Finally got insurance check, new rig thoughts and suggestions.

Hello guys!

In case you haven't read the post of where my rig got pwned by a commerical grade sprinkler, here's a couple pics...




So I'm looking for a new rig and pretty much starting from scratch. Here's my list of toys:

95% positive...
Feel free to sway me, but sway me good!

Case - CM Stacker 810 w/ Side Panel
Chip - Opteron 170
Motherboard - DFI Expert
Hard disk drive - WD 74GB Raptor, WD 400GB 16MB
Video card - 2x7800 GTX
Sound card - X-Fi XM
Speakers - M-Audio Studio Pro 4
Headphones - Sennheiser HD600's
Headphone Amp - PPA by "someone who knows how to build one"
Keyboard - Logitech Ultra X
Mouse - Logitech G7
UPS - APC 1000VA


Help me decide!
Stuff I'm not too sure about. Please offer any suggestions!

Power supply - Enermax Liberty 620, Antec Neo HE 550, or PC Power and Cooling SLI
2x1GB - Low Latency or High MHZ? OCZ, G.Skill, Patriot, or ???
1600x1200 LCD - Sammy 204t, 214t, or ???
Quiet 2xDVDRW's - Plextor, Benq, or ???
Heatsink - Zalman, Scythe, Thermalright's new tower?
120MM Fans - with 5 120's, I'd rather have quiet than deal with a fan controller (think silverstone 1200rpm)
Media Card reader - something internal and spiffy
Laser Printer - Screw color, I want high yields and speed!!!!

Misc...
Other stuff that got hosed, but it's not all pc stuff.

MP3 Player - Had a nano...
Canalphones - Ety er6i's, or ???
Digital Camera - Had a powershot a75...would like a smaller formfactor
Verizon Phone - Had a moto e815...got a Razr...it has issues
Bluetooth headset - moto h300 (2 heavy, ghetto comfort), plantronics 320 (mad static when 2 feet from phone), plantronics 510 (great quality, a little big and pushes all kinds of evil against my ear flabs when wearing hats)


Please feel free to make any suggestions on anything! Thanks guys!!

my only advice is get a gen 5 ipod instead of a nano, they're smaller and the nano holds jack squat.... other stuff is fine of course i feel for ya though

hell, if the check is large enough, go for a dual-processor system with two dualcore Opties! and then set some sick records OCing with some phase cooling!

either that or invest in your education.

you decide!

Powersupply - Get a PC Power & Cooling 510w if you've got the cash to spend on it. If not either the Enermax or the Antec should do fine.
DC Processor - I would get a 170 or 175 just because the multi is higher.
2GB RAM - Ive got a set of the G.Skill and its been amazing so far.
Mouse - If you want to keep it logitech go for the G5 or the G7, ive got the G7 and its an awesome mouse.
Heatsink - All of those are great heatsinks, get whichever fits your budget. And if they are all the same price, get the one you like the best.

Thanks for the responses guys!! I had a small bump in time frame and won't be gettin' the check for another day or so.

twoeyes:
I got the nano cause of the smaller profile. Not a fan of runnin' with hdd based mp3 players, hehe. I hear the ipod video's all kinds of fun tho!

paleh0rse:
LMAO! Yeah, I really want a good all purpose gaming/desktop rig within reason. Now that I've expericenced 1600x1200, there's no going back. And unfortunately, F.E.A.R. at that res...well...needs more than one card to be fluid w/ AA enabled.

I do like the education idea tho. I moved to phoenix from the boredom of NW Indiana and the job market's much more open to IT folk ;-)

inkfx:
I hear that's one of the best psu's around. Trouble is...the noise. Isn't it loud? The pcp&c, that is...
Thanks for the tip on the cpu, 10x multi's my lucky #.
Ramsies, yeah...I would def like to hit 600MHZ...
But the G7 doesn't have a back mouse 4 button?!?
I've been thinkin' of either the sycthe ninja or that new co...nuah somethin? UH12 sound familar?

