New build i7

[mycomperisbeast]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: June 2009
BUDGET RANGE: $1800-$1900

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, surfing the internet, watching 1080p movies

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

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Don't really care. You can post from newegg because it is easier.

PARTS PREFERENCES: by brand or type I would like to saty with the i7 and stick with NVIDIA Cards

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080-the monitor I choose runs max at this res.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I need performance that will last a while (5-7 years)

Here is what I have so far:
Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 120mm SSO CPU Cooler
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
BFG Tech BFGEGTX2801024OCXE GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retai x2-So I will be getting 12 GB of RAM
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
ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor

Still not sure about the video card whether I should get two 260's or just one 285. Thanks in advance.

 

[Helloworld_98]

the i7 can't run 6 dimms at anything above 1333mhz so save your money and just get 1333mhz dimms.

2x 260's will beat a single GTX 285 by a fair pace but you lose the ability to add more performance.

 

[Why_Me]

Here's a build with most of your components yet it includes dual gtx 275's in SLI. From what I have read on a few other threads, that Noctua h/s doesn't fit so well with the EVGA boards due to the fact of the EVGA north bridge and the size of the Noctua. EVGA has a list of h/s on their support forums that that fit on those boards. As far as getting a sound card I think I would wait and try the on board sound just for the fact on board sound these days is comparable to a lot of sound cards out there. Also twelve gigs of ram might not make it a bit harder to achieve a decent over clock not to mention twelve gigs seems a bit much for your needs atm. On the vid cards, they are phasing out the gtx 280. If you set on running two of those cards, I would seriously recommend a 850w psu seeing how the are a power hog compared the the newer Nvidea gtx cards such as the 275's and 285's. Anyways this build will allow you to run all your games on high and for a cost that's within your budget.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811129043 $159.99
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817139006 $119.99 ($109.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-EX58U4P&show=p Combo Price: $494.00 | w/coupon code: $484.00 Free Shipping
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, Retail
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P Core i7/ Intel X58/ DDR3/ CorssFireX & 3-Way SLI/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard
Use coupon code: Take10 for additonal $5 off.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 $41.99 Free Shipping*
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154003 $4.99
Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150364 $234.99 Free Shipping*
XFX GX275XADQC GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Free Call of Duty: World at War w/ purchase, limited offer

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150364 $234.99 Free Shipping*
XFX GX275XADQC GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Free Call of Duty: World at War w/ purchase, limited offer

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=N82E16822136284 $94.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827118030 $25.99
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/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049 $219.99 Free Shipping*
ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1) Built in Speakers - Retail
With HDCP support

Total: $1,716.90 | $1,706.90 w/mail in rebates

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd353205.aspx?ITPID=mscomsc <--- Save yourself some money on an o/s until March 2010 and dl the 64 bit version of Windows 7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128374 <--- more pics, specs, and customer reviews of that Gigabyte UD4P mobo used in this build

https://www.antaresdigital.com/customer/product.php?productid=16135&cat=282&page=1&#034; $ 277.00
Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz LGA 1366 Socket 8MB Cache CPU D0 Stepping

http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11773&Itemid=1 <--- that's one way you can tell if you have a D0 stepping cpu or not

http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=584 <---short review on that D0 stepping i7. It runs cooler than the older C0 stepping i7's.

 

[mycomperisbeast]

Ok, @Helloworld_98, i am kind of a noob, so i don't understand what you mean by this

the i7 can't run 6 dimms at anything above 1333mhz so save your money and just get 1333mhz dimms.

And @Why_Me, i would love to keep my EVGa board that I have, becuase they are just better boards i think. If I get that Xigmetek DK heatsink, will it fit on the EVGa board ok? And my friend said the Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound was the best. And I think I am going to get only one gtx 285 now, and then maybe get a second one later when the prices come down for SLI. What do you think? And if I did that what kind of PSU would I need?

And what is D0 Stepping and why is it important??

Kind of a noob sorry.

 

[Helloworld_98]

^ well you chose 1600mhz memory modules, 6 in total, but the i7 cannot run 6 modules above 1333mhz, so you could save money by just getting 1333mhz modules instead of 1600mhz modules.

and the D0 stepping is important because it has some fixes, runs a bit cooler and overclocks a lot further.

 

[foolycooly]

Also, get the platinum set of RAM...faster timings for the same price --

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

 

[mycomperisbeast]

^ well you chose 1600mhz memory modules, 6 in total, but the i7 cannot run 6 modules above 1333mhz, so you could save money by just getting 1333mhz modules instead of 1600mhz modules.

and the D0 stepping is important because it has some fixes, runs a bit cooler and overclocks a lot further.

I just don't think that is true. I haven't read anything about that on the i7. I could be wrong. Could you link me? and good call of the platinum RAM. It is faster then the stuff I have right?

 

[Why_Me]

Ok, @Helloworld_98, i am kind of a noob, so i don't understand what you mean by this

the i7 can't run 6 dimms at anything above 1333mhz so save your money and just get 1333mhz dimms.

And @Why_Me, i would love to keep my EVGa board that I have, becuase they are just better boards i think. If I get that Xigmetek DK heatsink, will it fit on the EVGa board ok? And my friend said the Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound was the best. And I think I am going to get only one gtx 285 now, and then maybe get a second one later when the prices come down for SLI. What do you think? And if I did that what kind of PSU would I need?

And what is D0 Stepping and why is it important??

Kind of a noob sorry.

If your going with the 285's than play it safe and get something like a Corsair 850w psu. And helloworld correct about the 12 gigs of RAM running at 1333. A simple google search will explain it. Also on the new D0 stepping i7's...I posted a link at the bottom of that build in regards to the changes from the older C0 stepping i7's. The most significant change is that the newer D0's run cooler.

