i7 High End Gaming PC Build

[Geod]

Hi,

It's been about 6 years since I've last built my own computer, so it's about time I build a new one. I can afford a pretty good computer, and I've done some research and have my build but would like some feedback to see if everything makes sense. It's a brand new build, no used parts from my old machine.

Purpose: Gaming(TF2, StarCraft2, MMOs, etc), Media Center, Development Machine
Budget: Around $2500
Location: Virginia, USA. I plan on buying through NewEgg, but would like to get my monitors from a B&M if possible.
Brand Preference: Intel, Nvidia, Samsung(flexible on this)
Overclocking: Yes, I plan on overclocking the CPU at least, maybe the Video Cards if possible
When? May/June

Build
Case
$109.99 - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129021

Power Supply
$144.99 - CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139009
Not modular, but cheaper than one.

Motherboard
$269.99 - ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131365

Processor
$288.99 - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66 GHz 4 x 256KB Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115202

Cooling
$39.99 - XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835233029

Graphics Card
$349.99 - EVGA 01G-P3-1281-AR GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814130442
I'll get another in SLI eventually if I feel I need it.

Memory/RAM
$109.99 - OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820227381

Hard Drives
$104.99 - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136284

$324.99 - Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH080G1 80GB SATA MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820167005
This will be for the OS and other programs. I chose the Intel over the OCZ since theoretically there is a firmware update for the Intel to get rid of the slowdown over time with SSD's.

Optical Drive
$199.99 - LG Black SATA Internal Blu-ray Burner Super Multi Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827136137

Monitors
$329.99 x2 - SAMSUNG ToC T240HD Rose-Black 24" 5ms HDMI Widescreen HDTV Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 10000:1 Built in DTV Tuner & Dolby Digital Surround Speakers - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...E16824001280&Tpk=240hd
I'm going to be using a monitor as a TV occasionally.

Total Price
~$2560 without figuring in rebates

The Video Card might be in SLI eventually, and I'm buying 2 monitors for Dual Screen. Will two GTX 285's fit in the Antec 900? In 1-2 years I'll probably buy a DX11 card... I'm assuming I shouldn't have a problem with those fitting in the case either. Also, I can't decide if the 24" inch monitors are the best, or if I should go to something smaller like the 22"(T220HD) or 23"(2333SW). I would like to shave off some money if I can here and there. Any recommendations for mouse/keyboard? This is my dream computer in a sense, so I'm trying to make it high end.

Thanks guys!

 

[Syran]

I could go with a pair of the 640GB WD Blacks for your HDD.
The HX1k is a nice card, probably a bit of overkill, even for future expansion. HX620 is very nice, and not nearly as expensive.
I would check out the ATI 4890 series of video cards. They are pretty bloody sweet. I have one in my i7 Box, abeit, i'm only running a 1280x1024 monitor. The intel boards will support Cross-fire as well as SLI.

 

[brianlee2007]

Splurge is so bad (LOL) i assume you would use the 10k RPM WD Velociraptor for boot drive. I would suggest the 300gb over 150gb for the difference of only $40-50 shouldn't be a big deal against your budget. on the monitor, not all the ToC's are worth buying, you should do more research on these, though price are pretty good regardless. Could someone double check on this, I thought not every single x58 board have full support on SLi, maybe you should double check to make sure P6T. Antec 900 (2nd gen) case is even better than the first one. check it out first before making up your mind about getting this one. I dont think 1000HX is too overkill but I think 750TX should fit the bill just as well, 620HX would do the trick but having more W buffer makes you feel better about it plus gtx 260 sli takes up quite a bit (probably even more than cfx) so go for the 1000HX. many ppl dont care for extra protection but i have always want them to consider especially for a system w/ such budget: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16842102048 you may never know when that moment comes (hopefully never) but i had 3 separate opportunities to use it and it saved not only my pc but my data as well .

 

[s44]

I would consider getting one of Antec's CPX cases (1200, P183, P193) and the CP-850 PSU. It's a freakin' tank of a power supply, and Antec is subsidizing its cost to push the form factor.

 

[roguerower]

Unless there's a specific reason you want the Tuner in your LCDs I'd go with a pair of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824236049

I would also ditch the SLI vid cards and just buy a single top one. Get a single 285 for 320 or a 4890 for 220.

If you are using the raptor as you're boot drive, why not go with a SSD? With the money that you've save w/ the vid cards and the LCDs you could buy an Intel X-25 which would be a faster than the raptor.

 

[Marty502]

No point in buying two so-so cards (GTX260 aren't so-so, but you get the point) for SLI when you can afford a monster single card!

 

[M0RPH]

I can't believe someone would pay $260 for a power supply. Crazy.

