[Bob-san]

naaa i don't want to do more than 2 video cards right now.  but i'd like to do 3 in the future.

for some reason i really like the 4890 XXX edition.  i think two of those would rape.

also i'm REALLY liking this board for some reason
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4633206&CatId=4070

That board is really nice.

World Frequency Records (Intel Core i7 CPU) :

    * Nº 1 : coolaler.com reached 6061.09 MHz with an Intel Core i7 Extreme 975 (45 nm) [Details]
            MB : EVGA X58 SLI Classified (Intel X58 rev 12) - RAM : G.Skill 6144 MB
    * Nº 2 : OPB@ocx&滄者極限 reached 5968.42 MHz with an Intel Xeon W3570 (45 nm) [Details]
            MB : EVGA X58 SLI Classified (Intel X58 rev 13) - RAM : Avantium 3072 MB
    * Nº 3 : Brian y. reached 5937.22 MHz with an �����º���µ���� (45 nm) [Details]
            MB : EVGA X58 SLI Classified (Intel X58 rev 12) - RAM : 6144 MB
    * Nº 4 : Pt1t [Matbe.com] reached 5901.25 MHz with an Intel Core i7 Extreme 975 ES (45 nm) [Details]
            MB : EVGA X58 SLI Classified (Intel X58 rev 12) - RAM : G.Skill 6144 MB
    * Nº 5 : Boblemagnifique 975XE Caskade First Test reached 5843.29 MHz with an Intel Core i7 Extreme 975 (45 nm) [Details]
            MB : EVGA X58 SLI Classified (Intel X58 rev 13) - RAM : STT 3072 MB

[Stealth]

yeah seems like it's designed to overclock

[CP5670]

Just like all boards are these days.

If you're trying to set a new world record OC, that might be the right board for you. For a typical OC on a system you will actually be using, almost any cheap board built on the same chipset is good enough. The cooling, processor and other factors will come into play long before the motherboard's limits do.

[Tyrian]

I actually have that board.  It's amazing.  I'm going to start OC'ing with it soon.  (I just finished breaking in the system.)  It's actually engineered to support cooling via liquid nitrogen.  We have some at work, so I'm going to talk to the guys there about what's involved in producing/storing/safely using the stuff.    Plus that board supports 3-way x16 SLI.

[Bob-san]

yeah seems like it's designed to overclock

Just like all boards are these days.

If you're trying to set a new world record OC, that might be the right board for you. For a typical OC on a system you will actually be using, almost any cheap board built on the same chipset is good enough. The cooling, processor and other factors will come into play long before the motherboard's limits do.

Actual abilities differ wildly. DFI's X58's aren't too shabby, if you can stand having only 3 DDR3 slots, the Foxconns are good, and if you need a lot of PCI Express x16 slots, Asus's P6T6/7's are the best bet (workstation w/ multiple graphics cards or perhaps RAID controllers). The EVGA one really is designed for world records. A fast and easy overclocking board are the Biostar TPower X58A's. I have a friend with the original TPower X58 and it was as simple as dialing up the bclk and leaving the rest on auto; very tight timings and low voltages (compared to the run-of-the-mill auto settings), while still rock solid stable.

[CP5670]

I actually have that board.  It's amazing.  I'm going to start OC'ing with it soon.  (I just finished breaking in the system.)  It's actually engineered to support cooling via liquid nitrogen.  We have some at work, so I'm going to talk to the guys there about what's involved in producing/storing/safely using the stuff. Plus that board supports 3-way x16 SLI.

You can't use LN2 on a normal system. It vaporizes quickly and you would need to refill it every few days. It's only used for momentary overclocks to set records with.

Actual abilities differ wildly. DFI's X58's aren't too shabby, if you can stand having only 3 DDR3 slots, the Foxconns are good, and if you need a lot of PCI Express x16 slots, Asus's P6T6/7's are the best bet (workstation w/ multiple graphics cards or perhaps RAID controllers). The EVGA one really is designed for world records. A fast and easy overclocking board are the Biostar TPower X58A's. I have a friend with the original TPower X58 and it was as simple as dialing up the bclk and leaving the rest on auto; very tight timings and low voltages (compared to the run-of-the-mill auto settings), while still rock solid stable.

I am looking at the MSI X58M myself. It's a cheap (by X58 standards), no-frills board that overclocks well, although it looks like it needs better chipset cooling. I want to see more opinions on it before I get it though.

[Bob-san]

I actually have that board.  It's amazing.  I'm going to start OC'ing with it soon.  (I just finished breaking in the system.)  It's actually engineered to support cooling via liquid nitrogen.  We have some at work, so I'm going to talk to the guys there about what's involved in producing/storing/safely using the stuff. Plus that board supports 3-way x16 SLI.

You can't use LN2 on a normal system. It vaporizes quickly and you would need to refill it every few days. It's only used for momentary overclocks to set records with.

