I7 $2000 (at very max) build for just computer itself

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Tampire

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May 17, 2009
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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: As soon as possible.

BUDGET RANGE: Max at $2000, but i'd like to keep it a little under that.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming and Internet.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, and OS. I basically want just the computer. I also don't care about an extra sound card or network card.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com unless someone has a better site.

PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel Core i7 920

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe?

MONITOR RESOLUTION: I don't know yet, but i'm probably going to get a 22" - 24", so i guess around 1920x1080 - 1920x1200.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: So this is my first build. I've been trying to figure out which mobo I want. The 4 i've been looking at are the ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution, ASUS Rampage II Extreme, EVGA E760 (possibly E759 limited?) CLASSIFIED, and the ASUS P6T Deluxe V2. I'm not sure if I should be spending more and getting the classified, P6T6 or Rampage, or if I should spend less and get the P6T Deluxe V2 (or possibly another around the same price?). I've been kinda leaning towards the P6T6 because it has the true 16x 3-way SLI, and its still very good at OCing, but i'm not sure if the 3-way 16x really matters that much. Will the 3-way 16x help for later add-ons/upgrading?

Is this good memory? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224 And does the voltage work?

Also, I was thinking about putting in two GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216) cards in SLI Configuration. Is this too much for my budget?

Is it possibly to build with Windows 7 BETA? Because i will probably eventually switch to it anyway, and I want to try out the BETA...

Thanks!
 
2 x 260's aren't too much - they should run you between $320-340 and are a good choice. Much better than a single GTX 285. Both the EVGA and ASUS P6T are solid motherboards - Rampage is probably overkill unless you are an enthusiast planning on extreme overclocking - in which case the Foxconn Bloodrage is brilliant (a big step up for foxconn)

3 x 16 is not necessary unless you really plan on 3 way SLI (not as good scaling as 2 way) and you also really need all the power and don't care about the price.

The memory you chose is good, but these are by far better value and safe choices:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227388

It is possible to build with windows 7 for free - a good idea

For the SLI system I would go with at least a 700-750W PSU - probably higher if you plan on any extras later.
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137 $74.99
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006 $119.99 ($99.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.192250 Combo Discount: -$20.00 Combo Price: $324.98
ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8TU-6GBPI - Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=I7-920 $265.99 Free Ground Shipping
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 $39.99 Free Shipping*
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing 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=N82E16814127430 $174.99 ($154.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
MSI N260GTX-T2D896-OCv4 GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127430 $174.99 ($154.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
MSI N260GTX-T2D896-OCv4 GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319 $74.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171 $24.99 Free Shipping*
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X 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 Burner - OEM

Total: $1,280.89 | $1,120.89 w/mail in rebates

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd353205.aspx?ITPID=mscomsc <---Save yourself some money on an o/s and dl the 64 bit version of Windows 7 :)
 


It's the same cooler as the Xigmatek Darknight...only the Darknight comes with the LGA1366 bracket for the X58 boards unlike the stock Xigmatek s1283 you just posted.

Maybe a case or the gtx 275 vid cards...hard to say. You might check out these two cases down below...

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?category_id=1665&product_id=2882 <--- more pics and specs of that case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194 $159.99 ($139.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KKN1-GP Black ABS Bezel, SECC Body ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196 $109.99
COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?category_id=1665&product_id=2912 <--- more pics and specs of that case

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-275,2266.html <---vid card benchmarks gtx 285, 275, 4890, 260, 4870, etc..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130475 $239.99 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
 
OK. So here's my revised list. I bumped up the mobo, graphics cards and the PSU, and I changed the case and memory. Is this going to work (compatibility wise), and are they some of the best options?

