$1800-2200 budget build, need help!

[xixpoisonxix]

Hi everyone, I'm planning on building this i7 gaming computer in the summer, sometime mid-June probably. I'm willing to overclock, and i'll be running it in 1920x1080 resolution. I'm mainly having problems deciding what to do with the video card (single, SLI, Tri-SLI). I'm trying to get the best bang out of the buck. But it would be great if I could get some suggestions for anything Thanks!



Thermaltake ArmorPlus(Armor+) VH6000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133056
$174.99


Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
$104.99


EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434
$179.99


CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007
$259.99


Logitech G11 Silver & Black USB Standard Gaming Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126009
$58.99


Logitech G5 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Laser Mouse
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104076
$49.99


Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202
$230.00


LG Black Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner SATA Model GGC-H20L
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136133
$109.99


EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.183477

Combo: $325.99


EVGA 141-BL-E759-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SLI Classified ATX Intel Motherboard
EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.179053

Combo: $579.98


Subtotal: $2074.90

Rebate: -$105.00

After Rebate total: $1969.90

 

[xthekidx]

Get an 850TX instead and then get 2 GTX 285's. You should try to use as few GPU's as possible because a lot of performance is lost during scaling. Tri SLI is a poor bang for the buck option.

 

[crisisavatar]

as the above poster said get the corsair 850TX better and if you in fact decide to sli dont go above a pair of gtx 275 since you will have close to no gain in performance beyond that.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

for mobo try this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365
i wouldn't hesitate to call you a tool if you bought the one picked here since this will have all and more for way less.

case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058
or upgrade to the 1200 if you feel a need for it. the case you listed is very loud and this one has fan controllers for your comfort.

also you forgot to list ram try this :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227388

 

[peanutpc]

Get the cheapest ($200-225)sli X58 board and run one GTX 295. I would recommend Corsair 750TX or PC Power & Cooling S75CF if you're gonna run one GTX 295 or 2 x GTX275/4890. Its a kicka$$ power supply for the money and will run most sli/cfx set up you throw at it. I have S75CF and LOVE it.

 

[xthekidx]

as the above poster said get the corsair 850TX better and if you in fact decide to sli dont go above a pair of gtx 275 since you will have close to no gain in performance beyond that.

The GTX 285's are still better, some games though won't see as much of an improvement as others. In many games though the GTX 285 SLI'd do give a decent boost, like 10FPS over the GTX 275 SLI'd...whether that is worth $200 extra is up to the OP.

And I completely agree on the MB I missed that in my initial skimming of the build. That EVGA Classified is pretty cool lookin, but totally not worth it. The Asus P6T Deluxe V2 is where its at.

 

[xixpoisonxix]

Ok, i decided to change the 3 x gtx260 to 2 x gtx285 's.

for motherboard i changed to asus p6t.

and i changed the power supply to the corsair 850.

i will keep looking around for another case then. do you think a mid tower can fit this, esp the gtx 285's?

also, i added the cooler master v8 for the cpu. do i need vga cooling as well? and how much does it help for OCing anyway?

 

[Jack64]

Might I suggest the coolermaster HAF 932, kick ass case and quiet!! AWESOME airflow to keep your components cool!!! I have one and LOVE it!!

 

[xthekidx]

Give this case a look as well:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194&Tpk=storm%20sniper

All the cases suggested here are excellent options and you can't go wrong with any of them.

