 is still pricey.

Partial
2009-06-21, 15:38
This case seems like a decent deal. Cases are hella expensive for what they are.

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=1412545

PB PM
2009-06-21, 16:27
Don't get those lower end Antec cases, IMO they just aren't very nice to work with. Coolmasters cases in the under $100, but more than $50 are much better, IMO.

Partial
2009-06-21, 17:40
While you're certainly entitled to your opinion, I'm of the believe a case is just a case, and it may be a PITA once, but hopefully you're not going into it too much :) I'd save the money personally

Maciej
2009-06-21, 18:12
That's a pretty good deal. Where did you dig that up Turtle?

PB PM
2009-06-22, 02:01
While you're certainly entitled to your opinion, I'm of the believe a case is just a case, and it may be a PITA once, but hopefully you're not going into it too much :) I'd save the money personally
It isn't just a matter of working inside of for installing parts, but it is also a case of airflow, which is far more important for a desktop, when you get into those Core i7 systems. The better the airflow, the cooler it is, the less likely you are to have component failure, nuff said. :D My $38 Cdn. Coolmaster Elite case cools my system far better than a $100 Antec case did.

Maciej
2009-06-22, 10:44
My $38 Cdn. Coolmaster Elite case cools my system far better than a $100 Antec case did.

Coolermaster? No? BTW, which one do you have. I'm thinking of building a PC soon..

Luca
2009-06-22, 10:48
Here (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010090007%2050001333%204808&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&Order=PRICE) is a list of Cooler Master cases, sorted by price, that have free shipping from NewEgg. None of them include power supplies but a lot of PSUs included with cases are pretty mediocre.

Maciej
2009-06-22, 10:53
Here (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010090007%2050001333%204808&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&Order=PRICE) is a list of Cooler Master cases, sorted by price, that have free shipping from NewEgg. None of them include power supplies but a lot of PSUs included with cases are pretty mediocre.

Yeah, I think I'd be buying a separate PSU too. I was reading a little about it on Anandtech. What's a good Wattage for a gaming rig, ~500?

turtle
2009-06-22, 11:03
I came across the deal through Intel's Retail Edge program. Since I'm working retail now and have registered through their site I was able to participate in their "Big Deal".

Thanks for the tips so far guys. I've tried to find things on Slick Deals but haven't found anything that's been referred to here.

Luca
2009-06-22, 12:09
Yeah, I think I'd be buying a separate PSU too. I was reading a little about it on Anandtech. What's a good Wattage for a gaming rig, ~500?

I have a 550W in my machine, which is 3 cores + Radeon 4870 (a very power-hungry card), and it's fine. Of course look at the +12V rail to see how much power it provides. But the only reason you should need more than 500W or so would be if you want dual video cards. Then you'll want 650W or above.

Maciej
2009-06-22, 12:49
I have a 550W in my machine, which is 3 cores + Radeon 4870 (a very power-hungry card), and it's fine. Of course look at the +12V rail to see how much power it provides. But the only reason you should need more than 500W or so would be if you want dual video cards. Then you'll want 650W or above.

Thanks for the tip.

Luca
2009-06-22, 12:50
Ooh! Way better than that... check this out!

http://www.antec.outervision.com/

Just enter in your system specs and it'll give you an estimate of your power usage. For the record, it only says I need 346W for my system, but that's continuous power, not peak power, and it's always a good idea to get more than you need anyway.

PB PM
2009-06-22, 14:22
Coolermaster? No? BTW, which one do you have. I'm thinking of building a PC soon..
Sorry yes, I meant Cooler Master. I have the Cooler Master 330 Elite. Its cheap, and kind of feels cheap, but the entire front of the case is a fan grill and has lots of space for 3.5" drives and 4 5" bays, three of which I used to install a third 120mm fan in the system.

turtle
2009-08-09, 00:30
So the parts aquisition has begun. I have recently ordered a burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188), 750W PS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371026) and a case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133074).

Next big things are the RAM and GPU. I'm thinking about going hackintosh with this so I'm open to suggestions on the graphics card. What's a good option that is Mac friendly but also PC compatible. I'm not really into graphics, but I do a fair bit of photo handling.

turtle
2009-08-09, 00:49
Another question I have is about putting an SSD into this thing. Can I get a PCI express drive and mount it in this (http://www.intel.com/products/desktop/motherboards/DX58SO/DX58SO-overview.htm) mother board? Would that be the fastest SSD connection or would I be better suited using SATA for my boot drive? My thought is to use a small SSD for the operation drive and another 7200RPM for my data.

PB PM
2009-08-09, 01:56
At this stage just go with a standard SATA2 setup, the connection is more than fast enough with current SSDs.

