Build Log: i7 920 rig [Update: Installed Dark Knight 7/20]

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ROAD_DOGG33J

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I'm finally upgrading my AMD Athlon 2700+ computer. This next one will likely last me for a while too, so I'm starting off with a good base. I am able to get a good deal on the i7 920 CPU and Intel DX58SO motherboard, so that's what I will be using. However I want to keep it a relatively "budget" build. One of the thinks that I was thinking about is 3gb vs 6gb of RAM. I'm leaning towards 6gb, as that seems better in the long term. However that means I will have to go with the 64 bit version of Vista. So I'm thinking that I will install the 32 bit version of XP also for compatibility's sake. I also want to install linux, since I always wanted to try it out. So any tips about dual or triple booting are welcome, as I haven't done it before. Comments and suggestions on other parts for the build are also welcome.

Thanks



CPU i7 920

Motherboard Intel DX58SO

Memory 3x 2GB OCZ Platinum DDR1333 $99.99 $59.99AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227366

Case Cooler Master 335 $39.99+tax
Probably will pick it up from Microcenter
http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0295040

Video Card 9600gt/9800gt leaning towards HD4830 $94.99 $74.99AR

Power Supply BFG 550W Modular (BFGR550WGXPSU) ~$63
I'm not big on modular power supplies, but it seems like a good deal. I might look on newegg some more.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...75714&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1218045945842
http://www.bfgtech.com/bfgr550wgxpsu.aspx

Hard Drive undecided yet
I might reuse one of the drives from my current computer. I'm planning on having two in this computer.

Keyboard/Mouse I will probably use the keyboard and mouse from the current computer for now.

Monitor Acer X193Wb 19" $109.99
My current CRT has seen better days.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009151
 
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My system has gone from 1GB to 2GB to 4 to 8, and let me tell you that I did not notice any improvement going from 4-8. But I have actually had RAM using around 3GB before, so knowing that I'd lean towards the 6GB I guess.

As for triple booting, install XP, then Vista, then Linux, so that the bootloaders will work out of the box. When you install Vista it will see XP and add a bootloader with "Previous Version of Windows" as an entry. And then when you install Linux it will have a Grub bootloader (or some other, Grub is most common). That'll see the Vista bootloader and put it on there.

Here is how my bootloaders have always looked when using Ubuntu:

Ubuntu 9.04 (followed by what version of the Linux kernel)
Ubuntu 9.04 (linux kernel as above) Safe Mode
Memtest+86 (this is automatically included)
Other Operating Systems:
Microsoft Windows


The "Microsoft Windows" option might be named differently, its been a while, but that'll be a chainloader that actually loads up the Vista bootloader that lets you choose between Vista and "Previous Version of Windows".


Hope that helped.:dopey:
 
What about the pagefile size? I'm guessing Linux will also want 6GB?

Also, how much space would Vista take? On my current computer the XP partition is 30GB, but I have installed a few programs there.
 
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I would recommend the Asus P6T Deluxe motherboard. Whilst it's more money than the Intel, it is better for overclocking, which will release more performance for your budget.

Also, I would recommend buying a big case that has plenty of space for air flow, which will keep everything nice and cool.

Oh, and install Windows 7 on it. The RC is free until the middle of next year, and it will take care of your XP compatibility issues by running a virtual XP box. This will need at least 2GB RAM over the base system, and wouldn't be good for games though.
 
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GilesGuthrie
I would recommend the Asus P6T Deluxe motherboard. Whilst it's more money than the Intel, it is better for overclocking, which will release more performance for your budget.

Also, I would recommend buying a big case that has plenty of space for air flow, which will keep everything nice and cool.
Click to expand...

The motherboard and CPU are pretty much set in stone, since I'm getting a "special deal" on them. I'm not really looking into overclocking at the moment.

I'll see about the case, though I'll probably have to cut up the desk a bit more to make it fit.

