My New Core i7 Build - Currently Swiss Cheese.

[thebluecasket]

Hello, all. I'm new to these forums but I've been reading them for a while. Like everyone else, it seems, I too am looking to build an i7 rig.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1-2 Months from now.

BUDGET RANGE: Approx. $1800-2000.

SYSTEM USAGE: Gaming, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, possible 3D rendering...

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: I need everything, but I'll handle the keyboard/mouse and speakers.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Anywhere, but newegg.com is preferable.

PARTS PREFERENCES: None.

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Minimum of 1920x1200, perhaps higher.

----

I've picked out some of the components and would like some thoughts, if you would.



CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

Heatsink (Needed): I plan on overclocking a bit, so a good, compatible heatsink would be nice.

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128374&Tpk=GIGABYTE%20GA-EX58-UD4P

RAM: OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

Graphics Card (Needed): I'd like something beefy. Perhaps I'll upgrade to CrossFire/SLI later.

Hard Drive(s): Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

Optical Drive (Needed): Just a regular plain-as-day DVD burner needed.

Case (Needed): Mid-tower, full-tower, I don't mind, so long as it's not gaudy and keeps cool.

Power Supply (Needed): Whatever will run these components sufficiently. I like silence, but it doesn't matter too much.

Monitor (Suggestions Appreciated): Dell monitors are nice, but not essential. Something widescreen and glossy, 21-24", HDMI-in, if possible.

--

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this junk. I understand if I'm asking for too much help. It'll be the first computer I've owned in 3 whole years, so excuse me if I ramble; I'm just so ecstatic at the thought of a new computer.

Thanks a million times over, truly!

 

[hundredislandsboy]

Graphics card - GTX 275 with a 24 or 26 inch monitor to fully show its power.

 

[geofelt]

With your budget, you should have no problem.

I like the parts already picked.

For the other parts, let me start where you might not expect: the monitor.
The monitor is the one future proof purchase you can make, you will be looking at it for a long time. Get the best you can afford.
At least get a 24" 1920x1200 monitor with a good viewing angle.
Really, though, consider a 2560x1600 30" monitor. It is wonderful for gaming, and the real estate is equivalent to two 24" monitors. A goood one will cost you $1000. Samsung 305T is a very good unit that I have used before. Dell uses the same panel, I think, as do some others, so shop around. Look at the viewing angle on a monitor. Lesser ones are 160/160. The best are 178/178. A high viewing angle keeps the screen from looking washed out if you move your head off center.

To drive such a monitor, particularly for gaming, you will need a high end card. Something like a GTX275 or 4890 would be appropriate. More than a GTX295 would be too much. There is talk that ati will introduce a new high end part at a reasonable price soon; you might want to research that.

Samsung makes a good dvd drive that is quiet for about $25. Be certain that the dvd drive has a sata connection. Cabling is so much simpler than ide.

Almost any oem cpu cooler will be better than the supplied stock. There is not a lot of difference among the top dozen. The Xigmatek dark knight S1283 seems to be a good value.

To run any single top vga card, a quality 600w psu is sufficient. I like Corsair and PC P&C units.
the PC P&C silencer610 is a good unit for $70 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005
For $20 more the 750W unit would allow for dual cards, and is probably a good idea:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009
Corsair has about the same offerings.
I happen to like the rear mounted fans that the PC P&C units use better than the bottom mounted fans on the corsair. Both are good though.

A case is a personal thing. I like Antec cases. The 300 is a good cooling, inexpensive case with no frills. I like the washable front intake filters. The 902 is a larger unit with more "bling" The 183 Has front doors, which I don't like, but it is a quality, quiet case.

---good luck---

 

[thebluecasket]

With your budget, you should have no problem.

I like the parts already picked.

