Tell me what you think..

[AznAnarchy99]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Some casual gaming here and there, hi def movies, music.

2. What YOUR budget is.
About $1500

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
California, USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

none

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Keeping my monitor, keyboard, mouse, Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic, and a WD Green 1TB

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
Read reviews, just looking for personal thoughts.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Yes, will be OCing.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.
1900x1200

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
No specific time.

So this is what I got so far...

Intel Core i7 860 - $230 @ Microcenter
MSI GD-80 Mobo - $185
XFX Radeon 5870 - $380
Corsair 850HX - $170
G. Skill Trident 4GB DDR3 2000 - $105
Samsung SATA DVD Burner - $30

So far total from ZZF is $823.74 w/ shipping/tax. Lets just say with CPU and memory it will be at around $1200 after everything.

What I still need is a case. Im currently looking at Silverstone cases, in particular the Fortress FT01 and the Raven RV02.. I would like to wait for the FT02 but they keep on delaying it, but the Raven is pretty similar in design. Both cases would hit me ~$200.

I would love to try to add in an Intel G2 SSD but I don't really know how I would fit it in. If I do get one, it would probably end up around $1600-1700.

Another thing I need is a good aftermarket CPU cooler. Before when I was looking at a 1366 build, I had my heart set out on a Thermalright TRUE, but they currently dont have mounting brackets for socket 1156. What are my other choices?

I built my last computer in 2005 and its still running pretty strong today. But like most of us here, I get that urge to put together a whole new system. My comp isnt that great at the newest of games but I currently dont play that many games. I am planning to play MW2 and SC2 when they come out however.

AMD64 x2 3800+ @ 2.6 ghz w/ Scythe Ninja + Yate Loon 120
DFI Lanparty UT SLI-DR
Geil DDR500 1 GB Dual Channel
XFX 7800 GTX @ 490/1.35
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Antec P180 w/ 4 120mm TT Thunderblade Blue LED fans
Western Digital 120 IDE, Western Digital 250 SATA, Seagate 200 IDE, WD Green 1TB
Antec Truepower 2.0 550 watt

 

[Jumpem]

I think you are going overboard on the power supply. The 520HX should be plenty.

For cases it would be a toss up between the Antec 902 and CoolerMaster Sniper.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

So that would shave about 50-60 bucks off. How about cpu heatsink? Any good ones that compare to the TRUE?

 

[adairusmc]

Originally posted by: AznAnarchy99
So that would shave about 50-60 bucks off. How about cpu heatsink? Any good ones that compare to the TRUE?

Proligmatech Megahalem or Mega Shadow (Megahalem you will need to get a seperate 1156 bracket, but it comes with the Mega Shadow). Better overall build quality than the TRUE, and a much better mounting system, plus slightly better performance in most reviews.

I ordered a mega shadow from heatsinkfactory for my i7 860, hopefully it will be here today or tomorrow.

 

[ScorcherDarkly]

There's a revision B of the normal Megahelm at heatsinkfactory as well that supports 1156, comes with 2 more fan clips and is on sale for $30 less than the Megashadow. The only thing different about the shadow is that its black, so unless you really care about the color, you can save a bunch of money.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Ok so with the Megahelm, AS5, a yateloon fan, that will hit me $70. Im going to add a WD 640 32mb Hard Drive for my main drive as well now. My total for everything is just under $1500.

So im a bit weary of hitting that final check out button. Is it the right time to jump on a new build? Prices seems pretty decent with the new 5870 out and Ill only be playing say MW2 or SC2.

 

[adairusmc]

Originally posted by: AznAnarchy99
Ok so with the Megahelm, AS5, a yateloon fan, that will hit me $70. Im going to add a WD 640 32mb Hard Drive for my main drive as well now. My total for everything is just under $1500.

So im a bit weary of hitting that final check out button. Is it the right time to jump on a new build? Prices seems pretty decent with the new 5870 out and Ill only be playing say MW2 or SC2.

Go for it, I am loving my i7 860, and I upgraded from a Q9550.

I am just keeping my 4870X2 until the 5870X2 comes out, otherwise I would already have a 5870.

Hit the checkout button already. 😛