The Official PC building thread -3rd Edition

Oman7,
You don't have an old AMD cooler laying around. Unless you can mount a 60mm right on the heatsink, I doubt if it can ever move enough air with one to do any good. The fans that come with the Sempron, Athlon, Athlon IIx2 and x4s move a great deal of air, and they are all 70x70x15mm, and move some serious air quietly. The fan that comes with the 4 piper for the higher end chips are too wide as they are 70x70x20mm. You mention your Brother had a 5200+ Brisbane. See if he still has the cooler for it. Same fan on all of them.

Russ

 

The HTPC is mine, I loaned it to him. It employs a 5200 athlon x 2. His main PC utilizes exactly the same processor, in the 790GP-DS4H. Both processors are utilizing the stock fans/heatsinks. I have no spares I realize you offered me one of yours, but I'm sure I can come up with something. I like being creative every now and again

 

Oman7,
I have to go to the post office Thursday or Friday to ship something to a Friend in Texas. Thanks to the long Holiday weekend, that check for my friend's build from Massachusetts doesn't clear until today. I just double checked and I have 3, so pop me your address to my email, and I'll send it out at the same time.

Best Regards,
Russ

 

I assume by 850GT you mean X850XT? That was a top-end gaming card in its day, doesn't seem like thje sort of thing you would have gone with. I don't know what an 800GTS is either :S
As I think I explained before, the CPU has no direct link to graphics detail, but it could have indirect effects. If the game automatically adjusts settings, and for whatever crazy reason turns the graphics up higher if you have a better CPU, that could obviously cause it. It could simply be that the model count is increased in strategy games though, as that will be CPU related.

The coolers for the old Athlon XPs, at least the ones system builders used [not the same as the OEM coolers it would seem] used 60mm fans direct to the heatsink. Granted, the heatsinks barely did the job, but then so did any cooler on those chips thanks to the lack of a heatspreader. Those things were quite loud at 5000rpm though, especially since this was the days before fan control.

 

You are right! The X800XTS (it was about 5 years ago) was a limited edition model, right at the end of the run for the X850XT. It essentially was the X850XT with only 12 pipes working. I got the other 4 pipes activated and turned it into an X850XT. I bought it knowing that it was likely that I could successfully activate the pipes. It also had a newer cooler running GPU chip (G92, I think) than the older models, the same as the last X850XT had. I used it until I built the E4300 and bought the XFX 7600GT. Russell used it for about a year and then when I put Oxi-1 together, I sold it to a Kid I know, who needed one. Still working!

I was meaning current chips for the coolers. All AMD simple coolers today have a 70x70x15mm, 9 bladed 3200 rpm fans that are very quiet when used for my fan mod, as there's no back pressure at all. They started using 70mm fans around the time of socket 754. They had that Holographic AMD on the fan hub, that stood still! It works very well for me cooling the chipset, and since the nearest thing for the air to hit is about 4 inches away, it makes almost no noise at all. It's hard to hear with the side cover off. I have the alarm set for it, in case it quits, because you would never hear it stop! ball bearing too, so it's very durable. It's surprisingly very vibration free too, given it's 3200 rpm. Does a real good job of cooling the chipset on mine.

Russ

 

ATI never used the letter S in a brand extension, you might be thinking of the X800XT Platinum Edition, but that was a flagship product, not a cut-down of something superior.
There was the XT Platinum, XT, Pro, GTO and GT in ATI's lineup back then, GT/GTO being a getback at nvidia for using XT. Thankfully that confusing tradeoff soon ended, ironically nvidia's side first - not like them to consolidate product lines.

 

well its been awhile for me and a post, might be awhile for another..lol
so i just sold my RC690 rig with my E8400 in it.. my first build to be exact. im gonna miss that bad ass. so here is what im gonna shoot for next to replace my HAF922 rig with the Q9550 in it. it wont be a done deal until after the first of the year but i am buying parts when i can. most likely i will be buying the PSU first, as that is about the only thing that dont change drasticly in price and typically there isnt muchgoing on with a PSU like most other parts. bigger and better. with that said this is what im shooting for.


COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Model #:RC-932-KKN1-GP
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160
$159.98 -$20.00 Instant $139.98

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard w/ USB 3.0 & SATA 6 Gb/s
Model #:GA-P55A-UD4P not to sure about this board.???
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128409
$184.99 $184.99

HIS IceQ 5 H577QT1GD Radeon HD 5770 Turbo 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161333
$192.99 -$10.00 Instant $182.99

CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Model #:CMPSU-850HX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011
$189.99 -$20.00 Instant $169.99

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I5750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
$199.99 -$5.00 Instant $194.99 i can get this at microcenter for $169

Mushkin Enhanced Redline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 996746
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226076
$147.99 $147.99

WD SiliconEdge Blue SSC-D0064SC-2100 2.5" 64GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - OEM
Model #:SSC-D0064SC-2100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820250001
$134.99 $134.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:WD1001FALS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
$89.99 $89.99

LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS-324-98
Model #:iHAS-324-98 X2
$25.99 $51.98

Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM
Model #:AD-7260S-0B
$24.99 $24.99

CoolIT SYSTEMS ECO-R120 Advanced Liquid Cooling (ALC)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835227006
$68.99 $68.99
Subtotal: $1,396.87


while looking i found the newest CM case... pretty nice but not as wide as its previous version.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119225

 

Sam,
This was a Sapphire, and it was an X800GTO! I just didn't remember it until I saw this post and the GTO popped right out at me. Hell, we're talking about 5 years ago or more. I'm also more familiar with nVidia, than I am with Ati. The last ones were all X850GTs, with 4 pipes disabled, at Fire sale prices. I think I paid $85 for it with a $20 MIR from Sapphire. The X850GT was going for about $129, on sale at the time, if I remember rightly. Mine performed dead even with the X850GT, and I even overclocked it! Great card for it's day!

