Ok, Ok, I've been changed!

[xile042]

At first, I was strictly AMD. I've never been open to the idea of Intel....until now. If you have been reading my posts you'd see that I am in the process of building my second PC. Also, many thanks to emp. I was going power hungry with my GPU's w/o factoring in the resolution. I know very dumb. Anyways, this is my new INTEL build and I am open to any comments.

Case- Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

PSU- Antec Signature SG850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

CPU- Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor

CPU Cooler- Thermaltake V1 Max-Performance CPU Cooler with Massive 110mm Blue LED Full-Range Variable Speed Fan Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition & Core i7 Ready LGA 1366

MoBo- EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

RAM- CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory (x2 for 12gigs)

Video Card- EVGA 01G-P3-1280-AR GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Monitor- HP w2207h Black 22" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor

HDD- Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

CD/DVD- SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA

.......and thats it as far as hardware goes (excludes fans and fan controller). Well folks, whatcha think? also, what is a possible OC range for this CPU? I've been reading around the 3.2-3.4 range.

 

[cjl]

Holy cow, that is a LOT of money for RAM for that build. What do you need all 12 gigs for?

As for the overclock, I'd say 3.3-3.5 is basically guaranteed, and 3.7-3.8 should be doable in most cases.

 

[xile042]

Well the 12 gigs is so I can basically be a dick about it lol. Might switch it out for another 280 though

 

[V3NOM]

Hey i have a question. What happened to those 16GB DDR3 DIMMS companies supposedly manufactured for i7? what happened to the 48GB triple channel idea? just died or lied or?

 

[xile042]

Idk. maybe they had their fingers crossed behind their backs whenever they made such promises? Or maybe it takes time, I know though that my mobo is out now and I want it......BTW. I know I have 12 gigs but WTF DO YOU NEED 48 GIGS FOR? Are you running your neighborhoods f-ing comps with it?

 

[cjl]

I'd say wait on the 12 gigs unless you actually need it for something - the extra 280 or something like that would give you quite a bit more of a performance boost.

 

[notherdude]

At first, I was strictly AMD. I've never been open to the idea of Intel....until now.

No offense but what possesses people to get stuck on an idea like AMD = good and Intel = evil and then to keep their head in the sand for nearly three years when it is obvious that Intel is on top?

 

[will_chellam]

+1 to notherdude - ive esentially alternated each generation depending on what my budget and performance requirements demanded
1)cyrix 6x86 133+ :-(
2)AMD K6-2 3D 350
3)PIII-500
4)AMD Athlon XP 1800 (Switched to Athlon MP 2400)
5)Core2Duo E6600

Frankly Ive never been dissapointed with any of them besides my first build - that cyrix was frankly gash, you look at splitting hairs between brands these days - back then the floating point (read 3D) performance difference between my cyrix and an equivalent pentium MMX was massive...

 

[kyzarvs]

Ahh the K6-2 - wasn't that an awesome little CPU?

/goes all misty eyed for the good old days...

 

[V3NOM]

Idk. maybe they had their fingers crossed behind their backs whenever they made such promises? Or maybe it takes time, I know though that my mobo is out now and I want it......BTW. I know I have 12 gigs but WTF DO YOU NEED 48 GIGS FOR? Are you running your neighborhoods f-ing comps with it?

well yer, completely unnecessary, probably why it didnt end up happening lol. still, i just wondered where it had gone... didnt intel demo an i7 system with 48gig or something?

 

[ainarssems]

You might want to check it that CPU cooler will fit the case. I did a build in that case for somebody a while ago. at start I picked Scytche Ninja cooler with 120mm fan and it would not fit because of side panel fan on the case. I remember searching throug the COOLERS and could not find any with fan bigger than 92mm which I ended up having Ninja Mini with 80mm and it was tight fit. V1 is 143mm high, Ninja Mini is 115mm so I don't think V1 will fit

 

[jamesgoddard]

Wait for a Phenom II to appear before you make a final choice

 

[V3NOM]

^i highly doubt the phenom 2 will compete with the i7 at all. = about to the core 2's, so AMD has finally caught up :lol:... only to be left behind by i7

 

[jamesgoddard]

We will see.... The i7 seems a great server chip and for multimedia - I am yet to be convinced as a gaming platform... i7 hands over an awful lot of chip real estate to hyper threading that can actually hamper gaming performance.

That and the fact AMD Phenom platforms are $250 cheaper - even before you add in the CPU - due to the expensive x58 and DDR3

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

instead of the Thermaltake cooler which seems to be pretty bad, as all thermaltake coolers are get this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835702007

It follows the basic formula for a good CPU cooler so it atleast has to be decent.

Also say no to that RAM, it is not the best for the money, get this:

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

Better cooling, better timmings, better company. G.skill has NEVER let me down yet, and I exclusively use it now.

That power supply is amazing but overpriced, do what you will.

If your not going to SLI 2 GTX 280s, then get a 4870 X2 to squeeze out a little more performance.

Good luck.

 

[Kari]

and get a bigger HDD or two, single 320GB is pretty darn small...

 

[xile042]

i'm not doing anything super big so 320 suits me well. might even get the veloci-raptor. Plus, I have my old 160 and a 250gig ext.

 

[WR]

I am yet to be convinced as a gaming platform... i7 hands over an awful lot of chip real estate to hyper threading that can actually hamper gaming performance.

For someone considering SLI 280's, let alone future GPUs on that board, I'm pretty sure a Phenom II would be like putting in a Q9650, noticeably behind the i7.