Need Some Feedback on This Core I7 920 Build

This will be my 2nd time building a computer. My first time was about 5 years ago, but I haven't had much time and money to build/upgrade since then until now after I graduated college. I'm gonna give my first computer to my parents so I need everything including monitor, kb, mouse, ect. I might wait on speakers for a bit though since I tend to use headphones more.

I would like to go for a I7 build since I hear it is better equipped for the future. I haven't really kept up to date with what's current and such until the last week so I have forgotten quite a bit with building comps. I'm trying to aim for a budget of around $1200-1400. Would prefer less than more if possible.

NZXT Alpha Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Open Window - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811146041

Acer X233Hbid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 40000:1 (ACM) - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824009163

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102801

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341016

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115202

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128375

OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227381

Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185093

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136319

Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827118030

Logitech MX518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB or PS/2 Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming-Grade Mouse - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6826104178

Microsoft ZG6-00006 Black 103 Normal Keys 10 Function Keys PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard 500 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823109164

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116488

I'm planning to buy the parts within the next couple days. I know that case I linked is out of stock so if anyone knows a decent one for around that price that be great. I plan to do some MODERATE OC'ing with the CPU and I hear that cooler is pretty decent. I just want something that will cool it reasonably well. Not looking for the best of the best by any means with any these parts. I opted for more cheaper x58 MB to save some cash but also did not really need any of the extras on the more expensive models.

Someone told me that PSU will be enough for this build. I have no plans to do crossfire or SLI or anything, and certainly no serious OC'ing by any means.

if anyone has any suggestions and such I'd appreciate it. Thanks

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For a little more you could do much better on the PSU. The one you chose would probably be OK, but the BFG will be a bit more stable and so better for OC.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] Tpk=LS-550

This case looks like a winner... the one you listed is sold out.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811146055

That's all I have atm.

------------------------------ My Guide to choosing parts
A big list of recommended parts
Troubleshooting Guide w/links
Reply to Proximon

a mouse with 8 buttons!
I could never use that . Not enough fingers on my mouse hand :-(

I think your 4870 is at the bottom end of the range for a 1080p lcd . There's an article on the homepage about 4770's in crossfire . That would cost about $190 and give you better frame rates in intensive games

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to Outlander_04

Outlander_04 wrote :

I think your 4870 is at the bottom end of the range for a 1080p lcd . There's an article on the homepage about 4770's in crossfire . That would cost about $190 and give you better frame rates in intensive games

My reading of the 4770 crossfire review was that it produces better frame rates at low resolutions than a single 4870 but the 4870 with 1GB matches it or beats it at higher resolutions (example given is 1920x1200 which is slightly higher than the 1080p format) because it has more video memory.

Thus, I think it is pretty much a wash between the two options and the single 4870-1GB does provide the option of crossfiring later, if it is ever needed, which would seriously wipe the floor with the dual 4770s.

Reply to siggy19

That psu is a bit weak for that set up. Here's a psu and case to take a good look at. The psu is modular and has plenty of juice to push that rig, and the case has excellent cooling.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341022 $74.99 ($49.99 after $25.00 Mail-In Rebate)
OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129042 $54.95 Free Shipping*
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Reply to Why_Me

You want to make sure you flash to the latest bios with that board, and then afterwards download the latest drivers for it.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/g [...] ,7463.html <--- Gigabyte: Enable SLI On X58 Boards

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129042 $54.95 Free Shipping*
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341022 $74.99 ($49.99 after $25.00 Mail-In Rebate)
OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-EX58U3R $185.99 | $170.99 after rebate Free Ground Shipping
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R Core i7/ Intel X58/ DDR3/ CrossFireX/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

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/Prod [...] 6835185093 $36.99 Free Shipping*
Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835154003 $4.99
Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127430 $174.99 ($154.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
MSI N260GTX-T2D896-OCv4 GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227381 $94.99 ($74.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
Free OCZ 8GB flash drive w/ purchase, while supplies last

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827118030 $25.99 Free Shipping*
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OEM | New 24X burner from Sony Optiarc

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.186064 Combo Discount: -$20.00 Combo Price: $154.98
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6826104178 $39.99 Free Shipping*
Logitech MX518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB or PS/2 Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming-Grade Mouse - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823109164 $11.99
Microsoft ZG6-00006 Black 103 Normal Keys 10 Function Keys PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard 500 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824236050 $149.99 ($129.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
ASUS VW224U Black 22" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ HDCP Support 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 5000:1) Built in Speakers - Retail

Total: $1,276.82 | $1,176.82 w/mail in rebates

Reply to Why_Me

I decided to switch the PSU and case to the ones you guys listed:

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Nice how that case has free shipping. Saves a good $15-20

couple ?s...

