# New Rig: 1156 V 1366



## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

So, here's my situation. It's been three years since I built my current primary rig, which is about how long I expected to run with it. It's starting to show its age, as I steadily crank my settings down to get comfortable framerates in newer games.

My tax return this year is going to be a comfortable $950, give or take, and I'm willing to throw some more wood on the fire too. Whatever I get, I will be putting into my Antec 900 case. I'll put the current machine into something lesser and use it as my secondary machine (my current secondary will be handed off). I will keep my 640GB storage drive in the new machine as Drive 2, and likely keep my OCZ 750W PSU in the Antec as well.

As I select parts, the ultimate question that it's coming down to is LGA 1156 or 1366. The 1156 seems to be less expensive and likely entirely capable of filling my current desires. I doubt that right now I'd be pushing the system hard enough to use triple-channel RAM of 1366, and the i7 920 seems no better or worse than the i7 860 given the significant price leap.

My concern isn't the now, though. It's a year and a half, or two years from now. I don't want to be kicking myself for picking 1156 as programs become more demanding, and I can't go any higher because there aren't stronger processors to put into that socket and that triple-channel RAM might have been nice. I welcome any and all commentary and information on the _future_ of the 1156 socket.

So, with that done, here is the list of parts I am currently looking at:

Carried Over
PSU: OCZ Game X-treme 750W (Still working great and quiet)
Secondary HD: Western Digital 640 GB Caviar Blue (Has all my games and whatnot on it)
Case: Antec 900 (Works fine)

General
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium (Retail) - $180
Video: Sapphire 5850 1GB Vapor-X - $330 (Well reviewed, cool, quiet)
Primary HD: Western Digital 320 GB Caviar Blue - $50 (Don't need another 640 GB for OS & apps drive)
Optical Drive: Sony Opticar Black - $22


LGA 1156 Candidates
CPU: i7 860 (Lynnfield) - $280 (Popular bang for the buck)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB (2GBx2) - $110 (Placeholder for price -- will pick something on a compatibility list)
Motherboards:

GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 - $105 (Inexpensive, decent features, but problems with 1600 speed RAM?)
GA-P55-USB3 - $120 (USB 3.0, no SATA 6 Gb/s)
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P - $185 (USB 3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s for future use, XMP support)
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 - $135 (USB 3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s, less expensive, no XMP support)
EVGA P55 SLI 132-LF-E655-KR - $190 (Have had good luck with EVGA, lots of features, costly, no USB 3.0/SATA 6)

LGA 1366 Candidates
CPU: i7 920 Bloomfield - $280 (Popular bang for the buck)
RAM: G.Skill 6 GB (2GBx3) - $170 (Placeholder for price -- will pick something on a compatibility list)
Motherboards:

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 - $270 (Seems sub-par compared to ASUS?)
ASUS P6X58D - $300 (USB 3.0, SATA 6, well-reviewed)


I could save some money by getting the W7 OEM instead of Retail, as I don't particularly care about MS support. It's more the concern of if I want to reinstall, I've heard tales of great annoyance in convincing MS to let you do so with an OEM copy.

I've also noticed a lot of notes on the Gigabyte boards about the PCIe slots running at different numbers depending on which cards you plug in where. I'm not big on SLI/Crossfire, but not having the opportunity is a downer. 

Anyway, there we have it. Comments, suggestions, and all that are much appreciated. I've been happy with my (fairly) stable Core 2 machine these past three years, and I hope to have a similarly stable experience with something new. Rampant instability drives me nutters.

Thank you!


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Personally, I prefer the 1156 i series.
Go with an Asus Mobo and I would seriously consider replacing the OCZ PSU with a 750W Corsair.
Have you looked at out suggested builds? 
http://www.techsupportforum.com/f25...evised-2010-and-updated-regularly-448272.html


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Also pick the WD Black drives, 32meg cache and a 5 yr warranty, it's also faster then the blue drive.


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## PRSF (Jul 11, 2008)

I'm currently building an 1156 for myself, I'm going with the Core i5-750, compared to the i5-860 its a 100 dollars cheaper! You can easily overclock the i5 to just as fast and way faster than the i7 at stock speeds, though you can clock the i7 faster you won't need anything faster than what the i5 can clock to, just get a better cooler. HT support on the i7 is nice but more than likely it will not be used during the life of these systems, especially in games since it looses efficency on each core when HT is enabled.

Im going with the ASUS P7P55D-E Pro motherboard, the P7P55D motherboards have awesome reviews, the basic P7P55D LGA is a great board and real cheap. I'v heard the UD4P Gigabyte board is a great choice as well but I'm fond of ASUS, been good to me in the past.

Personally I love Thermaltake and their power supplies, but Corsair is wicked also and other companies, but those two are my favorite choices.

G.SKill is deff great RAM, I favor Corsair RAM myself, I'm getting the XMS3 Corsair DDR3-1600 RAM with CAS9 since it has the most reviews and appears the most stable. Plus the difference you will see from CAS 7-8-9 is so minor its not even worth stressing about.

x1000 on the WD Caviar Black series. I'm getting a 1.5 TB Caviar Green however to replace my Seagate 500 GB back up drive but I have a 1 TB Caviar Black as my main internal drive, excellent drive. Little noisy but 5 year warranty cannot be beat.

