New PC build

[LearjetMinako]

Sorry, I'm just so excited that I am finally getting to building me new PC. I have been shopping and price watching since the the beginning of this year. And it was the right time to buy everything with the rebates and instant saving offered. I'm just waiting on the PC case to arrive Monday so I can start putting it together. It won't be my first, nor my last. And it was long over due for me since my PC I built in 2006, I've out grown and went beyond what it can handle.

PC build items:
Zalman MS1000-HS1 ATX Mid-Tower Case
Zalman ZM850-HP 850W PSU
Zalman CNPS10X 120mm CPU Cooler
EVGA E758-A1 3-way SLI LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Motherboard
Intel Core i7-930 2.8Ghz LGA 1366 4x core CPU
Corsair XMS3 6GB DDR3 tri-channel memory kit
Western Digital SiliconEdge Blue 128GB SSD

Items that are going to salvaged from my old system:
3x Seagate 1TB HDD
EVGA 9800GT Video Card
Creative Labs X-Fi 5.1 Sound Card
ATI 550 theater TV Tuner
12x DVD Reader
12x/x/x DVD Burner
ASUS 23" HD LCD (1080P)
Logitech 5.1 Sound System (500W)

Future items to be added:
EVGA GTX480 Video Card
3x more Seagate 1TB HDD (add as needed)
Zalman modual bay for the 3x additional HDD

 

[Scotty J.]

You're going to like that i7 proc, I'm running a i5 in my gaming system and love it.

BTW, what OS are you going to be running? You'll need 64 bit Winderz 7 to see all that RAM.

 

[LearjetMinako]

You're going to like that i7 proc, I'm running a i5 in my gaming system and love it.

BTW, what OS are you going to be running? You'll need 64 bit Winderz 7 to see all that RAM.

I will be running Vista 64-bit. One of my future upgrades is Win7 64. But I'm gonna use what I have for now. Also the Vista 64 is retail version, so none of that you can load it on one PC only deal. I planned that part 2 years early.

 

[Jaymz9350]

I will be running Vista 64-bit. One of my future upgrades is Win7 64. But I'm gonna use what I have for now. Also the Vista 64 is retail version, so none of that you can load it on one PC only deal. I planned that part 2 years early.

On a machine like that Vista will run fine (I'm one of the few you'll find who actually like VIsta). And OEM OS's can go on more than one PC, just call MS to activate, my vista is on it's 2nd full PC (3rd if you go my motherboard) and my XP is on it's 5th or so.

And that will be a mighty fine system, especially after the GPU upgrade, though surprisingly the 9800GT's (same as the 8800GT's) still hold their own very well.

 

[LearjetMinako]

On a machine like that Vista will run fine (I'm one of the few you'll find who actually like VIsta). And OEM OS's can go on more than one PC, just call MS to activate, my vista is on it's 2nd full PC (3rd if you go my motherboard) and my XP is on it's 5th or so.

And that will be a mighty fine system, especially after the GPU upgrade, though surprisingly the 9800GT's (same as the 8800GT's) still hold their own very well.

Orginally, I was planning on using my 8800GT video card. But that ended up frying on me during my final exam's for Trigonometery. So the 9800GT was the emergency fix to get my PC back up for the finals. My old PC is limited to a single slot space for a video card.

I tried calling MS on re-activating an OEM OS for a new PC. They wouldn't allow it. If the PC shipped with the OS and re-install CD, then that OS can only be re-installed on that PC, no other. Thats why I choose the retail version, because of that response back then. A plus side of that too, it included both 32 & 64 bit version. The 32 bit version works best on my old system and the 64 bit version will work best on my new system.

Either how, I don't build or buy new PC's every year. I build them as I need them. This one lasted me from 2006~2010. The one before that lasted me from 1999~2006. And the one before that one lasted me from 1993~1999. So on average, I build a new one every 5 years.

 

[michowski]

Id highly recommend tuniq tx-3 thermal paste. It will drop your cpu temp a few degree's over everything else out there. Also if you plan on gaming that video card isnt gonna be up for the challenge. Right now its the bottle neck in your system. Other then that, looks like a nice simple build.

 

[Jaymz9350]

I tried calling MS on re-activating an OEM OS for a new PC. They wouldn't allow it. If the PC shipped with the OS and re-install CD, then that OS can only be re-installed on that PC, no other. Thats why I choose the retail version, because of that response back then. A plus side of that too, it included both 32 & 64 bit version. The 32 bit version works best on my old system and the 64 bit version will work best on my new system.

