questioning my build after 2 weeks

[xbrainer]

I recently bought a PC from IBUYPOWER and have been having problems with the video card (I know should have sucked it up and done it myself, but i have no self confidence and have never done it) so I RMAd the card and waiting on it to get here. I'm thinking I over did the video card a little because I'll only be playing at 1600 x 1200.

CM HAF Case
E8400
4870 x2
4 gigs 1333 Corsair XMS3
850w Thermaltake PSU
ASUS P5Q3

I didn't do enough research to know that the 4870 x2 was overkill for my resolution and with 10 days to return for a refund and the problems Im having with the card I'm thinking of refunding and building my own with the new I7. I've put together a list of parts for the build I would use if I decided to refund.

CM Cosmos S
I7 920
GTX 260 core 216 (decided one should be sufficient)
6 gigs 1600 Corsair Dominator
800w BFG PSU
ASUS P6T

What I'm wondering is would I be better off refunding my system and going with the I7 build (may take a few weeks) or keeping the system I have now? My budget is around $1800 and I'm really just trying to build a gaming PC that will last me through college. And please if you think I should refund and do my own build make any suggestions about the parts I've selected.

 

[kubes]

Yes I would recomend doing the refund.

Quick Esimates:
core i7 - $300
EVGA/Asus p6 - $300
Ram - $250
2 X GTX 260 - $500
Case $ PSU - $250
OS - $100
-------------------------
Total: $1700

Personaly I do not even know if you need two gtx 260's running only at 1600x1200. Might want to wait until you actually upgrade your monitor, or until you have a slowdown in game preformance.

The IBUYPOWER build has a lot of items that aren't nessary. For example the ddr3 ram with the E8400. No reason to do more than ddr2. There is no increase in preformance.

 

[xbrainer]

Do you think I would see a sizable increase in performance with the I7 if all I plan on doing is gaming and everyday activities?

 

[kubes]

Depends. If your running sli, yes you will see a good increase in performance. The I7 was designed for the enterprise enviorment and not the gaming enviorment. However the I7 is still increasing benchmarks scores and improving gaming rigs as a side affect. Personaly I think you will find a good increase over the E8400. Others may say you will only see a little bit of increase. If you are planning on running sli though then deffinantly get the I7. Both CPU's will overclock to some impressive numbers.

Personaly I say don't be shy about building your own rig. There is a lot of vidoes and walkthroughs out on the net that can easly guide your way through. It seems like your doing your homework already so you are the type of person that can put together a rig. Its a real fun experience and you'll save yourself a few hunderd bucks.

 

[jalpaugh1978]

I know should have sucked it up and done it myself, but i have no self confidence and have never done it

Don't sweat it man. I built my pc and felt the same as you are feeling right know until I got my parts and started putting it together. There's nothing to it... The only part of it that made me nervous was putting on my cpu heatsink/fan. In the end that was a piece of cake too..Like a snap together model

 

[V3NOM]

exactly. If you can plug in a power cord and the cables at the back of your computer, you can build one. just like Lego