Build for gaming around an i7-920 on $1300

[trapjaw]

Hi all!
I'm building myself a new rig and have done some research but would just like some input and confirmation. I've done 4 builds in the last decade or so but havent in 3+ years and this is my first intel build to boot. I was able to recruit my confused mother to grab me an i7 920 and ship it to me from the microcenter deal! This is also my first build since moving to California so where I used to rely heavily on Newegg for parts, I would like some input as to alternatives so I can avoid the hefty tax and still not get killed with shipping (been keeping an eye on Amazon and TD for the most part). Even though I'll have a spinpoint f3 to go in it I thnk I should also include a ssd.
Thanks!


1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Gaming primarily.. a little video/photo editing at the hobbyist level.. but pretty much gaming!

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$1300 usd

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA (or NCIX Canada if need be)... However I now live in California an as such am subject to Newegg tax

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

I've used and had good luck with most brands.. but will NEVER buy another antec PSU (had one fry all of my hd's and antec's cs blew).. oh and Creative cards have all failed me (each generation).. even though I'll be using another in this build I got from a friend :\

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

I have an i7 920, x-fi fatal1ty titanium blah blah (pci-e).. Samsung 1tb spinpoint f3.... I'll also use my current monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

Yes.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I enjoy overclocking.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.

Mostly 1680 x 1050 but may upgrade that within the next year or so to as high as 1920 x 1200

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Within the next 2 weeks. However if enough people feel that there will be reasonable price decreases in any of the components (I'm looking at you, above msrp GFX cards!) within the next month or so, I can attempt to quell my inner spending beast, ravenous as he is.

 

[Magusigne]

1300 bucks...and you already have practically everything?

So your needing PSU/Case/MOBO/RAM/FX Card?

 

[Magusigne]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119160 -160$
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131365 -290
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231247 -180
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-010-_-Product -80
Corsair H50 h20 cooling system for Core I7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-007-_-Product -230
Corsair Monster 1000w Modular PSU (Maybe you want to SLI in a bit LOL)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-477-_-Product -300
XFX 5850...get another one for SLI later

=1240 +your horrendous tax.

 

[MisterDonut]

Don't get the H50. With such a large budget and half the parts, you might as well make your own h2o set. Upgrade to a 5870, drop the PSU down to the 700w Corsair. Rest of the above upgrades are splendid. A fancier case wouldn't be half bad either. Save the rest of the money!! You should use this budget on a new monitor too. A 5770 can handle most 1920x1200 pretty damn well, so you'd be killing with a 58xx. An Eyefinity setup wouldn't be half bad either.

 

[mfenn]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119160 -160$
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131365 -290
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231247 -180
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-010-_-Product -80
Corsair H50 h20 cooling system for Core I7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-007-_-Product -230
Corsair Monster 1000w Modular PSU (Maybe you want to SLI in a bit LOL)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-477-_-Product -300
XFX 5850...get another one for SLI later

=1240 +your horrendous tax.

$290 for an X58? Step that down to something like the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R. That PSU is beyond ludicrous as well. A good quality 750W unit will save money, be more efficient, and leave plenty of room for SLI/Crossfire. Get rid of the H20 and get a Hyper 212 Plus. That's $245 saved. Take the other $60 of your budget and you've got another 5850 for Crossfire!

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Seasonic X 750 Gold should fit your power requirements and put you on the most efficient part of the curve ~ 92%
Seasonic X 650 Gold review

I'd go with the 750 if you want to run crossfire. If you run sli with those new Fermi cards, you might want to read more on how much power they draw. I think Anand used an 800 or > model... not exactly sure though.

You can also get a 920 or 930 for 199$ at MicroCenter. I bought two and spent ? somewhere around 220$ after tax.

Asrock X58 Extreme for 159$

Good Luck!

 

[Davidh373]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119160 -160$
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131365 -290
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231247 -180
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-010-_-Product -80
Corsair H50 h20 cooling system for Core I7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-007-_-Product -230
Corsair Monster 1000w Modular PSU (Maybe you want to SLI in a bit LOL)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-477-_-Product -300
XFX 5850...get another one for SLI later

=1240 +your horrendous tax.