Just to let you know, that I washed my daughter's cellphone in the laundry and a week later, after it dried out it worked fine. My daughter claims it holds a charge better!
As for your rig. I have been hearing a lot of complaints about Enermax PSU's lately. I always thought of them as a quality PSU maker. Personally, I would never spend all that money on a DFI board, but that's just personal preference. Ram wise, any of your choices are fine. I'd go with the GSkill as it's nicely priced. I don't think you get much bang for your buck with either clock speed or latency, so I'd just go with a good brand at a good price. The Opti dual core looks like the way to go for now. The 170 gives you the extra multi for maxing out your ram, but again that's only a tad of extra performance, so the 165 is probably fine.
Good luck with the new build. Maybe you should get an umbrella for it too?

Jod said:

inkfx:
I hear that's one of the best psu's around. Trouble is...the noise. Isn't it loud? The pcp&c, that is...
Thanks for the tip on the cpu, 10x multi's my lucky #.
Ramsies, yeah...I would def like to hit 600MHZ...
But the G7 doesn't have a back mouse 4 button?!?
I've been thinkin' of either the sycthe ninja or that new co...nuah somethin? UH12 sound familar?

Click to expand...

As for the PSU goes, the sound isnt really that bad. My dad has one in his Intel rig and he doesnt like overly-noisy products. Yes, its true the G7 doesnt have a back button. It upset me too when I first unpackaged it and set it down. Although this mouse is so much smoother than my MX510 I had before. As for the heatsink the Thermalright HR-01 is supposed to be very good aswell.

Oh boy, this looks like fun! But before we get into that:

Sorry to hear about your old system...to be honest, I am very surprised insurance covered it at all. What did you tell em to get them to cover it? Did you manage to get some data off the HDDs? And why the heck is there a GPU on the wall of the 1st pic of the linked thread???

On to the fun part :

PSU: Like inkfx said, get a PCP&C one. They cost a bunch, but your rails will never move by more than .1v . And I don't think they're all that loud, but then again, I've never used one. Check out some reviews.

DVDRW: Definetly Plextor. I have a PX-716SA (SATA ) and it is simply awesome. Cost a ton, but hey, its plextor. And don't get a slot loader, I hear those break easier, plus you can never use a disk thats not of a normal size, like a minidisk. Really, theres no reason to.

HSF: With that kind of a budget, what are you doing fooling around with air for??? Get some sweet H20 in that thing and watch that opty fly!

Mouse: I haven't tried the MX1000, but I hear its good stuff, you may want to give that a look...

iPod: You may want to hold off a bit, rumors are going around Apple will be releasing something new VERY soon...if not, 4GB nano.

Printer: Get a color laser. That way you'll have both speed and color .

You may want to get another 400GB HDD and toss it in an external firewire enclosure...

Thats about all the input I can give, keep us updated. I want to hear how this one goes!

Will you split your check if I give you my very best advice?

On the CPU, I just got an Opteron 165 (OEM) from Monarch Computers - they had 'em on Xmas sale for $270 (plus $15 for a 3 year warranty) (CCBWE 0547TPMW).
I hear other smaller (well vouched for guys) have about the same, and for a reasonable amount more retail box. I think tankguys.com is one of 'em, as well as "Dave" somewhere. Search forums or maybe google.

Anyway, I'm in the same boat - suddenly looking at EVERYTHING.

For a cooler I'm looking at Thermalright HR-01 or Scythe Ninja, ether with a quiet 120 fan.

I got a pair of Maxtor Diamondmax 10's (16M cache SATA 150 7400rpm) for HD's.

For a case I'll be using my Antec P160 for a while, but I also have an Antec P180 which is even better for cooling and quiet.

I'm thrashing around a bit on the Power Supply. There are a LOT of bad (untruthfull or just lousy) reviews on these things, due to their being more mark-up/profit on them than any other component - yes even video cards!
The very best quality of clean voltage output, low noise, and EFFICIENCY I have been able to find is the Seasonic ST series- period
Go the the 80 plus org site here - and check out the graphs.
Another good site is http://www.silentpcreview.com.
But of course, I really want one with that cool modular cabling.

Video card? You prob, know more than me.

And now for the crown jewel question - the mobo.
Seems dang near anything will get an Opty 165 to 2.4G.
For cheap the Asrock is doing great.
The new Asus board with eight phase power seems very stable.
But for max overclock right now, the DFI Expert seems on TOP of the heap.

But JUST for right now!

I really think the NEXT version of DFI's board with the ATI 200 chipset - the one that will have the SB600 south and dual 16X video slots (and I hope at least four phase power) should blow the doors off even their own Expert!

