i7 processor question

Whitemilk661

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Hey! If I could get some good advice that would be great. First of all, I'm building a brand new computer from scratch. I haven't upgraded for 4 years and my old comp is all integrated so it's time for brand new everything. I started out looking at the Q9400 and the Q9550, but the new i7 is starting to intrigue me.

I guess my question is, since I'm building from scratch should I just go for the new i7 core since I have to get new everything anyways? I'm just really worried that these may end up buggy and what not. Also is the 940 worth the extra money over the 920? ANY input would be great because I'm really lost here. :)
 

Whitemilk661

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Is the 940 far superior to the 920, or is it not much of a difference? I might be willing to go up to the 940...

Also do you have any motherboard, hard drive and PSU suggestions? I plan on getting the GTX 280 1 GB with 6 GB of RAM.
 
Stock, there's a bit of a difference, but they both overclock quite well. I wouldn't say that the 940 is worth it in most cases.

As for motherboard, HDD, and PSU, the Asus P6T Deluxe is nice, as is the Corsair 1000W PSU. Anything from Corsair or PC Power and Cooling at 750W or above would be my choice actually. For HDDs, the Western Digital Caviar Black series is nice - there's a 640GB in that line that's a great value, and a 1TB if you need more space.
 

Whitemilk661

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Does anyone know real key differences between the 920 and 940 besides clock speed? Also will I regret in a year that I didn't just get the 940?
 

Talon

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If you feel comfortable even with mild overclocking or can follow overclocking guides I'd say don't waste the $ on the 940. The 920 has no inherent differences that affect performance noticably save default clock speed.

If you absolutely won't overclock for whatever reason 940 might be worth considering but I feel anyone comfortable with building the system can manage to overclock at least by a guide as well.

As to motherboards for this chip:
I have read a few review sites having issue with the MSI Eclipse motherboard stability during testing. Shame since it's easily the cheapest 1366 socket motherboard.

After reading the heck out of the reviews I personally would spring for the Asus P6T Deluxe (hope I got the name right). No point in bothering with the higher version imo.

At work so don't have time for links etc sorry. That is a quick and dirty opinion on a few things you mentioned.
 

Gordobobo

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There is no big difference between them, both are designe to achieve
4.8 GT/s. 965 Extreme is something more but u wouldnt regreat in a year also.
There is nothing u can't do with a 920 that u easily can with a 940. Even for a 965 extreme would be impossible to easily accomplish something hard for a 920 - their generation are to close. Maybe in a year or so we see something that makes a big difference.

The difference, besides the clock speed, is the lithography.
More stable silicon (more refined lithography) will support higher clocks and still keep power comsumption acceptable, the problem is the extra money that industry has to spend for a bit better waffer, after a certain line a little improvement means huge amount of money.

Sry for the bad english.
 

Whitemilk661

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That is very helpful Talon. One thing though, I've never built a computer before. Is it real tough? Should I even try or just let a pro handle it?
 
If you are looking at a >$300 quad, the i7 is probably the way to go.


The clock speeds on the 920, 940, and 965 are actually the same. The multiplier is different. The 920 is 20, the 940 is 21, Both are fixed. The 965 is 24, and is unlocked.
I think the 940 has no place in the market, particularly at it's price. It is trivial to boost the speed of the 920 to 3.3, matching the speed of the much higher priced 965.

I used the Asus P6T and had no problems with it. If it makes a difference, some X58 motherboards like the cheaper MSI did not pay a Nvidia license fee, so they are limited to crossfire capability, and not SLI.

I used 6gb of patriot DDR3 1600 ram with no problems. It is unclear to me if slower ram would not be just as good.

With a GTX280, you should be able to play any game out there very nicely.

I would get a velociraptor for the OS drive, and put anything that needs speed on it. If needed, get a larger, slower drive for overflow and capacity.

Do get a quality psu. Corsair, PC P&C , Antec, Seasonic are good; there are others. For a single card, you are looking at a 550-650w unit. For sli, a 750-850w unit.