GilesGuthrie
Oh, and install Windows 7 on it. The RC is free until the middle of next year, and it will take care of your XP compatibility issues by running a virtual XP box. This will need at least 2GB RAM over the base system, and wouldn't be good for games though.
Click to expand...

The Vista I will be getting will come with an upgrade code for Windows 7.
 
ROAD_DOGG33J
The motherboard and CPU are pretty much set in stone, since I'm getting a "special deal" on them. I'm not really looking into overclocking at the moment.

I'll see about the case, though I'll probably have to cut up the desk a bit more to make it fit.
Click to expand...

For a mid tower case, Id recommend either the CoolerMaster CM690 or Sniper

As for HDD's: just about any new WD or Segate will do.
 
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opendriver
For a mid tower case, Id recommend either the CoolerMaster CM690 or Sniper

As for HDD's: just about any new WD or Segate will do.
Click to expand...

Those cases are a bit too pricey. This one seems more like it. But I am limited by my computer desk, since the case is in an enclosed area. Right now my case is a bit over 7 inches wide and 16 inches high. We already sawed off a bit of the desk at the back so the case wouldn't stick out of the front. There's also only about 2 inches on each side of the case.
 
You should read the dimensions as it's a little taller and wider than your current case and it could be a problem. Linux uses a swap partition instead of a page file. On a hard drive you can have up to four partitions so you will be fine. I'd keep the swap partition the same size as the RAM as 6GB is plenty. Vista will need about 16GB for updates but you should give Vista more space. The hard drive brand I'd recommend is a Western Digital such as this one. I have a external HDD I bought several years ago by them and it still runs today.
 
nick09
On a hard drive you can have up to four partitions so you will be fine. I'd keep the swap partition the same size as the RAM as 6GB is plenty.
Click to expand...

Hmm....that could be a problem. From what I read I would need a partition for Vista, another for XP, then one for Linux and then another one for the swapfile. I'm guessing that putting Linux on the 2nd drive wouldn't be a problem.

Or I could just use one of my current 120GBs as an OS drive. But then my 2nd drive would have to do all the storage duties.
 
If you don't want to have four partitions, you can just not create the swap partition in the install process and run without one. Though it is useful to have it. Or you could just get a 1TB HDD and give each OS 330GB and leave the swap partition with 8GB.

I also see that you are forgetting about a optical drive. If you want blu-ray you can get this drive here. It reads all popular disc formats and writes dvd's and cd's.
 
nick09
If you don't want to have four partitions, you can just not create the swap partition in the install process and run without one. Though it is useful to have it. Or you could just get a 1TB HDD and give each OS 330GB and leave the swap partition with 8GB.
Click to expand...

Since Vista, and later Windows 7, will be my main OS I want to minimize the boot-up time. If I put XP and Vista on the first drive, then the computer will go into Windows bootloader. I'm guessing from there I would have to choose the OS to boot into. Or is there a countdown or a way to set it to boot into Vista without intervention?

Then the 2nd drive would have Linux with the swapfile. The leftover space would be a partition for storage. To load up Linux I would have to press F11(or whichever one it is) and then select it as the boot drive or is there more to it?

nick09
I also see that you are forgetting about a optical drive. If you want blu-ray you can get this drive here. It reads all popular disc formats and writes dvd's and cd's.
Click to expand...

I just didn't write it down. Right now, I think I will get a DVD burner and wait until Blu-Ray burners get down to around ~$60.
 
Well there is one for $75 but it only plays blu-rays. If you want to play all the formats on your computer then you can buy the one I suggested.

With the boot speed part you should be fine with the parts you have selected and the hard drive I suggested will be plenty for what you are looking for. You can make use of the 120GB HDD just to hold the three OS partitions and then in Ubuntu you can use the Partition Editor in System --> Administration to make a swap partition in the 2nd HDD for ubuntu by clicking Device --> Create Partition Table in the program. If you want all OS's to have the ability to write to the 2nd HDD then format the remaining partition into NTFS. The last step would be to go to Applications --> Add/Remove and search for NTFS. Install the program by clicking the checkbox that says NTFS Configuration Tool and click "Apply Changes". Now it should show up in Administration and you can enable it there.
 
