Advice on new computer Build

[Guest MarkP3637]

Hello all,I am getting ready to get an I-7 system put together primarily for FSX. I am pretty much at the top of my budget on this one but am looking for suggestions if I should change anything for a modest cost difference. This is my first I-7 so I am hoping to have dramatically better FSX performance now than on my old AMD Athlon Dual 2.8 ghz processor and 8800 GT card. I will be running complex add-ons like PMDG 747, Eaglesoft Cit X, REX 2.0, UTX, GEX, UT2, Flight 1 Mustang, and FSDreamTeam airports.New system:Thermaltake Element TCorsair TX 650WIntel Core i7 920 3.6GHz 8MBCorsair H50ASUS P6X58D PremiumSuper Talent DDR3-1600 6GB(3X2G) CL82x Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB SATA 2 7200rpm 32MBSamsung SH-S223C 22X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW SATA DriveBFG GeForce 275 OC GTX 1GBWindows 7 Home Premium 64bit Monitor: Asus 26 inch HD Vk266H Res. 1920 x 1200I will be running FSX on the 2nd 1 TB hard drive to keep it seperate from the OS.Any comments or suggestions to change anything before the final build?Thanks everyone,Mark

[Kosta 122]

Not really sure if I would go H50, someone else should chime in on this one. I hear something like NH Series (U12 for instance) should be very good. If aircooled, go aircooled all the way. Or build watercooling.Otherwise a good build. Mainboard rocks ;-)

[jjeffreys 12]

I concur with Word Not Allowed, The H50 is not the way to go, look at either Synth or Noctua Air cooled solutions instead. If you insist on getting water cooled then go with a true water cooled system and not the H50.Jeremy

[Guest MarkP3637]

Thanks guys,I really appreciate your input since I am new to the custom build scenario. My builder suggested the H50 for cooling so I am not very familiar with it. If I were to have a watercooled system built in would you guys have a good suggestion? Or just build in one of the Noctua air systems into the case?Why is the H50 not a good idea?Thanks again,Mark

I concur with Word Not Allowed, The H50 is not the way to go, look at either Synth or Noctua Air cooled solutions instead. If you insist on getting water cooled then go with a true water cooled system and not the H50.Jeremy

[jjeffreys 12]

Mark here is a review of some of the best coolers on the market http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1212/6/ Look at the H50 compared to some of the others and you will see why I am recommending the Noctua. As for Water cooling I think Word Not Allowed would be the best one to answer that question. I do know that it is something that you should not just jump into, water cooling is very personalized and can get very expensive.JeremyNote: Take a look at Heatsinkfactory.com for some good prices in the US and they ship very fast. Newegg is more expensive and they have been out of stock most of the time.

[Kosta 122]

Thanks guys,I really appreciate your input since I am new to the custom build scenario. My builder suggested the H50 for cooling so I am not very familiar with it. If I were to have a watercooled system built in would you guys have a good suggestion? Or just build in one of the Noctua air systems into the case?Why is the H50 not a good idea?Thanks again,Mark

I am not air fan, so I can't give you much feedback on that one. I only heard Noctua is one of the best.I can give you many suggestions on how and what to build for watercooling system, but keep in mind:- it's little more expensive than a good air cooling- it's cooler than air (more OC potential)- it's way more silent (since you can extend the watercooling base to not only CPU, but also GPU, HDD, Chipset...) -> this is where it really gets expensive- it somewhat needs maintenance (though not really a lot)As you started this thread, with an info of limited budget, I didn't believe this would be something for you.You can start with basic watercooling, CPU only, for around 200€ (this means a good pump, reservoire, all tubes and connectors, a nice big radiator with some silent fans spinning very slowly). Always possible to go further later.

[Guest MarkP3637]

I am not air fan, so I can't give you much feedback on that one. I only heard Noctua is one of the best.I can give you many suggestions on how and what to build for watercooling system, but keep in mind:- it's little more expensive than a good air cooling- it's cooler than air (more OC potential)- it's way more silent (since you can extend the watercooling base to not only CPU, but also GPU, HDD, Chipset...) -> this is where it really gets expensive- it somewhat needs maintenance (though not really a lot)As you started this thread, with an info of limited budget, I didn't believe this would be something for you.You can start with basic watercooling, CPU only, for around 200

[PingPong 60]

You know I just built a good system for FSX last week using the H50, and it's a nice cooler, I can't comment on it's relative performance, but it certainly does the job and it's quiet as a mouse.I use a i7 920 overclocked to 4.0 ghz stable.I don't know if you have been following the Bufferpools = 0 thread on the FSX forum, but I have used it with a nvidia GTX 285 with 2 gb RAM and it's amazing, considering that, you may want to consider a graphics card with more Vram.

[Guest MarkP3637]

You know I just built a good system for FSX last week using the H50, and it's a nice cooler, I can't comment on it's relative performance, but it certainly does the job and it's quiet as a mouse.I use a i7 920 overclocked to 4.0 ghz stable.I don't know if you have been following the Bufferpools = 0 thread on the FSX forum, but I have used it with a nvidia GTX 285 with 2 gb RAM and it's amazing, considering that, you may want to consider a graphics card with more Vram.

