My New Intel Core i7 920 Build

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I got the case because I eventually plan to run two GPUS and I also plan on overclocking after I've had the processor for awhile. I explained why I didn't want to overclock right away in a post earlier in the thread. Also as I have stated in this thread a few other times I'm buying parts for this computer as I get paid. Therefore I am planning on buying only the parts I NEED for a new build at first just so I can get my new system up and running ASAP. Thats why I'm not buying a new GPU right away because technically I'll be able to deal with the current one I own even though its not that good.

Also as I stated earlier I currently own a Geforce 8800 GT which is a OKAY card but isn't anything great by any means seeing as I bought it quite awhile back. I have a 22inch wide screen monitor that's by AOC I bought my monitor from a computer store on sale for 150 USD about a year or so ago. My current screen settings are 1680 x 1050 .

I appreciate you wanting to help but to be honest I don't appreciate the way you jump to conclusions about me possibly not knowing anything about computers or being "scared" or "stupid" simply because I don't plan on overclocking my i7 920 until after I get my new GPU and new PSU, which the truth is that I won't have any need to overclock until I get a new graphics card anyways, I stated this earlier. Although I'm very open to suggestions on what CPU cooler to pick out because I do plan to overclock at some point in the future. Although It won't be until I get a new graphics card and PSU.

Also to answer your other question the games I play are GTA4 and COD and a few others. I am thinking about chosing the Radeon HD 4870 1GB or possibly the GeForce GTX 275 896MB. But to be honest I haven't been keeping up with what graphics cards are the best these days, so if you have any suggestions that are in the 150-300 USD price range please feel free to share them with me. I kinda want to run two graphics cards but to be honest I'm not very sure which type of card to pick because I haven't ever done that before cause I haven't built a system since about 2 years ago (roughly) ...

Also the reason I picked the case I picked is because I want this system I'm building to have plenty of room for upgrades. Thus the reason I chose to buy the i7 920 so that way I'd have the 1366 socket MOBO etc... I also read that the case has great stock cooling ability's which is good seeing as I want to overclock down the road once other CPU'S start to become faster and my i7 920 will need to be made faster also it is a big case so I'll have plenty of room to use two GPU'S and have plenty of room for extra HD's

Also I bought my i7 920 CPU from micro center at the Madison Heights Michigan location. They where having a walk-in only special deal and I read about it on this forum and since my Uncle and Aunt live in Madison Heights I had them go there and pick it up for me. So I was pretty happy I ended up by chance finding that deal myself. :)

Here is the link although in there Michigan locations they are now out of stock.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0302727
 

No actually I haven't been although i do however remember reading a article on here the other night that mentioned something about rumors that graphic card prices would probably be dropping very soon because of new cards getting ready to be released or something. If you could post a link that would be cool.
 
"I appreciate you wanting to help but to be honest I don't appreciate the way you jump to conclusions about me possibly not knowing anything about computers or being "scared" or "stupid" simply because I don't plan on overclocking my i7 920 until after I get my new GPU"

I apologize if I was too quick to "jump" into that statement before, and used some less mannered words.

Okay, on to business. You said "My current screen settings are 1680 x 1050 . "
I tell you this, there's no point on using SLI or Crossfire for 1680x1050 to be honest, it's a waste of money. Now which will I recommend at THIS moment, the 4870 1GB will be a wise choice from XFX or Sapphire. Another recommendation will be buy everything else first (hardware parts), lastly buy GPU and mobo because we'll see some price changes in the near future (just a little drop depending how nvidia will react to ati's 5000 series) and since i5 mobos came out.. i7 might drop a little

Also, you didn't mention if you are planning to upgrade monitor or not, but if you do get a higher resolution 1900 x 1200, gaming is nice here ..but if you don't then don't even think about crossfire/sli.

i suggest you getting dvd or/and hard drives next when you get paycheck because these prices won't change much unlike mobo, gpu, ram, heatsink
 

Yeah that sounds about right, and I plan on buying the 28-inch Hanns-G monitor from newegg because of the fact the price is so low and a few other people on these forums say its a good deal and also a good monitor. But since I have a decent monitor right now I won't be buying the new one until my new build is basically done. Also if you know of any good quality monitors let me know.

Also I forgot to mention I already have two ASUS dvd/cd burners on my current PC that I plan on using in my new one considering I just bought them about 6 months ago. Sorry I forgot to tell everyone that lol
 
Monitors!!! Okay, reading reviews about monitors is like staying home on a Friday night!!! Don't waste your time and depend so much on it. Go to a store and compare monitor side by side (they are placed side by side already). Find one that you like/best fits your needs price/performance is decent. It's risky to buy monitors without seeing the actual thing, because from reviews people have different opinions, they might like it, but you hate it. Although reviews do help a little, the part where it lists the pros/cons..

Personal recommendations listed from best to good:

Samsung
Sony
LG
Asus
Dell

Samsung is the most popular I would say for monitors or even TVs, they are decent as well not just popular.

Also, read above for my heatsink recommendation the Core contact freezer + additional cost for 1366 bracket.
 

Alight guys I'm buying my MOBO and RAM tommorow night sometime. I have basically decided I want the ASRock x58 extreme. But I was wondering if I should just go ahead and buy this one because from what I have read its a good deal for the money. Also if anyone here knows how well this board OC's let me know please.
Also please make a few RAM suggestions for me as well.