Deff grab Windows 7 OEM, not retail, retail is only for people who don't build their own systems and have no idea that OEM copies exist.

LGA1366 tripple channel RAM with current i7 processors in that family are not even coming close to fully saturating the tripple channel bus. Until the new 6 and 8 core processors of Core i9 comes out it's just more than is needed. As well I have heard that the Core i9 processors will be in the price range of the extreme core processors currently, which will be way out of most peoples price range. That is mainly why I choose the 1156 as I wanted to be as future proof as possible, but honestly once the Core i9 comes out the 1156 will still kick ***, and when the next family of chips comes out then we might look at upgraded to that, totally skipping LGA1366

Your choice of video card, the 5850 Sapphire Vapor-X card is the best choice IMO


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

Tyree said:


> Personally, I prefer the 1156 i series.
> Go with an Asus Mobo and I would seriously consider replacing the OCZ PSU with a 750W Corsair.
> Have you looked at out suggested builds?
> http://www.techsupportforum.com/f25...evised-2010-and-updated-regularly-448272.html


I have, and that's what led me to the i7 860 as the LGA 1156 CPU of choice. :]

I'm not sure how I missed that Asus board on my list there. It was a lot of tabs open, so I guess I flubbed that. As far as 1156 boards go, I've narrowed it down to:

ASUS P7P55D-E Pro. The recommended one from the builder thread. Seems fairly popular and functional. I'm concerned my CPU power cord won't make it up over my heatsink on this board though. That's what extensions are for.
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P. Equivalent to the ASUS, apparently? Held in roughly equivalent esteem. Similar price point.
EVGA 132-LF-E655-KR. I've had really good luck with EVGA, and their support is reliable (albeit slow). It doesn't have the USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s features, but those seem to still be pretty juvenile technologies that I may be better served with an addon card for (if I ever get devices that use them). I'm kind of leaning toward this one due to my good fortune with EVGA. And US-based support. That does mean something to me too. I hear some bad things about GB and Asus support. >_>;

Any particular reason to swap PSU's? The OCZ has seen some wear for certain, but I'd be surprised if its capacitor aging has crippled it that much, and it was a strongly recommended model at the time. Running the theoretical system through a PSU calculator shows that it wouldn't even break 400W. With the fiendish way that PSU's are marked, a new 750W almost seems like overkill.

That said, I'm not opposed to a new PSU, as I can step down the OCZ with the current EVGA board into a new case, and get a modular Corsair or something. The modular bit would be nice...cable fung shui is an art I'd not care to relearn. That's a lot of brownie points right there.




wrench97 said:


> Also pick the WD Black drives, 32meg cache and a 5 yr warranty, it's also faster then the blue drive.


I'd been tossing the Caviar Blacks around in my head, but wasn't sure the extra power draw/noise (I hear they're generally noisier than Blues) was worth it. My computer is in a room that is very conducive to ambient noise. The five year warranty, however, does push me in that direction. Big on warranties.


@PRSF: Thanks for the info! I really appreciate advice from those in a similar predicament and with some hands-on experience. I've never been big on OC since I burned out my old Radeon 9800 (and then accidentally borked the one that Linderman sent me... :sad: ). I'm thinking OEM W7 now, too. That's a BIG savings over retail. It's time to brush the 1366 under the rug, because you're right, its power just isn't going to see reasonable utilization for my desires in the next three years. Thanks for the reinforcement on the Vapor-X. Heard REALLY good things about that card.

Well, back to the drawing board. Thank you all for your help, once again. :]


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Asus has the advantage for i Series Mobo's. I've used hundred's of Asus Mobo's with very few issues.
EVGA makes great GPU's and not so great Mobo's. Not much point in 6.0 SATA when there is nothing available to use it.


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## PRSF (Jul 11, 2008)

well the reason I plan on getting it is because
a) the same board has USB 3.0 which I would like to have, even though I could buy a USB 3.0 card it just means I don't have to
b) when SSDs start coming down in price I do plan on getting one for my OS drive, and as far as I understand they will take advantage of SATA 6 Gb/s if it is rated SATA 3


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

Well, with the suggestions you have all put forth, I'm working on a more refined list of parts (in a spread sheet, because it's easier to keep track of). While I tab things up and sort out the last couple of debatable part choices, something came up to me:

I can get an i7 930 for $199 ($212.50 after tax, as it's local), whereas the best I can get the i7 860 is $245 (after tax). That's a pretty mammoth price cut on the part of the 930 that could conceivably, along with a couple other key part choices, make a 930 system cost roughly the same as an 860 system.

Given the uncannily good deal on the 930, do you all think that puts it back into consideration? I'm planning to sit on this for another three years, and the headroom might be nice.