Ok, psu is way overkill. I'm running 2 HDDs, an i7, 6GB ram, and two HD4890s. The HD4890 is a energy sucker and I have 2... running on a 650W...

The motherboard is far overpriced. Get one around $200 and you'll be fine.

I don't see why that cooling system is any better than the one that comes with the i7 if you still have it.

The 5850 is a good card.

 

[modestninja]

Go to the Cooler-Master store and get the HAF932 where it's much cheaper (if you like that type of case):

http://cmstore.coolermaster-usa.com...Csid=f2e7f204b27417d13711b79c1c81b339&x=0&y=0

Personally, I'd be looking at something nicer from Lian Li (one of their LANCOOL if you want cheaper), Corsair 800D (if you want big and really nice), or maybe one of the 90 degree inverted Silverstones (FT02, RV02).

As for the motherboard I agree with everyone else and step down to one of the $200 boards (or even the ASRock).

 

[trapjaw]

Newegg needs to move to Nebraska.

Thanks alot for the ideas guys... I definately took some from everyone. Please add to this if you feel you can help, and I'll start listing (very slowly as I try to check retailers thoroughly for the best total cost including if there might be combo discounts etc) for any other californians in the same Newegg tax boat

Man I really like that Seasonic and its' great reviews... back and forth on that one still but corsair has some rebates going with newegg that would cover tax. You can get the best deal on it atm from ewiz apparantly using code: APRILFOOLS10 It'd be $158.99 with free shipping (add tax for cali)

That g.skill RAM seems like a great value considering the price/timings.. thanks man.

As far as the case, I'm now leaning towards the HAF 922 unless someone has compelling reasons to need a full tower; I've only made 1 and didnt like how cumbersome it was.

What a glut of x58 mobos out there at all price-points. I dont mind bios oc'ing so I dont need the external doo-dads. There seems to be a lack of mobo roundups and I guess I see why now.... too many?

The GPU might just be a wait and see thing for me... Perhaps on the heels of the Fermi launch we'll see a price drop.. or at least some rebates at the beginning of the month... Here's hoping. I think I like the idea of a single 5870 with an eye towards a future monitor upgrade and gfx card partnering for crossfire.

Last but not least... Seeing as this will be mostly for gaming (fps and mmo's mostly) should I try to shoe-horn in a SSD? A lot of people seem to be commenting that it's the best leap forward for pc's in awhile, and yet the supplies and revisions are such that the prices remain inflated.

Bought:
HFS - $27 -Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus use code: TWITTER5 ($24 for non california residents)

Thanks again for the info and advice everyone!

 

[Dark Shroud]

The GPU might just be a wait and see thing for me... Perhaps on the heels of the Fermi launch we'll see a price drop.. or at least some rebates at the beginning of the month... Here's hoping. I think I like the idea of a single 5870 with an eye towards a future monitor upgrade and gfx card partnering for crossfire.

SAPPHIRE 100281-3SR Radeon HD 5870 1GB @ $389.99 with Free Shipping! 24 hour sale.

Last but not least... Seeing as this will be mostly for gaming (fps and mmo's mostly) should I try to shoe-horn in a SSD? A lot of people seem to be commenting that it's the best leap forward for pc's in awhile, and yet the supplies and revisions are such that the prices remain inflated.

Just wait on the SSD. Intel is coming out with a new revision in Q4 that should be cheaper for larger sizes.

 

[Anubis]

$290 for an X58? Step that down to something like the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R. That PSU is beyond ludicrous as well. A good quality 750W unit will save money, be more efficient, and leave plenty of room for SLI/Crossfire. Get rid of the H20 and get a Hyper 212 Plus. That's $245 saved. Take the other $60 of your budget and you've got another 5850 for Crossfire!

this is correct, hell if you never plan on running SLI/xfire you could get away with a quality 500-600w PSU, theres nothing wrong with the H50, if you go air get a mega shadow/megahealm. agree on mobo (i have it, its nice)

also the HAF is such an ugly case save money
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112239

 

[Axon]

Last but not least... Seeing as this will be mostly for gaming (fps and mmo's mostly) should I try to shoe-horn in a SSD? A lot of people seem to be commenting that it's the best leap forward for pc's in awhile, and yet the supplies and revisions are such that the prices remain inflated.

