New Build

Sally · UberTweaker Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 1158 Location: WA

Alright, so parts are ordered and some are here.

3x 1TB WD Caviar Black SataII HDs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

2x2GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 PC12800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260

XFX HD4650 1GB PCI-e 2.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150396

Intel Xeon x3440 Lynnfield 2.53GHz quad core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117225

MSI P55A-G55 LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130292

I knew in my hear that Intel was the way to go for another long term build (5+ years). I just have a thing for the underdog, but performance is performance and I feel like these components were the best choice for a solid rig to chug along for the foreseeable future.

There's room for more RAM as needed and SATA3 capacity that I can utilize once fast SSDs become more economical / reliable to run the OS from. I plan to have one of the 1TB Caviar Black drives for OS, software, etc., and the other two 1TB will be in a mirrored raid array for music, pictures, software, and other necessary files.

I chose the x3440 because it seems to have performance/features that fall somewhere between i5/i7. It has quad core, hyper-threading (8 logical cores), turbo boost, VT, and is a server processor so is built for higher heat and stress. Not priced too bad and works in standard socket 1156 desktop boards.

I really don't game on my PC, but I wanted a solid mid-range graphics card for multimedia and still graphics. The ATI 4650 that I chose seemed like a good fit with 1GB and moderate clock speeds (& price!).

I've had fantastic luck w/ Corsair products in the past, so the XMS3 1600 seemed like a good choice. Their product lines seem to stay around quite a while, too, so if I want to add a pair of the same down the road I will probably be able to find it. Although OCZ has some impressive performance, prices, and service, I have really given up on them after a bad experience with flash drives.

The MSI P55A-G55 motherboard was well reviewed and really has the features that I want: 4 slots for DD3 (up to 16GB), full ATX, USB2/3, SATA2/3, RAID, PATA legacy connection, PS2, Gigabit ethernet, etc. The "Mil-Spec" stuff may be mostly gimmick, but what the hell. I guess I'll find out when I get it.

Anyway, the remainder of my parts should arrive on Friday and I hope to build this weekend. More news to come!

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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

Seems like a solid build. I would have gone for the i5-750/760 and saved $50 myself but that is just me.
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Sally · UberTweaker Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 1158 Location: WA

Yeah, I went back and forth with the 760. In the end, $20 dollars was the difference between the i5 760 and the x3440 on Newegg and it bought me HT and maybe a bit more robustness.

On a side note, I see that Newegg put the XFX ATI 5550 on sale for the same price as my 4650.

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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

Sally · UberTweaker Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 1158 Location: WA

Well, I'm posting from the new build. I've got a good wait for my 1TB mirrored array to format. My "Windows Experience" numbers are as follows (all stock speeds):

Processor: 7.4
Ram: 7.5
Aero Graphics: 5.5
Gaming/Business Graphics: 6.6
Primary Hard Disk: 5.9

Ok, so not really a "benchmark", but it's all that I've got to share right now. Pictures and other fun stuff to come.
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Sally · UberTweaker Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 1158 Location: WA

PassMark Rating : 978.1
CPU Mark Rating : 5472.7
2D Graphics Mark : 278.8
3D Graphics Mark : 490.7
Memory Mark : 1038.1
Disk Mark : 202.3
CD Mark : 438.9
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Sally · UberTweaker Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 1158 Location: WA

Grrrr!
I had some BSODs a few weeks ago and during W7 install. MemTest 86+ indicated that one of the sticks of ram was bad. Also, one of the HDs developed an awful squeal / squeak. RMA'd both to NewEgg.
E-mail today from NewEgg saying that they didn't get the memory, just an empty package.

They are now "looking into it". Lets see how long this drags out and how their customer service handles it. Not happy.
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Sally · UberTweaker Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 1158 Location: WA

Update: Advanced replacement of my memory is shipping today, thanks to Paul the moderator of the eggxpert forum. Should be up and running next week some time.

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[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

Nice, looks like it is working out for you.
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