Casue suggestions & build opinion

h11 · 10-21-2009, 07:42 AM

Currently looking at the following build;

Case fan: Akasa 120mm

PSU: OCZ StealthXStream 700W

Motherboard: Asus P6T

CPU: i7 920 D0 OEM

CPU cooler: Titan Fenrir

Thermal paste: Arctic Cooling MX-2

RAM: Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600 Triple Channel

Video cards: 2x Sapphire HD5870 1GB

HDD: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB SATAII 7200RPM 16MB Cache

ODD: Samsung SH-S223B SATA DVD Burner

Firstly, what are your opinions on this build?

Secondly, does anybody have any ideas for cases? I was looking at the NZXT Apollo but I've seen somebody say that the Crossfire setup might now fit in that case?

Phædrus2401 · 10-21-2009, 12:25 PM

An OCZ 700W will not run two HD 5870s. It should run one HD 5870s. It might *turn on* with two 5870s, but would not be stable. If you want two 5870s you should be looking at power supplies like this:

Corsair TX950W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ory-_-17139013
Corsair HX1000W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Corsair%201000
Thermaltake Toughpower 1000W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...hpower%201000W

Also be aware that having two Radeon 5870s in one computer is pointless unless you have a 27" monitor and are playing brand new games with all settings maxed with x16 AA and AF.

Core i7, despite the hype, is not good for gaming. It's a workstation CPU and only performs mildly better in games than a Core i5.

As you can see, the Core i7 920 only got 2fps more than the i5 750, and the i7 965 (a $1000 CPU last time I checked) only got 4fps more. i5 is the bigger bang for the buck, and triple channel DDR3 RAM is still very buggy, so you'd be better off with a configuration like this:

Motherboard:
Asus P7P55D Intel P55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131404
$149.99

CPU
Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115215
$199.99

RAM:
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600 CL9 1.65V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145260
$80.99

Hitachi hard drives are unreliable, go for a Western Digital Caviar Black drive, they're faster (almost as fast as a Raptor drive, and much cheaper), have a lower failure rate, a 5 year warranty, and are only a little bit more expensive.

Sorry, I *just* noticed that you're in the UK. I don't have the time to hunt down the parts on ebuyer, but hopefully I've been of some help.

10-21-2009, 07:42 AM	#1 (permalink)
h11 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 23 OS: XP	Casue suggestions & build opinion Currently looking at the following build; Case fan: Akasa 120mm PSU: OCZ StealthXStream 700W Motherboard: Asus P6T CPU: i7 920 D0 OEM CPU cooler: Titan Fenrir Thermal paste: Arctic Cooling MX-2 RAM: Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600 Triple Channel Video cards: 2x Sapphire HD5870 1GB HDD: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB SATAII 7200RPM 16MB Cache ODD: Samsung SH-S223B SATA DVD Burner Firstly, what are your opinions on this build? Secondly, does anybody have any ideas for cases? I was looking at the NZXT Apollo but I've seen somebody say that the Crossfire setup might now fit in that case?

10-21-2009, 12:25 PM	#2 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,915 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: Casue suggestions & build opinion An OCZ 700W will not run two HD 5870s. It should run one HD 5870s. It might turn on with two 5870s, but would not be stable. If you want two 5870s you should be looking at power supplies like this: Corsair TX950W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ory-_-17139013 Corsair HX1000W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Corsair%201000 Thermaltake Toughpower 1000W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...hpower%201000W Also be aware that having two Radeon 5870s in one computer is pointless unless you have a 27" monitor and are playing brand new games with all settings maxed with x16 AA and AF. Core i7, despite the hype, is not good for gaming. It's a workstation CPU and only performs mildly better in games than a Core i5. As you can see, the Core i7 920 only got 2fps more than the i5 750, and the i7 965 (a $1000 CPU last time I checked) only got 4fps more. i5 is the bigger bang for the buck, and triple channel DDR3 RAM is still very buggy, so you'd be better off with a configuration like this: Motherboard: Asus P7P55D Intel P55 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131404 $149.99 CPU Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115215 $199.99 RAM: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600 CL9 1.65V http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145260 $80.99 Hitachi hard drives are unreliable, go for a Western Digital Caviar Black drive, they're faster (almost as fast as a Raptor drive, and much cheaper), have a lower failure rate, a 5 year warranty, and are only a little bit more expensive. Sorry, I just noticed that you're in the UK. I don't have the time to hunt down the parts on ebuyer, but hopefully I've been of some help. __________________ Good PSU brands: Corsair, SeaSonic, CWT, PC Power and Cooling, Thermaltake Toughpower, CoolerMaster Real Power Pro On 80+ Certification - PSU Information and Selection - Power Supply Myths You don't get what you don't pay for.