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

For some reason, my Edit button doesn't want to show up, so I'll have to double post. :[

After reading the previous posts, looking harder at the suggested parts in the pre-priced thread, and doing an entire day's reading on motherboards, CPUs, and PSUs, I've updated this accordingly.

Here are the two conceptual rigs:
*Socket 1156*

CPU:	I7 860 $245.00	
RAM:	[placeholder] $110.00	
VGA:	Sapphire Vapor-X 5850 $320.00
PSU:	CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX	 $90.00
OS:	Windows 7 Home OEM $100.00
DVD:	Sony Optiarc $22.00
MB:	ASUS P7P55D-E Pro $190.00
HDD:	Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB $65.00
Cooler:	[placeholder] $40.00
Subtotal: $1182



*Socket 1366*

CPU:	I7 930 $213.00
RAM:	[placeholder] $170.00	
VGA:	Sapphire Vapor-X 5850 $320.00
PSU:	CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX	 $90.00
OS:	Windows 7 Home OEM $100.00
DVD:	Sony Optiarc $22.00
MB:	ASUS P6T SE $185.00*
HDD:	Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB $65.00
Cooler:	[placeholder] $40.00
Subtotal: $1205

*Not bothering with SLI, the "big" missing feature on this VS the standard P6T.


A few parts with short-lived rebates/sales, like the WD drive that's $10 off right now (such a deal!) and the rebate on the Corsair 750TX, I'll just pick up sooner than later. They'd be the same across systems, after all. I'll live without modular cabling.

As you can see, the prices are pretty neck-and-neck with these selections, and I might be able to bargain hunt each one down a few dollars more with further searching, but Newegg makes a good estimation standard.

Thoughts on each one?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

For the 1156 build what made you pick the P7P55D-E Pro over the P7P55D-E ? > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...31-620^13-131-620-TS,13-131-621^13-131-621-TS

Also your comparing a Usb 3/Sata 3 board with a USB 2/Sata 2 board perhaps the better comp to the P6T SE would be the P7P55 LX> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131604

If you go with the 1356 built here are the ram sticks I've used in the last 3 > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

wrench97 said:


> For the 1156 build what made you pick the P7P55D-E Pro over the P7P55D-E ? > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...31-620^13-131-620-TS,13-131-621^13-131-621-TS
> 
> Also your comparing a Usb 3/Sata 3 board with a USB 2/Sata 2 board perhaps the better comp to the P6T SE would be the P7P55 LX> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131604
> 
> If you go with the 1356 built here are the ram sticks I've used in the last 3 > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247


Thanks for the reply!

I honestly think I just missed the alternate versions of the P7P55. It was getting pretty late, and after looking over about 20 motherboards in my tabs, the noggin' was getting a little frazzled. I don't see any reason to use the PRO model over the Non-Pro, so I've updated my sheet accordingly.

I very much appreciate the RAM link, since a number of people seem to have successfully used it in the P6T boards. Just need to go find a quality set of RAM for the 1156 setup, and a cooler for each. Searching a few NE reviews should reveal some valid choices, along with the QVL.

The price gap has widened a bit, but it's still pretty close, considering I was expecting something more in the range of +/- $300 between system types. Tomorrow I'll be going to pick up whichever CPU I settle on at Microcenter, so I guess I've got about 24 hours to decide.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

This is what I've used for the P7P55D boards> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303

I've had a i7 920 and a i7 860 on the bench side by side with COD4 running on them the 2 guys playing them could not tell the difference in them. 

Microcenter is hard to beat for CPU prices but I can never find the ram, cpu coolers or fans I want there

Speaking of which this is the cooler I've been using when none is spec'd or we're not going for colorful> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

At this point I think I'm actually going to end up on the 1366 platform because the particular combination of deals and free shipping has led to a negligible price difference (less than $100, where I expected over $300). There are a noteworthy number of reports of the 1156 ASUS board giving off an electrical whine, unfortunately. I'm cursed with hyper-sensitive hearing at high frequencies, and I'd rather not chance being given headaches by my computer.

Microcenter looks to have the CoolerMaster 212 Plus, for about $34 after tax, a double bonus. I'll likely get an Antec 200 for my old parts when I gut my Antec 900. Not sure what I'll do about that Zalman 9700...it's a bit of a beast.

Should have a semi-final build post later tonight, as I'm just doing a little investigation on the Xigmatek VS CoolerMaster (they appear to be _almost_ identical). My only concern with is interference from that StackCool 2 plate on the back of the Asus board. It looks like it could get in the way of the CoolerMaster's backplate, whereas the Xigmatek doesn't have one.

EDIT: It looks like the Xigmatek needs a _separate_ backplate to fit on 1366's anyway, so that StackCool2 is coming off. Sounds like CoolerMaster's the winner this time.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Reuse the 9700 just pick up the 1366 bracket for it.


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

wrench97 said:


> Reuse the 9700 just pick up the 1366 bracket for it.


I had considered that, but it'll likely remain with my current Core 2 Duo board. My current rig will be transplanted into a different case, and put aside as my secondary rig.

