TheLostSoul
07-15-2010, 06:15 PM
Hello everyone,
Please forgive the lengthiness of this post, as I imagine it will be a bit long, but I have a fair few detailed questions. I'll keep each point numbered for ease of responding. I don't know an entirely lot about building PCs, which is why I'm here... to ask for opinions and suggestions. I've recently been reading reviews about some of my components and wondering if they'll be running optimally together. With this in mind, I realize it isn't truly possible to know until I actually put them together, but it helps to have some of this information beforehand. I'm the kind of guy who likes to put a lot of thought into something before I do it. So I want to take into consideration many elements of building this PC, since I plan for it to be a long-term investment.
I should start by saying that this is my first time building a PC and that I HOPE to progressively upgrade this machine. Get more RAM and 2x SLI maybe. But for now, I just require the basics. Like another recent post (http://forums.mysuperpc.com/showthread.php?t=3313), I wish for this PC mainly to run Final Fantasy XIV and my current PC, an HP zd8000 laptop is beginning to show it's age. Other than that, I'm not a huge PC gamer; the next highest profile game I have is Doom 3 or Half-Life 2.
I also don't hope to spend an exorbitant amount on it. $1,500 is looking to be absolute maximum, but I would like to trim that down as much as possible without sacrificing the ability to upgrade farther down the road in case any other games pop up. Getting it down to $1,000 would be nice. I've checked out the budgeting builds thread but I'm not too excited about some of them somehow. For the "A Step Above" build, I don't know what the difference between the i5 and i7 is. Looking at a quick review on newegg for the CPU, it seems like i5 doesn't support hyper threading, or at least that CPU doesn't? So if I wanted hyper threading for my game that build is out. And I guess I just have more faith in Intel than AMD, so the other two builds don't look that appealing to me right off the bat. Here is what I've gathered myself: newegg wishlist (http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=13312585).
1. One of the primary reasons for seeking help here: I was reading a review for my motherboard, I believe, and someone pointed out it only had 1 PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot. And if I plan to add another graphics card for SLI, the review said the performance will be a little diminished since the other 2.0 slots are x4 and x8. I'm not sure entirely what effect these numbers have on performance. An alternative motherboard I've considered is this one: EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039). I chose EVGA boards because I figure compatibility between mobo and graphics cards would nearly be guaranteed and possibly more optimal, but I'm not sure if this is true. So I'm fine if anyone has any suggestions for other manufacturers.
2. Another primary (and probably common) concern I have: I'm not sure if my PSU is good enough. The xTreme Power Supply Wattage Calculator (from the useful links topic) recommended a 359W PSU, and newegg says I require a minimum 400W PSU for my graphics card, so I figured I'd overshoot a bit with 450W, plus it has the minimum amperage required (from newegg again) on +12v for my graphics card. But I'm still not sure it would be enough for the entire assembled machine. Would I need an 800W PSU for 2x SLI? Any advice on a better PSU to use?
3. I'm also considering a different case, perhaps the Antec Nine Hundred Mid instead of the Twelve Hundred Full. My concerns with it though, are the cooling capabilities. Having less space, all the heat would be more concentrated, and I'm not sure on how the wiring will fit (with either case). Also very open to suggestions to some other cases.
4. Since I'm primarily concerned about this computer for an MMORPG, could anyone vouch for any networking cards to help speed along my data transfer. I'm kind of worried about it not really making much of a difference. I've never particularly had any good luck with my ISPs, where my service is usually incredibly terrible for one reason or another (I'm 0/3 on ISPs spread out across two different states). As I'm writing this, I'm more or less reminded that these cards exist, so getting a networking card is mostly an afterthought, but I'm not sure about all the testimonies for any of them actually improving that much, expecially given my track record with ISPs. But I may be moving yet again soon, so... fourth time's the charm, as someone in my situation would say. I suppose this could be something to upgrade at a later date if I feel like I'd need it, but anyone have any opinions?
5. Also general compatibility between all my components is a concern. Will my memory work with my motherboard at it's best? Will the PSU have enough connectors? etc... Of course comments on any other components would be helpful as well.
So I'm really just concerned with a lot of "what if"s. I'm pretty concerned about heat I guess. I've only worked with a laptop for the past 6 years, so I feel like I'm more biased towards mitigating heat as much as I can. I'm not really familiar with how hot a typical desktop can run. I'm worried about the northbridge getting hot too, but the alternative mobo above seems to have a heatsink of some sort on it, so that gives me a little more comfort. Definately looking forward to any advice from anyone here. I appreciate any advice and I apologize again for asking you to read all of that. Thanks.
