I7 Build. Comment please!

[anndreww]

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail: $149.99
EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail: $299.99
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail: $288.99
EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail : $249.99 x 2 = 499.98
Mushkin 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model - Retail: $139.99
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive (bare drive) - OEM: $179.99 x 2 = 359.98
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail: $149.99
ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail: $59.99
LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model GH22LS30 - OEM: $25.99
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM: $8.99

Total: $1,983.88
Purpose: Gaming & some photo editing.
OS: Windows 7.
Monitor: 22" Samsung.
Budget: Somewhere around 2000.

Open to suggestions!

 

[elitewolverine]

skimp abit on the board instead of 300, scratch the gtx 275, and build it around two 4890's in crossfire...they are 250 a piece...

but since its a gaming rig, 940's and 955's phenom II's from AMD are showing higher fps in games than a 920 and would save you about 500 bucks

http://www.techspot.com/review/137-amd-phenom2-x4-940-920/page12.html

if i were you, since again you said gaming....get the HAF case (i have it and love it), get 4gb of either ddr2 1066 ram or ddr3 1600 ram (depends on whether you get the 940 or 955). Get the v-10 cooler from coolermaster (does great). overclock either chip to 3.8ghz+

the money you save dump into another VelociRaptor, for a strip raid for even faster performance, and of course buy two 4890's and crossfire, that would certainly outrun your i7 920 in games

Newegg:

Motherboard, ecs 790gx, great deal with the 955's
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135236
AMD phenom quad 955
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674

combo deal $330

find yourself, a pair of 4gb (2x2gb) 1600 DDR3 for this at roughly $90

get two 4890's from msi to total $500

coolermaster V-10 cpu cooler $140

keep everything else the same

add two veloci's for again raid stripping for improved performance

and you come out to $1827

if you scratch the second veloci your looking at ~$1647

 

[anndreww]

Thanks for your input, but I'm not a fan of ATI due to their poor drivers and AMD is cool and all, but I think I'm going to stick with Intel.

 

[MacSH]

Anndreww - Some thoughts on you build.

1) I'm an Intel fan as well, and my next build is in transit (shipped, waiting to receive ...)

2) If you can wait until Aug time frame, the new Core I5 series will launch, which should drop the $ of the I7 series (in theory.) My build is utilizing my old mobo & cpu until then.

3) Have you checked out the 275 gtx's? Pretty much the same as the 285, but far cheaper ... If you Google the 275 gtx +review, it basically stacks up against the best Radeon cards ...

4) Windows 7 is, imo, rock solid and far smaller (MS got rid of alot of code & addware bloat) than Vista. I'm running the RC copy right now - it should be available on 5 May.

5) elitewolverine is completely correct about the 2 VelociRaptor's in raid 0. I've been running that for 2+ yrs now. Rock solid and fast, but a little bit noisy. My new build will take care of that.

6) 6 gig's of ram is way too much. There's an excellent article on this site about how much is enough. The advantage of a 64 bit OS will let you take advantage of a full 4 gigs, which is all anyone really needs at this point.

7) The 640 gig drive ... not worth it, imo. Yeah, it's cheap, but you'd be shocked at how quickly 640 will fill up. My 1TB external is almost full, lol. There are 1.5 TB drives out now, and they are shockingly cheap.

8) My personal theme for my new build is clean, cool & quiet. I've designed the whole build around this concept. Does your case have air filters? Where is the PSU located (top or btm)? Does the case have silicone HDD mounts to silence those VelociRaptors? Just some things to consider ...

9) PSU's generally run most efficiently at 50% load. So your 850w psu will operate coolest and quietest at around the 425w mark, give or take, depending on individual variances. If you Google "psu calculator" you should be able to find something to help with the math. Thermaltake has one built into their site.

10) OCZ Vertex SSD's have dropped considerably in $. The latest firmware version solves an inherent problem w/ ssd's. I have 2 of these (30g) on the way to make a raid0 : )

Hope this all helps

 

[anndreww]

It helped very much thank you.