Unless of course, you think it'd do a better job than the CoolerMaster (which could replace it). I'd just heard rave reviews about the Direct-Touch Heatpipes if you apply the thermal paste properly (ie: fill the grooves ahead of time). Then again, my 9700 is the _solid copper_ one...

Well, either way I'm going to have to buy a second cooler, so we'll see what fits best and where. :]


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

Sorry to double-post again, but my edit button timed out.

*Socket 1366*

CPU:	I7 930 $213.00
RAM:	G.SKILL F3-12800CL8TU-6GBPI $185.00
VGA:	Sapphire Vapor-X 5850 $325.00
PSU:	CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX	 $90.00 [Ordered]
OS:	Windows 7 Home OEM $100.00
DVD:	Sony Optiarc $22.00 [Ordered]
MB:	ASUS P6T SE $185.00
HDD:	Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB $65.00 [Ordered]
Cooler:	Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus $33.00
Subtotal: $1218.00

The G.SKILL F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ is $15 less with free shipping. It's not on the QVL though, and has slightly lower voltage and different timings. It is reported to work on the Asus P6T boards, though, so I may end up with that when it comes time to order those parts.

It all appears to be coming together nicely. I'll be making the long journey to Microcenter tomorrow for various things, so I guess I'm kind of down to the wire here.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The higher timings and lower voltage make it less attractive, sometimes you need the extra voltage, and the tighter timings on the other sticks give you more room to play with the OC.


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## grimx133 (Jan 15, 2008)

The CM Hyper 212+ will fit with the stock 1156 backplate, I had one on for a short time. No problems there.


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

Well, I have some of the parts, and the rest of them are on their way. I do have a question though, although it's not about the actual building.

I went order my video card from ZZF, but as I hit the final checkout button, it hung for a minute as if to process, and then booted me to the login screen. There's no pending order listed in my account, no e-mail confirmation, no charge on my card. Before I repeat the order, I just was curious if anyone knows ZZF to be particularly slow in processing or something. Would like to avoid being double-charged and all that.

Well, parts should start showing up on Friday. It'll take me a couple days to do backup work, transplant this PC into its new (lesser) case, and reinstall Windows XP on it (it's time for a clean slate anyway).


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I would call them to make sure they do not have a open order, but it sounds like the order did not go through.


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

wrench97 said:


> I would call them to make sure they do not have a open order, but it sounds like the order did not go through.


Yup, that's what happened. It never went through last night, but I put it in again and now it's processing properly. Thanks!


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

Rather than make a new thread in the HDD forum, since it's still related to my upcoming build, I have yet another question. This one's not so pivotal as it is curious.

The new machine will have two 640 GB drives. One, a Caviar Blue with 16 MB cache. The other, a Caviar Black with 32 MB cache. At the moment, the Blue is slated to be my OS/Apps drive. The Black is slated to be my Games drive. Would anyone advise otherwise? I assumed (which I shouldn't do) that load-heavy games would make better use of the expanded cache than the OS.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I would use the black drive for both the OS and programs, use the blue for data storage and backups.


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

Righto! Should make copying and backing up for the exchange easier.


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

Well, thanks to all here.

The rig is assembled and running. It will be undergoing a Prime95 run for the night to ensure that the cooling is adequate. I've never had a Direct-Touch Heatpipe cooler before, and its application was tricky (and took about 4 tries to get it right). I probably wouldn't get one again, just for how much of a pain it was and how much AS5 I had to use. But I'm seeing something like 33C idle and 45C after running a CPU-intensive game for an hour.

For now, it appears to be running fairly well. None of the problems associated with the P6T have cropped up yet -- high pitched squeal from the board, static in the onboard audio, failure to recognize all RAM. I'm not going to call it good just yet, but it appears to be functional for now! Time will tell just what kind of long-term stability it has.

Again, my thanks to everyone here for helping pick out the right parts. I'll update if there's any drastic status changes. If I go mum, assume all has worked out. :]


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## toostrike (Nov 6, 2008)

TheUnlimited said:


> Well, thanks to all here.
> 
> The rig is assembled and running. It will be undergoing a Prime95 run for the night to ensure that the cooling is adequate. I've never had a Direct-Touch Heatpipe cooler before, and its application was tricky (and took about 4 tries to get it right). I probably wouldn't get one again, just for how much of a pain it was and how much AS5 I had to use. But I'm seeing something like 33C idle and 45C after running a CPU-intensive game for an hour.
> 
> ...


