Need advice on $600-$700 X58 or any Intel system(w/o psu-case-os-hdd)

[atulk]

Thank you for your suggestions.

Important: INTEL system, hopefuly should last 3 years with moderate upgrades say another around $300.
Reason for mentioning X58 is because some posts state it to be longer term and stable.
I have never done OC or Crossfire or SLI, but am open to that.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1-2 weeks BUDGET RANGE: $600-$700

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Good overall processing, Moderate gaming,
surfing the internet, watching movies. One Database and App that takes around 20-50 GB of space

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: HDD, keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, ATX case, DVD+/-RW

Current Power Supply: OCZ520ADJSLI Not sure if this will work?

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg, amazon, ewiz.com, buy.com, etc

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: US purchase

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel CPU, ASUS, Gigabyte, etc...

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050, 1920x1080, 1920x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Stability, should not be too difficult to assemble and maintain, reasonable noise and power level; would be nice if graphics card can be squeezed in for a little bit more...


EDIT: So far...
1. Combo Items : Asus P6T + I7-920BOX Combo Cost: $487.99(with Coupon CUPID14) - $30 MIR = $457.99
===> http://www.ewiz.com/combo.php look for Asus P6T + I7-920BOX
====> Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, Retail
====> Asus P6T LGA1366/ Intel X58/ DDR3/ CrossFireX & SLI/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

2. RAM: G.SKILL 4GB DDR3 Cost: $84.99 [ ** Not sure if this will work with above MB, how do I confirm, please?**]
===> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
====> G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail

 

[p55ibexpeak]

Reason for mentioning X58 is because some posts state it to be longer term and stable.

If I ask a few members here to post it's best to wire your money to me, you'd do it?

Jokes aside, you're going in the wrong direction. Your defintion of moderate gaming is not specific enough to help me recommend a gpu. In such cases, I generalize & recommend HD 5770. The more specific your usage is, the more suitable the recommendations are. Quote a few posts I read in the last couple days listed the exact apps.

Also, LGA 1366 is the wrong direction if your budget is low. You list ~$550 parts of the barebone w/o even a gpu/psu/case. That platform is for the rich. LGA 1156 may still be over budget, considering the required parts. I think the best platform that you can get the most out of it would be AM3 x2 or x3, 770 MOBO, 2X2GB DDR3, HD 5770, 500W PSU & CASE.

 

[atulk]

Thanks for your reply. You may be right - I will have to look for another platform, or plan for some extra bucks.

I was hoping to use the PSU that I have, and as well the Case. So, if a Graphics card were available for say around $150 or so, then a build may still be possible upto $700 or so. (Ofcourse, to your point, Shipping and Tax would still push this over by quite a bit.) I have XP currently, so upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate a few months later may be required, and that will be extra.

Regarding Moderate Gaming, if it were possible to play most of the popular games available for XP today, not necessarily at a high fps or high resolution but with default settings, that would be more than enough.

 

[p55ibexpeak]

Still not specific enough on the gaming. What games or kinds of games are they?

No no no, don't get i7. Period. Not good use of money for your usage. You can buy a Ferrari, but you're wasting money if it's your grocer getter. I'll lay it out for you:

LGA 1366 = premium platform
LGA 1156 = budget/mainstream platform
AM3 = budget/mainstream/premium platform

So if you get a AM3 mobo, you can throw in any new cpu AMD rolls out. Not the same with Intel. That's why you eyed the LGA 1136 for cpu upgradability. Also, even if it's the same cpu socket, it may still not work in the mobo cuz Intel loves to force you to upgrade mobo for newer cpus with newer chipsets. You and everything say X58 supports 6-core. Do you work for Intel?

 

[atulk]

You and everything say X58 supports 6-core. Do you work for Intel?

This website and forum posts are my primary source, although clearly I haven't been detailed enough.

Thanks again, for the platform distinction. I have never ever used AMD, hence the continued loyalty to Intel.

I will go with LGA1156, do some more reading and get back.

 

[p55ibexpeak]

I'm not saying you can't go with Intel, but you need the money.