 

[radiowars]

skimp abit on the board instead of 300, scratch the gtx 285, and build it around two 4890's in crossfire...they are 250 a piece...

but since its a gaming rig, 940's and 955's phenom II's from AMD are showing higher fps in games than a 920 and would save you about 500 bucks

http://www.techspot.com/review/137-amd-phenom2-x4-940-920/page12.html

Yeah, and the dual core scored higher than both, so why shouldn't he get that?
AMD 955's don't compete with the i7 in any spectrum.

Stick with the i7, but get a GTX 275. The GTX 285 is not worth the price difference, and with that you can put some green in your pocket. Nice build, if you want step up to the Evga Classified. It OC's insanely high and has 16x Tri-SLI (full). It fits quad sli GTX 295s w/ a dedicated physx card AND a sound card (nice...).

That's just my opinion, but looks like you've done your research, so you should have an awesome build .
Good luck :E

 

[Naked_n_Happy]

6) 6 gig's of ram is way too much. There's an excellent article on this site about how much is enough. The advantage of a 64 bit OS will let you take advantage of a full 4 gigs, which is all anyone really needs at this point.

What about the fact that i7 has three memory channels? Unless he can find a 3x 1.333 GB kit, it's either 3gigs or 6 gigs. Go for 6.

 

[elitewolverine]

Yeah, and the dual core scored higher than both, so why shouldn't he get that?
AMD 955's don't compete with the i7 in any spectrum.

Stick with the i7, but get a GTX 275. The GTX 285 is not worth the price difference, and with that you can put some green in your pocket. Nice build, if you want step up to the Evga Classified. It OC's insanely high and has 16x Tri-SLI (full). It fits quad sli GTX 295s w/ a dedicated physx card AND a sound card (nice...).

That's just my opinion, but looks like you've done your research, so you should have an awesome build .
Good luck :E

and go look at sciencemark a better representation than synthetics where a 940 beats a i7 920

and because he would get a more balanced system, its up to him

when it comes to games, the cpu doesnt do the heavy lifting, the gpu's do, he said he wanted a gaming machine. 5minutes encoding difference between a i7 and a 940 (not 955) is not enough for him to spend more for less when he is going to spend hours in gaming...

4890's are even with the gtx275...but by going with the i7 he would not be able to slot or purchase anything higher than the 275, dual 4890's would dismantel a gtx275 in any gaming situation...

plus the raid 0 of the raptor harddrives would decimate others as well...

so he gets a very nice quad core from amd 955 (its no i7 but by far from sluggish in any gaming scenario), he gets dual raptor drives something than any gamer would love and couldnt get with the option of the i7 price tag, and he gets dual 4890 gpu's something that would slam his single 275gtx option...

by sticking with the i7 in his budget range he is not opting for gaming no one is. At that budget skip the cpu and go with dual crossfire.

you missed entirely that his original budget is a 275 not the 285, and either one would get beat by dual 4890's, hell even a gtx295 gets beat by 4890 in crossfire...

 

[ithekos]

I'm also thinking of building an i7 system in my HAF. will i really save that much money by going to AMD? and will i be sacrificing upgradability? keep in mind this is my 1st build and i wanna do some gaming. wat kinda video card should i look at?

 

[elitewolverine]

I'm also thinking of building an i7 system in my HAF. will i really save that much money by going to AMD? and will i be sacrificing upgradability? keep in mind this is my 1st build and i wanna do some gaming. wat kinda video card should i look at?

on average yes, because the entry cost of a i7 system is about $270 for the chip and $240+ for a good board and more for triple channel memory.

you will not be sacrificing upgradablity by going to a AMD 955 phenom since its built on the ddr3 like the i7

for video gaming the cards will produce more in terms of fps than the processor will...in fact a 940 was a mere 5fps off all the i7's...

so would you rather have higher frame rates from a crossfired 4890 that beats the gtx295 in games, or brag that you have a i7 and a single card?

if your a absolute intel fan, then a i7 is what to choose, if you have no affiliation to either, then amd will save you money so that you can put it in other parts like crossfire or just a overall better video card

just motherboard cpu memory and card this is how the price pans out:

i7 cost with a gtx295.....roughly ~$1207 before taxes or shipping
955 with dual 4890's.....roughly ~$930

what could you do with a extra $300 in your pocket for other things?


actually for the same price of the i7, ~$1240, you could get dual 4870x2's in crossfire thats....137fps in call of duty with every maxed settings, 4x Anti Aliasing and 16x anisotropic filtering

 

[radiowars]

I'm also thinking of building an i7 system in my HAF. will i really save that much money by going to AMD? and will i be sacrificing upgradability? keep in mind this is my 1st build and i wanna do some gaming. wat kinda video card should i look at?

