First build - i7 system for ~$1500, comments please

[bobsagetti]

UPDATED PARTS
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Hi,

After lurking around these forums absorbing all the good advice, plus doing other research, I'm almost ready to pull the trigger. I am still undecided about the GPU to get and would appreciate your thoughts.

I have dismantled and added to many computers in the past, including keeping my six-year-old laptop on life support (hence why it's time for a new machine), but this will be my first completely new build.

As you can see, I tend to hold onto my machines for a while, so I would like this to last 4+ years without too much upgrading.

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Over the next 2-3 weeks as I see specials.
BUDGET RANGE: ~US$1500 including the parts I already have

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:
Gaming (mostly strategy such as Civ IV and Total War, but the odd FPS now that I'll actually be able to run them), surfing the internet, listening to music/watching movies.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED:
I already have a Samsung 2333SW ($169 from Dell) and just picked up a Intel Core i7 920 from Micro Center ($229).

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, but anyone else such as Fry's if they have things cheaper.

PARTS PREFERENCES: None in particular, beyond wanting an i7.

OVERCLOCKING: Yes, but probably only a bit (say to 3.33 GHz by tweaking the clock speed, maybe to 3.66 GHz).
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Probably not.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: After years of a hot, noisy laptop I would love to keep this machine cool and quiet.

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CASE: [strike]Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$110[/strike]
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$75

MOBO: [strike]ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$290[/strike]
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$186

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
$115

RAM: [strike]G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ - Retail
$85[/strike]
OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK - Retail
$95

HD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
3 x $75 = $225
I am now thinking of using 2 for a RAID 0 setup and the third for storage. Any thoughts?

GRAPHICS: See post below

I am leaning towards a 4870 mainly based on price but I am certainly not opposed to something like a GTX 260. Which of the following would you recommend?

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
$190
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 4870 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
$245
(Keep in mind my desire to keep this unit cool, plus is the 2GB worth it?)
EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
$195

OPTICAL: SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM
$25

KEYBOARD: [strike]Logitech S 510 Silver/Black USB or PS/2 RF Wireless Slim Cordless Desktop - Retail
$48[/strike]
Microsoft 4GC-00002 Silver/Black Wireless Ergonomics Laser Desktop 4000 - OEM
$32 (finally back in stock at Newegg)

THERMAL: [strike]ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail
$8[/strike]
Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound - Retail
$5

HEATSINK: XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail
$40
[strike]Question - is this cooler better enough to warrant paying the extra?
COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail
$70[/strike]

OTHER: Rosewill RTK-045 45 Piece Premium Computer Tool Kit - Retail
$20
Probably don't really need this but some of the tools I don't yet have, plus I am very prone to electric shocks so the wrist band can't hurt.

FANS: Scythe S-Flex SFF21G 120mm Case Fan - Retail
2 x $13 = $26

OS: I plan on using Windows 7 RC until the final version comes out.

NEW TOTAL: ~$1494 + tax if I spend about $250 on the graphics card.


My questions are these:
1) Which video card would you go with (I'm not trying to stir up an NVIDIA vs ATI debate here)?
[strike]2) Is it worth the extra to get that Coolmaster?[/strike]
[strike]3) Is that RAM decent enough? I am less comfortable OCing the RAM than the CPU, but is there something out there with better timings?[/strike]
[strike]4) Do I need any extra case fans? Something like this: Scythe S-Flex SFF21G 120mm Case Fan - Retail, $13[/strike]
5) Any other thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

[foolycooly]

Great looking build. A couple of suggestions:

I would go with 1600 RAM if you plan on overclocking at all...it leaves you headroom. With 1333 RAM you are effectively limiting yourself to a baseclock of 170ish with a 20x cpu multi (3.4ghz). I suggest this set: (I have it and it's outstanding)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

The video card can be a matter of personal preference. If you want to run today's most demanding games at absolutely max settings on a 24 incher you might run into some framerate issues with any of those cards. However, they are all beasts and will more than handle your gaming needs...plus you can add to any one of them in crossfire or SLI down the road if you feel the need for more power. My personal vote is for the 260, but I've become somewhat attached to nvidia after owning ATI cards for a long time.

I would get the dark knight. It cools just as well if not better than the V8 (I own the V8...it does an outstanding job, but so does the dark knight from what I hear and it's a no brainer at $30 less).

