Adrian DX Posted March 13, 2010 Posted March 13, 2010 (edited) Hey everyone! It's been over 5 years since I last built my computer (which crashed big time a year ago or so) and I recently started working a computer store, so I got inspired to build me a new computer. Problem is, I haven't been following hardware ever since I built my old computer. So basically, I've narrowed down some stuff I want to put in it, but I'm having trouble deciding my motherboard (mobo). So it's either between the GA-P55A-UD series (either UD4, 5 or 6) (Socket 1156). Or the GA-X58A-UD3R (Socket 1336) I was pretty set on going with the UD5, but then I realized it's only got 4 RAM slots, and to secure myself for the future I want 6. And that meant having to go with the UD6, which I think is a bit too much of a monster board with a bit too much stuff I'll never need (like two RJ45 ports, wth?!) But what I'm really wondering is, should I go with socket 1156 or 1336? I mean I just discovered the X58A-UDR3R under 10 minutes ago and it seems to be perfect for me, and it's a lot cheaper than the P55A-UD6. But I'm still uncertain if there are any pro's and con's with the different sockets that I might not be aware of. Oh and here's a quick idea of my planned setup in case anyone's wondering: Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD6 Intel Core i7-860 2860MHz LGA1156 8M or GA-X58A-UDR3R Intel Core I7-930 2800MHZ And the other stuff: Kingston HyperX 6GB DDR3 Kit Nexus RX-6300 Samsung HD103UJ And if my economy allows it, I'll throw in a Intel X25-M SSD drive. I've already got the casing from my prev. PC wich I think should be good enough for a while. And I'm hoping that the stock cooling for the i7-860 will be good enough for a while. I'll just have to live with the noise. Oh! almost forgot. When it comes to those yellow USB ports on the gigabyte mobo's, do they transfer data aswell? or are they just there to power eSATA drives or something? I'm really unsure of how eSATA actually works. And I haven't been looking into the issue of graphics cards yet. I have no idea when it comes to Radeon numbers, so comparing to GeForce is tricky to me. I'll prolly end up with the GTX275 or something around those numbers. Edited March 13, 2010 by Adrian DX
Nolan Posted March 13, 2010 Posted March 13, 2010 Intel is supporting both sockets for the foreseeable future. Socket 1366 is the highend market (core i7 i9), and also has Triple Channel RAM/Memory Controllers. Socket 1156 is the low-mainstream market (Core i3, i5, i7) and Dual Channel RAM. The northbridge has also been moved onto the processor. On 1156 only the i7's support hyperthreading. The i3's and i5's (6xx series) Pentiums, and Celerons also have graphics integrated in the CPU. The i7's and i5's (7xx series). Only certain motherboards will support those graphics, but all 1156 motherboards will accept the different CPUs. The IGP is reputedly as good as an ATI/Nvidia IGP, so better than Intels usual stuff. I'd type more, but I'm forced to surrender my bed room to my nephew. I'll have plenty to say on GPUs as well, and the comparing the numbers of the cards isn't the way to go.
Adrian DX Posted March 13, 2010 Author Posted March 13, 2010 Thanks! Hope you'll return with more info whenever you can =P I've been looking over some GPU's as I realized I actually NEED a GPU from scratch (lol @ me failing to realize the GA mobo's don't have GPU's built-in xP) I'm considering getting a Gigabyte Radeon HD4350 just to have any GPU untill I decide to get a more powerful and perhaps gaming suited GPU. And of those "real" GPU's I'm considering ASUS GF GTX275 or ASUS GF GTX285 Problem is, I really don't have ANY idea of what kind of games I'll be playing.. Or if I'll be playing games at all. PC games really lost me with BF2's release. And as you might know it's been a few years since that released =P (I mean are there even any good PC exclusive games out there any more?!) (*prepares for some kind of flaming*) Oh and a quick question that I've been pondering... How GPU dependent is video editing? Like will having a stronger GPU make any difference for rendering speed in Adobe Premiere? Thanks again
Nolan Posted March 13, 2010 Posted March 13, 2010 Now, I don't know the prices of what you're looking at but if they're similar to my region. The ATI 5830 is approximately the same price as a GTX275 with very similar performance, along with DX 11 and lower power consumption. The same can be said about the 5850 vs. the GTX285. Those two are my recommendations. I don't really know much about Video Editing and Rendering, but I believe it's very CPU dependant, with the GPU being secondary but still important. PC games to check out, The Witcher which is one of the best RPGs in recent years. Dawn of War 2 is a fantastic RTS along with Company of Heroes. There are other gmaes that just play better on PC as well.
