I7 for Gaming 900-1200 - My First Build Ever

tehmuffinman

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 2 - 3 Weeks

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Mostly Gaming, Some Media viewing and Surfing the Internet
BUDGET RANGE: 1000 - 1300 After Rebates

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, Mouse, Keyboard

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: NewEgg or any reputable site

PARTS PREFERENCES: Reliable and as Future Proof as possible with budget, room for expansion

OVERCLOCKING: I would like to do some over clocking but I haven’t done it before. (anyone have a good website to learn from?)

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes in the future


MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920 x 1080 –
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254040&cm_re=hanns_g-_-24-254-040-_-Product

I am looking to get back into PC gaming and I would like to build my own computer for the first time. I would like to try and build something that is going to last me 2-3 years maybe more with expansion/upgrades. I would like to play mostly FPSs (yes including crisis) and RPGs with highest settings. I don’t mind waiting for better quality products to go on sale so suggestions on that front is appreciated as well.

I am going to visit family this weekend where there is a micro center and I am considering buying the i7 920 or the 860 while I am there. Not sure which one is better for gaming and future proofing. Also, is there anything else I should pick up while I am there? Do they have better deals then online merchants for any other parts? I heard that it is better to ask for the D0 stepping rather than the C0. Is that still something I need to ask for with the 920 and 860?

I am just planning on running a one card configuration, but I want a good card so that I can put another one in later for SLI or Crossfire.


Processor: (Purchased)

I7 920 -
http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0302727
$212 after tax


Case: (Purchased)

COOLMASTER HAF 922: Microcenter

$100.69 after tax, $90.69 after MIR


Motherboard
ASRock X58 Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157163
$169.99


Video Card:


XFX HD-585A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video ... - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150442

$259.99


PSU: - Pretty sure about this

CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

$139.99



Ram:

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224

139.99 + 6.39 shipping = $146.38 from frys.com


Hard Drive:

Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319


$74.99



Optical Drive
- Set on this


SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223B - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187


$30.99


CPU Cooler

Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185093&Tpk=mugen%202

$34.99



- Thanks in advance for your help
 

wises4057

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so Im currently looking at building a new gaming computer for about the same price, and I'm going to go with the i7, cause the new intel processors rumoring to be coming out are suppose to use the same socket on the motherboard as the i7, so down the road it's upgradeable without having to change out motherboards and all. just my 2 cents though.
 

tehmuffinman

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Thanks, I think I will pick up the 920 then when I go to Microcenter. Is the Asrock motherboard acceptable, or do I want to purchase something better so that it will last me longer for expansion in the future?

I really am not sure about the power supply as well. Like I said I would rather buy something now that will last me longer rather then have to upgrade later. Would a 760 watt PSU be acceptable for expansion. I was looking at the 5870 and 5850 Ati cards and if I bought one now and one down the road would a 750 watt power supply have enough juice for 2 of those cards in crossfire?

Also, anyone have any recommendations on aftermarket cpu coolers or thermal paste?
 

Newf

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The i7 920 is an LGA 1366 socket cpu which uses 3 channel ram and is and will be the high-end system for Intel.
The i7 8xx is an LGA 1156 socket cpu which uses dual channel ram is is the newer but more mainstream aimed system for Intel.
The i7 920 has a market price of $280, but Microcenter has been selling it for $200 for many months now.
This deal makes an 1366 system more affordable than otherwise possible. Go for it.
Go to the psu section of this forum for info on good brands/practices.
Asrock is OK, but most here prefer Asus or Gigabyte.
 

era86

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Does 3 channel ram really have an effect in gaming? And as for the upgrade path, the 6-core CPU for 1366 is rumored to be near $1k...

As for the 8x vs 16x PCIE, this article shows not much gain in the X58 vs the P55: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5850,2433.html

Just more information you could work with. If you are looking for the high-end stuff that will benefit you in more than just gaming, the X58 is definitely the way to go, but if you are concerned with primarily gaming, the P55 is just as rock solid as the X58 for a little less cash....

Well, in your case the 920 is cheaper :).
 


As for the first part about ram.

From what i see At the Moment there is no noticeable difference between triple and dual channels. (except for those few programs that are Bandwidth hogs like stress/benchmark programs.)

As he said the p55 is maybe a better option than x58 if you only into gaming.
 

tehmuffinman

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I think I am going to go for the i7 920 since it seems that it might give me some advantages on the future proofing end.

Also, I was looking into a 5850 or 5870 gpu and I am wondering if I decide to add another one in cross fire down the line will a 750 watt psu be adequate. It is not the much more expensive for the 850 psu and it sounds like the 850 might last me through multiple builds.