Russ

 

Yeah that was a great generation for ATI, nvidia were still recovering from the embarassment
that was the Geforce FX. The 7 series is where things got interesting.
Rob: All looks good, but why the 850W PSU? Sirely a 650 or 750 would have enough connectors?

 

your 100% right Sam but the 850 is only $10 more than the 750 so why not...lol tbh the 650 would be enough as it is in my system now. but once again the price difference in them right now is so small why not get the bigger one.

whats your thought on the GPU? i know when i go to buy one within the next 3-6 months there will be something different and prolly better, im just trying to get ideas on parts like that and the mobo. i know the I5 and the PSU's arent gonna change within that time but everything else is always changing weekly.

 

I agree with Sam on the PSU. That is a much much less power hungry system than my own and I run fine with a 620HX. I think my only hitch would be the number of SATA connectors if I should ever add more drives, but Corsair will send them to you if you contact their customer support. My 620 only came with a single PCI-e 6/8 pin lead and I needed a second for my second 4870. Corsair were more than happy to send me one for the shipping cost

Also I can actually argue against the HAF X. It has smaller fans than the regular HAF and is less configurable. Unlike the HAF 932, there is no real way to mount 4 120mm fans to replace the 230s. Many people I know bought the HAF with exactly this intention. The build quality is a bit nicer, but overall the HAF 932 is a better designed case.

Also, the GPU is fine, but there are many faster cards for not much more. As of right now, it will probably do you fine, but for any sort of hard gaming get the fastest card your budget will allow. I'd say save money and get a lower wattage PSU so more can be spent on a video card. Realistically, a good quality 500W could run that system absolutely problem-free.

 

well i stand corrected. the prices on those PSUs have changed big time from lastnight when i looked.lol from the 650 up to the 850 is $50 now. so i guess i will be getting the 650hx again..


tbh i dont like the new 942 it isnt as wide as the 932 or my 922 its just barely wider than the RC690 i will be sticking with the 932, but the black editon. which dont have the side 230mm fan just clear window panel
heres a link to the 2 versions of the 932...not to sure i like the black editon or not??
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...19-230^11-119-230-TS,11-119-160^11-119-160-TS

 

Sam,
I haven't owned an Ati since, so I figured it was time. i remember asking on the thread about buying the X800GTO, and I think it was Soph who set me wise to the deal with the extra 4 pipes, and advised me to buy it. I think he had an X850GT at the time. I just put my Newegg order on the card, so I'll have a busy weekend coming up. Lots of work to do! LOL!!

On a happy note, I'm off to the Doctors in a little while. Strange things have been happening to me this week, and I'm dying to find out what it all means, and what they think! More later. Wish me luck!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

I'm currently running the AMD Edition which is a red 932 with the side window and some AMD logos. I'd highly recommend the original version with the sidefan as that basically is what makes the cooling awesome. Sure the side window version will still cool very well, but the one with the 230mm fan will be much better than everything else.

 

Didn't spot the HAF X, yeah, the X is nowhere near as good as the original 932. Also, how many cables do you actually need? That system will actually run off a 400W CX, it just dependson how many ODDs/HDDs you need. From an enthusiasts' perspective, the graphics market is still volatile with the HD6 series looming on the horizon. However, the HD6 cards won't be a quantum leap like the 4 and 5 were so I don't forsee much of a shakeup in the midrange sector.

Not seen the Black edition HAF (The normal one's already black! lol) but if it's like the AMD red version, it does away with most of the cooling for the sake of style, in my mind defeating the point of the case. Your decision of course

Good luck at the doc's Russ!

 

@ Sam

whats your thought on this Card here for CincyRob?
I remember you recommend the same model for me but it was the HIS and it's still working flawless Thanks

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447

 

when you say faster card do you mean core clock speed or the Stream Processing?
the fastest core clock i cna find is 875???

 

Looks fine, if that's a cheap deal then go for it.

Rob: What he means by something faster is a faster card than the 5770, for example a 5830.

 

gl at the docs hopefully he has some good news

 

Yeah definitely good luck with that Russ. I never did like visiting the doctor. It always seems I come out with more problems than I went in with XD

Exactly. The 5770 is no doubt a quite decent card, but there are much better cards out for a comparable or slightly higher price. The 5830, for example, is about 15-20% faster and similarly priced(assuming the 5830 is slightly faster than a 4890 and the 5770 is slightly slower or similar to a 4870). If you can swing it, a 5850 would be the best one to get but those are still pretty expensive :S

Again, this is assuming you drop a bit and get a cheaper PSU, thus freeing up more budget for a video card.