$1000 i7 3d/gaming build

[Blargon]

Hey everybody, my computer is starting it's age and I'm thinking about upgrading.

This will be my first build ever, bit nervous but i have to start somewhere.

I will mainly be using this computer to work with 3Dsmax/photoshop and the occasional game(WOW/CoD4/etc..)

I already have an OS/monitor/keyboard and a mouse.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks for your time.

 

[xthekidx]

Well I really wouldn't normally suggest building an i7 with that kind of budget because you really can't afford a good GPU after you have bought the guts for the main system but if gaming is of little concern to you then you can get a cheaper GPU and still make it work, since your games aren't that intensive anyway.

Case/PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024&Tpk=antec%20sonata%20III

DVD Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152

HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319&Tpk=wd6401aals

CPU/Mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.181982

Ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130469

Cooler:
http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/scythe-mugen-2-cpu-cooler---scmg-2000.html

Thermal Grease:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020

$1001 without shipping or rebates. Shipping is about $40-45, $35 MIR

 

[Why_Me]

Nvidea cards work better for 3dmax, etc...compared to the ATI cards so I put a Nvidea card in this build seeing how it suits your needs. The psu and case will allow you to run SLI later on if you so choose. The case has plenty of room/cooling/ventilation for SLI and over clocking. These cases down below are cases that get sent back for simple fixes such as a loose wire, untapped screw hole, etc... They are virtually new cases in every sense.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137 <===Better pics and reviews of the case I put in this build.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/gigabyte-nvidia-sli-motherboard,7463.html <===Enable SLI for this mobo.

http://www.gigabyte.us/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2991 <===get the new bios here.

http://cmstore.coolermaster-usa.com/product_info.php?products_id=109 $45.99
CM 690 Black SECC/ATX Mid Tower, W/O window, W/O PSU - Refurbished

http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-750w-tx-series-80-plus-certified-power-supply-corsair-tx-cmpsu/q/loc/101/206178325.html $119.99 Price After Rebate(s): $99.99 Shipping: FREE
Corsair TX CMPSU-750TX ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375 $199.99 ($184.99 after $15.00 Mail-In Rebate)
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=I7-920 $265.99 Free Ground Shipping
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 $39.99
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020 $6.99
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247 $94.99 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319 $79.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152 $24.99 Free Shipping*
LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143155 $178.99 Free Shipping*
BFG Tech BFGEGTX260MC896OCE GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Total: $977.91 *(not including shipping and rebates) $942.91 w/rebates

 

[xthekidx]

FYI Why_Me, there is no point in getting the GA-EX-UD3R SLI anymore. Read this:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/gigabyte-nvidia-sli-motherboard,7463.html

 

[Why_Me]

FYI Why_Me, there is no point in getting the GA-EX-UD3R SLI anymore. Read this:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/gigabyte-nvidia-sli-motherboard,7463.html

Nice! Also that just knocked another $10 off my build up above not including the rebate it comes with.

 

[geofelt]

You have a couple of good build lists from xthekidx and why-me.

Is the OS you already have 64 bit? If not, you need the 64 bit version to address more than 4gb.

Are the 3dsmax and photoshop applications very cpu intensive?
Can they make use of more than 2 cores?
Are they ram intensive, and can they make use of more than 4gb?
Are they I/o intensive? Random vs. sequential.
I am asking these questions because I have no experience with those applications and want to know.
The answers will be helpful to me to properly give advice on how to make them perform well