 

[crisisavatar]

Ok, i decided to change the 3 x gtx260 to 2 x gtx285 's.

for motherboard i changed to asus p6t.

and i changed the power supply to the corsair 850.

i will keep looking around for another case then. do you think a mid tower can fit this, esp the gtx 285's?

also, i added the cooler master v8 for the cpu. do i need vga cooling as well? and how much does it help for OCing anyway?

the ps wont do for 3 way sli but if you are really willing to waste your money go with a pair for gtx 285's. keep in mind that you will be able to max crysis which is the benchmark braker, SO YOU ALREADY WON THE GAME and is time to start being rational.

as an added note there is a rumor that the next generation of cards will be up to 2 times faster than what we currently have, aka you will want to upgrade. another way of putting it would be your super expensive cards will have close to no value and you partially wasted your money.

and what kind of performance system are you building without SSDs ?

try a pair of :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227393

in raid 0 since your HD is what will set that or any alike system back.

cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835702007
the V8 is not good at all sorry.

and the regular asus p6t doesnt have enough space for 2 slot cards to breath in properly and since you are going sli is better to spend the extra 30 bucks upgrading to the p6t deluxe V2. ( dont cheap out you were going for a 4xx board wth lol ).

 

[xthekidx]

as an added note there is a rumor that the next generation of cards will be up to 2 times faster than what we currently have, aka you will want to upgrade. another way of putting it would be your super expensive cards will have close to no value and you partially wasted your money.

Right...Just like Y2K was the end of civilization as we knew it. Yeah each round of GPU's to come out will have advances but its not going to be something that drastic. In two years maybe, not the next 6 months.

and what kind of performance system are you building without SSDs ?

try a pair of :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227393

in raid 0 since your HD is what will set that or any alike system back.

SSD's are overpriced and a waste of money, cutting 2 seconds off the load time isn't even close to worth it...and you were trying to tell him to start being rational. I would much rather spend the money on the better GPU's than SSD's.

cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835702007
the V8 is not good at all sorry.

...dude the Vigor Monsoon isn't better than the V8, its worse. If you want a better price/performance ratio get a Scythe Mugen 2 or Xigmatek S1283V DK.

 

[jive]

For the Case :
1-choose one you esthically like and with a removable tray, easy to work with.
2-Check review with an attention to the arflow.

For the heatsink: Choose the one with an highest recommandtion rate on multiple website. May be now thoses gigantic beast (v8,v10) in heatsink have the flavor of the moment , but, play safe do some research. I have a noctua with two fans push-pull, my temp are really good never go over 62-64 C. case temps 25C. ,even after 15 hours of prime 95 small fft.

Keyboard mouse .... chose the one you like maybe some people like red color other bleu and so on . Chose the one your are comfortable with. Try to get a simple mouse you know like 3-5 button mors then that your finger will fall out.

Video card:
1-cost-efficency
2-possibility too go crossfire or sli.
3-What kind of display will you used, I mean if you never go to 2 display or 2200X1900, Price should be really lower on that range of card.
4- PNY BFG are good builder, most of the time they take the base desing made by ati or nvidia and add bling bling around plus some games if your lucky.

For the other parts you have all the good advice here.

Thanks

 

[xixpoisonxix]

Thank you all for your help! It has been very helpful. I redid my list, so here is what I have currently:

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

Logitech G11 Silver & Black USB Standard Gaming Keyboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126009

Logitech G5 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Laser Mouse - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104076

LG Black Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner SATA Model GGC-H20L - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136133

ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.183011

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail

COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.183000

2 x EVGA 01G-P3-1285-AR GeForce GTX 285 SC Edition 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130446

SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173


Any thoughts and/or comments are very welcome!

 

[xthekidx]

you wouldn't lose much performance going with GTX 275's and you would probably save $200-300...its up to you, but unless you are gaming at 25x16 res its probably not worth it.

 

[xixpoisonxix]

Do you think it is worth it to get the GTX 275 SLI over the GTX 260 SLI?

 

[xthekidx]

Yes, it will be more resilient to future needs. The 4870x2 (roughly equal to GTX 260 SLI) right now does a good job at 19x12 res, but games like crysis can still experience slow downs. If you want super smooth gaming at 19x12 res, I think GTX 275's would be good for maxing out any game you have now, and any games to come out in the near future. In a couple years you may need to swap them out for better GPU's, as oppsed to 1 year for the GTX 260's (these are arbitrary guesses, I can't actually predict the future).