This guy is completely bullshiting you, he's an AMD/ATI fan. I have both, and my Core 2 Duo @ 3.0 is much faster than my AMDx2 @ 3.0.
Intel's new chipset will allow you to upgrade to the latest and greatest processors out there- AMD sockets are going to expire soon.

Also, the GTX 275 does lose to the 4890... when only the 4890 is OC. That's the results you see in benchmarks. However, the GTX 275 OC performs like a GTX 285, ultimately coming out on top over the 4890. Trust me at your Resolution the GTX 275 will handle everything with all the eye candy. Look at this review from OC club- The GTX 275 beats the HD 4890 every time, except in Crysis @ 1920x1200 and 2560x1600.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/nvidia_gtx_275/5.htm
Go back to the main page and select the HD 4890 review, even OCed it doesn't compare the the GTX 275 OCed.

Elite's arguement makes no sense.
"4890's are even with the gtx275...but by going with the i7 he would not be able to slot or purchase anything higher than the 275, dual 4890's would dismantel a gtx275 in any gaming situation..."
Every x58 Mobo supports SLI. His claim is complete B.S. And he also says you can't buy anything higher than the GTX 275?
WTF!

"i7 cost with a gtx295.....roughly ~$1207 before taxes or shipping
955 with dual 4890's.....roughly ~$930"
Where did you even get that estimate? That's not even his budget.

"what could you do with a extra $300 in your pocket for other things?"
Idk, but I'm pretty sure he was just about the pay the premium for VELOCIRAPTOR DRIVES IN RAID 0. Really?


"you will not be sacrificing upgradablity by going to a AMD 955 phenom since its built on the ddr3 like the i7 "
As I said above, the socket will expire in Q3. If you want to build a rig that you can update for more than a few months, get the i7.

"if your a absolute intel fan, then a i7 is what to choose, if you have no affiliation to either, then amd will save you money so that you can put it in other parts like crossfire or just a overall better video card "

So clearly, because the i7 is a faster CPU, and I support it, I am completely unable to buy an AMD CPU. That's ok though, I already have one :\.

AMD is fine, for low budget systems. Anything over 1,000$ works a lot better with an i7 system.
I love ATI, my first "real" GPU was an ATI (1000x series), and I LOVE the new 40nm 4770. That thing has a ton of potential.
Honestly, AMD CPUs need to get better, Intel needs some competition because they are offering the best CPUs at a solid price, that really makes it inane to buy anything else right now.

Stick with the i7 920, if you want AMD, wait a few months for Q3 when the release something more powerful than their standard Quad Cores.

 

[elitewolverine]

This guy is completely bullshiting you, he's an AMD/ATI fan. I have both, and my Core 2 Duo @ 3.0 is much faster than my AMDx2 @ 3.0.
Intel's new chipset will allow you to upgrade to the latest and greatest processors out there- AMD sockets are going to expire soon.

Also, the GTX 275 does lose to the 4890... when only the 4890 is OC. That's the results you see in benchmarks. However, the GTX 275 OC performs like a GTX 285, ultimately coming out on top over the 4890. Trust me at your Resolution the GTX 275 will handle everything with all the eye candy. Look at this review from OC club- The GTX 275 beats the HD 4890 every time, except in Crysis @ 1920x1200 and 2560x1600.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/nvidia_gtx_275/5.htm
Go back to the main page and select the HD 4890 review, even OCed it doesn't compare the the GTX 275 OCed.

Elite's arguement makes no sense.
"4890's are even with the gtx275...but by going with the i7 he would not be able to slot or purchase anything higher than the 275, dual 4890's would dismantel a gtx275 in any gaming situation..."
Every x58 Mobo supports SLI. His claim is complete B.S. And he also says you can't buy anything higher than the GTX 275?
WTF!

