Help with i7 build Aug/Sep max 1800$ (with monitor)

[ila]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: (Aug/Sep, can wait longer) BUDGET RANGE: 1000-1800 US$

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, software development, surfing the internet, watching movies,

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: need all parts including monitor

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com (something else would work if savings would justify)

PARTS PREFERENCES: i7 build

OVERCLOCKING: Yes (would like to) SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes (maybe future not necessary right now)

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200 or better

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

First I would like to thank everybody on this site for sharing their knowledge, while I am a noob, this still help me a great deal, again thank you !!

Mainly I am looking to build a system to play WoW however possibly other games, new coming MMOs so I am trying to build something that will give me good fps in wow 60+ for time being and not become obsolete in the next couple years

questions:
1) is this a good approach or should I look for something in the 800-1k range for now, perhaps wait for i5 new video card series?
2) are the parts below working properly togheter? are there things I need to adjust?
3) is this monitor /video card combo a good choice or should I rather set for another video chipset / monitor size?
4) I would like to overclock this although not much experience, are below components a good choice for overclocking and the cooler ( do I really need that?)
5) is there a i7920 with a 32MB L3?
6) any sites where you would recommend I look for parts, perhaps at a better price or coupons that will bring price down?




PARTS:

CPU:
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail 280$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

COOLER:
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail 49$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

MB:
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail 260$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128374

CASE:
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail 159$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043

MEMORY:
OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P1600LV6GK - Retail 115$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

PSU:
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail 140$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

HD:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - OEM 95$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

VIDEO:
XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail 200$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150359

MONITOR:
LG W2753V-PF Black 27" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Full HD 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail 390$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005127

DVD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188 30$
SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM

SOUND CARD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102007 50$
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail

KEYBOARD+MOUSE
Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 100 Black USB RF Wireless Standard Keyboard and Mouse - Retail 27$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126041

SPEAKERS
Logitech X-240 25 Watts 2.1 Speakers - Retail 49$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121010

Total 1840$

Thanks for your help and looking forward to get feedback.

 

[tecmo34]

Very good build...

My 2 cents:
■You don't need a sound card. The sound card on the MOBO will provide good quality sound.
■I would go with the Hanns-G 27.5" monitor myself, since it is a little cheaper.
You could get away with a lower watts on the PSU, but the 850TX has such a good deal it is worth it. I would purchase if all from Newegg, specially with their no interest for 12 months on their preferred acount on purchased over $999.

 

[gkay09]

Hi...
You have come up with a very good build...

And +1 for tecmo34's suggestions...

Now for your questions...

1. If you are looking for mainly a gaming rig, then this is not a very good approach...
An AMD rig would perform very similar to the i7 for games(But the i7 would blow away the competition in other apps)...
If you are very intel specific, then the i5s would be worth a wait...but I wouldn't completely bank on it...if you can get rather buy the i7 than a lower end crippled CPU...

And about the graphics card, even a cheaper HD 4870 1GB can Max out WoW @ that resolution...

2. The parts you have chosen are very good...

3. 1080p and HD 4890 would compliment each other well...

4. And Yes those are good components for overclocking...And it would be better to have an aftermarket CPU cooler if you want to overclock...

5. No...

6. You can check out ewiz.com and maybe slickdeals.net for checking out any available coupons...And google is your friend...

Here are a few suggestions that you can consider...

1. Mobo - That Gigabyte is a very good board no doubt...but you can get similar features and similar quality for less...
EVGA 141-BL-E757-TR LGA 1366
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188049

If you are OK with mATX boards, then this would be my pick -> ASUS Rampage Gene
A ROG enthusiast series mobo with very good o/c features + Premium onboard sound...So you can drop the sound card too...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131371

And if you can drop down to Corsair 750TX...

CASE - Though its more of a personal choice, I would suggest you look into the Antec 900 too...It looks very similar to the 1200 and is a mid tower and would be more than suffice in terms of space and would be some what easy to carry around that the 1200...
But thats up to you...

 

[ila]

tecmo34, gkay09 thanks a lot for your replies, they are very helpfull.
gkay09 thanks for taking the time to answer extensively my questions, much appreciated.

Based on your feedback I am thinking to:
1) drop the sound card and use MoBo integrated card
2) switch to an Antec 900 case instead of 1200
3) switch to Hanns·G HG-281DPB Black 28", price/recommended resolution/brightness being better however one thing I noticed is that it doesn't have a DVI connectivity just HDMI ( it is because of build in speakers? if so I can drop the speakers I was planning to buy maybe as well) (I need to check if there is any reasons for which DVI is a must for my system, if not, this seems clearly a better choice)


Another change I am considering is to replace

VIDEO:
XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail 200$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150359

with

XFX HD-489A-ZDEC Radeon HD 4890 Xtreme 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail 200$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150360

The only difference between the two I can see is the HDMI port and the core clock speed, not sure which out of those two would be better for overclocking if any difference (being optimistic and actually trying it ).
Also the power conectors seems to be different but I hope my PSU would work for both.
While perhaps I am throwing away money on the 4890 vs another cheaper 4x model I hope will last longer, however that might be wishfull thinking

One other thing I forgot to add is that due to router location I need a wireless card and I was thinking to buy.
WIRELESS:
LINKSYS WMP54G 32bit PCI2.2 Wireless-G Adapter - Retail 35$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124115

thanks

 

[gkay09]

The only difference between those 2 cards is the additional 25MHz overclock...Apart from that both are physically same...
And both support HDMI via adaptor...

