All around i7 rig $1500

[technoidgit]

Well this is my 3rd time trying this.
I'm looking into building an al around use PC. Used for gaming, web, Adobe photoshop, video editing, movies--these are in no particular oder of use. I just want to do all of them well. I have tried putting something together but thn something ends up going out of stock or I worry about a part to much. Build/order time is in about a week and want to spend around $1500. Any monitor suggestions (around $150)would be great but not figured in $1500 price

THis is where I ended up

ASUS P8P67 Pro B3 Motherboard
2nd generation Intel Core i7-2600K Unlocked Quad-Core Processor
8GB DDR3 1600MHz System Memory (4 x 2048MB)
Cooler Master HAF 922 Chassis
Ultra 750W LSP Power Supply
CoolIT ECO A.L.C Liquid Cooling System $999.00

to keep it simple this is the setup
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=194147&sku=B69-9015

EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti Free Performance Boost Video Card - 1GB, GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0 (x16), Dual DVI, HDMI, DirectX 11, SLI Ready $249.99

Western Digital WD1002FAEX Caviar Black Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA 6Gbs $84.99

I just realized I also need a DVD R/W and or Bluray anysuggestions would be great. I'm not sure what the memory brand is with the setup list above, I may also just order components seperetly

 

[maverick knight]

are you about to order or you would like something different? It looks ok, go corsair with the RAM. dont get the liquid cooling, instead get a Hyper 212+. Add a SSD for the OS. And dont forget Windows 7 home premium OEM. Blu ray = LITE-ON 4x Blu-ray Disc SATA Internal Optical Drive iHOS104

 

[nd_hunter]

HAF 922 $100 shipped ($10 MIR available)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

i7-2600k $315 shipped
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

Hyper 212+ $30 shipped
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304352740&sr=8-1

ASUS P8P67 Pro $180 shipped
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131703

G.Skill Ripjaws X 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 CL9 1.5v $100 shipped <---Known quality RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

EVGA GTX 560Ti $260 shipped <---Factory OC'd to 900/1800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130610

Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB $60 shipped
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1304353231&sr=1-2

Corsair TX750 V2 PSU $110 shipped ($15 MIR available) <---Much better than Ultra brand
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

LG Blu-Ray Burner $91 shipped <---Blu-ray isn't mainstream enough for me to buy a burner...
http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-Blu-ray-Software-WH10LS30K/dp/B0037FSYQC/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1304353544&sr=1-6

Lite-On DVD Burner $23 (ships for free w/ purchase over $25)
http://www.amazon.com/Liteon-24X-DVDrw-Sata-Retail/dp/B002QGDWLK/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1304353544&sr=1-7

ASUS 23" monitor $180 shipped ($10 MIR available) <---Full HD (1080p), 2ms response time, LED backlit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236117

---

Total for everything above: $1449

 

[technoidgit]

Thank you for your input. Also thak you for the links ND Hunter, I have been trying to figure what from where and this helps. I will double check aand see if I can even work out any combo deals with Newegg. I have been wondering about BluRay also, I don't use now but you never know. Maybe I need to use my gift cert. for Netflix.

I will also check out the monitor as i may want to go a bit smaller, maybe not though

 

[nd_hunter]

Thank you for your input. Also thak you for the links ND Hunter, I have been trying to figure what from where and this helps. I will double check aand see if I can even work out any combo deals with Newegg. I have been wondering about BluRay also, I don't use now but you never know. Maybe I need to use my gift cert. for Netflix.

I will also check out the monitor as i may want to go a bit smaller, maybe not though

Newegg didn't seem to have much for combos. Last week saw a lot of good ones. ASUS makes a 21.5" version of that monitor as well, but I think it's only about $10 less. Samsung, LG, and Acer are good alternatives. You wouldn't want to go less than 1920x1080 for your resolution, though. With Blu-ray, I say hold off for now, it's much more comfy to watch while sitting on a sofa. Media is expensive if you were to burn BD discs. You can always add one down the line when it's more popular and prices on media and hardware will lower.

EDIT: Just shop around. Pay close attention to shipping charges, as they have increased and there seems to be less selection (at least with Newegg) that has free shipping, however everything but the Hyper 212+ had free shipping. I'm leery when it comes to Tiger Direct because they like to include rebates when they advertise the price. I have yet to see a rebate from my build (PSU and GPU, totaling $55) so don't count on those to make your budget.

