Snails

Distinguished
Mar 28, 2010
2
0
18,510
This new build is going to replace my old Dell XPS 400. Ive had it since '05 and I think its finally due for an upgrade.
This build will be my first home-built.


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: May BUDGET RANGE: $1600-1700 USD

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: (e.g.: Gaming, Some Photoshop, Video Production)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard. Mouse. Monitor. Sound Card (Creative SE)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: I perfer TigerDirect over Newegg, only because ive bought there before. I do here Newegg is an equal if not better service, so im willing. What I want to do is get all my parts from one website in one order.

PARTS PREFERENCES: Leaning towards NVIDIA, but im getting convinced with ATi as of late.

OVERCLOCKING: No on overclocking. I dont want to invest extra cash into overclocking, but if the parts are already good with overclocking, I may take that step.

SLI:No. Awkward at best for me, some games outright deny SLi.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Not sure. Im getting a new 20' full screen monitor before this as a gift. I dont know the best resolution for that.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:


+Gaming is the biggest use of the machine.
+Im hoping its at least future-proof for a few years. I am willing to put in a few more bucks for easier upgrades later on.
+Really want to have this machine run intensive games like Crysis, BFBC2, Just Cause 2 and Flight Simulator X on Max.
+Maybe asking for too much, but im looking towards stability. F@H all night would be nice if I dont have to worry about a small scale nuclear meltdown if something goes wrong.


Heres the Parts
Lite-On Internal DVD Drive $19.99 Nothing fancy here. Just need a reader.

Corsair i7 Dominator 6GB, Tri Channel 1600Mhz. $210 USD
Reviews seem generally positive, price is pretty nice. OCZ and others seemed to have less than favorable quality, so I chose this.

EVGA X58 SLI Mobo $279 Did research on this. Checked a few websites for reviews, seen some user video reviews. Has 3 x16 slots, which is a bit of an overkill, but I want to have the options. I think better boards exist, heres the nicest ive found for now.

WD 1TB Hard Drive, 7200RPM $95 1TB is dirt cheap. I have problems filling up my 300GB hard drive as it is, but I think 1TB will be best in the long run.

Intel Core i7 920. Apparently the i5 750 is trailing right behind it, but im comfortable with the 1.6K price right now. Ive been out of this market for years though, what do you guys think?

Cooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower 150$ Also good reviews. spacey, cool and ascetically appealing.

Ultra LSP 750 Watt PSU $80
Reviews are also positive, although I havent seen an "Utra" brand PSU before. Is this enough juice? Should I get a bigger PSU for later down the road instead? I dont want to skimp on this.

BFG GeForce 285GTX OC. $370
This is the most controversial part of my build. People say to go the ATi route, but I heard they have some crippling problems, like linux driver support on their cards. I really dont want to leave NVIDIA, but im willing if I can get a much better price/performance ratio. Also, im looking at the newer GeForce 470GTX coming out from NVIDIA at the same price as the 285GTX. Or I can get the competitor Radeon HD 5870 instead. God this is confusing.

Software:
Windows 7 64 Bit 100$

This all equals out to 1583 with shipping and handling stuff.

Hows the build?
 

Alvin Smith

Distinguished
You prolly want a Samsung SATA DVDR ... Not that out-dated IDE P.O.S.

You prolly want a core i7-930

You don't say squat about your intended uses.

It should work, as you originally spec'd it.

= Al = Fill out sticky form "HOW TO ASK" ... let us know you lil better.

 
For 1600 i would look into a build like this



SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223C - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151192
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $6.99
• 2 year: $11.99
$19.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151192

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119197
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate
$109.98
$99.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822148395
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
$59.99
$54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395

SAPPHIRE 100281-3SR Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16814102883
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info)
• 1 year: $39.99
• 2 year: $79.99
$429.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102883

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817139006
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$139.99
$109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231335
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231335

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116754
Return Policy: Software Return Policy
$104.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16835103065
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$34.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065


• ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131614
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
• Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80601930 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115225
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
-$25.00 Combo
$604.98
$579.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.350315
Subtotal: $1,614.89


If you really need it under 1600, you could ditch the HSF but even tho your not OCing i would but it on anyway.

For the GPU, i think you would need the 480 GTX to beat the HD 5870 and the 480 GTX is about 500 as this review http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-480,2585.html


 

Snails

Distinguished
Mar 28, 2010
2
0
18,510

Of course, sorry about that. Ill fill that out now.
EDITED: Updated. Hopefully this provides more detail.

Im really liking niklas_13 choices. It looks like you got alot more in there for your bucks. Ive been gone for too long, alot of things have changed.
As for the i7 930, im sold on it. Its a nice boost for a few extra bucks.


The video-card on the other hand...Ive read some more reviews on it. Seems like its the best for this price range. My past two machines have had NVIDIA cards in them, and stories about overheating, faulty linux support, and overall nastiness have plagued ATi. Seems like things are looking alot better. Thoughts?
I may ditch the 470GTX, still unsure. However, im definitely more open towards that sexy HD 58570 now.