1. does thermal compound go bad over time? I had some arctic stuff I got 5 years ago that I have not at all touched since the day I used it for my first build. Would it still be ok now? It does not matter to me if it is the best of the best as long as it still works reasonably well. I don't plan to do any extensive hardcore OC'ing. Just some low to moderate at most.

2. I've never bought anything online from ewiz before. Do they charge tax in the state of Iowa? If so is it already included in the price above? If they don't then I'll look into them for the I7 and mobo. Also is their ground shipping similar to newegg's 3 day UPS?

anyway thanks for the help so far. I might order this stuff today or tommorrow.

Message quoted 2 times

Reply to jocee486

jocee486 wrote :

I decided to switch the PSU and case to the ones you guys listed:

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Nice how that case has free shipping. Saves a good $15-20

couple ?s...

1. does thermal compound go bad over time? I had some arctic stuff I got 5 years ago that I have not at all touched since the day I used it for my first build. Would it still be ok now? It does not matter to me if it is the best of the best as long as it still works reasonably well. I don't plan to do any extensive hardcore OC'ing. Just some low to moderate at most.

2. I've never bought anything online from ewiz before. Do they charge tax in the state of Iowa? If so is it already included in the price above? If they don't then I'll look into them for the I7 and mobo. Also is their ground shipping similar to newegg's 3 day UPS?

anyway thanks for the help so far. I might order this stuff today or tommorrow.

Ewiz has been around for ages. They still use UPS ground as far as I know. I'm not sure about taxes seeing how we have no sales tax where I live. Not really sure about how long thermal paste stays good for.

Reply to Why_Me

jocee486 wrote :

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

The BFG that Proximon mentioned is better quality.

Message quoted 1 times

theAnimal wrote :

The BFG that Proximon mentioned is better quality.

If you think the BFG is a better quality psu than that OCZ Fatal1ty your nuts.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to Why_Me

The OCZ has never been properly reviewed that I know of. I seriously doubt it's better than the BFG, which has been properly reviewed by more than one site:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.p [...] 5&reid=135

One person, who is fairly knowledgeable, says the OCZ is a Sirtec build... not a good sign but not quite a death sentence:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5295

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ My Guide to choosing parts
A big list of recommended parts
Troubleshooting Guide w/links
Reply to Proximon

Why_Me wrote :

If you think the BFG is a better quality psu than that OCZ Fatal1ty your nuts.

The 700W unit is good, that one not so much. I know that BFG is better quality than a Sirtec.

Message quoted 1 times

Proximon wrote :

The OCZ has never been properly reviewed that I know of. I seriously doubt it's better than the BFG, which has been properly reviewed by more than one site:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.p [...] 5&reid=135

One person, who is fairly knowledgeable, says the OCZ is a Sirtec build... not a good sign but not quite a death sentence:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5295

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=816

Quote :

"Nevertheless, beneath all the marketing fluff, it looks as though OCZ in conjunction with PC Power & Cooling have created a rather impressive power supply. The OCZ Fatal1ty 700w is 80+ certified and is designed to support the latest SLI and Crossfire multi-GPU technologies. This unit also features a single +12v rail and is backed by a 5 year OCZ PowerSwap Warranty replacement program.

Before we move on, we would just like to point out that there are two more power supplies in the Fatal1ty series rated for 400w and 550w. The 400w version is obviously more budget orientated and is designed for gaming systems that require less power, using a single graphics card. Then there is the 550w modular version which is SLI and Crossfire ready. Pricing is quite good, with the 400w version costing just $60 US, while the 550w version is a fraction more at $70 US. Finally, the flagship model will set gamers back around $130 US."