I'm not sure about using an OEM that shipped with a pre-built but an OEM version you purchase at say newegg will work, regardless of what they say, the people you call to activeat will just ask how many pc's it's on, you say 1 and they activate it.

Id highly recommend tuniq tx-3 thermal paste. It will drop your cpu temp a few degree's over everything else out there. Also if you plan on gaming that video card isnt gonna be up for the challenge. Right now its the bottle neck in your system. Other then that, looks like a nice simple build.

While that card isn't the best it is still up for the challenge of gaming even today. I used an 8800GT up till a few months ago and managed to play every game I tried (aside from Crysis but that's another story) at 1680 x 1050 with pretty much all settings maxed with at least 2x AA at decent FPS.

 

[michowski]

I'm not sure about using an OEM that shipped with a pre-built but an OEM version you purchase at say newegg will work, regardless of what they say, the people you call to activeat will just ask how many pc's it's on, you say 1 and they activate it.


While that card isn't the best it is still up for the challenge of gaming even today. I used an 8800GT up till a few months ago and managed to play every game I tried (aside from Crysis but that's another story) at 1680 x 1050 with pretty much all settings maxed with at least 2x AA at decent FPS.

Yes but it can barely even do l4d at medium settings without it lagging a bunch. Thats a cpu intensive game more so then gpu. Its an ok card to use if you use it like he did which is a back up or just a internet browsing rig but its far from a gaming card. Altho if you put them in sli that helps a TON. Trust me I know, 2 guys I game with online did the exact some thing. They were cheap, bought one and it didnt improve there game like they expected. Bought a 2nd one and it made it playable without an urgent need to upgrade to better right away. I call it a ok that to get you by untill you can get something good. He also never stated he is a big gamer or anything but I was just throwing out my knowledge incase he was a gamer.

 

[michowski]

Lear, pm sent.

 

[Scotty J.]

Yes but it can barely even do l4d at medium settings without it lagging a bunch. Thats a cpu intensive game more so then gpu.

Huh??? Unless I missed something here, this information is incorrect.

I run a 9800gt (1gig) and L4D runs fine on my system, stupid game, but it runs smooth. COD 3, 4 and 5 run flawless with that card as does Flight Simulator X and Rainbow Six Vegas 2.

I'm running mine into a 50" plasma tv at max settings. Absolutely smooth and no framing or lag at all.

 

[michowski]

Huh??? Unless I missed something here, this information is incorrect.

I run a 9800gt (1gig) and L4D runs fine on my system, stupid game, but it runs smooth. COD 3, 4 and 5 run flawless with that card as does Flight Simulator X and Rainbow Six Vegas 2.

I'm running mine into a 50" plasma tv at max settings. Absolutely smooth and no framing or lag at all.

Must be a low resolution then.

 

[LearjetMinako]

The 9800GT will do fine by me for a few months. Most of what I do, requires more CPU power to decode and massive storage for archiving. The GPU hardly does any work except display whats been decoded. I play more on the PS3 for gaming. The PC is used for internet, mail, HD video decoding, and maybe the MS FlightSim.

As far as thermal paste goes. I'm just gonna use whats included with the Zalman heatsink. I have used their heatsinks before with their thermal paste, never been disappointed. The heatsink that Intel provided with their i7 CPU is rather basic. Just gonna be used as another paper weight.

 

[Scotty J.]

Must be a low resolution then.

Yeah, that must be it

 

[Jaymz9350]

Yes but it can barely even do l4d at medium settings without it lagging a bunch. Thats a cpu intensive game more so then gpu. Its an ok card to use if you use it like he did which is a back up or just a internet browsing rig but its far from a gaming card. Altho if you put them in sli that helps a TON. Trust me I know, 2 guys I game with online did the exact some thing. They were cheap, bought one and it didnt improve there game like they expected. Bought a 2nd one and it made it playable without an urgent need to upgrade to better right away. I call it a ok that to get you by untill you can get something good. He also never stated he is a big gamer or anything but I was just throwing out my knowledge incase he was a gamer.

That's funny, I ran Left 4 Dead just fine maxed on it.


At Lear, That card will do you just fine, in fact if your not a gamer unless you use anything that takes advantage of CUDA then anything more would be a waste.

 

[michowski]

Like I said before, there probly not high resolutions. Im talking about 1920x1200 +. Also l4d does have a fantastic anti lag system built into it. You can still play at low fps like 30. What size moniters and res you guys running? Im assumming all digital connections right?