Another Newb...Another i7 Build

[atx]

Hey All-

Great forum you guys have here. I've tried to research all the great info already on the forum before posting, so hopefully I won't ask too many repeat questions. After reading through the forum, I've decided on the following components...let me know what you guys think:

CPU: i7 920 (the i7 965 Extreme seems overpriced right now at 1k, and from what I've read, the 920 and 940 are essentially the same thing??)

GPU: Single GeForce GTX295 (thinking of getting a second later, so I thought it would be best to buy the single GTX295 instead of dual 280s, maybe I could even wait for the next "greatest" GPU and use the GTX295 for Physx at that point??). I'm also curious about the different GTX295s (ASUS vs BFG vs EVGA)...are they really any different (except for the ones that come OC'ed)? I've had some trouble finding benchmarks comparing ASUS vs BFG, etc.

MB: Gigabyte GA-EX58 Extreme (open to suggestions here...picked this one because I read that it basically has "overclocking for dummies" and I certainly would need the dummies part, especially starting out)

RAM: Corsair 6GB DDR3 1600 (3x2GB) (seems like everyone agrees that 6GB is sufficient and any frequency above 1600 is not useful at this point, and Corsair seemed to be a commonly recommeneded brand)

HDD: Open to suggestions here...is a SSD worth it at this point or should I run everything off the 2x1TB RAID1 I am getting as my storage drive and wait for Win7 and for SSD prices to drop??

DVD: Samsung 6x BluRay Burner (is Samsung worth the $$ premium over LG?)

I am clueless as to what PSU and addtional cooling options to purchase. I *think* I want to get an 1100W PSU just so I don't ever have to worry about a PSU again (or would 1100W still be overkill even with 2 GTX295s...I read they can pull 300W each, will I need the additional 500W?)

I'm also open to suggestions on a case. I could honestly care less how it looks or how big it is. My priorities are 1. Functionality and 2. "Quiet-ness"

I'm not really on a budget here, but I don't want to spend money where its not needed (i.e. buying the i7 965 for 1k when its only marginally better than the $250 920; I also think that a single GTX 295 should be fine for now, unless you all think the performace increase would be phenomenal with 2 instead of 1).

 

[foolycooly]

Yes, get the 920. The performance difference between it and the 940 or extreme models are completely not worth it.

Single gtx 295 can handle anything out there right now and probably for a good while into the future. Being able to SLI later is a good option though. I don't believe there is any significant difference between the manufacturers.

meh, for the mobo I think you will be better off with an EVGA or ASUS -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039

You shouldn't need a lot of the 'features' that the extreme has to offer and you can save a few bucks here.

I don't believe SSDs are worth it at this point. I hear they are indeed blazing fast but they are also young and very expensive. If you raid two WD 640gb blacks I hear they are amazing -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

I'm not entirely sure of the PSU requirements for 295s in SLI. It never hurts to give yourself a lot of headroom though.

An excellent case for functionality and pretty much the best airflow around is the HAF 932 -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160&Tpk=haf

however some people think it's ugly and it's probably not the quietest case around. However, if you're going to be running two 295s in SLI your priority should be more toward optimum cooling than toward quietness. That's just my $.02

gonna need some others to fill in the blanks.

 

[WR2]

I am clueless as to what PSU and addtional cooling options to purchase. I *think* I want to get an 1100W PSU just so I don't ever have to worry about a PSU again (or would 1100W still be overkill even with 2 GTX295s...I read they can pull 300W each, will I need the additional 500W?)

Just for comparison a system not too different from yours (OK, they did use just 1 HDD and the i7 965 Extreme).
That entire system pulled about 400watts under heavy load for a single GTX 295 & non-overclocked CPU.

THG's own GTX 295 review used a OC'd i7 920 single and dual GTX 295s. In that review the system's total power draw under load was about 365watts (1 GTX 295) and 600watts (2 GTX 295).

I think a high quality 850watt PSU like the Corsair 850TX is a good fit. With it's $120 price after rebate it looks like plenty of power and a good bargain to boot.

 

[atx]

Thanks for the advice, I'll drop to the Corsair 850TX PSU and go for the EVGA mobo.

Thanks for the advice on the case too, I'll probably go with the one you recommended.

 

[atx]

If you raid two WD 640gb blacks I hear they are amazing -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

You'd go for the the blacks over the velociraptors? Is it b/c of the 32MB cache?

 

[foolycooly]

I would go for the blacks over the raptors for value. If you have the money to spend, I believe the raptors will slightly outperform them. I am no expert in this field though.