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You are only limited to four primary partitions, one of those can be an extended partition with as many partitions within it as you like. The Linux swap partition doesn't necessarily have to match the amount of RAM you have. Linux doesn't use much memory to begin with, and with that much RAM its really not necessary if you ask me.

Vista is about 7GB from a clean install I think. I don't remember, but it might make a swap file to match your RAM, so keep that in mind.

And about having the bootloader/boot times, you can edit that bootloader's settings including its timeout before choosing the default OS (which would be Vista) by running MSConfig in the run command.

And Nick, all operating systems can read NTFS. Install NTFS-3g on Ubuntu, and there should be something in the Applications drop down menu (under system settings, I think?) that has a simple dialog that lets you give permission to write to internal and to external NTFS devices.
 
I had it but it was disabled for some reason. So I got a program from the ubuntu repo so I can enable it through GUI.
 
Eric.
And about having the bootloader/boot times, you can edit that bootloader's settings including its timeout before choosing the default OS (which would be Vista) by running MSConfig in the run command.
Click to expand...

With triplebooting, I read that first you have to choose between Linux and Windows. Then you get to the Windows bootloader, where you choose between XP and Vista. So I'm not sure how that 1st stage would workout.

edit: Actually both of them would be the Windows bootloader?
 
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ROAD_DOGG33J
With triplebooting, I read that first you have to choose between Linux and Windows. Then you get to the Windows bootloader, where you choose between XP and Vista. So I'm not sure how that 1st stage would workout.

edit: Actually both of them would be the Windows bootloader?
Click to expand...

Nah, you're right. You'd have two bootloaders, starting off with Grub first then the Vista one. But you can edit both of those. I won't get into the detail of how to with Ubuntu now, but if you go through with installing I'll be glad to walk you through. Its simple.
 
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I received my case today. I ended up getting a Centurion 534 Plus. It comes with two of these fans, one on the side and one on the rear. I'm not sure how the air flow will work with this setup. I was thinking of getting a lower flow fan for the front or perhaps switching it with the front. Or maybe get a higher flow fan for the rear.

I might just try this setup and order some other fans later on. This is the one I was considering for the rear: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103061


edit: I also ordered the CPU, motherboard and Vista bundle today.
 
Okay so I finally received the last of my components on Friday. This was actually my first build. I decided on the dual slot video card after looking Giles' build.

The final component list is:

Intel i7 920
Intel DX58SO motherboard
3x 2GB OCZ Gold DDR3 1333@9-9-9-26
XFX HD4850 video card
Samsung DVD writer
Western Digital 640GB Blue
Centurion 534+ case
Antec 120mm fan (three speed settings)
OCZ ModXStream 600W modular
Vista Ultimate 64-bit

This is paired with the S1909WX 19" monitor mentioned in one of the above posts, a Logitech Wave keyboard and a MX518 mouse.

I decided to not install Ubuntu now and will install it on a second hard drive when I get it.

Here are the ordered components with a mouse for the old computer:
img_7199.jpg


This is the motherboard after I installed the CPU and motherboard fan.
IMG_7206.jpg


Close-up of the CPU


This is the computer after all the hardware was set-up in the case
IMG_7213.jpg


Another look


Compare this to what's going on in my old computer


Here is the case sitting in the desk. In the second picture you can see a portion of the desk where it was sawed. I rotated the first picture, so photobucket may/may not have updated the thumbnail.




These are the LEDs on the motherboard fan. They are way brighter than it looks in this picture. They were a bit of a surprise, since I was going for a LED-free build. I removed the ones that came with the case.



This build contrasts greatly with my old computer with this computer using an Intel CPU and AMD/ATI video card. Not only that the motherboard doesn't have any PS/2 connectors, floppy driver connectors, serial ports, parallel ports, nor IDE connectors.