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 - $288.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

Mobo/Graphics card combo: EVGA GeForce GTX 275 Superclocked Edition & EVGA CLASSIFIED 3-Way SLI (x8) + PhysX - $627.98

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.187821

Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 275 Superclocked Edition - $259.99

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 2.2 - $239.99 (The 1000W will be helpful in the future right?)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007

Memory: OCZ XMP Ready Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $98.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227388

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $109.99 (Does this case work? I like the look of it better than the others...)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM - $74.99 Free Shipping*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

CPU Cooler: XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - $39.99 Free Shipping*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

Optical Drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X 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 Burner - OEM $24.99 Free Shipping*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound - $4.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154003

Total: $1770.89 (not counting mailed in rebates)

Sooo, did i forget anything? Will it all fit in the case? ( i heard the 275s are kinda big...)
 
The 900 is legendary. It will hold what GPUs you want it to hold. The Classified may be overkill, but it's also a fantastic board. Good luck with your build.

Edit: Uh, didn't see the e-ATX. No, the 900 won't hold that.

 
You selected an Extended ATX motherboard and the ANTEC 900 cannot hold an extended atx motherboard. The ANTEC 1200 can't either. Maybe look into a LIAN LI. Great cases.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112224

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=204&products_id=22439

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=204&products_id=22332

You cannot go wrong with these cases. Strong silent and great for cooling. The are expensive though but they would make a great case for a high performance pc. They can also be easily modded for water cooling. Plenty of space.
 
lain li cases are of the highest quality usually using mostly Aluminum to keep ambient temps down by a small factor. They are great cases but usually are a high premium for most builders who don't invest enough into a nice case that they can use for years and years to come.
If you worked about space of the video card just get one with a removable 3.5" bay if it's at the bottom. or one that doesn't even sport a 3.5" drive bays at the bottom.
COOLER MASTER HAF great cooling
COOLER MASTER COSMOS great silent type case with good airflow and solid as a rock became it weights as much as one.
 


+1 for the CM HAF. I think if it came down to two quality cases that had plenty of room for dual vid cards, large cpu h/s, etc... great air flow/ventilation/cooling and were reasonably priced it would be the CM HAF and the CM Storm Sniper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194 $159.99 ($139.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KKN1-GP Black ABS Bezel, SECC Body ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?category_id=1665&product_id=2882 <--- more pics and specs of the CM Storm Sniper

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160 $149.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?category_id=18&product_id=2810 <--- more pics and specs of the CM HAF
 
The Coolermaster cases do not have any filters and with many fans...dust will be a problem. If I had the money, I would take a LIAN LI case any day over a Coolermaster. Just my opinion but LIAN LI has a better build and they have filters.
 
If you don't plan on running 3-Way SLI and a Physics Card, there is no reason to buy the X58 Classified. I would recommend down grading to the standard X58 board

Here is a good combo that will increase your graphics power...

MOBO & Graphics Card Combo: EVGA 02G-P3-1185-AR GeForce GTX 285 2GB & EVGA E758-TR 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) - $644.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.187815

EVGA 02G-P3-1185-AR GeForce GTX 285 2GB - $409.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130486

This adds an additional cost of $167 over your original MOBO & Graphics Card Combo in SLI. Also, the motherboard is a standard ATX board and will fit in to your Antec 900 you wanted or one of the other cases listed. I would look at either the 2 Coolermaster cases listed by Why_Me or look the Antec 902 | Antec 1200. The Antec 902 has better features than the original Antec 900

Antec 900 - $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058&Tpk=Antec%20902

Antec 1200 - $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043
 
Aight....updated list #2

Changes from last list are in bold.

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 - $288.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

Motherboard: EVGA E758-TR 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $269.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188046&Tpk=E758-TR

Video Card: EVGA 896-P3-1173-AR GeForce GTX 275 FTW Edition 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - $299.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130479

Video Card: EVGA 896-P3-1173-AR GeForce GTX 275 FTW Edition 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - $299.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130479

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 2.2 - $239.99 (The 1000W will be helpful in the future right?)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007

Memory: OCZ XMP Ready Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $98.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227388

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail - $149.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160&Tpk=Cooler%20master%20HAF

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM - $74.99 Free Shipping*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

CPU Cooler: XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - $39.99 Free Shipping*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

Optical Drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X 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 Burner - OEM $24.99 Free Shipping*

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound - $4.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154003

Total: $1792.89 (not counting mailed in rebates or using combos)

I think getting the dual 285s is probably a little too much. Also, from what i've read the 275s (especially the FTW edition) are almost as good, and are a great deal.

