New Computer Build core i7 860

[JerseyDevil101]

Hello just wanted to first introduce myself to the forums. I am majoring in computer science and I love computers although I'm not currently the best with them yet. Still learning. Anyways I am planning on building a new pc specifically for gaming and video editing.


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: BUDGET RANGE: $800-950.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Video Editing/Rendering, Internet, Programming C++., watching movies.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, (anywhere really that has a good price) COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: Core i7 860 processor

OVERCLOCKING: Yes
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

Hardware I have planned right now:

CPU: Core i7 860
(I can get for $265.00)
--$265.00

MOBO: ASRock P55 Extreme LGA 1156 $
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157172
--$139.99

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
--$104.99


Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770
--169.99 - 10.00 Rebate..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102858

HDD: Western Digital 500 GB Caviar Black
--$65.99
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B001GQYYSG/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance

PSU: hec X-Power Pro 650 650W Continuous
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339024
--$44.99

Case: Antec Three Hundred Gaming
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000GQMHBI/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance
--$54.95

Heatsink: ZEROtherm CORE92 Socket 1156/1366 HDT Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887023
--$31.99


total Cost: $866.90 or $841.99 if i use xeon x3440.

I heard of the xeon x3400 as well I was wondering how good this processor is for gaming compared to the core i7 860. The x3400 is about 25 dollars cheaper than the i7 860.

Also as far as the HEC PSU goes how is the quality if it's not good can anyone recommend me one for a cheap price.

Thanks everyone!

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The Xeon chip would work just fine. You just need to make sure your motherboard BIOS supports it.

 

[whitefang]

By the way the 965 does not lose to the I-5 750 at gaming. They are almost identical.

 

[builderbobftw]

By the way the 965 does not lose to the 965 at gaming. They are almost identical.

I agree. That might be the first correct thing you have said in a while.

 

[whitefang]

And you have yet to say anything correct. Mr. 4870 > 5770

 

[Onus]

As usual these days, I agree with shortstuff. For all those non-gaming uses, I'd also choose the i7/860.
If I were the one buying, I'd probably choose that same ASRock mobo, and an Antec 550W Truepower New (or splurge on a Seasonic 80+ gold X-650). I haven't seen any 500GB Spinpoint F3s available at Newegg lately, so I'd probably choose a Seagate 7200.12 over a WD Black (but have used both successfully).
I like the external SATA drive bay on the Antec 200, but I prefer the aesthetics of the Antec 300.
I just upgraded to a 1920x1080 monitor, and my "lowly" HD4850 hasn't suffered for it yet with the relatively undemanding games (e.g. Guild Wars) I play. Choose a video card based on resolution and benchmarks.

 

[builderbobftw]

And you have yet to say anything correct. Mr. 4870 > 5770

The 4870 will get better FPS than the 5770. But let's no turn this thread into a flamewar, I conceed that at the current Newegg prices, (Note that i said Newegg, not Ebay/Craiglsidt where the 4870 is 50-30$ cheaper than the 5770), the 5770 is the better buy right now.

 

[JerseyDevil101]

I'm sorry I'm a bit confused now lol. Ok so as far as processors I really would like to stick with a CPU that has HT. I know core i5 are great for gaming but that is not my main concern as far as what I plan on doing. I do alot of intensive HD video editing.

So i guess my question now is should i go with xeon x3440 or core i7 860 as far as overall price/performance with gaming and video editing and why?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I can understand how you're confused. These threads usually take a nose-dive once Builderbobftw starts with his rants.

I would get the i7 860 if at all possible. The reason is that it will work with virtually any motherboard and has a higher clock speed. The Xeon chip isn't a bad second option, but you may run into compatibility issues. Most boards should work fine with the Xeon chips, but it's something to keep in mind. If the budget can stretch to the i7 860, get it, otherwise the Xeon will work just fine.

Here's a nice chart that points out the different clock speeds of the i5/i7/Xeon chips.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7975&Itemid=47

The i7 860 is certainly the way to go IMO. It's max turbo speed is 3.46GHz, while the Xeon X3440 only goes up to 2.93GHz max. That's a pretty big difference for $40.

 

[builderbobftw]

I don't like Xeons. I rember when a company my dad use to work with, )with, not for) bought a HP Dual Zeon 3.4ghz 7,000$ computer in 2002, and that was a huge fail. It was like a cross bewteen an Atomic bomb, a fire, a helicopter, and a jet fighter, with all the heat and noise that comes with those.

 

[JerseyDevil101]

I can understand how you're confused. These threads usually take a nose-dive once Builderbobftw starts with his rants.