For the other parts, let me start where you might not expect: the monitor.
The monitor is the one future proof purchase you can make, you will be looking at it for a long time. Get the best you can afford.
At least get a 24" 1920x1200 monitor with a good viewing angle.
Really, though, consider a 2560x1600 30" monitor. It is wonderful for gaming, and the real estate is equivalent to two 24" monitors. A goood one will cost you $1000. Samsung 305T is a very good unit that I have used before. Dell uses the same panel, I think, as do some others, so shop around. Look at the viewing angle on a monitor. Lesser ones are 160/160. The best are 178/178. A high viewing angle keeps the screen from looking washed out if you move your head off center.

To drive such a monitor, particularly for gaming, you will need a high end card. Something like a GTX275 or 4890 would be appropriate. More than a GTX295 would be too much. There is talk that ati will introduce a new high end part at a reasonable price soon; you might want to research that.

Samsung makes a good dvd drive that is quiet for about $25. Be certain that the dvd drive has a sata connection. Cabling is so much simpler than ide.

Almost any oem cpu cooler will be better than the supplied stock. There is not a lot of difference among the top dozen. The Xigmatek dark knight S1283 seems to be a good value.

To run any single top vga card, a quality 600w psu is sufficient. I like Corsair and PC P&C units.
the PC P&C silencer610 is a good unit for $70 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005
For $20 more the 750W unit would allow for dual cards, and is probably a good idea:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009
Corsair has about the same offerings.
I happen to like the rear mounted fans that the PC P&C units use better than the bottom mounted fans on the corsair. Both are good though.

A case is a personal thing. I like Antec cases. The 300 is a good cooling, inexpensive case with no frills. I like the washable front intake filters. The 902 is a larger unit with more "bling" The 183 Has front doors, which I don't like, but it is a quality, quiet case.

---good luck---

Thanks so so so so much for that response. It was truly helpful.

I'd like to get a 24" monitor. That's the goal, but I don't know about a $1K monitor. 🙁

The GTX cards sound nice. They seem to be getting a lot of the buzz 'round these here parts. I was leaning towards NVIDIA, too... I've still got several weeks to hammer the details out, though.

As for the DVD burner, thanks a bunch. I had a feeling that the prices of DVD burners were way down from when I last was comp-savvy (about 3 years ago). I'll probably go with a Samsung or LG.

Antec, yeah. I remember looking through PC Gamer magazine in high school and looking at all those lavish cases with LEDs and fans galore (secretly, I wanted one so badly!) and just wishing there was something sleek and sexy, and that's about when I started noticing Antec's cases. Mi-T fine.

Thanks again. I'll probably be back to check this thread in a week or two. I have almost no access to a computer. 🙁

TheBlueCasket

 

[AKM880]

Xigmatek S-1283 or Scythe Mugen II are pretty good coolers

 

[Why_Me]

i7 w/dual gtx 275's and monitor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137 $79.99
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009 $109.99 ($79.99 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-EX58U4P Combo Price: $492.99 Free Shipping
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P Core i7/ Intel X58/ DDR3/ CorssFireX & 3-Way SLI/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 $39.99
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.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010332 $239.59 ($219.59 after MIR) Free Shipping
EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card Retail

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010332 $239.59 ($219.59 after MIR) Free Shipping
EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247 $94.99 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 $99.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171 $24.99
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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236033 $279.99 ($259.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
ASUS MK241H Black 24" 2ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with 1.3M Pixel Webcam 450 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 3000:1) Built in Speakers - Retail
Color Saturation 92% (NTSC)

Total: $1,707.89 | $1,617.89 w/mail in rebates

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd353205.aspx?ITPID=mscomsc <--- Save yourself some money on an o/s until March 2010 and dl the 64 bit version of Windows 7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128374 <--- more pics, specs, and customer reviews of that Gigabyte UD4P mobo used in this build

 

[huron]

Excellent suggestions.

+1 for Windows 7 and pay later.

If you don't need a 1TB drive, or you're like me and like to have separate drives for OS and storage, I'd suggest the WD 640 GB HDD Black and a drive for storing files.

