Building a computer? Need advice/suggestions? Come here!

[Warsaw]

Why the hell is it running more than one optical drive anyways? If it's Blu-Ray you want, just buy a Blu-Ray reader or burner (way more expensive for the burner) that can read and write all the other formats, too. Unless you're running SLI or Crossfire, that 600W should be fine. Hell, my stock Rosewill 420W PSU lasted me for 5 years running an overclocked CPU, GPU, three hard drives, and a single optical drive. My CPU is also a 130nm process, so it runs hot as hell and sucks power. You'll be better off saving the money for a good laptop.

[bleach]

What if I were to sell my power supply, how much should I sell it for (I was thinking ~$50, but I'm open to suggestions) and on what website and if applicable, what carrier (shipping) should I use?

[Terin]

Quick CPU question - I'm looking on Newegg, and it shows Core i7s that work on LGA1366 and LGA1156 sockets, which can also run i3 and i5s. How does that work?

[Dwood]

What if I were to sell my power supply, how much should I sell it for (I was thinking ~$50, but I'm open to suggestions) and on what website and if applicable, what carrier (shipping) should I use?

Used power supplies usually I think sell for about $25~. If someone can prove me wrong please do.

[king_nothing_]

Quick CPU question - I'm looking on Newegg, and it shows Core i7s that work on LGA1366 and LGA1156 sockets, which can also run i3 and i5s. How does that work?

i7 9xxs are LGA 1366. i7 8xxs, i5s, and i3s are LGA 1156. LGA 1366 supports triple-channel memory, while LGA 1156 only supports dual-channel. LGA 1366 is better for multi-GPU setups as well I think.

[InnerGoat]

It's only better because you get two full PCIe 16x slots not a 16x and a 4x electrical 16x

[Warsaw]

It's also better because of the higher memory bandwidth and because it has more powerful CPUs at its disposal. 1156 is about to die anyways, since Intel is releasing yet another new slot in the form of the LGA1155 for its upcoming Sandy Bridge chips.

[Cortexian]

So I'm planning this build, more of a theoretical project then a real one at the moment because I won't have the funds to purchase it until sometime next year. That said, I plan to do a "Dream Machine, top of the line" build next year so I priced out all the current stuff in hopes that the top of the line stuff next year will be similarly priced. This is what I have so far:

http://secure.newegg.ca/WishList/Pub...umber=13247985

In short:
Corsair Obsidian 800D Case
Intel Core i7-980X
EVGA X58 Classified 3-way SLI
12GB 1600 Corsair XMS3 Memory
Two GTX 480 GPU's
160GB Intel X25-M SSD
Two 2TB Western Digital Caviar Black HDD's
Blu-ray burner
Corsair HX 1000 Watt PSU

Suggestions on this build would be welcome, but as I said I doubt any of these components will be the same this time next year.

That said, I'd like to water-cool the entire thing, I'm a noob to water-cooling. Basically the extent of my knowledge is the following; I know I need a pump, radiator, reservoir, water-blocks, and tubing but I have no idea what type of components I should buy. I'm fairly confident that I can assemble the loop myself with no problems, I just need help on picking out the right components, if possible from FrozenCPU.com since I've dealt with them before! I want to cool the CPU and GPU's for sure, possibly the motherboard bridges and such as well.

Here's what I would plan on getting for the above build (in loop order as well):
Pump
Radiator
CPU Block
Motherboard Block (Optional)
GPU Block 1
4 Slot SLI Fitting
GPU Block 2
Reservoir (Color subject to change)

Does that look about right? Suggestions/Comments/Questions? I have no idea what tubing size I should go for, I'll probably just end up going with the most common stuff to make it easier.

Fittings are another thing that bugs me, their entire purpose is to connect to your blocks/rad/res and connect it to the appropriately sized tubing right? From what I hear compression fittings are the most secure and safest to use so I'll probably go with them, is that the general consensus?

[RedBaron]

Dunno why I'm posting this since it's already been decided but I guess I can get some of your thoughts on this. I just ordered this on xoticpc.com and the total came out to about $1,530 plus shipping. The price is a little steep, and god knows I would build the same desktop for half the price if I wasn't going off to campus and all that spiel. This is 100% coming out of my own pay, and kiddies, let me say that it's a great feeling being able to buy yourself tech.

1x Sager NP8690 (Built on Clevo W860CU) Custom Gaming Laptop

- Display: 15.6” HD+ 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1600x900) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- Dead Pixel Policy: Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-720QM, 1.60-2.80GHz, (45nm, 6MB L3 cache) - Special!
- Thermal Compound: - IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU
- Graphics Video Card: ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD5870 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
- External Graphics Card: No External Graphics Card
- External Monitor Video Adapter: No Video Adapter
- Ram: ~ 4,096MB DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (Requires 64-Bit to utilize Full 4GB)
- Exterior Finish: Standard Finish
- Optical Drive: ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- Primary Hard Drive: ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache) - Default
- External Hard Drive (Back Up): No Back Up Hard Drive
- Floppy Drive: No Floppy Drive
- Memory Card Reader: Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Bluetooth: Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Wireless Network: Built-in 802.11 Wireless A/B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card
- Wireless Network Accessories: No Network Accessory
- Camera: Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- TV Tuner: No TV Tuner
- Sound Card: Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Case: Basic Black Business Case - Included
- Battery: 11.1V Smart Li-Polymer battery pack 3800mAh, 42.18Wh
- Car Adapter: No Car Adapter
- Spare AC Adapter: None Standard*
- Port Replicator / Dock / Adapters: No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Fingerprint Reader: Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- Mouse / Keyboard Accessories: No External Keyboard or Mouse
- Notebook Cooler: No Notebook Cooler
- Operating System: ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- Microsoft Office Software (Medialess): No Office Software
- Software Bundle (Not Installed): No Software Bundle
- Warranty: 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime -24/7 DOMESTIC Based- Toll Free Telephone Tech Support (Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)
Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Warranty Repairs
- Xotic Gear: No Xotic PC Gear

For what I'm getting in RAM and HD Space, the deal isn't as good as the ASUS G73jh-A2, which has 1 TB HD and 8GB RAM and goes for $1,550 when in stock. But I'm not going for that since it has like a 50% hardware failure rate.

[Cortexian]

Looks good, I would of grabbed an i7-620M instead of the 720QM if given the choice however.