Have i7, need help with rest

[bigpapa7]

Hey guys

I have been building a gaming computer piece by piece.

So far I have the Raidmax Smilodon case (with 500 watt PSU which i know i will need to upgrade)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156098

A Radeon 4850 which i have been using in the computer i have now
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161259

and a Intel Core i7 920 that i just bought from microcenter for $200

The problem is, i only have $400-$500 to spend on the rest of my parts (memory, mobo, HDD, psu, and any cooler)

I also have this Zalman CPU cooler from my last build (but i would rather not use it if possible)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118004

and an IDE DvD burner

my monitor res is 1680x1050 (i may buy a second 4850 to crossfire later on since they are dirt cheap)

and i will probably OC my cpu a bit (possibly to around 3 ghz)

So which parts (ram+mobo+HDD+PSU) do you guys recommend with my budget in mind? ($400-$500)

 

[AKM880]

For the CPU cooler, get something like the Xigmatek Dark Knight, Scythe Mugen 2, Rosewill Fort 120, etc.

 

[bigpapa7]

yeah i was looking at those, and they seem very good, but do you think i need a great cooler for just my slight overclock? and do you have and recommendations for a mobo/ram/psu?

 

[AKM880]

The i7 920 is a great overclocker, especially if you got the D0 stepping version CPU. For the motherboard go with a ASUS P6T, great overclocker and solid motherboard. Or maybe any of the X58 Gigabyte boards.

 

[bigpapa7]

how about this combo for the mobo+ram?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.209614

 

[hunter315]

Asus p6t and OCZ platinum 1600MHz 6GB $333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.209929

WD Caviar Black 640GB $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319&Tpk=wd%20caviar%20black%20640

Corsair 650TX(currently only $6 more than the 550) $100, brings total to $508
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&Tpk=corsair%20650

Or EA650 $77 brings total to $485
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

 

[AKM880]

+1 on Hunter315's build.

 

[bigpapa7]

so for an overclock to 3.0 ghz (around) i wont need an aftermarket heat sink most likely?

 

[spinny]

I'm going with this build:

Gigabyte GA-EX58 UD3R + OCZ Gold 6GB DDR3 1600

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W

WD Caviar Black 640GB

For a grand total of $468 (plus $45 mail in rebates currently).

I would try the overclock you want on stock. If the temps are OK, great. If not, you can grab a heatsink. Unless you don't want to have to remove everything to put on a new heatsink, then grab one up front to be safe.

 

[theubersmurf]

so for an overclock to 3.0 ghz (around) i wont need an aftermarket heat sink most likely?

Probably not, the stock cooler is pretty good. I have mine overclocked without being overvolted to 3.0ghz on the stock cooler.

 

[theubersmurf]

also, I like spinny's build a little better than hunter's. Little less money, psu with more wattage...You probably won't need any psu upgrade from there for sli/crossfire. Curious why you don't like your cpu cooler, you could just buy a 1366 bracket for it, that will cost you about 2 dollars, and give you more overclocking headroom.

 

[bigpapa7]

I guess i could, but i was going to continue to use the computer i have now, and the cpu im using is an Athlon 64 3700+ OC'ed

 

[Helloworld_98]

^ I wouldn't, zalman 9xxx CPU heatsinks (even the 9700 and 9900) are rubbish when it comes to the i7.

 

[theubersmurf]

I guess i could, but i was going to continue to use the computer i have now, and the cpu im using is an Athlon 64 3700+ OC'ed

That makes some sense, and if the subsequent poster is right, it may be a bad idea anyway. Just trying getting it to 150MHz on the stock cooler, see if you even need an aftermarket cooler. And if you do, and at the time you're willing to spend, you may want to look at this I've been hearing good things about it. Pre-built water loop, no adding of water required. Radiator is the exaust fan...purely for cpu cooling, but once again I've been hearing good things about it. Manufacturer product page

 

[bigpapa7]

After reading some reviews on the gigabyte ud3r, i think i am going to go with spinny's build and i may throw in a Xigmatek dark knight aftermarket cooler

would the dark knight fit into my smilodon case? and if not which case would you guys recommend?

 

[theubersmurf]

go check their website, look at the stats on the case.

 

[Yoosty]

After reading some reviews on the gigabyte ud3r, i think i am going to go with spinny's build and i may throw in a Xigmatek dark knight aftermarket cooler

would the dark knight fit into my smilodon case? and if not which case would you guys recommend?

Your Case Dimensions 20.5" x 8" x 17.8" (DxWxH)

Xigmatek Dark Knight Dimension 120(W) x 50(D) x 159(H) mm

Since your case is shown in Inches, we need to convert the Xigmatek Dark Knight diminsion for (H) to it. So you will need to use this number (.03937) and multiply the (H 159) to get 6.25983I nches. Which will be very close.

I would go with the Scythe MUGEN-2 Dimensions without Fan: 158 x 130 x 100 mm (L x W x D) = 6.22 x 3.94 x 5.12 inch (the underlined dimesion is what you need to worry about for height)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185093

You could go with the Xigmatek Dark Knight or the Scythe MUGEN-2, but with that case it will be a tight fit.

This case would work nicely, the COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black $119.99 Free Shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

 

[spinny]

Certainly if you have the budget I would change cases. Something like the Cooler Master Storm Scout could be had for $100, would give you more breathing room, and would be a significantly better case overall.

The quality only goes up if you can spend even more. Keep in mind that you can buy yourself a really nice case and use it on many builds, buying some other random case to put old systems in.