I went the AMD route,but are systems are similar some ways:smile:

Antec 900-Modded
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGMBOX - Retail
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 .
EVGA 01G-P3-1158-TR GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail
LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support - Retail
Rosewill RC-401-EX 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI-Express Gigabit Low Profile Network Card - Retail
Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive X 2
Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive


Are you using 2 fans on your Hyper 212 Plus?As a first time builder I was very intimidated for this part of my build.I used some guides online.The trick for me was to fill in all the gaps on the HS,and make sure I had no air bubbles,then I used the line method.3 narrow lines.I got real lucky,and it worked out the first time.You are correct.It was a pain in the a**My chip idles at 28 degrees celsius,and full load,playing crysis on high settings,except for aa,it does not go above 40 degrees celsius.I have my 2 front fans on my Antec 900 set on medium.The rear 120,and the top 200mm are set on high.I am using 2 fans on the Hyper 212 for push and pull.It works nice.The rear exhaust is 6 to 8 inches from the hs,and gets the heat out very quickly.I love having 2 fans on my hs.They are replaceable if needed with any 120mm fan.Plus,if one goes bad you have one still working.Both fans on the hs are running close to 2000rpm's.You would think with all these fans it would sound loud.It's really not.When I use Evga Precision,to crack up thee fan,there is a difference in noise,but I just ordered a 5.1 surround($90.00 on the egg)so that should take care of noise gaming:laugh: My chip begs to be overclocked,but my GTS 250 is my bottleneck.Until I upgrade my video card I cant see any reason to push my chip further.

As others have mentioned,Caviar Blacks are sweet.I have 2 750GB on my rig and 1 320 Caviar blue.All are running at 27 to 29 degrees celsius.having 2 120's in the front on the Antec 900 helps to keep them cool.Ram was a different story.My rig posted,but I was getting bsod,trying to install windows.I finally narrowed it down to 1 stick of bad ram.It took 2 weeks with the rma process,but I have them running fine.I adjusted the settings to increase speed to 1600MHz,and passed mem test.I tested both sticks separate for 7 passes.Once I upgrade my V-card,I'll be set.I like your video card!!!


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## toostrike (Nov 6, 2008)

On a side note,when I added the second fan on the HS,I felt the HS move just a little.It went right back in position,and temps are not a problem,so far.Don't freak out if that happens.I was reading reviews,and I'm not the first to mention that issue.When I installed the HS.I made sure it was tight & secure, starting at opposite corners,so its not a question of putting it on incorrectly.I want to add a 5850 on my rig and use the GTS 250 for a back-up.I hope my "CORSAIR-650" can handle this card.Enjoy your rig:wave:Glad things worked out for you!


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

Hi there! It's good to hear that you're having success with your machine too, although that snafu with the RAM is a bit of a bummer. At least your RMA went through reasonably quick (two weeks is decent time). Mine passed with flying colors after 10 hours of Memtest, lucky me.

My fans are generally on low-medium, as I'm a stickler about fan noise. I might get similar temps if I ramped them up a notch all the way around. I'm only using one fan on the Hyper 212 Plus, but I have some Antec 120mm fans that fit into the provided extra bracket if I want to add the second fan set. I wouldn't be surprised if it moved, because that locator pin off to the side fits sloppily into the groove for it. It doesn't seem to move as long as you don't touch it too much. :] Applying it was a PITA, but in the end it seems to be pretty functional.

I think you'll really like the 5850 if you upgrade to it, although one of the senior members here would be the better judges as to whether or not the 650TX will handle that. It's a pretty beefy unit for 650W. Both it and the 750TX are doing great for me right now.

The Vapor-X versions of those cards really do run cool. Mine idles at 31C, and has never gone over 52C even with the ATI Overdrive up as far as the sliders will go (it can be forced to go further by other means, but I do not currently feel the need to do so). If the game I'm playing is more CPU intensive than GPU, it doesn't break 45C. Keeping in mind that my Antec 900 runs hotter than yours anyway, you should see even better numbers.

It's not even the first month out yet, so I'm going to keep a sharp eye on it. I've heard too many horror stories of things lasting a couple weeks or months before failing to get entirely comfortable just yet. Thankfully, my older E6600 rig is about twelve feet away and running clean just in case. Although the biggest problem I'm having right now is that my Evoluent Vertical Mouse is starting to fail on the buttons, so I may have to get a new one soon.

Good luck, and thanks!


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## toostrike (Nov 6, 2008)

That sounds like a real sweet card.I'm sure your lovin those temps.Talking about temps,it's a mixed blessing.I Its great to have your components run as cool as possible,but I hate dust.I cleaned out my system the other day,and freaked out how much dust was on the video card.I used some compressed air on the board itself,and went to clean the fan.DUST cloud!!My next build I will get a Antec 1200.I love Antec cases.At least it has filtersI really hate dust.I keep all my electronics covered when not in use.Even gaming consoles.I run my rig 24/7,so I just deal with it.Damm dust bunnies!

I asked Mr.Wrench on the forum,and he seemed to think it would handle it ok.I try not to leave anything to chance,and found a good psu calculator.I used all my specs plus the 5850,and it says,"475 watts."Even if it is off a few watts,it still gives me plenty of headroom.Having 52 amps on a 12 volt rail is nice.

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

I wanted to wait on getting a Nvidia 470/480,and see what the reviews were like before putting out the big bucks,so went with a GTS 250.I am not impressed at all.Hot,power hungry cards.ATI will definitely be in my future.


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

Yep, that's a very handy PSU calc! Use it on a regular basis myself.

