Need help upgrading to i7 920 system

current rig:

CPU: Q6600
MOBO: Evga 650i Ultra
GPU: Evga gtx 260 216
PSU: Corsair tx650w
Case: haf 932
RAM: Ocz platinum revision 2 ddr2 800
hsf: Corsair h50

thinking about upgrading to..

CPU: i7 920 (i'm not going with i7 860)

MOBO: $350

Gigabyte UD7 (replaceable if someone will suggest a mobo that's best for the money..)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 13&Tpk=ud7

RAM: $170 (3x2gb) all ddr3 1600. been choosing on these:

G. Skill ($150) 9-9-9-24 1.5V – 1.6V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231225

G. Skill Ripjaws Series ($160) 8-8-8-24-2N 1.6V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231304

G. Skill Pi Series ($165) 8-8-8-21 1.6V -1.65V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231247

G. Skill Pi Series ($165) 7-8-7-24-2N 1.5V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231335

OCZ Gold ($150) 8-8-8-24 1.65V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227365

Corsair XMS3 ($155) 9-9-9-24 1.65V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145258

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline ($170) 8-8-8-24 1.65V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820226028


I will be selling my cpu, mobo and ram for about $300 (i found a buyer)
this $300 will be used to buy motherboard. (my mom will add $80, so around 380 for the mobo)

I have around $200 for the i7 920 which will be bought in microcenter.

ram will be shouldered by my sister, so around $170 only.




I'm planning to buy the mobo in zipzoomfly.com (no tax and free ship). is it ok to buy in this website?

also, is there any mobo that you guys can suggest? I'm leaning towards the ud7 because of the sata 3, usb 3.0, heatsink on the northbridge, and the 24phase. but it's the cost that's holding me back. is it worth to invest in a high-end mobo like the gigabyte ud7?

lastly, about the ram, which is the best? i'm looking at the mushkin and g. skill pi series because of the looks on it, and also, how to choose ram based on the voltage?

Thanks in advance!

That mobo is way overpriced and completely overkill. I highly recommend the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4P for $185. It's got the same main features, just fewer PCIe 16x slots, which anything over 2 is completely unnecessary.

With the amount you save on the board, you could get a new video card. Specifically, the HD 5770. The new 5xxx series ATI cards are the best available right now...

RAM: The 7-8-7 Pi series sticks are the best in the list. The most important spec of the RAM is the timings (or CAS Latency). Faster RAM (ie 1600 mhz vs. 1333 mhz) makes little difference in performance, and will increase the price.

I'd also recommend getting a new HDD. The newest 500 GB platter drives (Samsung Spinpoint F3 500 GB or 1 TB and Seagate 7200.12 500 GB or 1 TB) are cheap and extremely fast. They're even faster than the 10K rpm VelociRaptors. This may not be necessary, depending on the age of the HDD you're using, but its something to consider.

You saw the P55 not the P55A. The P55A has the USB 3.0 and SATA 6 GBps ports. The P55 does not.

The P55A has the bluetooth supports. The P55A also has ALC889.

Frankly, there is no reason to spend $350 on a motherboard. It doesn't affect performance that much.

@blackhawk: The OP's old build is probably still decent, but it's not really good.

The purpose of the USB 3.0/SATA 3 isn't for current use. It's a future proofing option. I personally don't see the ports being needed in the next 3-4 years, but for only a little more, you can get something that will be future proof. That's the advantage. There is literally no price difference in the good 1366 boards with USB 3/SATA 3 and the good board without the ports. So why build a new computer that doesn't have the new technology available when it's the same price?

I'm not saying you don't need it. I'm saying you don't need it now. You will need it in the future, especially if you're going to try to sell it later.

The P55A-UD4P is still my recommendation. Regardless of the USB 3/SATA 3 debate, it's still an excellent board at a great price.

Whoops. Got my threads mixed up. Having a very similiar discussion about boards on an i5 build...

I retract what I was saying about the USB 3/SATA 3. For the 1366 sockets, the price difference is a lot. So they're probably not worth it.

For Gigabyte, the only options are the UD5 and UD7.

Frankly, all of the three boards (x58, P6T, UD5) are good boards. If I recall correctly on the ASUS boards, the only difference in the versions is the number of SATA connections and the RAM standards. I also think the prices are vastly different. So I'd recommend staying with the basic edition. It's cheaper, and the main difference is the speed of the third PCIe slot, which shouldn't matter anyway.

Suggest the Version 2 P6T
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131365

CAS 7 DDR 1600 RAM (No need for 1600 if not OC'ing) $163
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227381

UD5: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128362 $300.

how about rampage ii extreme?

I thinks you're getting carry away.

True is, you don't need to spend $350 on a motherboard, look if gaming is your only purpose, then you better off upgrading to i5 and a good video card.

I can guaranteed you, that you will see double the performance than what you would see on a i7 920 and a crappy video card.

Anyhow, I can understand that you're an enthusiast and going for good parts satisfy you as it does satisfy everyone.
take at look at this great combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.316046

and its under your budget, 300+80+200+170=750

the Asus P6T Deluxe v2 is a great board top of the line, yes it doesn't have the new sata ports, but you are not paying for it either, you are a gamer, not a studio movie maker who needs to render "Avatar" in 3D.

In a game all that matter is your processor and video card, those are the things that you need to worry about, I have game on a pc with a WD raptor and one with a Seagate 250GB, both have the same AMD 955, MSI 790FX, ATI4890 and they both pull 55fps in Crysis on a 24" monitor everything on very high no AA enable.

Of course if i was you i would go back to my drawing table, and make a plan where a 5850 is included altogether with a i5 750, and that my friend is a gaming machine.

let me give you an example:

1. Intel BX80605I5750: $194.99
2. ASUS P7P55D Deluxe: $219.99
Combo Discount: -$25.00
Combo Price: $389.98
great combo for the price
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.315587

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB)
$93.99
Free Shipping
Good memory at a great price to match the i5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231277

and of course a shiny
5850 ASUS EAH5850/2DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
$309.99
$7.87 Std. Shipping*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121361

Grand Total: $801.83 I think this is the best part you only need an extra 50

I think that the best part is the fact that you only need to add a second 5850 and 3 22'' monitors and i can guaranteed you that gaming would never be the same.