building a new rig

[richardo11]

Hi guys, I am about to build my very first PC, the only way to get what I want, so I am a bit scared and confused; the PC is meant most 3D design like 3D Max such I am going to start to learn, though I occasionally do some gaming but nothing serious.

I am not a guru. Here are my choices:

Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 800D.

PSU: CORSAIR Power Supply 1000W HX.

(I heard that there is some complains that this PSU breaks often?? I had seen a video in YOU tube of a German guy looking the insides of this PSU, and, well … it is very worrying. Any recommendation? Also I read that the wirings are kind of short for a full tower.)

CPU: INTEL Core i7 980X/ 3.33G LGA1366 12MB 6.4GT.

Motherboard: ASUS RAMPAGE III Extreme.

RAM: CORSAIR 6 GB (3KIT) DDR3 1333MHz/ CL9/ 1.65V/ XMS3 with Classic Heat.

CORSAIR 6 GB (3KIT) DDR3 1333MHz/ CL8/ 1.65v/XMS3 - CL8-8-8-24

CORSAIR 6 GB (3KIT) DDR3 1600MHz/ CL9/ 1.65V/XMS3 with Classic Heat

CORSAIR 6GB (3KIT) DDR3 1600MHz/ – 8-8-8-24

CORSAIR 6GB 83KIT) DDR3 2000MHz/ - 9-9-9-24 / 1,65V/XMS3

CORSAIR Dominator/ 6GB (3KIT) DDR3 1600MHz - CL8-8-8-24/1,65V/XMS3 w/Fan& Connector

CORSAIR Dominator /6GB (3KIT) DDR3 1600MHz - CL7-8-7-20 /1,65V/XMS3 with connector

CORSAIR 6GB (3KIT) DDR3 1600MHz/ CL7/ XMS3 -XMS Heat Spreader

CORSAIR Dominator 6GB (3KIT) DDR3 1600MHz/ CL7/ GT w DHX and Airflow Fan

CORSAIR Dominator 6GB (3KIT) GT DDR3 2000MHz XMS3 DHX, CL8-9-8-24, w/Fan& Connector, 1.65v

CORSAIR 6GB (3KIT) DDR3 1866MHz/9-9-9-24 - Fan

OCZ Gold Low Voltage 6GB (3KIT) 1866MHz 10-10-10-24

CORSAIR Dominator GT 12GB (3KIT X 2) DDR3 1866MHz

CORSAIR 12GB (3KIT X 2) DDR3 1600MHz/9-9-9-24

OCZ 12GB (3KIT X 2) DDR3 /1600MHz/ CL 7-7-7-24 Platinum Low-Voltage 1,658

(RAM is kind of hard choice; I don’t know what will be the better for my system).

These are my ideas. What would you choose? Why?

(I read that that Intel iE7”accept” memory up to 1033, what if I use 1866 or 2000?)

I also read that is not convenient to fill up all the memory slots, better for a future upgrade will be 12GB (3x4GB Kit)

Cooler: NOCTUA NH-D14 CPU

(Have the extreme III the two connectors for the fans of this cooler?)

(What about water cooling?)

Video card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5870 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.0, "TOXIC Edition"

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5870 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.0, "VAPOR-X" Full-Retail

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5870 2GB GDDR5 HEXAD PCI-Express 2.0, Eyefinity 6, 6xMini-DisplayPort

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5970 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.0

What would you choose? Why?

I heard SAPPHIRE is intended to produce a device to evoid to buy a display with Display-Port. It is already in the market?

I would like as much displays as possible but not using display port. It is possible? How?

Reading the Extreme III manual (such I downloaded) about the Graphic Cards is saying something about setting the IRQ’s. I have a slight idea about what is it and what is for, but setting this IRQ is confusing, in all the You-Tube videos I watched and pc making manuals I read, not a single one mention that.

Should I be concern or do something?

HD: Western Digital 300GB Raptor SATA 10000rpm 16MB RTL

Western Digital Caviar Green SATA3 1.5TB

Optical Drive:

PLEXTOR PX-B940SA (Schwarz) Schwarz

Keyboard: Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard colour Game-Pane

Mouse: CoolerMaster Storm Sentinel Advance Gaming mouse

(You will say, if you don’t intend to play, way a gamming keyboard. Just for multikey programming, 12 hot keys, USB x2 ports … Disabling (For ONCE) disturbing Windows warnings, messages, tip-toes …etc)

I plan a second Graphic Card in future. Have enough PSU with the one I chose?

Do I forget something that you will recommend?

Thinking that I do basically not play games and I do not care too much about sound, Should I need to install a sound card, or is included into the motherboard? (Sorry is the question is stupid)

I apologize for this long post, this adventure, although I feel confident is standing up the hair of my back.

