Around a $1700 - $2000 build

[roblov1]

Building from Cyberpowerpc since I don't have experience building my own rig and have only recently been learning about hardware. My roommate bought a computer from there and had a good experience so I'm willing to take a chance in spite of the mixed reviews.

Looking for something that will last me the next 2-3 years, will primarily be used as a gaming rig and surfing the internet, and allow me to upgrade parts if necessary. Build I'm currently looking at goes as follows:

CASE: CoolerMaster Centurion 590 RC-590 Mid-Tower 420W Case

Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Extra Case Cooling Fan (1 x Fan)

POWER SUPPLY Upgrade: 800 Watts Power Supplies (CyberPowerPC XF800S Performance ATX 2.0 Power - Quad SLI Ready)

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-940 2.93 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366

COOLING FAN : Asetek Liquid CPU Cooling System (Extreme Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)

MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) Asus P6T Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA, GbLAN, USB2.0, IEEE1394a, & 7.1Audio
MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module (Corsair Dominator)

VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX260 CORE 216 896MB 16X PCI Express (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)

MULTIPLE VIDEO CARD SETTINGS: Xtreme Performance in SLI/CrossFireX Gaming Mode Supports Single Monitor

HARD DRIVE: Single Hard Drive (1TB (1TBx1) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)

Optical Drive: LG 20X Double Layer DVD+-RW Super Allwrite + Lightscribe Technology (Black Color)

Optical Drive 2: (Special Price) LG 22X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (Black Color)

SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network

KEYBOARD: Logitech Deluxe 250 USB Keyboard (Black Color)

MOUSE: Razer DeathAdder 5 Button Mouse USB Optical 1800 dpi

Extra Thermal Display : THERMAL TEMPERATURE LCD DISPLAY WITH 3X FAN CONTROLLER (BLACK COLOR)

Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: PCI Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps Network Interface Card

OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)

This costs about $1630 including shipping. Will probably end up around $2000 when the monitor and 2nd card are purchased.

I'm planning on buying a monitor separately either from amazon or elsewhere and deciding between a 1680x1050 or 1920x1200.
Also plan on buying a second GTX 260 from Newegg and using SLI unless someone has a better recommendation. I'm also not sure if the case is big enough to fit everything. Any ideas?

Looking to buy early next week.

Thanks for your help

 

[Mrbumbum]

I would build it yourself.

Even if you cannot put it together yourself, you can still buy the parts and pay someone to build it for you, still costing less then cyberpower and you will have better parts / a better computer.

 

[roblov1]

If I had a friend that I could trust to put it together I'd pay him to do just that. Unfortunately none of my friends have built their own computers. I wouldn't feel comfortable handing my $2000 computer to a complete stranger hoping they knew what they were doing that's why I looked for a site that at least gave you options as to what you wanted in the computer.

Thanks for the input though. Looking forward to more advice.

 

[Why_Me]

I would build it yourself.

Even if you cannot put it together yourself, you can still buy the parts and pay someone to build it for you, still costing less then cyberpower and you will have better parts / a better computer.

+1 for that post

Dual 275's or 260's in SLI...I included both in here to show you a build with quality hardware that is also set up to over clock.

This build down below comes with better RAM, a great after market heat sink, etc... not to mention this build will allow you to over clock if you so choose.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197 $129.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
New Arrival

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011 $109.99 ($89.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-EX58U4P&show=p Combo Price: $494.00 | w/coupon code: $484.00 Free Shipping
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, Retail
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P Core i7/ Intel X58/ DDR3/ CorssFireX & 3-Way SLI/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard
Use coupon code: Take10 for additonal $5 off.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 $41.99 Free Shipping*
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing 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=N82E16814150364 $234.99 Free Shipping*
XFX GX275XADQC GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Free Call of Duty: World at War w/ purchase, limited offer

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150364 $234.99 Free Shipping*
XFX GX275XADQC GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Free Call of Duty: World at War w/ purchase, limited offer

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247 $94.99 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=N82E16822136319 $74.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152 $23.99 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

