My i7 build (hopefully)

[Si7entSam]

Hey guys just joined to post my list of things i'd like to use in my first ever build and it's going to be i7. I'm mostly going to be gaming, surfing the web, IMing, Playing Wow, using vent, making movies photo shop and using other adobe stuff. Do you think this is a good build that will last me a while, most likely through college? (i'm a junior in High School as of 2-20-09). Any suggestions on Parts and such would be GREATLY appreciated and good/bad input. This is going to be my first build ever. I think i have done my research pretty well. THANKS in advance.
** EDIT: I will mostly be...
1.gaming
2.price range of up to $1500 USD
3.Buying parts mostly from Newegg.com in USA
4.I don't really have a brand prefrence, but prefer good reputable brands
5.i don't intend to use any of my current parts (because i'm on a stock Dimension 8100=[ )
6.haven't really searced and/or read similar threads Yet
7.plan on running at default speeds
8.i plan to build it within the next one to three months.

THIS BUILD AS LISTED GRAND TOTAL OF $1***

$2.00 dvd cable- OKGEAR 18" SATA II cable with metal latch,UV BLUE Model GC18AUBM - Retail

$114.99 dvdcdrw drive- LG Blu-ray/HD DVD/DVDRW combo drive $120

$79.99 hard drive- Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s

$224.99 graphics card- SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

109.99 RAM (6gb 3x2)- G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model

$189.99 MoBo- MSI X58 Pro LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

$274.00 Processor- Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail

$99.99 Power SUpply- Corsair 650TX PSU

$39.99 Case- COOLER MASTER ELITE 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

?Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP as my case...?

 

[Si7entSam]

1 more quick piece of info, i will do some video/music codec and editing. and i play on a 28 inch monitor.i don't need an O/S, mouse, or keyboard.

 

[Denithor]

Western Digital Caviar Black are the drives of choice these days.
For a 1920x1200 28" LCD you're going to want at least a 1GB 4870, the 512MB models just won't cut it for that resolution.
There's a 3x2GB G.Skill DDR3-1600 kit at newegg for $120 shipped.
Grab the Corsair 650TX PSU instead of that Coolermaster.

Might also want to consider spending an extra $80 or so to grab one of those Blu-ray/HD DVD/DVDRW combo drives instead. Then you can watch hi-def movies on your LCD. It's nice, trust me.

EDIT: Just noticed - planning to build in 1-3 months. If that's the case, spend the time reading the boards & the main review site. You'll learn a lot and understand better why I pointed out the changes above.

 

[Si7entSam]

can you post a link to a 1 tb WD HD and bluray drive? and graphics card please?

 

[Si7entSam]

also would the Corsair 650TX PSU be able to handle CF or SLi?

 

[Si7entSam]

NEED a good case suggestion, something that will easily fit all this, but that i can take to my friends house. (i can easily lift it, if its under like 70 lbs) and something that i won't have trouble with ports, cooling, mounting, etc. So far what i have currently listed is $1,177.92... not including shipping (but most of these have free shipping =D)

 

[Si7entSam]

bump

 

[dmw16]

Originally posted by: Denithor
For a 1920x1200 28" LCD you're going to want at least a 1GB 4870, the 512MB models just won't cut it for that resolution.

I game on a 512MB 4870 at the resolution with no problem.

 

[Si7entSam]

what are your computer's components dmw16?

 

[Denithor]

WD1001FALS $130
LG Blu-ray/HD DVD/DVDRW combo drive $120

Corsair 650TX can easily handle any two-card CF/SLI rig today (er...as long as you don't go quad with two 4870X2 or GTX 295 cards). Power consumption benchmark.

Look at these charts, specifically at the fps with 512MB vs 1GB 4870 when you crank up the AA at resolution as low as 1680x1050. Especially note the minimum fps. And it you look at the last item you'll see a clear case of what happens when your video card exceeds its memory buffer and has to access system memory for data (hint - it ain't pretty).

Second example at the bottom of this page. Just compare the 512MB card to the 1GB card.

And as we go forward, games will continue to increase texture size and therefore demand more video memory to buffer the access times.

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Will be running at stock speeds, eh? Save a $100 and get something like MSI X58 Pro instead. And I wouldn't spend $300 on an enthusiast board from ASRock. I have nothing against them personally and they had some decent budget boards for Core 2, but I'd probably go with a Gigabyte or ASUS at that price point.

For an extra $5-$10, you can get a Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB drive. Very well reviewed, good drive and 33% increase in storage.

Since you are running at stock speeds, don't spend more money on low latency/high bandwidth stuff. Any regular DDR3 1333 kit should do (as long as it's a brand you like and/or trust). Even if you were overclocking, DDR3 1333 wouldn't be a bottleneck if you choose the lowest memory multiplier - your CPU/cooling would max out before that.

I got nothing against the case, GPU, PSU, optical drive - the PSU is likely overkill but should be good for a long time (both reliability and usability wise).

 

[Si7entSam]

bump

 

[Denithor]

What more do you want?

 

[Si7entSam]

well, i've done my research, and i definately want to overclock at some point, what other components would i need to overclock and what is a good ram mobo combo for overclocking the i7 920?

 

[yh125d]

I wouldn't get the 750, either get the faster 640GB BE, or the faster + bigger Spinpoint F1 1TB or 1TB BE



Since the average time it takes to get a college degree after high school ir probably 6 years or more, this rig probably won't be very fast in 6-7 years, but by then you ought to be able to get a PCI-e 2.0 GPU thats leaps and bounds ahead of the 4870 you're building with, the top of the line skt 1366 CPU whatever that may be at that time and a bunch more DDR-3 for cheap


Don't forget an aftermarket CPU cooler, Sunbeam CCF/Xigmatek S1283/OCZ Vend2/Thermalright Ultra 120 are all good

 

[Si7entSam]

about that ram that i have up there, is it good, i mean it was super cheap so IDK if its bad quality or something, the reviews looked decent, anyone have this ram and know if its decent?

 

[TheInternal]

most the parts sound solid to me. In terms of bang for the buck, I Think the 4780 1 GB is the flavor of the moment. I'm not current on Core i7 mobos though.

 

[Si7entSam]

OKGEAR 18" SATA II cable with metal latch,UV BLUE Model GC18AUBM12

OKGEAR 18" SATA II cable with metal latch,UV BLUE Model GC18AUBM12 - Retail
Item #: N82E16812123111
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy



$2.99




LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827136152
Return Policy: 30 Day Return Policy

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Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info27-136-152.0.18)

* 1 year: $9.99
* 2 year: $14.99



$22.99




COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119115
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

-$5.00 Instant


$44.99
$39.99




HIS Hightech H487FN1GP Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

HIS Hightech H487FN1GP Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814161269
Return Policy: 30 Day Return Policy

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* 2 year: $59.99

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PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817703009
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

-$40.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate

$169.99
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OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK

OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227381
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy

-$15.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate

$139.99
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MSI X58 Pro LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

MSI X58 Pro LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813130221
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Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info13-130-221.0.18)

* 1 year: $24.99
* 2 year: $39.99

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$189.99




Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115202
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy

 

[Si7entSam]

best 1tb+ hard drive suggestions?