$1090 Gaming PC with i7! Is this OK?

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1-2 months BUDGET RANGE: <$1000

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: GAMING, surfing internet, watching movies...

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

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: http://www3.hardwareversand.de

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No (Maybe)

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280x1024

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
I want:
- to play all new games with full graphs smoothly
- it to be good for after a few years, too!
- it to be silent (NZXT Hush is my case)

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OK, I've finally decided to build a new gaming PC! Because I live in Europe and gonna order my components from Germany, in my opinion, this is the best package I can get with MY budget (price - quality ratio). BUT what do you think, experienced Tom's guys?

PSU:
Corsair TX650 (650 watts and +12V rail 52A)
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/art [...] 6&agid=240

GPU:
XFX Radeon HD 4890 1GB DDR5 PCI-E 2.0
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/art [...] &agid=1004
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews [...] ics_card/1

RAM:
6GB Triple-Kit OCZ DDR3 PC3-10666 Gold Low-Voltage (1333 MHz) ?
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/art [...] &agid=1205

MOBO:
ASUS P6T SE
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/art [...] &agid=1191

CPU:
Intel Core i7-920 (OC 2.66ghz -> ~3.9ghz)
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/art [...] &agid=1189

COOLER:
Scythe Mugen 2
http://www3.hardwareversand.de/art [...] 1&agid=669

Price: ~760€ = $1090 (just for my planned budget)

1. Does the power supply give enough juice for the system? A good investment thinking a few years further?
2. What about RAM: A-Data, Corsair, G.Skill or OCZ? Maybe a little bit faster (and also a few bucks cheaper) 1600 Mhz G.skill would be a better option (http://www.guru3d.com/article/g-skill-ddr3-pc312800-triple-channel-memory-review/) ?
3. What about motherboard, would ASRock X85 Extreme be better or...? http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,2368.html
4. OR Should I wait for "something better" to come? As I have read, there's no reason to stress about DirectX 11 -cards, YET? As the first gen cards propably will be poor and there are only 4 games with DirectX 11 support (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_with_DirectX_11_support).

Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

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You don't have a Hard Drive listed. Do you need one?

If so check out the WD Caviar Black 640GB or 1TB models, depending on your needs.

The PSU is fine, although it doesn't really allow a comfort zone if you want to CF/SLI down the road. It will be fine for 1 video card though. If you ever want to CF/SLI pick up a 750W model.

Everything else is fine. The DX11 cards will hit selves in a little over a month. It's up to you if it's worth the wait.

------------------------------ i7 920 @ 3.33gHz, X58-UD4P, 6GB OCZ Gold 1333mHz, 4890 @ 925mHz, WD Caviar Black 500 and 640 GB, PCP&C 750W, and a CM V8 all stuffed into a CM 690

http://www.speedtest.net/result/592977006.png

Reply to astrodudepsu

^ That is a very good setup...
But I would like to again stress on 1 thing... i7 is not worth if the PC is mainly for gaming....And that too you are planning for 1-2 months, by that time, the i5s would come out and they could offer better value(Mainly for gaming)...So keep your options open...

Don't you think that graphics card is an overkill for your resolution...
But if you are planning for a monitor upgrade, then its fine...

Reply to gkay09

I question the wisdom of building such a powerful computer to run games on such a small monitor with limited resolution .

I would get at least a 24 inch monitor and the 4890 [ or 58XX ] which will be here soon , and tailor a build to that that fits the budget .
You simply dont need an i7 for your usage

Reply to Outlander_04

The set up seems fine. I agree with what has been said, you will want a more powerful PSU if you are considering sli/crossfire down the road.

As for you needs, I think an I7 will do the job you want very well. It will be a bit overpowered for the job you want to be honest, but you said that you would like some "future proofing" or as close as possible to future proofing and that will occur with this set up.

I would also think about getting a better monitor or downgrading your equipment(graphics card). But as I said, if you follow the whole future proofing thing, this allows you to go and upgrade your monitor with no loss to playability later on.

I do want to throw in the AMD PIIx4 995. that + an AM3 socket mobo means that you can swap the processor + GPU at a later date and still have a bleeding edge system if you are really concerned about "- it to be good for after a few years, too! "
The I7 will be good after a few years as well but the upgrade options for the 1366 socket is... sketchy at this point to say the best. So if you go I7 bank on it being the only processor that sees that motherboard and if you want a newer processor getting a new motherboard.

So
tl;dr version: Set up looks good. it is future proofed. You may want to consider cheaper alternatives as the system you have will go above and well beyond the call of duty for todays stuff. And lack upgradability(CPU wise) 3-4 years down the line when it becomes a 'normal' powerful computer the way core 2 duos are today.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to aelyan

CPU : I would overclock to around 3.6ghz with a D0 stepping cpu, going up to 3.9 will have no noticeable gains over 3.6 for the tasks your gonna be doing besides increase in voltage, heat and unstability.

GPU : The resolution you play at definitely changes the recommendations on video card you should get - if your under 24'' aim for a gtx260/4870 and save a few bucks

PSU : If you want your computer to last you a few years, you have to keep SLI/CF in mind - because a single GPU will be great today, but in a year or two its going to be old technology (8800gt anyone?) - For that reason I would recommend a small step up in PSU, a decent 750(like corsairs 750tx) would have enough headroom for a second video card when the time comes.

MOBO : And, this is my personal opinion based on experience, the P6T SE sucks - I've had 2 die on me within a week and refused to even try a third - purchased the EVGA x58 board and have not had a single problem with it yet.

I would look at the gigabyte ud3r if you want a budget board that can deliver.

