$800 Gaming Rig (i7 930 build)

wigglez · Sep 20, 2010

link to old thread before my purchase of my i7 930: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/295337-31-1000-budget-gaming-buying-tomorrow-micro-center

Approximate Purchase Date: within the week

Budget Range: approximately $800

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Online Gaming, movies, web browsing

Parts Not Required:
CPU (i7 930)
PSU: OCZGXS700 GameXStream (unsure if this PSU will be good enough to power a 1 GPU build) http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/power/ocz/gamexstream700/index.htm
Hard Drives
DVD Drive
Mouse
Keyboard
Speakers
Monitor

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, honestly any other reliable sites to purchase parts from like tiger direct.

Country of Origin: United States

Parts Preferences: I went to my local micro center today. I caved in and bought the i7 930 for $200, so my build is gong to have to revolve around this CPU.

GPU wise it seems like a lot of people recommend the gtx460. I plan on only running one GPU for now, and may possibly run a SLI/xfire set up in the future, but that's not for sure. I definitely don't mind spending a bit more money on something like the gtx470 or Radeon 5850 as I will be playing more graphic intensive type games like Final Fantasy 14.

I don't have a preference for ram. Anything that is of decent quality/performance. I think 6gigs should be all I need for a tripple channel mobo set up?

Case wise it's all about quality/performance. I'm not interested in a flashy looking case, but I'm not saying I would overlook other cases if they are good in performance because they are flashy.

I've had a few people recommend to purchase a CPU cooler (is this the same thing as a heatsink?) as well because the stock one that comes with my CPU isn't that great. I don't plan on OCing anytime soon, but may in the future if/when I do learn how to do it.

Overclocking: For the time being... No. I've never OCed anything before and don't know how it works, so I don't want to toy with it.

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200

Additional Comments: Living in the valley in Southern California, my room tends to get especially hot in the summer time. I've actually had a GPU die on me last summer because it got too hot (this is with no OCing at all). I'm sure it was also due to my ancient Antec Sonta case from about 7-8 years back.

I've been running Windows XP on my current PC for quite some time now, so probably should get a Windows 7 copy by now.

wielander · Sep 20, 2010

wigglez :

This PSU is plenty powerful for any single GPU (not counting the HD5970 whether or not it applies). It does only have 2 6-pin PCI-E connectors, though, so be careful which graphics card you buy. Some HD 5850s and GTX 470s use an 8-pin PCI-E connector and would require some sort of adapter (not really recommended).

wigglez :

I would go with a Radeon HD 5850 or GTX470 for now on your budget. They aren't that much more expensive. It's always a good idea to keep the door open for Crossfire/SLI, but you would need a better PSU for that anyway.

wigglez :

6 GB is standard and should be more than enough.

wigglez :

CPU cooler is a shorter name for the CPU heatsink (only the metal part that dissipates heat) and fan. If you aren't going to overclock right away, I would wait on the CPU Cooler until you do. The stock cooler isn't very good, but it will have no trouble cooling your processor at stock specs.

wigglez :

You can look at graphics cards with custom cooling setups just to make sure. Some XFX and EVGA graphics cards have lifetime warranties which are always nice.

wigglez :

Yes, definitely. Windows 7 is awesome.

wielander · Sep 20, 2010

Here are some awesome combos that you could use:

OCZ 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 CL7 RAM
XFX Radeon HD 5850 1GB w/Lifetime Warranty
ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$549 after $45 in rebates
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.506073

OCZ 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 CL7 RAM
XFX Radeon HD 5850 1GB w/Lifetime Warranty
$344 after $45 in rebates
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.493539

OCZ 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 CL7 RAM
Gigabyte Radeon HD 5850 1GB w/Custom Cooling
$361 after a $30 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.493435

Palit Geforce GTX 470 1280MB with custom cooling
Just Cause 2 and Mafia 2 free digital downloads
$300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.455052

Gigabyte GTX 470 1280MB with custom cooling
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$520
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.505473

Gigabyte GTX 470 1280MB with reference design cooling
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$470
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.505468

OCZ 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 CL7 RAM
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$314 after a $30 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.503984

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Windows 7 x64 Home Premium or Professional (Professional adds XP compatibility mode)
$300 or $340
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.441471.13-128-423
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.441472.13-128-423

ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Antec Nine Hundred Two Case (Very nice, well built and not very flashy)
$310
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.496765

If you want a high quality case, Lian Li can't be beat.

LIAN LI PC-7FN Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$360
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.496746

LIAN LI PC-7FN Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Windows 7 x64 Home Premium or Professional (Professional adds XP compatibility mode)
$200 or $240
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437504.11-112-249
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437505.11-112-249

wigglez · Sep 20, 2010

wielander :

Here come the questions

Between the ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard and GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard, what are the difference between the two? I've read a few reviews on the gigabyte one and it seems to have a lot of different features for a low price.

