Thousand Dollar build critique.

[WillSpace]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

1a. I will be using this computer for moderate to heavy gaming. WoW, Splinter Cell Conviction, etc.

2. What YOUR budget is.

2a. 1200 usd.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

3a. US.

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.

4a. No brand preference, but technology preference. I prefer the i7 processor.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

5a. No current parts.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

6a. Yes, but none answer my specific questions.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

7a. No overclocking, it's a terrible idea.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.

8a. Have yet to think of that, really whatever the specs can comfortably run.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

9a. September.

10. Don't ask for a build configuration critique or rating if you are thin skinned.

10a. Okay.

Here are the parts that I am looking to pick up. What I am wondering, is if there are better/more reliable options for the budget that I have. Any I left out a few bits, because I did not think them to be necessary to list.

ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

XFX HD-587X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-750HX 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601930

OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK

Already picked up the HardDrive. Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

 

[Sp12]

Save 30$ and get 1.35 voltage ram with nicer timings.

CPU could be dropped an i5-760 and give you better game performance and 80$. A GA-P55A-UD3 or MSI-P55A-G55 would fit well.

Could get a nicer PSU for less.

5870 is overpriced when a GTX 470 can be had 260$ and often beat/match it in performance.

And with that money saved consider either an SSD, IPS monitor, 3D monitor, or food, and a case, peripherals, windows, OD, and such.

 

[WillSpace]

Curious that the i5 outperforms the i7. Any reasoning on that one? The link just has the benchmark.

On Newegg, it shows that both sets of memory have the same 8-8-8-24 timings. Did I miss something there?

 

[Sp12]

Sorry, thought I linked to the 8/7 timing version, though honestly the one I accidentally linked to is probably better.

Reasoning? i7 is an X58 chip, so it has worse turbo speeds. X58s also have a higher TDP, so they don't overclock as well. However, as an i7 it has hyperthreading, which can help in video encoding scenarios.

 

[mfenn]

Sp12 hit the high points.

Q: Why is the i7 more expensive than the i5?
A: Because it's Intel and their prices don't have to match reality if they don't feel like it. But seriously, its because it has a bunch of features that you don't need for gaming (or really any non-server workload).