Suggestions on a $1000 or less i7 930 system?

[miri]

Computer will be used for gaming, budget is around $1,000.

I would like to buy parts from microcenter/newegg and I would like a nvidia card and like antec cases. No preference on other parts.

The reason for the i7 930 is that microcenter has them for $199.99. I won't be overclocking and I will be using my current monitor, keyboard and mouse.

Also how would an older non sata drive work in a new system?

Resolution of my monitor is 1680x1050.

I would like a quiet case as well.

Thanks!

 

[Ichigo]

An i5 750 would still be cheaper. Forget about nVidia for now. i5 750 + HD 5850 is all a gaming computer needs.

 

[RaistlinZ]

If he wants an i7 let the man get an i7. 🙂 It's a great value at $199. Though I am perplexed as to why he won't be overclocking. Is heat/noise an issue. Even modest O/C will get you to 3.6Ghz easily.

At any rate, DO NOT use an old-ass non sata hard drive for a new build. Seriously, just get a nice fast new drive for about $70.00. The 640GB Western Digital Black would be a great option. Do you already have an OS, or will you need to budget that into your $1,000 as well?

 

[yh125d]

Ditto on i5 750 instead. It's only $149 at MC B&M I think, and cheaper mobos/ram so it's a better deal all around imo, really the sweet spot. OC it a tad and it's just as fast.

 

[Ichigo]

And spend an extra $100 on an X58 motherboard when an equivalent P55 exists for less?

Why? He'll just compromise other parts of the build, like using a crappy hard drive, as you mentioned.

i5 750
Gigabyte P55A-UD3 (USB3 and SATA 3 for kicks)
HD 5850
4GB RAM
Antec 902 case
A good ~650W PSU
WD Black 640-1.5GB HDD
dvd drive and other misc. stuff

Get an i7 and you'll have to cut back somewhere and it'll eat into performance levels more than the loss of Hyper-Threading.

 

[miri]

I dont want to overclock because I like my computers to last a long time. My current build is a p4 2.8C i assembled in 2003. I would like my next computer to last at least 7 years.

thanks for the suggestions on the i5 750, i will look into those.

I would like win7 for the new build, my current system has XP so that needs to factor into the cost.

 

[mfenn]

And spend an extra $100 on an X58 motherboard when an equivalent P55 exists for less?

Why? He'll just compromise other parts of the build, like using a crappy hard drive, as you mentioned.

i5 750
Gigabyte P55A-UD3 (USB3 and SATA 3 for kicks)
HD 5850
4GB RAM
Antec 902 case
A good ~650W PSU
WD Black 640-1.5GB HDD
dvd drive and other misc. stuff

Get an i7 and you'll have to cut back somewhere and it'll eat into performance levels more than the loss of Hyper-Threading.

This man knows MC's game!

MC uses the i7 930 (and the 920 before that) as a loss leader because they know they will make it up on the higher margin X58 mobos.

Even if you buy the x58 mobo elsewhere, the cost of the mobo will really cut into your budget, especially since you need an OS as well.

 

[miri]

I checked microcenter and the i5 750 is only $20 cheaper at $179.99. How much extra is the ram/motherboard for a i7 system over an i5 system?

 

[Russwinters]

Overclocking nowadays really doesn't effect the lifespan of your processor at all.


The only time it will is if: You have inadequate cooling and your CPU is idling at 50c+ and load at 70c+ consistently.


Or: if you are overvolting you CPU to achieve higher clocks.



Other then that, there really is no reason other then random occurrence that your processor shouldn't last just as long, even with a decent OC.

I have a Athlon XP 2800 Barton that was stock like 1.8GHZ that I have cranked to 2.6GHZ that is still alive. I even had to crank the voltage up on it to get that clock speed.

 

[mfenn]

I checked microcenter and the i5 750 is only $20 cheaper at $179.99. How much extra is the ram/motherboard for a i7 system over an i5 system?

Off of the top of my head, about $150.

There's so much more you can do with $150. You can get an SSD, you can save for a nice monitor, you can bump up the GPU.

 

[yh125d]

~100-125. Less if you can get in on an i5 750 + motherboard combo deal from frys if you're near one

 

[VirtualLarry]

I dont want to overclock because I like my computers to last a long time. My current build is a p4 2.8C i assembled in 2003. I would like my next computer to last at least 7 years.

That's a mighty stiff requirement, for a computer to last 7 years. The core i7 is powerful, but not THAT powerful. Especially for gaming, where you need to upgrade your GPU every 6-12 months.

For gaming, the GPU is what matters most. You should consider an AMD build for budget gaming rather than an i7, because it will allow you to allocate more of your funds for the all-important GPU budget, rather than spending it on expensive motherboards.

Also, overclocking, if done properly, doesn't measurably reduce the lifespan of a computer system. (As long as the volts and temps are kept to a safe level.)

In short - a $1000 Core i7 build will result in too many compromises. The only reason to choose i7/x58 builds for gaming, are if you are going to pair up a couple of powerful graphics cards in CF or SLI. If you are sticking with a single graphics card, you might as well get a nice Phenom II X2 555 BE or X3 720 BE and overclock/unlock them, and with a cheap 785G micro-ATX motherboard.

As a matter of fact, at Microcenter right now, you can get both the CPU and motherboard for $100 + tax. It's a smoking deal, I got four of them.

Not to mention, if you get an AM3 rig today, you should hopefully be able to drop in a Bulldozer-based chip in a year or two.And if you get an 890xx chipset based board, with SB850, you get USB3 and SATA3. But that isn't available on the free motherboard from Microcenter.

I would re-think your need for an nvidia graphics card too. Right now, other than the 92 (9800GT, GTS250), and their high-end, the Fermi GTX480 and 470, they don't have much. Stocks are low on their other cards, as they may well be out of production. ATI on the other hand, currently has a top-to-bottom lineup of DX11 cards, that are great for gaming. Such as a 5770, which is great for budget 1920x1080 gaming. Or the 5850.

If you are stuck on NV, I would go no lower than a GTX470 at this point, although realize that the refresh part in six months or less, is probably going to be faster and cheaper.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

If you aren't overclocking the i7 860, 1156 socket with a higher Turbo rate would suit you just as good, but if you decide to Xfire your video cards, they say the i7, 1366 socket is better.