Component advice - Intel based.

[dimurof82]

Hey guys, thinking about putting together another rig for high end gaming. I haven't built an Intel based machine in a few generations so I'm looking for some advice. It must fall on or under budget and it must be able to support 2 high end video cards without bottlenecking.

Budget = $500 max (Motherboard AND Processor, as cheap as possible while still meeting the requirements)
Preferred retailer = Newegg
MUST have SLI and Xfire capability
Must be Intel processor with Nvidia or Intel chipset.
Prefer USB 3.0 and Sata 6GB/S

Other than that, not much. When I say high end graphics card, I mean single GPU solutions. IE: dual 580's or dual 6970's.

TIA!

 

[wa1]

CPU: ($205)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115067
Mobo: ($180)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131621
RAM: ($70)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260
PSU + Case + Graphic card: ANY CHEAPEST.

After that, safe more money for later to upgrade PSU and Graphic card.
You'll need more than $500 to build high end gaming rig...

 

[dimurof82]

Hey.. Thanks for the response.. The 500 was set aside for the motherboard/processor only.. I have plenty more money for other components.. I'll either be SLI'in GTX 580's or running a 6990 in this machine. My issue was that for the past few years I've only dealt with AMD and haven't really been keeping up with the new Intel processors.

A little more info about the planned rig.. It will be running a 1200 Watt PSU, 12 GB Ram, Whichever mobo/processor I choose, whichever GPU combo I decide on and..

I was thinking about going with the i7 950.. The chip is 300 bucks, I'm having a hard time finding a motherboard that will fit into the 200 dollar remaining limit that will accomodate all my requirements. The motherboard you chose would be the PERFECT price if only is was PCIe 2x16 instead of 2x8. Any other suggestions?

 

[Metroidman]

If you have a Microcenter near you, you can get a i7 950 for $230

 

[wa1]

So, $500 just for Motherboard and CPU only, right?
So get this:
CPU: ($320)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116368
For Mobo, it's okay for running dual cards on 8x/8x setup, it wouldn't affect anything. You won't lose fps with 8x/x8 setup.
That's $500 for just CPU and Mobo, you also must get a proper CPU cooler so you can OC it later...
Yeah, you can get cheaper cpu if you buy on MicroCenter.

 

[dimurof82]

If you have a Microcenter near you, you can get a i7 950 for $230

Is that a fact? I actually work about 5 minutes from a Microcenter. That's an excellent price..Thank you for the heads up!

So which is preferred? The 875K Lynnfield? Or the 950 Bloomfield? The new Intel product naming is confusing.

Edit: Got my answer here for anyone else that is confused by Intels naming. So for the almost $100, I would say the extra few few score points in Vantage are not worth it.

=on∏[4475]=on]http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/desktop-cpu-charts-2010/compare,2418.html?prod[4480]=on∏[4475]=on

 

[dimurof82]

An update for anyone interested in this..

Found this for 169.00 w/free shipping. - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13-128-456&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo

Coupled with this for 199.99 - http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0346210

Makes i7 950 + Mobo for 369.00.. Well under budget, haven't found anything cheaper yet.. I think I'll swing by Microcenter today and order the board..

 

[wa1]

Okay, that's a good deal, go for it...