The rest of the suggestions are good. If you live anywhere near a microcenter, then check out their prices on the i7 920 (only $229.99) - fantastic savings.

Good luck with your build.

 

[huron]

Excellent suggestions.

+1 for Windows 7 and pay later.

If you don't need a 1TB drive, or you're like me and like to have separate drives for OS and storage, I'd suggest the WD 640 GB HDD Black and a drive for storing files.

The rest of the suggestions are good. If you live anywhere near a microcenter, then check out their prices on the i7 920 (only $229.99) - fantastic savings.

Good luck with your build.

 

[huron]

Excellent suggestions.

+1 for Windows 7 and pay later.

If you don't need a 1TB drive, or you're like me and like to have separate drives for OS and storage, I'd suggest the WD 640 GB HDD Black and a drive for storing files.

The rest of the suggestions are good. If you live anywhere near a microcenter, then check out their prices on the i7 920 (only $229.99) - fantastic savings.

Good luck with your build.

 

[thebluecasket]

i7 w/dual gtx 275's and monitor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137 $79.99
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009 $109.99 ($79.99 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-EX58U4P Combo Price: $492.99 Free Shipping
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P Core i7/ Intel X58/ DDR3/ CorssFireX & 3-Way SLI/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 $39.99
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.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010332 $239.59 ($219.59 after MIR) Free Shipping
EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card Retail

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010332 $239.59 ($219.59 after MIR) Free Shipping
EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247 $94.99 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 $99.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171 $24.99
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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236033 $279.99 ($259.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
ASUS MK241H Black 24" 2ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with 1.3M Pixel Webcam 450 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 3000:1) Built in Speakers - Retail
Color Saturation 92% (NTSC)

Total: $1,707.89 | $1,617.89 w/mail in rebates

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd353205.aspx?ITPID=mscomsc <--- Save yourself some money on an o/s until March 2010 and dl the 64 bit version of Windows 7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128374 <--- more pics, specs, and customer reviews of that Gigabyte UD4P mobo used in this build

Wow, wow, wow. You guys here are awesome!

I think I will go with the XIGMATEK cooler, the Tuniq thermal compound, PC P&C power supply, and the dual EVGA GTX 275's. I was thinking about it last night and I really would enjoy the boost of two GPUs. And I was also already thinking about using the Windows 7 release candidate.

Question about the G. Skill RAM: should I get that RAM over the current OCZ I have picked out? Did you pick that RAM because it would save me some money? Although the OCZ is a bit cheaper with rebate...

That Samsung drive is out of stock, sadly. I was going to get that one, too. 🙁

The jury is still out concerning the monitor I should get. I do like that the ASUS monitor has a built-in webcam. Not necessary, but a nice addition.

Oh, one other thing: I notice a lot of people are going for D0 stepping Nehalem. Is it worth the extra $35-40?

 

[thebluecasket]

Excellent suggestions.

+1 for Windows 7 and pay later.

If you don't need a 1TB drive, or you're like me and like to have separate drives for OS and storage, I'd suggest the WD 640 GB HDD Black and a drive for storing files.

The rest of the suggestions are good. If you live anywhere near a microcenter, then check out their prices on the i7 920 (only $229.99) - fantastic savings.

Good luck with your build.

Hehehe, yeah, I think I just might try out Windows 7. The buzz around it is pretty good from places like Lifehacker. Well, as good as buzz can be for a Windows OS. 😛

I think I will need that 1TB drive, or at least come very close to it. I was going to get a 1TB external, and just keep all of my media on there, and then just have a smaller internal drive for a few OS's and programs. We'll see what happens.

Thanks for the good luck wishes. I hope to take some pics of the build if I can. 😀

 

[thebluecasket]

Xigmatek S-1283 or Scythe Mugen II are pretty good coolers

Yeah, they seem to be some of the top coolers that people have been recommending, so I think I'll go with the XIGMATEK. Geez, I love how unnecessary computer component names are, hehe.

