[crazyhands911]

Hi, I thought I'd check and see if anybody can give me any suggestions for my build I'm planning. I've got an option for most components so far, with the video card being the only one I haven't really narrowed down any. I've listed the parts I'm looking at getting below, this is a from scratch build, and nothing has been purchased yet, so I'm open to suggestions. On to the video card, I'm planning on running dual monitors, and I'd like to have the option to run a third, with the third being an HDMI to a TV. It looks like I'll need at least one display or mini display port with an active display to DVI adapter in order to accomplish this, unless anybody knows of a card that this doesn't apply too. I'm not big into computer gaming currently(never know if that might change though), the main use for the video card will be for High Def videos though. I've looked and tried to do some research. I think I'd rather go with a Nvidia card if I can, I haven't had problems with them before, and they seem to be better reviewed, despite building an otherwise AMD computer, but if you have reasons I should consider otherwise, please let me know. I've looked at XFX, Sapphire, EVGA, and Zotac primarily. Zotac seems to most readily have the connections I want, as far as Nvidia cards go, but I'm not sure on the quality or capabilities of the cards. XFX and Sapphire seemed to have mixed reviews on newegg and then there is the catalyst drivers, which I think I'd prefer to stay away from and work with the Nvidia drivers. I'm not looking to go crazy, someplace in the $150-300 range. I've mostly been looking at around the $200 price point though. I'll buy monitors that support whatever outputs the card ends up having. I had originally been looking at the Zotac's because they were the only cards that had 2 HDMI ports, and I figured I'd run a tv and a monitor with HDMI and the 3rd on display port for ease of audio and in case I ever wanted to take my monitor and use it as a mobile gaming setup with my 360, using HDMI.

I'm not a person who will be upgrading. I'll drop the cash from the start and get higher end, not necessarily the highest end components and just ride that build for the next 5 years or so probably. So some pieces may seem a bit overkill, but that is alright with me. My aim is under $2,000, right now I'm sitting at about $1,500 with an estimated $200 for a video card. Thanks for any input or tips that anybody may post. Feel free to comment on any of the combinations or components I've got listed below, its not too late to make changes.


My current wishlist:
Case - COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x 230mm front RED LED fan, 1x 140mm rear fan, 1x 230mm top fan, and 1x 230mm side fan
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811119160

Motherboard - ASUS Sabertooth 990FX AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131736

Power Supply - CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX750 (CMPSU-750AX) 750W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
- Can be adjusted once I get all the components in, just using as a price point and reference point.
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817139016

Hot Swap Bay - ICY DOCK MB455SPF-B 5 in 3 SATA I, II & III Hot-Swap Internal Backplane Raid Cage Module
- I'm already running 3 2TB WD Cavier Green drives in my old system in a 3 bay Icy Dock Hot Swap Bay
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817994028

CPU - AMD FX-8150 Zambezi 3.6GHz Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor FD8150FRGUB
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103960

Operating Drive - OCZ Vertex 3 Series – MAX IOPS Edition VTX3MI-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
- Will be running Windows 7 64 bit
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820227714

RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9Q-16GBXL
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231456

Optical Drive - SAMSUNG Black Blu-ray Combo SATA Model SH-B123L LightScribe Support - OEM
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827151222

Edited by crazyhands911, 01 November 2011 - 04:24 PM.

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Hi crazyhands911 .

Looks like you are aiming towards a workstation rig.

I think you should be looking for an Intel build

Have a look at these t sites and please get back to us.

http://www.videoguys...46af712285.aspx

http://www.videoguys...a167fbdbd7.aspx

This sites benchmarks results are from users who built their systems.

http://ppbm5.com/DB-PPBM5-1.php

[iammykyl]

Hi crazyhands911 .

Looks like you are aiming towards a workstation rig.

I think you should be looking for an Intel build

Have a look at these t sites and please get back to us.

http://www.videoguys...46af712285.aspx

http://www.videoguys...a167fbdbd7.aspx

This sites benchmarks results are from users who built their systems.

http://ppbm5.com/DB-PPBM5-1.php

[crazyhands911]

It will be more of a workstation/media computer, yes. I haven't gotten into encoding videos yet, my buddy does most of that and I usually just get the files from him, but that might change.

