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New i7 build guidance please $1500

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - New i7 build guidance please $1500

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travalon   10-19-2009 at 06:26:26 AM

This will be my first build and I know I need guidance. I have spent days reading different posts and believe I have a tentative grip on an idea. I think I have selected all the parts required to produce a working machine but I'm not positive. I will be overclocking (Also a first) as soon as I learn how to safely. I intend to goose the CPU and RAM. A new (set?) video card will be in the future after DX11 support becomes more common. I am going for a build that I can upgrade a little at a time as prices drop and the need arises.

I appreciate any input.


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ASAP

BUDGET RANGE: $1500 - ish After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, video editing, Surfing, networking

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, OS, keyboard & mouse

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

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.S.

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel, Nvidia,

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Eventaully SLI

MONITOR RESOLUTION: I will be using my Sony 40” 1080p 120hz tv as a monitor.






Here’s my list. What do you think?

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case Item #: N82E16811129021

EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813188039

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... Item #: N82E16817139006

Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail Item #: N82E16819115202

XIGMATEK Intel Core i7 compatible Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail Item #: N82E16835233029

SILVERSTONE FM121-B 120mm Case Fan - Retail Item #: N82E16835220014

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Item #: N82E16822136319

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996601 - Retail Item #: N82E16820146777

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827118030

SABRENT CRW-UINB 68-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader w/ USB 2.0 Port supports SDHC/VISTA - Retail Item #: N82E16820300608

I am getting a pair of GeForce 8700’s from my brother for the time being but, will upgrade sometime next year (GTX 3XX)




I have never built a computer before and am really looking forward to it. However I am afraid in my enthusiasm my ignorance will get the best of me. I’m not sure if I need any controller cards. I have multiple external HDD’s I would like to incorporate into this build for storage. A couple of them are 4-5 years old but I don’t want them to go to waste. Will I need adapter cables to remove them from their cases and put them in the tower? Any thoughts on part selection or compatibility is GREATLY appreciated. I am hoping to place the order by Oct 29-30. Any additional parts you may think a good idea are welcome too. So far this bill is only $1,077 before mail in rebates. That is $500 below budget. Thank you for your input.


Message edited by travalon on 10-22-2009 at 06:31:23 AM
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newbuilder333   10-19-2009 at 07:04:23 AM

I just built this system:

Intel core i7 920 @2.66Ghz DO batch A steeping
AsRock x58 Extreme motherboard
3x2Gb OCZ Gold DDR3 SDRAM 1600Mhz Cas 8 Timings: 8-8-8-24 @1.65v
Sapphire Radeon HD 5870
Corsair HX850 PSU
Xigmatech Dark Knight CPU Cooler
2x WD Caviar Black 640Gb HDD
Samsung CD/DVD burner
Antec 902 case
Samsung 2333 1920x1080 23” 5ns LCD

minus the monitor for $1590. It supports upgrading with more RAM and additional video card(s) for the future but also supports direct x 9 right now. As for the motherboard, I agonized over many including the Asus and EVGA boards but in the end I opted to spend a little less for a board that has gotten solid reviews. I am also a first time system builder and had to learn from these forums. I built my system with a friend (although after doing it I really didn't need the help) and everything has worked fine so far. I have XP on it unit Win7 comes out later in the week. I have just done some benchmarking and testing so far and everything is good.

We seem to have a lot of the same parts. The Antec 902 case is really nice. Although it does have some blue LEDs (which I really didn't want) it moves a lot of air and is really solid. Also a good choice on the power supply and WD hard drive. I would recommend sticking with the i7 920 2.66Ghz cpu. You can overclock it to be as fast as just about anything else and don't have to pay the higher prices. I have not tackled overclocking the cpu yet but I have every confidence in the 920 from everything I've read. Hope this helps, feel free to ask me any more questions as I have a lot of the items you may be buying. Also check out videos by tjharlow on youtube. He has a bunch of videos documenting computer builds for people using a lot of the components in question.

Reply to newbuilder333
travalon   10-19-2009 at 06:02:39 PM

Which board did you settle on and does it support the 3 way SLI I may never need unless I can't do it?

Thanks for the response.

Reply to travalon
Bronze Home Brew badge dndhatcher   10-19-2009 at 06:35:54 PM

IMO the V8 is overpriced because of its looks. The Dark Knight gets better ratings at frostytech.com and is cheaper so I would recommend it over the V8.


He chose the ASRock x58 extreme motherboard. It got really good reviews as the only good sub $200 x58 motherboard. It will do dual SLI at x16/x16 but for 3 way sli the third slot is at x4 instead of x8.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157163
EVGA has a good rep for quality motherboards.


An antec 900 will be a great case for dual graphics cards as is the Corsair 750 PSU. If you are seriously considering running three then stepping up to the 1200 and the Corsair 850 is the way to go.

There is no reason to go above the i7 920. Its going to overclock enough that spending more for a higher starting frequency is a pointless expense.

Reply to dndhatcher
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