Another i7 build, $1000 to $1200 budget

[haasen]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Next few weeks

BUDGET RANGE: None really, but no reason to spend on upgrades I don't need

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:
Gaming (Mainly strategy/wargaming, WoW and LOTRO). Work at home often so need something that I can goof off and run large spreadsheets/databases at the same time in background.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor with 1920 x 1080 resolution, keyboard, mouse, OS.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, but I'm open.

PARTS PREFERENCES: Would like it to last a while (hence the i7).

OVERCLOCKING: Yes, but only a moderate OC.

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Probably not.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Would like it as quiet as possible. Needs to be reliable as I use this for work as well.


Build:

Memory: OCZ Gold 6mb (3x2gb): $87
With timings of 8-8-8-24 and a price of $87 why does everyone love the Corsair Dominator so much that they spend 2x as much? Heatsinks?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365

MB: EVGAE758: $269 - $25 for combo deal with OCZ
It's a litte more $, but so many of the Newegg comments mention how idiot proof it is. Can't imagine using the 3way SLI.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188046

Case: CM RC690: $75
Fairly normal looking. Lots of room. Decent cooling. Only concern is the noise
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

Power Supply: CM 700W $120 - $20 for combo with CM case
700W on a single rail. Modular. Claims to be quiet.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171037

CPU: Core i7 920: $280 - $20 for combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

Video Card: EVGA GeForce G260 Core 216: $175
I'm up in the air on this versus ATI, but it seems everyone is. Can always drop in a second one if needed.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434

Hard Drive: WD Black 640: $75
Everyone seems to love this and I don't have a strong opinion. Needs a SATA cable since it's OEM?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

Sata Cable: Free after combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812816062

Optical: Samsumg 22x: $25
Popular and I don't have a strong opinion.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

CPU Cooling: XIGMATEK Dark Knight: $40
Have little experience with these. Comes recommended.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

Final Price $1,080

Some questions: Do I really need thermal compound? Will I need any power extenders? Will the 700W be sufficent if I decide to drop in another G260? Should

I replace the case fans before putting this together if noise is a concern?

Any comments would be appreciated. I have a little $ left in my budget but not sure spending it would benefit me.

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/gigabyte-nvidia-sli-motherboard,7463.html <--- Gigabyte: Enable SLI On X58 Boards

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137 $74.99
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-750w-tx-series-80-plus-certified-power-supply-corsair-tx-cmpsu/q/loc/101/206178325.html $114.99 Shipping: FREE
Corsair TX CMPSU-750TX ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-EX58U3R $179.99
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R Core i7/ Intel X58/ DDR3/ CrossFireX/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=I7-920 $265.99 Free Ground Shipping
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185093 $36.99 Free Shipping*
Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154003 $4.99
Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125279 $249.99 Free Shipping*
GIGABYTE GV-N275UD-896H GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
Free Call of Duty – World at War w/ purchase, limited offer

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247 $89.99 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152 $24.99 Free Shipping*
LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.186064 Combo Discount: -$20.00 Combo Price: $154.98
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM

Total: $1,197.79

 

[theAnimal]

Will the 700W be sufficent if I decide to drop in another G260?

The power is sufficient but it only has 2 PCIe connectors, so you would need to use an adapter.

 

[haasen]

theAnimal --

Thanks, I had missed that.

Why_Me --

I had seen your build on another thread. I really don't do any heavy HPS gaming, so I thought your card was a bit of an overkill. If I get into that, my thinking was that a second G260 would be able to run games at fairly high settings.

I like your PSU. Same price, has the extra PCIe and the reviews mention how quiet it is as well.

Have you set up your system yet or is that your wish list? Did your cooler fit without getting in the way of anything? Someone mentioned that the Dark Knight blocks one of the fans on the CM RC690 case.


Thanks in advance!

 

[jpdykes]

Why_me's will be a stock answer to people asking about an i7 rig. (Not to say it isn't a good one!)

If you need data security for work you could add an extra hard disk (+$75) and work in RAID 1 (stripe across two disks). Just means should one disk fail you'd have a second copy of everything - depends if you already backup.

There is probably some more work you could do to quieten that system down:
- Antec P182 case uses damping in the panels
- Enermax Modu 625W (for example) is quieter than a Corsair (less power and more money mind). Does have modular cables though.
- Alternate case fans - see silentpcreview.com for more information than you could ever want to know.

Jeremy

 

[haasen]

jpdykes,

I checked out silentpcreview and the CM700 was quieter than the corsair, so I'm giving up 50w for a a few Dbs. Hope I won't miss the power!

 

[Helloworld_98]

well it's not just 50w it's also quality and maybe amps which will be important for OC'ing or upgrading the CPU/GPU.

 

[jpdykes]

Agree with the above, check the spec's - maybe post them on here.

You might not notice a few dB's. Look for the noisiest components (Case fans, GPU fan, Processor cooler - just examples) and see where you can cut the noise.

Also apply common sense, if it is isolated in the bottom of the case (as the PSU is in an Antec P182) it is likely to be less noticable that a case fan stuck at the top.

J

 

[haasen]

OK, have been doing some more reading and have a few more questions...

Power Supplies -

Everyone seems to like the Corsair 750w for $100.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

Egghead has a combo deal with the CoolerMaster Case I'm getting (RC690) so that this PSU is the same price:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171032

Seems quiter, got a great review on Jonnyguru, don't have to deal with the $20 rebate on the Corsair but I'm losing 50w. What would you chose?

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=141

Coolers:

Dark Knight or Scythe Mugen?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185093

Will the Gigabyte MB be able to run two EVGA G260 in SLI? I've read that the boards are a bit cramped.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375

Thanks in advance! Finally getting ready to pull the trigger

 

[theAnimal]

Either PSU will do.

The Scythe cooler is quieter.

 

[haasen]

ok, got all my parts...was going through the list and my first dissapointment was that the i7 was the C0 stepping!?!?

I figured from Newegg these would all be gone by now.

Before I proceed, should I return it and hope for a D0? Others from Newegg are getting them so it seems I got unlucky.