-=[ Core i7 Build .:. $1000 Budget ]=-

keep in mind you'll need a 64 bit OS for 6 gigs of ram so using pre-existing HD's can be a problem. be prepared to reformat.

i7.. budget gaming rig? That used to make me crack up but seeing it come into reality is scary.

The RAM... is XMP important for you? If not, I'd choose
OCZ Platinum DDR3 1600 7-7-7-24
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227381

And the cooler... man, I haven't seen anyone grab the Vigor Monsoon in a long time.

Xigmatek Dark Knight (Cheap)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233029

Mugen 2 (Performs amazingly cheaply, but huge)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] =Mugen%202

The TRUE (ThermalRight Ultra 120 Extreme) (Best performer, slightly more expensive, but same price as Vigor Monsoon which the TRUE outperforms)
http://www.google.com/products?hl= [...] 4&ct=title

Thanks for the input! This is great. I'll certainly consider the suggestions. The TRUE has been something I keep running into, must be a reason...

Ya know, I did look at that mobo and I just can't get over the fact that it looks like a 3 year old picked the "color code" on that thing. It just reminds me of a clown, not some serious gaming rig. I'm just an old school ASUS fan, but I don't wanna spend the loot on the ASUS I really want.

Has anyone reviewed or owned any of the items in question?

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-EX58U4P $222.99 | $207.99 after rebate
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P Core i7/ Intel X58/ DDR3/ CorssFireX & 3-Way SLI/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

https://www.antaresdigital.com/cust [...] ge=1" $ 280.00
Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz LGA 1366 Socket 8MB Cache CPU D0 Stepping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233029 $39.99
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing 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 [...] 6814130475 $239.99 ($219.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Free Cryostasis game w/ registration at manufacturer website

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231247 $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/Prod [...] 6813128374 <--- more pics, specs, and customer reviews of that Gigabyte UD4P mobo used in this build

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

http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php? [...] 3&Itemid=1 <--- that's one way you can tell if you have a D0 stepping cpu or not

Well, I got the gear and put it all together... here are the results:

Case: Existing Lian Li PC60 - (the GTX275 BARELY fit!!! I literally have exactly 1mm from the HDD and their cage. That's only because I flush-mounted the connector side toward the card and flipped the HDD's with the top of them facing the right side (mobo side) of the case. This way the connectors were low and out of the way. SLI is not an option if I want to keep those HDD, so when that time comes, so will a new case. It would be too hot anyway inside the case with 2x GTX275's anyway.

CPU: Core i7 920 - (uhhh... yeah... everything positive you read is true. Just awesome!!).

CPU Cooler: Vigor Monsoon III LT - (VERY quiet, even using the Asus turbo fan profile. There are coolers that will cool the CPU "more". But, this keeps the CPU at a consistent temp. Proper thermal paste application is CRITICAL. Dont' use too much. I have always used a razor blade to spread the compound and that really works well for me. Super thin and super flat, after a couple days of burn-in, temps crawl down about 2-3 degrees from install day).

RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (the Intel based XMP profile in the BIOS set this at 1600MHz 8-8-8-24. Very happy with stock speeds (for now)).

HDD: 2x WD 72GB Raptor (2nd Edition) RAID 0 - (these are slowing me down according to the Windows Experience Score which is 7.4 - 7.8 - 7.4 - 7.4 - 6.0) SSD here we come...

Mobo: ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 - (went with this based on hard evidence and reviews that a little more money makes sense on the mobo. With that said, I simply LOOOOOVE this board. Not fond of the way it looks, however).

Opticals: 2x DVD Writer/CD-RW - (I need to change these to SATA soon.)

PSU: Corsair 850TX (This is one awesome, high quality PSU!!)

VC: 1x EVGA GeForce GTX 275 - (I thought that I got a bad card because I had red lines racing horizontally across the screen, but it turned out to be my DVI cable. It wouldn't work on certain video cards for some reason beacuse it does the same thing on my old IBM workstation that has a Quadro 980 XGL. I solved it by using a thick Dual Link DVI cable. Works amazingly!! I run every game on FULL AA and AF, including COD WAW. Although I don't own Crysis or Cryo yet, I'm sure they will challenge this habit... )


So, This stuff put me at $1147 shipped. I am ecstatic about the performance of this rig. It is VERY quiet and temps are decent (about 43C for both the mobo and CPU idle). I haven't built a PC for myself for about 6 years, so this was certainly a treat. I found myself really having a hard time concentrating on work the days the gear arrived. It's great to know you can be a kid again. That's why we do this I guess.

One thing to note is that I turned off the page file. This was dramatic during game play when loading and reloading on single player games.

Any comments or feedback is always welcome.