$700-$800~ i7 920 gaming/general

[blazex]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: this week or next

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, web surfing, movies, music

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: monitor, mouse, kb, speakers, dvdrw

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg or possible prebuilt site

PARTS PREFERENCES: intel i7 920

OVERCLOCKING: no

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1440x900 19inch viewsonic (i know very crappy) cant afford to buy a new monitor


my build for now tell me what you guys think:

cpu: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail

motherboard: ASUS P6T SE LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

video card: GIGABYTE GV-R485ZL-512H Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

psu: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC ... - Retail

ram: Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT25664BA1339 - Retail

the total with shipping comes to $847.93, a few of the items have mail in rebates i havent included the total with them.

 

[hunter315]

Get this graphics card instead, it has a better cooler and a lifetime warranty
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150337

You are also supposed to use triple channel ram for the i7, unfortunately they cost significantly more, this kit will run signficantly faster but will cost you $48 more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381&Tpk=ocz%20platinum%206gb

That case also doesnt have too much in the way of cooling, consider the antec 300 for $10 more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Generally it is considered that you need atleast 1k for a good i7 system.

 

[tecmo34]

Two things...
■The Core i7 utilizes Triple Channel memory not Dual Channel as you listed. Here is my recommendations on the RAM...
■ I would upgrade your HDD to [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320]Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

These changes will take you over your current build by roughly $64.00 but they are worth the extra cash to improve your system.

edit: hunter315 and I agree on the RAM. I'm okay with your case and GPU but decided to address your HDD.

 

[Outlander_04]

very unbalanced computer

lots on cpu/mb and not much on gfx card

If you want a computer that can play games at high resolutions this is not the way to get it , and if you are building for a 1440 x 900 monitor the gfx card is OK but the rest of its just wasted money

 

[blazex]

thanks for suggestions guys. doh about the memory I didnt notice.

Get this graphics card instead, it has a better cooler and a lifetime warranty
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150337

You are also supposed to use triple channel ram for the i7, unfortunately they cost significantly more, this kit will run signficantly faster but will cost you $48 more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] inum%206gb

That case also doesnt have too much in the way of cooling, consider the antec 300 for $10 more
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129042

Ill be changing my configuration with what you guys suggestion with the ram ,videocard and the case.

very unbalanced computer

lots on cpu/mb and not much on gfx card

If you want a computer that can play games at high resolutions this is not the way to get it , and if you are building for a 1440 x 900 monitor the gfx card is OK but the rest of its just wasted money

How many years would the radeon hd 4850 last me if I decide to go purchase it? Should I go for a higher end video card? Would this video card be any good? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276

For the motherboard would it be wise for me to get this motherboard GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail instead of getting the Asus?

 

[Outlander_04]

The problem I see with your build isnt that the 4850 is good enough or whatever its that your i7 processor will never get above an idle .

For the same money you could get
Phenom X3 720, or maybe and X4 945
AM3 mb
2x2 gig of DDR3
4870 1 gig
500 gig hard drive [ seagate 7200.12 or samsung f3 are faster ]
case
psu
sata dvd drive
AND
a 22 inch monitor
its going to be better gaming experience , and will easily handle the other things you do

It wont be as fast encoding a video , and it wont be as fast running intense graphics rendering but you dont do that and so you shouldnt care about them

 

[shubham1401]

I agree with Outlander.
For an i7 rig you need to put more money.

But you can make a good AMD quad core rig with that budget with much better gfx card.

 

[Onus]

Outlander has a point. Unless you anticipate your processor needs increasing dramatically, you can build a more balanced system with an AMD 720BE, a stronger graphics card (e.g. 4870), AND upgrade to a 22" monitor at the same time.

Edit: Not to say a 4850 is weak. I tested my secondary rig recently, which is a 720BE. I play mostly older games (e.g. 2000-2005), and no current shooters, and they are all very playable on high settings at 1680x1050 (no AA needed at that resolution) using only a 4670. Background tasks included AVG (not scanning), and Teamspeak server and client, under Win7RC with 4GB of RAM.