I found that the motherboard correctly recognized the RAM, clocking it down to 1066 @ 7-7-7-16 @1.54v. I later lowered the voltage to 1.50v. There wasn't really much to change. I received a "no hard disk detected: message, but the computer booted up. This was resolved by switching off the eSATA ports in the BIOS. I also turned on some of the power saving stuff (QPI power management, CPU Idle C-State). I was looking forward to doing some undervolting with the CPU, but I can't do it with the dynamic setting. The static setting only goes down to 1.000v and I noticed when the CPU clocks down it already goes under 1.0v so it would only help when near full power.




Now on to some questions:

After booting into Vista (or possibly in the BIOS?) it said that the video card had shared memory, something like 3300MB. I'm not sure where I saw it, but does anyone know anything about this or if I can confirm what is actually happening?

I also have a question about reading task manager. I was under the impression that under physical memory, cached + free should equal my total memory (6131MB). I am wondering whether what I am seeing is OK?

The page file is also set to 6132MB, so why is the page file out of 12049MB?





Thanks
 
That's a nice build. :) I don't understand why motherboard makers are continuing to do boards with 4 RAM slots, when DDR3 is triple-channel. Also, you should get rid of the stock cooler, and overclock!!!

Vista is showing the system RAM correctly. It maintains a fairly hefty pagefile so that it can reserve a large area of contiguous disk space. This is to aid performance of the page file.
 
GilesGuthrie
That's a nice build. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks

GilesGuthrie
I don't understand why motherboard makers are continuing to do boards with 4 RAM slots, when DDR3 is triple-channel.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if it's true, but I read that if you add RAM into the 4th slot it will still run the first three in triple-channel. If it is true, that doesn't seem bad.

Aren't the i7 CPU/motherboard the only ones that take advantage of triple channel?

GilesGuthrie
Also, you should get rid of the stock cooler, and overclock!!!
Click to expand...

I'm still enjoying the power saving features. :D Though I did run 2 passes of Linx and the core temperatures got up to 86 85 82 and 83. But for the CPU it said 57. :odd: I don't really need the extra power from the overclock, but those temperatures are pretty scary.

I did have some time to look into aftermarket coolers and it was tempting, but I decided to see how the stock cooling would be. One of the concerns I had was noise, since I wanted this to be quieter than my old computer. It's pretty much silent, at least when the CPU fan is running low RPMs, compared to the old one. I actually thought about getting the heatsink from the Extreme version of the processor. It would have been pretty cheap, but I didn't really see any numbers for it. Well anyway, I will most likely look into a better cooler in the future. Hopefully there will be more options by that time.

edit: What's your preference for Hyper-Threading?
 
What were you using to measure the temp? The Thermal Design Spec of the i7 says 70 degress (ish, you can check this out), so the standard cooler should be able to hold an unclocked chip at 70 or under. I use Core Temp for my temperatures.

I leave Hyperthreading and Speedboost switched on. That way my system drops down to around 2.1GHz when idle, which knocks 30 degrees off the core temp and 100W off the power drain. Flat out, I'm running 3.8GHz.
 
Nice build!👍 I too would dump the stock cooler. There are some good and quiet coolers that will get the job done. I would still be worried about heat even without a door on that desk. ATI video cards run hot also.
Any chance you can cut an exhaust hole in the back of the desk?

How do you like that PSU. I just bought one for my sons computer. His wasn't getting the job done.
 
GilesGuthrie
What were you using to measure the temp? The Thermal Design Spec of the i7 says 70 degress (ish, you can check this out), so the standard cooler should be able to hold an unclocked chip at 70 or under. I use Core Temp for my temperatures.
Click to expand...

I used CPUID Hardware Monitor. I read about 67.9 on the Intel site. But I also heard to add 5 degrees to get the max core temperatures. On the Intel site it says something about that being at max TDP. Would that be at 130W or the real max wattage of the CPU?