 

[Stranger3535]

Thought i would share the system I'm in the process of building, as i am in the same budget range for an all in one micro tower (mostly gamer) i7 sandy bridge platform.


ASUS P8P67-M PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard. $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131707

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K. $314.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

ZALMAN 9500A-LED 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler. $44.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM. $119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445

EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1573-AR GeForce GTX 570 HD w/Display-Port (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card. $364.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130622
(Future sli? >)

CORSAIR Professional Series AX750 750W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply. $169.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139016

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD). $259.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive. $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit English 1-Pack - OEM. $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

IN WIN BR665 Black SECC steel MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case. $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108383





Total cost, Appx $1650.00 + shipping (no optical drive as i have one)

EDIT: Just shop around. Pay close attention to shipping charges, as they have increased and there seems to be less selection (at least with Newegg) that has free shipping

Good advice there for sure.

 

[nd_hunter]

Too many people bag on the Corsair Hydro series, but if you replace the fan with a Scythe Gentle Typhoon on even an h50 you can outperform any air cooler out there...really it depends on how much you want to overclock, the 212 is standard and great for moderate overclocking, noctua performs great but is bulky and ugly...what many people don't know is that the h60 has a future software that allows you to monitor the actual liquid temperatures in real time...so the real question is how hardcore of an overclocker are you?

http://www.totalpowerpc.com/soulreaper.html

(shipping included on all rigs)

I've suggested people away from the H50/60/70 style cooler, but not because it sucks. For me, it's the price. A lot of people on here want gaming builds with the best GPU for modern and future titles, yet have a somewhat tight budget. 4.5Ghz is totally doable for $30 (Hyper 212+). So why spend more? I don't see any need to recommend a more expensive cooler to someone when it will take away from the rest of the build. That being said, I have recommended the H60 to people when they want a build with 16GB of memory, or just like it and have the budget for it. BTW, a lot of people who overclock aren't hardcore about it, especially those in this forum looking for advice on computer builds.

 

[maverick knight]

I dont know why pc builders are still holding out on upgrading to blu ray. I personaly when I watched a BD I never went back to DVD. I know thers netflix but the build is not to watch BD is for much more. Having the advantage to watch and record BD for just an extra $70 is pretty good deal.

 

[nd_hunter]

I dont know why pc builders are still holding out on upgrading to blu ray. I personaly when I watched a BD I never went back to DVD. I know thers netflix but the build is not to watch BD is for much more. Having the advantage to watch and record BD for just an extra $70 is pretty good deal.

Price of movies, drives, media, it's more comfortable to watch in a recliner. For an HTPC, absolutely get at least a BD-rom, but if not, whats the point when you have a player hooked up to your flat screen in the living room?

 

[nd_hunter]

as i said it depends how hardcore you are about overclocking, my statement wasn't aimed at you directly, it's aimed at the many people that think the hydro series is too much money for the same performance that someone can get out of a noctua, but their are some of us, not all of us, that care about greatest overclocking potential for under $100 and when you piece together an h60 with a scythe gentle typhoon you get that extra cooling to push past the boundaries of 4.5,for many the 212 is a great cooler, i use it in many of my builds, it's great...then beyond overclocking and cooling, some of us actually care what it looks like, go to lan parties and/or have a see through window in our cases and just prefer a cleaner look...so forgive me if my comment seemed like it was aimed at you, it wasn't...just venting a lil bit, sharing thoughts...

Nah, it's cool. I didn't think it was aimed at me personally. I was just sharing thoughts too, a little perspective from 'the other side.' When I switch over to Z68, I'm also going to double my memory and was considering an H50/60 (or similar) so I don't have to limit my RAM choices since it seems like the tall heat spreaders are the new "in" thing. Probably going to go with Vengeance or Ripjaws so I can have a nice matched set and eBay my XMS3 sticks... Anyway, thanks for the info about the Scythe fans. I'm not about pushing the limits on my hardware, but it's nice to know I could. Sigh, no side window on my HAF 912, but if anyone has a line on a 912 Advanced...