If you buy the stock version, you would get 2 games free - HAWX and Wheelman
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.216940

With the overclocked version, you get only the Wheelman game...So its upto you...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.216947

And about the speakers that come with the monitor, I dont they will be any good...A decent 2.1 like that is required if you use speakers rather than headphones...

And about the monitor size...
Do you really want such a huge monitor ???
You can save money by going with very good 24" monitors with the same resolution for about ~$100 less...but its upto you though...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236048
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236047
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236046

 

[Yoosty]

Build looks good, but I think I can improved on it and save you some money.

First off lets look at the Combo Deals have on the parts you posted.
Ram/HDD Combo.
1. OCZ Technology OCZ3P1600LV6GK: $114.99 Free Shipping*

2. Western Digital WD1001FALS: $94.99 Free Shipping*

Combo Discount: -$7.00
Combo Price: $202.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.231158

Mobo/CPU Combo
1. ASUS P6T Deluxe V2: $289.99 Free Shipping*

2. Intel BX80601920: $279.99 Free Shipping*

Combo Discount: -$25.00
Combo Price: $544.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.238326

OS/Case Combo.
1. Microsoft 66I-03525: $109.99 Free Shipping*

2. Antec Twelve Hundred: $159.99

Combo Discount: -$15.00
Combo Price: $254.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.235877.11-129-043

Here are two Monitors you should look at.
SAMSUNG 2343BWX High Glossy Black 23" 5ms 16:9 Widescreen $209.99 ($189.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
Maximum Resolution 2048 x 1152
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001317

ASUS VW266H Black 25.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen $279.99 ($249.99 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236047

Would go with either one of these Keyboard/Mouse combination.
Logitech Black USB Wireless Desktop MK300 Keyboard and Mouse - Retail $39.99 Free Shipping*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126069

Logitech S 510 Silver/Black 104 Normal Keys 14 Function Keys USB or PS/2 RF Wireless $42.99 Free Shipping*
(The included LX5 cordless optical mouse has a unique tilt wheel for both horizontal and vertical scrolling.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126180

Would suggest this Sound card over your choice, mainly on Creative sound drivers issues (or lack of good drivers).But with the X58 Mobo's the onboard sound is really good, I would forego getting a discrete sound card at this momentuntil after you checked out the onboard sound card.
ASUS Xonar D1 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail $89.00 ($64.00 after $25.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132007

Items you will also need.
Thermal Compound.
Noctua NT-H1 Thermal Compound - Retail $9.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608008

You will need this 8-pin Power Extension Cable for most Cases that has Bottom Mounted PSU.
1ST PC CORP. 12" 8-pin EPS extension cable Model CB-8M-8F - Retail $8.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812706004

Items you picked
PSU:
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W $139.99 ($109.99 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

Graphic Card
XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 - Retail $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150359

CPU HSF Cooler
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail $44.98 Free Shipping*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

DVD Burner
SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188

SPEAKERS
Logitech X-240 25 Watts 2.1 Speakers - Retail $48.99 Free Shipping*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121010

Subtotal
Subtotal before MIR's are deducted and with ASUS VW266H monitor, no sound card, with Logitech S 510 Kb/Mouse and before shipping costs = $1808.84
MIR's total = $50
Total with ASUS VW266H monitor, no sound card, with Logitech S 510 Kb/Mouse and before shipping costs = $1758.84

Subtotal before MIR's are deducted and with SAMSUNG 2343BWX monitor, no sound card, with Logitech S 510 Kb/Mouse and before shipping costs =$1738.84
MIR's total = $50
Total with SAMSUNG 2343BWX monitor, no sound card, with Logitech S 510 Kb/Mouse and before shipping costs = $1688.84

Hope this helps you out some.

 

[Yoosty]

tecmo34, gkay09 thanks a lot for your replies, they are very helpfull.
gkay09 thanks for taking the time to answer extensively my questions, much appreciated.

One other thing I forgot to add is that due to router location I need a wireless card and I was thinking to buy.
WIRELESS:
LINKSYS WMP54G 32bit PCI2.2 Wireless-G Adapter - Retail 35$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124115

thanks

Would suggest this Wireless card over the LinkSys, mainly on the Data mbps rate.
ENCORE ENLWI-N PCI 2.3 Wireless Adapter - Retail $24.99
(Data Rates: Up to 300Mbps, compared tp 54mbps that the Linksys has.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833180052

 

[geofelt]

Some more things to consider:

1) Monitor size. A 1080P monitor is really a TV monitor with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. Compare that to a PC monitor which will be 1920 x 1200. A plus for the 1080P type is that it comes in sizes as larte as you want(>65"). The PC type monitor will usually be 24" in size, and you can get them up to 27". I do think a little bigger monitor is very good for games.

2) HDMI is a digital video connection which includes audio. If you will use a TV monitor with speakers, then that is a good thing.
On the other hand, a separate speaker system should include a subwoofer of some size and surround speakers. For sound, I think the separate system, even an inexpensive one is a much more satisfying way to go. Of course, if you will use headphones, then all this is moot. I agree that the motherboard onboard HD sound is very good.

3) Antec makes good cases, and offers good support. The 900 is a good case, but consider the 902 which is an upgraded version of the 900. If you want to save some money, look at the Antec 300. It has superb ventilation and will hold all your parts in a slightly smaller package. No "bling" though.

4) The corsair 850 is an excellent psu. The 750 watt unit is a bit cheaper, and will do the job equally well. You might also want to look at the PC P&C 750 watt unit. I like them for bottom mounted psu's because their intake fan is in the rear giving straight through cooling.

5) The i5 cpu's and P55 motherboards are supposed to launch on Sept 6. I think you would do well to see what they have to offer. I think you will find a cpu and motherboard that is equally suitable for your needs for about $200 less.

---good luck---