I7 860 New Build for Gaming and 3D Modeling

[remius]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: The next week or two, BUDGET RANGE: ~$1300 max After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, personal 3-D modeling/analysis work (SolidWorks), and some video/photo editing

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, speakers, possibly keyboard and mouse

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, zipzoomfly.com, pretty much any reputable/reliable ones, COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: FL, USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: I would like to stick to brands with good build quality and reliabilty

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe and then only minor to moderate, SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Possibly once I find a single 5850 to struggle.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 22" monitor at 1680x1050, will also run a 50" 1080p Plasma TV at times.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'm planning on going with the i7 860 over the 920 because of power consumption (lifetime costs), lower initial cost, and what seams to be a better Turbo Boost. Would like case with a side vent/fan. The fewer LEDs on the case (or the ability to disconnect them) the better; I may have this system in my living room at times and would like to keep the glow of it to a minimum. Please let me know what you think of the components I've suggested. It has been a couple years since my last build so I want to make sure my component selection is solid. Any and all comments/suggestions are welcome and valued.

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CPU: Intel Core i7 860
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214&cm_re=860-_-19-115-214-_-Product

Motherboard: ASUS P7P55D Pro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131405&cm_re=p7p55d_pro-_-13-131-405-_-Product

CPU Fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&cm_re=hyper_212-_-35-103-065-_-Product

RAM: G. Skill Ripjaw 2x2GB DDR3 1600 CAS 7 (7-7-7-24)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231279&cm_re=g_skill_1600-_-20-231-279-_-Product

Graphics Cars: XFX ATI HD 5850 (Already ordered)
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/XFX+-+ATI+Radeon+HD+5850+1GB+DDR5+PCI+Express+2.0+Graphics+Card/9609449.p?id=1218130490569&skuId=9609449&st=5850&cp=1&lp=1

Power Supply: Antec TruePower 750W 80+ Bronze.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371025&cm_re=tp%3d750-_-17-371-025-_-Product

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB. Though I plan on getting a SSD to use as a boot and program drive once prices come down more.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&cm_re=samsung_spinpoint_f3-_-22-152-185-_-Product

Optical Drive: Chosen pretty much at random because it was the cheapest SATA DVD-RW drive
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

Case: Antec 900
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021&cm_re=antec_900-_-11-129-021-_-Product

OS: Windows 7 Upgrade - $30 Student Upgrade Offer

Keyboard + Mouse: I have the ones I currently use but I would like to get a new wireless set with a laser mouse if there is extra room in my budget.

Total Cost: $1208

Edit: Changed HDD, Case, and Motherboard choices.

 

[blackhawk1928]

Hi, Welcome to the forums.
-Looks like a solid build.
-About the motherboard, I would get the Asus.
-About the hard drive take a look at this benchmark:
Samsung Spinpoint vs Western Digital Caviar Black
^This is showing the 2009 dekstop hard drives. The first one at the top is the spinpoint (except its th 500GB) and the 16th hard drive from the top is that western digital caviar black if i am not mistaken. That chart is showing the Average Reads of those hard drives. The spinpoint is at 110.41Mbps and the WD is at 85.07mbps.
Getting the spinpoint on average would get you a 23% faster read speed (This doesn't exactly mean you will get a 23% performance increase in your hard drive overall as there are other variables but it will give you a very noticable difference).
The spinpoint i gave you in the benchmark was the 500GB, the 1TB is a tiny bit slower because of slower seek latency by a tiny amount. But both have 500GB platters which is what matters. Moreover the spinpoint is 27% cheaper on average then that WD. Thats the information, you decide

 

[remius]

Thank you for the link blackhawk192, it was good to see the quantitative numbers for the drives. I think I'll go with the Spinpoint F3 1TB. It might not be as fast as the 500GB version but I want the extra space for photos, videos, and analysis data.

 

[blackhawk1928]

^Yeah the speed decrease will be extremely minimal, most likley unoticable. Plus since the 1TB has 2x500GB platters then you can actually make it faster since you have more outer track space when you consolidate and defragment your filesystem So overall the Spinpoint F3 1TB is a good choice.

 

[overshocks]

^Great suggestion on the hard drive.
Good choice OP.

TO OP: Nice solid build man.
One thing is your video card 5850 will be overkill for 1680x1050. So get a 4870 1GB or 4890 1GB instead and save that money to get a better case or something.

get the asus mobo, i've read some good reviews on it or get the gigabyte UD4P

 

[remius]

The 5850 is overkill for my current monitor but I plan on using the computer on my 1080p (1920x1080) TV at times. I sit at a desk at work all day so computing from the couch is very welcome shift. I'll also upgrade my monitor at some point and I like to plan ahead a bit on my builds (DX11 on the 5850).
About the case, any sugestions for a better one than the Antec? I've seen that one recomended often which is why I selected it. Airflow and funtionality are much more important than looks for me. I'm currently about $200 under by budget (with no case) so I have breathing room to select something else.

 

[overshocks]

The 5850 is overkill for my current monitor but I plan on using the computer on my 1080p (1920x1080) TV at times. I sit at a desk at work all day so computing from the couch is very welcome shift. I'll also upgrade my monitor at some point and I like to plan ahead a bit on my builds (DX11 on the 5850).
About the case, any sugestions for a better one than the Antec? I've seen that one recomended often which is why I selected it. Airflow and funtionality are much more important than looks for me. I'm currently about $200 under by budget (with no case) so I have breathing room to select something else.

^okay i didn't know you were going to attach to tv, so you're fine with the 5850.

for case, if you do overclocking get a antec 900, or HAF 922, it's better airflow and temperatures if you want to push that cpu harder a bit and get reasonable temps

also you are missing an aftermarket heatsink, i suggest getting the hyper 212 plus, it's cheap and cools like an expensive cooler.

 

[remius]

I'm planning on getting the Cooler Master Hyper 212 (it is on my list after Motherboard). Looking at the cases suggested I'm leaning towards the Antec 900. The placement of the power button on the HAF 922 looks like it would be something I would hit often. How does the Antec 902 compair to the 900? They look only slightly different cosmetically and the only difference I could find in the specs is that the 900 has a Firewire on the front while the 902 has an eSATA (both of which are on the rear panel of the motherboard anyway).

 

[overshocks]

I'm planning on getting the Cooler Master Hyper 212 (it is on my list after Motherboard). Looking at the cases suggested I'm leaning towards the Antec 900. The placement of the power button on the HAF 922 looks like it would be something I would hit often. How does the Antec 902 compair to the 900? They look only slightly different cosmetically and the only difference I could find in the specs is that the 900 has a Firewire on the front while the 902 has an eSATA (both of which are on the rear panel of the motherboard anyway).

there's no need to buy antec 902, it's a rip off, i believe it is 20 dollars more than the original..
the 902 comes with a black finish inside..the original doesn't..
and the other differences you listed them already..

just get the antec 900 or haf 922, both good cases..

 

[remius]

Thanks for the very helpful input Overshocks and Blackhawk. I updated the OP to include the Antec 900 case and remove the MSI motherboard. I think have everything selected now with a total system cost is about $1208. I will probably use the extra money in my budget to either get a laser mouse, replacing my current optical one, or save it for the eventual SSD purchase. Thanks again.

 

[overshocks]

^no problem man.

just remember buy the stuff at black friday and cyber monday so you could save a few more bucks