OCZ Ram. I've been hearing more and more lately that a lot of people aren't liking the ram anymore. I'm just wondering if this one is an exception?

How can I tell if the GPU will be a 6 or 8 pin PCI-E connector? I don't mind buying a new PSU if I need to, but I'm not sure if I'm even going to SLI/xfire so I'd rather wait and save the money if possible. These PSU these days are costing $100-150 now it seems!

I had Karma831 links this combo for me in my other thread:
GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 X58 ATX Motherboard
GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N470SO-13I GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.505473&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=e485iv84pf
The GPU seemed like a pretty good one as it's OCed and actually runs cooler than a regular stock one? Wondering if anyone else had any input on this. It is a bit more expensive than the other gtx470s and I'm not exactly sure how much more in performance I'm actually getting. When SLIing in the future, do I need the exact same brand/etc to do so? I'm just wondering how hard this one is going to be to find in the future (1 year+).

What is the difference between Windows 7 x64 Home Premium and the Professional edition?

Lian Li cases. I've heard they are good cases. I noticed the one you linked only has 2 fans though. Wasn't sure how to tell if there were any more slots to add more if needed. Other cases I've seen have 3-4 stock fans. Was wondering how to tell if a case is good besides having a lot of fans and having that dust filter design in the case.

I definitely appreciate your response and all those links! Lots of options to choose from, but I have no idea what to choose yet =X

wigglez · Sep 20, 2010

I just did some reading on the reviews of the 5850 GPUs... it was kind of sad to see that if you run 2+ monitors, that everyone seems to get a flickering problem on their other screens. It seems like a pretty big issue, which I've never heard about. I use to run dual monitors, but even since my other monitor died on me, I haven't looked into getting another one. I may eventually want to get another monitor as I like to multi-task and having 2 monitors does help. That kind of makes me want to shy away from the 5850s and 580s as it seems like those 2 cards are having the problems. I'm almost certain that I will be picking up another monitor sometime by the end of this year or early next year to run a dual screen set up again.

wielander · Sep 20, 2010

wigglez :

The UD3R is a better deal straight up. It includes one more PCI-E x16 slot and the 3rd and 4th slots run at higher speeds. The P6X58D-E might be slightly more stable for overclocking because of its 16+2 phase power design, but you would have to be running a very high overclock to notice the difference. I only included the P6X58D-E in case you could get a better deal with the combos or you were an ASUS fan.

wigglez :

The hate isn't for any OCZ ram set in particular; there have been claims of compatibility problems with OCZ DDR3 in general. It may be for this reason that you can get OCZ ram in combo deals for $20-30 less than any other ram (the OCZ ram kits I linked are ridiculous deals for DDR3 1600 CL7 ram). If the ram works out of the package, though, you won't notice any difference. All of the ram comes with a lifetime warranty, and OCZ's rebates are very reliable.

If you don't want to take the chance, this Mushkin set is top notch for $130:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226155&cm_re=ddr3_6gb_1600-_-20-226-155-_-Product

wigglez :

Newegg has nice high resolution pictures. You just have to look up the video card and find the picture that shows the connectors. I think all of the cards I linked use 2 6-pin connectors; I can't tell on the Gigabyte HD 5850, though.

A decent PSU for two Radeon HD 5850s or GTX 470s would cost at least around $100. :??:

wigglez :

I linked a couple combos with that Gigabyte SOC video card too. The reference GTX 470s can be really hot and loud, but all of them overclock pretty well. Here are some reviews with benchmarks:
http://www.ninjalane.com/reviews/video/gigabyte-gtx470soc
http://www.guru3d.com/article/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-470-soc-review/
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=26228

Use the Bench on Anandtech.com to compare GPUs: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/180?vs=160

You don't need to use the same brand of graphics card in an SLI setup, just the same GPU model. If only one of the cards is overclocked, though, they will both run at stock speeds. It may be hard to find a new GTX 470 in a year, noone can say for sure (some cards stick around for years, others are phased out as soon as they're replaced), but they will always be around on ebay.

wigglez :

There are a few differences. The only one that really stands out is XP compatibility mode; it allows you to run some programs that aren't compatible with Windows 7. That said, I've only used XP compatibility mode once or twice; most programs from XP work fine in Windows 7 without it in my experience.

wigglez :

The case I linked only has space built in for 2 fans, that isn't unusual for Lian Li cases. The best way to check how many fans a case can hold is just to look at the pictures. If you just want a case that moves a lot of air, the Cooler Master HAF cases may be more up your alley. I like solid metal cases. Very few companies make them anymore; if you can find one, it's usually very well made.

wielander · Sep 20, 2010

wigglez :

I'm not familiar with the problem. It looks like there are some fixes if it shows up, but they are a little involved. You may be better off with an Nvidia card if you don't want to take a chance at having this problem, having to fix it.

wigglez · Sep 20, 2010

At work right now so I haven't had a chance to reply, though I've read your post wielander. Got a message from my brother about the special newegg is running for today only for the Antec 900 case. But there is more... they have combo deals on sale too with the case! The Antec 900 case wasn't my first choice of cases to pick up, but it's so much cheaper now and with a combo deal with an ASUS mobo, I had to jump on it.

