Help with Build

Dongle

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This is my second time around. The first was very helpful and I was sure that my build was complete. Thanks to some set backs I need a new build because money is limited. This is my prior build some of the community has helped me put together.
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-i7 920 Nehalem
-Asus P6T
-OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
-Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit
-Darkknight cooler
-ATI Radeon 4870 1gig
-Corsair 750w PSU


This was the core of the build with tower/monitor thrown in but I already purchased those *22 inch monitor and AZZA Fantom 900 case* this all totaled around 1400. Sadly I need it to total around 950 max now. I have no preferences to parts or anything and I've even tried looking for lesser things myself but I can never manage to know what is good or not without googling reviews on every product and still finding nothing helpful. SO,

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Second Weekend in August
BUDGET RANGE: $900-1000)
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, school ****, movies, etc
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com or amazon preferably
PARTS PREFERENCES: I have no preferences besides good performance/reliability
OVERCLOCKING: Possible in future
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: In the future
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: good cooling (case has 4 fans so PSU needs to power those and everything else)

Forgot something very important, I would very much enjoy this PC to last me a few years without having to upgrade to COMFORTABLY play newer games and ones I have. To make it clear what I plan to play (WoW, any and all new FPS games, Dragon Age Origins, L4D 2) so I would like to not have to worry about upgrading or replacing anything for at least 2-4 years (excluding a new GFX card for SLI/Xfire).

Thanks in advance.
(This post may seem ridiculously huge but this is really nerve wracking when you're struggling to get your stuff together before I have to go back to school as my PC is dying and quickly)
 

Dongle

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Thank you for the suggestion tecmo34, that price is nice aside from needing a OS still. Question is do I buy Vista Home Premium with the free Windows 7 coupon upgrade or will my old ass Dell Windows XP (probably 32bit work if I install those onto my new machine)?
 

tecmo34

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My recommendation would be to download Window 7 RC for free and purchase the full version next March when required. Your Dell XP will work fine. You just need the key and to reactivate it after you install it.
 

Dongle

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Alright, just curious how do I download it onto a new machine? Or would I need to download it, burn it to a disk, then use it to install? I honestly don't want to use the XP, so how is Windows 7 running in that state? Stable I assume but no real bad issues? Thank you again for the recs, going probably get everything you listed but rollback to the 4870 to save some more cash.
 
Yes, you download the image and burn it to a DVD. I would just get the Vista with the Windows 7 upgrade, though. Rumor has it that Windows 7 Home Premium will cost about $120. You can get 64-bit Vista with the upgrade coupon for $110 and it will allow you to upgrade to Windows 7. If you go with the RC you'll have to do a fresh install when you buy the retail version.

Windows 7 is shaping up to be a very nice OS. I'm currently running the RC on two computers and it's very stable.
 

Dongle

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Thanks shortstuff_mt, I did wonder how much Windows 7 would be, so like you said Home Premium Vista is only 110 or whatever on Newegg with the coupon. Alright, sounds like a deal to me, this puts me in good shape to get the pc in like a week(just jinxed myself now I won't be getting anything).
 
The OCZ PSU isn't quite as good of quality as the Corsair unit, but it should work fine. You'll be pushing it pretty hard if you ever do crossfire 4870's, though. It also only comes with 1 6-pin PCI-E connector and 1 6+2 PCI-E connector which means it will need adapters for crossfire 4870's and wasn't really designed for that.
 

Dongle

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Yeah I would definitely upgrade the PSU if I get another card. But it should be fine with a single 4870 and the 4 case fans? That's all I am worried about. Thanks for the quick reply.
 

dna708

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If you still want to go with the i7 build, 950 isn't an impossible budget... but I think I might be missing something here, does that 1400 include the monitor? or are you from a different country? because when I look over your parts, I don't see how they total 950...

If you are from the U.S. you could try this out (all parts from newegg):

DVD: SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SH-S222A - OEM -- 23.99

HD: Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM -- 54.99

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready -- 89.99

Thermal Paste: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM -- 8.95

Mobo: MSI X58M LGA 1366 Intel X58 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail -- 169.99

CPU Cooler: Sunbeam CR-CCTF92-4 92mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - Retail -- 29.99

Graphics + Mem Combo: APPHIRE 100270SR Radeon HD 4850 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video ... - Retail

+ OCZ XMP Ready Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3X1600LV6GK - Retail --

302.99

CPU: Core i7 920 -- 279.99

Total: 960.87

If can go to Microcenter, you might be able to pick up the Core i7 for 200. If you decide to go with the 4870 1gig and different mem, those two combined are about 250.

So....

Total with microcenter CPU: 880.87

Total with 4870 1gig: ~ 910.87

Total with both modifications: 830.87

This is all assuming that you are buying in the U.S. and only require the core stuff....

I'd actually just buy home premium now and just upgrade later but that's your choice truthfully.
 
You really shouldn't be recommending an IDE DVD burner. It's 2009, time to let IDE die.

The 500GB Green edition drive is also pretty slow. Most people would like to have a fast drive like the WD6401AALS, especially in a fast i7 build. You'll notice on an i7 build that whenever something doesn't happen near instantly the HD light will be flashing meaning it can't keep up.
 

Dongle

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Well I thank you for the suggestion dna708, but with your mobo and the rest of the items I had originally planned on buying the budget comes to $955 and whole 27 dollars cheaper than the combo I had originally planned on buying with Asus P6T. The build shortstuff_mt suggested totals $854, a hefty drop in price. As he suggested the performance would be about equal, I don't know how true this is but I'll take his word.

If you can suggest an i7 build including RAM, 4870 1gig, MOBO, i7 920, PSU, OS, cooling gel/wrist strap for like 8 dollars combined, and a HD that totals around or less than $854 by all means tell me. I would very much appreciate a powerful i7 build with like $900 max so I don't have to worry about performance anytime soon. As mentioned before I want this PC to last me a few years with minimal upgrades or replacements. The reasoning is because I've been using a horrible Dell since like 04 and I struggle to play anything now even games that used to run decently.

Also, that 1400 was with everything, monitor, case and extras that I took out because I didn't get the job I planned on having this summer, hence me lowering my budget significantly.
 

Dongle

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The Mobo/Processor combo you recommended of course ran out the day I get the money to order. So I need to find new mobo with that processor. Suggestions?