Trying an i7 920 gaming build

[prklts]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: late October / early November 2009
BUDGET RANGE: around $1,500
SYSTEM USAGE: general gaming and internet
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.S.A.
OVERCLOCKING: Yes, but this would be my first attempt. What's a conservative amount to overclock the i7 920, and would it aid performance in a meaningful and worthwhile way?
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Initially no, but I'd be open to crossfire (adding another GPU) down the road one day.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1024x768
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This would be a little PC to sit next to the coffeetable, so I'd like to stay in the smallish case. I'd ultimately network it to my existing PC.

Case: Silverstone TJ08-S MicroATX Case ($099.99)
Motherboard: Asus Rampage II GENE MicroATX ($219.99)
Processor: Intel Core i7 920 Processor ($279.99)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 RAM ($160.99)
Video card: Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 1GB GDDR5 ($259.99)
Power supply: Silverstone ST70F 700W Modular PSU ($149.99)
Monitor: HP L1710 Silver 17" 5ms LCD Monitor ($129.99)
Hard drive: WD Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb x 2 (two for a RAID setup) ($139.98)
Optical drive: Sony Optiarc AD-7240S-0S Dual Layer DVD+/-RW SATA ($41.44)
Keyboard: Enermax Aurora Premium KB007U-S Silver Keyboard ($45.99)
Mouse: Verbatim 96675 Silver Tilt Wheel USB 2.4 Ghz Wireless Laser Mouse ($31.99)

Subtotal: $1,560.33

What would make this better? Thanks in advance for your time and any help.

 

[tortnotes]

An i7 and 5850 are incredible overkill for any game at 1024x768 (or that monitor's native res, 1280x1024). If you're planning to game on an HDTV, those parts might come in handy. If you're not, I'd look into a cheaper build to save some money.
You might also wish to invest in a widescreen monitor--if readability for people with poor eyesight is an issue, something at 1366x768 might be good. And at any of these resolutions, overclocking the CPU won't help you any unless you're rendering, running scientific calculations, or something like that.

 

[Proximon]

Agreed. You are spending too much on the processor and not enough on the monitor.

I'll put up an i7 build here shortly.

i7 860
GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD4 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH
---
Siverstone mATX case
Corsair 850TX Chosen for quiet and quality... you can get by with less if needed.
---
XFX 5850
---
Caviar Black 640gb x2 faster than the 500Gb version.
HP DVD burner, retail
---
LG 22" gaming monitor

There you are. A gaming rig that is easily upgraded with a second 5850.

 

[kageryu]

SYSTEM USAGE: general gaming and internet

This calls for an i5 750 build, which will free up your budget for a better monitor that will go hand-in-hand with your 5850. Check Tecmo34's list of recommended builds to get an idea of what resolution requires what kind of parts. Link is below.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/269162-31-recommended-builds-usage

Also, I'm not sure if that Silverstone case is big enough for a Crossfire setup. 5850 is supposedly a monster card. @_@

 

[Proximon]

Also, if that's still over budget on everything together, downgrade to i5 750:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

After market cooler for overclocking:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Also, the Silvertone case will accomodate two long cards.

 

[prklts]

Thanks for this feedback, guys. I'll keep all this in mind.