 

[technoidgit]

As for the cooler, I have to say I'm with skullcrusher here. What I like about the liquid is the size of sink and cooling. Granted it may not cool better but I like the design and feel it may. To be honest, for me there are better ways to save the $30-40 extra.(like cut back 1/2 of a sushi dinner) Some say it's a waste if your not OCing to a higher level???? But when is better cooling without a massive heat sink and bars getting in the way ever a bad thing. I was also wondering about the fan on the Corsair hydro and I will look into the Scythe Gentle Typhoon or similar. My main concerns were best graphics card for the money around $250 to $350, memory size-speed (mostly)and brand, and the power supply. I also want to be able to just add (SLI) another graphics board in the future if I feel the need so I also worried about board and tower space. With Ocing I may just run w/ the turbo for now but I'm sure will venture into the 4GHz+ realm and maybe sooner than I may think.

It's just been to many years since I have built anything aand ohh how the times have changed


ND Hunter quote"Newegg didn't seem to have much for combos. Last week saw a lot of good ones."
Yeah no kidding, I thought I had everything figured out on Sat or Sun but wanted to just confirm one or two things. Went I went to order what I save in my cart I found out a couple of my combos were no longer available. Is there any easy way to find the combos on Newegg? When I was looking at the i7 960 setup I had to go through like 20 pages of combos and that was with just one of the items

One other question(I may have already said that.. but) Do you folks think I have choosed the right Mobo? Or is there another one you may like even if its say $50 to $75 more, like upto $250 to $275. As for the case I had/have also been considering the Antec nine hundred or Nine Hundred Two. Would you suggest the CM Haf 922 or the Nine Hundred, Im also not opposed going to a fullsize if you really like one as I hate a tight fit and may end up using for future builds

 

[nd_hunter]

The only things you gain by going higher-end for a board is the NF200 chip for x16/x16 Crossfire or SLI (Tom's proved this is pretty much useless) and/or more USB 3.0.

 

[nd_hunter]

I didn't mean Crossfire or SLI is useless, I meant you don't get a whole lot of benefit of x16/x16 over x8/x8. The ASUS P8P67 Pro is about $180. The cheapest board with NF200 is the WS Revolution and that's $75 more. The link you provided is the same article I was referring to. A 1% fps increase for $75 is useless in my book.

 

[nd_hunter]

Really? I realize as a business man, you'll (and I don't mean you personally) want to upsell your customers, but it doesn't seem odd to me at all. They are well-matched parts, regardless of the price. Would you think it odd to put a 990x ($1000) on an x58 Sabertooth ($220)?

 

[nd_hunter]

Haha! Yeah, maybe my analogy wasn't the best. I find it odd to use a 990x in this day and age, period. I put my rig (signature) together for less.

 

[nd_hunter]

To the OP, sorry about hijacking your thread. What's your build looking like?

 

[nd_hunter]

Haven't tried. It's run everything maxed, so really i have no need yet. Gonna wait til I get my Z68 board before I do anything too drastic, lol. I'm probably just going to run a modded 6950 bios that unlocks the shaders and overclock that to 6970 specs. Hopefully add another one (before AMD changes things), double the ram like I said earlier, and hopefully 2 more monitors by the end of the summer and let 'er rip for a couple years.

 

[technoidgit]

To the OP, sorry about hijacking your thread. What's your build looking like?

No not a problem, it has been an interesting read and actually helpfull. Except for the i5 2500 part as I had also considered this. Now 2600K to the 2500 is what $100, is that $100 well spent...some say no. Me...I have no idea, I like the 2600K but want to make sure I use a good board and as said am will to upto if not abit more than $250 to $275 for it. If someone convinced me that the xxxxx for $300 was the best thing since sliced bread (in that price range) then that is what it would be. My goal is an all around pc for around $1500(not including the monitor price)> If it ends up being $1600 or so then thats fine. I just hate buyers remorse in the way that if I spent $100 or so more I could of had something much better. I have considered the Revolution and Deluxe also the ASRock Fat and extreme(due to one of Tom's article) I'm not set on any one part that I listed, I listed that only because it was easy. One thing I'm set on is the cooling and it's the H50/60/70-just because I like it

Oh and Skullcrusher I saw a dual quad 427 Pinto at the track one day...Oh and was it ever worth it Well except for the citations he got for breaking into the the 8's without the proper saftey equipment. What a fast piece of crap

 

[nd_hunter]

