Just bought i7 920 CPU, Need advice for the rest of the parts

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worx

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within a few weeks.

BUDGET RANGE: $700, the lower the better.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Starcraft 2, FPS shooters, internet, movies, Microsoft office.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Already bought a used i7 920 CPU, Antec 900 case, CORSAIR HX Series 850W Modular Power Supply, 23 inch Viewsonic 1080P monitor, mouse, keyboard, and Windows 7 64bit.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, Frys, local craigslist

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.S.A.

PARTS PREFERENCES: Any brand.

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Hey guys, first time builder here and I’m looking to build a cheap bang for the buck i7 system, the lower the price the better. I already bought the i7 920 cpu($120) and an Antec 900 case($40), CORSAIR HX Series 850W Modular Power Supply($80) from someone on craigslist. Right now I am looking for some recommendations on the motherboard, RAM, and graphics card.

CPU cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus

HD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB

GPU: For the graphics card I was looking at either the GTX 460 or the ATi 5850. Is the lifetime warranty worth it on GPUs? Do you guys think the 5850 prices will drop or should I just wait until the 6k series come out?

RAM: Some type of 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 Triple Channel Kit RAM. G.SKILL or Corsair Dominator? Corsair RAM costs more, but is it that much better/faster?

MOBO: This is the hard one. I like ASUS, Gigabyte and EVGA but I’m not really sure which one is the best. If I don’t get USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s can I add them as an expansion card later on without sacrificing any performance/transfer speed?
 
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sp12

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The cooler and HD look spot on.

In my opinion I would get the 460 as the 5850 is overpriced this close to the 6000 series launch.

XFX 750 watt as it's on sale for 90$

In my opinion you don't need 6GB of ram for what you're doing, and would be just as fine going for triple channel.
 
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worx

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Yeah, I am defiantly going to OC the CPU... can the i7 920 and a GTX 460 run Starcraft 2 at maximum settings with mass units on the screen without any lag? Any motherboard and ram recommendations?
 
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jones911

jones911

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I would go with a GTX 460 over a 5850, more bang for the buck. If you are looking to save some money you can always use this ram :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211390

It is A-DATA Plus Series 6GB (3 x 2GB), it is cheaper than the ones you mentioned and still performs well for gaming.

I would go with one of the following motherboards made by ASUS:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131641

OR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131665

 
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worx

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Update: Just bought a CORSAIR HX Series 850W Modular Power Supply today!

I like those two ASUS motherboards you posted... any difference between the two? Both have USB 3 and SATA 6 but it seems like the ASUS Sabertooth is newer and is $50 cheaper.

How do these look for RAM?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231335

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224

Are there any performance differences between g.skill and Corsair RAM?
 
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jones911

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Corsair Dominator ram is a great product but I think it is way overpriced. I would suggest what ever ram you choose please make sure it is compatible with the motherboard you decide to purchase.
 
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ckmost

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Yes you will be fine

http://www.techspot.com/review/305-starcraft2-performance/page2.html

the GTX 460 is as good as it gets for SC2

4gb ram is all you need, unless you like to run all sorts of stuff in the background all the time.

New intel chips do very well with sc2 (compared to amd). don't forget to buy a good heatsink so you can overclock it though, SC2 benefits greatly from CPU OC ing, and will with your setup (refer to the techspot link).
 
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worx

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ckmost

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Looks like a very solid PC build, wish I had that setup:)

The cooler master HSF looks like a great HS with a nice big 120mm fan. The case your getting also has very solid airflow so you should be fine for a solid overclock. Even if you don't OC the HSF will keep things cooler and quieter which is always a good thing. You might find that you don't even need the speed boost after you play the game at stock settings. I ended up downgrading my GPU to a GT240 running SC2 @1600x900 on almost all ultra and i'm getting great fps (40-60) with my online games. Since I only play SC2 I think i'll be happy for a long time. Your system is going to slaughter the game, remember those bench marks you see are worst case scenario that happens maybe 10% of the time. in the case you are playing worst case scenario game all the time all you need to do is turn down CPU dependent settings like physics and reflections and you will be good on the fps (with your setup you will not see anything less than 30 fps ever anyways) . Those settings by the way are next to impossible to even notice they are on/off.
 
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