Black Friday: My i7 920 build, need some advice please

[real world]

Hi guys, I've been doing my homework for my Intel i7 920 build, and this is what I've come up with. This will be my first ever computer build, so any and all advice is appreciated. I've posted multiple options in some categories, to reflect that fact that I can't decide on which way to go.

The MOBO is a real concern for me. Please advise on the best option. My budget is roughly $1,200, but I'm willing to stretch it to $1,500 or so if it makes sense to.

Also, I've got my heart set on the Radeon HD 5858 video card, but it's not on sale anywhere, and the price has shot up to $310. Is it worth it, or is there a better alternative for the time being.


The computer will be used for gaming, and gaming only. Shooters mostly. Thanks in advance.


Processor:

Intel i7 920 Processor - Microcenter $199.99

Case:

I'm really torn here. I like the CM Scout cuz it's toolesss, has the side panel space for wiring, is black in and out, and most importantly, has the SATA port on the front panel, as well as a switch for the lights. However, the lights are red and I hate that. The Antec is a terrific case as well, and has blue lights which I prefer.

Cooler Master Storm Scout

Black friday special at Microcenter $59.99

or

Antec 900 @ Newegg $59.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021


MotherBoard:

*I need help here. If I should spring the cash to step up a notch, please let me know. TomsHardware recommends the Asrock, but some people hate it. These are both at Newegg.

ASRock X58 Extreme LGA 1366 $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157163

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 $173.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375


Power Supply

Antec TruePower New TP-750 Blue 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371022&cm_re=tp-750-_-17-371-022-_-Product


CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX12V v2.2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139002


RAM

All at NewEgg. Some have had issues with the OCZ Gold from what I've read, so I may stay away from it. Corsair and GSkill seem to get the best results.

OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 $129.99

Crucial Ballistix 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 $149.99

CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 $144.99

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM $149.99


Hard Drives

Everyone swears by the Samsung F3. The Seagate is a BF special, and huge at 1.5TB, but I've read where some have had issues. with it.

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 RPM SATA $84.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=F3%201TB


Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB 7200 RPM $97.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148337&Tpk=22-148-337


Disc Drives

I'd like a Lightscribe drive. Is the Samsung any good? These seem to rate out the best, and the cost differential overall, is negligable.

Sony Optiarc Black 8X DVD+RW Lightscribe $33.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118032

LITE-ON Black 8X DVD+RW Lightscribe $30.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106328



Graphics Card

This card keeps jumping in price. I read monster reviews on it. Is it worth it, or should I simply go with a cheaper alternative. Nvidia is supposed to come out with its new line of cards soon, which should hopefully bring down prices by way of competition. What say you?
ASUS Radeon HD 5850 $309.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121349


LCD Monitor

I'll take all advice here. I'd like something in the 23-24" range. No smaller than 23" though. There seem to be some really good deals on monitors, so please advise.

Hanns·G HH-241HPB Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254044


ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms(GTG) HDMI $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059



Did I miss anything? It's late here, and I've been at this all night long, so if I did, doh! Again, all advice, comments, recommendations, and directions are extremely appreciated. I put the price of this puppy, depending on which specific parts I choose, at somewhere around $1,200. That could change if I go with a lesser GPU.

Thanks fellas!

 

[blackhawk1928]

Buddy, if I were you, i'd order them right now, before black friday because parts will sell like hot cakes and will be out of stock faster then your eye muscle can move your eye lid. So buy for a tiny bit more expensive or dont buy at all, thats your choice unless you get very lucky.

 

[dpaul8]

For better performance, a i750 processor and P55 motherboard will outperform the i920 processor and X58 motherboard with either one or two-crossfired graphics cards:
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3641&p=7
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i5-gaming,2403-4.html
The i750 processor use less power (95W) than the i920 (130W), and produces less heat. The i750 processor is only $150 at Microcenter.

I would combine the i750 ($150) with a Gigabyte P55-UD4P motherboard ($170), and 4 GB of RAM ($69): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275

This i750 build will be $101 less than your i920 build, and will actuall outperform the i920 computer for gaming as shown in the articles in the above links.

If you can get a 5850 graphics card, do so. Otherwise, you might take the savings made by switching from the i920 to i750 system ($101), combine it with your original GPU budget ($309), and get two graphics cards ($410 budget) that you can crossfire. Two 5770s or two 4870s would fit within that budget.

Now that would be a great gaming computer!

 

[blackhawk1928]

Okay, i just built my i7 920 build very recently...like a couple of weeks and just yesterday i got a Cooler Master HAF 932. I give that case 5 stars, its the best case i have ever used in terms of quality for the price. I recommend that case over any other. Its massive, has plenty of room, very good cable management, excellent cooling(overkill), very organized, tooless designed DVD/HDD drive bay manangement for you noobies, can install psu on top and bottom, has lifters for air intake on the bottom. The design is mostly metal for good heat dissipatioin and stability, its pretty good qulaity material, comes with wheels so you can roll it around. And can be open from practically any side (both sides and front). Oh, and you can buy a fan controller for it to keep it a bit quieter since cooling is outragously overkill on this case. 3x230mm fans, 1x140mm fan....you get the idea.

