Custom i7 Gaming Rig - Budget close to $2000

For the HDD, get this one instead
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I'd aim to get a better GPU as well, such as the 5850
ASUS EAH5850/G/2DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

If that's out of your budget, one thing you could do to cut back is drop down to the TX version of the PSU.

Oh and definitely get 64 bit
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I was originally looking to get the Radeon HD 5850 but Newegg was out of stock. I guess I can wait it out until they get some more. I completely forgot about the 64bit Windows 7 OS requirement. Thanks for the help!

I agree with jbakerlent, one thing to add though. Why you getting that mobo? Spending too much money on a mobo that won't benefit much in gaming than a cheaper alternative. Try this one. (no sli support)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

and the gaming mouse you picked sucks..
if you are a real gamer..then get a razer mouse

this case is better than the one you picked in terms of cooling/airflow
antec 900

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

you don't need 750W psu if you aren't doing sli/crossfire in future..

answer the questions properly you didn't put anything for overclocking or sli/crossfire

Sorry, I will be overclocking. I am not sure about SLI or Crossfire yet. I figure if I can get the Radeon 5850, I shouldn't need to crossfire. What do you guys think?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

i find this the most comfortable mouse i've ever owned

I am leaning towards RAZER DeathAdder RZ01-00150100-R3M1 Black 5 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Optical 1800 dpi High Precision Gaming Mouse

That's pretty cheap for 4000DPI ..50 dollars not bad..but I don't know how good it is compared to a razer. I've used only razer mouses

Is 4000Dpi necessary?

I would recommend any razer mouse, because the company rocks and their mouses are great. I'm using one.

I'm wondering how efficient is that 4000dpi on that mouse, because the company said it's 4000dpi but it can be lower than that. Also, comforts plays a MAJOR role here, and razer mouses are comfortable and fast.

just get a deathadder so there's buttons on the side you can program them to do whatever you want(it's pretty good, i press the button and i go forward a page or press the other button and go backward a page) and in gaming you can program it to throw a grenade or whatever. it's SICK

Going back to the GPU issue... Should I stick with a Radeon 5870 or look at the Nvidia 295? For one thing, the Nvidia chipsets are ridiculously expensive.

why would you even conider 295..that's quite stupid actually.

5870 has directx11 future proof. beats 295 in some games. uses less power..etc..etc

you don't need 5870 anyways, just get 5850 for 1920x1080

post an update of your build.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within a Month.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, amazon.com, tigerdirect.com, buy.com

OVERCLOCKING: YES CROSSFIRE OR SLI: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I am not sure if I want to overclock or not...at least not yet. Should I crossfire 2 Radeon 5850s…it seems like overkill? Should 750W be enough for my PSU? I am going to stick with 6 GM of Ram for now. I am open to any ideas or opinions! Please advise.

MoBo - ASUS P6T SE LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Proc - Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Cooling - COOLER MASTER Intel Core i7 compatible Hyper N 520 RR-920-N520-GP 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM - OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Case - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Supply - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Drives - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

GPU - 2 X ASUS EAH5850/G/2DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Disk Drive- Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe LightScribe Support - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Monitor - Hanns•G HG-281DPB Black 28" 3ms Widescreen LCD HDMI Monitor 500 cd/m2 800:1 Built-in Speaker
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Keyboard - Saitek PZ30AUR Red 104 Normal Keys 4 Function Keys USB Wired Slim Eclipse Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Mouse - RAZER DeathAdder RZ01-00150100-R3M1 Black 5 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Optical 1800 dpi High Precision Gaming Mouse
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

OS - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

How does the build look now?

Looks good. If you're building a PC you should overclock it without a doubt.
This HSF is better
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Thanks! Do you think I should get 2 5850s for Xfire?

I'm building a gaming rig VERY similar to yours sometime this week. Same motherboard, processor.

I already own the Hans G 28" monitor. Its very good.

My HDD config. is slightly different from yours in that I'm going for 2 x 500GB Samsung Spinpoint F3 and set up a RAID 0 array. Give it a thought. There is a performance increase, but the risk of failure exists. If you have an external HDD (i have an external 1TB HDD), you can schedule daily backups.

Optical drive: For 30 bucks more, get a blu ray drive. Lite on is a very reputable company and make good quality optical drives. (http://www.amazon.com/Liteon-4X-Bd-rom-Sata-Retail/dp/B...)

Keyboard / Mouse are very subjective topics ad depend person to person. Personally I use a Sidewinder x6 keyboard, Logitech MX 518 mouse and a SteelSeries Qck Mouse pad

Chassis: Antec 900 is great chassis. personally, I'm going for the Antec 1200, but it is kinda expensive.

GPU: Now this is important. For the GPU, if you want to save money, get a single HD 5850. Later, 3-4 months down the line, you can crossfire it if you feel the need (you probably will). HOWEVER, if you already have the cash to go for 2 x HD 5850, then instead go for a single HD 5870. It works out about $150 less (which you can save to crossfire it later). Also, a single card will always perform better than a XFire.

Availbility is limited, so grab them whenever you see them available.

Powercolor HD5850 : http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PC-5850&c=CJ
Sapphire HD 5870: http://www.extreme-pc.ca/showproduct.asp?menu1id=12&men...

Processor Cooler: i was debating between the Corsair H50 Liquid cooling and the Cooler Master V8. Finally decided on the V8 (http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Nickel-Aluminum-Hea...)

PS - and yes, if you're buying all this high end stuff, make sure you OC the hell out of it. You're paying a premium on the motherboard for OC features, the RAM is OC'able, and not to menton you're replacing the procy stock HSF with an aftermarket one. No reason for you not to OC.

