Building Computer; Consulting

***If this is the wrong spot of the forum for this sort of topic I apologise.***

Hello, I am looking to build a new computer from scratch (for the first time) and would appreciate some experienced input, suggestions, recommendations, flags, or anything at all that could be beneficial. I intend to get all my components through TigerDirect and the following is a list of what my intended system will be:

CASE:
Cooler Master RC-932-KKN5-GP HAF 932 Advance Full Tower Case - ATX, Black, SuperSpeed USB 3.0 (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4146085&CatId=1510 )

POWER SUPPLY:
Cooler Master RS850-AMBAJ3-US Silent Pro M 850W Power Supply - ATX, Modular, 850 Watt, 80+ Bronze Certified, SLI, 135mm Ultra Silent Fan (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5309345&sku=C283-1228 )

PROCESSOR & COOLER:
AMD HDE00ZFBGRBOX Phenom II 1100T Black Edition Six Core Processor - 3.30GHz, 6MB Cache, 2000MHz (4000 MT/s) FSB, Retail, Socket AM3, Processor with Fan (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7023169&sku=A79-1100 )

Corsair CWCH50-1 Hydro H50 CPU Liquid Cooler - 120mm Fan, Copper Cold Plate, Aluminum Radiator, LGA775, LGA1366, LGA1156, AM2/AM3 ( http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5267687&sku=C13-2528 )

MOTHERBOARD:
Asus M4A88T-M/USB3 Motherboard - AMD 880GX, Socket AM3, mATX, DDR3, RAID, SATA, VGA, DVI, HDMI, USB 3.0 (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6766811&sku=A455-2998 )

RAM:
Corsair CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9 Vengeance 16GB PC12800 DDR3 RAM - 1600MHz, 4x4096MB, Non-ECC, Unbuffered (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7025816&sku=C13-5706 )

OS on SSD:
Corsair CSSD-V64GB2-BRKT V64 Nova 64GB Solid State Drive - SATA II, 2.5" (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5688400&sku=C13-8294 )

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64BIT Operating System Software - OEM DVD, English (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5213932&sku=M17-7302 )

Storage Drive:
Western Digital WD1002FAEX Caviar Black Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA 6Gbs (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6076939&sku=TSD-1000FAEX )

SOUND CARD:
Creative Labs 70SB088600002 SoundBlaster X-FI Titanium Fatal1ty Pro PCIe Sound Card (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3901279&sku=C44-3390 )

GRAPHICS CARD:
Sapphire 100312SR Radeon HD 6950 Video Card - 2GB, GDDR5, PCIe, mini-Display Port, HDMI, Dual DVI (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7073913&sku=A271-6950 )

CD Drive:
Lite-On IHAS22406 Internal DVD Writer - DVD+R 24X, DVD-R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, SATA, Lightscribe (OEM) (http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5204603&sku=L12-1334 OEM )

Questions:
Basically; if I was to order all these parts right now and have them come in, what would go wrong when I tried to put this together? What is it missing? What isn't compatible? What is just completely wrong?

Is the CPU cooler necessary for this system?

Is the power supply too much, too little, or good?

What is a good choice for a video card? These are the one thing I never understand. I see thousand dollar cards with 1GB memory and eighty dollar cards with 2GB and everything in-between in price and aspects of performance. I don't get it. I read that for an AMD based system such as this it is better to use a single powerful card rather than a cross-fired set. True? In general will two cross-fired cards greatly out-perform a single powerful card? What is a good, powerful, modern graphics setup I should use for this PC.

Will integrated graphics on mobo affect adding a graphics card?

Comments:
The cost right now is rather high so I will be looking at turning it down a bit. I think I like my processor choice (unless someone can convince me i7 is a far better choice), RAM, and case but everything else is open for replacement.

The PC is so I will have something I can upgrade in the future rather than all the Dells, Gateways, etc. I’ve always used which have a non-replenishable life. The PC will be mostly for World of Warcraft and multitasking right now, which I know it is probably overkill, but I want to have something that is ready for anything that might come at me in the future.

Thank you in advance to everyone who has the time to help out and make suggestions.

 

You're in the right place, welcome.

You've got a beast of a build going here. I see nothing wrong compatibility-wise. You've clearly done your homework. I would make a few different choices though.

