First i7-920 video editing/gaming build

talgrund

Distinguished
Feb 11, 2010
2
0
18,510
Hi,

I'm planning on building a i7-920 rig with a budget of $1300-1400.
I plan on using it for graphic design and video editing (also probably some 3d rendering) and some gaming on the side. This is my first build but I've already done some research and have selected a few parts.

Please give some comments and recommendations, thanks.



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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This week or the next

BUDGET RANGE: $1300-1400

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:
graphic design & video editing, gaming (Fallout 3, L4D2 and the like), internet

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

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

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Qatar

PARTS PREFERENCES: Any reliable brand

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280x1024

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Reliability and upgrade-ability are primary concerns



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Parts Selected:



CPU: Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail



MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail



**RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1333C9 - Retail



OS & PROGRAM HDD: Intel X25-V SSDSA2MP040G2R5 2.5" 40GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Retail



FILE HDD: Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive



GPU: SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100283VXL Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail



PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail



CPU COOLER: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail



(I will purchase a case and optical drive from local shops)

**Chose DDR3 1333 instead of DDR3 1600 because the mobo only supports DDR3 2200/1333/1066/800, not really sure if that's how it works...
 
40GB is not much space for OS and programs, and SSDs like to have a certain percent free for best performance and on top of that the V series probably isn't the fastest SSD around and I don't think worth the money. I think it's better to wait for SSDs to mature in both performance and price. If it was me I'd get one of the two fastest mechanical harddrives as a boot drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB or Seagate Barracude 7200.12 500GB.

Seeing as you won't be corssfiring then you do not need a 750W PSU. A 500W would be fine. If you change your mind about being able to crossfire or want to keep the option of a more power hungry card open then a 600-650W would be fine.

And as long as you buy RAM that is slower than the mobo's stated maximum RAM speed then it will work. One clue to this is that the memory support list on the mobo's website will have modules with speeds of 1600mhz and 1800mhz and 2000mhz. So it's no problem getting 1600mhz RAM for your build.