Plan on Vista-64 bit. You probably will not get much value out of ultimate.

I would plan on using an oem cooler. It will be quieter under load. Noctua and thermalright make some good ones for the larger 1366 cpu size.

You are now doing the hardest part of building your own.---research on parts.
If you read the motherboard and case manuals, it is not very difficult or tricky. Probably any questions you have can be found with a google search, or a forum post.
 

Talon

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Ok, took time to get a link anyway :pt1cable:

I was right on the name for the motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131346

As for Ram I would probably get some capable of at least 1333Mhz. If you plan to overclock quite a bit I might go for some listed as 1600Mhz capable simply to have somewhat of a guarantee your Ram has some headroom. Everyone has their favorite brands but I've had the best experiences with GSkill and OCZ personally.

HDD depends on your storage needs, I prefer Seagate from experience (many years building both home and job). Like the better rebate, sort of depends on your storage needs. If you plan to store tons the choice is obvious, best performance/bang for buck is probably around the 1TB area. Seagate has a 1.5TB but it is a little slower. Depends on whats important to you.

If you don't need an overabundance of storage get a 500Gb Seagate or 640Gb Western Digital.

As for PSU.... something in the 600w range + I'd say, Some reliable PSU Brands I've owned are PC Power and Cooling, OCZ Gamextream, Antec, Corsair. If you plan to ever SLI that 280GTX with another then get at least a 750w PSU imo. If you go with these brands you should be in good shape although others on forum might have other good suggestions as well.

Sorry not being overly specific but boss in the next cube and figure if I give "ranges" you can pick something based on your intentions with the build and future of the build :kaola:

Will make one suggestion on Graphics though. I would consider getting the 260GTX with 216pps. It has very nearly the same performance of the 280GTX with a little overclocking at nearly $200 less. If you are waiting a little bit before buying I'd wait on the graphics until we see the 55nm 260GTX arrive and see "if" it has anything better to offer like overclocking etc. Just a thought but if you wanted the best single GPU card right now it is still the 280GTX and it will overclock too, just usually not as much headroom from stock as the 260GTX.

Dang that got long, I better go hehe
 

Talon

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Thanks geofelt for pointing out the lack of SLI on the MSI. I forgot about that entirely, dodging the boss still, hehe.

Looks like we have similar taste in hardware and recommendations :sol:

Whitemilk66:

As for building yourself, I say go for it, there are many guides online and much help can be had here in the forums if you run into any issue. Just get a nice clean area and make sure you're grounded or at least off carpet.

Think about what you're putting into a case before starting, sometimes you will end up rushing and have to pull something back out due to lack of clearance and realize if I'd just put that other item in first.... hehe.

It's relatively easy, Ram sticks only go in one way so watch those and always press firmly but if a stick or card doesn't go in with a firm push make sure it's lined up correctly before pushing with much force or you might just waste some big $. Other than that, not much to worry about. Plenty of guides online for every aspect and once you boot that sucker up you have a sense of accomplishment knowing you did it. Plus professionals, of which I'm one, hehe charge an arm and a leg to do it for you compared to the small trouble of doing it yourself. :lol:
 

Yoosty

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Here is a post to another Core i7 Build here at Tom's Forum that you should look at. I will also add some additional links for some parts that you could choose from.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/258417-31-system-shopping-list

If you are going to go with a Air Cooler HSF, this is the one you will need. The Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme 1366 RT CPU Cooler, which is $59.99
http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/thermalright-ultra-120-extreme-1366-rt.html

Now on DDR3 Triple Channel Ram, there are alot of choices. The best sets to get are the 6gb(3x2gb) kits and the prices for those are coming done daily. The top 2 choices are the Corsair Dominators 1600 and G.Skill PI Black or F3-12800CL8T-6GBHK.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231238
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231236

Here is also the link to all NewEgg DDR3 Triple Channel 6GB (3 x 2GB) Ram.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010170147%201052345114&name=6GB%20%283%20x%202GB%29

Now for the X58 motherboard, depending on whether you want to be able to do Tri-SLi/Crossfire or just regular SLi/Crossfire is up to you. Here are the Top two X58 boards.

ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $299.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131346

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $298.99
(2 oz copper PCB & support 3 SLI/ 3 ATI crossfire)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128362

If you need a new case, the COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

The Corsair CMPSU-1000HX ATX12V &EPS12V Power Supply - CMPSU-1000HX is on sale here for $224.99
Price After Rebate(s): $174.99
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-1000-watt-hx-series-12v-atx-sli-ready-80-plus-certified-power/q/loc/101/207510101.html

To get some more info on the Core I7 Cpu and motherboards you can browse Tom's site and check out (H)ardCop site.
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com

Hope this helps you out some.


 

Talon

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That Ram looks like a good choice. Heard good things about it.

Nvidia had initially said they would have the new cards out by Christmas but time is running awfully short for that to happen. I haven't read anything new in the last week or so on it. I guess that leaves the answer at possibly before the holiday or soon after if they don't make it.
 

Talon

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Given the choice of those two PSUs Whitemilk66 I'd choose the Corsair personally. Great buy and it is capable of SLI in the future without issue.
 


I think that ram will do nicely. Corsair is a good company with good support.

The GTX260 is being phased out in favor of the GTX260-216 which has added processing elements. It is faster, and relatively a good value.
I would look for a EVGA GTX260-216 for several reasons:
You preserve your option to "step up" to a faster card within 90 days.
EVGA has good support and an active forum.
The card is very close in performance to the GTX280, at a much lower price.

You save some money by building it yourself.
But the satisfaction is priceless!
 

Talon

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As for the 1000W PSU linked above, honestly that would be overkill atm. The 750W would power two 280GTXs without any problem. Now if you thought you may go to triple SLI at some point then maybe you could look at that.

Cases were brought up but above but not sure you are even looking for those.

I have a NZXT Zero and LOVE it. It is here:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146029
It has soo many fans, is aluminum so lighter than the steel one. It's huge inside and I have my current system highly overclocked and the air blowing out the exhaust fans is cool on my hand. The airflow is more than enough and is surprisingly quiet at the same time. My old mid-tower with 2x120mm fans was three times as loud. Only thing you'll hear unless it's next to your ear is the CPU or GPU fan and they're pretty tame.

If you need something cheaper then the Hush and Tempest around $89 and $109 respectively on newegg are great and should fit 260GTX as well.
Can you tell I'm sold on NZXT ? The Zero and a previous Apollo really made an impression on me :)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146035
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146047
 

Whitemilk661

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is the GTX 260-216 out yet? I can't fin it on new egg.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130370

This is what I was planning on getting.
 

Whitemilk661

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I was looking at the Apollo, will this be enough room?
 

Talon

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Funny, I just mentioned the Apollo in previous post, it is a very good case. I enjoyed it greatly in a previous build. I do believe it will hold a 260GTX as well.

As for waiting? Well the 55nm refresh should have the same clocks and 216sp that we have been suggesting thus far. The only difference I'm aware of is the die shrink to 55nm. This "may" give more overclocking room but honestly it is never a sure thing that a shrink will do that. Just forget I mentioned it. And like geofelt said above, if you order EVGA, currenly cheapest 216sp 260GTX on newegg I think, you can trade up in 90 days if something comes out that blows your mind :)

BTW sorry my links turned out wrong, not sure what happened there....
 
Nobody knows exactly what the 55nm die shrink will bring. That is why I suggested an EVGA card. It is possible that the 55nm process will just be used to reduce the manufacturing costs on current cards. More likely, there will be some minor performance or other benefits to encourage the sale of new cards. I would not get the plain GTX260, instead opting for the GTX260-216 version.

I don't much like the coolermaster case you linked.
I find front doors to be a fussy pain.
I don't want "bling"
I like front intake fans and back and top outflow fans. Side fans disrupt the natural air flow.

As a suggestion, look at the Antec 300.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
It is cheaper, and should cool better.