Memory - save some money. 8GB is plenty.
MB - I would go with a full ATX MB that has on board audio, and doesn't have on board video.
Aftermarket CPU cooler - I don't really think it's necessary, but it can't hurt.
Power supply - Perfect
Graphics card - Perfect.
Will integrated graphics on mobo affect adding a graphics card? - No.

 

Thank you very much for your input abekl.

Your motherboard suggestion is excellent because I can avoid the redundant integrated graphics and also avoid a sound card by integrating that into it. I don’t know a lot about motherboards but my criteria for them isn’t much. Reliability is the main thing. Other than that all I need is an AMD board supports my DDR3 1600MHz RAM and has USB 3.0 slots.

I had a quick look and came across this:
MSI 890FXA-GD70 Motherboard - AMD 890FX, Socket AM3, ATX, DDR3, RAID, SATA 6.0GB/s, USB 3.0
( http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6089047&CatId=5541 )

The only thing that worries me here (and also shows up on the other boards I looked at) is that the 1600MHz support says overclocking beside it. Why would this be? I am worried it might mean that it supports lesser RAM such as 1333 that are O-C’d up to 1600MHz.

The 16GB of RAM is definately a lot and I might reduce this to a lesser amount. I only picked it because it was the boards maximum capacity but this system is supposed to be upgradable so I might wait on it.

I might wait on the overclocking of the CPU, GPU, and RAM so I might also wait on the radiator if it isn't necessarry.

Again, thank you very much for your contribution abekl.

 

I'll ditto all of the above, especially for a full sized motherboard as you may want to add a second video card in the future.

As to the cooler, are you going to overclock your CPU? If yes, then I'd go with the H-50(I love mine!). It makes for a very clean look.

This build should last you a good long time!:drool BTW, you may want to check out NCIX.com to compare prices as I find them cheaper than TD, esp. if you live in Quebec, no QST. Have fun!

 

Nice Build!

The only minor change I'd make is going to an ASUS or Pioneer DVD drive (I've found them to be far more reliable than Lite-On).

If you do any CD/DVD copying you might want to install two: direct-to-disc copying is much faster than copying to the hard drive then back to disc.

 

I agree about the Pioneer drive. I own them exclusively because they just never seem to fail.

Regarding price comparison, you should also check out newegg.ca.

 

Thank you very much augiedoggie, gman863, and (again) abekl for the input.

The CD/DVD drive I selected was really just the first cheap thing I saw that could read and write DVDs and CDs. Didn't really care about this component as long as it did that (dont care about Blue Ray right now) but I'll always welcome a suggestion to a reliable brand such as you have presented.

I'll give newegg.ca and ncix.com a look over come checkout time, thanks for the suggestions.
_________________________________________________________________

Now I just need to figure out a motherboard option. As I mentioned before I am thrown off by 1600MHz compatibility because of the overclock beside it. Does anyone know why this is?

I am referring to this:
MSI 890FXA-GD70 Motherboard - AMD 890FX, Socket AM3, ATX, DDR3, RAID, SATA 6.0GB/s, USB 3.0
( http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...047&CatId=5541 )

If you look at the compatibility it indicates something about overclocking beside 1600MHz which is making me uneasy, all the other boards have this too.

 

I posted a broken link in my last message, I meant to have posted:
MSI 890FXA-GD70 Motherboard - AMD 890FX, Socket AM3, ATX, DDR3, RAID, SATA 6.0GB/s, USB 3.0
( http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6089047&CatId=5541 )

I apologise for the double post, I can't seem to find an edit option.

 

That motherboard seems like a fine choice. Regarding the 1600 Mhz memory and overclocking, that's nothing to worry about. It just means that if you get memory that fast, you'll have to manually set the memory speed in the system's BIOS, which is very easy to do. If course, you can always leave the memory speed in the BIOS at the default also, you just won't take advantage of the higher speed the memory has to offer.

 

The only thing I'll add is to read the consumer reviews on Newegg carefully (not just the overall rating).

* You'll see what (if any) glitches or issues people have had with a specific motherboard.

* On memory, you'll often spot red flags on compatibility issues. Certain brands/models of memory may not work well with AMD processors or certain boards - user reviews may help you spot such issues and save you time and headaches.

* If in doubt, stick with products that have a high number of good reviews. I normally don't like being the first to try a new piece of hardware (esp. motherboards). The chance of glitches in the BIOS (= Blue Screens of Death) are a bit higher.

