i7 920 Build

[fire2havoc]

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

Gaming, Photoshop/Lightroom, web browsing, multi-tasking, etc

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

Around $800 shipped if possible. Would like to keep it as low as possible without compromising quality.

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

CA, USA

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, etc, etc, you get the picture.

Building around Intel i7 920.

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

PSU: OCZ GameXStream 700W - hope this power supply is enough
Case: Antec P180
HSF: Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme
Video Card: HD 4850 with HR-03 GT
Storage Drive: WD10EADS

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

Have searched/read/incorporated.

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

Overclocking.

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Within next 2-3 weeks.

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Here's what I've come up with so far:

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 - $270 (shipped, no tax)

Motherboard: ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 - $290

RAM: 6GB G.Skill DDR3 1600 - $110

Hard Drive: Western Digital 640GB Caviar Black AALS - $80 (shipped, no tax)

1366 Bolt-Thru Kit: Thermalright 1366 Bolt-Thru Kit - $15 shipped

Subtotal: $765
Tax: $33
TOTAL: $798

I'm uncertain about the motherboard. I'm looking for a very stable/solid/quality motherboard with a good BIOS so I can achieve a good stable overclock. I'm willing to invest some money if it means getting a quality product. I'm stuck between the P6T Deluxe V2, Gigabyte EX58-UD3R, Gigabyte EX58-UD4P, Gigabyte EX58-UD5, EVGA 132-BL-E758-TR, and the EVGA 132-BL-E758-TR, all of which are within $50 of each other. Please help in this department.

About ram, I chose the popular 6GB G.Skill DDR3 1600 kit. How much better is the G.Skill PI ram which has tighter timings but requires a higher voltage (~1.65v). Is it worth it to get the PI kit for the same price?

Lastly, I also would've liked to invest in a newer video card (such as the GTX 260 Core 216), but since the newer cards are going to come out soon, I'm not sure if this is a good time to jump. Also, I have an HR-03 GT cooler on my 4850 and if I make the transition to a newer card, I would have to get the new HR-03 cooler since the GT doesn't fit on the newer video cards.

Thanks for the help.

 

[masteryoda34]

All your choices are good IMO.

All those motherboards you listed are good choices AFAIK except the EX58-UD3R, it seems like a really cut down version I wouldn't trust it personally.

Lots of people getting the P6T Deluxe, I think its a good choice.

I don't think the memory timings make a lot of difference in performance on i7. If they're the same price, I'd get the ones with the tighter timings. Intel says 1.65v memory is okay.

 

[polarbear6]

what i heard from the net is that the i7 doesnt offer that much performance gain in games
dunno i heard it somewhere arnd yesterday
u might consider a q9550 and two 4870 by goin for the 2quad setup

 

[fire2havoc]

Originally posted by: ganesh1
what i heard from the net is that the i7 doesnt offer that much performance gain in games
dunno i heard it somewhere arnd yesterday
u might consider a q9550 and two 4870 by goin for the 2quad setup

I considered it and made a sample build. The price difference was about $150-200 between the Q9550 and the i7 920. For that difference, I figured it's probably best to just get the 920.

 

[polarbear6]

well think abt it
200$ = another 4850 or a 4870x2(remember the prices drops ) = 50% improvement over ur decided specks in games like assasins creed , gears of war..
although some people will argue that 920 is better than 9550
in games too ..
i dont believe that .......
and some other people say 920 is better than the 9550 in video editing too
that i can believe so choice according to ur purpose

 

[fire2havoc]

Originally posted by: ganesh1
well think abt it
200$ = another 4850 or a 4870x2(remember the prices drops ) = 50% improvement over ur decided specks in games like assasins creed , gears of war..
although some people will argue that 920 is better than 9550
in games too ..
i dont believe that .......
and some other people say 920 is better than the 9550 in video editing too
that i can believe so choice according to ur purpose

You're right. I can save $200 and get another video card. But I think I'll hold off on the video card until the next generation of cards comes out.

 

[polarbear6]

yeah wait till the 4890 shows up see the performance charts and reviews for that
soon they will anounce price cuts for the 4870
i have a feeling that the 4890 is no more than the 4870
so if u wait u will get a sweet deal on some nice gpu

 

[EndGame]

Just recently finished an i7 build and IMHO it's worth the extra small amount. Have friends with Q9550 and now one with a PII 940 and the i7 blows them away in real world performance they agree also! Just much snappier and quicker overall plus you'll have the newest generation available so upgrading should be as easy as dropping in a new chip and you'd be good for quite some time!

 

[fire2havoc]

Any additional ideas about which motherboard to go with?

I'm torn between the following motherboards:

P6T Deluxe or Deluxe V2
Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Gigabyte EX58-UD3R
EVGA 132-BL-E758-TR

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Go with the ASUS or EVGA.

 

[EndGame]

They are all good choices along with the DFI. Did a lot of research on the X58 boards......narrowed it down to the Gigabyte, Asus, DFI and EVGA. Ended up with the Asus but that was simply because I like Asus, was used to their bios and decided to stay with them. Honestly though, they all have pluses and minuses. My second choice most likely would have been the DFI UT.......

 

[fire2havoc]

Anyone know of the overclocking differences between the ASUS P6T and the P6T Deluxe?

Also, how good is the Gigabyte EX58-UD5?