"i7 cost with a gtx295.....roughly ~$1207 before taxes or shipping
955 with dual 4890's.....roughly ~$930"
Where did you even get that estimate? That's not even his budget.

"what could you do with a extra $300 in your pocket for other things?"
Idk, but I'm pretty sure he was just about the pay the premium for VELOCIRAPTOR DRIVES IN RAID 0. Really?


"you will not be sacrificing upgradablity by going to a AMD 955 phenom since its built on the ddr3 like the i7 "
As I said above, the socket will expire in Q3. If you want to build a rig that you can update for more than a few months, get the i7.

"if your a absolute intel fan, then a i7 is what to choose, if you have no affiliation to either, then amd will save you money so that you can put it in other parts like crossfire or just a overall better video card "

So clearly, because the i7 is a faster CPU, and I support it, I am completely unable to buy an AMD CPU. That's ok though, I already have one :\.

AMD is fine, for low budget systems. Anything over 1,000$ works a lot better with an i7 system.
I love ATI, my first "real" GPU was an ATI (1000x series), and I LOVE the new 40nm 4770. That thing has a ton of potential.
Honestly, AMD CPUs need to get better, Intel needs some competition because they are offering the best CPUs at a solid price, that really makes it inane to buy anything else right now.

Stick with the i7 920, if you want AMD, wait a few months for Q3 when the release something more powerful than their standard Quad Cores.

how about adress me dirrectly or are you incapable of that

the 955 phenom II is a AM3 socket that was released this month, this is the new socket you tool, its DDR3 compliant. Maybe you should know a few things before calling my bs...

"Every x58 Mobo supports SLI. His claim is complete B.S. And he also says you can't buy anything higher than the GTX 275?
WTF!"

with his current price of tag, sticking with a i7 he would not be able to put anything higher in his board for the price! he could most definately sli at MORE COSTS he could get a 295gtx at MORE COSTS...i never said the Motherboard would not support it

and you claim that only when O.C., yes the 4890 from msi is 249.99 and comes OC'd...so whats your point? hes not the one oc'ing it, its factory done..

2 4890's in crossfire will outrun a gtx295 and he has the money...

you ask where i made that estimate? newegg you tool go look it up...ithekos had no money requirement.

and the reason why i made that estimate is because two 4890's outrun a gtx295, which to get that kind of setup would cost ~$1207, amd is less than a grand at ~$930

oh i get it, because you cant surf the web you come in and try to make me look like i dont know what im talking about?

you have been owned, AM3 is the new socket the am2+ is the old one which is 940 phenom not the 955 phenom...

i gave all my prices and showed that in crossfire 2 4890's which is within his budget will not even beat his proposed 275 but also the 295

your a tool next time adress me

 

[winterblade]

First of all, not to take sides here, but Phenom II CPU's barely match core 2 CPU's and honestly are a generation behind core i7 in almost every aspect. However what it is also true is that almost every game is going to be GPU and not CPU dependant.

So if the main or almost only purpose of the new rig is gaming, go with the option that gives you more room for GPU's, and keep in mind that nVidia GPU's and core i7 CPU's doesn't match as good as they sholud. If you want a system that can play everything you throw at it AND also kicks ass at everything else, go core i7, you have the budget and you'll not regret it, here is my sugestions:

Core i7 920 $279.99
Asus P6T mobo $234.99
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB 1600 MHz $98
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W $149
x2 XFX Radeon HD 4890 $499.98
x2 WD Velociraptor 150 GB (in RAID 0)$359.98
Cooler Master HAF $139.99
Sony 24X CD/DVD burner $23.99

For the gran total of $1786.91 dlls and my very own envy for your new system

 

[elitewolverine]

First of all, not to take sides here, but Phenom II CPU's barely match core 2 CPU's and honestly are a generation behind core i7 in almost every aspect. However what it is also true is that almost every game is going to be GPU and not CPU dependant.