As for a graphics card, just look at the models currently shipping in Macs and pick one you want. If you pick one that isn't Apple shipped you might have problems if you make a Hackintosh.

turtle
2009-08-09, 07:16
So I went to NewEgg and searched for "ATI Radeon HD 4870" and was greeted with many options. What's a good brand these days? I haven't built a machine in so long that I have no idea who makes good parts. Generally I would just go with the number of Eggs the card has, but figured someone here must know a good brand. :)

Thanks for the tip on SATA2, I just thought it was cool that I might be able to have a card instead of a "drive". :D

Luca
2009-08-09, 11:12
So I went to NewEgg and searched for "ATI Radeon HD 4870" and was greeted with many options. What's a good brand these days? I haven't built a machine in so long that I have no idea who makes good parts. Generally I would just go with the number of Eggs the card has, but figured someone here must know a good brand. :)

Thanks for the tip on SATA2, I just thought it was cool that I might be able to have a card instead of a "drive". :D

Usually you can just go for the cheapest. I'd go for the cheapest 1 GB card available. Keep in mind that a lot of cards have mail-in rebates, so it could take months for it to come in.

But yeah you can get a 1 GB 4870 for $149 with free shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131148
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121291
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102825

Any of these are good and you can just pick one based on the heatsink, reviews, mail-in rebate, or whatever you like.

turtle
2009-08-11, 23:40
So I just ordered my RAM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227388) and graphics card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121291). The case, PSU and burner came in today! My motherboard and CPU are sitting right next to me. I'm starting to get pretty excited about building this thing.

Any tips for me on getting this thing put together? I'm going to stick with the stock retail CPU cooler for now since I don't plan to overclock it.

Luca
2009-08-12, 11:27
I might suggest getting an aftermarket cooler anyway, even if you're not overclocking. Doing so can reduce overall case temperatures and thus reduce noise levels from anything with a variable fan speed (such as your graphics card). And I bet a 120mm cooler would be quieter on its own than a retail cooler as well.

My PC uses a Xigmatek S1283 cooler, which has a 120mm fan and keeps it barely above room temperature. That plus some Arctic Silver 5 does a much better job than a stock cooling setup. Not that your stock cooler won't work, but there are more reasons to have an aftermarket one. Xigmatek heatsinks are pretty cheap too. Mine was like $25 with a 120mm fan included, and Arctic Silver 5 is around $5 for a tube on eBay (NewEgg et al. generally overcharge on shipping for tiny items like that, so you end up paying $10).

torifile
2009-08-12, 12:12
To piggyback on this thread (hope that's ok, turtle :)), any good resources/videos to walkthrough building a computer? I've never done it before and I need all the help I can get. :)

turtle
2009-08-13, 04:32
I couldn't resist putting the machine together last night. Now it's sitting on the floor waiting for my graphics card and RAM to show up. Out of a lack of patients I went ahead and used the stock cooler. One of my buddies at work used it with his rig and is doing fine even with some overclocking. I'll keep an eye out if I do OC though.

It was a lot of fun putting it together too. Sucks that I can't turn it on yet though. Heck, I can't even boot from USB because I don't have any RAM. Oh well, hopefully they will be here tomorrow. Off to check tracking now...due here tomorrow!

turtle
2009-08-14, 21:22
I got my graphics card and RAM in tonight and put them in. I have one big question though and the ASUS info doesn't specify: do I need to connect both power inputs on the board? I'm thinking yes, but figured I'd ask before I do so.

torifile
2009-08-14, 21:47
I got my graphics card and RAM in tonight and put them in. I have one big question though and the ASUS info doesn't specify: do I need to connect both power inputs on the board? I'm thinking yes, but figured I'd ask before I do so.
I'm jealous! If Zipzoomfly hadn't screwed up my order and taken so long for them to let me know (and only after I had emailed them twice about it), I would have ordered from newegg sooner and my kit would be here already.

Did you use any thermal paste or anything extra for your installation? Have you got a "must have" list for the assembly? I'm sure the assembly will go smoothly, I just worry about the hackintosh piece. I would love it if I could replace my iMac with this machine.

Partial
2009-08-14, 22:57
I got my graphics card and RAM in tonight and put them in. I have one big question though and the ASUS info doesn't specify: do I need to connect both power inputs on the board? I'm thinking yes, but figured I'd ask before I do so.

I would think so, yeah. Not sure exactly, but I would say there is a 90% chance.

turtle
2009-08-14, 23:08
I'm jealous! If Zipzoomfly hadn't screwed up my order and taken so long for them to let me know (and only after I had emailed them twice about it), I would have ordered from newegg sooner and my kit would be here already.

