New i7-930 build

[foolinc]

After getting a new job, I am looking to finally upgrade my old computer. The computer will be used for gaming, photo editing, and probably some data analysis. My budget all together is around $1,000 to $1,200 and I do plan on upgrading the computer down the road. Right now the only thing I am set on is the i7-930 because I am lucky enough to work near a Micro Center and got it for a reason price. Here is what I how so far:

CPU: Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz ~ $200 [Micro Center]
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R ~ $210
GPU: GIGABYTE GV-R583UD-1GD Radeon HD 5830 ~ $200
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) ~ $155
Hard Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM ~ $75
Optical: SAMSUNG 24x DVD Burner
PSU/Case Combo: Lancool ATX Mid-Tower & 650W PSU combo ~ $150

Thanks!

Parts not needed: Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Windows 7 , Speakers

 

[dbq12]

if you have the money (30 dollars,) i suggest getting a GTX 460 1GB. Its faster than your 5830

Psu, try a Corsair 750XT, its more available for upgrades in the future.

idk on the case

 

[snoshy]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.440193

This case + psu is actually a really good deal.

Review for psu: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/899
its actually manufactured by pc power and cooling, so you know it will be quality for SURE.
this thing is 80%+ effecient and can run two cards no problem

Review for case: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/22076-lancool-dragonlord-pc-k62-case-review.html
good case, complete tooless design, good pictures in that site.

edit:fixed link

 

[foolinc]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.440193

This case + psu is actually a really good deal.

Review for psu: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/899
its actually manufactured by pc power and cooling, so you know it will be quality for SURE.
this thing is 80%+ effecient and can run two cards no problem

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/22076-lancool-dragonlord-pc-k62-Review for case: case-review.html
good case, complete tooless design, good pictures in that site.

That looks like exactly the deal I was looking for. Thanks.

if you have the money (30 dollars,) i suggest getting a GTX 460 1GB. Its faster than your 5830

Psu, try a Corsair 750XT, its more available for upgrades in the future.

idk on the case

Thanks to the nice deal on the case and PSU, it looks like I am just at the low end of my budget. From what I've gathered from reading the threads and searching online, I'm guessing the best thing for me to upgrade is the GPU. I'm thinking of bumping my price point up a $100 and going with a 5850 instead. Thoughts?

 

[mrhoshos96]

for future proofness definitly ditch the lga1336 it's goin to be replaced in the next year.
i would go amd bec. amd is still going to release bulldozer(new cpu) next year. and when amd releases there new socket am3+(or whatever it's name maybe) the new processors will work on the am3.
plus if u go amd u will save a ton of money for a much better gpu.
and please fill out the stickie in my sig. so we can help.

 

[snoshy]

mrhoshos96 has a point, 1366 is near the end of the line.

for upgradability, you can switch over to amd without too much of a performance loss.
the only thing is, nothing is future proof.

Depending on when you want to upgrade will decide amd vs intel.
Assuming you just built the computer, i would guess you would not want to upgrade as soon as bulldozer comes out, well because you just spend 1200 on a pc or what not. i could be wrong, thats just my financial situation and priority

Another thing is, backwards compatibility may sound good for futureproofing and upgrading, but the fact is you will never get the fullest out of your upgrade if you use backwards compatible sockets. Soon after AM2 was released, new AM2+ cpus came out, and thye were backwards compatible. Even AM3 Phenoms work with AM2 mobo's as you just need Bios flash. But using AM3 or am2+ cpus with am2 mobos means you cant take full advantage of the memory controller and L3 cache. http://www.anandtech.com/show/2702/8 read the first page of that.

So tl;dr, AM3+ or AM4 or etc. could be backwards compatible but will not yield the HIGHEST results you COULD get. So if you're going to get a bulldozer / whatever amd releases next, will you be totally satisfied knowing you have the top of the line cpu, but not utilizing it to the fullest?


OR you could just stick to i7 930, since 200 bucks is a great deal, same price as the 1055T, but i7 930 is compared to 1090T and is pretty much on par, +- a few. Sure your pc wont be upgradable in the next year or 2, but you'll have a high end pc that will handle pretty much anything with quite decent performance.

If you do want to consider amd, just give me a shout and i can give you a preview of the parts you might want. You could save 100 bucks while still getting onpar performance, or save more and take a hit on the processing power.

sorry for the long read, hope that helpd..

 

[foolinc]

Snoshy, thanks for all the information so far. It's been great. I still think I am going to stick with the i7-930. While going AMD might give me better fluidity in upgrading the computer, by the time the i7-930 becomes obsolete for me I'm guessing I would want to upgrade the mobo anyway.

On a different subject I am starting to look at the 5850s and was wondering which model/brand I should be looking at. Also I'm guessing this is the case, but will the case you suggested be able to comfortably hold the 5850 when Cross-fired?

 

[mrhoshos96]

yep the lancool can hold 3x 5870's crossfirred

and that psu can handle 2 5850's oced and an i7 930 @ 4ghz

the best brand for ati cards is the sapphire, but xfx is good to because of there double lifetime warranty

good luck