 

More sound advice, gman863, thank you. I was going more by ratings and reading reviews than anything else anyway but after reading your post I went back to the mobo I was looking at. On the first page everything looks good but I went back further and found a lot of scary reviews. After readying "fails when 4x RAM slots are filled because it was tested with one stick" I knew I wouldn't touch that mobo. Thus, I am still looking, but I still have options.

Now, though, I am questioning whether or not AMD is the way to go. This PC is supposed to my upgrade-for-life system so I don't know if I should go AMD or Intel. I've always wanted to try out an i7; for them to go unsurpassed for this long, with the way computer technology goes, means they are definitely revolutionary for processors. The only thing I can find wrong with them is that they're still expensive to upgrade too (but with a brand new machine this won’t matter as much) and I am reading mixed things about what takes advantage of their technology and utilizes is; which doesn't seem like much.

Anyone have any AMD vs Intel advice for someone into general gaming?

 

Thanks for the props. :cool

Good catch on drilling down into specific user reviews. Doing so often helps you discover "whammies" that could wreck havoc on your dream build.

Both AMD and Intel are excellent quality. The best way of deciding which to get is researching their performance on the specific software, games and apps you plan on running. Tom's Hardware offers detailed benchmark scores on CPU and Video Card (GPU) performance for a variety of apps:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/processors,6.html

On the issue of CPU upgrades, my vote goes to AMD. Since they offer only one socket type (AM3), you could start cheap with a X2 Dual Core Black Edition (<$100) and jump to a six-core later on when the budget permits.

Although I don't play with overclocking (and don't recommend it unless you're sure of what you're doing), I have heard from my gaming geek friends that AMD (especially Black Edition) CPUs are easier to overclock and keep stable.

Finally - although it's possible to build an upgradeable PC that will give you years of good service - the "PC for life" thing is unlikely (I bought my first PC in 1988; every subsequent one came with the thought of, "Ouch! Given what I just spent, this is it - forever!" :-D ). Being older and wiser now, this is why I now build to a level I'll really use, leave room for upgrades and resign myself to the fact of a new build every 4-5 years.

Again, good luck - let us know what you decide on.

 

Certainly very easy to overclock and unlock with the right motherboard - 3.2GHZ dual core up to 4.0GHZ quad core in about 5 minutes and 3 reboots, if my last attempt is anything to go by.

 

System-for-life was an exaggeration on my part; basically I was trying to say I wanted to build something that would last a long time which essentially translates into I want a system with a new generation motherboard and a processor brand that won’t come out a month later with some new technology that needs a different socket.
Like when the i7 came out it was, "The i7 is absolutely amazing... after you every grade every aspect of your computer to be able to use it!" It was basically a forced transition into dropping your old system and starting again. So someone who just built a brand new system at that time was screwed.
The case I am getting will be more or less permanent, RAM and GPU will be the main upgradeable aspects of the machine, so I just need mobo + cpu setup that will won’t be succeeded in a week.

Thanks again for all the advice, I almost have my system nailed down.

 

Totally agree with AMD comment, even the yet to be released 8-core should work with the AM3 socket. It's really too bad that Intel doesn't do that. I have an i7 and a Sandy Bridge, both different sockets and the next one will be different also. I think I;ll go back to AMD too, it's just too expensive.

 

Yeah, I'm also waiting for an upgrade. Unfortunately, I have to wait till 4th quarter before I can upgrade. Hate to lose my ram with going to sandy bridge now. I just need to know if the new boards will support 24+ gig of ram or not. I'm still debating on going to 24 now. Yes, I need that since I do a lot of vmware testing.

I have the corsair h50, and I love it. Though, they also have the h60 and h70 (I think).

 

Out of curiosity I did a power search on Newegg. It appears there are a few AM3 and plenty of 1155 boards that max out at 32GB (4x8GB).

If money is absolutely no object and you want to go f:***g nuts, here's a dual-CPU Xeon 1366 that supports up to 48GB:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188070

 

Yeah, I'm not going the xeon route. I've read there are some servers coming out that supports 2 TB of ram. Hate to see how long that boots up.

We have a couple servers at work [(dual intel x6 cpus with 196 Gigs of ram) for our vdi desktops] take 15 mins to boot. Ram checking takes for ever. heh

But, I'll just wait for the new cpu/boards at the 4th quarter.