Core i7 build

[Spin45]

I'd like to get your comments on the configuration of a new build, a bang-for-the-buck PC. Once set, I would like to buy and put together in December. Some parts are not priced precisely (I guesstimated) as Newegg is not selling them yet. Suggestions and/or improvements are appreciated. I am trying to keep the new box to $3,000 or less. I will be using my current monitors and peripherals.



This is the first I have seen the Noctua NH-C12P heatpipe CPU cooler. Guru3d likes it. Looks plenty nice.
Re mobo, should I go ASUS P6T DeLuxe X58 motherboard or the Gigabyte above?
Many thanks for your input. :d

[Butcherbird17]

I like it. Being that i'm a gigafanboy:d i'd stick with that board. Never had any problems with Gigabyte boards compared to the few Asus boards i've had. The 2 things that I would change is the case and OS. Id go for the Antec 1200 instead of the 900, its alittle bigger with better cooling and wire management. I would also go with Vista 64 bit over the 32 bit version (but thats just me). You should start seeing the core i7's and x58 mobo's this weekend as the offical release date is monday.

Joe

[David_L6]

I prefer CPU coolers that blow the hot air toward a case (exhaust) fan. Take a look at this one.


http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=207192


http://www.thermalright.com/

[Spin45]

Butcherbird,
The Antec 1200 is better, I will get that.
I think I will be safe and simple and stick with Vista 32-bit tho. Thanks.

David,
I like the better airflow of the Thermalrite you showed me. Very nice. That is the leading candidate now! :d

[Butcherbird17]

That is a sweet cooler, i like the bolt thru kit. To bad they don't make one for 775 socket as I hate push pin.:d

Joe

[kilo delta]

The Tuniq Tower is another good cooler....I'm running one on all of my systems. Here's a shot of my main PC...
....it's a tight squeeze!!!:d



http://www.tuniq.com.tw/Cooler%20Info/Tower-120.htm

[txnetcop]

Hey Spin, nice set up. I have tested the system you are getting ready to buy and really liked it. I have never been a Gigabyte fan until the X-38 boards came out. Though not quite as powerful as the new ASUS X-58 it comes very close for less money. I also agree with David that air flow back to the rear fan is much better for the case ambient tempreture. You will want a lot of cool air inside of that case for your HD4870x2.
Ted

[Bruce Thompson]

Hi Spin45,

I use Nouctua Cooling in my Pc, the version I fitted can take two fans as you can see in the photo, this blows front to back. Noctua NH-U12P.

They also supply a fitting kit for the new i7's.

They are superb fans, I use them alot on system's I build, they are very quiet and very reliable. The only thing I don't like is the colour they mould them in, so I painted mine as you can see.

.11.2008: LanOC.orgNH-U12P Review


"As you can see in the graphs, Noctua's attention to detail has show in the performance. With an idle temperature of 18 degrees the NH-U12P out performed even our best heatsinks by a full 3 degrees. [...] Although considering the heatsinks we tested against the 3 degrees was a very good improvement, most will focus on the load temperatures. At 37 degrees, it was 7 degrees lower than the nearest competitor. Even more impressive is the load temperatures with the NH-U12P were lower than the idle temperatures with the stock Intel heatsink! With those numbers, you would expect to too listen to an extremely loud fan, but surprisingly this isn't the case. As we have seen before in the testing, Noctua's fans perform well with little or no acoustics."

Test verdict: "After outperforming all of the other heatsinks that we have tested in the past I'm very impressed with the NH-U12P. All of that performance with little or no acoustics is also very impressive, this makes the NH-U12P perfect for people with open-air cases that will be affected the most with the sound." (Wes Compton, LanOC.org)

[txnetcop]

Haven't seen that one Bruce...very nice
Ted

[Bruce Thompson]

Hi Ted,

The Model No for the i7 version is NH-U12P SE1366. It comes with two fans.

