Final review on my i7 computer

george2005

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Jan 25, 2010
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(bought) CPU: i7-920
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202&cm_re=i7-920-_-19-115-202-_-Product

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423

CPU FAN: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 RR-B10-212P-G1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&Tpk=cooler%20master%20hyper%20212

(bouhgt) VIDEO CARD: XFX HD-577X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150462&cm_re=hd_5770-_-14-150-462-_-Product

(bought) SSD: 2X OCZ Vertex Turbo OCZSSD2-1VTXT30G 2.5" 30GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227468&cm_re=vertex_turbo-_-20-227-468-_-Product

(bought) RAM: OCZ Gold Tri Channel 6GB PC12800 DDR3 Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365&Tpk=OCZ%20Gold%20Tri%20Channel%206GB%20PC12800%20DDR3%20Memory

(bought) PSU:
[strike]CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004
[/strike]

I found 650w one has the same price after rebate:
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&Tpk=CORSAIR%20CMPSU-650TX%20650W

CASE:
[strike]Antec Six Hundred Black / Silver ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129073
Based on niklas_13's comment, I replaced with COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
[/strike]
Decided to go with NZXT LEXA S LEXS - 001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146060
It has 2 SSDs bay so I do not need to buy adapter. It comes with 4 fans. It looks cool!

Network: NETGEAR WPN311 PCI RangeMax Wireless Adapter
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833150017&cm_re=wireless_adapter-_-33-150-017-_-Product

(already have) Monitor: Samsung Syncmaster 213T


Maybe overclock CPU/GPU in the future.

question1:

1. If I change RAM to Cas Latency 7 one, how much performance gain can I get?

2. I have no idea which PSU and CASE I whould pick.If someone could pick something cost less with same performance? Or just let me know your preference.

3. I have an old DVD burner IDE interface. Will it slow down the system? Or should I grab a SATA version.

4. If i7-920 only support DDR3 1333, why are we buying DDR3 1600? For overclock?
 

raybob95

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1) Not a whole lot. The numbers are the number of clock cycles it takes for the RAM to respond. From 8 to 7 is like overclocking the RAM by a couple hundred MHz. You probably won't notice the different.

2) Antec 900 and Corsair TX650.

3) Not really, but just get the SATA version, it's like, an additional $4? Anyway you won't see a difference because IDE can transport up to 100 MB/s and a CD or DVD can only transfer a few Megabytes per second, Maximum.

4) You could, or you could be like me. I left the i7 at standard clocks, and raised the memory multiplier from the standard 8x to 12x (20 seconds to do) and my RAM went up from 1066 to 1600 MHz. I never noticed a difference. The i7 technically only supports 800 and 1066 MHz memory, not even 1333. But if you were to leave the multiplier where it is, then it would be useful for overclocking. For example, if you have 1600 MHz ram and you overclock your i7 from 20x133 MHz to 20x200 MHz, then your RAM speed will go from 1066 MHz to ~1603 MHz. Therefore you're still safe on the RAM, which you wouldn't be with the standard 1066 MHz RAM.
 

george2005

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The reason I want to use my old DVD burner (possible PATA interface) is I can use all 6 SATA connector on the power for the hard drives. I want to make sure it will not slow down other SATA drives.

 

george2005

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I could not follow well. If I have DDR3 1600, can I run the RAM at 1600?
Since the MOBO does not support 1600, how can I run the RAM at 1600?