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Huntakillaz

268 posts

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#93081 14-Nov-2011 02:25
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New build what i'm looking for:

Games: BF3/Starcraft2
Multimedia: TV/Movies/Music
Apps: Programming/Photoshop
Average Lifetime: 3yrs before upgrade (see next line), New Build at 5/6yrs
Possible upgrades / Futureproofing : Ivybridge cpu, Pci 3.0 gfx, crossfire 2nd toxic card

Please note that I do not mind getting mildy expensive parts that I know will last a few builds.
I have been doing my research too. :)

Current:
--------
Cpu             AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 90nm Venice Core DH-E3 2.2ghz       
Cpu Cooling     Thermaltake A1838 Silent Boost
Motherboard     ASUS A8N-SLI Premium ACPI BIOS Revision 1303 (Socket 939/nforce4 (Crush CK8-04 MCP))
Ram             OCZ Platinum Edition PC-3200 (OCZ4001024ELPE) 2x 1.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR @ 201MHz (2.5-3-3-5)
GPU             Sapphire Radeon HD4850 Toxic HDMI 512Mb
Psu             Enermax Noisetaker 485w
Case            Thermaltake Saprano Black S/W
Tv Tuner        Winfast DTV2000H (CONEXANT CX2388x)
Webcam          N/A
ODD             Samsung(TSSTcorp) CDDVDW SH-S203B     
SSD             N/A
Sound Card      Realtek ALC850 8 Channel Codec
Speakers        Polk Audio Passive Speakers
Headset         Sennheiser Pc150
========================================================================================
New:
--------
Cpu             $305         Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz Socket 1155 (Try OC @ 4.5ghz 1.40V)         
Cpu Cooling     $40/205      Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus/Noctua NH-D14/Noctua NH-C14
Motherboard     $335         Asus P8Z68-V/GEN3 (*2: The PCIe x16_3 slot shares bandwidth with PCIe x1_1 slot, PCIe x1_2 slot, USB3_34 and eSATA. The PCIe x16_3 default setting is in x1 mode.)
Ram             $300         2x G.Skill Ripjaws X DDR3 PC14900/1866MHz CL9 2x4GB (F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL) vs 2x G.Skill Ripjaws X DDR3 PC12800/1600MHz CL8 2x4GB (F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM)  
GPU             $490         Sapphire Radeon HD6950 Toxic HDMI Dual-DisplayPort Dual-DVI 2GB The dimensions of the are 10.75 inches in Length, 3.875 inches in Height, and 1.5 inches wide.
Psu             $285         Seasonic X 760
Case            $345/395     Corsair Graphite Series 600TM Mesh Window Black Mid Tower Chassis / Corsair Obsidian 650D (Black/Transparent) / Cooler Master Silencio 550 Quiet ATX Tower
Tv Tuner        $145         WinTV-HVR-2200
SSD             $320         Crucial m4 2.5" 128GB
Sound Card      $250+85      Asus Xonar Essence ST + Asus Xonar H6
Speakers        $
Headset         $
Microphone      $20          Zalman ZM-MIC 1
Smartphone      $700         Samsung GT-i9100 Galaxy S II

Total low/high  $3620/3815
========================================================================================
I already have:
--------
ODD             Samsung SH203B
HDD             Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 32MB 1.5TB (Data/Docs) / Samsung SpinPoint F3 HD103SJ 32MB 1TB (Games)
Keyboard        Logitech G110
Mouse           Logitech Mx 518
Monitor         Hp ZR24w  (1920x1200)
OS              WinXp 32bit / Win 7 64bit
========================================================================================
Headphones: (movie/games/music)

$145.00             Audio Technica ATH-AD700    
$413.71             Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm    
$399.00             Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro    
$194.35            Sennheiser HD555    
$238.60            Sennheiser HD558    
$279.00            Sennheiser HD595    
$338.95             Sennheiser HD598    

Speakers : (possibly getting later)

Audioengine 5 (A5)




16gb Ram and make 8gb Ram drive?

