Taking the plunge into an i7 system

[ViRaLRuSh]

Mainly going to be used for gaming, some video editing, Fraps, light photo editing. All parts from Newegg. Putting in the order today to hopefully build it over the weekend. ~$1600 total.


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

ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail

EVGA 896-P3-1262-AR GeForce GTX 260 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q - OEM

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Vigor Monsoon III LT Dual 120mm Fan CPU Cooler Socket 1366 Ready - Retail

Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM

 

[Special K]

I'm curious to see what others will say about your power supply. I am also spec'ing out a core i7 rig right now (link) that is very similar to yours, and it was suggested to me that the 650TX would be sufficient for my build.

Apparently the 750TX is a 'good' PSU, but not a 'great' one:

Anandtech 750TX Review
Hardware Secrets 750TX Review

EDIT: It appears jonnyGURU gave the 750TX a more favorable rating than the other 2 sites I posted:

jonnyGURU 750TX review

On the other hand, the 650TX seems to a top-tier PSU:

SilentPC 650TX Review

Apparently the 750TX is made by CWT, while the 650TX is made by Seasonic, a better quality PSU manufacturer.

Here you can see the actual measured power consumption of a core i7 rig with a variety of different video card configurations:

link

As you can see from the above charts, the i7 system with the GTX 260-216 consumes a max of 326.2 W, which is well within the capabilities of the 650TX. My main concern is fan noise. If you check the reviews above, the fans on both the 650TX and 750TX really start to ramp up once the DC load exceeds 50% of the PSU's rated capacity. If you bought the 650TX and later upgraded to an SLI configuration or a more powerful single card, you could push the 650TX well past the 50% utilization point, which would cause the fan to kick into high gear. Looking at the power consumption link I posted above and comparing those numbers to the fan noise vs. DC output power charts given in the PSU reviews, a GTX 280 1GB SLI configuration uses a max of 579.1 W of DC power, which is pushing the limits of the 650TX, and would even cause the 750TX's fan to speed up noticeably.

I guess what I took away from these reviews is that while the 750TX offers more wattage, the 650TX offers higher quality power, and is the better designed PSU. The 750TX does have the advantage of being affordable; it looks like other 750W PSUs on Newegg are going for at least $50 more. I'm not sure how the negative qualities observed in the 750TX (noise, voltage regulation issues, higher temperatures) review would translate into real-world effects; maybe they wouldn't. I'm just pointing out that you likely don't need the 750TX, and that PSU reviewers are saying the 750TX has flaws.

 

[ViRaLRuSh]

I don't think I'll be upgrading to SLI any time soon, due to the fact that I only play WoW which is more CPU intensive anyway. I figure by the time I do, I can afford to toss some money in the way of getting 2 cards and a new PSU

 

[rollacorolla]

Take Anand's advice. Skip the WD Raptor and get one of the OCZ Vertex SSDs. The 30GB drive is even on sale this week at Newegg for $83 shipped AR

 

[Blain]

I like the configuration for video editing... Except I'd make a couple of changes.

1. I'd ditch the OCZ memory. I'd buy Corsair XMS3, G.Skill or Mushkin.
(I don't have a high opinion of OCZ quality at all.)

2. I'd probably also drop the Corsair PS, in favor of a PC Power & Cooling 610W or maybe the 750W Quad
(BTW, I do understand that OCZ now owns PC P&C, but The AT visit indicates the companies operate in different worlds of quality).

3. Every good video editing machine should have a TI based firewire controller.
If the P6T Deluxe uses a TI controller chip, fine. But if it doesn't (it may use VIA), get a Koutech PCI Express card.

4. I wouldn't be thrilled with an 855g HS hanging off my MB, but I have no ideas for you.


BTW, I like the VelociRaptor option for video editing. A 1TB "Black" would be my choice, but the 640GB will serve you well.

 

[dixon]

Blain could you tell me why you don't like the ocz rams?bad experience perhaps?i'm planning to make a build similar to his except that mine is a bit cheaper(gtx 260, vanilla p6t) and that i will use the tagan 700 watt modular psu

 

[ViRaLRuSh]

Too late, I already hit the order button >.<

If the heatsink feels like it may be an issue, I'll just slap the stock HSF on it for now and hold of on OCing. I was thinking the monsoon could get me up to 4.0 GHz with ease, but if it will cause a problem weight wise, I'll have to think twice about it.

Also, I've just seen a lot of people suggest that OCZ memory as of late on this board, so I figured I was safe. Should I shell out $100 more and just get some G. Skill and sell off my OCZ?

 

[Blain]

Most people buy OCZ memory because...
They're kits are rebated down to cheap and
Their marketing dept. has done an excellent job of selling their wares with snappy names.

OCZ started out life with a bad reputation for flashy, low quality components...
I've had finicky OCZ memory in the past...
Plenty of forum members here have had problems with OCZ memory...
There are MUCH better alternatives, from rock solid companies like Mushkin, G.Skill & Corsair.

 

[ViRaLRuSh]

Originally posted by: rollacorolla
Take Anand's advice. Skip the WD Raptor and get one of the OCZ Vertex SSDs. The 30GB drive is even on sale this week at Newegg for $83 shipped AR

SSD just seems to be more trouble than what it's worth at this time. I could end up spending much less in the near future for an SSD drive and the quality will improve along with it soon enough.