RAM : a little bit of overclocking headroom helps - I have these running at cas8 1600 - http://www3.hardwareversand.de/art [...] &agid=1193

Message edited by KrisMRT on 08-05-2009 at 05:11:39 PM

------------------------------ Mobo: Evga x58 CPU: i7 920 @ 4.2ghz GPU: GTX275 SLI Ram: 6gb ocz 8-8-8-24 1600mhz PSU: Corsair 750w Cooling: HAF/TRUE
Reply to KrisMRT

For anyone with the budget for it the i7 is the most future proof platform there is right now, since for the as far out as we can see there is nothing that will be better. I5 is meant to replace the C2Q and C2D line, and AMD will not soon come out with a competitor for it, so you are looking at several years before the performance of the i7 is mainstreamed.
I agree you video card is overkill, if you plan on upgrading your monitor soon you might want to keep it, but a 4850 is all you need for that resolution. Lower resolution gaming is more cpu dependent than gpu, so you can save quite a bit there. If you like low res gaming, I suggest getting a good, 32" inch 720p HDtv to use as your gaming monitor. It will allow you to game @1366x768, plus it'll be great for movies and tv. They are pretty cheap now, you can find them in the $300 range. Plus you can still use the lower powered video cards on them.
If you plan to move up in resolution in 6months to 1year, I would still not get anything better than the 4850, since the current generation of cards will drop in price over that time and it will save you money in the long run...plus it will be easy to crossfire a second 4850 and you'll have better performance than the 4890 anyway.

Reply to belial2k

aelyan wrote :

The set up seems fine. I agree with what has been said, you will want a more powerful PSU if you are considering sli/crossfire down the road.

As for you needs, I think an I7 will do the job you want very well. It will be a bit overpowered for the job you want to be honest, but you said that you would like some "future proofing" or as close as possible to future proofing and that will occur with this set up.

I would also think about getting a better monitor or downgrading your equipment(graphics card). But as I said, if you follow the whole future proofing thing, this allows you to go and upgrade your monitor with no loss to playability later on.

I do want to throw in the AMD PIIx4 995. that + an AM3 socket mobo means that you can swap the processor + GPU at a later date and still have a bleeding edge system if you are really concerned about "- it to be good for after a few years, too! "
The I7 will be good after a few years as well but the upgrade options for the 1366 socket is... sketchy at this point to say the best. So if you go I7 bank on it being the only processor that sees that motherboard and if you want a newer processor getting a new motherboard.

So
tl;dr version: Set up looks good. it is future proofed. You may want to consider cheaper alternatives as the system you have will go above and well beyond the call of duty for todays stuff. And lack upgradability(CPU wise) 3-4 years down the line when it becomes a 'normal' powerful computer the way core 2 duos are today.

Thanks a lot for your analyzing answer, aelyan! I'll keep your tips in mind!

Yes, thinking about "future proofing" (SLI/Crossfire) a more powerful PSU, like Corsair TX750W 750 Watt is better option indeed! I'll make a change in that!

Reply to Olkka

@KrisMRT:

Yes, didn't even notice that 1600 Mhz OCZ RAM, thanks!

Interesting that everyone is saying about "too powerful GPU" for my monitor. Could have never even think about that !

At this moment, I'm very satisfied with my Samsung SyncMaster 940B TFT-display (with max. 1280x1024 resolution). BUT surely, a bigger, maybe 24", monitor upgrade might be ahead in the near future (latest when broken).
But like belial2k said, the "4850-crossfire-option" might be good...

Thanks for everyone their answers, much appreciated! I'll keep the advice in mind!

Reply to Olkka

8. September - new Core i5 and i7 CPUs !

10. September - AMD's first DirectX 11 GPU !

Hmmm, got to wait and see how it impacts on my new gaming setup ...

Reply to Olkka

to be completely honest all it will do is make your "dream" rig cheaper to get. The Dx11 will push the current GPU prices down but who in their right mind buys fresh off the press GPU series? Within 2 months they will come out with some "overclocked" or just flat out better version of the graphics card. Ala 4850 -> 4870 -> 4890 releasing.
That and Dx11, it is bound to have problems.

The new I7 will make the the current i7 a bit cheaper(but not by much). The i5 seem interesting but not really worth of getting. If I go that price range I would much rather an AMD processor, more bang for that buck. The i5 i hear are going to be lower cost but lower powered I7 processors. which is good and bad, good for people who love Intel, bad for people like me who flip flop depending on the price range I am looking in. If I want to cut my price and want "second place"(Though it should be mentioned that these days even second place is stupidly fast compared to chips even 2-3 years ago) I will go with AMD and the PIIx4s.

Reply to aelyan

That setup has no problems at all. - But you should have a hard drive =]

- I would not wait for the i5 because it has no hyperthreading making it weaker at desktop apps, and plus if you ( in the future ) decide to have more than 2 Gpu's in your system you will definitely need your i7.

I wouldn't count on the dx11 Gpu's delivering what they say they will, new Gpu's always have problems, just like OS's ( Win7 is an exception because of the beta / RC )

Message quoted 1 times

Forgot to mention, that I have 2 hard drives (even though old 7200rpm IDEs)!

Yea, that's what I'm hoping! That 'September makes' my "dream" rig cheaper!

Reply to Olkka

stevensl2 wrote :

That setup has no problems at all. - But you should have a hard drive =]

- I would not wait for the i5 because it has no hyperthreading making it weaker at desktop apps, and plus if you ( in the future ) decide to have more than 2 Gpu's in your system you will definitely need your i7.

I wouldn't count on the dx11 Gpu's delivering what they say they will, new Gpu's always have problems, just like OS's ( Win7 is an exception because of the beta / RC )

I thought the i5 will be having hyperthreading. It's 2 cores with hyper threading. There is a lower model i7 coming out for that socket too.

Reply to masterasia

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