High-End PC Advice

v0r73x

v0r73x

v0r73x

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Joined
20 Nov 2007
Posts
7
Hi Guys,

I'm sure there are hundreds of these posts so I really appreciate the input anyone has :) My current system is giving me grief - so as it's near two years old it's time to replace (i7 920, Asus Rampage II and a 295GTX).

My thoughts on components are below with the queries to follow:

CPU: Intel i7 980X
Cooler: Corsair H50-1
Mobo: Asus X58 Sabertooth
RAM: Corsair Dominator GT 6GB 1866MHz (CMT6GX3M3A1866C9)
Case: Corsair Obsidian 800D
PSU: Corsair Pro AX850
GFX: ATI 5970
HDD: Crucial RealSSD C300

Ok now the queries :)

What, if anything, would you change on the above?

Is the RAM suitable for the Sabertooth board as it's not immediately listed on the QVL?

I've read that the Corsair Pro PSU's have a really short 8pin mobo connector as per the user reviews? Is there a better PSU that would support the above and fit nicely into the Obsidian case?

I'm aware the AMD 6000 cards are around the corner but I'm not sure if it's worth holding off? Probably a gamble either way but I believe they still use the 40nm chip so in regards to 'bang for buck' I'm not sure if it will surpass the current 5970?

As for system use it is a gaming/multimedia rig, with MoH and Black ops round the corner it's very much na FPS setup :) Oh and I'm ashamed to admit that I play way to much WoW!
 
I think you're crazy if you think you need an i7 980X for gaming/multimedia.

The i7 you have is more than enough.

All the rest, well its up to you. The 5970 isn't just going to turn slow once 6000 cards come around, and I believe the 6990 (top end 6000 card) isn't due till 2011 anyway.
 
Hi there,

I would stongly suggest against you doing this upgrade TBH. You would basically be spending ~£2000 to upgrade from an i7/ GTX 295 system to something only slightly more powerful. In the vast majority of games the i7 980X will be no faster than the i7 920.

Perhaps if you can tell us what your issues with your current system are we may be able to help you resolve them. Also, would you also be able to tell us the full specs?
 
+ 3 utter madness and a typical example of lack of understanding products. Bigger numbers don't always mean real world performance benefits.

There's a new breed of CPUs due within the next 6 months, hold on and see what they have to offer, but even then, upgrading an i7-920/930 is going to be hard to justify an upgrade.
 
Dont bother - total waste of time and money to upgrade the whole rig - especially now.

Get an SSD if you dont already have one, a case if you want, and a GPU if you really can't wait for the new ATIs.

What monitor(s) do you have?
 
v0r73x said:
As for system use it is a gaming/multimedia rig, with MoH and Black ops round the corner it's very much na FPS setup :) Oh and I'm ashamed to admit that I play way to much WoW!
Click to expand...
Rather than upgrading, you should try overclocking your i7 920 (if it is at stock speed 2.66GHz) to 3.8~4.2GHz...it should give you huge boost in frame rate in demanding scenes in WOW (you'd however need to get a decent CPU cooler if not got one).
 
Appreciate the quick replies :)

To answer the 'madness' responses I'm well aware the 980X is overkill just for gaming, I'd appreciate a discussion over random insults at my apparent lack of product knowledge.

In regards to my existing set-up upgrading from what I currently have is something I have been struggling with due to the obvious cost-over-performance factor. Unfortunately the system is freezing which has prompted the 'larger' upgrade in favour of overkill speeds to last out another two years or so. Maybe this is deemed the wrong approach now? The alternative was to drop the 980X in favour of the 950.

The current rig will freeze guaranteed within the first 10min or so of cold boot. It will usually freeze at Windows logon however to confirm it is not a software problem it has also frozen on POST as well as within Prime tests from boot CD's. There's now also a more noticeable capacitor squeal type noise coming from the machine which I'm guessing might be board/gfx. If I do get in to Windows and start using the system when it does freeze no logs/traces are recorded. When gaming and the system is under heavy load it is often fine for the rest of the day, however if I do open up say a video file on my other screen it seems to have a high chance of causing the freeze.

It's a bit of an awkward one to now troubleshoot further without swapping/testing components. My background in IT started off building/repairing desktop PC's daily so I'm comfortable assessing and running various hardware tests. All of which pass 9 times out of 10, the 10th time being the freeze with no error :) Gut feeling is a PSU or slight mainboard issue so a cheap fix I'll chuck another PSU in but if I have to replace the mainboard I'd rather upgrade and rebuild a new machine. Hence the queries on the PSU/Case and RAM etc.

It seems a thermal issue, as if a component needs to get up to temp in order to run properly as after those first 10 min or so the system is 100% for the rest of the day whether being idle or running at full load whilst gaming.
 
For me the biggest issue is the soon to be release of the new Intel CPU and socket architecture. The 980 might be a new die size but it is still based on old design. Unlike Sandy Bridge.

If you can wait it out till Sandy Bridge is released then I think you can make a more meaningful upgrade from what you currently have.
 
In regards to the Sandy Bridge I was led to believe there will be two types - Mainstream/Enthusiast both with different sockets? The mainstream chips weren't going to take the place of the 6-core gulftowns and the higher end chips probably won't be around till 2012? Or is this all still speculation?
 
i think they will be on same sockets but just different release dates the mainstream will be release on Q1 2011 and enthusiast is end of 2011 iirc.
 
Lol, i cant quite understand why your current system is giving you grief. My desktop is still on Pentium 4, almost nearing its 6 year anniversary. I am just looking forward to getting round to do my first build at either end of this month or mid Nov, while waiting for AMD's new 6*** series.

Perhaps try and get a ssd like previous people have recommended. :)
 
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