10-23-2010, 11:02 PM
So as some of you may know (and as some of you don't judging by how many of you KEEP INVITING ME TO PLAY) my computer is somewhat borked right now. I'm fairly sure it's a motherboard issue, and I'm going to have to start "fresh". But instead of keeping with the same parts I had before, I'm planning to do shit right this time--with Caff and a couple of other friends helping in the physical construction of the build. What I ask of BRB now is to evaluate the parts I'm putting together and the parts I'm salvaging from my current rig (may it rest in peace).
Parts I am buying new will be in bold. Parts I already own and will be recycling will be in italics (with a link included for reference).
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Black. I am insistent on having a red-lit computer this time around. I learned through two computers that blue lights are harsh and hard to sleep around. My color selection has more or less left me with only Cooler Master and a few Thermaltake cases. This is the best one, I feel. The black model differs from the regular model in that it has a larger side window, painted black interior, but no side intake fan. If you have other suggestions, may I request that you suggest cases that have bottom mounted power supplies, and definitely with some cable management system.
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W Modular PSU. I'm also going with Cooler Master for the PSU. Going for overkill per several people's suggestions. I just hope it lights up red. Also I know it's kind of pricey, but the only cheaper ones are of dubious brand names. I'll let the reviews speak for this PSU.
Processor: Intel Core i7-920 2.67Ghz. Although the 950s are getting reasonably priced these days, I think my 920 can still carry its weight if I overclock it.
CPU/Heatsink: Cooler Master V8. Still have it, still works fine. It's red. It will fit. My only concern is that I dont' still have all the Motherboard mounting brackets. Hopefully going from a LGA 1366 to another LGA 1366 will require the same parts and I can just take them.
Motherboard: ASUS Rampage III Formula. Done with EVGA for motherboards. Had problems with Gigabyte too, so it's time I give ASUS a try. This is honestly the best looking motherboard I've ever seen, and although there aren't many video reviews of it I can locate, the Newegg reviews are swell.
Memory: Corsair Dominator 3x2GB DDR3 1600 SDRAM. Still works okay, looks fine. Tempted to buy another 3 DIMMs but I don't think it'll be necessary. Won't it also increase my boot time?
Video: 2x EVGA GTX 460 1GB. I'm pretty sure my motherboard was the source of most of my SLI woes. I want to see these things' full potential.
Storage: Western Digital SiliconEdge Blue 64GB MLC SSD and Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200rpm 32MB HDD. I think it's about time I try an SSD. It'll act as my boot drive with a few essential applications on it (read: Everything that's not Steam). It's currently out of stock but I think it's worth the wait to get a 64GB drive for $10 more than a 40GB drive.
I'm also salvaging a single optical drive from my old case. Don't see the point in even installing two if I play 90% of my games through Steam. So what do you guys think? Does it look good? I will probably order once the SSD comes into stock if you guys agree with this.
Parts I am buying new will be in bold. Parts I already own and will be recycling will be in italics (with a link included for reference).
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Black. I am insistent on having a red-lit computer this time around. I learned through two computers that blue lights are harsh and hard to sleep around. My color selection has more or less left me with only Cooler Master and a few Thermaltake cases. This is the best one, I feel. The black model differs from the regular model in that it has a larger side window, painted black interior, but no side intake fan. If you have other suggestions, may I request that you suggest cases that have bottom mounted power supplies, and definitely with some cable management system.
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W Modular PSU. I'm also going with Cooler Master for the PSU. Going for overkill per several people's suggestions. I just hope it lights up red. Also I know it's kind of pricey, but the only cheaper ones are of dubious brand names. I'll let the reviews speak for this PSU.
Processor: Intel Core i7-920 2.67Ghz. Although the 950s are getting reasonably priced these days, I think my 920 can still carry its weight if I overclock it.
CPU/Heatsink: Cooler Master V8. Still have it, still works fine. It's red. It will fit. My only concern is that I dont' still have all the Motherboard mounting brackets. Hopefully going from a LGA 1366 to another LGA 1366 will require the same parts and I can just take them.
Motherboard: ASUS Rampage III Formula. Done with EVGA for motherboards. Had problems with Gigabyte too, so it's time I give ASUS a try. This is honestly the best looking motherboard I've ever seen, and although there aren't many video reviews of it I can locate, the Newegg reviews are swell.
Memory: Corsair Dominator 3x2GB DDR3 1600 SDRAM. Still works okay, looks fine. Tempted to buy another 3 DIMMs but I don't think it'll be necessary. Won't it also increase my boot time?
Video: 2x EVGA GTX 460 1GB. I'm pretty sure my motherboard was the source of most of my SLI woes. I want to see these things' full potential.
Storage: Western Digital SiliconEdge Blue 64GB MLC SSD and Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200rpm 32MB HDD. I think it's about time I try an SSD. It'll act as my boot drive with a few essential applications on it (read: Everything that's not Steam). It's currently out of stock but I think it's worth the wait to get a 64GB drive for $10 more than a 40GB drive.
I'm also salvaging a single optical drive from my old case. Don't see the point in even installing two if I play 90% of my games through Steam. So what do you guys think? Does it look good? I will probably order once the SSD comes into stock if you guys agree with this.