Further Guidance

[cdntrooper]

I'm now thinking of getting help in doing my own build and purchasing the following components.

Heres what the local shop suggetsted:

- Intel core i7 920 2.66 Ghz - LGA1366 Socket - L3 8 MB

- EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR Geforce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR#

- MSI X58 Platinum LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel mobo

- Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000333AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0 Gb/s Hard Drive

- Samsung 22x Internal SATA DVDRW

- LG W2242TQ-BF 22" widescreen LCD Monitor

- Coller MAster CM690 ATX

- PAtriot VIPER TRI 6G Kit DDR3-12800

- OCZ StealthXStream Power Supply 700XS

- MS VHP BIT DVD OEM

What is your opinion on this build and components...

What should I look for in a monitor...

Your advice and help is appreciated.

Tks

 

[chookman]

I wouldnt get the MSI mobo, personal preference i stick to Gigabyte and ASUS
The Seagate 1tb drives arent known for their reliablity at the moment i would get a WD black
PSU i dont like OCZ either but they do make some good ones, i would stick with Antec, Corsair PCP&C or Seasonic

 

[aford10]

^+1
MSI isn't strong with the mobo's. The Asus p6t is probably the best mobo for the i7 build. Gigabyte also makes a real good x58 mobo. For HD, always go with western digital. No other manufacturer is close for speed and quality.

I do have to disagree on the psu though. OCZ makes a decent psu. They are a relatively new company, but are making big waves. They are best known for their RAM, but their psu's are no joke.

 

[mi1ez]

besides the MSI board, this sounds like a good build (especially recommended by a shop!)

MS VHP BIT DVD OEM
I'm guessing this is Vista 64. make sure you get 64bit!

 

[dokk2]

Different strokes etc,do not forget OCZ bought PC Power and Cooling,and they have been around since the flood,they are one of the best...

 

[cdntrooper]

Thanks for all your advice.

When it comes to the mobo I looked on line and I found 4 models of Gigabyte and 3 ASUS all with different pricess. What I'm looking for ? I'm trying to keep my build to a reasonable price...

I'm also not sure what I should be looking for in a PSU ? couldn't find the model referenced above: WD black PSU...

Any opinions on the monitor ?

This is all completely new for me... but I know more today then I did when I started down this path !

TKS

 

[aford10]

For mobos look for the chipset x58...Unless you have the cables, get a retail version, it will come with all the accessories. OEM or open box items never come with any cables or other accessories.

The Western Digital black referenced above is a line of hard drive. Very good quality.

For the psu, you want to look at manufacturers such as corsair, seasonic, pc power & cooling, OCZ...Those are generally high quality. Look for how many amps are on the +12v rail.

Acer generally makes quality monitors. The size of the monitor and resolution will come into play when choosing a video card as well.

 

[cdntrooper]

ok tks again but with more information comes more questions:

For the mobo I'm now completely loss... x58 is what everyone is recommending. I understand that a MSI x58 isn't worth the $...

WD black Hard Drive is a SATA II the Seagate Barracuda hard drive I was considering is a SATA 3. What is the difference ?

Once I know how many amps are on the +12v rail what is it I should look for ?

As for monitors what are the things I need to consider between the video card and Monitor... Assuming I'm going with the GTX 260... ?

tks for all your help... I'm hoping to purchase this Friday ! I won't be going for Dell anymore as they are more expensive and will try this build your own thing...

 

[aford10]

The difference b/t SATA II and SATA 3 is the transfer speed. SATA 3 is new and much faster. However, only a few AMD boards support the SATA 3 speed.

For the mobo, I would suggest 1. Asus 2. Gigabyte 3. EVGA. Look at the supported memory speeds, make sure they match your RAM speed.

Once you know how many amps are on the +12v rails, look at the connectors to make sure it has the 6 pin pcie power that the new video cards require. Look up the video card you choose to see how much power it requires at peak. Then make sure your psu can put out that much power.

For the monitor, look for the desired screen size. Then look for the resolution (video card should be able to support it). Then look for the contrast ratio (the higher the better).

 

[cdntrooper]

Ok....

So, if I understand this correctly, only the ADM mobo support the SATA3. So if I'm looking at ASUS or Gigabyte it will be SATA II by default ...

How do I make sure the RAM speed matches with the mobo.

I'm now thinking of the following Gygabite card: http://www.pccyber.com/?v=product&i=MB-GB-EX58-DS4

It's in my budget what do you think ?

Tks again... and please don't give up on me I'm currentlying on your advice... I'm almost there... then again there is far away from where I need to get...

 

[aford10]

That's a nice mobo. Gigabyte makes very solid boards. If that fits in your budget, it's a good place to start. Yes, intel onboard SATA will be SATA II.

The specs on the mobo say it supports DDR3 2000(O.C)/1333. That means it will support the DDR3 1333/1600 and can be OC'd up to 2000. So you want to look for RAM, that is one of those speeds that will keep you within budget. The lower the CAS latency, the better. Something like this would be good
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

Here till the end....