I7 build and questions

[Daemas]

I'm building an i7 computer (hopefully soon), and right now I am figuring out the parts that I need, etc. Any advice would be much appreciated. I do have a few questions and concerns that I'll voice after the list of components.

Case: Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - $179.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043
Extra Case Fans: [strike]2x Antec 761345-75024-0 120mm Blue LED Case Fan - $29.98 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209011[/strike]
2x Yate Loon 120mm x 25mm UV Reactive LED Fan - UV Blue (D12SM-124UB) - $13.98 - http://www.frozencpu.com/products/6176/fan-346/Yate_Loon_120mm_x_25mm_UV_Reactive_LED_Fan_-_UV_Blue_D12SM-124UB.html?id=r6uQIy9I
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - $119.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009
Motherboard: ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - $289.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365
Processor: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - $279.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202
Thermal Paste: [strike]Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - $8.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007[/strike]
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - $6.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020
CPU Heatsink & Fan: [strike]ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - $89.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118046[/strike]
Prolimatech Megahalems Intel CPU Heatsink (LGA 775 / 1366) - $69.95 - http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8807/cpu-pro-01/Prolimatech_Megahalems_Intel_CPU_Heatsink_LGA_775_1366_-_Preorder_-_Ship_ETA_April_1st_-_3rd.html?tl=g40c14s757
with Yate Loon 120mm x 25mm UV Reactive LED Fan - UV Blue (D12SM-124UB) - $6.99 - http://www.frozencpu.com/products/6176/fan-346/Yate_Loon_120mm_x_25mm_UV_Reactive_LED_Fan_-_UV_Blue_D12SM-124UB.html?id=r6uQIy9I
RAM: 1x mushkin 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Model 998679 - $139.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226030
Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready - $189.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801
[strike]VGA Heatsink & Fan: ZALMAN VF1000 2 Ball VGA Cooler - $39.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118037[/strike]

Hard Drives:
System: 1x Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $159.98 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
Media Storage: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3750640AS 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA-300 Hard Drive - $000.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148134
[strike]Hard Drive Heatsink & Fan: 2x MASSCOOL SYTRIN Kuformula SHF1 Ultra HDD Cooler - $59.98 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150085[/strike]

Multimedia & such
DVD Burner: 1x LITE-ON 22X DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model iHAS422-08 - $55.98 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106280
All-In-One Card Reader: LIAN LI CR-25B 20-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Aluminum Card Reader - $22.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820213010
[strike]Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series 7.1 Channels PCI Express Sound Card - $169.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102021[/strike]
Speakers: Creative Inspire P7800 90 Watts 7.1 Speaker - $00.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836116153
Keyboard: Saitek Eclipse III Black USB Wired Standard Backlit Multimedia Keyboard - $69.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823175006
Mouse: RAZER Lachesis Banshee Blue 9 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Laser Gaming Mouse - $79.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153017

Monitors:
Primary Display: Need reccomendations for a good one. See end of post for details.
Secondary Display: Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP support 300 cd/m2 700:1 - 000.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009094




TOTAL: [strike]$2,127.78[/strike] [strike]$1,757.82[/strike] $1,578.80

Damn that took forever to format so it looked right. Most of it is pretty much set in stone unless some parts come out with revisions or something. I do have some concerns though.

What's the general consensus with Windows 7 drivers? Is it going to be like with Vista (i.e. a giant clusterf#$%), or are companies actually trying this time? 12GBs of RAM? I'm thinking too much, esp. at this price. I can probably always buy 12 GB later when it's like 1/2 the price?

Do I really need the two HDD Coolers? If I put all three hard drives in a single HDD Cage, I can have the three drives sandwiched between two 120mm fans. Will these two fans keep the three HDDs cool? Maybe I could separate them? The two RAID0 Drives in slots 1 and 3 on the top cage (with the two fans), and the older storage drives on the next cage down with one fan on it. Would that work if they all can't stay in the same cage? Also, what kind of performance can I expect to gain by RAID0ing the two hard drives? Enough to spend the extra $80? I'm not too interested in getting a Raptor because I think that by the time my HDDs suck, SSDs will be bigger and cheaper with the bugs worked out. What's the general consensus on when that will happen? Sometime between Q3 2009 and Q1 2010?

I was also wondering how much approximately, will i7 components such as processors, motherboards, and DDR3 RAM come down in price in 4-6 months? The RAM that I have right now will probably be discontinued before then, but it has dropped $120 in the previous week. Also, the 4870 will probably be replaced by the 4890 or 49xx card whenever I end up ordering the parts.

Also, I am concerned about the power supply. I currently own the one mentioned. It is GREAT. But I'm hoping to get a PSU that will last a while (at least 2 years). Will single card solutions ever use up this much power in the lifespan of the PSU? Right now they don't, nor do most Crossfire/SLI Solutions. Does anybody see power requirements for graphics cards suddenly skyrocketing within 2 or 3 years? If I take out the old PSU from my OLD PC, will it run my new system? It was bought in 8/07, so 20-24months of capacitor aging.

Also, one thing I want to get right this time is my sound. I want to be able to plug my headset into the front of my case to use my microphone, but I also want to be able to use my speakers through the motherboard (obviously not at the same time). It is a pain in the ass to plug my headset into the back of my PC if I want to use my mic. I am wondering about the quality of on board sound from my motherboard. I don't do any audio work and I don't get boners when I play FLAC music, but I do appreciate nice sounds in my games. Will this be fine, or should I pick up the sound card? In fact the reason I got the one with the front panel was because it would allow me to plug my headset into the front. It's between the ASUS Xonar and the Creative, although the Xonar doesn't have a front panel. The only thing that scares me with Creative (and the Xonar I guess), is the fact that the Vista drivers from Creative were/probably still are god damn horrible. Can anybody with Windows7 confirm whether Creative learned their lesson? Other thoughts or solutions to my quandary??