No not a problem, it has been an interesting read and actually helpfull. Except for the i5 2500 part as I had also considered this. Now 2600K to the 2500 is what $100, is that $100 well spent...some say no. Me...I have no idea, I like the 2600K but want to make sure I use a good board and as said am will to upto if not abit more than $250 to $275 for it. If someone convinced me that the xxxxx for $300 was the best thing since sliced bread (in that price range) then that is what it would be. My goal is an all around pc for around $1500(not including the monitor price)> If it ends up being $1600 or so then thats fine. I just hate buyers remorse in the way that if I spent $100 or so more I could of had something much better. I have considered the Revolution and Deluxe also the ASRock Fat and extreme(due to one of Tom's article) I'm not set on any one part that I listed, I listed that only because it was easy. One thing I'm set on is the cooling and it's the H50/60/70-just because I like it

Oh and Skullcrusher I saw a dual quad 427 Pinto at the track one day...Oh and was it ever worth it Well except for the citations he got for breaking into the the 8's without the proper saftey equipment. What a fast piece of crap

:lol:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=287 <--Here's some benches for 2500k vs 2600k

Only you can prevent forr...I mean only you can determine if the extra $100 is worth it. For gaming, no. That's pretty much a given. However, when you consider longevity, future multi-threaded programs, multitasking, etc....well....maybe.

 

[technoidgit]

I had considered the MSI but then someone told me to stay way due to dependablity problem lately. For me I need Firewire as one of our camera's uses it, I could get a board but prefer to have it built in. I had also considered the G65 and G80 and they are not out as of yet. What do you think

 

[technoidgit]

Would you consider the GD80 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130581
Or would you stick with the GD65 if you were going to build right now? It looks like the GD80 is a new board as TD doesn't have any and Newegg has now feedback on them

 

[nd_hunter]

I built a rig with the MSI P67A-C43 board and it works flawlessly. Every manufacturer occasionally lets a bad board get to the consumer no matter how good their QA program is.

 

[technoidgit]

the GD80 is under rated and that's why i named that build Vindicator!

http://www.totalpowerpc.com/vindicator.html

however, unless you're planning to do 3-way sli or xfire i'd just stick with the 65
besides that you'd be looking at a 1000W psu for serious overclocking and expanability freedom atleast...in all my builds i make certain to add extra beefy psu's you can run 2 560's in sli off a 750W no prob but if you decide to OC the cpu, gpu's and have expanded the RAM and HDD count...that's where you need the 850W! Too much power is always better than not enough, when it comes to power supplies many try to cheap their way out but it is what's powering your graphics, should you decide to OC your cards one day, you get out of it exactly what you put into it...so i say plan ahead!

Now that's what I'm looking for. I had wondered also about the PSU. The way I see it in 5 or 6 months the pricess will drop making adding a 2nd board much cheaper but if I don't plan ahead w/enough power then the coast is much more. Right off the bat I will keep things pretty mellow, but as things go on I'm pretty sure I will OC and then want to maybe add another gpu. I quess BF BC2 then (when avail) BF3 will determine that. I also want a CPU that will run Adobe Premiere and Photoshop CS5 with ease. I don't know that I will run a 3-way sli but I had heard it is insane. A guy I know was saying he sees things clearly he never saw before, of course he spent over $400 for his mobo also

 

[technoidgit]

Well I think this is where I'm at

HAF 922 $100 shipped ($10 MIR available)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119197

i7-2600k $315 shipped
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115070

CORSAIR CWCH50 $71
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010&Tpk=coarsair%20h50

MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 $179---Most likely end up being the GD80 though
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131703

G.Skill Ripjaws X 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 CL9 1.5v $100 shipped Known quality RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231428

EVGA GTX 560Ti $260 shipped <---Factory OC'd to 900/1800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130610

Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB $60 shipped
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spin [...] 231&sr=1-2

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI $134.99 plus(-$10 mir)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006

LG Blu-Ray Burner $91 shipped
http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electroni [...] 544&sr=1-6

Lite-On DVD Burner $23 (ships for free w/ purchase over $25)
http://www.amazon.com/Liteon-24X-D [...] 544&sr=1-7


I didn't add up my total yet but I should be close. If you can think of anything else or changes please speak up. Also thank you soooo much

 

[technoidgit]

It looks like I'm roughly around $1350 or so(may have missed somethng) Is there anwhere $100 more would be well spent?