The lower fan speeds do slightly reduce the dust build up, but that 900 is still a magnet. And speaking of temps, I'm keeping a very sharp eye on mine right now. They're higher than they were last week, averaging about 5*C higher all around. While it is warmer than last week, it's not _that_ much warmer. I'm going to keep a really close eye on them in case I have to re-re-re-re-reinstall the CoolerMaster. It does not appear to be anywhere near risk of overheating, but either the sensors are wonky or something is rotten in Denmark.

Unfortunately it's hard to find reliable temp results, since the BIOS says one thing, and each different monitor program says something else. So I'll just have to keep an eye on it daily and make sure that they don't continue to creep up to a dangerous level.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The 650tx will run it, close but with all the amps on the same rail load distribution is not an issue.


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## toostrike (Nov 6, 2008)

TheUnlimited said:


> Yep, that's a very handy PSU calc! Use it on a regular basis myself.
> 
> The lower fan speeds do slightly reduce the dust build up, but that 900 is still a magnet. And speaking of temps, I'm keeping a very sharp eye on mine right now. They're higher than they were last week, averaging about 5*C higher all around. While it is warmer than last week, it's not _that_ much warmer. I'm going to keep a really close eye on them in case I have to re-re-re-re-reinstall the CoolerMaster. It does not appear to be anywhere near risk of overheating, but either the sensors are wonky or something is rotten in Denmark.
> 
> Unfortunately it's hard to find reliable temp results, since the BIOS says one thing, and each different monitor program says something else. So I'll just have to keep an eye on it daily and make sure that they don't continue to creep up to a dangerous level.


I found a really good guide which shows pictures of applying paste.I really liked this tutorial because it shows putting paste on a direct HS in different steps.After he filled in the gaps,and had it nice and even,He showed the line method in 3 different ways.The first being ,not enough.Second,Still not happening ect...It was cool because it gave you an idea on how much to apply.It was not a Hyper 212,but the same principle applies.The first 2 times he takes off the HS,and you see were you went wrong.Finally,you guessed it.The third times a charmer:grin:,but pictures speak 1000 words.I cant remember the site.I usually save the good stuff.I'll find it,and post you the link.It cant hurt,just in case!




wrench97 said:


> The 650tx will run it, close but with all the amps on the same rail load distribution is not an issue.


My exact thoughts....Close!


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

toostrike said:


> I found a really good guide which shows pictures of applying paste.I really liked this tutorial because it shows putting paste on a direct HS in different steps.After he filled in the gaps,and had it nice and even,He showed the line method in 3 different ways.The first being ,not enough.Second,Still not happening ect...It was cool because it gave you an idea on how much to apply.It was not a Hyper 212,but the same principle applies.The first 2 times he takes off the HS,and you see were you went wrong.Finally,you guessed it.The third times a charmer:grin:,but pictures speak 1000 words.I cant remember the site.I usually save the good stuff.I'll find it,and post you the link.It cant hurt,just in case!


Yup, I went by that too. It took me some tries, but I _thought_ I got it right. We'll see how it goes. I really don't want to have to pull it all out and reapply, but I will if I have to.


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

Running Prime95, RealTemp reports that the temperature nearly doubles to 60C and the PWM fan ramps up to full power, both within 5 seconds of starting Prime 95. I'm starting to think that kind of leap in temperature isn't normal and I may have to reapply the CoolerMaster. Furthermore, with Prime95 running, I was able to (very carefully, after discharging any static elsewhere) touch my finger to the top side of the CoolerMaster's baseplate, and to one of the heatpipes near the base. They were both, at best, only the tiniest bit warm. Not what I'd expect when getting reported values of +60C.

Am I fretting over nothing, or do I need to pop that thing off and try again?


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## grimx133 (Jan 15, 2008)

Is the cpu overclocked at all? With stock speeds, running Prime95 from a low thirties idle, should give something in the mid-to-high forties, perhaps low fifties. A large difference between idle and load is often a loose heatsink, could be the paste too, but I always think the heatsink mounting itself to be more likely. 

Slapped the Hyper 212+ on a P7P55D Pro with an i3 530 last week, and getting mid twenties idle, 40-45 running [email protected] Though I didn't do any of the fancy stuff when applying thermal paste. Did my usual, pea sized blob in the centre, then spead it with a sandwich bag turned inside out over my hand. Used Noctua NT-H1 for a paste.


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

grimx133 said:


> Is the cpu overclocked at all? With stock speeds, running Prime95 from a low thirties idle, should give something in the mid-to-high forties, perhaps low fifties. A large difference between idle and load is often a loose heatsink, could be the paste too, but I always think the heatsink mounting itself to be more likely.
> 
> Slapped the Hyper 212+ on a P7P55D Pro with an i3 530 last week, and getting mid twenties idle, 40-45 running [email protected] Though I didn't do any of the fancy stuff when applying thermal paste. Did my usual, pea sized blob in the centre, then spead it with a sandwich bag turned inside out over my hand. Used Noctua NT-H1 for a paste.