Actual abilities differ wildly. DFI's X58's aren't too shabby, if you can stand having only 3 DDR3 slots, the Foxconns are good, and if you need a lot of PCI Express x16 slots, Asus's P6T6/7's are the best bet (workstation w/ multiple graphics cards or perhaps RAID controllers). The EVGA one really is designed for world records. A fast and easy overclocking board are the Biostar TPower X58A's. I have a friend with the original TPower X58 and it was as simple as dialing up the bclk and leaving the rest on auto; very tight timings and low voltages (compared to the run-of-the-mill auto settings), while still rock solid stable.

I am looking at the MSI X58M myself. It's a cheap (by X58 standards), no-frills board that overclocks well, although it looks like it needs better chipset cooling. I want to see more opinions on it before I get it though.

Air condition + 60 gallon cooler of antifreeze + some special equipment = sub-0C temperatures 24/7 (if you can deal with the power bill and the inital cost)

Anyways; what I worry most about with MSI boards is the general lack of voltage-regulation cooling. Even my $60 Abit IP35-E has a decent vreg heatsink, yet many of these low-end boards are only 4-stage'ers and are running quad-cores that can overclock quite well. More-so now then ever, it's the motherboard determining whether or not a Core i7 is overclockable. A bad board is more liekly than a bad processor, and most boards are able to hit 200 bclk. An i7 920 @ 4.2GHz should be attainable on almost anything (I wouldn't count on a Zotac or a low-end MSI, though). The DFI T3HE6 and the Jr. are excellent motherboards depending on application.

To me, however, it's becoming hard to beat Phenom II's for the price. I just bought an open-box Asrock 780G motherboard (for an Athlon 64 Lima actually) for like $67 and there are Athlon II X2 Regor's for <$100. and some of them can unlock to quad-cores. But yeah too late for a Phenom II; not that price really matters (considering how you've already got a $300 board and a $350 board and are considering a $400+ board). Then again.... might be fun to buy something else to play around with? http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.209473

[Fury]

Uhhuh. X58 + Core i7 + DDR3 = EXPENSIVE

I guess you have the money to shell out though. Still, I would prefer P45, C2Q and DDR2 or AMD AM2+ and Phenom II route, much better bang for the buck. WD Caviar Black is better bang for the buck than VelociRaptor. Never heard of Kingwin power supplies, I hope you've read positive reviews on them. Are you sure you need a sound card? Onboard HD Audio will be sufficient for most people. If you really want a sound card, please stay away from Creative and their **** drivers and software. Auzentech Auzen X-Plosion 7.1 Cinema would be a real sound card with reliable drivers and software. Of course, a sound card is only as good as speakers plugged to it.

[Stealth]

wow can you say "opinionated"!

yeah i've used kingwin power supplies on every gaming rig i've ever built.  kingwin and thermaltake.  they have dedicated, and often several 12v rails.  this particular one has 4 12v rails, totaling 60a.  they're pretty good power supplies.  and modular is good too

Phenom II may be better bang for the buck, as is P45, DDR2, etc.  However, this PC i didn't want to be bang-for-the-buck, i wanted performance.  The DDR3 cost under $90 for 6GB (not bad), and the CPU was a little over $200 (not bad either).

The Creative card, you're right, is overkill - onboard audio is usually sufficient, but i have a 5.1 surround system in my room, and this card i already have from my previous build, so it's no cost to me now   Even 2 years ago it was only like $75

[Fury]

You might want to read this post about multiple 12V rails:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=84&threadid=2167846&enterthread=y

[CP5670]

Anyways; what I worry most about with MSI boards is the general lack of voltage-regulation cooling. Even my $60 Abit IP35-E has a decent vreg heatsink, yet many of these low-end boards are only 4-stage'ers and are running quad-cores that can overclock quite well. More-so now then ever, it's the motherboard determining whether or not a Core i7 is overclockable. A bad board is more liekly than a bad processor, and most boards are able to hit 200 bclk. An i7 920 @ 4.2GHz should be attainable on almost anything (I wouldn't count on a Zotac or a low-end MSI, though).

Well, that is my point. From what I'm seeing, 4.2 is around the typical limit for a 920 on air cooling anyway. I think that X58M board might need aftermarket heatsinks as you say though, which would negate its lower cost. Anandtech gave it a glowing review anyway, but there haven't been many user opinions on it yet.

I have a C2D, so in my case anything other than an i7 wouldn't be a worthwhile upgrade. Actually, I don't really need a new processor but my brother does, so I figured I might as well get an i7 now instead of a year later, and give him my current setup.

[Stealth]

You might want to read this post about multiple 12V rails:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=84&threadid=2167846&enterthread=y

nothing wrong with multiple 12v rails.  i don't change my opinion based on a post in a forum somewhere.  with the power supply i have, PCIe connectors are on two 12v rails (i.e. i'll power one 4890 (with two pci-e connectors) from the one rail, and the second 4890 from the other). 

hard drives, fans, mb power, etc. go on the other two rails.  4 total.

Should be more than adequate - i did a fair amount of research on it

[Bob-san]

You might want to read this post about multiple 12V rails:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=84&threadid=2167846&enterthread=y

nothing wrong with multiple 12v rails.  i don't change my opinion based on a post in a forum somewhere.  with the power supply i have, PCIe connectors are on two 12v rails (i.e. i'll power one 4890 (with two pci-e connectors) from the one rail, and the second 4890 from the other). 

hard drives, fans, mb power, etc. go on the other two rails.  4 total.

