New i7-920 build

[fundragon]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: today!
BUDGET RANGE: Budget not firm, just don't want to exceed what I have listed below by very much
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: web/e-mail/spreadsheet, WoW, converting pictures/videos for home use, web, some other gaming
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, CPU
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: just want the best price (and not near a MicroCenter)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.S.A.
PARTS PREFERENCES: mid-tower case, i7-9xx motherboard, Win7 Professional 64-bit (not Home Premium)
OVERCLOCKING: Yes, a bit
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: probably never
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 2048x1152
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Want a quiet system, prefer plain & simple look (HAF-9x2 and high-end Antec cases are ugly ), prefer no LED fans, want air filters on case fans.

Getting i7-920 for a very very good price, and need a computer to go with it. Here's what I've spec'd so far... Any compatibility problems or obvious errors (given that an i7-930 would be much more expensive for me)?

Motherboard: $310 ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
GPU: $420 XFX HD-587X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
RAM: $180 G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI - Retail
Case: $100 LIAN LI K60B Black CECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Power supply: $110 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
Hard drive: $80 Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
DVD writer: $23 Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
CPU cooler: $35 COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long ... - Retail
O/S: $140 Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

There's a combo right now for the O/S and mobo that saves me $15:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.332640

Total (without shipping & tax): $1383

I probably would have gone with a lesser GPU - most anything would be an upgrade from my 5200FX - but with my monitor resolution, I want to be on the safe side, and don't want to have to buy a new GPU in a year or two just to keep up with light gaming.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Would suggest this case / PSU combo for $179 ($30 savings)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.345234

or this for $214 ($4 more than yours)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.345235

HS is fine for moderate OC....get something better if you plan on passing 3.6 GHz,

Based upon what I am seeing, the 58xx is the "safe" entry point for DX11 gaming at 1920 x 1200 and you're above that. Newer games are hitting systems harder than what we see below.

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews.php?reviewid=937&pageid=7
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews.php?reviewid=937&pageid=8

Check some of these combos:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.350315
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227501
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductCombos.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758&SubCategory=368&SortField=0&PageSize=10&page=1

 

[fundragon]

Thank you, Jack!

The P183 is definitely worth thinking about... I'd looked at that case earlier and rejected it for reasons which aren't clear to me now. (Probably saw it not do as well as some of the other cases in cooling tests... but I haven't seen much data on the DragonLord cooling, I think at the time I was looking at the Lian Li PC-P50.)

That cpu/mb combo would be attractive, but I'm already getting the i7-920 for a much better price.

I'd considered the 5970 for a GPU, or even the XFX 5870 XXX edition for a slight boost... but they all seem to be out of stock at the moment.

 

[fundragon]

I haven't ordered yet, but very close... I think I just need to figure out what CPU cooler is best to fit my case.

I'm leaning toward the Antec P193/CP-850 combo, what kind of heat sink & fan should I get? I'm having a hard time finding how much clearance I'll have with my case & motherboard combo, and it'll be my first time overclocking... pretty much always used stock HS in the past.

 

[motamedn]

just got a hookup at intel and i'm in a very similar situation-this thread has been very helpful. thanks to you all

 

[motamedn]

how does that lian li compare to an antec sonata II or III? I already have a II..is it worth buying? I want something quiet and cool (probably will OC but not aggressively)

 

[fundragon]

If you want cool, HAF-932 is a really good bet, based on a few weeks reading posts here plus reviews at sites like overclockersonline.net (that link is where it's compared to the Antec P183 and P193).
It's a reasonably quiet case, and I probably would have used it or the HAF-922 except I wanted dust filters and I thought the HAF cases were ugly.

In the end, I'm going to go with the case/power supply combo that Jack recommended - Antec P183/CP-850. It will fit a Noctua-D14 along with a pair of 5870 GPUs and the ASUS P6X58D, according to this thread over at nvnews.

 

[fundragon]

Best answer selected by fundragon.

 

[motamedn]

If you want cool, HAF-932 is a really good bet, based on a few weeks reading posts here plus reviews at sites like overclockersonline.net (that link is where it's compared to the Antec P183 and P193).
It's a reasonably quiet case, and I probably would have used it or the HAF-922 except I wanted dust filters and I thought the HAF cases were ugly.

In the end, I'm going to go with the case/power supply combo that Jack recommended - Antec P183/CP-850. It will fit a Noctua-D14 along with a pair of 5870 GPUs and the ASUS P6X58D, according to this thread over at nvnews.

After hunting around I think I'm going to get the lian li PC-B25. Either F (out now) or S when it is released depending on the price. Is the cooler the author chose good enough or do you guys recommend something else?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

what kind of heat sink & fan should I get? I'm having a hard time finding how much clearance I'll have with my case & motherboard combo, and it'll be my first time overclocking... pretty much always used stock HS in the past.

Heat Sink - For performance and ease of installation, the Prolimatech Megahalems fits both criteria. Here's what I'm putting in new builds Mega w/ IC Diamond TIM and twin Scythe PWMfans (make sure ya MoBo can handle the fan wattage). ($65 for the HS, $7 for TIM, $11 each for two PWM fans and $7 for a Y cable splitter).
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8807/cpu-pro-01/Prolimatech_Megahalems_Rev_B_Intel_CPU_Heatsink_LGA_775_1156_1366_AM2_AM2_AM3_Hot_Item.html
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7038/thr-41/Innovation_Cooling_Diamond_7_Carat_Thermal_Compound_-_15_Grams.html?id=BZWnrfIC
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10026/fan-639/Scythe_Slip_Stream_120mm_x_25mm_PWM_Fan_-_SY1225SL12LM-P.html?tl=g36c365s936
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8418/cab-150/FrozenCPU_PMW_Y_Splitter_Cable.html

If that's a budget breaker, look at the Xigmnatec S1283 or one of the others here:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Recommended_Heatsinks
http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm#INTELHEATSINK
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=432&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=23

pick a TIM from the top few here:
http://www.hwreviewlabs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64%3Amega-44-thermal-paste-round-up&catid=32%3Around-ups&Itemid=47&limitstart=3
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/thermal-interface-roundup_10.html#sect1
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=138&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=3