Message quoted 2 times
Message edited by Why_Me on 05-11-2009 at 01:05:34 AM

Reply to Why_Me

theAnimal wrote :

The 700W unit is good, that one not so much. I know that BFG is better quality than a Sirtec.

OCZ has 3 differen't manufactures producing their psu's. Each manufacture produces a separate line for OCZ. Modstream, Gamestream, and Fatal1ty are all produced by "different manufactureres.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to Why_Me

Why_Me wrote :

OCZ has 3 differen't manufactures producing their psu's. Each manufacture produces a separate line for OCZ. Modstream, Gamestream, and Fatal1ty are all produced by "different manufactureres.

OCZ uses 6 different OEMs, including 2 different ones for the Fatal1ty line.

Why_Me wrote :

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=816

Quote :

"Nevertheless, beneath all the marketing fluff, it looks as though OCZ in conjunction with PC Power & Cooling have created a rather impressive power supply. The OCZ Fatal1ty 700w is 80+ certified and is designed to support the latest SLI and Crossfire multi-GPU technologies. This unit also features a single +12v rail and is backed by a 5 year OCZ PowerSwap Warranty replacement program.

Before we move on, we would just like to point out that there are two more power supplies in the Fatal1ty series rated for 400w and 550w. The 400w version is obviously more budget orientated and is designed for gaming systems that require less power, using a single graphics card. Then there is the 550w modular version which is SLI and Crossfire ready. Pricing is quite good, with the 400w version costing just $60 US, while the 550w version is a fraction more at $70 US. Finally, the flagship model will set gamers back around $130 US."

The 700W is a good PSU, but the other 2 are made by a different OEM.

Message quoted 1 times

Why_Me wrote :

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=816

Quote :

"Nevertheless, beneath all the marketing fluff, it looks as though OCZ in conjunction with PC Power & Cooling have created a rather impressive power supply. The OCZ Fatal1ty 700w is 80+ certified and is designed to support the latest SLI and Crossfire multi-GPU technologies. This unit also features a single +12v rail and is backed by a 5 year OCZ PowerSwap Warranty replacement program.

Before we move on, we would just like to point out that there are two more power supplies in the Fatal1ty series rated for 400w and 550w. The 400w version is obviously more budget orientated and is designed for gaming systems that require less power, using a single graphics card. Then there is the 550w modular version which is SLI and Crossfire ready. Pricing is quite good, with the 400w version costing just $60 US, while the 550w version is a fraction more at $70 US. Finally, the flagship model will set gamers back around $130 US."

1. They did not test the 550W.
2. They are clueless when it comes to PSUs.
3. No ripple test, no hotbox test. No controlled load tests, as they lack any equipment at all.
4. Even the voltage readings look to be software based. They don't even list any tools they might have used.

Again, the 550W Fatal1ty has not been reviewed and there is no evidence to suggest it's even the same OEM as the 700W.

------------------------------ My Guide to choosing parts
A big list of recommended parts
Troubleshooting Guide w/links
Reply to Proximon

theAnimal wrote :

The 700W is a good PSU, but the other 2 are made by a different OEM.

You forgot to post a link showing us who.

Reply to Why_Me

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/704

Quote :

"This power supply is manufactured by Impervio, a company that is also in charge of some of the power supply units from SilverStone."

a

Reply to Why_Me

Now there's a good review of the 700W. I notice the different color PCBs, and still can see no reason to think the 550W is worthwhile.

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ My Guide to choosing parts
A big list of recommended parts
Troubleshooting Guide w/links
Reply to Proximon

Proximon wrote :

Now there's a good review of the 700W. I notice the different color PCBs, and still can see no reason to think the 550W is worthwhile.

The Fatal1ty series...all three of them: 700w, 550w, and 400w were made in conjunction with PC Power and Cooling. Hopefully someone reviews the 550w so I can say to everyone "I told ya so" But ya, I don't see PC Power and Cooling along with OCZ making a crap psu.

Reply to Why_Me

Can someone recommend an ASUS motherboard for this suggested rig? I hear they offer better support for the long haul.

I'd like to pick a Core I7 configuration and move ahead now that I'm finally employed again.

Reply to varocketry

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