Trouble is, I'm not sure if I can wait!!!
RATS!

Do pay a lot of attention to the power supply - not just the Watts or even Amps, but ripple and noise. I really am beging to believe the quality of power that gets to the various components is the major difference in OC sucess and stability.
And the mobos (even the bust) can only do so much to clean it up and smooth it out.

Good Luck - I'll be following your progress!

Wow that must of been alot of water pressure. It squirted a video card onto the wall.

As for the MX1000 goes my dad is using that on his rig. I havent used it much, just browsing around the desktop but it seems to be pretty nice. It goes about 3 days before the battery dies. The MX1000 also has the front and back buttons so no need to worry abou that. The reason I like the G7 is because it comes with battery cartrages. It came with two so you can charge on and play with the other and they switch out in seconds once you get used to it.

You might want to consider the ASUS A8N32-SLi Deluxe because your getting 2x7800GTXs, and even though, currently the 16X SLi isn't too much of a difference, it's more future-proof and might yield better results later. Plus I've heard a bit of unluckiness with the DFI Expert board, tough to say how'd you do with it.

The PCP&C 510 is a great PSU, but the OCZ Powerstream520 might be just enough to hold your 7800GTXs, but to be 100% safe, go with the PCP&C. Mixed reviews on it's loudness and whatnot, but it'll be worth it for a extremely reliable PSU.

If you like 10x multipler, go with the 170, the 165 should do fine, but you might not be able to obtain that high of a HTT, so the 10x or 11x on the 175 are both great.

Probably Plextors would be the quietest, due to it's overpricing of course, lol. I have a BenQ DW1640 and I barely noticed it spinning up, it also runs fast and great.

The Scythe Ninja or the XP-120 are both great heatsinks, performs top of the line as well. Can't say what the new HR-01 would do though.

The G5 or G7s are great mouses, depends on if you want wired/wireless.

The 30GB Ipod Video is $300, while the 2GB Ipod Nano is $200, and 4GB Ipod Nano is $250. Why not get the 30GB Video? Only $100 more and you get the option of using a video or not, also that's a lot more storage.

dont get a wireless logitec they good but they go so much usless junk on them and the battery is huge so they feel like a brick !

if you get a ipod get a video i just got one its fun i put some family guy on it
p.s. make sure to get one of those silicon covers with a screen thing to protect it scratches ez

if you dont care about the quality of the pictures you can get a really nice phone with a decent camera and use that and be big pimpin

Hmmm.... get a Dell instead of the system you were planning?



Yep... I sense I will be yelled at for posting this....

Heck yes CM Stacker all the way! Also I wouldn't buy the X-Fi, especially if you play BF2. Creative ****es me off an huge levels. I have an XtremeMusic and right now it's just laying on my desk because when I put it in my fps in BF2 goes from a stable 100 to ~30. And it's a very common problem. Please see this thread: HERE And you can look around the forum as well.

lordkosc said:

Hmmm.... get a Dell instead of the system you were planning?



Yep... I sense I will be yelled at for posting this....

Click to expand...

Consider this to be my post yelling at you .

No, seriously, you're joking, right? Half the fun is building the thing . And if you were gonna get it built for you, get a falcon or voodo or alienware (I sense I will be yelled at for mentioning that last one ), not a dell.

Dude, you better not be gettin' a Dell...

bri1 said:

dont get a wireless logitec they good but they go so much usless junk on them and the battery is huge so they feel like a brick !

Click to expand...

Thats untrue. My G7 is lighter than my MX510 is and most likely lighter than the MX518 aswell. This is a wireless gaming mouse so they made it light. And the MX1000 is about the same weight, maybe a little more then my MX510.

THANKS FOR ALL THE SUGGESTTIONS GUYS! It's really helping my decision out. Gonna update the first post with some stuffs...

rseven:
LOL! My e815's external lcd works great, but that's it.
The DFI board's on the plate cause I LOVE the space between video cards. The AN32 from ASUS doesn't let me fill both pcie x16's with dually gpus AND the X-Fi. And I've never liked the ASUS bios...
Umbrella, huh? How bout I move out of those scary apts! Those damn sprinkler heads haunt me everyday!

inkfx:
Hmmm...is it much louder than a vantec stealth 80/120?
The mouse would have to be hella smoother than my 518, to give up that extra button. It's been on my mice for 4 years now... Sure would be nice to go wireless tho.
Tho I've used Thermalright before with success, I've recently read through a roundup of some heatsinks and they found the Noctua NH-U12 and Scythe Ninja to peform better than the new thermalright tower.

