Thread: Superbad The Computer

Hello Everyone,

I am building my self a semi budgeted computer, and would love some opinions on it. I have picked everything but the HD out. I plan on purchasing that locally at a Frys. :)

Here goes...

1. Case - NZXT BETA EVO Classic Series CS-NT-BETA-EVO Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Newegg.com - NZXT BETA EVO Classic Series CS-NT-BETA-EVO Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

2. Mobo - ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131359

3. CPU - Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-202-_-Product

4. GPU - BFG Tech BFGEGTS2501024DE GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail
Newegg.com - BFG Tech BFGEGTS2501024DE GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

5. PSU - Cooler Master GX Series 650W Single Rail
GX-650W - Cooler Master

6. Mem - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Desktop Memory

7. DVD - SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S222A - OEM
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners

8. Extras for now - Cooler Master 120mm Case Fan 4-in-1 Value Pack & Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Silver Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound - 3.5 gram tube

Sooo, I am most worried about compatability issues with all parts. I went it over about 10 times and don't think I missed anything, but please do let me know.

I haven't been following things lately but I can offer a few thoughts.

I think for an extra $50 I would get an i7 920, x58 board, and 6gb of ram.

Arctic Silver 5 is old, there are better pastes available. I'm not sure what the best is right now but I know Arctic Cooling MX-2 and MX-3 is better.

I'm not sure about the Cooler Master PSU, a few years ago they were only mediocre and Corsair was among the best and had decent prices. Like I said though I haven't been following hardware lately so that could have changed.

Depends what your going to use the computer for and how soon you would be willing to upgrade in dividual parts
It may be worth splashing out a few more $ on a higher watt psu if you plan to upgrade your gpu or add extra hard drives in the future
Also you may want to consider investing that, well alot :P, extar in a blueray drive,even if it only reads them as most DVD's will soon start to be blueray and im sure games will soon come on blueray to, plus alot of torrent sites now offer blueray movies so if you want to burn to disk a blue ray drive is something i would realy recomend

Thanks Draino for the suggestions. Your right much better to be prepared for the 6 cores. :)


edit: Yeah I defenitely want to get into the HD side of things with the comp, so I will be looking into getting a blu-ray, hopefully a burner, down the line.

Having a hard time deciding whether I should go with ATI or Nvidia. I know that Nvidia is way better, but way more expensive. When something becomes more affordable I will purchase a GTX high end. For now I think the GTS should hold me off.

i must say interesting configuration, but i would add some changes.

1.Case is ok, but get a look maybe for some thermaltake, they are very good.

2. MB is very good , asus are very good in intel , you may consider going on X58 , like rampage 2 extreme or P6X58D

3. For CPU i would buy this one Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops , it is very good, and you can consider buying this in 1366 core alongside with MB , very good combination , i tested it.

4. Hmmm , very big price for that card, i would go for Gainward GTX 275 or 260 , much better card and its in same price.

5.not the best PSU , you can with the same price get Corsair who is much better

6. memory is ok.

7. dvd ok.

8. my recommendation for you is to stick with AS5 , this is one of best paste , i had a chance to test some of hign-end pastes , and AS5 is in top, so go for it.


Your configuration is very good, you wont have any trouble at all, but consider going od 1366 core , much better and stable , everything else is ok, and for PSU go for corsair, you will not regret.

Just a few things I thought about while going through this. First, nVidia is not right off the bat better then ATi but more expensive. Bost cards have their strengths and weaknesses. I've found that if you ever go with 2 cards, crossfire works much better then SLI as far as performance gain; I've also used many of both... ATi cards tend to work better at larger resolutions then nVidia does, especially with AA turned all the way up. I also wouldn't go with any of the GTS cards, They just don't perform for the money spent... Spend more and go for a higher end card even if its a little out of budget, Better to buy one good card and spend more now then having a crappy one break and having to buy another.

Your case is a mid-tower size, cable management is tough in these. But you also have to pay CLOSE attention to your GPU in particular with mid-tower cases. Many of these aren't built to house the 10+ inch cards that are coming out, and the hard-drive bays are often too close for comfort. Many times they will fit, but then you can't get the extra power supply into the card. This is something to consider for both the case and the GPU that you choose. Also with the mid-tower cases I would consider going with a modular power supply (one that doesn't have all the wires already running out of the back) Depending on how you are going to cool your system, if you're going with AIR you need airflow and wires block that. This allows you to be neater and they are also less of a fuss when setting up. But they do cost a little more.

Also make sure you check your CPU for the mulitplier lock on it's clock times, and how it will fit with your motherboard and RAM. Especially with newer model motherboards, if you have a CPU with a locked multiplier then your RAM will be limited to certain frequencies and not necessarily what was advertised with the boards, I suggest going into the newegg reviews and sorting by lowest to see if anyone has mentioned any problems with this on the motherboard just so you know what to check to make sure its compatible.

As far as the power supply goes, you don't have to go higher wattage but go more for it's efficiency rating (look for 80%+) and make sure you have the compatible plugs for your motherboard/gpu. The GPU's in particular now require a PCI-E power supply and some need 2 of them. A really well built 600W will run better then some unknown brand 1000W. Look for corsair or sunbeam in these departments. CoolerMaster isn't really bad though.

RAM is up to you, just make sure like I said before you get the right timings for your CPU/Motherboard combo. **SOMETIMES** theres problems where they will limit which ram you can use.

Arctic Silver 5, someone said it was old.. Sure it is. Still works though, just be careful when applying cause it does conduct electricity you can burn out your CPU/MoBo. I wouldn't say MX-2 is better, but it's non-conductive so it's a little safer. Both are equal in performance though.


Probably missed a little but thats just my two cents. :P

Thank you PChambers. Great advice. I'm waiting a couple of days to see if newegg is going to update anything on the site as the month just got over. Will update my comp fig soon.

If you can wait a bit longer, the new Nvidia DX11 cards will be out by the end of the month and they are suppose to be somethin' powerful..

The next generation of NVIDIA GeForce GPU

Well, the first thing that stood out for me was the processor. If you're dead set on 1366 i7's, I would look very hard at the i7 930. It's only $10 more than the i7 920 for a speed bump. MSRP is supposed to be equal since Intel is trying to phase out the i7 920.

I'm also a fan of Antec cases. In my (limited) experience, they tend to have thicker panels (sturdy build) good layouts and features for a moderate price.
P183 is popular. I have the original P180. Popular ones seem to be the Twelve Hundred and Two Hundred.

In terms of bang for buck, AMD is the current top contender. Nvidia GTS 250 is a G92 part (8800/9800gt) on a smaller process. GT series are cut down versions (GT240 is a lite 9600GT). GTX parts are the only new generation chips, but for less money, you can get 4850's or go for 4890's at similar price ranges. AMD 5xxx series also let you run Eyefinity (game on 3 monitors) if that's your thing.

Other than that, nothing stands out in particular for me. Memory is basically just picking the cheapest ones that meet the spec you want. Most of the crap memory vendors already went out of business. I tend to prefer Corsair or OCZ, but mainly due to warranty.

One thing you might want to consider is a sound card. It depends entirely on your speaker/headphone setup, but a sound card can minimize hissing, popping, and aliasing, especially if you opt for one with HD outputs that's actually built for HD. A couple I know off the top of my head are the Asus Xonar DX and the Auzen X-Fi Bravura.