Are you a WoW player? You know how it takes like 900 years to load the game initially when you first log in? That doesn't happen with an SSD. There is a shell shocker on an Intel SSD tomorrow morning. Otherwise, if you can wait until Q4 2010, I say god bless.

Further, I would buy the CM690 Advanced II or the Antec 900 over the HAF.

Finally, I must recommend the ASROCK Extreme X58 for its price or the Gigabyte GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R for its functionality (SATA and USB 3.0).

 

[trapjaw]

SAPPHIRE 100281-3SR Radeon HD 5870 1GB @ $389.99 with Free Shipping! 24 hour sale.



Just wait on the SSD. Intel is coming out with a new revision in Q4 that should be cheaper for larger sizes.

Wow thanks for the heads up on the deal.. but the tax kinda kills it for me... Perhaps it's my paranoia but when any company offers an overclocked version of a gfx card in addition to a standard version, I worry that the standard version offerings are the ones that failed their overclocking test

this is correct, hell if you never plan on running SLI/xfire you could get away with a quality 500-600w PSU, theres nothing wrong with the H50, if you go air get a mega shadow/megahealm. agree on mobo (i have it, its nice)

also the HAF is such an ugly case save money
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112239

I still have and love my old Lian-Li pc-60 aluminum silver mid tower (too cramped and 'old tech' for today's standard), however after building a budget rig for my friend a few years back with iirc was a $50 NZXT case, I've come to the conclusion that good airflow in a reasonable space is what counts for me, which that case had. Aesthetics be damned! Shipping and tax kind of kill that lian-li one for me (plus its plastic/mesh but I'm sure up to their high standard anyways), but i'll do some more thorough hunting for it at other sites and see if there's a better price for me out there on it.

Are you a WoW player? You know how it takes like 900 years to load the game initially when you first log in? That doesn't happen with an SSD. There is a shell shocker on an Intel SSD tomorrow morning. Otherwise, if you can wait until Q4 2010, I say god bless.

Further, I would buy the CM690 Advanced II or the Antec 900 over the HAF.

Finally, I must recommend the ASROCK Extreme X58 for its price or the Gigabyte GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R for its functionality (SATA and USB 3.0).

Not currently a WoW player but i hear you on the load times. I guess I have it in my head that the Windows virtual memory utilization would be sped up a lot with an ssd... so maybe someone can answer this for me:

Lets say I'm playing the latest, greatest game on full settings with maybe vent running and fraps as well as some standard background stuff (mouseware/g13 lcd and programming etc) on windows 7; Would windows still have to access the HD for the virtual memory pool?.. or am I still thinking too old school and 6gb of High speed RAM makes that a non-issue?

Been eyeing that antec 900 as well and thanks for the heads up on the CM 960.. pretty good looking.

Thanks guys!

 

[Anubis]

Wow thanks for the heads up on the deal.. but the tax kinda kills it for me... Perhaps it's my paranoia but when any company offers an overclocked version of a gfx card in addition to a standard version, I worry that the standard version offerings are the ones that failed their overclocking test



I still have and love my old Lian-Li pc-60 aluminum silver mid tower (too cramped and 'old tech' for today's standard), however after building a budget rig for my friend a few years back with iirc was a $50 NZXT case, I've come to the conclusion that good airflow in a reasonable space is what counts for me, which that case had. Aesthetics be damned! Shipping and tax kind of kill that lian-li one for me (plus its plastic/mesh but I'm sure up to their high standard anyways), but i'll do some more thorough hunting for it at other sites and see if there's a better price for me out there on it.



Not currently a WoW player but i hear you on the load times. I guess I have it in my head that the Windows virtual memory utilization would be sped up a lot with an ssd... so maybe someone can answer this for me:

Lets say I'm playing the latest, greatest game on full settings with maybe vent running and fraps as well as some standard background stuff (mouseware/g13 lcd and programming etc) on windows 7; Would windows still have to access the HD for the virtual memory pool?.. or am I still thinking too old school and 6gb of High speed RAM makes that a non-issue?

Been eyeing that antec 900 as well and thanks for the heads up on the CM 960.. pretty good looking.

Thanks guys!

doing what you just described windows wont have to hit the VM, wow eats ram, i play wow and cant max out 6 gigs even when running fraps and a large number of other things