Any suggestions or advice on this new build?

[Crovakiet]

So with the Microcenter nearby selling an i7 930 for 199.99(before tax) and after seeing my still unemployed UC Berkeley grad cousin playing Starcraft 2 Beta on a P4 2.4c+1 gig of RAM+AGP Geforce 6800GT with frames that dip into the single digits constantly (lowest graphic settings!) I got to thinking that maybe I should give him most of the parts from my current system (able to play SC2 medium settings @ 50+ frames @ 1920x1080) and buy myself some upgrades, since my current system was built around 2.5 years or so ago.

So the parts I am giving him are:

ASUS P5Q PRO
Intel E8400
2x2GB GSkill Dual Channel DDR2
Visiontek 4850 512MB
Antec 300 (not part of current i.e. backup)
Antec NEO HE550 (not part of current i.e. backup)
640 GB WD SATA HD

What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Surfing/downloading, SC2, Diablo 3, Left 4 Dead 2, Counterstrike, Bad company 2, watching 1080p anime/movies (dual monitor/hdtv) video editing/encoding, ripping*

What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
About 1200...less would be better of course.

What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
California, USA

IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
Intel and ATI preference.

If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
CASE: Lian Li PC-7BW Plus
POWER SUPPLY: CORSAIR CMPSU 520HX
CD-DVD BURNER: LITE-ON iHAS120-04
KEYBOARD/Mouse: Unicomp Keyboard and Logitech G5
MONITOR(s): SAMSUNG (1920X1080), LG HDTV (1920x1080)
SPEAKERS: Old DS 80s
OS: Windows 7 64 bit
HARD Drive(s): Bunch of external USB 2.0 drives of varying size/capacity.

IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
I would like to have a mild/medium overclock on the i7 at stock or less(?) voltage preferably with temps less than 70 degrees at load for all cores. Ideally less than 60 degrees at load...wishful thinking?

What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.
1920x1080

WHEN do you plan to build it?
In the next month or so before Starcraft 2 comes out in July, so that I can give my old parts to my cousin such that he will be able to play the single player campaign of SC2 at medium or better settings. In multiplayer he will probably set them all to low anyway as its easier to identify units etc...

So I was thinking of the parts below for pretty much a new build:

INTEL I7 930 (Microcenter 199.99)
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R (Newegg 209.99)
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus (Newegg 29.99)
INTEL X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2R5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC SSD (Newegg 224.99)
Crucial 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) (Newegg 167.99)
XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit (Newegg 309.99)

1142.94 (not including tax and/or shipping)

I am basically iffy on the video card, hard drive, cooler and ram. Any other suggestions for motherboard is also appreciated though I hear the gigabyte is pretty darn good. Those X58 boards are expensive :/

The Visiontek 4850 that I have currently runs pretty damn hot, and the fan at 80%+ is really, really audible. I know I wouldn't want a 5770 considering that its not that big of an upgrade from a 4850, so I was thinking like a 5850 or a 5870(not going to xfire currently) but I am concerned about heat/noise as well as whether they will fit in my lian li case and whether my current PSU is sufficient. Or should I just go for a 5770 regardless seeing as how its pretty much half the price of a 5850 and probably less heat/noise? I will be gaming at a resolution of 1920x1080 since my comp monitor as well as my HDTV have that as the maximum resolution. I currently use a dual monitor/HDTV setup for viewing 1080p anime/movies on the HDTV for subs and whatnot.

On the ram, should I bother getting higher rated, faster latency ram assuming a mild/medium overclock? Is ram going to get any cheaper in the next couple months?

I have read reviews of the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ and all seem favorable, will it be an obstacle though for a mild/medium overclock? I would like temps for all cores at full load less than 70 degrees...ideally less than 60 degrees for all cores at full load. Wishful thinking with said cooler?

Lastly regarding the SSD drive, I opted for intel x25m g2 but are there any other SSD(s) I should be looking out for that give similar/better performance and hopefully lower price?

I am basically going off the prices from Newegg and Microcenter. The I7 from microcenter locally is a no brainer but I would like to avoid tax and/or shipping for all the other parts seeing as how I am in CA. Any online retailers that would give better prices overall for the aforementioned parts?

Thank you in advance for any advice and/or suggestions you might have.

 

[mfenn]

All of that seems fine. BTW, if you don't like X58 mobo prices, save some money by getting a 750 or 860, P55 mobo, and 4GB of RAM. The performance of the 860 and 930 are basically the same (860 is faster a lot of the time, 930 is faster sometimes). Not that you would notice the difference between any of the 3 in normal usage.

X25-M's are a pretty good value in terms of $/GB. The new Sandforce drives (OCZ Vertex 2, OCZ Agility 2, Corsair Force) are faster, but they are $$$. Intel has dropped the price on the X25 so much that the Indilinx drives aren't worth it IMHO.