Did you use any thermal paste or anything extra for your installation? Have you got a "must have" list for the assembly? I'm sure the assembly will go smoothly, I just worry about the hackintosh piece. I would love it if I could replace my iMac with this machine.

Yeah, NewEgg has always taken care of me. As for thermal paste and all, I just used the stock cooler and it came with a pre-applied paste. Otherwise I normally use Arctic Silver. Every thing else I needed was included in the various parts I ordered. As for must haves, patience. My case wasn't a perfect companion and I had to figure out cable layout and all. Fact is my case looks like my PS exploded wires everywhere. I'll get in there and zip-tie things down later....

after I RMA this one. My top case fan broke on my initial boot. Seems it was coming in contact with something and snapped one fin off along with making a fir bit of noise.
I would think so, yeah. Not sure exactly, but I would say there is a 90% chance.

I ended up connecting it up with both jacks after doing some Google searching of images of the card in use. All of them showed the card having both connectors in play. Since I'm posting from the machine now I can say it works with both connected. :D

turtle
2009-08-14, 23:26
Well, my Vista score is 5.7. That's because of disk access. Would an SSD be the only real way to improve that or would a 10k drive do it?

Also, what are some good benchmark tools so I can get an idea of what this thing can do? How about things like temp monitoring and other system utilities like that?

Luca
2009-08-15, 15:13
Here's what I'd recommend:

3Dmark06 for benchmarking
CoreTemp to monitor core temperature
CPU-Z to get all sorts of detailed information on your CPU and RAM, including voltages and speeds
GPU-Z, the graphics equivalent of CPU-Z
Prime95 for stability testing if you ever feel like overclocking
Folding@home for benchmarking and to make use of your idle CPU cycles!

EDIT: SpeedFan also lets you monitor temperatures and adjust fan speeds on any fans that may be adjustable. At the very least it shows what speeds they're operating at.

turtle
2009-08-16, 10:32
Would it be bad if I asked for some guidance in making a multi-boot machine? I'm thinking about putting XP Pro 64Bit, Vista Ultimate, Win7 Ultimate, Mac OS X and Linux (likely Ubuntu).

I'm planning to take a 4GB SSD that originally came with my Dell Mini 9 and put it in the PCIe slot. I can do individual HDD/SSDs for the other OSs but not sure if I want to do that or just partition some of the other OSs. Mac I would like on it's own drive and I'd think the same for Windows 7. Vista and XP would be on a split smaller drive.

ironlung
2009-08-16, 11:21
Would it be bad if I asked for some guidance in making a multi-boot machine? I'm thinking about putting XP Pro 64Bit, Vista Ultimate, Win7 Ultimate, Mac OS X and Linux (likely Ubuntu).

I'm planning to take a 4GB SSD that originally came with my Dell Mini 9 and put it in the PCIe slot. I can do individual HDD/SSDs for the other OSs but not sure if I want to do that or just partition some of the other OSs. Mac I would like on it's own drive and I'd think the same for Windows 7. Vista and XP would be on a split smaller drive.

I have a couple of different OSes for different purposes, but I keep the OSes themselves on one HD. All my other stuff like music and movies etc are on separate HDs, that are in a raid 1 config. Really it is up to you.

turtle
2009-08-17, 01:34
So how did you do it? Would you PM me a link or post it here if it isn't crossing a line?

turtle
2009-08-17, 22:39
I just ordered an Intel SSD (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167005) and ICE DOCK (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994064) combo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.238486). Works out to be a pretty good deal to me. :) I'll let you know what I think of it once I get it running!

Dorian Gray
2009-08-18, 17:33
Hi turtle2472, do you know Intel now has a second-generation model of that SSD? (It's identified by G2 at the end of the label, rather than the G1 in your link.) You probably know this, but if you don't you might want to check the changes, prices, etc.

Either way, I'm looking forward to your comments on its performance!

turtle
2009-08-18, 22:12
Yeah, I knew an update is coming but didn't want to wait. :) I have been chomping at the bits to run a full system with a blazing SSD after running my netbook with one and knowing it's being slowed down by the CPU. Anyway, I'll let you know what I think and how it works out for me.

turtle
2009-09-02, 20:30
My Beast is now a cat! A Snow Leopard that is. :D

Let me tell you that with the Intel SSD and the 1600MHz RAM this is really one awesome beast to be sure.