Why do you suggest I go towards an Intel build, rather than AMD? Just preference or something I'm unaware of? I've never had a problem with my previous AMD components and I do like their price points. That and I'm intrigued by the new bulldozer FX processors and the 8 core capabilities, whether I'll use it to its potential now or not, it might be nice to have later on. The videoguys site even said they wouldn't suggest the sandy bridge for video editing and encoding, or at least not right now.

I don't really know anything about benchmarks, and won't pay much attention to stuff like that. I'm not going to be overclocking or anything like that. I just want a solid build to run for the next several years. I think what I've got so far seems pretty solid, just no clue on the video cards, other then what I said above. I'm running a Nvidia card on my current AMD system with no problems whatsoever, so I don't think going that route again should be a problem, but once again, not sure. 3D capabilities, is not something that concerns me. I actually do not care for it at all, and don't plan on getting any 3D monitors or tv's.

[crazyhands911]

I found a site that did some benchmarking on various cards. Article was written back in in June 2011, so prices are probably off, but I found this graph which I thought might be helpful in making a decision.

Site Reference: http://tbreak.com/te...of-the-gpus/17/



The graphic above has led me to leaning toward the GTX 560 Ti, which was one of the cards I had already been looking at. It seems to have performance, lack of sound, and a good price point. But, which brand do you go with if I do go with this card (still open to other suggestions)?

EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130604

ZOTAC ZT-50301-10M GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814500197

I know EVGA is well thought off, but my concern goes to my idea of running a possible triple monitor setup on a single card. I know the Zotac will do this, as it is stated on their site, as long as the third monitor uses the display port. The EVGA only has 2 DVI-I and a mini-HDMI, would that allow for triple monitors to be run on that single card? I haven't been able to find that information anywhere yet. It doesn't specify on the EVGA site like the Zotac site did.

Can you only run triple monitors on a single card if it has some sort of display port on it, or does it just depend on the card?

Edited by crazyhands911, 02 November 2011 - 02:56 PM.

[iammykyl]

Why do you suggest I go towards an Intel build, rather than AMD? Just preference or something I'm unaware of?

I recommend hardware on it's merits, based on a lot of research using reviews and benchmarks from reputable sources as well as parts used in the rigs I build. I do have favourites manufacturers like, Antec, (cases) Corsair, (RAM) etc. quality gear that consistently performs well. Had you been building a HDMI (AMD performs better) or a modest gaming rig, (AMD better bang for your buck) I would be going for AMD. With a higher performance build, Intel CPUs beats AMD.

That and I'm intrigued by the new bulldozer FX processors and the 8 core capabilities,

This is just one review for Bulldozer, (up to the FX 8150, maybe later releases will fare better) and there are heaps more like it.
http://www.tomshardw...fx,3043-24.html

The videoguys site even said they wouldn't suggest the sandy bridge for video editing and encoding, or at least not right now

There concern was with the Mobo chip-set and not the CPU. They now recommend a Sandy Bridge build.

(Oct 2011 update)Sandy Bridge $$ DIY8 Budget $$ DIY8 Hotrod $$ MotherboardAsus P8Z68-V Pro210ASUS P6X58-E Pro220ASUS P6X58-E Pro220CPUIntel i7 2600k Sandy Bridge 299Intel i7-950 Quad Core249Intel i7-980 Hex Core580RAM16GB (4 x 4GB) G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)105G.SKILL Ripjaws 12GB (3 x 4GB) SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)75G.SKILL Ripjaws 24GB (6 x 4GB) SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)150System DriveHitachi 1TB 7200RPM 60Hitachi 1TB 7200RPM 60WD VelociRaptor WD6000HLHX 600GB 10,000RPM250GPUGTX570319GTX570319Quadro4000849CaseAntec Nine Hundred Two v3Black ATX 119Antec Nine Hundred Two v3Black ATX 119Antec Nine Hundred Two v3Black ATX 119Power SupplyCORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W 135CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W 135CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W 135OSWin 7 Prof OEM139Win 7 Prof OEM139Win 7 Prof OEM139Optical DriveBDR-20699BDR-20699BDR-20699 $ 1,485 $ 1,415 $ 2,541

I don't really know anything about benchmarks, and won't pay much attention to stuff like that.

Well, it is the only way this cash strapped guy stands a hope of making decisions about hardware as I could not afford to build a system just to see how it performs.