 

[MarcVenice]

Go with the above suggestions, and buy a OCZ Vertex 60GB ssd. That will really speed things up. A single GTX285 should suffice for 1920*1200. In 6 months you can splurge on a DX11 videocard instead. PSU is way overkill, get something in the 700W range TOPS, it will easily handle sli-ed videocards. Maximum load I could get with two HD 4890's was 500W with furmark (i7 920 @ 3,6ghz). In games that resulted in a powerdraw of 440W. Factor in efficiency, and you do not need more then 700W for even the most powerfull SLI rig.

 

[Geod]

How much of a performance difference is between a GTX260 SLI and a single GTX285? It seems like the GTX260 SLI is significantly better than the GTX295. The price differential isn't that much between the two either. I could get a base GTX 260 for ~$190, so two for ~$380, whereas a GTX285 would be around $350. I probably won't get a DX11 card until there's actually games out there that support it which I imagine would be at least a year or 2. If I get a GTX285 now, would the Antec 900/PSU support another GTX 285 in SLI mode if I decide to buy another later?

The main reason I had chosen the 1000HX power supply was because I wanted a modular one and have power for the future, but I guess I could get a lower wattage one that isn't modular or get another brand other than Corsair that has modular ones in the 750/850 range. Technically the 1000HX is around $200 when figuring in the rebate.

I agree with the SSD suggestion. I'll either go with the Intel X-25M 80GB or OCZ Vertex 60GB, and get rid of the raptor. The Intel one seems better, but the OCZ is cheaper. Much difference between the two?

Thanks for the help.

 

[MarcVenice]

I think you won't notice much of a difference between the Vertex and the Intel. Yes the intel is faster, but both have lightning fast acces times and are really good when it comes to small random read/write actions. Hell, those fucked up ssd's with Jmicron controllers can give you a blazingfast experience, untill it chokes and becomes slower then a regular hdd.

Like I said, I pulled 500w with two HD4890's, which are on par with a GTX285 when it comes to powerdraw. Thats 400W or so after efficiency. You'd be fine with a good 700W/800W PSU easily.

Also, the reason to go for a DX11 card is not because of DX11 perse (although it also offers dx10.1 compatibility which is starting to make a bit of a difference, and more devs might develop for dx10.1 in the future, coz both current ATI cards can use it, and ALL new dx11 cards from both nvidia and amd), the real reason is because those cards will offer amazing performance. Although I bet two GTX260's will keep up just fine though. But it would eliminate the need for a HUGE psu, and no hassle with SLI/CF (although imo CF/SLI are pretty mature nowadays).

 

[vj8usa]

Do you plan on doing heavier gaming with the new computer? Games like TF2 need very little GPU power in today's terms, and SLI would just be a waste (and possibly a hassle, depending on the game). As others have suggested, stick with a single GPU, unless you really think you need the muscle.

 

[funkymatt]

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
I think you won't notice much of a difference between the Vertex and the Intel. Yes the intel is faster, but both have lightning fast acces times and are really good when it comes to small random read/write actions. Hell, those fucked up ssd's with Jmicron controllers can give you a blazingfast experience, untill it chokes and becomes slower then a regular hdd.

Intel just put out a firmware that's supposed to fix this.

 

[Geod]

Originally posted by: vj8usa
Do you plan on doing heavier gaming with the new computer? Games like TF2 need very little GPU power in today's terms, and SLI would just be a waste (and possibly a hassle, depending on the game). As others have suggested, stick with a single GPU, unless you really think you need the muscle.

Yeah, I definitely will be doing heavier gaming. I will be playing TF2, but also higher end games. The main reason that I want SLI/heavier power is for future games.

 

[roguerower]

Originally posted by: Geod

Originally posted by: vj8usa
Do you plan on doing heavier gaming with the new computer? Games like TF2 need very little GPU power in today's terms, and SLI would just be a waste (and possibly a hassle, depending on the game). As others have suggested, stick with a single GPU, unless you really think you need the muscle.

Yeah, I definitely will be doing heavier gaming. I will be playing TF2, but also higher end games. The main reason that I want SLI/heavier power is for future games.

Then it would be smarter to ditch the "weaker" cards and get a single powerful one that will last longer and can be upgraded.

 

[Geod]

Originally posted by: roguerower

Originally posted by: Geod

Originally posted by: vj8usa
Do you plan on doing heavier gaming with the new computer? Games like TF2 need very little GPU power in today's terms, and SLI would just be a waste (and possibly a hassle, depending on the game). As others have suggested, stick with a single GPU, unless you really think you need the muscle.

Yeah, I definitely will be doing heavier gaming. I will be playing TF2, but also higher end games. The main reason that I want SLI/heavier power is for future games.

Then it would be smarter to ditch the "weaker" cards and get a single powerful one that will last longer and can be upgraded.

Alright, I'll get the GTX 285. Eventually I'll probably get another and SLI it if I feel I need the extra power. Does the Antec 900 support two GTX 285? I'm assuming a 750w Power Supply will still work. Thanks for the help.

 

[Sheninat0r]

If you're not watercooling, you can go to the 1180 model of the GTX 285; it's cheaper and built on the GTX 275 PCB, but performs the same.