I changed the classified to the base, but the base is out of stock on newegg. How fast do they restock stuff? Should I wait and order all from one site, or order just the mobo from another site?

Also, is going with the FTW edition of the 275s worth the extra $?

So again, this will all fit in the case right? Any objections to the things i picked? BTW, thanks for answering all my questions!
 
Very good build Tampire. You should have no problem fitting every thing into the CoolerMaster HAF 932 case.

As from buying everything from one site, it is totatly up to you. Ordering from more than one site can save you money, for example MicroCenter sells the Core i7 920 for $229.99 compared to Neweggs' $279.99. The downside is that you can be waiting days for all of the parts to show up when you order from different sites. When you order all from one site, they'll all show up at the same time.

Is the FTW edition worth it? Basically, the FTW edition is the "MAX" factory overclocking on the 275 graphics card. If you have no problem overclocking your graphics card yourself than you can buy the basic version and just overclock to the FTW settings. Again, it is a judgement call on your part. I went with the GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked card over the base card because at the time the base card wasn't giving away a free copy of COD WaW and to me the extra $10 was worth the game.
 
Hmm, OK. Well then would it be better to go with....

EVGA 017-P3-1175-AR GeForce GTX 275 1792MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

(double memory)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130476

...and then overclock to FTW settings? And how hard is it to overclock this?

Also, is it worth bumping the hard drive up to this? Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
 
After reviewing the 1792MB card, it cost more than the 275 FTW card and as smithereen stated, you'll have abundance of memory with them in SLI. I would stick with the 275s FTW.

As for overclocking graphics cards, EVGA's Precision program makes it very easy to overclock. All you have to do is manually adjust the settings for the cards once you open the program to the FTW's settings, click apply, than click apply at Windows Start-up. As with all things you overclock, you need to take it step by step to ensure your cards will be stable at those settings, since not all cards overclock at the same level.

I see no issues with going with the 1TB WD Black drive. It is a very good drive and if fits your budget... go for it.

 
Ok. Also, a friend told me it would be a good idea to either get a smaller +10,000RPM drive along with a larger slower drive, or get two 7200RPM drives and put them in a RAID setup. Is this a good idea? Is having only 1 7200RPM drive going to bottleneck my system in any way?
 
As for getting a smaller +10,000RPM drive, you will not see a huge increase in HDD performance over the WD 1TB Black. You will see faster boot times and access times but for gaming and general use, not much improvement... IMO. One option would be to get a small SSD to use for your OS and run your programs and games from the WD 1TB Black. I think you'll see a bigger improvement with this method but I'm not an expert on SSD, so I would seek other opinions on this.

I would recommend against RAID0 setup. It will increase your speed but increases your risk of data lost.

I don't see the WD 1TB Black being a bottleneck to your system... Review Tom's Hardware's Desktop HDD Charts ( http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/PCMark-Vantage,1024.html ) to see how HDD's compare.



 
I don't know, I'd think about RAID 0. Exactly double the risk of data loss still isn't much of a concern - at least to me. If you back up all your *really* important stuff to physical media, I wouldn't worry.
 
Ok, and is there going to be any difference (performance wise, not memory wise) between two WD 1TB blacks in RAID 0 and two of these... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074
...in RAID 0?

I probably won't need much more space than 600-700GBs, but will cheaper hard drives like in the link be worse performance wise than more expensive ones? So am I going to be defeating any gains i will have gotten from RAID by downgrading?
 
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