Hmm...Core Temp seems to read about a degree higher on some cores. I ran Linx again with HT off and the max temperatures are a bit lower, so I'm probably just going to keep it off until I get a cooler.

I have seen other peoples' numbers and it seems like this is about what the stock cooler gets. Maybe I should email Intel and see what they say? I doubt they would give me a straight answer. The warranty is for 3 years and it's pretty much guaranteed it will last that long.


GT3mich
Nice build!👍 I too would dump the stock cooler. There are some good and quiet coolers that will get the job done.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Would you know any off the top of your head? The major problem I see is that many of the coolers are universal, so they're not primarily designed to keep the monster i7 under control. I looked into the Gelid Silent Spirit, but it's a push-pin (not exactly a negative for putting it in) and it only knocked off a few degrees. The Intel Extreme cooler probably could compete with it. The Zalman 9700 looks good, but again I'm not sure if it's up to the task.

GT3mich
I would still be worried about heat even without a door on that desk. ATI video cards run hot also.
Any chance you can cut an exhaust hole in the back of the desk?
Click to expand...

The door always stays open when the computer is on. I'm actually looking to silence my old computer, since it's so loud out of the desk. The heat from the video card is the reason for the dual slot card. A good chunk of the heat should get pushed right out. I'm also looking into underclocking and undervolting to get it to run more efficiently at the Vista desktop. If you look at the 2nd picture, there is already a cut-out in the desk.

edit: nevermind, I see what happened. Here is the link to the card anyway.

GT3mich
How do you like that PSU. I just bought one for my sons computer. His wasn't getting the job done.
Click to expand...

It's looking good so far. It was at a great price and the sleeves on the cables are nice. I'm getting about dead-on 12.0v at the 12v, 4.9v on the 5v and 3.18 on the 3.3v. The 1.5v is getting only 1.07v, but I'm guessing that doesn't matter that much. My build should be in the efficiency sweet-spot of the PSU. What was exactly wrong with his?
 
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ROAD_DOGG33J
The door always stays open when the computer is on.
Click to expand...
My mother in law has my old Dell that I gave her, P4 replaced a PII, and she has it in a similar desk slot with a door. I asked her about it raising the heat issues and she said she was going to leave the door open all the time. Cousin Charlotte comes into town to visit, she thinks she knows everything BTW, and I get this call. The computer stopped working. I drive over and the door is closed and its real hot inside. I said "I thought we were keeping the door open at all times." Dead silence. Charlotte learned her lesson for the day. I would take the door off and save it somewhere else. That's just me.

As for a cooler I would search the OCforums in this section.
http://www.ocforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=6
A lot help to be found on that site...

The cooler a lot of people are raving about is this one.
Prolimatech Megahalems.
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8...l_CPU_Heatsink_LGA_775_1366.html?tl=g40c14s52
Last week I was over at Microcenter and the had at least 20 in stock. I was shocked at the number of high end coolers the had BTW. They even had 1 Thermalrite Ultra 120 Extreme.
 
GT3mich
My mother in law has my old Dell that I gave her, P4 replaced a PII, and she has it in a similar desk slot with a door. I asked her about it raising the heat issues and she said she was going to leave the door open all the time. Cousin Charlotte comes into town to visit, she thinks she knows everything BTW, and I get this call. The computer stopped working. I drive over and the door is closed and its real hot inside. I said "I thought we were keeping the door open at all times." Dead silence. Charlotte learned her lesson for the day. I would take the door off and save it somewhere else. That's just me.
Click to expand...

It's just my brother and me using the computer, so it shouldn't be a problem especially since this computer isn't as loud.

But the hard drive on my old computer did die on me recently. :ouch: But the door was only closed for brief periods of time and rarely. Now that I know that, it will always stay open. Plus there is overheat protection and the case has better ventilation than a Dell.