Those were the kinds of temperatures I was seeing after I built it, which I was very pleased with (and it's stock speed). I'm thinking that the HSF has ceased to make proper contact with the CPU, and also that the base on that thing isn't really flat, which I was concerned about during assembly. But the numbers I was getting were good, so I brushed it off at the time. I wouldn't make a big deal about changing the cooler if the Antec900 had a CPU cutout on the tray. >_<

Usually that's similar to how I apply my paste, but my 212+ had huge gaps in it that took multiple passes to fill and clean with a straight razor.

I'm thinking about replacing it with a Noctuna NH-U12P SE2. I'll figure out something with the CoolerMaster. The temps I'm getting aren't of the variety that threaten an overheat, so I think I'll be good until I get a replacement. Keeping an eye on the temps anyway, just in case it continues to rise.


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## grimx133 (Jan 15, 2008)

Yah, no real worries there, 60C running prime is fine. 

Just thinking about it, I do have an OC on the i3 530, running it around 3500Mhz. and change. Think I'll toss a pull fan as well, then notch it up to the 3800-4000 territory, see how it goes there.


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

grimx133 said:


> Yah, no real worries there, 60C running prime is fine.
> 
> Just thinking about it, I do have an OC on the i3 530, running it around 3500Mhz. and change. Think I'll toss a pull fan as well, then notch it up to the 3800-4000 territory, see how it goes there.


Wow! That's quite an OC on air. I might be looking at those for a business PC for a family member, in the near future. Probably not OC'ed, though. Any particularly favorable/unfavorable info on them VS the i5 or one of the mid/low AMDs?

I'll be ordering the Noctua tonight, so I should be able to make the swap next week. Even if the temps do get out of hand, my Core2Duo is still fully functional.


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## grimx133 (Jan 15, 2008)

Have it up to 4302Mhz. right now, 4 threads of prime95 for 30 minutes, max. temp, so far, is 59C. It's one of those chips that feel like it's still got a pile of gas in the tank, so to speak. Man, can't wait to see where it goes when I watercool it. Awesome cpu, so far.

I've had the i5 750 up to 4000Mhz., but it isn't prime stable there, haven't spent enough time tweaking voltages though. Might be able to get it stable, if I ever get the time, that's going to be a lot of rebooting to adjust settings. More likely to stick the 530 on the evga board, just to see how that goes, compared to the asus. Think I'll pick up an extra rad though, have two triples on the evga, only a spare single 140mm. that I can use on the asus, might as well snag a double for some extra cooling power. 

Not sure how good the NH-U12P SE2 is, have an NH-D14 and I can say that one is large, both in cooling and physical size. Should of put that on the asus board, but was in a bit of a hurry, much faster to jam on the 212+.


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

Since you're probably more familiar with current TIMs and Noctua than I am (last time I really got into it, AS5 was still the bee's knees), how is the Noctua NT-H1 TIM? I've heard some good things about it, but I'm mostly concerned with its lifespan. Can't have it going crusty on me. Some reviews place it second or third to MX-2, which is pretty good. And comes free with the Noctua heatsink, so it'd save me a few bucks on TIM (my AS5 is almost gone).


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## grimx133 (Jan 15, 2008)

All the TIM's a good. I still use AS5 and MX-2 too, there isn't a huge difference between the pastes, even used some Startech paste once when I was on vacation and it was the only thing I could find locally. It's not so much which paste you use, you just need to have something applied decently with a solid mount. Unless a degree or two of temp will make the difference between stable and not, they all work fine. For me, it's the spreadability, I find some easier than others to get into a thin layer, and even that changes, somedays one that I usually find fast and easy to spread, I can't seem to get it right, so I just use another, but I keep a bunch of different ones on hand. Not sure on the longevity, only time I ever see cracked and dry TIM, it's the stock stuff on real old machines. Any that you use should last for several years, at least.

Had to lower the OC to 4136, froze after about five hours of running [email protected] Four threads on the cpu and two video cards, all running at 100% was a little more stressful than prime.


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

Thanks for the headsup. I'm not picky about a couple degrees, it's more the longevity that ever concerns me, but it seems that shouldn't be much of an issue!

We're still waiting to get all the insurance claim paperwork together, but I might look into an i3 or i5 system after it's all said and done, to replace my folks' business PC. They sound like impressive bang-for-the-buck. I also found out today that the lightning strike completely bricked the router, so that's getting replaced too. x_x


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

Well, I got the Noctua. It installed very well, and the thermal paste was easy to work with. I was far, far more comfortable with its assembly mechanism than the CoolerMaster. In fact, while removing the CM, I found that the glue slime that they use to affix the plastic washers to the bolts had squished out and smeared on the PCB. The CM's base definitely wasn't flat, as I saw after removing it. The paste was a nice, proper thin coat on one side, and a thick mess on the other. I guess I was right in believing it had a high edge when going over it with the razor.

Anyway, after setting it up and letting the machine run for some hours, I've found that it's dropped about 4*C idle, and 8*C during Prime95. More importantly, the temperature changes are more gradual now. It's also remarkably quiet.