Need opinions, NZ pricing can be found here: http://pricespy.co.nz/


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Niel
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  #544933 14-Nov-2011 06:02
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Headphones:

All those headphones are professional audio equipment brands which expanded into consumer audio. Another 2 to add to the list is Shure and Behringer. Shure will feel like the same quality as the above, where as Behringer focusses on value - it feels cheap but is actually very good and great bang-for-buck. I'm using a Behringer HPX4000 for post-processing multi-track sound recordings of a reasonable size band (drums, 3 guitars, keyboard, 4 vocals). Cost $60, but sounds great with amazing low frequency bass which you will not find on any consumer headphones (only pro headphones).

One of the issues with going for studio headphones is that they have a flat frequency response which does not sound good in general listening. It is technically correct, but not suitable for general use and needs lots of EQ to make it sound good. The Behringers are a good compromise between flat studio sound and consumer accentuated sound.

I have used the higher end Audio Technica and Sennheiser and they feel great with top quality parts, but paying $300+ for headphones?




You can never have enough Volvos!




Ragnor
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  #545010 14-Nov-2011 10:04
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Looks like you've already done the research and all the choices look sound to me.

For the video card.... AMD have been a lagging with driver updates lately for major pre sale game releases. Nvidia is doing a better job of having optimized drivers out before each major game is released

eg: Rage, DuesEx, BF3, Skyrim all had special driver releases before the game was out... for AMD it's reactive releases after the game has been out a bit. Skyrim has been out for a few days and no fixed driver for the initial mouse lag, missing crossfire profile etc yet.

So if you often go for pre orders of big games you might be better served with a GTX 570. If that's not a factor for you then the 6950 is probably the better option.

For headphones have you seen/heard that the 555 can be modded to a psuedo 595 and the same for the 558 to 598?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvQ8PzBrHXE

timmmay
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  #545047 14-Nov-2011 11:10
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Noctuna heatsinks are very nice, but very expensive. The 212 is almost as good, just get a quiet fan to put on it. Just make sure your case is big enough, I ended up returning the 212 for a Noctuna just because the 212 was too large for my case.

Make sure your motherboard has enough SATA sockets. Mine didn't, but I have 6 drives plus externals.

Why are you buying a sound card? Just use onboard sound, it's good enough for 99% of people.

Make sure your RAM is compatible with your motherboard. Check the compatibility list.

Consider these SSDs, I have two and they work great, good value too: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/

That's an expensive power supply. My i7 2600K PC, running photoshop flat out, uses 120W of power. Your video card will use more, but still. A modular PS would be nice to avoid cable mess.

Headphones I know a lot about, check out my website http://www.headphonereviews.org . Do you need isolation from external noise?



Huntakillaz

268 posts

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  #545117 14-Nov-2011 12:43
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@neil : not to sure i have used both sennhiser pc150 and hd212 and sounded brilliant in movies and music and quite decent in games.
one issue i do have is the ear cups. the pc150 hurt quite alot after a while (as i wear glasses too) the 212hd while fit nicely are just a tiny bit small iirc to being perfect. but i will look into those brands :)

@Ragnor : i never buy games on pre order unless its a valve game, everything else i usually wait for a bit. so 6950 is fine :)
yeah i saw those mods but didnt know it can be done to 558. thanks

@timmmay : sata sockets yup got 2xsata3 and 4xsata2 +1 esata
they dont seem to have those in nz, but heard great things about the crucial.
psu: yea it is and is higher but in a few years if i decided to crossfire or addin other things i know the system will handle
ok i'll remember the fan part.



timmmay
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  #545157 14-Nov-2011 13:43
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OWC ships to NZ quite cheaply. Ordering from the US can be a bunch cheaper sometimes. OWC and OCZ Vertex are the ones I most often hear recommended.

PC150 and HD212 are very entry level headphones. ATD700 will be nicer, I have the ATH-A900 (not the D model). 555, 598, 595 will be nice too, all open headphones so the sound gets in and out.

1080p
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  #545194 14-Nov-2011 15:17
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That build looks good to me with the exception of the GFX card. I'd suggest waiting for the Nvidia 600 series cards if possible or going for a GTX 580.

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