Advice On New Core i7 Build

[SG44]

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

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM x2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339

PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Total: $1,268.49

How does it look? Anywhere I can decrease price or increase performance? The main thing it will be used for is Photoshop. Will everything run fast and start pretty much instantly? Also I have a question about RAID. There will be tons of pictures saved on the computer. How should I configure the hard drives to make these pictures load fast and have tons of storage space for them?

Thanks.

 

[xthekidx]

You are paying way too much for that GPU, look at the HD 4850, a much better deal. This one has rear exhaust which is nice, otherwise you can go for the saphire card that is $10 cheaper. Also that motherboard isn't SLI supported so if you wanted to upgrade the graphics you would have to buy a new GPU instead of adding another one for cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150337

That is a very basic x58 mobo, I would want the P6T which comes with more features and is more expandable, plus more overclockable. But that costs $65 more...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359

That PSU will allow for 2 video cards of 4870's and below. If you only will ever use 1 GPU, then go for the Corsair 450vx or something like that.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003&Tpk=450vx

Your other selections look good.

 

[xthekidx]

As far as raid goes, I suggest you pick up another HDD and run raid 5, this will give you parity so your data is more secure, as well as a speed boost. Raid 0 or 1 are your only options with 2 drives.

Raid 0 is fast, but you have 100% greater chance to lose data since the data is striped between the two drives (half is stored on each drive, so if one fails, you don't have complete files and so your data becomes corrupted and is useless). Raid 1 gives no speed boost, but your data is twice as secure because both drives have to fail for your data to be lost (data is mirrored on both drives, each drive gets a complete set of the files. This only gives you HALF the storage space as raid 0 or if the drives were running independantly). Raid 5 is sort of a mix of the two, you will get the storage space of two of the three drives, a speed boost, and more security.

 

[SG44]

Thanks for the quick response. The reasons I chose the graphics card and power supply were the rebates and additional money off. So the graphics card would be $130 and the power supply would be $90. Should I still replace them? I went with the motherboard because of its price as well. It will end up being $170. Should I move up to something like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128374?

Raid5 sounds like a good option. How many drives can be in RAID5?

 

[Mrbumbum]

That PSU will allow for 2 video cards of 4870's and below. If you only will ever use 1 GPU, then go for the Corsair 450vx or something like that.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003&Tpk=450vx.

I would not get the 450vx because it only has one pci express connector. With x2 cards, like the gtx 295, you want no less then say the 650tx or the 620watt modular version. But for non x2 cards a 550tx should be plenty.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004&Tpk=550vx

edit: I wrote that before seeing the Photoshop part, But if it will ever be used for games I would get atleast 2 pci express connectors.

 

[xthekidx]

I have no idea what board you are looking at in that link. The P6T is the best value for an x58 board IMO.

The GPU you chose comes to $145 after rebate, so yes change it to the one I pointed out, its better in just about every benchmark.

The PSU is $105...not sure how you are calculating those prices...

Same with the mobo...$185

 

[sharken]

Like he said, I would go for asus p6T or deluxe, you get what you pay for, spend the little extra now, never regret it later, when you look at your build later you'll be saying wish I got this and that for little more.... with the right parts in the beginning you have no buyers regret.... and less problems. That graphics is fine, but if your worried about power, dont bother with weak, get a GTX 260 216 or a 4870 1gb card, it can play anything and will last you, so you wont be needing to scrap the card later for it being a waste of money when you really want one better either way.... hope this gives you a little a heads up, Shark

 

[SG44]

I'm adding promo codes to come to final prices. I can't get that other motherboard link to work. Anyway its the next GIGABYTE model that's like $240. What are some of the benefits of going with the P6T? BTW, this machine will never be used for gaming.

 

[xthekidx]

How much gaming will you do with this build? If none, then scrap the GPU's and go for something cheap like the 4650. If a little, then stick with what you have now. If gaming is one of the primary interests of your rig, then you should either increase your budget (I'm sensing $1300 is sorta your max?), or go for a Q9650 build, which will give you performance close to an i7, but will cost less and you can put more money into the GPU for a much better gaming experience.

 

[Mrbumbum]

How much gaming will you do with this build? If none, then scrap the GPU's and go for something cheap like the 4650. If a little, then stick with what you have now. If gaming is one of the primary interests of your rig, then you should either increase your budget (I'm sensing $1300 is sorta your max?), or go for a Q9650 build, which will give you performance close to an i7, but will cost less and you can put more money into the GPU for a much better gaming experience.

scrap the GPU (expenseive one) get a cheaper one (4650 or something) like he suggested)

and get a lower watt / cheaper psu like that 450watt xthekidx suggested.

 

[SG44]

There won't be any gaming on it. I don't really have a max in price either, just trying to keep it less expensive. I'm aiming to build it so that it runs Photoshop and all other basic applications really well. If I can significantly increase this performance by spending more I will. I also want to decrease the time it takes to load picture previews. Like when looking through hundreds of pictures, I don't want it to have to load them for a while.

No GPU at all or a cheap one?

If I increase the number of drives in RAID5, will it increase performance?

 

[SG44]

Ok, made the changes you guys suggested. Here is the new build. Everything look good?

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

ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM x3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

MSI R4650-D1G Radeon HD 4650 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127395

CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003

SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Total: $1,268.67

 

[sharken]

better.... at least your not getting amd lol

 

[xthekidx]

If you can, get a bigger case. The 300 is nice but its small, meant for gamers on a budget. The CM 690 is bigger and has better airflow and looks nice too. Or if you want to get a really nice case, Look at the Coolermaster Cosmos.

Instead of getting 3 640 drives, look into getting 2 of them and have the third drive be a 1tb, this will give you better coverage for backup. Or you could get 4 of the 640gb drives, which would be better still, but more expensive.

I would also recommend upgrading the ram to these. They are much faster than the ones you picked out and not much more expensive, and it will help with your uses. This will also allow you to overclock your cpu to get maximum performance out of your new system, the lower rated ram will not overclock as well.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

For the best performance, you should overclock your i7, if you feel up to it. To allow this, get a good cooler like the S1283v Dark Knight or the Scythe Mugen 2.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029&Tpk=S1283v

Also pick up some MX-2 thermal paste to maximize cooling.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020

Those are minor changes that aren't a big deal, you build looks pretty solid.

 

[SG44]

Thanks for all the help, xthekidx. I have to keep the case small because of the space it needs to fit in (it can be 18 in high). I was thinking of going with a Lian Li maybe.

If I went with 4 drives or even more would I get better performance?

I probably will overclock it as well.

 

[xthekidx]

You wouldn't see more speed with more drives, but you would have better coverage for all your data.

 

[theAnimal]

I wouldn't recommend RAID 5.

Read me.

 

[g3n3rationX]

I see... I was gonna do Raid 5 myself, but now that I see the write performance with raid 5 sucks I'll probably stick with raid 0 (4 hds of WD Caviar Black 500gb) and just keep a backup of important things in my 1tb external hd... But I'll have windows on a separate hard drive WD VelociRaptor 150gb.
Your thoughts are welcome!

 

[xthekidx]

True the write speeds of Raid 5 are slow. If you want fast performance and security, then run raid 0 with two drives and run a 3rd 1tb drive as a separate drive for data storage.

 

[g3n3rationX]

check out my i7 system build http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261398-31-%C2-system-build%C2-give-advice#t1897381