 

[Why_Me]

Wow, wow, wow. You guys here are awesome!

I think I will go with the XIGMATEK cooler, the Tuniq thermal compound, PC P&C power supply, and the dual EVGA GTX 275's. I was thinking about it last night and I really would enjoy the boost of two GPUs. And I was also already thinking about using the Windows 7 release candidate.

Question about the G. Skill RAM: should I get that RAM over the current OCZ I have picked out? Did you pick that RAM because it would save me some money? Although the OCZ is a bit cheaper with rebate...

That Samsung drive is out of stock, sadly. I was going to get that one, too. 🙁

The jury is still out concerning the monitor I should get. I do like that the ASUS monitor has a built-in webcam. Not necessary, but a nice addition.

Oh, one other thing: I notice a lot of people are going for D0 stepping Nehalem. Is it worth the extra $35-40?

http://www.gskill.us/forum/showthread.php?t=532 <--- That's the G.SKILL RAM that's posted in that build in action.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/page-261066_10_0.html <---Issues that the new D0 stepping took care of

http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=584 <---short review on that D0 stepping i7.

http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11773&Itemid=1 <--- that's one way you can tell if you have a D0 stepping cpu or not

Some places where you can find D0 stepping i7's....

https://www.antaresdigital.com/customer/product.php?productid=16135&cat=282&page=1&#034;

http://www.ncixus.com/products/38881/BX80601920%20-%20D0/Intel/

http://www.tankguys.com/intel-core-i7-920-d0.html

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1311&_nkw=i7+920+d0&_sacat=See-All-Categories

 

[thebluecasket]

http://www.gskill.us/forum/showthread.php?t=532 <--- That's the G.SKILL RAM that's posted in that build in action.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/page-261066_10_0.html <---Issues that the new D0 stepping took care of

http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=584 <---short review on that D0 stepping i7.

http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11773&Itemid=1 <--- that's one way you can tell if you have a D0 stepping cpu or not

Some places where you can find D0 stepping i7's....

https://www.antaresdigital.com/customer/product.php?productid=16135&cat=282&page=1&#034;

http://www.ncixus.com/products/38881/BX80601920%20-%20D0/Intel/

http://www.tankguys.com/intel-core-i7-920-d0.html

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1311&_nkw=i7+920+d0&_sacat=See-All-Categories

You can have my first born. You're that awesome.

I think I'll get the D0 Nehalem from Antares, considering it's $280, the exact same price as the non-D0 version from Newegg. Thanks for that link.

My brain hurts from those articles, but they were very helpful. I nearly had a conniption when I saw the G. Skill thread. I truly didn't understand any of what I was seeing... 🙁

EDIT: When I had the Nehalem in my cart at Newegg, the price dropped by $35 down to $245. The humanity...

BTW, why does Newegg add random garbage into my cart that I don't want and cannot remove and have to pay for? I don't need a 4GB thumbdrive or a $35 subscription to CPU Magazine!!!

 

[thebluecasket]

I hate to bump a thread, but I didn't think that I should make another thread...

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply. Here's what my final build looks like...

--

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 D0-stepping Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core

Heatsink: XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler

Thermal Compound: Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX

RAM: OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

Graphics Card (1): EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card

Graphics Card (2): EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card

Hard Drive(s): Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal

Optical Drive: HP Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X 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 IDE 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe

Case: Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7

Operating System: Windows 7 release candidate

Keyboard/Mouse: Logitech Cordless Desktop EX 100 Black 102 Normal Keys USB RF Wireless Standard Keyboard and Mouse

--

I know Why_Me recommended the G. Skill RAM, but I didn't really understand why he preferred it over the current OCZ. If someone could slap the stupid out of me and drop some knowledge, it'd be much appreciated! 😀

The main thing that's been bugging me is the monitor. I still don't know which to go with. I have a few options, but I'm open to all suggestions. Looking for a 23-24" monitor with an HDMI-in. Widescreen and glossy are preferable, but not necessary. Less than $300 is preferable.