 

[mycomperisbeast]

If your going with the 285's than play it safe and get something like a Corsair 850w psu. And helloworld correct about the 12 gigs of RAM running at 1333. A simple google search will explain it. Also on the new D0 stepping i7's...I posted a link at the bottom of that build in regards to the changes from the older C0 stepping i7's. The most significant change is that the newer D0's run cooler.

And the one they have at Newegg is the old version of the i7? And as far as the ram situation, you are telling me that if i but 12 gigs of 1600, it will only run at 1333? If that is the case, will there be a fix for this in the future or will I have to buy a new processor. Cause I have told my build to other people and they haven't even mentioned that to me wow. Anyways, it can only support 6 gigs at 1600 right? So which would be better 12 gigs at 1333, or 6 at 1600?

 

[Why_Me]

And the one they have at Newegg is the old version of the i7? And as far as the ram situation, you are telling me that if i but 12 gigs of 1600, it will only run at 1333? If that is the case, will there be a fix for this in the future or will I have to buy a new processor. Cause I have told my build to other people and they haven't even mentioned that to me wow. Anyways, it can only support 6 gigs at 1600 right? So which would be better 12 gigs at 1333, or 6 at 1600?

If you plan on over clocking and/or gaming than 6 gigs of tripple channel DDR3 will more than suffice. If you plan on doing something like professional video editing then I would go with 12 gigs of 1333. It all depends on what you do with your PC.

 

[mycomperisbeast]

Why can't it support 12 gigs at 1600 , that is kind of disappointing.

 

[Why_Me]

Why can't it support 12 gigs at 1600 , that is kind of disappointing.

Only if your into hard core video editing, or something similar, otherwise 6 gigs is a lot of RAM.

 

[mycomperisbeast]

I just want my computer to be as fast as possible. I want photoshop to be able to open in like 1 second lol.

That being said, would it benfit me to just get really fast 6 gig ram. What is the fastest set of 6 gig available?

 

[foolycooly]

tbh you're probably not going to notice the difference between 1333 and 1600. The biggest issue you face in that situation is overclocking limits. The best course of action may be to get one set of 6gb for now and add more later if for some reason you determine that 6gb isn't enough. Trust me...it will be.

 

[mycomperisbeast]

tbh you're probably not going to notice the difference between 1333 and 1600. The biggest issue you face in that situation is overclocking limits. The best course of action may be to get one set of 6gb for now and add more later if for some reason you determine that 6gb isn't enough. Trust me...it will be.

Well, will the i7 ever be able to support 12 GB of 1600 in the future, or is ther anything that can?

 

[roblov1]

If your going with the 285's than play it safe and get something like a Corsair 850w psu. And helloworld correct about the 12 gigs of RAM running at 1333. A simple google search will explain it. Also on the new D0 stepping i7's...I posted a link at the bottom of that build in regards to the changes from the older C0 stepping i7's. The most significant change is that the newer D0's run cooler.

I noticed that there are 2 850w Corsair PSUs for sale on Newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009 - #139 ($119 with rebate)
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011
CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail - $199.

Any reason for the drastic difference in price?

 

[mycomperisbeast]

I noticed that there are 2 850w Corsair PSUs for sale on Newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009 - #139 ($119 with rebate)
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011
CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail - $199.

Any reason for the drastic difference in price?

The second one is modular.

which is better and will run my computer faster. 12GB at 1333 or 6GB at 1600-or can that even be faster?

 

[Why_Me]

I noticed that there are 2 850w Corsair PSUs for sale on Newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009 - #139 ($119 with rebate)
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011
CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail - $199.

Any reason for the drastic difference in price?

The more expensive one is the newer modular psu that Corsair just came out with. Myself...I use zip ties.

 

[Helloworld_98]

the i7 can support 12GB @ above 1333mhz, it just needs to be in 4GB modules.

and 3 modules can go upto however far the IMC can overclock to.

 

[mycomperisbeast]

the i7 can support 12GB @ above 1333mhz, it just needs to be in 4GB modules.

and 3 modules can go upto however far the IMC can overclock to.

Then how come people are running 12 Gb (6x2GB) Perfectly on the i7? It must be a motherboard issue or something I don't really get it. Read the reviews on these two sets of 12Gb 1600 mhz memory and they say is reconizes and runs perfectly.

CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory

OCZ Platinum 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory

 

[Helloworld_98]

^ I'm pretty sure you're only allowed 1333mhz max with 6 dimms because any higher and it can damage the CPU.

 

[micky_lund]

just go with 6 gigs of the platinum 1600 mhz stuff.... how the hell would u need 12 gigs of ram?

 

[mycomperisbeast]

Well the reason for the 12 GB is i will be doing HD video editing and it might become useful in the future when applications become more demanding. But anyway, my links that I posted don't support your claim Helloworld_98. Please take a look at these and you will see that people are running 12 gigs of RAM at 1600 mhz. If you look at the Corsair link, they guarantee their RAM running at 1600 mhz to work in all i7 systems.

Links: OCZ Platinum 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

 

[micky_lund]

seems that it just manually needs to be set at 1600mhz (rather than default 1066)? or is it some boards allow this, and others dont?

(noticed all using asus boards... coincidence ?)

 

[mycomperisbeast]

Ya, it has to be manually changed apparently. I am looking to get a really good sound card, like almost top of the line. Please make some suggestions. Also, I am pretty much looking for the top of the line heatsink too. The problem is every review site has different builds, so some sites for example say the Noctua performs better than the Thermalright Ultra 120 and other sites will tell you differently.