The Radeon 5000 series has a reputation for being very quiet at idle.

 

[Knavish]

Just curious .. what was your cousin's major?

 

[-Slacker-]

Drop the ssd and get a hd5870 instead - at half a meter long, your case looks like it could fit one comfortably. The performance gains would be a lot higher than if you were using a ssd.

 

[mfenn]

Drop the ssd and get a hd5870 instead - at half a meter long, your case looks like it could fit one comfortably. The performance gains would be a lot higher than if you were using a ssd.

For gaming maybe. He's doing a bunch of other stuff with the machine as well.

 

[Crovakiet]

Just curious .. what was your cousin's major?

He was a business major, with I think an emphasis on accounting.

I don't know about dropping the SSD...From what I hear, it's a pretty big difference going from mechanical to solid state. I 'should' probably notice the performance difference as I did find a BIG performance difference from when I went from a 5400rpm IDE drive to a SCSI Atlas 10kII back when I had an Athlon Thunderbird system. I do hear you about dropping the SSD to get a 5870 since the SSD I don't really 'need' and could just get a speedy WD mechanical drive. I am concerned about the size of the 5850/5870 still and was wondering if anyone had a case similar to the Lian Li and was able to fit said gpus(or even bigger ones) in it. The lower rack(s), look like they may block a longer card...

Anyone have thought(s) on the Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus? Are my expectations too high for a mild/medium overclock while keeping the i7 930 voltage stock(or lower) and all cores at full load under 70 degrees? Ideally under 60 degrees?

 

[mfenn]

He was a business major, with I think an emphasis on accounting.

I don't know about dropping the SSD...From what I hear, it's a pretty big difference going from mechanical to solid state. I 'should' probably notice the performance difference as I did find a BIG performance difference from when I went from a 5400rpm IDE drive to a SCSI Atlas 10kII back when I had an Athlon Thunderbird system. I do hear you about dropping the SSD to get a 5870 since the SSD I don't really 'need' and could just get a speedy WD mechanical drive. I am concerned about the size of the 5850/5870 still and was wondering if anyone had a case similar to the Lian Li and was able to fit said gpus(or even bigger ones) in it. The lower rack(s), look like they may block a longer card...

Anyone have thought(s) on the Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus? Are my expectations too high for a mild/medium overclock while keeping the i7 930 voltage stock(or lower) and all cores at full load under 70 degrees? Ideally under 60 degrees?

Don't be silly, keep the SSD.

Temp doesn't matter, as long as it's within spec, which 70 degrees is.

 

[MisterDonut]

"pretty big difference" is an understatement. It's a FATTY difference, and "fatty" as in American obesity. I think it has to do with Unobtanium. What you guys think?

Most mid towers will fit the 5870/5850 just fine. It might block off an HDD slot or cage, but that should be no problem.

Hyper 212+ is a fantastic heatsink for its price. So if you're trying to get $60 temps with a $22 heatsink, it won't cut it. I'd probably drop your CPU down to the i860 and let TurboBoost overclock for you. If you really want to OC, then get a Mugen2/NH12UP or something. If you want to shoot for records, go with h2o or something high end (i.e. Megatron, TRUE, NH-D14). Just as long as temps stay below the new MBP's, your house will not burn down.

If you're using your SSD for SOLELY a boot drive + a few apps, the X25-M is probably your best bet. Prices have gone down. Otherwise you can look for deals on the ~60gb ones (Kingston for $112). The new OCZ SF ones are priced up a donkey's arse.

 

[Axon]

Lastly regarding the SSD drive, I opted for intel x25m g2 but are there any other SSD(s) I should be looking out for that give similar/better performance and hopefully lower price?

While the X25M is the gold standard, OCZ Agility (Indilinix controller) 60 GB SSD, priced at $140 after rebate, is also an excellent deal. I have both drives and, unless I'm running some kind of benchmark, I can't tell the difference between them. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227461

The true advantage of the Intel is the extra 20 gigs, which does come in handy. But overall, both will get you what you want (boot times, smoother gaming performance and load times), and the OCZ will do it for $80 less. That's a decision to weigh carefully. Also keep in mind that the Intel comes with a nice 2.5" to 3.5" drive bracket, which allows you to properly install the SSD into a desktop. With OCZ, you have to buy that bracket separately - or you can get a case that takes 2.5" drives as a standard.

5850 is a shorter card than you'd think, and should easily fit into any mid-tower. Other than it's slightly overpriced price point, it's an excellent card.

I also agree with looking into the 1156 socket and either the i5 750 or i7 860. For a single GPU, that's a better (and cheaper) option. And those chips have excellent turbo modes, which essentially overclock the chip for you. However, If you think you might end up crossfiring in the future, the X58 chipset is your choice.

 

[HumblePie]

If you want to stick with the i7 platform for the most performance today and in the near future, you can get some decent deals buying from forum members for system parts.