I still have some bugs to work out of it though, I need to get my audio and ethernet worked out. I'll post more updates as they come. For now I've just got to find some kexts. :)

Currently the system is a triple boot with Vista x64, Ubuntu 9 and Mac OS 10.6. I'm really just plain loving it now. After hacking my Dell Mini 9 I thought this wouldn't take any work. I was sadly mistaken on that one. I really am going to have to figure this stuff out and break through the learning curve.

torifile
2009-09-02, 20:35
My Beast is now a cat! A Snow Leopard that is. :D

Let me tell you that with the Intel SSD and the 1600MHz RAM this is really one awesome beast to be sure.

I still have some bugs to work out of it though, I need to get my audio and ethernet worked out. I'll post more updates as they come. For now I've just got to find some kexts. :)

Currently the system is a triple boot with Vista x64, Ubuntu 9 and Mac OS 10.6. I'm really just plain loving it now. After hacking my Dell Mini 9 I thought this wouldn't take any work. I was sadly mistaken on that one. I really am going to have to figure this stuff out and break through the learning curve.
You got SL working?!? Nice. I need to work on mine but it's running Leopard so well, I'm hesitant to screw it up. :lol: But why Vista? Windows 7 is so much better. I know you got it with your purchase but it's not worth the plastic the disc is pressed on, IMHO.

PB PM
2009-09-02, 20:46
Running a Windows 7 RC1 puts you in a tough spot when it comes time to install the release version, unless you get Win7 Ultimate. In any case Vista is just fine, IMO there isn't that much different between 7 and Vista other than some UI changes, the latter of which I've had up and running for over a year on my machine. Vista has improved dramatically since SP2 came out, just like XP did with SP2.

turtle
2009-09-02, 22:37
Well, I'm actually going to be running, XP Pro x64, Vista x64 Ultimate, Win7 x64 Ultimate, Ubuntu 9 and Mac OS X on here. :D

I'll leave XP Pro x86 for a VM on SL for now unless I run into some issue. at that point I'll install it too. Why do I need all of them you might ask? Well, I do a bunch of Tech work on the side and it's nice to be able to play in the environment I'm working in too. Plus, I can so why not. Will I devote much HDD space to the XPs or Vista, no. Same for Linux. Those are more just to have. Heck, I'm not even planning to devote much space to Win7 really.

This machine is my Mac Pro for now to help me out with all my video editing and such. Basically, my Mini wasn't cutting it anymore and I needed something with a bit more oomph. Plus, I could. :)

tori, you really should switch to SL. Some kexts don't carry over apparently, but I've not had too much trouble getting mine so far. I just got my audio up while surfing AN again a few minutes ago. (I tested it with the WTF anime video. :eek:) Kext Helper b7 (http://www.cheetha.net/Kext_Helper/Software.html) is what I used to make installing my files a snap. Surprised how easy really. The hardest part was finding the kexts. :\

torifile
2009-09-08, 21:13
How's the hackintosh going now? I'm still on Leopard and I'm not looking forward to trying to do the upgrade to SL. I know it's probably really easy but I have no compelling reason to upgrade. I haven't even upgraded my MBP to SL even though I got the upgrade for free (well, $9.95).

turtle
2009-09-08, 22:12
It's going really well for the job I have it doing. It crunches video fast. I'm missing things like running Parallels v4 and a few other quirks. I am however loving the fact that my system ended up running with just about no modifications to get it up and running. I'm sure if I make some tweaks and such I can get everything working, just a matter of putting the work into the research for it.

I have Aperture loaded on there but haven't even tried to load pictures yet. I have a great graphics card that currently is challenged most by the screen saver. :\ I really would like to run it through it's paces for stuff like that.

All and all I'm loving the hack. Beast has really earned a spot in my house to be sure. I'm sure I'll get a real Mac Pro eventually, but for now, this baby is everything I needed beyond my Mac Mini. Oh, and the SSD is just plain awesome!

You really should consider the upgrade to SL. There area few bugs that annoy me, but again, I'm sure with a little time and investigating I'd remove all of them.

turtle
2009-09-13, 17:16
Man, Aperture SCREAMS on this thing! I'm loving it!

Partial
2009-10-07, 00:12
Cheap HD for those interested:

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=324609&t=1592675

torifile
2009-10-07, 09:09
Cheap HD for those interested:

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=324609&t=1592675

Link doesn't work. Not that I need another HD! I've got 4 but 2 of them are external. Part of me doesn't want my "critical" data to be that physically close to a Windows drive! I know that's ridiculous, but I'm serious. I think that if they're living in the case, they'll be more likely to have problems. Absurd.

And part of the problem is that my damned video card is too long to allow me to fit the HDs comfortably. :grumble: I'll see if I can run the cables in a different way that gives me a few more centimeters more space.

Partial
2009-10-07, 14:45
Hmm, they removed my post. That said, it's a 1TB western digital external hd MyBook for 81 dollars after coupon (which you buy for a 1.50ish).