$1300 i7 gaming/everything build buying this week (any suggestions?)

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: within the next week (very possibly TODAY, 5/11/09)

BUDGET RANGE: $1300USD MAX

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, surfing the internet, productivity, watching movies

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel i7 920 with an EVGA x58 SLI board and 6GB RAM

OVERCLOCKING: maybe after warranties expire

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: eventually, in a year or two

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: relatively quiet, want it to last for a few years (maybe add 6 more GB of RAM and another GTX260 in a year or so)
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EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail

Vigor Monsoon III LT Dual 120mm Fan CPU Cooler Socket 1366 Ready - Retail

CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail (already have)

COOLER MASTER R4-S2S-124K-GP 120mm Case Fan - Retail (already have)

Sunbeam MFPP Multi-Fan Power Port - OEM (already have)

SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM (already have)



I can't decide which RAM. The latter is $5 more but has tighter timings. The only problem is that I don't know if it will fit under the Vigor Monsoon III cooler.... anyone know whether or not it will fit?

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail



I've been researching since January and am pretty set on most of these parts, but am still open to suggestions. Basically I just want to make sure that I'm not missing out on any good deals and I want to know if there are any known problems or compatibility issues with any of this hardware.
Thanks in advance for the advice and thanks theAnimal for the awesome template!!

gkay09,
I had previously considered each of your suggestions and here is the reasoning behind the parts that I picked.

1. The 750TX could run all of the hardware that I picked no problem, but what about the future? I want this computer to last for AT LEAST 3 years. This means new hard drives, new video card(s?), possibly new processor (gulftown?), etc. So I just figured it would be better to spend the extra few bucks now to get a better PSU (850TX) rather than having to upgrade it down the road. I'd get the 1000HX if it was at all practical, but I can't justify spending an extra $80 on 150 watts....

2. I had also considered the GTX275, but is that little bit of performance worth the extra $45? I've read reviews (click here) that say the GTX260 SC gets close to the GTX280 performance-wise. If this is not true someone please let me know now! =P

3. As for OCZ.... I've heard wonderful things about their RAM...but I've also heard not-to-nice things about their rebates. That being said, I couldn't find a good set of OCZ RAM without a rebate. Again, if I'm mistaken about OCZ not honoring their rebates, please let me know!


So, gkay09, those are the reasons I picked the hardware that's up there. Thank you SO much for your suggestions and for taking your time to help out. If I hear otherwise on the GTX260 SC performance and/or the OCZ rebates... well, a penny saved is a penny earned, right?

I'm a little lost here...you want to OC your system when the warranty expires? Why not now?

I thought it was OK to OC as long as you don't go over the max recommended voltage.

OK thanks, I'll look into that some more.

OCing aside though, how does it look? Do either of you know whether THIS RAM will fit with THIS COOLER on the EVGA x58?

Yes, I know they are individually excellent products, but will they fit with each other (cooler=huge, ram=tall)??