I can easily guess that this is not my last post, I promise to keep them shorter though )

One last thing. Recommendations for a good water cooling system for this case?

 

[FragTek]

Looks like a pretty good layout. If you're looking at doing gfx design you might look at one of the rendering vid cards rather than one of the "gaming" type cards. You may also look in to 8+gb of RAM and I highly advise choosing an SSD over the Raptor and then put a 2TB drive in for storage of your work and what have you.

As far as watercooling, I've been out of the loop for so long (no pun intended) I don't know whats hot and whats not in the WC field these days.

 

[alienware]

Reading the Extreme III manual (such I downloaded) about the Graphic Cards is saying something about setting the IRQ’s. I have a slight idea about what is it and what is for, but setting this IRQ is confusing, in all the You-Tube videos I watched and pc making manuals I read, not a single one mention that.

Should I be concern or do something?

Wow a blast from the past. IRQs are interrupt requests. Each piece of hardware uses one and it basically calls to the motherboard to assign one. However since the advent of true plug and play Windows usually sorts all of that out for you. From Win2000 on they used virtual IRQs meaning the hardware would, 99% of the time, find one to happily sit on.

The problem can arise when two pieces of hardware want to share the same one but cause a conflict with one another. Again hardware conflicts are a thing of the past pretty much and Windows should be able to sort all of that out for you. Just be sure to enable Plug and play OS in the bios (if it even has it now) and Windows should be able to take care of the rest. Any conflicts you do have with IRQs can cause BSOD (or blue screen of death) but are usually sorted by a driver.

Early Radeon cards were a nightmare for sharing IRQs. You had to make sure that any other add in card (PCI back then) was at least two slots clear.

It is possible (or was in the days of Win95 and 98) to manually set the IRQs in bios and then force Windows to address the hardware on that IRQ but man, ain't had to do that in about 12 years now.

 

[FragTek]

God I don't remember having to manually set IRQ's since Windows 3.1 and DOS.... I remember my sound card was always a pain in the ass to get working right with Captain Comet, hahaha.

 

[alienware]

TV cards used to be the worst man. Seriously they were a nightmare. No matter what IRQ you put everything else on the TV card wanted THAT ONE.

We got in a pile of cards once that wouldn't work in any computer we tried them in. They ended up sitting in our broken stock pile. Then a couple of years later they finally released a driver update and they worked. Problem was they were woefully out of date

And who can forget manually entering the sound values in DOS?

IRQ 220

DMA 5

and so on. Ahh, fun times

Actually I think they're the wrong way around. Shows how long it's been since I did that

 

[richardo11]

into the go

Thank you guys for your answer.

Frag-Tek, I was already considering and SSD HD, but the prices in relation of capacity scared me for awhile… but probably you’re right.

About the graphic card, is the first time (I told you I’m not a guru ), ithis is the first time I heard about it.

Can you recommend me where to have a look? Are those Nvidia’s or ATI’s regulars cards?.

AlienALX this thing about the IRQ’s that got me confused aroused because is in the Extreme III manual, as I says I have a slight idea of what they are and what they are meant, so, I understand from you answer that is nothing to worry about, just plug the video card.. and they got alive, right?

Finally, what about this “thing that iE7 is only up to 1033 memory, what if I plug a 2000, would it be a miserably wasted money?

Thank for your help and for your time guys.

 

[Diablo]

Firtsly, cases are very person specific, but the Obsidian is alright.

As for a power supply, the Corsair 1000W HX is a very good PSU, I suppose that the Enermax Revolutions are pretty good as well, but you won't really need more than 1000W.

In terms of memory, if you overclock the processor, you will want RAM that can handle a faster BCLK to RAM ratio, if you stick 2000MHz RAM in it will be fine, not wasted but really, anything over 1600MHz will be fine. If you are thinking of sticking loads of RAM in (more than 6GB) this will affect the overclock. 3x 4GB may help, but are you really going to pay that much.

Graphics cards: If you do 3D editing and such like still buy a gaming card, as specifically designed 3d rendering design cards tend to cost about 10-20 times as much. ATi cards allow an output of two DVI monitors and then one display port. Saphire sell an active Display port to DVI adaptor to use a third DVI type monitor.

You don't need to set IRQs anymore. Go for SSDs for speed and then a big 1TB Samsung Spinpoint drive for storage. The green eco stuff won't help. I recommend the 5970 if you have the cash to burn, but otherwise a 5870.

 

[alienware]

If I were building a PC as expensive as that one it would be going in one of these fo sho.

 

[Diablo]

You mentioned possible water cooling. If you are going down that route, a case with space for a 360mm rad is a must, which precludes some of the crazier cases. The obsidian will definitely cope with WCing. Remember Water cooling is a much more involved method, with leak tests and more maintenance needed.