Building a new PC for gaming and other nefarious deeds.

[Gautam_29]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Undecided, but very soon if things look good.

BUDGET RANGE: $1500, less is better.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies, school work.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: I need everything.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: I only know Newegg and Amazon, but there's a Microcenter close by.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: US of A!

PARTS PREFERENCES: No real parts preference, but would like to hang on to the i7 920.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (if I work up the courage to)

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes (down the road)

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: So currently I am using a 5 year old dell laptop on its last leg. I'm looking to put together a system that's going to last me a while, as well as let me get back into gaming. I have put together a computer or 2 in the past but that was a long long time ago. Please evaluate this build to see if I can upgrade a part without significant cost change or if I can downgrade a part without significant performance hit.

CPU
■Core i7 920 Processor - $199.99
■http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0302727
Case
■Cooler Master HAF 922 - $99.99
■http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197
Motherboard
■ASRock X58 Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 - $169.99
■http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157163
Video Card
■XFX RADEON HD 5850 - $259.99
■http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002Q4U5EY
PSU
■Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750W - $119.99
■http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=750TX
RAM
■OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - $131.99
■http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365
HDD
■SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM - $54.99
■http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&Tpk=f3%20500gb
Optical Drive
■SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM - $30.99
■http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187
CPU Cooler
■Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 - $34.99
■http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185093
Thermal Compound
■Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - $6.99
■http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007
Monitor
■ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - $219.99
■http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049
Keyboard
■Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 3000 - $34.99
■http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0256473
Operating System
■Windows 7 Ultimate - $86.85

Overall Cost: $1451.73 pre tax, pre 30 dollar mail in rebates.

The parts I am not sure about are the motherboard and the video card, I had the hardest time picking them out. Please let me know if they are not good choices. Thanks in advance for your time and effort.

 

[dirtmountain]

Solid build, the ASRock X58 Extreme has had a couple of very good reviews. You could save some money with a different case/HD combo, but nothing wrong with your build.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.273732

 

[rodney_ws]

Since that looks like a gaming rig, I gotta ask... why that keyboard and mouse?

I own the XFX 5850 and it's just like any other 5850 that is currently out... it runs cool and relatively quiet and is fast as hell. Using the Catalyst software I turned the fan up to 100% just out of curiosity... OH MY LORD IT IS LOUD... but when it's left on automatic, it's audible, but just barely. I'm not sure what effect overclocking the card would have on its noise profile.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

6gb is not really needed, i doubt windows 7 will be able to make full use of it, if i were in your position i would get some quality 2x2gb ram sticks, would probably save you money and you wouldnt see any difference in speed http://tsutton.site90.net/imgs/signature_smiley1.jpg

A 2x2GB setup is not a good idea with an X58 build. The LGA 1366 i7 chips use a triple channel RAM controller, so you want RAM in groups of three. A 3x2GB setup is always recommended for an X58 build. 64-bit Windows can use all of the RAM.

 

[dirtmountain]

Sorry i meant to include the reviews of the Asrock X58 Extreme in my earlier post. The first is an overview by Gary Keys, but like most of his reviews he doesn't follow it up. The Toms review is an excellent one by Soderstrom. Go with the 3x2 GB of DDR3, admin123 probably thought you were using a P55 mobo.

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3593
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cheap-x58-motherboard,2368.html

 

[obsidian86]

6gb is not really needed, i doubt windows 7 will be able to make full use of it, if i were in your position i would get some quality 2x2gb ram sticks, would probably save you money and you wouldnt see any difference in speed http://tsutton.site90.net/imgs/signature_smiley1.jpg

socket 1366 wants tri channel ram for optimum performance not dual channel , it defeats the purpose of socket 1366 .so its 3,6,12,24,48 gb of ram for i7 920/940/950/960/965/975

 

[omfgnoogies]

I have a very similar build and i am very happy with it. The main differences are i have the 5870, slightly faster ram, the asus p6t, and a noctua uh12

The case is super silent. I love it, the case fans make almost no noise and move alot of air. Cable management is pretty good. The drive mounting is amazing and there is plenty of room for whatever you want to do. The spinpoint is on par and clicks right into the slots.

My only complaint is the cd drive makes a lot of effing noise. I don't know why but its like 3 times louder then anything in my pc. AFAIK cd drives have always been like that. ive never had a quiet one at least.

Monitor is great. Color is even, response time is epic, really simple to use. Stand doesnt go up or down, but it does tilt. I find that the viewing angle isnt terrible either. I can sit at multiple areas in my room and there isnt much color difference. At least not to the point that people normally complain about TN panels.

I have the modular version of that PSU and i would reccomend it so you dont have a mess of wires everywhere, but so far very reliable.

 

[Raxus]

Gautam_29 ,

As a fellow gamer I would suggest not going wireless. Intermitent connections can make your gaming experience less than pleasureable, Unless there is a real reason to go wireless, keep the cords. Just trying to save you some aggrevation.

Rax

 

[Gautam_29]

Since that looks like a gaming rig, I gotta ask... why that keyboard and mouse?

I own the XFX 5850 and it's just like any other 5850 that is currently out... it runs cool and relatively quiet and is fast as hell. Using the Catalyst software I turned the fan up to 100% just out of curiosity... OH MY LORD IT IS LOUD... but when it's left on automatic, it's audible, but just barely. I'm not sure what effect overclocking the card would have on its noise profile.

Well to be honest, I picked that keyboard/mouse combo because it's run of the mill and its wireless. I've never been the one to have a fancy keyboard or mouse, so I figured it would be fine. Is getting a "gaming" keyboard and mouse going to significantly improve my performance.

Thanks for the heads up on the 5850, it's unlikely that I'll OC the card, as I am still unsure if I'll even OC the processor. I really dont want to screw up 1500 dollars worth of stuff, especially if it does everything I need out of the box.

 

[Gautam_29]

Gautam_29 ,

As a fellow gamer I would suggest not going wireless. Intermitent connections can make your gaming experience less than pleasureable, Unless there is a real reason to go wireless, keep the cords. Just trying to save you some aggrevation.

Rax

Thanks Raxus,

I've been using a wireless mouse for a while but never used a wireless keyboard. Perhaps I'll just stick to the wired variety if its a hassle otherwise.

 

[Gautam_29]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all your replies and help! It's truly appreciated. I am getting pretty close to launching this ship!

My one concern is the CPU cooler and the motherboard. Does anyone have any experience with this configuration? I don't want to find that the stuff is bumping uglies when I go to put it together. Actually, does everything sound like it'll fit together? It's been a while for me so I am apprehensive about placement, besides the obvious "stuff fitting in the case".

Oh and XFX Radeon 5850 seems to be sold out pretty much everywhere, is going with diamond or sapphire a bad thing? Are they alternatives/downgrades/upgrades?

Thanks again for your input and help.

Gautam

 

[Raxus]

Well to be honest, I picked that keyboard/mouse combo because it's run of the mill and its wireless. I've never been the one to have a fancy keyboard or mouse, so I figured it would be fine. Is getting a "gaming" keyboard and mouse going to significantly improve my performance.

Thanks for the heads up on the 5850, it's unlikely that I'll OC the card, as I am still unsure if I'll even OC the processor. I really dont want to screw up 1500 dollars worth of stuff, especially if it does everything I need out of the box.

Gautam_29,

Unless your gaming with 100's of macro's or "twitch" style gaming, save your money and just get the run of the mill keyboard and mouse.

Now if yo0u want to spend a tad bit more money, here is my kb. I really love it and highly reccomend it.

Saitek PZ30AU Black USB Standard Eclipse Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823175103