$1800-$2200 i7 Gaming/Architechture Build

[aussie123]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This week

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (Crysis, COD MW2 etc.), University stuff (Architechture) and normal stuff (internet, word etc.)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Need everything

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Umart-http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=5

PARTS PREFERENCES:

Intel Core i7 920
Asus P6T Deluxe V2 LGA1366 X58
OCZ 6G(3x2G) DDR3 12800 Gold CL-8
Samsung 1TB F3 SATA II 7200RPM 32M
Sapphire HD5850 1G GDDR5 PCIE 2D HDMI
Antec Nine Hundred 2 Black Case (No PS)
Corsair HX-650
LiteON IHAS324 SATA DVD-RW 24X Black
LG W2253TQ-PF Gloss Blk 2ms
D-Link DWA-547 RangeBooster N650 Wireless LAN PCI Adapter
Logitech Deluxe 250 Desktop USB
Logitech X-140 2.0 Speakers System

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Any improvements to be made, but still within budget would be nice. Its this setup or the same setup except with the Intel Core i5 or the Core i7 860 and the Asus P7P55D Mobo.

 

[aussie123]

BTW looking at the required programs for architechture (need to run ArchiCad 13 and MicroStation, and some others don't know what yet) So any suggestions on suitable boards etc. would be appreciated.

 

[mac_50]

Maybe :

i7 860
ASUS P7P55D
2*2 gb or 4*2go G.Skill DDR3 Ripjaws

 

[Godhatesusall]

Nice build, if you stick with the i7 get this mobo instead(as it has support for sata 3 and usb 3)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614&Tpk=asus%20p6x58d%20premium

though for gaming you may want to switch to i5 750 and get a 5870 with the spare money.

 

[aussie123]

Ahh, that was something that I may have put into the 860 (btw, is there a difference between the 2.8ghz of the Intel Core i7 860 and the 2.66ghz of the Intel Core i7 920; which is better?)
What you suggested:
Intel Core i7 860 2.8ghz Quad LGA1156
Asus P7P55D Pro
DDR3 4gb (2x2gb) G.Skill Ripjaws 1600mHz
DDR3 4gb (2x2gb) G.Skill Ripjaws 1600mHz
I'll look into it, any views from other readers of tom's????

 

[aussie123]

@Godhatesusall: The store that I'm planning on buying the parts from doesn't stock the P6X58D . I did find it at another nearby store though but will increase the price another $100AUD. D:

 

[Godhatesusall]

basically i7 860 vs i7 920 are almost the same in performance. The main difference is the chipset : x58 can do sli/cf with x16/x16 speed but p55 can only do x8/x8. x58 has tripple channel memory while p55 has dual channel.

 

[aussie123]

What mobo/cpu would be better for "future-proofing": the 1156 socket or the 1366 socket?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

1366 seems to have longer legs based upon current roadmaps.

 

[aussie123]

So I should stick with the planned i7 build. One thing I did change was the ram to G.Skill 6GBNQ so I could afford to have the Corsair HX-750W PSU (don't like the loose cables in the case, that will happen if I go with the TX-750W.) Is the ram good?

 

[Godhatesusall]

If you want to spend less $$ for the ram get these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365&cm_re=OCZ_gold-_-20-227-365-_-Product

 

[Godhatesusall]

or( if you dont plan to OC beyond 3,2 ghz) get these:

http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=153&bid=5&sid=35622

CL7 rocks! (i have used these in many builds,trully realiable)

 

[aussie123]

What's better faster speed (mhz) or Cas Latency? Cause I'd like this build to last 3 years at the minimum.
I probably will tinker a bit with overclocking though and upgrade components everynow and then within the 3 years.

 

[theAnimal]

What's better faster speed (mhz) or Cas Latency? Cause I'd like this build to last 3 years at the minimum.
I probably will tinker a bit with overclocking though and upgrade components everynow and then within the 3 years.

Higher speed is generally better than lower latency.

 

[aussie123]

Ok, thanks .

 

[Godhatesusall]

Higher speed is generally better than lower latency.

Nope,look here

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-scaling-i7,2325.html?xtmc=core_i7_memory&xtcr=1

Sweet spot: 1333 with CAS 7 for non-overclockers(or for ones who dont ware more that 3ish GHz)
1600 with CAS 8 for overclockers

 

[aussie123]

@Godhatesusall: How are the OCZ 6G(3x2G) DDR3 10666 Platinum CL-7-7-7-20 performance wise in games etc.?

 

[Godhatesusall]

very good, that why i recommended them to you.

If you dont plan to push ur CPU more than 3,5ish Ghz they are a no brainer for that price range.

 

[aussie123]

Thanks, if I do oc i probably won't take it any higher than 3.2(ish)ghz.