The only reason I want to stay away from Raid 0 is because of the risk of losing everything. I guess it would be safer if you were to back up the info into an external drive or SSD. The GPU advice was very helpful. I think I am leaning toward getting the HD 5870. Thanks for the links, I had lots of difficulty trying to find the GPU available.

Quote : "GPU: Now this is important. For the GPU, if you want to save money, get a single HD 5850. Later, 3-4 months down the line, you can crossfire it if you feel the need (you probably will). HOWEVER, if you already have the cash to go for 2 x HD 5850, then instead go for a single HD 5870. It works out about $150 less (which you can save to crossfire it later). Also, a single card will always perform better than a XFire. "

what you said did not make sense.
you said "Also, a single card will always perform better than a XFire. "

LOLLL you serious? LOLLLLLLLLL. i just can't stop laughing.
someone tell this guy his mistake, it's too noticeable..LOLLLLLL

TO OP: you should get the hyper 212 Plus for moderate overclocking. no need anything pricier than that for moderate..oc

i think you should get 5870 now, get another down the road. Or better yet buy the 5870 LAST might save money if you can wait that long (your timeline is within the month?)

everything looks good. don't try raid 0 , if it fails = you're screwed
just remember that asus p6t se doesn't support sli, (i know i suggested the mobo, since you went with ati video cards), so in future you cannot sli nvidia cards unless you upgrade mobo. now maybe you should spend like extra 20-30 bucks to get that sli with evga mobo

Great, thanks for all the help overshocks. Hopefully, everything goes well with delivery and nothing will be DOA.

good luck to you! i'm going to buy a i5 750 build soon or better yet i7 920 build. and no problem!

@overshocks: fair enough, a single 5870 might not be as powerful as 5850s in XFire, but it gives him more room for upgrading. The motherboard which he's taking, even though it has 3 PCI-E slots, it can only fit in two card of the size of 5850/5870, so if he buys 2 5850s now, there's no scope for upgrading except for selling them and buying new ones.

PS - crossfiring a HD5870 will probably cost you less in the future once prices for the reference 5870s drop (either because nVidia comes out with newer cards, or because non-reference 5870s are out in the market). the 5870 is adequate for all games as of now, so you can put off crossfiring it until then. also, a single 5870 will consume lesser power than two 5850s.

that means you were wrong about the one card vs crossfire. just admit it.

"Also, a single card will always perform better than a XFire. "

by the way you wrote it, it meant 1x5850 vs 2x5850...

crossfiring 5870 is not needed unless he needs to max out the settings in crysis which is unlikely

I've read that in most cases one Radeon 5870 is good enough to max out Crysis: warhead. xFire on 5870 is just overkill and extremely expensive. It might be worthwhile later once it is cheaper and needed for gaming.

no, you cannot MAX MAX out in warhead with 5870. not possible at 1920x1080 to get decent frames 60+

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3643&p=17

notice theres no 1920x1080 chart, it's 1920x1200

"fair enough, a single 5870 might not be as powerful as 5850s in XFire" - i just did admit it.

on second thoughts, if an admission means so much to you,

"I hereby admit that I was wrong in my above post, and overshock was right".

Hope that makes you sleep better tonight.



for now, for most games, a single 5870 is enough. as I said, you can look at crossfiring it in the future, when prices go down, and you actually need it.second

Well, I'm going to get one Radeon 5870 for now. It looks like I'm going to have to wait a while until there is stock available.

yeah, good luck with that. youy're gonna have to keep your eyes open for all popular vendors coz once they become available, they sell out real fast

Should I get the Diamond ATI Radeon HD5870 PCIE 1024 MB GDDR5 Video Card 5870PE51G? http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Radeon-HD5870-GDDR5-5870P...

I would say, get it. Currently all 5870s are in reference stage, so whether you take a Sapphire, XFX or Diamond, they're all the same.

However, I have heard mixed feelings about Diamond's customer support. So, in case something goes wrong with the card (which, in all probabilities should not happen) you might be wishing you hadn't taken Diamond.

Damn, I guess that's a chance that I will have to take.

I am looking for a good surge protector? Hopefully one that can handle this machine without exploding. Does anyone have suggestions? Also, I am looking for a wireless router. Advice on that would be good as well.. Thanks!

This is the surge protector I use: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HPX46U/ref=ox_ya_o...

Great brand, cheap, reliable (comes with Belkin Lifetime Warranty and $300,000 Connected Equipment Warranty), and includes connections to protect telephone, coaxial and Ethernet lines.

If I were you, and you can find one in-stock, I would go with the Sapphire! I have owned a few Sapphire cards and have always had good luck with them! Also, I have had pretty good luck with their customer support as well

Just my opinion, but Sapphire is definately the way to go!!!!

agreed, I bought a sapphire 5850 over an HIS 5850 even though it costed me 30 bucks more.

+1

HIS is not as good as Sapphire for aftermarket models. the 5850s right now are the same though.

Hi guys, I am having no luck finding an available 5850. Should I try and get a 5870 instead?

availability of 5870 is almost as bad

Hi guys! I just wanted to let you all know that all of the parts arrived in great shape. I was able to build my computer over the past weekend. I am pleased to tell you that everything worked out perfect. The computer is currently running with the operating system and drivers set up. Once again, thanks for all the help!

this is the best $2000 you can find


NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Steel / Plastic Enthusiast ATX Full Tower Computer Case
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CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9R
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CORSAIR CWCH50-1 High Performance CPU Cooler
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SAMSUNG 470 Series MZ-5PA128/US 2.5" 128GB SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
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EVGA 012-P3-1571-KR GeForce GTX 570 HD w/Display-Port (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...
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Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950
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1

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Subtotal: $1,999.84