-For your mobo i reccomend the ASUS P6TD

-I 650Watt is a pretty useless powersupply because its too powerful for one GPU and too weak for 2x GPU's. If you wont crossfire a Corsair 550Watt or CM 600WAtt will do great, if you will crossfire, get a Corsair 750/850watt or a CM of the same power. BTW look for good deals on corsair, coolermaster, seasonic, and antec PSU's...all of them are good. And if you go with the HAF932, you dont need the Corsair HX's since they are modular but the HAF has excellent cable management anyway so there is no need to spend the extra $

-For memory, the OCZ obsidian is okay, the gold is great, and the platinum is amazing. For an extra 20$ or so, get the platinum 1600mhz. It has less latencies.

-For hard drives, IDK what to reccomend, usually i'd go with WD from a good personal expirience but my hard drive days are over ...I have a SSD now, for me all HDD's suck and are slow compared to an SSD.

-Disk drives...no commet, very unimportant, just get any cheap DVD drive, no big deal.

-Well since your monitors are 1080p...a 5850 seems a bit overkill. Get the next notch down in the 5xxx series dont go with a 4xxx series as they don't have DX11 support. Consider like a 5770 or something like that.

-LCD monitor, i am not really sure, Hanns-G is okay, i had one earlier but I am using a samsung right now which seems much better.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[jbakerlent]

Case: I like the Storm Scout's looks better, but the 900 does have better cooling. I would probably get the 900.
MOBO: ASRock
PSU: TP-New
RAM: OCZ Gold
HDD: F3
ODD: Either
GPU: I would say if you find a 5850 in stock, buy it
Monitor: Hanns-G

 

[real world]

Hey guys, thanks for the advice. Anyone else out there want to toss in their 2 cents? I'm still a little unsure about the MOBO, although I'm leaning toward the ASRock as of right now.

 

[blackhawk1928]

You can't go wrong with an Asus P6TD, I am using mine right now and its excellent, couldn't possibly be any better, its sturdy, well designed, from the looks of the board, it actually has good heat dissipation from the CPU. Also just for fun i tried doing some over-clocking and its a champion, right now my i7 (D0-stepping) runs on stock but i was able to Overclock my CPU to 3.9Ghz easily (i was scared to go further), using air cooling, over-clock my QPI link to my CPU from 4.8GT/s to 6.4GT/s and overclock my ram to 1800mhz (but thats probably more of my memory). I could have went further but was to scared, the stock speeds are more then enough for me.

-I am telling you, the ASUS P6TD is the way to go. 5 Star board.

 

[real world]

That board is expensive though. I came across a link to the Asus P6T board as an open box item on Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359R

It's $173, but has anyone ever purchased an open box item? I'm somewhat hesitant too.

Found the P6TD as an open box item as well. It's $80 off too. Any thoughts? At $209 it's right inside my price range.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365R

 

[dpaul8]

Since this is your first computer build, I would not recommend going with an open box item. If your heart is set on a X58 motherboard, I would take Blackhawk's advice and go with a brand, new ASUS P6TD.

 

[dpaul8]

For memory for your X58 system, I would also take Blackhawk's advice and get the OCZ Platinum. Right now Newegg is offering a promotion for the OCZ Platinum memory:
OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK - Retail ($143 - $15 rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

Of course, the i920 processor ($200), P6TD Motherboard ($290), and Memory ($128), now total $618. This is only $229 more than the i750 / P55 computer I recommended above. But if your heart is set on a i920 computer, this is the way to go.

 

[LTH80]

UGH lost my post...

-750W PS
-spend more on MB, QUALITY is important or else you might not be happy. spend 50 or 60 more on one of the most important parts.
-Vid cards, u can get a 5850 if you watch different stores everyday, sometimes they only get a few and sell out fast. gotta be on the ball.
or go with two 5770's ??

 

[real world]

Which power supply should I buy?

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

Or

Antec TruePower New TP-750 Blue 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371022&cm_re=tp-750-_-17-371-022-_-Product


Both are 5 star rated.

 

[ubernoobie]

I'll take the antec because it is higher rated in 80plus+

 

[real world]

Cool. That's the one I was leaning toward.

I'm still tuck on the Mobo though. I'm stuck between investing $100 more in the ASUS P6T Deluxe ($289.99) or going with the ASRock x58 for $159.99 after rebate. HELP!

Has anyone had any personal experience with either board? The ASRock board is Tom's recommended, but you do get what you pay for no? Is it problematic? I could use the $130 savings towards the HD Radeon 5850. Thanks in advance.