For those of us that already have the original NH-U12P cooler, Noctua are giving a free mounting kit, so you can upgrade to i7.
All you need is proof of purchase.

These Coolers are not cheap, but worth every penny, beautifully made, with a well thought out fittings kit.

The NF-12P fans with notched blades are super quiet.

14.11.2008: Computer-Takeaway.co.uk NF-P12 Review


"In order to give some sort of comparison, we compared the Noctua NF-P12 fan against one of the Antec 120mm Tri-Cool fans installed in our test rig (Antec pride themselves on their "Quiet Technology"). Across the board, using all three speed settings of the Antec Tri-Cool fan and leaving the NF-P12 without power adaptors, the NF-P12 sounded to us much quieter than the Antec Fan."

Test verdict: "In summary this must surely make the NF-P12 the quietest 120mm fan on the market with a good airflow to boot. Significantly outperforming the Antec Tri-Cool in our test rig surprised us and we can only recommend this Rolls-Royce of fans, especially considering it has a 6 year guarantee." (James Youell, Computer-Takeaway.co.uk)

[kilo delta]

Take a look at this thread...... http://orbxsystems.com/forums/index.php?topic=6700.0
Seems very promising....I'll certainly be paying close attention. :d

[Wulf190]

I'll probably wait till the end of the i7 line, if even that before I upgrade again. My current e8400/2GB RAM/8800GTS 92 seems to be doing well.

[Spin45]

Gentlemen,
Thanks for your comments, pix and web links. It's nice to know that my basic config is sound.
I am new to Gigabyte motherboards, but I have read good things about them, and in my PC bang-for-the-buck, so it should do well.
I will keep reading up. I am looking forward to the launch of the Core i7 stuff on Monday!

[txnetcop]

Gentlemen,
Thanks for your comments, pix and web links. It's nice to know that my basic config is sound.
I am new to Gigabyte motherboards, but I have read good things about them, and in my PC bang-for-the-buck, so it should do well.
I will keep reading up. I am looking forward to the launch of the Core i7 stuff on Monday!

Spin during the tests we conducted at TechCorp the Gigabyte board outperformed the ASUS board in almost every test which was quite a surprise as ASUS had a few more options for us to work with. We also never had a CTD with the Gigabyte board and had several with the ASUS board. CTD's are not uncommon during real stress testing and occur for various reasons but we had the same peripherals on each board tested. They have come a long way for speed and durability.
Ted

[Spin45]

Thanks, Ted. The superior performance of the Gigabyte mainboards is great to hear, esp from someone in the business currently. I am not in the loop re the latest hardware (I am reading up now for my new PC). My last mobo was/is an Asus and it has been good. It hasn't failed!

[ryanbatc]

Why limit yourself with Vista x86?

At least you can add more RAM in the future and not have to worry about Vista x86 not seeing it....

So get Vista x64 - it's simple and safe

[Spin45]

64 bit Vista is appealing from the memory aspect. If I ran 32 bit Vista, I would end up with 3.25 to 3.5 GB of RAM, and that would be adequate, even pretty good.
I am trying to figure out what devices will be able to use with 64 bit Vista. Will I be able to use my MS force feedback joystick? My 6 year old Canon scanner? I image cameras should not be a problem..... Verizon cable modem/router should be OK, too, eh? iPod not a problem?

How many guys here run a 64 bit OS? Thanks.

[Butcherbird17]

I run Vista x64 Ultimate and have not one problem. Your 6 year old printer may be a problem, but check there web site and see if they have put out drivers/software for it, everything else should work fine. You can run 32 bit apps in 64bit. Being that Vista has been out for well over a year, driver support is not a problem anymore. If you buy the retail version of Vista Ultimate you get both 32 and 64 bit versions.

Joe

[Spin45]

I checked Canon web for my 64 bit scanner drivers -- there are none. But if I need it I can run it on the wife's PC. So, no barriers to speak of.....

I'll go Vista Ultimate 64 bit! Dragging my feet a bit into 2008!