Sub $2000 i7 Build

[Chaptorial]

Hello all.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1-2 Days

BUDGET RANGE: Sub $2000 Before Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE: Gaming & surfing the web

PARTS NOT REQUIRED Case (will be reusing my CM Stacker 832), Mouse, Keyboard & Speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg.com, Tigerdirect.com

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States, East Coast

PARTS PREFERENCES: Even though my previous cards have all been Nvidia I'm going to be making the switch to ATI for this build

OVERCLOCKING: Possibly in the future and even then nothing major

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Again maybe sometime down the road

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200

PARTS:

CPU: Core i7 920

MOBO: ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58


GPU: XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870

MEMORY: CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

HD Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W

MONITOR: ASUS VW266H Black 25.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

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Excluding shipping and tax, as well as rebates, comes to right around: $1773

Considering I have the Cooler Master Stacker 832 with 4x fans in the door finding a HSF that fits can be a challenge. Thinking of going with the Cooler Master GeminII S

Already picked up the i7 D0 at Micro Center for $230. I have a Corsair 620HX PSU in my current build (Q6600, 880GTX) that I may use in this new build instead of buying another one.

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Lean L]

Looks good in a glance but did you check the mobo's qvl for memory? My roomie recently built an i7 with an asus mobo and he can only use half his memory because his memory was incompatible. Asus is becoming a pita.

 

[jinduy]

the PSU looks very overkill

 

[Chaptorial]

As per ASUS the P6X58D Premium supports Corsair Memory:

TR3X6G1333C9 DDR3 1333 6GB (3 x 2GB)

My selection was:

TR3X6G1333C7 DDR3 1333 6GB (3 x 2GB)

I like the lower latency but if its not listed its not listed. Maybe I should just roll the dice considering how similar they are. :hmm:

 

[Chaptorial]

the PSU looks very overkill

Yeah I was considering using my Corsair HX620 PSU that I already have.

If I keep things the way they are and don't Xfire or do any major OCing, would the HX620 be sufficient?

 

[jinduy]

i see why you're going for that higher PSU then... i read that even 550w should be enough for your setup, so 620 should be fine.

 

[Chaptorial]

Sounds good. I know how important a PSU can be and I don't like to skimp out on it however at the same time I don't like to waste money either.

Going to keep the PSU I have now and if need be upgrade down the road. Thanks.

 

[stuckinaz]

For a $2000 i7 build you should really get........a 60 GB SSD drive.

You also need an optical drive.

DVD Burner: Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM - $27.99 (free shipping)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827118030

I like this HDD

HDD SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $89.99 (free shipping)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152185

If you never plan to CF that system your old HX620 should be fine.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

Over-all your choices look better than the average build here. An SSD is a must, as said before. You only need to spend $130 or less on the X25-V.

GIGABYTE just released a new BIOS for X58A-UD5 that supposedly increases memory compatibility, but that might not be an issue with XMS3 on that ASUS.

 

[MisterDonut]

With a budget that wide, you should get an SSD. I dunno if I'd get the V because it's only 40gb (something more like the X25-M)...I'm not sure if such high read speeds would be necessary for gaming. If you're talking about multiplayer games, you'd still have to wait for the bitch using an IDE to load...A 640gb WD Caviar Black or a Spinpoint would do the job as fast as you really need. And SSD is super space limited...Consider your own needs.

You left out the HSF, unless you're planning to run stock. Seeing how your needs don't require such a high OC'ed CPU, get something quiet like something from the CNPS10X category or a cheap Mugen 2. I haven't punched in the costs, but perhaps if you stepped it down to the i5-750 or a cheaper chip, you can set up more monitors to actually use that Eyefinity capability you have. For gaming and surfing the web, you hardly need something that fast. Save some money bro!

Stay with your 620w. 850 is superman overkill unless you plan on cfx'ing two 5870's, which, in turn, is superman overkill. Honestly though, I would just pick up a 5850, take the 100 bucks, add it to the "saved" fund, and buy another monitor for triple win. An oc'ed 5850 is close enough to run a game as fast as a 5870 @ stock. And it's damn easy to overclock a 5850...but whatever you want here really...could even invest in a nice set of speakers.