I'm also in the market for a new monitor. 1920x1200. Why are there different sizes (24, 25.5,27) for the same resolution? Any determinable differences between different size monitors at the same resolution? I'm also hoping somebody can point me to a nice monitor as I am pretty much lost when it comes to monitor specs. 2ms preferable.

If you've made it this far, congratulations.

Thanks in advance for any advice or answers to my questions.

 

[xthekidx]

I would get the TRUE instead of that Zalman cooler, its better and cheaper: http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/thermalright-ultra-120-extreme-1366-rt.html

MX-2 performs just as well as AS5 but is non conductive and has no curing time:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020

You don't need 12gb of ram, drop one kit and add it later if you need it.

Try out the onboard sound first, its pretty decent these days. If you find you really do need a sound card, its easy to add on later.

I would skip the HDD coolers, your 1200 will have fine cooling for them without it.

I don't think you need the aftermarket GPU heatsink, the reference one will do alright. If you want to spend that money, look at getting 2 4850's in xfire:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770

As far as the PSU goes, I don't see GPU's getting that much more consumptive. newer manufacturing processes will be more efficient and use less power, as well as provide better performance, energy requirements will likely stay pretty close to what it is now I think...especially in this eco-conscious day in age when everything is going the eco-friendly route.

As far as monitors go, having a high res monitor in a smaller screen results in a much sharper image, a 24" monitor at 19x12 res will be much more clear than a 28" 19x12 res monitor.

I haven't tried Win7 so cannot speak to driver performance or compatability.

 

[Daemas]

I would get the TRUE instead of that Zalman cooler, its better and cheaper: http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/thermalright-ultra-120-extreme-1366-rt.html

MX-2 performs just as well as AS5 but is non conductive and has no curing time:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020

You don't need 12gb of ram, drop one kit and add it later if you need it.

Try out the onboard sound first, its pretty decent these days. If you find you really do need a sound card, its easy to add on later.

I would skip the HDD coolers, your 1200 will have fine cooling for them without it.

I don't think you need the aftermarket GPU heatsink, the reference one will do alright. If you want to spend that money, look at getting 2 4850's in xfire:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770

As far as the PSU goes, I don't see GPU's getting that much more consumptive. newer manufacturing processes will be more efficient and use less power, as well as provide better performance, energy requirements will likely stay pretty close to what it is now I think...especially in this eco-conscious day in age when everything is going the eco-friendly route.

As far as monitors go, having a high res monitor in a smaller screen results in a much sharper image, a 24" monitor at 19x12 res will be much more clear than a 28" 19x12 res monitor.

I haven't tried Win7 so cannot speak to driver performance or compatability.

Thanks a bunch for the advice.

I'm gonna see if I can't find a better CPU HSF off newegg, but no matter what I pick, it'll probably still just end up being a place holder in the wish list until 1366 coolers hit 2nd gen.

Not changing the Toothpaste just yet, but it's definitely on my radar, thanks.

6GB axed (but like I said, all the RAM out now will probably be discontinued in like 3months anyway) But now I'm only going to look for 6GB.

Sound card axed. The only problem I see is that, sound quality is one of the those hard things to quantify. Everybody says their sound is good until they get a nice set of speakers/whatever. 😛 "OH GOD, What else have I missed?"

Do you see 19x12 24" monitors coming down in price anytime soon?

EDIT: Any wisdom on the RAID0 performance? Should I just get one drive and then get an SSD in a year or whatever? Also, I'm thinking about just using my old PSU and then getting a new one with my next build. Do you think the capacitor aging (20-24months)will have any effect on my new system?

 

[Proximon]

I favor the SSD next year.

Just one thing to add here, as thekid has you covered:

Yate Loon blue fans
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/6176/fan-346/Yate_Loon_120mm_x_25mm_UV_Reactive_LED_Fan_-_UV_Blue_D12SM-124UB.html?id=r6uQIy9I
newegg does not carry them.

 

[xthekidx]

I think SSD's should be put off for a year or so too I think. If you want super speed now then I would Raid 0 with two WD6401AALS or WD3200AAKS, however I don't really think its worth it because all it does is cut your load times by 8 seconds or so, in game performance isn't effected by the HDD.

 

[Daemas]

I favor the SSD next year.

Just one thing to add here, as thekid has you covered:

Yate Loon blue fans
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/6176/fan-346/Yate_Loon_120mm_x_25mm_UV_Reactive_LED_Fan_-_UV_Blue_D12SM-124UB.html?id=r6uQIy9I
newegg does not carry them.

Prolimatech Megahalems Intel CPU Heatsink (LGA 775 / 1366) - $69.95 - http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8807/cpu-pro-01/Prolimatech_Megahalems_Intel_CPU_Heatsink_LGA_775_1366_-_Preorder_-_Ship_ETA_April_1st_-_3rd.html?tl=g40c14s757 ( http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=316&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=7 ) with a Yate Loon Fan sound good?

 

[Proximon]

Sure. Although I was thinking more for those case fans it looked like you were adding. One more thing, Frozen CPU is a solid company, but don't expect the exact same speed in shipping as newegg.

 

[Daemas]

Sure. Although I was thinking more for those case fans it looked like you were adding. One more thing, Frozen CPU is a solid company, but don't expect the exact same speed in shipping as newegg.

Yeah, I didn't mean to quote instead of reply. And I actually just forgot all about the other two case fans I was adding. Only thing that sucks is I really can't take out the other 120mm fans due to the fan rpm selector crap.