Tom's Hardware > Forum > CPU & Components > Other Components > So basically for a core i7 920 it's going to cost me about $1,000?

So basically for a core i7 920 it's going to cost me about $1,000?

Forum CPU & Components : Other Components - So basically for a core i7 920 it's going to cost me about $1,000?

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I really want the core i7. I've been looking around for computers from dell and hp.

I also, want to have a really good graphics card, but when it comes to graphics card i'm not too good at knowing which are good and which are not.

I'm not worried about hard drive space or anything else really. All I want basically is the core i7 and a really good or maybe even great graphics card. I will add ram later on down the line and also a small hard drive like 320 gb is fine with me.

i've never built a computer before, but I am sure I can, because I've taken them apart and put other components in. i started adding up component parts and they were nearing 1,000 and so at that point it seemed i might as well skip the hassle and buy a HP or Dell, but those too are up over 1,000 bucks.

So, unless i'm missing something, i'm looking at about 1,000 bucks, right?

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If you get a Dell or an HP you're not going to be able to upgrade it, either because their warranties prohibit it or their cases and motherboards (sometimes) are geared up for only what the system is shipped with.

Also, unless you're getting a system explicitly listed as a premium product (like a Dell XPS) you're going to get just-good-enough components.

If you think you can build a system yourself then go for it. If you want to get a pre-built system there's a million other places you can get systems from without going to the over-priced, questionable quality big brands like HP and Dell.

As to your budget, if $1,000 is what you want to spend then spend it, but you could spend $1,500, $2,000 and up on a system depending on what you want to do with it. Also, when you say Core i7, are you talking about the 900 series for socket 1366 or the 800 series for socket 1156 as that will affect budget.

Reply to LePhuronn

yep, i was talking about the 920.

also, what's the difference in socket types? the 1366 and 1156?

I think i'm going to build my own, but a friend of mine just said don't do it. he said he wishes he had just bought a premade and blamed the manufacturers when something went wrong haha. but I think I could do it....

Reply to jtballer

Tom's hardware regularly publishes do it yourself articles. One category is called System Builder Marathon. Last May they did a system build using an Intel Core i7 920 cpu. The article contains a complete list of components. The total cost was $1,296.00 US. Here is a link to the article:

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,2312.html

Reply to JohnnyLucky

nice. i was looking at one of those last night, but not this one.

Reply to jtballer

no offense to you mate jtballer, but if he regularly has problems with a machine he's built himself then he's probably not very good at it.

Putting a simple system together is like toddlers building blocks - things physically don't fit if it's the wrong hole. So as long as you pay attention to electrical fundamentals like static and not getting things wet then you'll be fine.

By the time you move into more complex systems you'll have the fundamentals down so it's also no problem.

As JohnnyLucky says, there's a ton of advice on this site and I'm sure there's plenty of experienced folk on these here forums who can answer specific questions the guides don't have.

Reply to LePhuronn

haha. i can't wait to tell him he sucks at building computers!!

but yeah, I think it's just because i've never built one before i'm a little bit nervous because I'm going to be throwing down a lot of money, at least for me it's a lot of money.

Reply to jtballer

I was nervous as hell on my first build. Just take your time, research your parts carefully and enjoy it.

Best of luck dude!

Message edited by LePhuronn on 10-21-2009 at 01:39:14 AM

Reply to LePhuronn

You can always cut down the cost of an i7 920 build. Prices always fluctuate +$10 to -$10 with sales and specials, and combos.

Live near Microcenter? i7 920 = $210 if in stock. Otherwise, $270.

Motherboard? ASRock X58 Extreme = $170 (overclock to 3.6GHz with stock heatsink with Arctic Silver 5).

RAM? Crucial 4GB DDR3 1333 CT2KIT25664BA1339 = $73

Power Supply? OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W = $70

Mid-Tower, Hard Drive, DVD-R, Keyboard, and Mouse, depending on what you want or need. I usually can get these items off of Craigslist for free, or $20 - $40.

Arctic Silver 5 = $7

Sub-Total = $570

This leaves you with 2 important things you're looking for:

Video Card - $260 (Radeon HD 5850). Best video card for the money right now.

Monitor - $320 (I don't skimp out on a monitor. The 28" Hanns-G HG281D is solid, but the 28" Hannspree HF-289HJB is the latest model I would recommend.)

Total = $1000

However, this $1000 you can build is going to be much better than any $1000 you can buy.

If you want to skimp out on the video card and monitor, you can probably get a decent video card for $30 if you don't play graphics intensive games or just watch movies. Plus, $70 for a decent monitor. $670 Total.

Or, if you care more about gaming, go for the Phenom II x3 720 ($120), and a $80 motherboard.

At any rate, the beauty of building your system, is you can pick and choose what you want and how much you want to pay.

My order of importance:
1. Monitor (22" or higher, 1920 x 1200 resolution, at least 3ms gtg)
2. CPU - if you don't care, you don't need to build your own computer (some gaming = 2 cores, mostly gaming = 3 cores, more than gaming = 4 cores)
3. Video Card (to support my visual experience for my monitor)
4. Memory (at least 4GB)
5. Hard drive (SSD's ftw! Still, cheap 7200RPM drives are okay, too)
6. Power Supply (depends on if I'm settling in for one Video Card, of if I'm going to Xfire/SLI in the future)

hey el captain thanks for your reply!

well here's what i bought today

-Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz 8M L3 Cache 4.8GT/sec QPI Hyper-Threading Turbo Boost LGA1366 Processor - 279.99

-Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750-Watt TX Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Intel Core i7 and Core i5 - $109.99

-($119.95) CASE ANTEC|NINE HUNDRED TWO R - Retail
$119.95

-MEM 2Gx3|CORSAIR TR3X6G1600C8 G - Retail
$164.99

-HD 1T|WD 7K 32M SATA2 WD1001FALS % - OEM
$94.99

-$188.99) MB GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R 1366 X58 R - Retail
$188.99

-CPU COOL SCYTHE|SCMG-2000 R - Retail
$34.99

soooooooooooooo. i don't have a video card, optical drive or windows 7 yet

but that's what i just bought

Reply to jtballer

you'll be happy to know that i didn't want to skimp out on a monitor either, so about 2 months ago i got a nice 23 inch LG LCD. it's great, and i love it

Reply to jtballer

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So basically for a core i7 920 it's going to cost me about $1,000?

Forum CPU & Components : Other Components - So basically for a core i7 920 it's going to cost me about $1,000?