Thanks for your input on the H50 PingPong. I am not ruling it out yet, just looking at other options. I am glad to hear it is working well for you. I was considering the GTX 285 but I wondered if I would see much of a difference in FSX performance since that card would add about $150 to the price of my build. I haven't checked out the bufferpools thread but I will.Thanks again,Mark

[PingPong 60]

Thanks for your input on the H50 PingPong. I am not ruling it out yet, just looking at other options. I am glad to hear it is working well for you. I was considering the GTX 285 but I wondered if I would see much of a difference in FSX performance since that card would add about $150 to the price of my build. I haven't checked out the bufferpools thread but I will.Thanks again,Mark

I think the GTX 275 with 1.7 gb Vram would work with this tweak as well.

[TechguyMaxC 516]

Those of you recommending against the H50 - have you ever used one?I have. It works great! Running an E8400 @ 4GHz with (high) 1.44V. Beats the dual-fan Xigmatek HDT-S1283 HS that it replaced and by about 10 degrees at that.

[Guest MarkP3637]

Those of you recommending against the H50 - have you ever used one?I have. It works great! Running an E8400 @ 4GHz with (high) 1.44V. Beats the dual-fan Xigmatek HDT-S1283 HS that it replaced and by about 10 degrees at that.

Hi Max,Thank you for your input on the H50 as well. I am glad to hear from someone else who is having good success with it. I talked with my builder again and he really likes that cooler so I may still go with it. I think Jeremy and Word Not Allowed were just referring that an air cooler for my system might be better becaue in some tests the H50 didn't do as well as some of the air coolers. Word Not Allowed has a great watercooling setup and I know Jeremy is using the Noctua NHD-14 or which I have read great reviews on ( but it won't fit with my RAM). I am doing more research. I know a key that I have read with the H50 is making sure the case has plenty of ventilation. Of course I guess with any cooler that is important. I would really like to get a watercooling system built in for the full computer but because of cost I will not be able to do that. I am thinking of going with a CoolerMaster 690 II for the case. I am going to stick with the GTX 275 primarily for the cost savings. Other than the cooling does the rest of the system look good to you guys?Thanks again to all of you for the suggestions,Mark

[TechguyMaxC 516]

The only air coolers that beat an H50 are:1) more expensive2) massive3) have multiple and/or VERY loud fans

[TechguyMaxC 516]

The CM 690 (II) is a good mid-tower, but I don't recommend it for high-end/hot components. It just doesn't have the space necessary to facilitate proper airflow for all components. A better case would be something like Coolermaster's HAF932, or 840 ATCS.

[Guest FlyingBits]

The only air coolers that beat an H50 are:1) more expensive2) massive3) have multiple and/or VERY loud fans

Max will be completely surprised but I am going to strongly disagree with the above. :( I know I don't have to say this but I will anyway, Not all air coolers are created equal. :( Having observed the performance first hand and some benchmarks thrown in to boot:1. The H50 is nothing more than the Asetek LCLC without the extra ports for GPU and chipset cooling (this is a fact, I know this for two reasons, 1. It looks exactly the same 2.They are ordered from Asetek and the Large Box that they come to you in as a retailer/vendor says "Asetek" on the box (20 or so in a box); it is not really new in any form and doesn't take advantage of the latest tech in water pump or block design, though it is a nice simple design.2. Its fan is what I would call roaring loud compared to what can be acheived with other options and the fan is runnin uncontrolled, not lowered when system is just at Idle.3. further when running a push-pull to on it to get any kind of performance close to that of the Best Air coolers you have a fan just making all kinds of racket sitting right on the outside of your case.4. Its performance pails in compared to a number of good Air Coolers.5. You can choose fans based on DBA and static air pressure so the choice is yours in many cases were there is no fan included as in the case of the powerful Megahalems.6. the price is so close it is a non issue as many Better Air coolers are cheaper even when including the fan, for the extra $10-$20 more in some instances, it is still considerably more performance -----> If you are trying to get a decent Overclock.Thorough Comparisons against the best Air coolers (make sure you read all the commentary):At Stock fans speeds and stock running I-7 : http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?opti...p;limitstart=11With Hi-Perf Fans on 1.4v overclocked I-7 : http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?opti...p;limitstart=12Having tested about a few dozen fans I can recommend this as one of the best for Balanced performance of DBA to CFM@Static Air Pressure (when run up against the Heatsink) as Used with the BIOS or a fan controller to adjust speeds and it is a superb value: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9780/fan...K-R0.html#blankHere is a nice review of many, many fans to compare fans that seems to be fairly accurate though getting a bit old, I say that because some sites do not measure Fan performance as used when static pressure is needed, up against a HS or a grill, testing in free air is just lame to me...Anyway, Here is the Info: http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&articID=892