LoneWolf121188:
Hehe, thanks for the condolances. My bro had "idiot insurance." This covers his butt when he does things like...oh...hanging lights from glass pressured hoses from hell. Hmmm...data off drives...I got some water from them... But I'm still trying, lol.
About that dvd writer. Does the SATA come in Black? I suppose I could bezel it.
Hmmm...h20, huh? I've heard even the best pumps have an annoying noise. Not to mention, I'm a little jaded with h2o lately...
Printer...laser...someone recently recommended me an HP 1160LE cause they yield nicely. Updates will come, I promise, hehe.

arklab:
Sure, what email to paypal
I'd really like to order everything from the same spot and unfortunately, some of the smaller guys don't have "all I want." I hate to newegg it, with some of these guys POSTING IN OUR FORUMS! Maybe, I'll slit it up.
Have fun with that p180 case, I wound up taken mine back for more room ala' stackage.
PSU - I spent HOURS sleeving my supply, the s12 looks good, but not lookin' forward to sleevin' again.

inkfx:
Wow, dual bats? I may have to read over some reviews. Trouble is, logi will undoubtably release a G7.5 and put my other button back...I know it!

darksparkz:
Trouble with the A8N32's the arrangement of the slots. I coudn't use dual slot cooling configs and still run an X-Fi. Now maybe if I went water or could find a single slot cooling design that doesn't suck...
Hmm...so you like the BenQ, huh? I know cdr review or cd somethin' does reviews on those suckers.
Ipod video - Must have flash based player. I like my stuff small =) I suppose I could always get a shuffle for jogs/workouts, and a video ipod for everything else...

bri1:
What logi mice have you used? I didn't care for the mx700, but the newer ones have yet to be molested by me ;-)
I had some cases for the nano. One by zcover:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/jodiuh/zCover nano/opened-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/jodiuh/zCover nano/front-1.jpg
but the condom-esque feel and lack of control over the wheel, led me to an Incase neoprene sleeve
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/jodiuh/zCover nano/1fe2d9af.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/jodiuh/zCover nano/Incaseneoprenesleeve.jpg
I found the case by Incase to be much better, both in terms of control (click wheel worked perfect) and function (belt clip was nice and tight with a bump at the bottom to secure it).
Camera - I've got a Razr and the pics just don't compete with my old Powershot. I'll def end up with another Canon. Probably the SD series cause...again, I like small =)

lordkosc said:

Hmmm.... get a Dell instead of the system you were planning?

Click to expand...

Sweet! Dell uses stackers now?! =) Thanks for the laugh!

Fighter2a:
Case- yeah, stacker 810 120% sure...add the sexy side window...
I had a couple small issues with my X-Fi at first, but after some tweaking, it's all good. I notice no drop in framerate at all. And that's with cmss3d's 2 new features too!
http://forums.creative.com/creative...ue&type=message&q=jodiuh&days=-1&page_size=50
As you can see, I'm on there *** too =) Here's some things that you may have already done, but helped me:
-install latest driver only...no software necessary!
-game mode, hehe...duh...it was the reason a lot of folk complained about the x-fi mode not available
-dl latest openal implementation and copy the dll to bf2's folder and replace the wrapper used for better sq


LoneWolf121188:
I suppose I could also order a dell configured similarily and do a head 2 head? I fear it would be a naughty, deadellatitiling review tho...

EDIT: found a samsung 204b?
http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product_Id=4075469&JRSource=google.datafeed.SAM+204B
1600x1200
5ms response time?!
.255 pixel pitch
800:1 contrast ratio

Jod said:

Not to mention, I'm a little jaded with h2o lately...

Click to expand...

didn't think of that . Nah, H20 is quiter than air, but then, i don't have H20...poke your head in water cooling and ask around.

And oh yes, that plextor SATA comes in black . it ships with black and white face plates, so you're good either way

How about a pair of x1800xt's on X-fire?

dan