I'm currently debating bewtween getting Ocz Gold 3x2GB set

Or possibly buy this CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 ... - Retail

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model

Or maybe

CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1333C9 - Retail

Anyways let me know waht you guys think thanks much
 
Alright guysI'm buying the RAM and MOBO tonight.... So I need suggestions I have been having a tough time deciding bewtween these 3 boards.... Since Newegg is out of the board I actually want.. 🙁

ASRock X58 Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard 169.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157163


EVGA 121-BL-E756-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 Micro ATX SLI Micro Intel Motherboard - 209.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813188051

ASUS P6T SE LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - 219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131386


Tell me what you guys think of these boards.... Or if you know of any good store that still has the good EVGA board that I was looking at in stock please let me know.
 


I can't say anything good or bad in regards to the EVGA for the fact I haven't read any reviews on it. I know one thing...I would not get that Asus board no matter what. It's a Crossfire only board...and who wants to spend this much $$$$ on a build only to be relegated to ATI cards and not have the choice to choose. I would want to have the choice for Nvidea or ATI depending on what the better card was atm.

ASRock X58 Extreme Reviews

http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/motherboards/1923_1.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cheap-x58-motherboard,2368-3.html

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mainboards/display/asrock-x58-extreme.html

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3593
 


Well I'm, buying it myself next month. Iv'e never owned an AsRock before...in fact I used to make fun of them...but everything Iv'e read on this board so far seems really good. And after looking at the layout on that board...like the space between the PCI-E slots, the north bridge h/s, etc...I like it more and more.
 

Yeah screw it I'm gonna go ahead and do it right now. What RAM you think I should pair with it? I can't decide between these 3 different kinds.


OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model 131.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365


G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory 129.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225


G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 144.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247


CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145236


OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model 149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381


Kingston HyperX 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 159.99
Intel XMP ready w/e that means lol
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104116




So guys tell me what kind of 1600Mhz speed ram I need to go with, I wanna buy something that I won't have to toy with its stock timings after I've build it I just want it to run right and give me any problems I don't want to spend over about 160usd though or so my RAM kit.
 
Tough call on a few of those...but I would have to go with the Corsair first, then the OCZ gold second choice. Timings, price, and reviews. The OCZ Platinum seems to be a hit or miss with those timings...not everyone is getting them. The one G.Skill RAM at $154 has some tall heat spreaders which might be a problem with some heat sinks...that and they are spendy. You can get Mushkin with better timings, free shipping, for the same price. Those other G.Skills don't have the greatest timings...and the Kingston...spendy and zero reviews.

So ya... the Corsair first choice and second the OCZ Gold.
 
Well fellas just ordered my RAM and my MOBO I'm so HAPPY seriously. I guess the main is reason because this is the first build I have ever done myself and paid for with my own money. I hate work but I love the money I get from it LOL. Oh well either way I'm totally pumped because as SOON as my RAM and MOBO arrives I'm taking my HD out of my current PC and my Geforce 8800Gt GPU and setting my system up.

Also trust me I know I am going to need to get a new Hard-drives eventually, as well as a new GPU but I figure I can just use those parts until I get the money to buy the exact CPU and Hard-drives I want. I also need to look into getting a really good HSF as well since I plan to overclock it once I get my new GPU. I also plan on using carrying my 2 Cd/Dvd Burner Combo disk drives as well. Sine they still work fine. Anyways everyone thanks for taking time to help me with my build.

I just realized that I am thinking its totally done even though its not and won't be put together until I get the rest of the parts from new egg but heck 3-4 day wait is no biggie.

Does anyone have hard-drive suggestions? I want to get one that's fast but still reliable possibly a SSD for my OS drive then I can just use my 500Gb SATA for my music/video editing files. Although keep in mind I really don't want to spend a ton on the drives I buy but I basically want one that's fast but still mid-ranged price.

On the other hand though far as GPU's go I'm gonna wait a month before I buy a REALLY nice one. Due to the fact that according to rumors new GPU cards coming out.


 


Yeah as soon as it gets to my house and after I get awile to toy wit it



 
I have a question and I'm aware that I may or may not be able to get a complete answer on this. But basically will I be able to just take the HD from my current PC and put it in my new system so that way I won't have to go out and buy the Vista OS right away again. Because my current PC has Windows Home Premium 64-bit, so I'm wondering If I can just pop it in my new system once its done and just have it boot right up and work.

I plan to buy Windows Vista again in about a 2 weeks so I can get the Windows 7 upgrade coupon, but I really want to be able to use my old hard-drive for the time being mainly because I won't have the money for a new one right away and I'm really just wanting to hurry things up and be able to finally use my new PC...
 
No... You will have major issues with your system if you don't do a fresh install of your OS. I'm not 100% sure you will be able to boot at all.

Why can't you use the OS disk that came with your old PC? You can reuse it even from a different system. I used my old Dell Vista disk for my build. I just had to activate it using the windows key on the case.... Even though the system says it can be used outside of a Dell system.
 
You could always just put the windows 7 rc on it. they stopped downloads for it but they'll still give you a key I think...you can dl the rc from a torrent or something. should hold you over for a couple weeks.
 

Now that I found out about the student windows 7 deal for 20 bucks. I'm going to be buying windows 7 most likely unless I can make my friend find my original windows vista disk.

I do have a question though and it may or may not seem silly but I',m wondering so I'm just gonna ask, will Microsoft send you another disk if you tell them you lost yours and or broke it? I still have the serial number from the OEM sticker on my current system. So it would make since if they would mail me one but I guess I'd understand why they wouldn't
 
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