Finally built a new rig

[Hijacker]

Took long enough for me to get around to it, but I finally put an all new rig together. Usually I scavenge old systems to make new ones, but I really wanted an entirely new system this time around.

The specs:Asus M3A79-T Deluxe AM2+ moboAMD Phenom X4 9950 processor4 gigs DDR2 1066 memory1 TB Samsung Spinpoint HDD2x Radeon HD4870 1 gig video cardsCoolmax 1350W PSUCooler Master Stacker Evolution 830 Case

I have to say, the Radeons are absolutely huge. I considered buying 3 of them, but the units are so big that I couldn't fit 3 on the board. If you wanted more than 2, you would have to get an X2 card.

I'll post up some benchmark stats later, once I've gotten most of my programs installed and updated.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Nice picks with the AMD/ATI combo. I love them both. Nvidia can suck my balls; one of their cards was MORE than enough for me. I hated my 6800 so much I seriously considered trading it for a Radeon 9800. Poorer specs but at least it wouldn't be a POS.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing your benchmark numbers. I may use your rig as a basis for my new one if I ever actually save up enough at once to buy one (damned cars are an expensive hobby!)

Two questions:Why not DDR3?Samsung HDD? Interesting.

[Hijacker]

AMD isn't supporting DDR3 until the AM3 specs are out. The Phenom X4 is an AM2+ processor, so I'm SOL on upgrading to DDR3.

I picked the Samsung HDD based on reviews I had read on Tom's and Anand. The other contenders in the terabyte range were good in one aspect, but didn't have overall greatness like the Samsung did. Also, a lot of the reviews on Newegg swayed my opinion as well.

[Looneybomber]

The specs:Asus M3A79-T Deluxe AM2+ moboAMD Phenom X4 9950 processor4 gigs DDR2 1066 memory1 TB Samsung Spinpoint HDD2x Radeon HD4870 1 gig video cardsCoolmax 1350W PSUCooler Master Stacker Evolution 830 Case

Wow, fairly close to parts that are in the mail.

-Same mobo-Same CPU-Same ram (mine was OCZ brand, on sale for cheap!)-Same size HDD, but I got a seagate. Later will buy a second for RAID 0-Only 1 vid card-Antec Solo case for quietness.-Enermax PRO82 625w. Half the size of your's, but likely the most quiet actively cooled PSU.

At 50% duty cycle (312w output), the fan speed increases from idle, so I'll be able to see how much power I'm drawing. On my current computer, it's fan speed has never increased, but my processor and vid card don't pull near the same amount of power.

[Hijacker]

I can't even tell my computer is on it's so quiet. My old Athlon 64 rig was a jumbo jet in sound compared to this one.

The Cooler Master case is honestly one of the best cases I have ever touched. I absolutely love it. It has just about everything I could ask for implemented very well.

As for the brand of memory, I prefer Corsair when I can get it. If I'm on a budget, I'll go with Kingston usually.

With as large as the radeons are, you need to go with a full tower. I had considered going with an NXZT case because it offered a second PSU slot in case I felt that I would have to run split duty PSUs, but it had space constraints, even for a full tower. I know I would have had clearance issues with the vid cards had I gone that route.

Also, I'll only be running 1 PSU now as I won't be adding a 3rd vid card in like I had originally planned. There just isn't enough room.

And one little extra I managed to finagle for my setup. I can't believe Asus doesn't just offer this bugger up for a little extra as the board I bought supports it. But Marenta was RMAing her old M3A32 Deluxe WiFi board, so we snagged the RAM heatpipe off of it and attached it to my board



I mean, why bother having the northbridge heatsink accept the RAM heat pipes if it wasn't going to be included or at least offered as an optional purchase?

[Looneybomber]

Well I hope it fits in my case. I couldn't find dimensions on it anywhere. I couldn't even find a 4870 owners manual. I found the 4850, but it didn't have dimensions listed in it.