How's my i7 build?

[HPT]

Hey guys, love these forums....so much info, overwhelming at times
Now its time to replace my old P4 system and to get some advice first-hand.
This is kind of a long post, my apologies......

My old P4 is lagging back on my work which usually is a lot of 3d modelling/rendering, video editing/transcoding, coding and gaming. I also do the usual word, surfing, music and movies (HD too).

This is what I plan on getting (all in CAD):

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Quad Core Processor LGA1366 2.66GHZ Bloomfield 8MB LGA1366 4.8GT/S
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34598&promoid=1061

Motherboard: ASUS P6T X58 Deluxe ATX LGA1366 DDR3 LGA1366 3PCI-E16 PCI-E4 CrossFire SLI SATA2 SAS Motherboard
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34897&vpn=P6T%20Deluxe&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1061

RAM: G.SKILL F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1333 CL 9-9-9-24 Triple Channel Memory Kit
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34717&vpn=F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ&manufacture=G.SKILL&promoid=1061

GPU: EVGA E-GEFORCE GTX 260 Core 216 576MHZ 896MB 1.99GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=33327&vpn=896-P3-1265-AR&manufacture=eVGA&promoid=1061

PSU: Corsair TX750W 750W ATX 12V 60A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=26415&vpn=CMPSU-750TX&manufacture=CORSAIR&promoid=1061

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200RPM 32MB Dual Proc 3.5IN SATA
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34286&vpn=WD6401AALS&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD

will use the DVDRW from my current computer.

Case: I'm not sure of which one to go for, want to keep it ~100C$: CM-690, Antec 900, NZXT Tempest were the top recommendations in this forum. All the blue LEDs would light my room up , was think of something subtle with decent airflow (low noise is always a plus). What would you guys recommend? (I'm only planning on air cooling).

HSF: From what i see most of the famous heatsink models from various manufacturers have a conversion bracket from LGA775 to LGA1366. I am lost on what to get. I don't plan on overclocking straightaway, maybe after a few months, but I would love to keep the cpu as cool and quiet as possible without busting C$65+. Heard the i7 puts out a lot of heat, guess a 120mm HSF should do it?
Arctic Cooling MX-2 seems to be the best thermal paste out there?

As for gaming love those maxed out visuals , but don't wanna break the bank. I play on a 20" CRT now, which is set at 1600x1200, will soon buy a 22" LCD monitor (1680x1050). Might SLi in the future when the prices go down. Usually play almost every game except sport (lol).

I plan on using Vista Home Premium 64bit (not part of this budget).

That is about: 1490.61 + ~100(case) + ~60(HSF) = 1650C$, my budget is 1500-1600C$, it's cutting close but it's ok. Any place i can reduce cost?

So how does it look? matching components?
All suggestions are welcome..
Thanks so much for the help.

 

[Yoosty]

Looks very good, here are 2 HSF Coolers that you should check out for your Core i7 CPU, Both online retailers do ship to Canada.

The Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 Ultra Silent CPU Cooler @ $69.95.
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8432/cpu-noc-12/Noctua_NH-U12P_SE1366_CPU_Heat_Sink_Socket_LGA_1366.html?tl=g40c14s757

$69.99 @ Performace-pcs.com
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=450&products_id=24723

And the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme 1366 RT CPU Cooler @ $74.95.
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8444/cpu-tri-57/Thermalright_Ultra-120_eXtreme-1366_RT_CPU_Heatsink_Socket_LGA_1336.html?tl=g40c14s757

Same price as above
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=450&products_id=24727

Both come with a Fan and Mounting Backplate hardware. You can not go wrong with either one of these.

That is about: 1490.61 + ~100(case) + ~60(HSF) = 1650C$, my budget is 1500-1600C$, it's cutting close but it's ok. Any place i can reduce cost?

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $207.91 (CAD dollars)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231223

the ram is the only part I could find that you could save money on. Good luck on your build.

 

[huron]

Looks like you made good choices. If you are from the US, newegg is having a sale on that motherboard. Here's the promo code: EMCBCBCBF (save $10)

Also, newegg has an MSI GTX 260 for $185 - promo code EMCBCBCCA

I have the Antec 900 and love it. If you're looking for full tower, you could check out the Antec 1200 too.

If you're from Canada you can check out newegg.ca and compare.

Good luck.

 

[kubes]

This ia pretty good rig. Looks like you did your homework.

I'm not sure if i'd go with hurons suggestion on that particular GTX 260 because its the 192 core version. Try to get the 216 core version. But that is a really impressive deal on that non-the-less.

Here is a link to some G. skill ram that is pretty nicely priced (US newegg)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231223

I'm worried about your monitor selection however. I really think you might want to consider getting a monitor that is 1900x1200. Otherwise your graphics card is probally overkill and I'd suggest going with a 4850.
Here's a good monitor that is 1900x1200 and is 1080p.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236053

 

[FHDelux]

I love your proposed rig, I wouldn't change a thing. I personally would go with the CM690 case, the side loading HD bays are great, the antec 900 is more effort to work on, i switched from the 900 to CM690 and i will never look back.
I would spend the extra bucks on the Thermalright Ultra 120, it performs great and is easy to install. The i7 is a hot chip, litteraly, and the Ultra 120 is already proven to get great overclocking results. You dont buy computers too frequently so do it right when you do it.

 

[kubes]

I've not personaly dealt with a TRUE but I've had a few friends here and there that have and said it's probally the best one for the lga 1366 socket right now.

CoolMaster and Antec are pretty close. Both are solid cases and can't go wrong with either one. CoolMaster probally better with noise. Antec probally better with air flow. Not really sure which one i'd say was better to work with. Both are great cases.