You had posted this Wielander:

ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Antec Nine Hundred Two Case (Very nice, well built and not very flashy)
$310
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.496765

It's now only $245 for today only after MIR. Grabbing this deal now incase they do run out today. So that's 2 more things off my list now =) All I need is: RAM, OS, GPU, cpu cooler (if there are any good priced ones. I know it was mentioned I don't really need it if I don't OC. I've heard it can prolong the life of the CPU though?)

wielander · Sep 20, 2010

wigglez :

It shouldn't prolong the life of the CPU. Even with the stock cooler your CPU temps should never get hazardously high unless you overclock. Processors degrade more quickly not just with higher temperatures but also with higher frequencies and voltages. Since an i7-930 starts out capable of 4GHz+, it will take a long time even at high temperatures, voltages, and frequencies to degrade to the point at which it is buggy at stock speeds.

If you do want a CPU cooler, they aren't that expensive. The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus is very capable and the best deal around now for ~$30.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0315397

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-RR-B10-212P-G1-Universal-Heat-Pipe/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285012652&sr=8-1

wigglez · Sep 21, 2010

wielander :

I should have bought one while at microcenter yesterday. I've never had a CPU cooler before as I've never OCed mine. But if it really isn't needed, I won't bother trying to get one. I think my biggest uncertainty on what to get right now is GPU still. ATI and Nvidia both have their pros and cons it seems. I've been on the fence and back and forth between the two for a while now. I'm down leaning more towards to the nvidia cards because of that flickering problem I've been reading about on the newegg reviews. It doesn't sound like everyone is having this problem, but a good portion none the less. I'm not very computer savy, so trying to figure out how to fix this problem will probably leave me frustrated at the end of the day. That gigabyte super clocked 1280mb gtx 470 card seemed like it had good reviews. It ran cool and performed well, but was quite a bit more expensive than a regular stock one. That and you mentioned that if I wanted to sli in the future, finding one new will be tough and I would have to resort to ebay.

That mushkin ram you had linked up top seemed cheaper than the ocz. Even with the comment you left, they didn't sound too good and you would be basically taking a risk and hoping they work out of the box. I'd rather not deal with the problem of having to return them for whatever reason, so I'd rather go with a more reputable brand =)

wielander · Sep 21, 2010

wigglez :

The difference in price is mostly because there aren't many combo deals with other brands of ram. Mushkin is a top shelf memory brand. If you want the absolute top of the line stuff, though:

G.Skill DDR3 1600 CL7 1.5V
$155
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231335

davewolfgang · Sep 21, 2010

MicroCenter (at least here in Houston) - has the HAF 932 for $127, and the 212 for $23.99. You really, REALLY can't beat those prices. Of course, I got them three weeks ago at $129 and $29.99....Grrrrr (but still great prices).

wigglez · Sep 21, 2010

wielander :

I don't need the absolute top of the line. I honestly don't know what the difference is between low and higher quality. All I know is a low Case Latency is good? I just want something that performs well and is reliable. I don't want it dying on me a year down the line.

davewolfgang :

I think the HAF 932 was running for about 125 yesterday at the MC in Tustin, CA. I was considering getting it, but I think newegg has them for about the same price? I decided to wait as I was certain I could probably get it for a good price in some combo. I didn't get a chance to look for one and bought the antec 902 instead today with the asus mobo. I'm satisfied with my purchase for the price I got it for. Just in the process now of looking for a GPU, RAM and OS. It's nice that the mobo I bought can do both sli or xfire =)

wielander · Sep 21, 2010

wigglez :

Sorry, I couldn't tell what you meant by "That mushkin ram you had linked up top seemed cheaper than the ocz." Just go with the Mushkin set for $130. Mushkin is a very reliable brand, and DDR3 1600 CL7 is the best value. Lower CAS Latency means that the memory responds more quickly and is thus faster.

All memory comes with a lifetime warranty for a reason; outside of extenuating circumstances, if DDR3 is going to fail, it will fail immediately. You don't need to worry about memory failing down the line.

wigglez :

Those Antec 902 combos are a great value. Good find.

wigglez · Sep 21, 2010

wielander :

haha sorry for the misunderstanding. I just couldn't seem to figure out why the mushkin was cheaper being a better brand compared to the OCZ which was more expensive and not as reputable.