So if the main or almost only purpose of the new rig is gaming, go with the option that gives you more room for GPU's, and keep in mind that nVidia GPU's and core i7 CPU's doesn't match as good as they sholud. If you want a system that can play everything you throw at it AND also kicks ass at everything else, go core i7, you have the budget and you'll not regret it, here is my sugestions:

Core i7 920 $279.99
Asus P6T mobo $234.99
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB 1600 MHz $98
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W $149
x2 XFX Radeon HD 4890 $499.98
x2 WD Velociraptor 150 GB (in RAID 0)$359.98
Cooler Master HAF $139.99
Sony 24X CD/DVD burner $23.99

For the gran total of $1786.91 dlls and my very own envy for your new system

and your forgetting his other HDD, nor a cpu cooler...

not taking sides either, but barely compares to a core2 when using something like sciencemark etc a 940 even outruns a i7 920

but we are not here to throw blows and tech sheets of scores, because saving money is what amd is about and for a great price, even core2's would cost in excess of 250-400 just for the cpu to get the same performance out of the

but in raid 0 your HDD space would be 300gb, you want to backup raid0's and, giving him still effectively 640gb of HDD space not to shabby...

if you add in the additional hdd and cpu cooler, your still looking at more cash albiet not much more.

but this is not a amd vs intel debate, test after test has shown when in gaming a phenom II and i7 will come in within 5fps, so why spend the cost on that and put it elsewhere like a additional HDD for backup and storage...

but i do like your configuration, my friend has a i7 920 he spent 1400 i spent 850 for my phenom 940 setup, we are both happy when using either machine

 

[ithekos]

LMAO. didn't mean to start a **** fight, but thank you both for your advice. As u both kno, the HAF comes with fittings to make LC eaiser. as a new guy, what should i watch out for when Liquid Cooling.... or should I even use it at all? thnx again to Elite and Radio for both sides of the AMD/INTEL decision. But i may be leaning towards Intel.

 

[ithekos]

however, if one is easier to upgrade, that may also be helpful to know before i go out and drop this green.

 

[anndreww]

I decided to SLI GTX 280s. Is 850 watt enough to support these? Also, took out my 640 GB drive. Why should I use the P6T over the Evga x58?

 

[radiowars]

[*** ing *** ing *** ing bitch, next time realize that when people buy computers they want it to be able to upgrade it later.
"you ask where i made that estimate? newegg" Well, then next time provide a link dipshit.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103648
Really? This proccessor came out this month?
Eh, guess I'm out of it.
ocket AM3 breaks compatibility with AM2/AM2+ processors due to a subtle change in key placement. The socket has 941 pin contacts[1] while current AM3 processors have only 938 pins. Tom's Hardware removed the two obstructing key pins from an AM2+ Phenom II in order to fit it into an AM3 socket. The processor did not work in the AM3 socket, but still worked in an AM2+ socket, suggesting that compatibility issues run deeper than merely the key pins.[5]

TH showed that the AM3 is not a huge difference from the AM2+. Intel Moved on to an entirely different architecture, most likely AMD will too.
Also, ever heard of Fudzilla? Just read on all the discontinued AM3 and AM2/2+ models in Q3 & Q4. If AMD was going to release something better than the i7 on the same socket, don't you think they would've done it by now?

Oh, and the final nail in the coffin-http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13357&Itemid=35
You got "pwned"? I don't know, I don't talk like an idiot when making an argument.

 

[radiowars]

I decided to SLI GTX 280s. Is 850 watt enough to support these? Also, took out my 640 GB drive. Why should I use the P6T over the Evga x58?

850W is plenty for SLI up to GTX 285's , about the mobo, Evga x58 IS worth the money, if you tri-SLI. But considering you want to SLI GTX 280s, there's no point. (Also, don't SLI 280s, go with GTX 275's or GTX 285's because GTX 275's are better than 280's). THe P6T is a great mobo, that OC well and has plenty of features, the only thing it lacks is "good" Tri-SLI (GPUs run @ 8x, p6t third slot runs @ 4x- so you lose some performance).

But don't Tri-SLI, you lose so much performace its not worth the money.

 

[anndreww]

Edited the Evga x58 with the P6T.