The 900 has good stock cooling, but adding extra fans never hurts. Keep in mind they will raise your noise levels. If you're looking for an alternate comparable case, I would highly suggest the cm-690 (which I also own). It sports excellent airflow and is cheaper than the 900:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

The 900 is a great case as well.

 

[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=N82E16811119160&Tpk=HAF $139.99 Free Shipping*
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
$15 off with promo code EMCLRPL24, while supplies last

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.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=N82E16814130475 $249.99 ($229.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

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: $996.91 | $976.91 w/rebates

 

[gkay09]

Very nice build bob...Looks like you have done good amount of research
I have a few suggestions though...
You could change your mobo to this...P6T
It is a good board and would offer nearly all the features of the P6T Deluxe...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359
Going with this board would save your about $40...
And you could invest that in getting a more powerful graphics card as you don't want to SLI/ Crossfire, having a single powerful card that you can buy would make sense...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150359
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130475

And a RAM suggestion with low timings and DDR# 1600...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

And even the Gigabyte mobo that Why_Me has suggested is a very good option...And you could save cash there and invest in a powerful card...

And for you question,
Going with RAID 0 is a very good option...But like you said be sure you keep your important data in a separate hdd because if the RAID fails, it takes your data along with it...

And for the case fans, get something like this...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185004
These fans have extremely low noise levels...

 

[Why_Me]

COOLER MASTER HAF

Dimensions 22.7" x 9" x 21.5"

Antec Nine Hundred

Dimensions 19.4'' x 8.1'' x 18.4''

 

[bobsagetti]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I think I'll switch to that OCZ RAM that foolycooly and gkay09 suggested as it doesn't add much to the price but should give better performance.

I'll drop down the mobo but will have to investigate between the P6T and EX58. As I'm not planning on adding in two graphics cards the EX58 may do the trick.

And yeah, I couldn't really decide between the Antec 900 and the CM-690, and now Why_Me has thrown another into the mix. That HAF might be a bit too big for me, even if that does give better airflow. Plus the PSU mount seems like a problem for some.

So all in all that should allow me to get a slightly better GPU. I'll now have to pick between the 4890 and the GTX 275. So many choices!

 

[gkay09]

Well if you want to save more cash, then the CM 690 is a very good choice...It has very good air flow as the Antec 900...
So stick with the CM 690...

 

[bobsagetti]

I've updated quite a few of the parts/links based on the replies and further digging around.

Am I crazy to put in 3 WD Caviar Black 640Gb HDs, 2 for RAID 0 and one for storage? Should I be using a different HD for the storage?

I'm still stuck on the graphics card though. With all the savings I can now spend about $250 and sneak in under $1500 + tax total. A lot of the comments I have seen about the HD4890 are that it has more OC potential than the GTX 275, but still isn't worth the price increase over a HD4870. I'm not sure I want to OC the GPU so would you pick the 4890 or 275?

And to throw an extra spanner, Tom's now put out this article that compares two 4770s in Xfire and it seems to do pretty well against the HD4890, and even the GTX 280.

My instinct is that I would be better off getting a single decent card over 2 4770s as it will be easy enough to add another decent card in the future (even though I don't think I will need to for quite a while).

Your thoughts?

 

[gkay09]

Well those changes are good...
And as for you using 3 WD Black is no problem...
Maybe you could use the 320GB version in RAID 0 as they would be suffice for the OS and Apps and use a 1TB or higher as storage...
But using the 640 doesn't hurt...But use a 1TB as the storage option...its $25 more but worth it...

As for the graphics card, it is much of a personal preference...

If you don't play very graphics intensive games at very high resolutions, the stick with the 4870 1GB and save $40 over a 4890...

But if you want more future proof and would want to avoid adding another card in crossfire, get the 4890 as later say maybe after a year, you could overclock it(If you browse around, certainly you could get easy guides to overclock those) and be happy with the performance...

I would say you just check out the reviews of those cards and see which suits your gaming portfolio better and at which card performs well at resolution you play and get that card...

 

[bobsagetti]

I ended up going with the EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 for $239.59 from Zipzoomfly and bumping the PSU up to a Corsair 850TX, just in case I want to add another card in a little while.

Other than that, and a bit of shopping around, I got the parts above. Grand total for all parts (including those already bought, tax and shipping was $1558.66.

Now to wait by the mailbox

 

[gkay09]

Nice...Do keep us posted of the results...