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I7 SSD build $1000-2000 Development / light gaming

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I'm looking for a good developer box centering around an i7 920 and a SSD for booting and main programs, perhaps two SSDs in a performance raid. Ideas? $1000-2000 budget.

Some light gaming will be done on the computer so I'd at least like a good single card. More than one video card isn't really necessary unless I decide to run three monitors at the same time. Two will probably be my limit.



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Edit your post to match the form in my sig and we'll be glad to help you out. Also, a narrower budget would help.

------------------------------ How To Ask For Build Advice
Homebuilt PC Buying Guide
Reply to jbakerlent

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within one month

BUDGET RANGE: $1000-2000, so about $1500 but willing to go higher if necessary.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Development, gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: 2nd monitor

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, TigerDirect

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel

OVERCLOCKING: Yes (will be first time overclocking)

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Not right away

MONITOR RESOLUTION:1920 x 1200 main, 1680x1050 2nd maybe 1680x1050 third.

PARTS I'M LOOKING FOR RECOMMENDATIONS ON: all

Reply to bushmango

Sorry, forgot to add the common format the first time I posted.

OS: Windows 7, already have a OEM copy so don't include it in the budget.

Reply to bushmango

Welcome to the forum. Something like this should be nice. It comes to just under $1,400

Intel Core i7 860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115214

ASUS P7P55D PRO LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227478

XFX HD-585A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150442

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] f3%20500gb

Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2C1 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820167016

Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371025

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151192

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/Prod [...] 6835103065

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Reply to jbakerlent

^^^Nailed it but you should change the motherboard to this: It has no difference in price+ has SATA, USB 3.0 support.
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128409

And get the 1TB version of the hard disk jbakerlent suggested. Which is here:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152185

About the SSD and since you are running Windows 7(there is TRIM support). Dont know what is it? Check here when your free: http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3667
Although there is a firmware bug, rest assured once Intel fixes their firmware you will get TRIM. W/o TRIM SSDs slow down gradually after use. that link I gave you will explain everything nicely :)

Reply to akash3656

Thanks guys!

Yes, I'm excited about the TRIM support! Unfortunately, I hear that it doesn't work with RAID - in case I wanted to combine two SSDs to make a larger boot drive.

How quiet is this going to be? Ultra quiet isn't necessary, but quiet is nice.

Also, do I need anything special to mount the Intel SSD? Isn't it laptop sized?

There also seems to be a lot of debate between the 860 and 920 - which is better for everyday use? There's also some things that are pretty CPU intensive in programming / development.

Reply to bushmango

I think I'll upgrade the case to something fancier:

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119197
+$40

Do I need any thermal paste, etc. for the cooler?

Do I need any extenders, etc. because the power supply is on the bottom or does this power supply take care of that?

Thanks again.

Reply to bushmango

Also I'm looking at

HannsĀ·G HG-281DPB Black 28" 3ms Widescreen LCD HDMI Monitor 500 cd/m2 800:1 Built-in Speakers - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824254026
+$310

but I could wait a bit on that.

Reply to bushmango

I would stay away from Hanns monitors. If you are going to spend a lot of time in front of a computer, S-IPS or IPS would be superior for image quality. I personally use the HP2475 and find it worth every penny. It's got the best color for the money and comes with a 3 year HP warranty (under their business line, so it's not the ratty retail warranty if you ever have a problem).

Startech.com makes a good 3.5" to 2.5" adapter w/ power and sata cable for about $12 at Microcenter.

Reply to spoofedpacket

akash3656 wrote :


And get the 1TB version of the hard disk jbakerlent suggested. Which is here:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152185



The point in the 500GB is performance. The 1TB model has 2 platters, the 500GB is a single platter drive. Combined with NCQ, the single platter drive is quite a performer. Grab a few of those for a raid0 or raid1 setup and they will be screamers.

Reply to spoofedpacket

OP asked for an i7 920, but whatever.
Also OP, you asked in an earlier post about how quiet an SSD is...well it has no moving parts, its silent. First time i use one, i couldn't tell if it was on or off :)

Reply to blackhawk1928

akash3656 wrote :

^^^Nailed it but you should change the motherboard to this: It has no difference in price+ has SATA, USB 3.0 support.
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128409

And get the 1TB version of the hard disk jbakerlent suggested. Which is here:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152185

About the SSD and since you are running Windows 7(there is TRIM support). Dont know what is it? Check here when your free: http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3667
Although there is a firmware bug, rest assured once Intel fixes their firmware you will get TRIM. W/o TRIM SSDs slow down gradually after use. that link I gave you will explain everything nicely :)



he doesnt need a massive mobo

Reply to Sertac

Another Super Fast SSD solution for $1000 dollars more..the 256GB version of the RAID DRIVE GS from SuperTalent Technology
Link
http://www.supertalent.com/product [...] =RAIDDrive

Reply to DanielSupertalentSSD
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