I would get the i7 860 if at all possible. The reason is that it will work with virtually any motherboard and has a higher clock speed. The Xeon chip isn't a bad second option, but you may run into compatibility issues. Most boards should work fine with the Xeon chips, but it's something to keep in mind. If the budget can stretch to the i7 860, get it, otherwise the Xeon will work just fine.

Here's a nice chart that points out the different clock speeds of the i5/i7/Xeon chips.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7975&Itemid=47

The i7 860 is certainly the way to go IMO. It's max turbo speed is 3.46GHz, while the Xeon X3440 only goes up to 2.93GHz max. That's a pretty big difference for $40.

Ok really much appreciated I think I will stretch the extra dollar and get a 860 then. Thanks you very much for the info

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I don't like Xeons. I rember when a company my dad use to work with, )with, not for) bought a HP Dual Zeon 3.4ghz 7,000$ computer in 2002, and that was a huge fail. It was like a cross bewteen an Atomic bomb, a fire, a helicopter, and a jet fighter, with all the heat and noise that comes with those.

What does an HP system from 2002 have to do with this system? Those old Xeon chips have nothing in common with current chips, besides their name. Please try to do a little research so you know what you're talking about before spouting off garbage that just confuses the OP. The Xeon LGA 1156 chips are virtually identical to their desktop equivalent.

 

[JerseyDevil101]

One more question is the ATI 5770 the best option for 159.99 i could maybe squeeze it by 180.00 if it's a huge performance increase.

 

[whitefang]

No there's no GPU for $180 unless you go Nvidia which is a bad option

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I would stick with the 5770 considering your use and monitor resolution. The next logical step up is the 5850 which costs $300.

 

[builderbobftw]

Uh, if you're ok with buying used, the 4890 is 150$ on ebay. Other than that (sigh) go with the 5770.

 

[JerseyDevil101]

Ok thanks guys appreciate you have been very helpful I'll try to get a new updated build and post it here.

 

[builderbobftw]

I would stick with the 5770 considering your use and monitor resolution. The next logical step up is the 5850 which costs $300.

The other option is to buy used, which some people arn't ok with.


http://cgi.ebay.com/XFX-ATI-Radeon-HD-4890-1-GB-HD-489A-ZDFC-HD489AZDFC_W0QQitemZ180471974084QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCC_Video_TV_Cards?hash=item2a04f7c8c4

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I'm certainly not OK with buying somebody's leftovers. Who knows what kind of abuse a used computer component has seen. I would never consider buying used computer parts, no matter what the seller claims.

 

[builderbobftw]

If the part fails, the seller has to take it back, or paypall will return the money. Also, why would it be abused? Why would someone abuse thier own part? They would want it to work, so they can sell it later... I bought a EAH4870 1gb for 93$ of ebay, and it's awesome, can do 32x AA in MW2, offline.

 

[JerseyDevil101]

CPU:Core i7 860
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-INTEL-CORE-i7-860-2-80GHz-1156-BX80605I7860-SEALED_W0QQitemZ300396996927QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCPUs?hash=item45f10e693f
$262.99

MOBO:ASRock P55 Extreme LGA 1156 $
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157172
--$139.99

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231277
--$104.99

Case: Antec Three Hundred Gaming
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ [...] R&v=glance
--$54.95

Video Card/PSU:

combo deal with OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply and an XFX 5770.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.329244

$219.98 -25.00 MIR


HDD:SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB SATA2 Hard Drive NEW

http://cgi.ebay.com/SAMSUNG-Spinpoint-F3-HD502HJ-500GB-SATA2-Hard-Drive-NEW_W0QQitemZ320489929334QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4a9eb03a76

$54.95

Heatsink:COOLER MASTER Hyper 212

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&Tpk=cooler%20master%20Hyper%20212
29.99+7.56 S/H

875.40-25(MIR)=850.40

 

[shortstuff_mt]

A lot of noobs try to overclock components without knowing what they're doing and damage hardware. If you're OK with buying used components, go for it. I know I certainly never will.

Anyway, this isn't helping the OP. I think he's pretty much set now.

 

[JerseyDevil101]

Ok thanks guys for all the help I think I'm going to order the parts this weekend. Just want to make sure everything is good.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Most of the links in the latest build are broken, but the build looks good. Let us know how it goes!

 

[JerseyDevil101]

Alright will do thanks guys!

 

[builderbobftw]

A lot of noobs try to overclock components without knowing what they're doing and damage hardware. If you're OK with buying used components, go for it. I know I certainly never will.

Anyway, this isn't helping the OP. I think he's pretty much set now.

If the hardware was damaged, and i doubt many people are that stupid, the buyer has to take it back.