i7 Build Final Spec Check

Nameless_87

Nameless_87

Nameless_87

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I will probably order tomorrow or the day after so please can you answer some questions...

1) Will the 5870 graphics card fit into my Antec 1200?
2) Should I get the Asus Rampage II Extreme instead of the Gigabyte GA-EX58 UD5?
3) I need a CPU cooler. Can you recommend one for my Antec 1200?
4) I love the Antec 1200. However some people think that it is not big enough. What do you think on this matter considering my specs and gfx? If there are better cases can you recommend one?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks
 
You're keen on gaming, so here you go. The i5 beats the i7 hands down for gaming. Do not waste the money on i7 and the extra wasted memory and the typically more expensive motherboard for less performance while gaming.

Change to i5. There is no reason to buy an i7 unless you need the extra threads. The i5 is cheaper, consumes less power, performs better for gaming and requires less hardware to perform.

850W is huge, you don't need that much for this set up. I'd say a 650W of the same make and model will suffice.

And minorly, a 1TB will contain 3 platters resulting in slower seek times and transfer rates. Unless you need that much, I'd change down to a 640 Caviar Black or a 500 F3.

Don't feel as though you need to spend money on the seemingly best and brightest components on the list. I know what it's like to want the best for your money, but buying an i7 with gaming in mind is not the right thing to do. You can see from the Anandtech article and other places that the i5 is generally considered to be the best route to take for gaming at this time.
 
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Hi looks good, similar to my build in here, to answer your questions
1) Yes it will fit, however the antecs arent as deep as some full tower cases and it may be tight, possibly even preventing you from using or requiring you to remove the middle HDD caddy
2) Thats your call on whether you prefer asus or gigabyte, both excellent boards, though I'd say Asus' equivalent of the UD5 is the P6T Deluxe V2
3) The Noctua is great
4) If youre still concerned youre probably best putting a thread in the cases section
 
Thanks

I just saw that the 5870 fits into the Antec 1200 with an inch/incha and a half to spare :)

About the other specs... are they good?

Any other suggestions for the CPU cooler?
 
Erm i think your spec in bang on there :D you could always use a True as the cooler and add some fans of your choice. Also, if i was you, i would just got for i7 just because of the extra threads for not much different in cash. Also, you may need a decent sound card? the asus exstream 2 has xi fi sound card :D, also that psu would be fine. Gives you head room for extra hardware in the near future.
 
1) Will the 5870 graphics card fit into my Antec 1200?

yes

2) Should I get the Asus Rampage II Extreme instead of the Gigabyte GA-EX58 UD5?

your preference really. i prefer asus over gigabyte.

3) I need a CPU cooler. Can you recommend one for my Antec 1200?

your cpu retail box should contain the std intel cooler but here is two:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-001-CS&groupid=701&catid=193&subcat=1038
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-010-NC&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

4) I love the Antec 1200. However some people think that it is not big enough. What do you think on this matter considering my specs and gfx? If there are better cases can you recommend one?

again i suppose once you have the sizing all covered the matter is preference.
I personally will purchase the case below as the reviews on it are all good plus it looks good in my opinion and its just stunning! but i can't be bothered to undo my rig just to redo it again lol.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-055-SV&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=1092
 
Thanks for the replies...

A question regarding the H50 corsair watercooler as I think it looks really cool...

Will it be difficult to install in an Antec 1200 (once again its a matter of case rather than the CPU cooler :p)

Cause where would the fan of the H50 be attached to the case?
 
kcer said:
You're keen on gaming, so here you go.

And minorly, a 1TB will contain 3 platters resulting in slower seek times and transfer rates. Unless you need that much, I'd change down to a 640 Caviar Black or a 500 F3.
Click to expand...

The F3 uses 2 x 500gb platters (link), great HDDs have 2 in raid ^_^.

and as for OPs questions:

1) Yes
2) I have the Asus, dont think its _that_ amazing, had a lot of problems with the soundcard and overclocks the same as the gigabyte.
3) I get good temps with the megahalem with 2 x apache fans in a push/pull config.
4) This case is huge, didnt expect it to be this big. so far fits 2 x dvdrws, 4 x hdds, megahalem, asus rampage etc the only downside i have with my build is that the rampage is a wide board and covers some of the cable management system. very annoying as the corsair 850 psu leads arnt long enough to route properly and just gave up for now (well till i get spare time to properly tidy my case!).
 
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Thanks mb_zi...

I think I'll stay with the UD5... although I read some posts on these forums about the UD5 that it seems to multiple restarts when doing a cold boot (like in the morning)... let's hope it doesn't happen...
 
ive had my rampage multiple restart aswell, infact everytime i turn it off at the plug and go away for a week or more it seams to want to throw a hissy fit. but cannot fault it as a good board however cant give a reason to why its worth paying the extra £££ when the UD5 seams to be a good board aswell which pretty much matches the performance.
 
kcer said:
You're keen on gaming, so here you go. The i5 beats the i7 hands down for gaming. Do not waste the money on i7 and the extra wasted memory and the typically more expensive motherboard for less performance while gaming.

Change to i5. There is no reason to buy an i7 unless you need the extra threads. The i5 is cheaper, consumes less power, performs better for gaming and requires less hardware to perform.

850W is huge, you don't need that much for this set up. I'd say a 650W of the same make and model will suffice.

And minorly, a 1TB will contain 3 platters resulting in slower seek times and transfer rates. Unless you need that much, I'd change down to a 640 Caviar Black or a 500 F3.

Don't feel as though you need to spend money on the seemingly best and brightest components on the list. I know what it's like to want the best for your money, but buying an i7 with gaming in mind is not the right thing to do. You can see from the Anandtech article and other places that the i5 is generally considered to be the best route to take for gaming at this time.
Click to expand...

i5 is faster due to a better turbo boost function.

Anandtech said:
The i5 750 manages to outperform the i7 920 thanks to its more aggressive turbo modes.
Click to expand...

For those of us that overclock, (most of us), an i7 at equivalent speed should be as fast if not faster. There is also the benefit of triple channel memory and 16x 16x PCI-E slots.
 
True, but why pay more money for 1) The i7 itself, 2) a motherboard to actually use it and 3) triple channel memory that will go largely unused for his intentions. You need to overclock the i7 just to get it to match and surpass the i5, but the i5 overclocks very well as well. Maybe when we have the applications to fully utilise it's capabilities I'll agree, but that's not going to be any time soon, and I dare say 1156 will offer a damn good alternative when that time comes.

I swear to god I'm not even being biased, there's just no reason to own a 920 unless you need the extra threads. It's just that simple.

I hate that people ask for advice on their spec, get it, and then totally ignore it because they're too stubborn to acknowledge that more money spent does not equal better performance. He's like that guy who said he was set on an i7, but couldn't reason as to why.
 
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