I will probably go with those mushkin unless I can find a good combo deal with the last 3 things I need =)

wigglez · Sep 22, 2010

Just got my case and mobo today. Could still use any help deciding on RAM and GPU. Need OS as well, so I'm trying to find them in a good combo if possible. If not, just good deals =P

wielander · Sep 22, 2010

The only good combos with triple channel DDR3 memory kits are all with OCZ memory. There are only a couple combos using memory from other brands, and they don't fit with what you already have.

Here are the best prices on the memory by itself:

Mushkin 6GB DDR3 1333 CL9 1.5v (No heatsinks, but DDR3 doesn't heat up that much unless you overclock/overvolt)
$110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226063&cm_re=ddr3_1333_6gb-_-20-226-063-_-Product

Mushkin 6GB DDR3 1333 CL9 1.5v w/heatsinks
$115
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226093&cm_re=ddr3_1333_6gb-_-20-226-093-_-Product

Mushkin 6GB DDR3 1600 CL7 1.65v (Performance is considerably better)
$130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226155&cm_re=ddr3_1600_6gb-_-20-226-155-_-Product

There are plenty of graphics cards in combo deals with Windows 7. If you're still interested in a GTX 470, this is the best deal:

EVGA GeForce GTX 470 1280MB w/Lifetime Warranty
Windows 7 x64 Home Premium or Professional
$375 or $415 after a $20 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.493304
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.493309

wigglez · Sep 23, 2010

wielander :

okay I've been holding out to respond because I was trying to see if I could find a student edition of Win7. Turns out one of my cousin gets it at her college for free in a digital form. So I should be saving $100 there! Would you still recommend that EVGA gtx470? I love how it has a lifetime warranty and the price seems great! I'll probably be ordering tomorrow afternoon and hope it gets here by friday!

wielander · Sep 23, 2010

Best options:

Palit GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB Video Card (2 year warranty) w/Mafia II & Just Cause 2
$270 after a $30 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.455051

EVGA GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB Video Card (Lifetime Warranty) w/Mafia II & Just Cause 2
$295 after a $20 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.456551

wigglez · Sep 23, 2010

Order in for the Mushkin 6GB DDR3 1600 CL7 1.65v and EVGA GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB Video Card (Lifetime Warranty) w/Mafia II & Just Cause 2!!!

I did have one last question though. I'm assuming the win7 I'm going to be getting is a digital upgrade. That being said I will probably have to download it first onto a DVD first I'm assuming. I've never used an upgrade version before so I'm not too sure how it works. If for whatever reason I have my entire computer reformatted, will I need to install XP first, then the upgraded version of windows 7?

wielander · Sep 23, 2010

wigglez :

It will tell you what to do, but you can't "upgrade" XP into Windows 7. It will have to do a clean install of Windows 7 because you can only upgrade from Vista. I'm guessing it will just check to make sure a previous install exists, but it won't do anything with it if it is XP.

wigglez · Sep 24, 2010

wielander :

hmmm that's bad then, because I don't own a copy of vista. Maybe I should have just bought it from newegg then =\

wigglez · Sep 24, 2010

I'm now wondering if it's maybe not an upgrade version and just the full version? She's trying to find the info for me, but she's moving into her dorm so she doesn't have a lot of time =\ suspense is killing me.

wielander · Sep 24, 2010

No no no, you can use the upgrade version. It just can't upgrade a Windows XP install, but that doesn't mean you can't use it to install Windows 7.

With Windows Vista it would just download an installer to your desktop. You would run that installer in Vista and after restarting a couple times it will have converted your OS from Windows Vista into Windows 7. Basically all of your settings and programs will stay the same and your files will be in the same places.

Windows XP is too different of an operating system to convert into Windows 7 so Windows 7 has to be installed from scratch. The installer will move the windows operating system (to a folder called Windows.old) and all of your files to the end of the drive so that you don't lose anything, but it won't recover any of your settings or program installations from Windows XP.

The Windows 7 upgrade version says that it is compatible with Windows XP. It should have instructions for how to use it. It may walk you through burning an install disk, or it may be able to set itself up to boot the installer instead of XP after a restart. One way or another, it should work.

wigglez · Sep 24, 2010

wielander :

Music to my ears. I don't mind doing a fresh install. I remember there being "upgrade" versions where you had to have the previous version of windows before. I was afraid this digital download I'm getting from my cousin would mean that I would need vista in order to be able to download it and use it. So yeah, I defintely don't mind doing a clean install and reformatting everything as that is what I prefer to do anyways.

Just wanted to thank you wielander for all your help =)

$800 Gaming Rig (i7 930 build)

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