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Little brothers system

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Ok guys I have been put on a mission to build my little brother a computer for Christmas. Let me give you and idea of what we are looking for. We were going to run his new handbuilt computer into a 42 inch plasma in his room. He does a lot of multimedia as well as gaming, he tends to stick to FPS but sometimes plays Aion and those type of games. I dont know enough about computers to put together an amazing system that my mom is asking for. So if you guys could please help me configure something nice for him. I was considering 5850s in corssfire, and I was looking at i7-860. If you have other suggestions please express them. As of right now she hasnt given me a price range but I would say under 2000. Also I saw for a lot of the reviews they use that thermalright ultra 120, how good is this?

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Hey man, take a gander at this...you'll get a lot more help if you use this format

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] ild-advice

Reply to zach538467

Sorry here is the info.
Purchase date before Christmas.
Budget 2000. Can go a little more if need be. Out the door with rebates included.
System will be used for gaming, and media.
We only need the tower, everything else will be taken care of separately.
Prefer to stick with Newegg, but if there are better places then list those also.
USA
No real parts preference, but would prefer places with a good warranty, and quality.
No overclocking as far as I know.
Sli/Crossfire, dosnt matter as long as its the best we can get.
I wouldnt mind it being setup in a manner that would let us upgrade it down the road also.

Reply to Anonymous

Purchase before Christmas.
2000 for budget can go over a little if need be.
Thats after rebates.
Using it for gaming and media.
Only need computer, we have everything else.
Would prefer to stay with newegg, but if I have to buy elsewhere for parts that would be fine.
USA
No brand preference, but would like to stick with quality products, with good warranties.
not overclocking it to my knowledge
sli/crossfire whatever makes it perform the best without taking away from it.

Reply to Anonymous

Reply to zach538467

Are you sure about the asrock motherboard, instead of a Rampage? And with the processor isnt a 860 almost a better deal?

Reply to newtopcs1

The 920 will achieve higher stable overclocks with a lower voltage, and the x58 motherboards support x16 on both PCI-E slots.

I would recommend a different brand of motherboard such as ASUS.

I would also get this cooler instead of the dark knight if you plan on overclocking.

http://www.crazypc.com/products/me [...] 08603.html

Message edited by cory1234 on 10-15-2009 at 07:39:20 PM

------------------------------ Q6600 @ 9x333, 500gb barracuda 7200.10
Gigabye DS3R P35, Evga 8800 gt
4x1gb Super Talent 800 3-3-4-8, OCZ 850w, Win 7 64

Reply to cory1234

I dont plan on overclocking though, so wouldnt I want to go with the 860? And isnt the rampage or the p7p55d a better board, they seem to be ranked higher.

Reply to newtopcs1

ASUS makes the ASRock...it has proven to be a great motherboard and a good value. If money is no object get the EVGA tri-sli board. The dark knight is one of the best coolers around, that cooler cory showed you is good but nominal gains for almost 2x the price.

As far as 860 vs 920...you won't see a huge difference between the two but the 920 is a better processor and fits easily into your budget. If saving money is a concern then yes, the 860 is a great cpu.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to zach538467

Are there any other builds you could show me. I feel like the motherboard I might want to change, could you please explain the difference between it and the ones I listed?

Reply to newtopcs1

If you have money you just really don't know what to do with, get the rampage. They are of course great motherboards but expensive and if you aren't overclocking, a giant waste of money. Even if you are overclocking I'd still go with the ASRock...just opinion

Reply to zach538467

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131359 - ASUS P6T $239.99
If you want to step up a little go to the deluxe. I can't remember exactly the difference and I don't have time to look it up I'm at work

Reply to zach538467

But what would be the advantages of going with these boards you talk of over mine?

Reply to newtopcs1

Which motherboard are you talking about? Rampage II Extreme vs P6T DLX the difference is really going to be higher stable overclocks on the extreme, but for about $100 dollars more. If your talking about the P7P55D...well...the diffs are obvious As far as ASRock, more or less the same as Rampage vs P6T, if you aren't overclocking then you wouldn't even know the difference. Like I said if you have the money to burn, go for it dude. The Rampage II is an awesome board.

Reply to zach538467

zach538467 wrote :

The dark knight has a crappy mounting system. If your not planning on overclocking I don't really see any need to buy an additional heatsink.

Save your money on the motherboard if you not overclocking also. Most of the "extras" that come with premium boards are for overclocking and a giant waste of money.

You could use the money saved to go crossfire....but
honestly, I don't know why you wouldn't at least try a mild overclock..that probably one of the main reasons people build their own computer..it would make your cpu run faster than the $1000 one.

------------------------------ Q6600 @ 9x333, 500gb barracuda 7200.10
Gigabye DS3R P35, Evga 8800 gt
4x1gb Super Talent 800 3-3-4-8, OCZ 850w, Win 7 64

Reply to cory1234

Ok I just read that the i7 920 only supports 1066 ram if it isnt overclocked? But the 860 supports higher, and that the 1366 socket systems are less efficient. Thoughts? Why wouldnt I go with 860 over 920 for more efficient faster system?

Reply to newtopcs1

I have just ehard overclocking is bad for them, but if you say it isnt then I will do a mild to medium one?

Reply to newtopcs1

I have the Scythe Mugen 2 and its mounting system is worse than the Dark Knight...kind of a hassle, maybe 5 mins extra to put on...worth 40 dollars more not to deal with it? Not to me...

I wouldn't say over clocking isn't bad necassarily, and with OCing there are no guarantees, but the i7's(both) you can achieve 3.0 very easily without even changing your voltage. When they make 920's, 950's ect. they are all from the same die, just set at different clock speeds, with the more efficient chips off the die being the higher clocked ones. However, most of the lower clocked chips can easily be overclocked and reach a higher frequency without even breaking a sweat. Especially now that they have had plenty of time to get the manufacturing process down. Will it shorten the life of the CPU? Probably, maybe from like 7-8 years to 5-6? But it is more of a crapshoot than anything. I've never heard of an i7 failing because of a 3.0 overclock though. Now trying to sustain say, 4.2? Thats another story

Reply to zach538467

And unless I'm wrong, stock speeds are the same for the RAM on the 860 or the 920. You'll have to oc to go above 1066 either one. Don't quote me on that though. But the 1366 has tri channel and the 1156 does not. And a hexacore gulftown will drop right in to your mobo. Don't get me wrong, the 860 is a fantastic chip, and go for that if its what you want dude. But the 1366 platform is the high end from Intel and I was suggesting it because it fits in to your budget. If the 860 if what you have your heart set on, you will not be disappointed.

Reply to zach538467

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