Another me-too build thread. Hooray!

[TheGuitarist]

Hey all. I have a system I've spec'd and have no idea if any of these parts will butt heads with each other. Please guide me oh nerdier-than-I ones.

The last time I was 'into' computers, the only i7 was the 920. Now, with all of these new i7's out, I'm cornfused. Basically, I'm in college and needing a computer to work on, PLUS I'm going to do some gaming using my HDTV as a monitor as well as watching movies. Later down the road I'll be recording music, what should I buy in anticipation of that? I want things to look gooooood and run smoooooth. The 850 PSU is just in case I want to Xfire down the road.

Case: NZXT Phantom http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146067 139.99
HDD: WD Caviar Black http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136544 69.99
GPU: Sapphire Vapor-X 5870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102872 269.99
PSU: Corsair CMPSU 850W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009 129.99
Ram: G.Skill Ripjaw 8GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311 89.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423 209.99
CPU: Intel i7-950 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115211 294.99
Windows 7 Home Premium 99.99
Blu Ray Drive: Lite on 4X http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106325 39.99

Any additions/changes?

Thanks in advance.

Oops. Read the build guide thread. Sorry

Approximate order date: Late Feb.
Budget: no more than $1800
Most to Least important usage: School, Gaming (interchangable, ha!), movies, and recording MUSIC!
Parts not required: Mouse, keyboard, speakers
Preferred sites: Newegg, or suitable recommendation by the forumites
Overclocking: Maybe
Xfire: Down the road
Screen resolution: 1900x1080p

 

[Hastibe]

You can get Windows 7 Pro, from Microsoft, for only $65, here: http://www.microsoft.com/student/en/us/windows/buynow/default.aspx

 

[TheGuitarist]

Thanks for that heads-up, good sir.

 

[blackjellognomes]

LGA 1366 likes triple-channel RAM, not dual-channel. If I were you, I'd still keep the RAM, though. I'd replace the mobo + CPU with a P67 mobo and a 2600K. And instead of a 5870, I'd opt for either a 6870 or a 6950 (depending on the games). Also, SATA 3 is somewhat useless for mechanical drives atm. I suggest a Spinpoint F3 instead.

 

[TheGuitarist]

Jello,

I've taken your recommendations and applied them. Surprisingly the difference in cost is negligible. Would the new CPU + Mobo combo perform better with triple channel ram? Or would I even notice a difference?

 

[blackjellognomes]

The new mobo uses dual-channel RAM natively, so using triple-channel RAM would actually hurt performance in that (1) your rig won't benefit from multi-channel RAM and (2) your overclocking might be more limited. And it's just weird to be using 3 of 4 slots.

Here's a nice little read regarding the new chips. Definitely check out the "Gaming Performance" page.

 

[TheGuitarist]

Many thanks.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Your usage does not indicate a benefit from a 1366 based system, so I'd recommend a 1155 based one for better performance in what you will be doing:

Case - Air inlet filters, hot swap external 2.5" drive, fleet swap drive bays, build in fan speed control, hi air flow for cooling twin GFX cards,
PSU - TX series is inadequate for twin GFX and overclocking, if sticking w/ Corsair you'd wat the XFX Black Edition 850
MoBo / CPU - The best overclocking MoBo in THG's 1155 roundup w/ fastest available 1155 CPU.
Cooler - In top 3 performance wise, easy installation, 1st place TIM
SSD & HD - for best of both worlds
GFX - Will handle just about anything out at hi settings, add a 2nd one come XMas.

Case - $160 - Antec DF-85 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129087
Case Fans - Later - Antec Red 120 mm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209013
PSU - $120 - Antec CP850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371024
MoBo - $495 - ASUS P8P67 Pro http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.575880
CPU - incl above - Intel Core i5-2600K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070
Cooler - $62 - Prolimatech Megahalems http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242001
TIM - $5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080
CPU Fan - $11 - Scythe SY1225SL12LM-P http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10026/fan-639/Scythe_Slip_Stream_120mm_x_25mm_PWM_Mid_Speed_Fan_-_SY1225SL12LM-P.html?tl=g36c365s936
CPU Fan - $11 - Same
Fan Cable - $8 - Akasa PWM AK-CB002
RAM - $100 - (2 x 4GB) Corsair CAS 9 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145324
GFX - $370 - EVGA GTX 570 Superclock http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130595
GFX - - Same
HD - $55 - Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 rpm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
SSD - $199 - OCZ Vertex 2 3.5" 120GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227590
DVD Writer - $80 - ASUS BR Model BC-08B1LT http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135220
OS - $140 - Win 7-64 Pro OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

Total $1816

 

[blackjellognomes]

Jack, I generally like your advice, but you're not reading through threads anymore. Also, there are dozens of cases better than the DF-85, often at lower prices.

 

[TheGuitarist]

Jack,

A few things you said confuse me. Not hard to do, however. You state the PSU I've selected would be inadequate for what I propose to do down the road, but say the XFX is fine if I want to stick with Corsair. I didn't realize the PSU you had listed was made by corsair. I thought XFX was their own company. Or did you mean my corsair was inadequate, and you recommend the XFX?

The cooler you have listed doesn't list the 1155 as a supported mobo. It's apparent you know your stuff, but I am just double checking.

 

[lothdk]

LGA 1155 and 1156 shares CPU cooler mounting holes, so the Prolimatech cooler should fit without a problem.

 

[blackjellognomes]

Guitarist, the Antec that Jack listed and the Corsair TX850 are pretty much the same in terms of price and performance. The XFX performs slightly better than both and has a higher efficiency rating, but all three are good PSUs.
Newegg has a nice MIR on the XFX atm, so if you're not worried about getting that money back, it's a really sweet deal.
Antec, Corsair, and XFX do not design their own PSUs. Corsair's PSUs are designed by Seasonic or Channel Well Tech, and iirc the TX850 is a CWT product. XFX's are Seasonic-only. Seasonic is generally regarded as the best PSU OEM, and for good reason.

Also, +1 lothdk