 

[HPT]

wow thanks for the info...
How is the stock cooler by itself?
I'm now planning on getting the custom HSF next month as to split up costs, (I won't be overclocking right away)

Leaning towards the TR Ultra as its much more compact than the Noctua (pictures say so).

huron, thanks for the code, sadly it doesn't work with newegg.ca

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $207.91 (CAD dollars)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231223

yea I was planning on getting that but with the added shipping, guess the total cost would be the same?

I'm worried about your monitor selection however. I really think you might want to consider getting a monitor that is 1900x1200. Otherwise your graphics card is probally overkill and I'd suggest going with a 4850.
Here's a good monitor that is 1900x1200 and is 1080p.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236053

The CRT also works at 1920x1440, guess I can max everything out with gtx 260 216sp for the time being......
that is a really nice monitor, but with 1080p and 21.5" the text will be small, I sit quite a distance from the monitor itself.

I really like the CM-690,
also hows Antec 300 for a build like this?
Does GTX260 216sp fit perfectly (in both)?, even with HDDs installed?

 

[HPT]

forgot.....
any price drops that might happen soon within a month?
guess there might be a price drop after PhenomII releases?
if there is one, how much would it be, any ideas?

55nm refresh (with possible higher performance) of the GTX series seems to be slated for early 2009 (Jan 2009), is it worth waiting for it?, or should i upgrade (if worth it) within the 3 months period evga offers?

and again thanks a lot ........

 

[HPT]

bump...
sorry, it's just that the deals will get over in a few days with limited stock
your opinions will help me a lot
thanks

 

[XRWKEN]

Im building a rig close to yours
I went with the cm690, got it at provantage for $57.00, great deal
got the asusp6 deluxe and the I7 920 combo deal at e bay for $535 retail,boxed,new,free ship
corsair tx650 $50. new egg
ocz platinum 6 gig 3x2 pc10666 ram $170. new egg

I still need to get my
hd, wd black edition 650 gig
ati 4830 video card
fan controller
cpu cooler

I was told by allot of people to go for the coolermaster v8 it works awesome, almost silent and comes with the I7 bracket

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055&Tpk=Coolermaster%20V8


ken

 

[HPT]

Hey, those are awesome prices, they are USD however CAD was on par with USD a few months back, sigh now we have higher prices

v8 is hugee...lol about 800g,
I've read somewhere the recommended max weight is ~500g (not sure. read it in an intel manual)

any ideas about price drops/55nm shrink on GTX series?

 

[Proximon]

If you ask Corsair about GTX 260 SLI on an i7 board, they will tell you to get a 1000W. I have always found that Corsair never exaggerates PSU needs.

Now, they only have the 750TX and the 1000HX, nothing in between.

So, what I recommend is get the Antec TPQ 850W, and the combo deal from newegg.ca with the CPU.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371009

The V8 will be fine, it comes with support.

Prices seem pretty low right now on graphics cards. It's hard to see them doing anything but going up in the near future.

 

[HPT]

Hmmm...interesting, it is a bit of a fix...lol

I'm getting the i7 920 + Asus P6T bundle from NCIX at 679.99 C$ which seems to be a steal, while getting the Antec TPQ 850W throws me off budget , would an 800W psu do? link

GTX 260 core 216 ...ftw , I'll be going for that now, will get V8 next month.

 

[Proximon]

or do this:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801

Better card, less money, and two will run on a 750TX NP.

Of course it's not in stock atm, it's very popular. Should return soon.

 

[HPT]

ah yes...but many recommend the gtx 260 216sp over the 4870 1gb as it is better performing?...dunno...this is turning out to be kind of confusing.....lol

 

[Proximon]

Did you see this?

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3463

Benchmarks are always good. This Vapor-X cooling on this card keeps it very cool as well, prolonging it's life.

I'd better get to work now

 

[HPT]

Wow, I'm impressed, every card has it's ups and downs, guess it's 4870 then

thanks so much for the help Proximon , everything is clear now........and now to shop

 

[HPT]

and forgot.....any other parts/tools/utilities that i need for the build
thanks...

 

[V3NOM]

nope. seems like a set build. when OpenCL becomes the standard and intensive apps (ie video encoding and CAD) are done exclusively on the GPU, you can just chuck in another 4870, a 4870X2, a 4850X2... the options are fairly extensive, and yeah.... instead of throwing away your previous card just keep it and crossfire it with a new one! not possible with nVidia! except with that physX dedicated card thingy... which is kinda what those programs use anyway

k, now that i have confused myself in my ramblings. i say good luck and good building

 

[HPT]

ah i see, guess the 4870 are better suited for OpenCL and GPGPU, is that what u said, now i'm confused :S

hasn't nvidia incorporated physx into their cards using CUDA?, lol...ramblings........

 

[V3NOM]

well, true that nvidia is ahead of ati atm with CUDA and PhysX, although CUDA as a programming language (it is much more than that..) will soon be obsolete in favour of OpenCL, which nvidia and ati have both supported. OpenCL has been released, but nvidia and ati have to add their bit for support of their graphics cards and drivers, or something along those lines.

halfway through next year, will computing change forever?

 

[HPT]

dunno...it might change, atleast if they get proper support for video transcoding and if possible rendering apps to work, I would be happy

another thing, all parts except the hdd has arrived, any chance I can start setting the components up (should the pc be started soon after the thermal paste is applied?), or can I keep it like that for about a week (until the hdd arrives), or is it possible to turn it on and have a look at BIOS and all without creating complications for later when I can connect my hdd?

 

[HPT]

bump...