I read about the Megahalems, but I didn't know it was quiet. The Scythe Mugen 2 is a cheaper option, but it's absolutely huge. Thanks for the OC link too. For now I will wait it out. Getting my old computer to a reasonable quiet is my priority.

You didn't answer about what was wrong with the PSU.
 
It is underpowered for what he wants to do with it. Quad core and SLI, 4 sticks of ram with a no name PSU = BSOD. As soon as he put in the ram he started getting problems. He took out the second video card and its been fine for the last 2 days. He bought a case with the PSU included to save money. I warned him not to go that route but hey, I'm just the dad. Now he knows.
 
GT3mich
It is underpowered for what he wants to do with it. Quad core and SLI, 4 sticks of ram with a no name PSU = BSOD. As soon as he put in the ram he started getting problems. He took out the second video card and its been fine for the last 2 days. He bought a case with the PSU included to save money. I warned him not to go that route but hey, I'm just the dad. Now he knows.
Click to expand...

I actually misread that and thought you were talking about the OCZ, but yeah that sounds about right. After reading about these budget power supplies, there's no chance I'll ever consider or recommend one. They might possibly be decent enough for a basic PC. I was lucky that the generic on my old computer didn't take anything with it when it blew years ago. Many of them don't have the protection that is built in on name-brand PSUs when they are overstretched. And the wattage can be rated at 25 degrees or something low like that. Some people can also be fooled by the warranty period too.

I found that hardwaresecrets.com has some pretty interesting power supply reviews. You should let your son read this article.
 
ROAD_DOGG33J
I used CPUID Hardware Monitor. I read about 67.9 on the Intel site. But I also heard to add 5 degrees to get the max core temperatures. On the Intel site it says something about that being at max TDP. Would that be at 130W or the real max wattage of the CPU?

Hmm...Core Temp seems to read about a degree higher on some cores. I ran Linx again with HT off and the max temperatures are a bit lower, so I'm probably just going to keep it off until I get a cooler.

I have seen other peoples' numbers and it seems like this is about what the stock cooler gets. Maybe I should email Intel and see what they say? I doubt they would give me a straight answer. The warranty is for 3 years and it's pretty much guaranteed it will last that long.

Thanks. Would you know any off the top of your head? The major problem I see is that many of the coolers are universal, so they're not primarily designed to keep the monster i7 under control. I looked into the Gelid Silent Spirit, but it's a push-pin (not exactly a negative for putting it in) and it only knocked off a few degrees. The Intel Extreme cooler probably could compete with it. The Zalman 9700 looks good, but again I'm not sure if it's up to the task.
Click to expand...

It's normal for different cores to read different temps. To get around this you basically have to lap the processor and cooler (which is a process of using wet & dry paper to grind off the outer casing of the processor to expose the copper coolers underneath. It's said that you get a flatter cooling surface this way, which leads to more even core temps.

Any 1366 cooler will be i7 specific. I'm running the Noctua U12-SE1366 (I think!!). It's very good, but many at the forums I frequented when I was doing my research now favour something called a Fenrir.
 
GilesGuthrie
It's normal for different cores to read different temps. To get around this you basically have to lap the processor and cooler (which is a process of using wet & dry paper to grind off the outer casing of the processor to expose the copper coolers underneath. It's said that you get a flatter cooling surface this way, which leads to more even core temps.
Click to expand...

I meant that the Core Temp readings were higher than the HMonitor readings on basically all the cores. Flatter but also a voided warranty with the possibility of damaging the CPU

GilesGuthrie
Any 1366 cooler will be i7 specific. I'm running the Noctua U12-SE1366 (I think!!). It's very good, but many at the forums I frequented when I was doing my research now favour something called a Fenrir.
Click to expand...

Some of them are LGA775, etc. coolers with 1366 brackets. I read that it's better to mount the cooler with the heatpipes parallel to the PCI-E slots.

The cooler manufacturers want you to be able to use the cooler on as many platforms as possible.
 

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