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ForumsDiscussion Forum → Shameless Bragging about my New PC (3)
Shameless Bragging about my New PC (3)
2014-09-12, 6:59 AM #1
I never called my threads 'Q&A with my new PC' , and dont see a reason to change now. :)

The previous threads:
http://forums.massassi.net/vb3/showthread.php?59773-Shameless-Bragging-about-my-New-PC-(2)
http://forums.massassi.net/vb3/showthread.php?56016-Shameless-Bragging-about-my-New-PC

CPU: i7 5960X ($959)
MOBO: AsRock X99 Extreme3 ($210)
RAM: Crucial 16gb DDR4 2133 CL15 ($200)
PSU: Refurbished Corsair TX750 ($50)
GPU: Used 2x 7950 Sapphire Flex OC 3gb ($219) 2x Zotac GTX970 4gb $660
CPU COOLING: Refurbished H110 ($68)
STORAGE PLAN:

CASE: Modded Antec 300 ($55)
OS: Win 8.1 x64 ($85)

TOTAL COST: $2362 $2803

[/B][/B][/B][/B][/B][/B][/B]Part of the motivation for this build, is soon I will be moving in with my girlfriend and will probably have to justify large purchases in our shared budget. So I really needed to go overkill here and make since this will probably need to last me another 3+ years.

So now to explain some of my choices.

The processor is obviously about bragging rights. Would an i7-5820K have been a much smart choice? Absolutely.

The 1tb SSD for Steam is pretty wasteful as well, and it's even more amusing that it performs faster than the SSD that I chose for Windows 8.1.

The AsRock board was literally the cheapest x99 board available at launch. I may have hurt myself here in that I didnt realize this board only has 6 power phases and not 12 like most of the others. It may be responsible for limited my overclock a little but I'm not positive that's the case either. In retrospect, I should have spent another $20 on the motherboard. My thinking was that Intel has always massively over engineered their chipset specifications, so that even low end motherboards prove quite capable, and to it's credit the AsRock x99 Exteme3 has still allowed me to achieve +1.2 ghz over the processors stock speed. I'm currently running @ 4.2ghz, I was hoping for 4.4/4.5ghz and I still havent given up but this is pretty decent for now.

Also the ram and psu were literally the cheapest acceptable components I can find, although I'm quite happy with the performance of both.

The videocards- that probably has some people puzzled. I got them off ebay, they are merely place holders until Nvidia GTX980's become available. (Update- I went with SLI GTX970's) I didnt want to push building the whole PC until then. I think late Oct/Nov is the ETA. To their credit- the 7950's are performing great. I havent seen any Crossfire Issues, Performance is good, and surprisingly they arent that loud. Much improved since the last time I did crossfire with 5870's. I even tried Mantle on Thief, and it was something like a 30% improvement at the highest settings. I'm currently still gaming @ 1080p, but hopefully this build will take me into 4K shortly.

I'm adapting to Windows 8.1 as a 24/7 user ok, although I cheated and bought Start8.

Oh and the Antec 300, it looks like I'm stuck in a rut. Same case for the last 3 builds. I should probably find something that at least has USB3 front ports for my next build. Also because the H110 is a 280mm rad instead of a 240mm it wasnt a perfect fit anymore, I had to cut some of the lowest drive cage away and build a little cage to hold it.

Some Pictures:
My favorite JKDF2 h4x:
EAH XMAS v2
MANIPULATOR GUN
EAH SMOOTH SNIPER
2014-09-12, 7:00 AM #2
Some Benchmarks, in case you want to compare. :)

3dMark FireStrike - 11020
3dMark Skydiver - 34305
3dMark CloudGate - 41373
3dMark IceStorm - 198738 , Extreme: 187632
3dMark11 - P15980, X5359
3dMark Vantage - P53987






My favorite JKDF2 h4x:
EAH XMAS v2
MANIPULATOR GUN
EAH SMOOTH SNIPER
2014-09-12, 7:05 AM #3
After this post, I'm boycotting this thread based on your lack of compliance!!

Anyway, looks impressive. Nice work on tweaking the case to fit your components.
2014-09-12, 8:41 AM #4
Ohhh 1tb SSD. Reliable I assume?

Looking through your Samsung SSD link, how did you get that price when, on Newegg, it states $499? If you got some special discount, can you extend it down to the 256GB SSD line?

It would be cool to carry around a SSD within my Thinkpad x230 since I move around the laptop alot, even to construction sites. I use to have an Intel SSD 320 series 120 GB but was hit with the infamous "8MB" failure and had everything erased on it. Intel suggested updating the firmware, but people were still getting the 8MB wipe. Kinda makes me paranoid for having it in my laptop that I use for work...
SnailIracing:n(500tpostshpereline)pants
-----------------------------@%
2014-09-12, 8:55 AM #5
Originally posted by ECHOMAN:
Ohhh 1tb SSD. Reliable I assume?