Very pleased, and much more comfortable with it. I'm not knocking the 212+, because it's pretty well-reputed as a good cooler for its price. I think I just got one with a less than stellar base, and it could've been solved with lapping.


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## grimx133 (Jan 15, 2008)

Good to hear, nice result on the temps for sure. For me, the Noctua paste is the perfect consistency for spreading, though they're all not bad, just I find it really easy to work with.


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## toostrike (Nov 6, 2008)

TheUnlimited said:


> Well, I got the Noctua. It installed very well, and the thermal paste was easy to work with. I was far, far more comfortable with its assembly mechanism than the CoolerMaster. In fact, while removing the CM, I found that the glue slime that they use to affix the plastic washers to the bolts had squished out and smeared on the PCB. The CM's base definitely wasn't flat, as I saw after removing it. The paste was a nice, proper thin coat on one side, and a thick mess on the other. I guess I was right in believing it had a high edge when going over it with the razor.
> 
> Anyway, after setting it up and letting the machine run for some hours, I've found that it's dropped about 4*C idle, and 8*C during Prime95. More importantly, the temperature changes are more gradual now. It's also remarkably quiet.
> 
> Very pleased, and much more comfortable with it. I'm not knocking the 212+, because it's pretty well-reputed as a good cooler for its price. I think I just got one with a less than stellar base, and it could've been solved with lapping.


Glad to hear you have your problems resolved.The 212+ was the first HS I ever installed,and we both can relate to how much tim is needed.Too much:grin:I'm getting great temps,so I'll keep my fingers crossed it continues.

I am going to build another system with an Antec 1200 or a Haf 932.I cant decide.There both great cases,but I do like the Haf's wire management scheme,and drive installation ease.I really like your new HS.Pricey,but your getting quality.How much grease did you use?Grimmx133 says he uses his normal pea size on his builds.From reading his comments it sounds like he has plenty of builds under his belt.I have that Noctua bookmarked on NewEgg for my build.I still love the 212,but what a PITA to install.


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## TheUnlimited (Dec 12, 2005)

toostrike said:


> Glad to hear you have your problems resolved.The 212+ was the first HS I ever installed,and we both can relate to how much tim is needed.Too much:grin:I'm getting great temps,so I'll keep my fingers crossed it continues.
> 
> I am going to build another system with an Antec 1200 or a Haf 932.I cant decide.There both great cases,but I do like the Haf's wire management scheme,and drive installation ease.I really like your new HS.Pricey,but your getting quality.How much grease did you use?Grimmx133 says he uses his normal pea size on his builds.From reading his comments it sounds like he has plenty of builds under his belt.I have that Noctua bookmarked on NewEgg for my build.I still love the 212,but what a PITA to install.


The construction quality on the Noctua is fantastic. I think you'd be really pleased with it. The base is flat and fairly well polished, but it's not the mirror that you'd get on a Zalman. The many tests of it have demonstrated that it's not at all an issue, though. The NH-U12P SE2 also comes with _two_ fans (not that you have to mount both), which I think run about $20 each sold separately. They're not cheap fans. Installation is well-documented, and while it involves a lot of parts going back and forth, it's actually straight-forward.

One problem I had with the 212's assembly is that the nuts and bolts work against each other and constantly threaten to start spinning or coming loose, and I was never really sure when it was tight. Having to use a small set of wide-mouth adjustable pliers was not something I was comfortable having to do around the CPU socket to keep those bolts from spinning.

The Noctua's a different beast. Every screw goes in clean and secure. Most importantly, they stop. Cold. In fact, the instructions warn you specifically of only turning the screws until they stop, and they mean it. They've been carefully designed to screw down to a specific point, and you can snap them if you don't stop when the screw tells you to. So when your screwdriver comes to a stop while twisting, don't try and snug it up that last little bit that you normally would. I was genuinely astounded by that, as it always seems that screws in a computer need that extra little cinch to come to a true stop.

As for the thermal paste included, Grim was right. It's good stuff. Nice consistency, easy to spread. Normally I do the finger spread (with something like stretched plastic wrap to cover my finger, of course) to ensure it goes evenly. In this case, I just went with the little dollop the size of a pea in the middle and let the pressure of the surfaces do the work. I peeled it off to check it out, and it spread pretty nicely on its own. Cleaned and reapplied, and the temps speak for themselves.

If you spring for it, I think you'll be pleased. The only thing about the Noctua I dislike is the fleshtone fan. Not much of a negative point, for me.


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## toostrike (Nov 6, 2008)

Thanks for the tips.Its always nice to get first hand information.I agree,that color is blahh,but results and quality of parts are more importantray:Looking at my lists,I actually had that same heatsink bookmarked when I first started thinking about building,Along with a Intel chip,ect...but my budget and wish list didn't match.I put together alot of builds on wish lists,then reality kicked inThis time I will wait longer.Whatever it takes.I have to piece meal this next build.I will get the case,psu,and the heat sink,and then start saving for the remainder so I can do the guts all at once.It may take awhile,but with the never ending latest technology,comes price breaks.My new hobby is an expensive obsession.


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