Total: $1,435.90 | $1,415.90 w/mail in rebates

* Same build as above but dual gtx 260's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127430 $164.99 ($144.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
MSI N260GTX-T2D896-OCv4 GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127430 $164.99 ($144.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
MSI N260GTX-T2D896-OCv4 GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Total: $1,295.90 | $1,235.90 w/mail in rebates

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049 $219.99 Free Shipping*
ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1) Built in Speakers - Retail
With HDCP support


http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd353205.aspx?ITPID=mscomsc <--- Save yourself some money on an o/s until March 2010 and dl the 64 bit version of Windows 7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128374 <--- more pics, specs, and customer reviews of that Gigabyte UD4P mobo used in this build

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?category_id=19&product_id=2919 <--- more pics, specs, and reviews of the case used in this build

https://www.antaresdigital.com/customer/product.php?productid=16135&cat=282&page=1&#034; $ 277.00
Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz LGA 1366 Socket 8MB Cache CPU D0 Stepping

http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11773&Itemid=1 <--- that's one way you can tell if you have a D0 stepping cpu or not

http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=584 <---short review on that D0 stepping i7. It runs cooler than the older C0 stepping i7's.

 

[Why_Me]

If I had a friend that I could trust to put it together I'd pay him to do just that. Unfortunately none of my friends have built their own computers. I wouldn't feel comfortable handing my $2000 computer to a complete stranger hoping they knew what they were doing that's why I looked for a site that at least gave you options as to what you wanted in the computer.

Thanks for the input though. Looking forward to more advice.

Call around to some mom and pop PC stores, or even find a nerd at the "Geek Squad" who's into building pc's and offer him/her $100 - $150 cash under the tablel to throw it together. Your getting hosed big time by not building it yourself or having someone build it for you. Quality is important.

 

[roblov1]

Call around to some mom and pop PC stores, or even find a nerd at the "Geek Squad" who's into building pc's and offer him/her $100 - $150 cash under the tablel to throw it together. Your getting hosed big time by not building it yourself or having someone build it for you. Quality is important.

Interesting idea. Only places I can think of in New Jersey would be Best Buy's because all the Mom and Pop stores are long gone. I'm curious as to the quality part of the conversation. How cheap are the parts that Cyberpowerpc uses in comparison to the parts generally recommended here?

I also notice that almost everyone here recommends the I7 920 over the other models, the 940 and 960. Any reason for that?

Thanks again for your help. Look forward to keep learning more.

And any other recommendations/builds would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Why_Me]

Interesting idea. Only places I can think of in New Jersey would be Best Buy's because all the Mom and Pop stores are long gone. I'm curious as to the quality part of the conversation. How cheap are the parts that Cyberpowerpc uses in comparison to the parts generally recommended here?

I also notice that almost everyone here recommends the I7 920 over the other models, the 940 and 960. Any reason for that?

Thanks again for your help. Look forward to keep learning more.

And any other recommendations/builds would be greatly appreciated.

Cheap junk is an understatement when it comes to cyberpower and ibuypower. A lot of times people will order name brand parts from them, and they stick in junk and still charge for the quality components. Do a google on them for reviews.

As far as the 920 vs 940 i7's, just check out the price difference on newegg. The 940 is a hose job for people who have too much money on their hands and can't give it away quick enough.

That build I posted will do an easy over clock. The sweet spot for fps in games when it comes to over clocking is 3.4GHz - 3.8GHz with 3.6GHz being the sweet spot...which means it's where you get the most fps for your effort. Check the links I posted and read up on the mobo, that D0 stepping i7, case, etc...your getting a much better build by ordering the hardware yourself.

 

[roblov1]

Cheap junk is an understatement when it comes to cyberpower and ibuypower. A lot of times people will order name brand parts from them, and they stick in junk and still charge for the quality components. Do a google on them for reviews.

As far as the 920 vs 940 i7's, just check out the price difference on newegg. The 940 is a hose job for people who have too much money on their hands and can't give it away quick enough.

That build I posted will do an easy over clock. The sweet spot for fps in games when it comes to over clocking is 3.4GHz - 3.8GHz with 3.6GHz being the sweet spot...which means it's where you get the most fps for your effort. Check the links I posted and read up on the mobo, that D0 stepping i7, case, etc...your getting a much better build by ordering the hardware yourself.

Makes sense.. will that also apply to the future? Any other recommendations out there?