Looking through your Samsung SSD link, how did you get that price when, on Newegg, it states $499? If you got some special discount, can you extend it down to the 256GB SSD line?

It would be cool to carry around a SSD within my Thinkpad x230 since I move around the laptop alot, even to construction sites. I use to have an Intel SSD 320 series 120 GB but was hit with the infamous "8MB" failure and had everything erased on it. Intel suggested updating the firmware, but people were still getting the 8MB wipe. Kinda makes me paranoid for having it in my laptop that I use for work...



I find I don't have the same value for my personal data as most people. If something crashes- easy come, easy go. Most of what I care can be reacquired from my email or cloud hosting services.

Samsung has a very good reputation for reliability. I didn't get a special discount I just spent a lot of time planning and waiting for deals. The $390 price was part of this deal -

http://slickdeals.net/f/7106442-1tb-samsung-840-evo-mz-7te1t0bw-2-5-mlc-internal-solid-state-drive-ssd-390-newegg

which is no longer available. I'd recommend

http://pcpartpicker.com

if you want to search for the current best price on something.
My favorite JKDF2 h4x:
EAH XMAS v2
MANIPULATOR GUN
EAH SMOOTH SNIPER
2014-09-12, 10:26 AM #6
Your PC is better than mine by a margin that I can't even begin to express in words.
Looks like we're not going down after all, so nevermind.
2014-09-12, 11:40 AM #7
I can't get motivated to buy a new PC. I built one with an i7-920 five years ago, with a GPU upgrade a few years back it really hasn't had a major issue with anything I've thrown at it. Maybe once this console generation gets going things will change.
2014-09-12, 11:59 PM #8
I, too, stuff the inside of my case with excess cabling.
2014-09-13, 7:21 AM #9
I don't really consider it bragging rights when you spend $1000 on a CPU, and then ignore everything else.

A $50 case, a refurbished, non-modular power supply, I mean come on. Spread the money around a little. At the very least get a better case, one with some good soundproofing characteristics. I spent a good chunk of cash on my Obsidian 550D and my ears thank me every day. Edit: Actually, get a new PSU first, because ffs, if you fry a $1000 CPU...

I also think the CPU was a bad choice not just because of the cost, but also because the 8 cores are a detriment, not a benefit. Anandtech had a hell of a time finding a use case for so many cores in a non-workstation environment. The higher clock speeds from other, fewer-core designs did a much better job (either matching the performance of this, or beating it).
2014-09-13, 9:33 AM #10
I don't see the point of a modular psu if you're running crossfire. Mine is modular, and I use every one of the cables. It's not like you need particularly great airflow when everything is water cooled anyway.
>>untie shoes
2014-09-13, 9:54 AM #11
Originally posted by Cool Matty:
I don't really consider it bragging rights when you spend $1000 on a CPU, and then ignore everything else.

A $50 case, a refurbished, non-modular power supply, I mean come on. Spread the money around a little. At the very least get a better case, one with some good soundproofing characteristics. I spent a good chunk of cash on my Obsidian 550D and my ears thank me every day. Edit: Actually, get a new PSU first, because ffs, if you fry a $1000 CPU...

I also think the CPU was a bad choice not just because of the cost, but also because the 8 cores are a detriment, not a benefit. Anandtech had a hell of a time finding a use case for so many cores in a non-workstation environment. The higher clock speeds from other, fewer-core designs did a much better job (either matching the performance of this, or beating it).



Too each his own. I've never been one to focus on appearances. I don't care about extra wires everywhere, because I don't see them. I do care about performance.

The whole refurbished thing doesn't bother me either, provided it's manufacturer refurbished. I've been doing this a long time and I believe I'm a fairly good judge of what equipment can be trusted.

About the cpu, you right and that's nothing I didn't know before purchasing. I think your over estimating the 'detriment' tho, because most of the haswell-e chips seem to be topping out at the same speed regardless of 6 or 8 cores, assuming you meant overclocking and not stock speed.
My favorite JKDF2 h4x:
EAH XMAS v2
MANIPULATOR GUN
EAH SMOOTH SNIPER
2014-09-13, 11:16 AM #12
I wasn't joking. I've never been able to do cable management the way they do on internet. I don't think it's possible, it must be like a TV commercial cheeseburger, like all of the cables are actually cut in the middle and they run to nowhere.