I notice that in post #4 you utilize a benchmark to aid you in making a decision, and I am not being sarcastic or flaming.

If you do go AMD, do some more research as not all AM3+ boards support all or every feature of Bulldozer. Nor do they all support CPU up to 140W. Consider a board
with this kind of specs. http://www.asrock.co...=Specifications

Edit. The copy paste for the SB build did not upload properly. See bottom of this page, 0xf63df18186cac41eee4c398737b17677/

Edited by iammykyl, 03 November 2011 - 07:50 AM.

[crazyhands911]

I notice that in post #4 you utilize a benchmark to aid you in making a decision, and I am not being sarcastic or flaming.

Yeah, I guess that can be considered a benchmark. Its not the usual list of numbers and stuff that I don't understand though, its the simplified version I've been looking for, a combined performance for price, not to mention I liked the sound rating. Most of the reviews I had read on some of the AMD cards I was looking at said they were very loud.

I'm not trying to go super high performance with this build, I don't know if that is what it looks like I'm trying to do or not. I know Intel is higher end, I just like the AMD, its what I'm familiar with. I do appreciate the links and information you have passed on to me. I will definitely double check on the motherboard specs, I do know it is compatible with the bulldozer board, via the ASUS site, but I'll check on the wattage figure you pointed out to be sure, thanks.

My main issue is what video card to get. You haven't commented on that particular piece yet, any preference or ideas there? Specifically, do you know the answer to my question regarding whether or not I can use a triple monitor setup on a single card, such as the EVGA card listed above, that only has 2 DVI-I and a mini-HDMI?

[iammykyl]

My main issue is what video card to get. You haven't commented on that particular piece yet, any preference or ideas there? Specifically, do you know the answer to my question regarding whether or not I can use a triple monitor setup on a single card, such as the EVGA card listed above, that only has 2 DVI-I and a mini-HDMI?

No real preferences, I try to pick the card type for the job.

except for one I know off. On most, although the cards have 3 ports, the mini HDMI shares the same signal as one of the DVI ports. I can think of 5 options 5 options.

1. Use this Zotac card, http://www.zotac.com...=100261&lang=un
2. set up SLI,
3. Choose a GTX 590, getting expensive.
4. Switch to the other team. plenty to choose from.
5. Look at professional cards, Quadro.

Bye the way, where are you? and I don't mean in your workshop.

[iammykyl]

Think I have found you the best solution,
Can display 4 monitors at the same time.
Almost identical performance to the GTX 580.
Same stable mate as your first choice.

http://pcper.com/rev...ics-Card-Review

http://www.newegg.co...EVGA-_-14130626

I have not looked at pricing 2 460s and not sure that an AMD Mobo you select will support SLI.

Edited by iammykyl, 04 November 2011 - 02:18 AM.

[crazyhands911]

On most, although the cards have 3 ports, the mini HDMI shares the same signal as one of the DVI ports. I can think of 5 options 5 options.

Thats the kind of info I needed to know, but was having troubles finding. Thank you very much.
The Sabertooth board I've got picked out is SLI and Crossfire ready, so I could go with dual cards.I just didn't figure I needed the performance of dual cards, and getting a second card just to have the option of adding a third monitor seemed excessive. That was a great find on the EVGA card you pointed out though. I'll look into that card a bit more and compare it with those Zotac cards, I think the Zotac will be the cheaper option, but there might be some perks that the EVGA has over the Zotac.
I am from Ohio by the way. Thanks again for the information.

[iammykyl]

Just wanted to know where you lived to work out the time difference as the time stamp on the posts come up for my region.

How will you be setting up your disks for the new build?

[crazyhands911]

Not sure I know what you are asking. My buddy will be assisting me with that actual build and setup, as he has done 8 or 9 builds. I am not setting my hard drives up in a RAID configuration if that is what you are asking. I'll have the SSD drive as my operating drive and have my 3 drives I currently have in my ICY DOCK hot swap bay. I have a 3 bay Icy dock in my current computer, but decide to go with the 5 bay for the new computer since I know I'll end up expanding my storage needs.

[iammykyl]

Yes, I was wondering about RAID0 for the scratch. Looks like your buddy has the right experience for the job.

Please let us know how the build performs, I am extremely interested, and will also help others contemplating a similar build.

Best of luck.