Dell S2409W 24" Monitor with HDMI
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Monitors/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-7345
Seems cheap, widescreen, 24", and has HDMI. Looked nice when I saw one in person. Too good to be true?

OR

ASUS MK241H Black 24" 2ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with 1.3M Pixel Webcam 450 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 3000:1) Built in Speakers
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236033
Not as sexy as the Dell, and more expensive, but with a slightly higher resolution, webcam, and speakers (although they probably don't sound too nice; I normally use headphones). Uh-oh: http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/product/31695/review/mk241h.html
"Poor image quality?" Definitely something I should beware of...

OR

ASUS VK246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1 ) Built in Speakers w/ 1.3m Pixel Webcam
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236048

OR

Acer H243Hbmid 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 40000:1 Max (ACM) Built in Speakers
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009167
Less viewing angle on this one, though.

So sorry, for bugging you all with my ineptitude. 🙁 As far as I can foretell, this'll be the last decision that needs to be made about my build.

Thanks again!

 

[Why_Me]

Nice build Here's a good deal on a vid card atm....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133268 $199.99 Free Shipping*
PNY VCGGTX275XPB GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

 

[thebluecasket]

Nice build Here's a good deal on a vid card atm....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133268 $199.99 Free Shipping*
PNY VCGGTX275XPB GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Sweet, thanks for that.

Any real difference between the 9,000 different versions of the GTX 275? The Sapphire, Toxic, PNY, EVGA... Geez it's confusing! If not, then I'll definitely go with the PNY.

 

[Why_Me]

Sweet, thanks for that.

Any real difference between the 9,000 different versions of the GTX 275? The Sapphire, Toxic, PNY, EVGA... Geez it's confusing! If not, then I'll definitely go with the PNY.

PNY cards are a hidden diamond in the rough. They don't get the same publicity as EVGA, XFX, BFG, Gigabyte cards, etc... but they are decent enough cards and they over clock just fine. A lot of people shy away from them just for the fact mentioned...they don't get much press.

 

[thebluecasket]

PNY cards are a hidden diamond in the rough. They don't get the same publicity as EVGA, XFX, BFG, Gigabyte cards, etc... but they are decent enough cards and they over clock just fine. A lot of people shy away from them just for the fact mentioned...they don't get much press.

I'll keep them in my mind. I'm sure card prices will continue to fluctuate in the next month or so, until I do order all the parts. Funsies.

 

[geofelt]

re: monitors:
Why do you want a HDMI connector? Particularly if you will mostly use headphones, or have external speakers.

24" is good, but look at the resolution. 1920x1080 is really a TV monitor. I would think that for gaming a 1920x1200 unit would be better.
My test for an outstanding monitor is a 178/178 viewing angle, but you will pay more. A good monitor is one of the few "future proof" PC purchases you can make. You will be looking at it for several genarations of PC.

Samsung makes lcd panels for lots of vendors. I suspect that they keep the best samples for themselves. I would look for a Samsung unit.

 

[thebluecasket]

re: monitors:
Why do you want a HDMI connector? Particularly if you will mostly use headphones, or have external speakers.

24" is good, but look at the resolution. 1920x1080 is really a TV monitor. I would think that for gaming a 1920x1200 unit would be better.
My test for an outstanding monitor is a 178/178 viewing angle, but you will pay more. A good monitor is one of the few "future proof" PC purchases you can make. You will be looking at it for several genarations of PC.

Samsung makes lcd panels for lots of vendors. I suspect that they keep the best samples for themselves. I would look for a Samsung unit.

I'd like to plug in my HD console to play games. Not essential, though.

Quick thought: Is it necessary to have HDMI-in to get HD from my vid card to my monitor?