I've even bought special cases.

he;lp



(Whats wrong with spending $1000 on a cpu? If I were building a new computer right now it'd probably be some 24 core headless xeon with ecc ram, not everybody has the same use cases duders.)
2014-09-17, 8:52 PM #13
I just cram all my cables wherever they fit and won't get in my way when i reseat my ram or take out my gpu to clean it.
error; function{getsig} returns 'null'
2014-09-18, 6:38 AM #14
OCN has a thread called 'Ghetto Rigging', I have to admit I've posted a few pictures there when I'm especially proud of my crappy and ingenious fix to making stuff fit in a PC case.
My favorite JKDF2 h4x:
EAH XMAS v2
MANIPULATOR GUN
EAH SMOOTH SNIPER
2014-09-18, 12:46 PM #15
Neerrrrrd
2014-09-19, 10:56 AM #16
Originally posted by 'Thrawn[numbarz:
;1187139']Neerrrrrd


This Nerd ordered two GTX970's this morning for $660. I wish I had known they were gonna be available this quickly, I would have avoided the 2x7950's purchase.
My favorite JKDF2 h4x:
EAH XMAS v2
MANIPULATOR GUN
EAH SMOOTH SNIPER
2014-09-19, 1:13 PM #17
JUST SEND EM TO ME BUDDEH
2014-09-19, 2:30 PM #18
Originally posted by saberopus:
JUST SEND EM TO ME BUDDEH


Would you settle for just one of them? I promised one of the 7950's to another buddeh already.
My favorite JKDF2 h4x:
EAH XMAS v2
MANIPULATOR GUN
EAH SMOOTH SNIPER
2014-09-20, 8:19 AM #19
THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE CALLED "Q&A WITH MY NEW RIG" DAMN YOU
COUCHMAN IS BACK BABY
2014-09-20, 10:52 AM #20
Originally posted by Tracer:
THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE CALLED "Q&A WITH MY NEW RIG" DAMN YOU




I'VE ALREADY ADDRESSED THIS!
My favorite JKDF2 h4x:
EAH XMAS v2
MANIPULATOR GUN
EAH SMOOTH SNIPER
2014-09-21, 9:04 PM #21
Originally posted by EAH_TRISCUIT:
Would you settle for just one of them? I promised one of the 7950's to another buddeh already.


well of course, ha. I was just throwing that out there... would this be a worthwhile replacement for a GTX 670? A 5 second search makes me think that the difference isn't large enough for me to deserve that upgrade instead of somebody else here :P. Please correct me if I'm wrong...
2014-09-22, 3:19 AM #22
Originally posted by saberopus:
well of course, ha. I was just throwing that out there... would this be a worthwhile replacement for a GTX 670? A 5 second search makes me think that the difference isn't large enough for me to deserve that upgrade instead of somebody else here :P. Please correct me if I'm wrong...


You are right, a 7950 is about equal to a GTX670.
My favorite JKDF2 h4x:
EAH XMAS v2
MANIPULATOR GUN
EAH SMOOTH SNIPER
2014-09-24, 11:51 AM #23
I'll take one. How much faster will it make my car go?
If you think the waiters are rude, you should see the manager.
2014-09-24, 2:11 PM #24
Gotta chase those ambulances, right???
SnailIracing:n(500tpostshpereline)pants
-----------------------------@%
2014-09-26, 5:39 AM #25
rite
If you think the waiters are rude, you should see the manager.
2014-09-26, 6:44 AM #26
Originally posted by Obi_Kwiet:
I can't get motivated to buy a new PC. I built one with an i7-920 five years ago, with a GPU upgrade a few years back it really hasn't had a major issue with anything I've thrown at it. Maybe once this console generation gets going things will change.


I recently upgraded a similar setup... for £100... I grabbed a hex core Xeon X5670 from ebay which happily hits 4.4ghz and performs better in most benchmarks than a 4790k. Not bad for the 5 year old X58 architecture :)
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2014-09-30, 6:23 AM #27
Originally posted by Ni:
I recently upgraded a similar setup... for £100... I grabbed a hex core Xeon X5670 from ebay which happily hits 4.4ghz and performs better in most benchmarks than a 4790k. Not bad for the 5 year old X58 architecture :)


Wow, good call. I'll have to pick one up.
2014-09-30, 7:36 AM #28
Oh just to update, the GTX970's finally got here. I've overclocked both of them +175mhz on both the GPU and Memory. Here's the new round of benchmarks for comparison:

3dMark FireStrike - 18518
3dMark Skydiver - 46233
3dMark CloudGate - 50561
3dMark IceStorm - 201612 , Extreme: 195463
3dMark11 - P24940 , X10122
3dMark Vantage - P64792

vs the old 7950 Crossfire scores:

3dMark FireStrike - 11020
3dMark Skydiver - 34305
3dMark CloudGate - 41373
3dMark IceStorm - 198738 , Extreme: 187632
3dMark11 - P15980, X5359
3dMark Vantage - P53987

I can also run Watch Dogs - Ultra, Maxed out @ 1080p without studdering now. :)
My favorite JKDF2 h4x:
EAH XMAS v2
MANIPULATOR GUN
EAH SMOOTH SNIPER
2014-09-30, 9:15 PM #29
yeah well my computer can rotate a cube at least three times

maybe four
COUCHMAN IS BACK BABY

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