Should be more than adequate - i did a fair amount of research on it

Other than the Kingwin being ugly (by my standards), they're decent units. I'd say, without a doubt, to look at Corsair 850TX/HX's before you look at Kingwin's Mach 1s, but oh well. What's done is done. The 750TX is not as good as either 650TX or 850TX; the 750TX and 850TX are both Channel Well units of different generations and the 650TX a Seasonic S12-II in disguise. The 750TX is overall a very good unit, but voltage regulation leaves a bit to be desired. Nothing dangerous or anything, but it could do better. The 650TX is supposedly more stable than the 850TX, but the 850TX isn't far behind at all. Both have much better voltage regulation than the 750TX, and both have their price. The 650's lower wattage and the 850's higher price. I don't know about the 750HX though (I have only heard it's long-awaited). I just wish I could trade up my 750TX for an 850TX; that would be sweet, even if I don't need the extra 100W.

[Stealth]

i have one of those corsair modular 1000W power supplies that i was going to use on a virtual server.  it's brand new - in the box. 

juuuust like this one:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3985032&CatId=2535

if you think it's better to use that, i can just return this kingwin for a full refund :/

[Mikes]

i have one of those corsair modular 1000W power supplies that i was going to use on a virtual server.  it's brand new - in the box. 

juuuust like this one:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3985032&CatId=2535

if you think it's better to use that, i can just return this kingwin for a full refund :/

The "loose screws" issue that keeps surfacing with the corsair units kept me away from them, especially since i have to move my tower to another town occasionally.
Good units otherwise though.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/ is one of the best review sites for Power Supplies that i know of. MUCH more thorough than the usual mainstream review cra*.

[Bob-san]

i have one of those corsair modular 1000W power supplies that i was going to use on a virtual server.  it's brand new - in the box. 

juuuust like this one:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3985032&CatId=2535

if you think it's better to use that, i can just return this kingwin for a full refund :/

The "loose screws" issue that keeps surfacing with the corsair units kept me away from them, especially since i have to move my tower to another town occasionally.
Good units otherwise though.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/ is one of the best review sites for Power Supplies that i know of. MUCH more thorough than the usual mainstream review cra*.

To the best if my knowledge, the "loose screws" issue isn't a point of worry. They're just something Oklahoma Wolf and a few others that constantly review CWT units point out as CWT's constant issue. Besides; it somehow manages to kill the PSU, send it back to Corsair. They'll replace it within the warranty period (5 years). The 1000HX should be a good bit better than your Kingwin. The 1kW Kingwin Mach 1 left a bit more to be desired on rail stability then the 1000HX.

[Stealth]

hmmmmk, in that case i think i'm set!

only thing i'm trying to decide on is watercooling components - i want everything to be able to fit inside the case, and i realize now that may mean i have to return the Armor+ :/

[JCDNWarrior]

Well, I just wanted to mention, don't be fooled by Crysis, even Warhead -- the games aren't very optimised, which is why they ask so much more than they should. There's a few really good optimisation mods out there that fix all these issues. Game worked great with my old 8800GT (Now called a GT250) at pretty much the highest settings. Game also ended up looking better due to better use of the shaders and better color correction, ToD, and so forth.

Just my 2 cents.

- JC

[Bob-san]

Well, I just wanted to mention, don't be fooled by Crysis, even Warhead -- the games aren't very optimised, which is why they ask so much more than they should. There's a few really good optimisation mods out there that fix all these issues. Game worked great with my old 8800GT (Now called a GT250) at pretty much the highest settings. Game also ended up looking better due to better use of the shaders and better color correction, ToD, and so forth.

Just my 2 cents.

- JC

I'll put it like this; this guy works hard and plays hard.

Now then; Petra's has what you need for water-cooling. I can see what I can toss together for you, Stealth. I would suggest returning the Armor+ (especially any thermaltake "LCS" chassis). Basic question is two 2x120mm rads or one 3x120mm rad? It's supposed to be easy to fit watercooling all internally on quite a few different systems. A few Lian-Li's stand out for that, as well higher-end Antecs and Cooler Masters. Silverstone too, of course. If you're handy with a dremel, you can make them accept all-internal water-cooling quite well. I think you may like the CM Cosmos 1000's or maybe the ATCS 840. There are still the older Stacker 800 series around and for sale, but I personally can't stand those. I was overall happy about the XClio Windtunnel for ~$100. As I said, if you're handy with a dremel, you can make it accept a nice radiator or two.

[Stealth]

i'd like to get one radiator to cool the CPU, and both graphics cards.  also, i'd really like to keep them all internal, so i can pick the case up and go.

i'm thinking maybe i should just stick to an EXTREMELY well air-cooled system though... one i can still overclock with.

only reason i don't want to do water-cooled on this case, is i will be moving it a lot (taking it to LANs, etc.), and it's going to be moved around, placed on its side, etc.