Theoretical ~$2500 CAD Gaming Rig

[jjohnson22]

I just signed up and this is my first post on Tom's Hardware.

Here goes...

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1 Month
BUDGET RANGE: ~$2500
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, A/V in the future
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Mouse, Sound Card & Speakers
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: The cheapest Canadian retailers
PARTS PREFERENCES: Only quality made brands
OVERCLOCKING: Yes
SLI: In the budget friendly future
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This is my first home built PC. I've done countless hours of product reviews, forum reading and how-to guides and I've finally come up with this theoretical system I'd like to buy and put together.


CPU: Core i7-930 Bloomfield
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225
Will this CPU be D0 stepping?


CPU Cooler: Corsair Cooling Hydro
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010
Primary purpose is functionality over aesthetics for this.

Mobo: Rampage III Extreme
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131642&Tpk=rampage%20iii%20extreme
When will more units be available to buy?


RAM: 6Gb of Corsair Dominator PC3 12800
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224


GPU: EVGA GTX 480 x1
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130551
Will possibly buy another later on when I have some more money.


Hard Drive: Caviar Black 1 Tb, 6 GB/s
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533


Case: HAF 932
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160


PSU: 850 watt Corsair HX Series
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011
Will this support 2 SLI Fermis in the future? The next HX PSU up is 1000 watts.


LCD Moniter: 24" ASUS Widescreen
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049


Keyboard: Logitech G15
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126034CVF


Concerns
The Rampage III Extreme motherboard is sold out. I realize it's a new item which is very popular, but in general, how long does it take to get restocked on hot items like this? If it is going to take months for me to get my hands on one then I will settle with an ASUS P6X58D Premium Motherboard. http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614&cm_re=asus_premium_motherboard-_-13-131-614-_-Product

Another consideration is: Will an 850 watt PSU power another possible Fermi 480? I have used the PSU calculators and read lots of threads about this but I still can't find someone actually using a similar rig with SLI 480's.

I realize the ATI cards are more economical at the moment but I've always used Nvdia GPUs and I'm not about to jump off their wagon after all this time.

Of course, the whole reason I'm posting this is to hear what the community thinks of this build.

Thanks.

 

[Somebody_007]

ram: faster and cheaper http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231335&cm_re=Gskill_6gb-_-20-231-335-_-Product

hsf:not very good performance/price a nh-d14 is better or a prolimatech megahelems with quality fans.

mobo: you don't need that much power

psu: if you want to OC and sli 480's go for 950-1000

case: I find it ugly but if you like its a good buy

keyboard: don't like it either would go for a razer lycosa or sidewinder x6

 

[jjohnson22]

Thanks for your suggestions.

I can imagine the Rampage III Extreme would be a huge power increase. The price between the R3E and the P6X58D Premium is $85. Is spending the $85 more worth it for such a huge increase in performance?

I feel it would help this build be a bit more futureproof for a while. C/D?


Sill wondering about:

Is this i7 930 CPU D0 stepping? How do you tell the difference between the C0 and D0 stepping codes on the box when shopping online?

When will Rampage III Extreme Mobo's be available again?

 

[Somebody_007]

The rampage 3 extreme is only better than the ud3r(cheapest mobo) in 3 things it has more slots for xfire and sli, it has tons of useless and cool features and its got insane cooling(the p6x58d-e and the premium fall in between those mobos with the cheaper they are having the best price/performance ratio). So wether you want to spend that money on a mobo depends whether your planning extreme OCing or 3way sli. I would never spend that money on a mobo I'd get the p6x58d premium tops.

I don't really know how to see the difference I presume it should be in one of the codes as on my 930 wich is A5. On amazon http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Processor-2-80GHz-LGA1366-BX80601930/dp/B0038JE9MU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1273304437&sr=8-1 you can find it in the ASIN number but I have no clue about newegg or microcenter. I also don't know when the rampage extreme will be available since I live in belgiumn and haven't used newegg. But I typically send an email to ask for indications.

 

[jjohnson22]

Thanks guys. I think I have a better idea what I should be going for now.


CPU: Core i7-930 Bloomfield
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6819115225


CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018


Mobo: ASUS P6X58D-E
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131641


RAM: 6Gb of G.Skill PI Series
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6820145224


GPU: EVGA GTX 480 x1
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6814130551
Will possibly buy another later on when I have some more money.


Hard Drive: Caviar Black 1 Tb, 6 GB/s
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6822136533


Case: HAF 932
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6811119160


PSU: 850 watt Corsair HX Series
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6817139011


LCD Moniter: 24" ASUS Widescreen
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6824236049


Keyboard: Logitech G15
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 3126034CVF


I'm wondering if I'm really hardcore enough to go for the Noctua NH-D14. It'll fit in the HAF 932 case but is really necessary if I'm not willing to squeeze the last bit of juice out of my CPU. I'm just going to comfortably overclock my CPU.

Would it be just as good to get a cheaper and very popular HSF like Cooler Master V8?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055

Or the Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154011&cm_re=tuniq_tower_120_extreme-_-35-154-011-_-Product

Thanks.

 

[Somebody_007]

yeah I know It could handle it but in a few years of usage the psu will have degenerated about 20-30percent and then you'll get problems. a 700watt would be enough for 3way 480's nowadays but in the future those components will be put under more stress ansd they'll use more power. And besides a 950watt corsair costs 150dollars

 

[Somebody_007]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-480,2585-15.html 450watt for a 480 under stress I think you can do the math