If you like how your case looks now, keep it. It's more about having to stare at it all the time because if you have management issues, take a weekend, a dremel, and some lemonade. And those "tool-less" designs are...meh. You really can't spend 10 seconds screwing something in and out?

 

[Chaptorial]

Appreciate all the good info everyone.

I didn't think I was ready to jump into the SSD market but now you have me thinking otherwise. :biggrin:

I'm going to stick with the 620HX PSU, optical drives and my CM Stacker 832 from my previous build for this new one. Saves some money there.

Might go down a step to the 5850 like MisterDonut suggested and save a few bucks as well too. I can't go with a tall HSF because of the 4x fans in the door on my stacker. Still looking at the CM GeminII S

I was never one to OC my CPU but I think I should start because I have a feeling I'm missing out.

A few things to think about but again thanks for all the advice.

 

[MrK6]

Agreed on keeping the 620HX, that PSU is more than enough for this build, upgrade to the 850TX only when you need to. I think it would be in your interest to remove whichever of the four door fans blocks the installation of the tower heatsink - the extra airflow you get from that one fan will be completely trumped by the performance of the better tower coolers. You're still way under budget, definitely look at getting an SSD for your OS and applications (games, etc.). You could also consider grabbing a better quality panel monitor (IPS-based).

 

[FerraraZ]

the PSU looks very overkill

I dont think a PSU could ever be overkill. I have a 600W PSU in my current build that runs a 4870 x2 and I'm currently having powering issues when putting the card and system under max stress.

 

[MrK6]

I dont think a PSU could ever be overkill. I have a 600W PSU in my current build that runs a 4870 x2 and I'm currently having powering issues when putting the card and system under max stress.

That's because you bought an inferior quality power supply.

 

[RaistlinZ]

I see no reason why you shouldn't overclock your CPU moderately. Otherwise you're just giving away free performance. I also agree with keeping the 620 PSU, dropping down to a 5850, and putting the money to an SSD. The overall boost to system performance is like night and day from what I hear.

 

[MisterDonut]

Appreciate all the good info everyone.

I didn't think I was ready to jump into the SSD market but now you have me thinking otherwise. :biggrin:

I'm going to stick with the 620HX PSU, optical drives and my CM Stacker 832 from my previous build for this new one. Saves some money there.

Might go down a step to the 5850 like MisterDonut suggested and save a few bucks as well too. I can't go with a tall HSF because of the 4x fans in the door on my stacker. Still looking at the CM GeminII S

I was never one to OC my CPU but I think I should start because I have a feeling I'm missing out.

A few things to think about but again thanks for all the advice.

You should consider removing some fans. A better CPU heatsink for that easy extra speed is worth way more than 4 intake fans (rather unnecessary, imho). The cooler on a 5850 does it job and does it well, so you should have no issues with VGA cooling nor with NB if applicable.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

You'll probably draw around 250-400w when you game. So you'll want to get a PSU that is optimal in that range with clean power. The Seasonic X 650 Gold is 92% efficient in that range and is one of the best for voltage ripple suppression. ~ 20mv ripple between the 12v 5v & 3.3v!


JonnyGuru Seasonic review


Link to product at New Egg

EDIT: o and btw, that Samsung Spinpoint F3 model mentioned above is the drive to get over the WD 1tb

EDIT2: An Anandtech article states that an i7 @ 3.3 with a 5970 will draw somewhere around 650w so if you do xfire or sli with a little overclocking in the future, you might want to give the Seasonic X 750 Gold some consideration. Although the review says ~ 650w draw for total system power it might be in-accurate... > or <

 

[MrK6]

He already has a Corsair 620HX; he doesn't need a new power supply.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

O by all means iif you don't do any overclocking or xfire, re-use your Corsair 620HX

 

[lsv]

My build was about $1600, if you can stretch a vid card try for an SSD. It's a world of difference. =S