Ten10 Posted March 13, 2010 Posted March 13, 2010 I would say go for the 4670. It is a good all rounder. I've got it in my machine and it performs. I've played Crysis, Crysis warhead, Orange box, Unreal tournament 3, Mass effect, Far cry 2 and Bioshock with everything near enough set to high. As for your real graphics card I would follow Nolan's (almost said leetpants) advice. Also correct on the video editing front. Personally I wouldn't say now is the best time to build a new pc. Falling pound has pushed prices way up. Take for example OCZ gold edition ram. Bought middle of 09 for £40 now £90 from the same retailer. But if you have the cash to burn then go for it.
McPhee Posted March 13, 2010 Posted March 13, 2010 If you plan on playing a lot of games and want them running at maximum on high resolution displays (or multiple monitors) then get an ATi 5850 (£200-£220). It's slightly more powerful and slightly cheaper than the GTX285 while having lower power requirements and producing less heat. It also packs DirectX 11 and Eyefinity (multi-monitor) support. Seems like a no-brainer unless you want to buy in to 3D Vision. If your gaming requirements will be lower then the 5770 or GTX250 are both pretty good purchases. To put it in perspective, I'm running a less powerful card than both of those and yet I can max out all of my games on my 19" monitor and it even makes a good go of things on my 1080p TV. Tom's Hardware rate the 5770 as the best purchase at both $145 and $165 (USD) price marks, and as being a good purchase for resolutions of 1080p and below. Certainly a more sensible purchase for someone just looking to dabble in PC gaming. I'd lean towards the ATi card again, it's newer tech and more likely to hold value. Personally I wouldn't say now is the best time to build a new pc. Falling pound has pushed prices way up. Take for example OCZ gold edition ram. Bought middle of 09 for £40 now £90 from the same retailer. It's not the falling pound that's caused that. The price of flash chips in general has flown through the roof. RAM, SSDs and flash memory are now expensive no matter what currency you trade in, all down to a sudden surge in demand from the mobile sector (cheers Apple, your iPad is costing us money before it's even on sale! ). You're right though, prices will come back down again. The lack of value in the pound is what's caused stagnant prices elsewhere in the market though. Intel's i7 920, for example, is exactly the same price as it was last year. Same with most components, though case prices have increased again.
Nolan Posted March 13, 2010 Posted March 13, 2010 As for your real graphics card I would follow Nolan's (almost said leetpants) advice. Also correct on the video editing front. It's okay, I'd forgive you.
Shorty Posted March 14, 2010 Posted March 14, 2010 I recently bought a 5770 and have been very impressed with it so far, although had to make some minor fan speed tweaks as an issue it was having with idling.
Adrian DX Posted June 21, 2010 Author Posted June 21, 2010 In case anyone's wondering, I ended up with this setup and I'm really happy with it: GA-X58A-UD7 Intel i7-930 Gigabyte Radeon HD5850 Kingston KHX1600C9D3K3/6GX Intel X-25 80GB SSD Western Digital WD20EADS (2TB HDD) LG GGW-H20L (Blu-Ray Read/Write HD DVD Read) Sony 24x DVD Burner Logitech G15 Logitech G5 A recomended setup! ^^,
McPhee Posted June 22, 2010 Posted June 22, 2010 Nice! No need to ask who has the most powerful rig on this site then...
Shorty Posted June 22, 2010 Posted June 22, 2010 Damn that's nice. Until you got that I was best or near best with the following! Intel Core i7 920 (overclocked), Gigabyte EX58-UD5 6GB DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Radeon HD 5770 1GB In other words, your epenis is now bigger than my epenis.
McPhee Posted June 22, 2010 Posted June 22, 2010 My ePenis feels soul-destroyingly small now. Must resist urge to spend monies on computer gear. Or a dodgy op.
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