Which would be a better power supply for this build:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011
$109.99 ($89.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
$109.99 ($99.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail

 

[Why_Me]

Makes sense.. will that also apply to the future? Any other recommendations out there?

Which would be a better power supply for this build:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011
$109.99 ($89.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
$109.99 ($99.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail

I'm a Corsair fan myself, but you can't do wrong with either one. It's a flip of the coin on those two....well I don't really like the color of the PC Power & Cooling...but that's just personal preference. Both of those psu's are top notch.

 

[roblov1]

I'm a Corsair fan myself, but you can't do wrong with either one. It's a flip of the coin on those two....well I don't really like the color of the PC Power & Cooling...but that's just personal preference. Both of those psu's are top notch.

Thanks again. The $10 difference in price isn't enough for me to opt automatically for the cheaper product. I just want the product that is definitely more reliable and will last with 2 graphics cards and O/C.

Now that that's settled, any recommendations such as do I need to add a sound card; or for accessories such as a mouse, keyboard, headphones, etc?

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks again. The $10 difference in price isn't enough for me to opt automatically for the cheaper product. I just want the product that is definitely more reliable and will last with 2 graphics cards and O/C.

Now that that's settled, any recommendations such as do I need to add a sound card; or for accessories such as a mouse, keyboard, headphones, etc?

The quality of on board sound these day's is so good that it's hard to tell the difference a lot of times. I would stick with the on board, and if you feel like the quality isn't up to par then order a sound card later. But chances are you will end up sticking with the on board.

As far as keyboard, mouse, and headset...I'm the wrong person to ask. I use a $15 logitech keyboard, a $30 logitech trac ball for right handers, and a $22 Cyber Acoustic 401 headset to game with...lol. Old habits die hard. 🙁

 

[meatwad53186]

As for good accessories, i suggest looking at either Razer or Logitech or maybe Saitech. They all make quality components, just pick one that fits your budget and taste.

 

[roblov1]

+1 for that post


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 $41.99 Free Shipping*
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail

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

I noticed some of the videos with the thermal compound where some recommend spreading a small rice size bead of paste evenly over the entire CPU while others say only put a thin line over the middle of the CPU and leave it be as the paste will spread itself.

Any recommendations on which method is better?

Also is the paste necessary at all?


Regarding the XIGMATEK cooler, is that a better idea than using a liquid cooling system?

Sorry for being so inquisitive.

 

[Why_Me]

I noticed some of the videos with the thermal compound where some recommend spreading a small rice size bead of paste evenly over the entire CPU while others say only put a thin line over the middle of the CPU and leave it be as the paste will spread itself.

Any recommendations on which method is better?

Also is the paste necessary at all?

Thermal compound is a big must if you want to reduce cpu temps and prolong the life of the cpu. The Xigmatek is a "direct touch" h/s which means it doesn't have a flat bottom base like a lot of h/s do. Applying thermal compound for a direct touch h/s isn't the same as for flat based heat sinks.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=38&limit=1&limitstart=5 <--- That's the guide I used.

btw if your into going for record over clocks with minimal gain in fps then water cooling is the way to go...get ready to spend some serious money though...water cooling isn't cheap, and the gain from it isn't worth the price imo. Tomshardware did a review on the i7 920 in regards to over clocking and fps in games.... 3.4GHz - 3.8GHz with 3.6GHz being the "sweet spot". That means that is where you get the most gain from over clocking in regards to gaming. Anything over 3.8GHz is minimal at best.

 

[roblov1]

Thermal compound is a big must if you want to reduce cpu temps and prolong the life of the cpu. The Xigmatek is a "direct touch" h/s which means it doesn't have a flat bottom base like a lot of h/s do. Applying thermal compound for a direct touch h/s isn't the same as for flat based heat sinks.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=38&limit=1&limitstart=5 <--- That's the guide I used.

btw if your into going for record over clocks with minimal gain in fps then water cooling is the way to go...get ready to spend some serious money though...water cooling isn't cheap, and the gain from it isn't worth the price imo. Tomshardware did a review on the i7 920 in regards to over clocking and fps in games.... 3.4GHz - 3.8GHz with 3.6GHz being the "sweet spot". That means that is where you get the most gain from over clocking in regards to gaming. Anything over 3.8GHz is minimal at best.