Any thoughts on the haf 922 vs the haf 932? I saw even the Ati 5870 fits in the 922 but since it is my first build I might want to have a big case to make it easier.

Also, I do need an OS. Should I pick up the OEM windows 7 which is selling for $99 at newegg, or should I wait thinking prices might go down. Am I going to see any differences buying the OEM?
 

Newf

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OEM Win7 Home @ $99 is a good way to go. I don't see that price coming down more than $10 for a while.
The future for LGA 1156 is dual-core + graphics on one cpu.
The future for LGA 1366 is 6-core cpu and up, with no SLI/Xfire penalties.
 

tehmuffinman

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I just bought the i7 920 D0 stepping at microcenter over the weekend. I also bought the haf 922 which is $85 after MIR. I think it should be big enough for my purposes. I am still struggling trying to figure out what would be a good power supply.

Is this a good one if I am planning on running 2x 5870/5850 in crossfire?

CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009


Or can I get away with this:

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

The requirements for the 5870 x 2 is 600 watt minimum so would 150 watt power the rest of the pc or should i step up to the 850 w. Also, both of these power supplies should have adequate connectors for all the fans etc...


 

jebiya

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I was looking at the CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail as well.. it seems like a great deal since retail is 179.99 and from the egg its 99.99 after MIR.

From what I've read browsing through these threads, I think the 750W should be enough for xfire/sli in the future.

I recently bought my i7 920 from microcenter too but damn CA tax brought it to ~218.

I'll be watching your thread to grab ideas :)
 

tehmuffinman

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I am still looking for some opinions regarding PSUs and the other parts I selected for my build.

An aside question, does anyone know if the student discount edition of windows 7 will let you install it without a previously installed os or is it just an upgrade?
 
The 750Tx has 60 amps on the 12V rail (20 per GPU and 20 for everything else). The 850TX has 70 amps. I think you would need to do heavy voltage overclocking and fill the case with drives before that became an issue. Its also true that the PSU efficiency will go down as it ages so there isnt a clearly better choice.

What I have read is the $30 student OS is an upgrade, but it will upgrade XP by wiping it an only saving your "my documents" tree. Read the post from Jessica in this thread.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/272453-31-vista-64bit-windows-64bit#t2000303
 

tehmuffinman

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@ DNDHATCHER - I am really a noob when it comes to building pcs as I haven't done it before and I am just learning by reading articles etc... Are you suggesting that because of the higher amperage, that the 850tx would be a better value.
- Also thanks for the heads up on the windows 7 info that will give me some greater considerations for my budget.



With regard to things like the optical drive, ram, and hard drive is there really a lot of differences between these items in terms of how it effects gaming performance?


For comparison

Hard Drive:

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152185

$79.99

vs

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433

$89.99

or a Western Digital


Ram:

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225
$134.99

vs


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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227388

$147.99


Optical Drive:


Sony Optiarc DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model AD-7241S-0B LightScribe Support - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827118032


$33.99

vs

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223B - OEM
Customer Choice Award1x Winner of Customer Choice Award - CD / DVD Burners

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187

$30.99


If there are preferences on good alternatives I welcome feedback as like I said I am new to this and am still learning.

 
Im saying the price is close and the amperage is close. If you are going to have one HDD and 2 GPUS then either will be fine. If you are going to load up with several SSDs, HDDs and DVDs or will watercool and do extreme overclocking then maybe you want the 850.


What I have read about lightscribe is if you wont use it then avoid it because lightscribe drives tend to be more expensive and noisier.

*edit - invalid HDD comments removed
 

overshocks

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^No real statistics to prove that? Show me some performance reviews.
 

tehmuffinman

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So I think I am going to take the plunge and buy my parts in the next couple of weeks. Id like to take advantage of the Corsair 850w $30 MIR which ends on the 18th and the Windows 7 OEM preorder $99 price. This puts me in the situation to buy parts soon so that I have time to return them if something isn't working properly.

Therefore....


I need to decide on a motherboard, I am not completely sold on the ASROCK mobo although it seems like a good value. If I can find a combo with a better mobo and memory which brings them both to around $340 I would be happy.



I am still a little confused on which HD to buy. I would like a 1 Tb HD if possible but I would like to spend ~$80 to keep somewhere around my budget. But if there is one with a less overall capacity but has higher performance then I am definitely on board. Is the WD 640gb model such a higher performance HD?
 

tehmuffinman

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Is there much difference between that

or the

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148433

$89.99

or this

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

$74.99


Also, thoughts on memory and the motherboard?

Is it a good idea to go open box on newegg?

for something like this:

ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365R

$208.99