Help me shave $200 off my build

[dafex]

Trying to stay close to $1500 for my build and I'm finding myself slightly over. I'm going for a core i7 920 with EVGA gtx 275 because of the option to step up at a later date. I want to keep my options open for SLI so I will need a board with at least 2 pci 16 slots.

I saw the $169 ASRock board but it was sold out on newegg so I put down the EVGA board here. I didn't really see anything else between the two in price ranges that covered what I needed and got positive reviews.

Here is what I have so far.

Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive

Hanns·G HG-281DPB Black 28" 3ms Widescreen LCD HDMI Monitor Built-in Speakers

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 22X DVD-R 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner LightScribe Support - OEM

1ST PC CORP. 12" 8-pin EPS extension cable Model CB-8M-8F - Retail

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

OCZ OCZ3P1600LV6GK DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz 6GB Platinum XTC Triple Channel Kits

COMBO
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
+
EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
for minus $20.

COMBO
EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
+
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
for minus $15.

Any suggestions on how to shave 100-150 off this beast without losing much? My idea was to find a comparable motherboard at a cheaper price or to downgrade my PSU to the corsair 750TX. My only concern about that though was whether or not it would be enough power if I chose to get another gtx 275 or upgrade to the gtx300 series.

Also, will the single gtx 275 be able to handle the 28" monitor until I can get a 2nd one or upgrade it?

Thanks Will be ordering sometime today or tomorrow.

 

[FallenSniper]

Here's one way to look at it:

CPU Cooler: Good choice, not going to save much here unless you decide to stick with stock and avoid getting an aftermarket HSF altogether.

Hard Drive: You aren't gonna save any money by going lower here.

Monitor: Only way you would save would be to get a smaller one, but you would save a lot if you did.

DVD Drive: Not gonna save anything

Case/Extension Cable: Not going to save enough to make changing them worthwhile

RAM: This is currently the best deal I'm aware of

If you live close to a Micro Center you could buy the i7 there and save ~$80

Dropping down tot he 750W Corsair really isn't going to save you much. I would still recommend it because you don't need the 850W though. The motherboard is where I would look to save some right now.

I like this board a fair amount: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131386

Other than those few things, there isn't a whole lot you can do.

 

[jbakerlent]

ASRock X58 Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157155
or the P6T that FallenSniper suggested,

HIS H489F1GP Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276

Antec EA750 750W ATX12V version 2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371026
w/ Promo Code "ANTECAUG" for -$10

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&Tpk=f3%20500gb

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
or
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

You didn't say whether you plan on gaming or overclocking, but a single 275 should be fine and yes a 750W PSU will power two of them if you decide to get another. And lastly, you can drop the HSF if you're not overclocking.

 

[dafex]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've swapped the HAF 932 out for a HAF 922 which saved me $30. Looks better too, imho. I have never overclocked before but I'm not going to rule it out this time so I would like to keep the HSF just in case. I'll mainly be using for gaming.

That ASUS board doesn't support SLI, I'm reading about the ASRock right now. I may just end up going with how I've got it now.

After further looking at the motherboards, can you tell me what differences there are that would be worth paying the extra $80 or so? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039 EVGA board and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157155 ASRock board. Or will the differences be negligible? They both have good reviews and the specs seem similar enough, I'm just not sure if the board is as quality as the EVGA because of the branding.

 

[FallenSniper]

The EVGA would no doubt Overclock better. Other than that, I don't think you would notice much of a difference in performance.

 

[geofelt]

The Antec 200 is a nice no frills case for $50, but for a little "bling" look at the Antec 300 illusion package: for $65.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066