Fascinating stuff. Now I want to definitely order the parts simply so I can watch and learn how to do all of this assembly myself. Just need to make sure I have a competent person that knows exactly what they're doing assembling it the first time.

Thank you again for all of your help.

 

[Why_Me]

Fascinating stuff. Now I want to definitely order the parts simply so I can watch and learn how to do all of this assembly myself. Just need to make sure I have a competent person that knows exactly what they're doing assembling it the first time.

Thank you again for all of your help.

It's easier than it looks. "A" plugs into "B", etc... then you install windows (update it), and if there is any issues, go to the check list up on the top of this forum. Also I like to flash to the latest bios myself, and then dl the latest drivers. You do all that on the Gigabyte site and I use a USB memory stick for the bios myself. Then you want to dl "cpuz", "real temp", and "memtest" after you dl the latest drivers from Nvidea. Run the memtest for a few hours to make sure you don't have any screwed up sticks of RAM, then some people dl something like "prime 95" to check their cpu temps. Myself I run it through a few hard core games then I check the temps. Temp guide for that cpu is at the top of the forums. Once you do your first build there's no looking back.

 

[roblov1]

It's easier than it looks. "A" plugs into "B", etc... then you install windows (update it), and if there is any issues, go to the check list up on the top of this forum. Also I like to flash to the latest bios myself, and then dl the latest drivers. You do all that on the Gigabyte site and I use a USB memory stick for the bios myself. Then you want to dl "cpuz", "real temp", and "memtest" after you dl the latest drivers from Nvidea. Run the memtest for a few hours to make sure you don't have any screwed up sticks of RAM, then some people dl something like "prime 95" to check their cpu temps. Myself I run it through a few hard core games then I check the temps. Temp guide for that cpu is at the top of the forums. Once you do your first build there's no looking back.

Finished reading my first book on building a PC today, you are right, it doesn't appear as hard as it looks. I'll still get someone with expertise, but I'm not nearly as concerned as I once was.

Do you happen to know of any other high quality sites like Newegg.com that are located outside of New Jersey that offer comparable deals? I only ask because NJ rips us off with 7% sales tax, tied for highest in the nation, and I'd rather avoid that if I could... at least on some of the products.

Thanks again...

BTW, I'll be putting the final specs of what exactly I'm going to purchase a day or two before I buy it just to allow some input if anyone thinks there's room for improvement.

 

[roblov1]

The quality of on board sound these day's is so good that it's hard to tell the difference a lot of times. I would stick with the on board, and if you feel like the quality isn't up to par then order a sound card later. But chances are you will end up sticking with the on board.

As far as keyboard, mouse, and headset...I'm the wrong person to ask. I use a $15 logitech keyboard, a $30 logitech trac ball for right handers, and a $22 Cyber Acoustic 401 headset to game with...lol. Old habits die hard. 🙁

I'm also going to need a wireless/network card as the router is in my roommates' room. Any recommendations there or should I go for a generic model?

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315078 $34.99 Free Shipping*
EDIMAX EW-7728In IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE 802.11n Draft 32bit PCI Wireless 802.11n Draft 2.0 PCI Card Up to 300Mbps Data Rates WEP 64/128, WPA, WPA2 Cisco CCX V1.0, V2.0 & V3.0 Compliance - Retail

 

[roblov1]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315078 $34.99 Free Shipping*
EDIMAX EW-7728In IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE 802.11n Draft 32bit PCI Wireless 802.11n Draft 2.0 PCI Card Up to 300Mbps Data Rates WEP 64/128, WPA, WPA2 Cisco CCX V1.0, V2.0 & V3.0 Compliance - Retail

I want to thank you again for all your help. I'm just about finished building the computer, it's been a breeze and will then set up the BIOS. Only had one mishap the whole way. The wireless card listed above only fits into a regular PCI slot and due to the dual SLI GTX 275 setup, both PCI slots are blocked. I need to find a wireless card that fits into a PCI express slot. Either a regular PCIE slot, a PCI x4 slot or a PCI x8 slot.

Wish me luck.