 

[real world]

I'm going with the ASUS board. I found a combo that's too good to pass up.


ASUS P6TD Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131403
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy

OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227365
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy -$25.00 Combo

$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card20-227-365 $439.98
$414.98
1 OCZ Diesel 4GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive Model OCZUSBDSL4G - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227331
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy -$13.99 Saving
$13.99
$0.00

Promo Code -$15.00

So in the end the ASUS P6T Deluxe, with the OZG Gold RAM, will cost me $380 after rebate. Plus I'll get the 4GB flash drive free. Not bad in the end. I just hope the board is worth the added investment.

 

[dpaul8]

That is an awesome build for a i920 / X58 computer. I am sure you will enjoy it.

Best of luck putting it all together!

 

[real world]

Thanks pal. Here is my order. Hope I got the right parts. Thanks for your help everyone.

1 Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129021
$40.00 Mail-in Rebate11-129-021

Limited Replacement Only Return Policy $139.99
$99.99

1 ASUS P6TD Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131403
Limited Replacement Only Return Policy $289.99

1 Antec TruePower New TP-750 Blue 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817371022
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate17-371-022

Standard Return Policy $169.99
$109.99

1 OCZ Diesel 4GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive Model OCZUSBDSL4G - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227331
Limited Replacement Only Return Policy $13.99

1 OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227365
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card20-227-365

Memory Standard Return Policy $149.99

1 Acer P235Hbmid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
Item #: N82E16824009179
Monitors Standard Return Policy $219.99
$149.99

1 Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Blue 10.0 MP 2.5" 230K LCD 3X Optical Zoom Digital Camera
Item #: N82E16830120332
Limited Replacement Only Return Policy $149.99

1 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007
Consumable Item Standard Return Policy $7.99

Shipping Method: FedEx 3Day Express Saver $3.78
Shipping from Alternate Location

1 Monster - Flatscreen ScreenClean
Item #: N82E16882155176
Limited Replacement Only Return Policy $9.99

1 DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #290889 -$25.00
1 DISCOUNT FOR AUTOADD #6286 -$13.99

Subtotal $942.92
Tax $0.00
Shipping $3.78
Promo Code -$15.00
Grand Total $931.70

If you take out the camera & LCD cleaner, it comes to $670, with $90 in rebates to be subtracted. That's $580. I still need a Vid card which will be $310 for the 5850 (grrrr...) and I bought the DVD drive & Windows 7 home Premium 64 elsewhere for $138. All that puts me at around $1,040 in the end if my quick math is right.

 

[alexcheng]

Okay, i just built my i7 920 build very recently...like a couple of weeks and just yesterday i got a Cooler Master HAF 932. I give that case 5 stars, its the best case i have ever used in terms of quality for the price. I recommend that case over any other. Its massive, has plenty of room, very good cable management, excellent cooling(overkill), very organized, tooless designed DVD/HDD drive bay manangement for you noobies, can install psu on top and bottom, has lifters for air intake on the bottom. The design is mostly metal for good heat dissipatioin and stability, its pretty good qulaity material, comes with wheels so you can roll it around. And can be open from practically any side (both sides and front). Oh, and you can buy a fan controller for it to keep it a bit quieter since cooling is outragously overkill on this case. 3x230mm fans, 1x140mm fan....you get the idea.

-For your mobo i reccomend the ASUS P6TD

-I 650Watt is a pretty useless powersupply because its too powerful for one GPU and too weak for 2x GPU's. If you wont crossfire a Corsair 550Watt or CM 600WAtt will do great, if you will crossfire, get a Corsair 750/850watt or a CM of the same power. BTW look for good deals on corsair, coolermaster, seasonic, and antec PSU's...all of them are good. And if you go with the HAF932, you dont need the Corsair HX's since they are modular but the HAF has excellent cable management anyway so there is no need to spend the extra $

-For memory, the OCZ obsidian is okay, the gold is great, and the platinum is amazing. For an extra 20$ or so, get the platinum 1600mhz. It has less latencies.

-For hard drives, IDK what to reccomend, usually i'd go with WD from a good personal expirience but my hard drive days are over ...I have a SSD now, for me all HDD's suck and are slow compared to an SSD.

-Disk drives...no commet, very unimportant, just get any cheap DVD drive, no big deal.

-Well since your monitors are 1080p...a 5850 seems a bit overkill. Get the next notch down in the 5xxx series dont go with a 4xxx series as they don't have DX11 support. Consider like a 5770 or something like that.

-LCD monitor, i am not really sure, Hanns-G is okay, i had one earlier but I am using a samsung right now which seems much better.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Hey, the Coolermaster HAF 932 has dust filters? I've heard that it's a really good case and the only downside is that it doesn't have a dust filter...?