Please forgive the lengthiness of this post, as I imagine it will be a bit long, but I have a fair few detailed questions. I'll keep each point numbered for ease of responding. I don't know an entirely lot about building PCs, which is why I'm here... to ask for opinions and suggestions. I've recently been reading reviews about some of my components and wondering if they'll be running optimally together. With this in mind, I realize it isn't truly possible to know until I actually put them together, but it helps to have some of this information beforehand. I'm the kind of guy who likes to put a lot of thought into something before I do it. So I want to take into consideration many elements of building this PC, since I plan for it to be a long-term investment.
I should start by saying that this is my first time building a PC and that I HOPE to progressively upgrade this machine. Get more RAM and 2x SLI maybe. But for now, I just require the basics. Like another recent post (http://forums.mysuperpc.com/showthread.php?t=3313), I wish for this PC mainly to run Final Fantasy XIV and my current PC, an HP zd8000 laptop is beginning to show it's age. Other than that, I'm not a huge PC gamer; the next highest profile game I have is Doom 3 or Half-Life 2.
I also don't hope to spend an exorbitant amount on it. $1,500 is looking to be absolute maximum, but I would like to trim that down as much as possible without sacrificing the ability to upgrade farther down the road in case any other games pop up. Getting it down to $1,000 would be nice. I've checked out the budgeting builds thread but I'm not too excited about some of them somehow. For the "A Step Above" build, I don't know what the difference between the i5 and i7 is. Looking at a quick review on newegg for the CPU, it seems like i5 doesn't support hyper threading, or at least that CPU doesn't? So if I wanted hyper threading for my game that build is out. And I guess I just have more faith in Intel than AMD, so the other two builds don't look that appealing to me right off the bat. Here is what I've gathered myself: newegg wishlist (http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=13312585).
1. One of the primary reasons for seeking help here: I was reading a review for my motherboard, I believe, and someone pointed out it only had 1 PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot. And if I plan to add another graphics card for SLI, the review said the performance will be a little diminished since the other 2.0 slots are x4 and x8. I'm not sure entirely what effect these numbers have on performance. An alternative motherboard I've considered is this one: EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039). I chose EVGA boards because I figure compatibility between mobo and graphics cards would nearly be guaranteed and possibly more optimal, but I'm not sure if this is true. So I'm fine if anyone has any suggestions for other manufacturers.
2. Another primary (and probably common) concern I have: I'm not sure if my PSU is good enough. The xTreme Power Supply Wattage Calculator (from the useful links topic) recommended a 359W PSU, and newegg says I require a minimum 400W PSU for my graphics card, so I figured I'd overshoot a bit with 450W, plus it has the minimum amperage required (from newegg again) on +12v for my graphics card. But I'm still not sure it would be enough for the entire assembled machine. Would I need an 800W PSU for 2x SLI? Any advice on a better PSU to use?
3. I'm also considering a different case, perhaps the Antec Nine Hundred Mid instead of the Twelve Hundred Full. My concerns with it though, are the cooling capabilities. Having less space, all the heat would be more concentrated, and I'm not sure on how the wiring will fit (with either case). Also very open to suggestions to some other cases.
4. Since I'm primarily concerned about this computer for an MMORPG, could anyone vouch for any networking cards to help speed along my data transfer. I'm kind of worried about it not really making much of a difference. I've never particularly had any good luck with my ISPs, where my service is usually incredibly terrible for one reason or another (I'm 0/3 on ISPs spread out across two different states). As I'm writing this, I'm more or less reminded that these cards exist, so getting a networking card is mostly an afterthought, but I'm not sure about all the testimonies for any of them actually improving that much, expecially given my track record with ISPs. But I may be moving yet again soon, so... fourth time's the charm, as someone in my situation would say. I suppose this could be something to upgrade at a later date if I feel like I'd need it, but anyone have any opinions?
5. Also general compatibility between all my components is a concern. Will my memory work with my motherboard at it's best? Will the PSU have enough connectors? etc... Of course comments on any other components would be helpful as well.
So I'm really just concerned with a lot of "what if"s. I'm pretty concerned about heat I guess. I've only worked with a laptop for the past 6 years, so I feel like I'm more biased towards mitigating heat as much as I can. I'm not really familiar with how hot a typical desktop can run. I'm worried about the northbridge getting hot too, but the alternative mobo above seems to have a heatsink of some sort on it, so that gives me a little more comfort. Definately looking forward to any advice from anyone here. I appreciate any advice and I apologize again for asking you to read all of that. Thanks.