I7 need advice

[Janssen]

I'm looking to build an i7 pc to game with. I play games such as Counter-Strike Source, Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and ill probably Diablo 3. This is what I have so far. Any advice on filling in the blanks or opinions on what I have currently chosen would be appreciated. I'd like to leave it open for SLI or Crossfire later down the road. My budget is about 2400$.

Processor:
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor

Heatsink / Fan:

Motherboard:
EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

GFX:
EVGA 01G-P3-1281-AR GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Hard-drive:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

RAM: I'm looking for 6gb.

PSU:

CD/DVD:

Case:
COOLER MASTER HAF 932
This is actually the only thing I already have.

OS: Vista Home 64bit

 

[xthekidx]

CPU Cooler: V8
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055

I would go for the P6T Deluxe V2, its higher quality than the EVGA mobo. The only thing the EVGA board has over it is tri-sli, which you won't need if you get a decent GPU like the one you are looking at getting. The ASUS is more stable for overclocking and has a better board layout IMO.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365&Tpk=p6t%20v2

RAM: Corsair Dominators just dropped in price making them a reasonable option:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224

PSU: Corsair 850tx
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009&Tpk=850tx

DVD Drive: you don't need anything fancy here, most drives are all the same
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136153

Your other choices are excellent. Your budget would allow you to get either a GTX 295 or another GTX 285 (best configuration available right now in SLI). 2 GTX 295's are out of range right now and you lose a lot of performance due to scaling issues. If you are looking to fill the rest of your budget, get the second GTX 285 and you will be able to play any games in highest details without a sweat for some time to come

 

[computersss]

+1 to xthekidx you were faster than me i was going to tell him exactly the same things but i think he may get the corsair 1000HX and may be jump to the sc or ssc or even the Ftw edition of the gtx 285 and get another gtx 285 too,the P6T Deluxe V2 overclocks better and has more space between the graphic card slots so it will be better for huge cards like the gtx 285 and the gtx 295 and etc but it lacks the SAS controller so if you don't plan on getting a 15000 RPM hard drive then get it.i would say get 2 of the 32 mb 640 gb edition and set them in raid 0,for the cooler get the cooler master V8 and the corsair dominators xthekidx suggested are the best bang for buck now as its price get really down

what monitor do you have?????

 

[xthekidx]

I wouldn't get factory overclocked cards, you can do it yourself for much less and save big time. The 850tx is fine for two GTX 285's even overclocked. With the 55nm process they consume a lot less power than you would expect a card that good to consume. Read this for some info on multiGPU setups:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3517&p=13

 

[computersss]

xthekidx i know that it is better to oc it your self but it was just a suggestion and i know that 850tx will be fine but 1000HX will be future proof as it will allow alot of upgrading anyway it is his decision as both will be good and both will suit his needs but the real question i want to know what monitor will be used because if it was a 20 or 22 then a 2 gtx 285 will be useless,don't u think so?

 

[xthekidx]

Indeed, unless you are going for at least 1920x1200 res, there is no point in spending the extra dough. My point is though that if you take price into consideration, $140 vs 300 for two PSU's that will do the same job just as well is no comparison, that 1000hx is great, but its sooo expensive. The 850tx hits the spot price/performance wise. The 850tx will be future proof as well I think, since new GPU's are using smaller and smaller fabrication processes, their Power consumption will continue to go down or at least stay relatively the same, even though performance will go up. ATI's next round of cards will be using a 45nm fab process, and I'm sure Nvidia will follow suit.

 

[computersss]

ya i didn't take in consideration that 45nm will be using less power and etc so the 850tx will be fine

 

[xthekidx]

And then of course there is the environmental aspect. Companies will be under increased pressure to produce more power efficient products in these upcoming years. There will of course always be those powerhungry monster GPU's that need the best stuff out there, but the 850tx will probably be enough for any single or double GPU setup. That's my take on things anyway.

 

[Janssen]

what monitor do you have?????

I have a this 22" monitor

 

[computersss]

this monitor resolution is 1680 x 1050 so i wouldn't get a 2 gtx 285 or 2 gtx 295 because it will be useless so get either a single gtx 285 or 1 gtx 295(which contains the engine of 2 gtx 260) unless you are planning on getting a bigger one which has at least a 1920X1200

here are some good options which all has a resolution of 1920X1200

Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009125

ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052

SAMSUNG T240HD Rose-Black 24" 5ms HDMI Widescreen HDTV Monitor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001280

BenQ G2400WD Black 24" 5ms, 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014173

LG W2452T-TF Black 24" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005113


LG W2600H-PF Black 25.5" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor with Height Adjustment - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005114

SAMSUNG 2693HM Glossy Black 25.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with Height/Pivot Adjustments - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001264

ASUS VK266H Black 25.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236046

SAMSUNG ToC T260 Rose-Black 25.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001276

 

[xthekidx]

For that size of monitor, a GTX 285 will be plenty, you will be able to play any game out at max details with good FPS. The only reason you would need to get another GPU for SLI is if you went with a bigger monitor later.