Darren Gatt's semi-final build that got him into the final of the Master Builder competition.
"I feel that I've put together a well rounded machine that is easily overclocked and upgraded
when extra performance is required. I tried to use as many ASUS parts
as possible, as they are the major sponsor and have some excellent
hardware!"
Darren Gatt.The Build
CPU: Intel i7 870I was originally going for the Core i5, but then changed to the i7 870 after some more research on the net. The Core i7 870 chews through everything thrown at it and is easily overclocked for extra performance if it's required. The added features of the i7 870, like 'turbo boost' are supported by the motherboard I have chosen.....so it should perform well.
CPU COOLER: Freezer 7 Pro Rev2I was going to stick with the stock cooler until I read some reviews on this one. It's substantially quieter than the stock one and keeps the processor a fair bit cooler as well. And did I mention it's quiet!
ASUS (SPONSOR) MOTHERBOARD: P7H57D-V EvoThis one was a hard decision as there are a lot of good boards from ASUS to choose from. I went with the EVO as I liked many of the features and the Intel 'Turbo Boost' support. It also supports Intel 'XMP' compatible RAM, as well as having plenty of room to upgrade later (SLI, Crossfire, 16GB RAM, 6 x 3gb SATA ports and 2 x 6GB sata ports). I liked the fact that it manages the power in 'real time' to ensure that the system is energy efficient without loosing performance.
ASUS (SPONSOR) GRAPHICS CARD: ENGTX295/2DI/1792MD3Another difficult one. The graphics card is the component that I spent the most time researching. I decided on this card as it's got plenty of memory for the most demanding video editing and gaming as well as having a native HDMI port for multimedia. It was a tough call to make, but this card has got enough grunt to rip through anything.
MEMORY: 8GB of OCZ DDR3 PC3-10666Originally I was going with the Corsair Dominator GT, until I did a bit more research and found that the OCZ RAM is optimized for use with Intel i7, i5 and i3 processors. They feature Intel 'XMP', are co-branded by Intel and are dual channel. I thought about going with 4GB originally, but decided on 8GB as you can never have enough RAM I reckon!
HARD DRIVE 1: OCZ Colossus SSD 250 GBThis OCZ drive has a max read of up to 260 MB/s, a max write of up to 260 MB/s and a sustained write of up to 230 MB/s. It's more than twice as fast as the Intel SSD's! I was considering the 500 GB version, but kept to the 250 GB and went with a second drive.
HARD DRIVE 2: OCZ Z-Drive P84 PCI Express SSD 1TBI was going with the Western Digital Caviar Black 2 TB until I came across this bad boy. You can't argue with max read speeds of up to 870 MB/s, max write speeds of up to 780 MB/s and sustained write speeds of up to 600 MB/s! It has enough storage to get a few movies on and get your home theatre collection started and you can always add a few more standard HDDs, with plenty of spare SATA ports left on the motherboard.
OPTICAL DRIVE: ASUS BC-08B1STThis Blu-Ray drive has a 2 MB buffer and reads/writes to a wide variety of discs.
PSU: ASUS U-65GA650 watts is ample for this system. This power supply has 3 x +12 volt rails, is 80 plus certified, has sleeved cables which help with air flow and is nice and quiet. It also has plenty of options when the need arises to expand your system, including 6 & 8 pin PCI connectors, 6 SATA & 6 peripheral connectors, 4 PCI connectors and 1 EPS connector (for dual CPU).
CASE: Coolmaster CM 690 II PlusThere are so many options for cases, this was a tricky one. I wanted to go with a case that was subtle, but stylish. It also had to have plenty of room for expansion later. This case looks great without being too flashy with LED's everywhere, has room for three graphics cards and plenty of room for big CPU coolers. It is also built to take water cooling, with a top or bottom mount for the radiator and outlets in the rear of the case for hoses. The case had great cable management which helps with airflow and cooling. I also liked the fact that is has an SSD adapter, tool free drive bays, dust control filters and rubber feet.
MONITOR : Dell Ultrasharp U2711You definItely can't go past this beast of a monitor. It ticks all the boxes: 178 degree viewing angle, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 2560x1440 pixel max resolution and 6ms responsE time. Inputs galore....VGA, HDMI, DVI, Composite & Component. And don't forget...27 inches!
KEYBOARD/MOUSE: Logitech MX5500Logitech have some of the best PC accessories around. I chose the MX5500 for its general all round use and the fact that it's cordless. Great to use when the PC is connected to the TV as a HTPC due to its Bluetooth connectivity. It can be used up to 10 metres away! The mouse works on almost any surface. Informative when sitting at you desk encoding video, with the LCD letting you know when you receive emails, plus a calculator option and time display. Help's you kick some butt when gaming due to the deep thumb scoop that helps the mouse mould into your hand and the sof-touch palm rest keeps your other hand comfy.
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 7 UltimateIf you don’t have to worry about the cost.....why not go for the best!
TV TUNER: Hauppauge HVR2200 MCEAnother tricky one. I was looking at the ASUS My Cinema EHD2-100/PT/FM/AV/RC until I came across the HVR2200 MCE. When I read a few reviews, I was sold on the Hauppauge. Dual hybrid tuner, Dual SD / HD Digital Tuner & Dual Analogue tuner all in one! Certified for use with Windows 7 as well as a single RF in for both tuners. Too many features to list.
MEDIA CENTRE CONTROL/REMOTE: Antec Media Station PremierI was going to add the Hauppauge MC Remote (model 226) to make it easier for playing movies and music when the PC is used as a HTPC. But I figured it would be easier to see (on the LCD) what you were watching, or what you were listening to (while encoving video), so I chose the Antec Media Station Premier. Has an IR receiver with LCD display to see system information, adjust the volume, check email status, and more. The IR ReceIver fits into an external 5.25" drive. It’s a sleek remote with incredible functionality, allowing user to play and manage media, change settings and browse via the easy-to-use Thumb Pad Mouse controller. Has support for CD/DVD, removable storage, network media, and digital/TV analog cards. iT comes with IMEDIAN software which allows the playback of most media formats through internal codecs, full 1080p HD support, and a simple and convenient graphical interface, but I still prefer to use Windows Media Centre.
