New i7 Build - Review needed

[alishaan]

Hello everybody,

I'm finally planning to change my 4+ year old Pentium 4 rig to an i7.

I am looking to get some feedback on my current choices for this new i7 system.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ~ 2 weeks
BUDGET RANGE: $1100
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Photo and Video editing, Running virtual machines, etc.
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, DVD Drives, Operating System (I've Vista Ultimate 32-bit and 64-bit)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: NewEgg
PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel CPU
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe
CF/SLI: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: Buying a new monitor

Below are the parts I'm planning to buy:

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021 $99.99

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz LGA 1366 Socket 8MB Cache CPU D0 Stepping
https://www.antaresdigital.com/cust [...] ge=1" $280.00

CPU Cooler: XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233029 $39.99

Thermal Compound: Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835154003 $4.99

Memory: OCZ Platinum 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=N82E16820227381 $99.99 ($20.00 mail-in rebate)

PSU: PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005 $94.99 ($25.00 mail-in rebate)

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319 $74.99

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801 $179.99 ($15.00 mail-in rebate)

Monitor: ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1) Built in Speakers - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049 $229.00

(Let me know if any other good monitor deals are out there)


I'm confused about the Mobo between the following two:

Mobo 1: ASUS P6T SE LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131386 $209.99 ($15.00 mail-in rebate)

Mobo 2: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128375 $199.99 ($15.00 mail-in rebate)

It is a bit overbudget, but i'll manage ~$1,200

Thank you all in advance. Your feedback is very much appreciated.

 

[Why_Me]

By the looks of your case and psu I take it you don't have any plans for Crossfire (dual vid cards). Nothing wrong with that. So with that in mind, I can see where the price can be cut down on this build without losing any performance / quality. Google "ewiz coupons" and take some more money off that mobo down below.

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-EX58U3R $178.99 | $163.99 after rebate | Free Ground Shipping
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R Core i7/ Intel X58/ DDR3/ CrossFireX/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022 $79.99 ($54.99 after $25.00 Mail-In Rebate)
OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

*same psu as above but cheaper and free ground shipping @ zipzoomfly

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10009795 $74.99 ($49.99 after MIR) Free Shipping
OCZ OCZ550FTY 550W Active Power Supply Retail

 

[alishaan]

Why_me - You are right, I'm not planning to do Crossfire or SLI. I'll check out these updates.

One another questions, do you think ATI GPU is fine or should i go with GTX 260 core 216, something like:

EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130433

Also, any feedback on the monitor.

Many thanks for your response.

 

[Why_Me]

Why_me - You are right, I'm not planning to do Crossfire or SLI. I'll check out these updates.

One another questions, do you think ATI GPU is fine or should i go with GTX 260 core 216, something like:

EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130433

Also, any feedback on the monitor.

Many thanks for your response.

That's a tough one. The difference between the 4870 and the 260 are like six one way, and half a dozen the other. The only thing I can say is check out a few benchmarks...this site has some good ones and see how those cards do in regards to the games you play more often.



http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-275,2266.html <---here's some recent charts when they reviewed the 275. It includes the 260 and the 4870

 

[Why_Me]

That's another card worth looking at also. It matches up good with your monitor's resolution. Also the 4890 had some nice benchmarks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130475 $239.99 ($219.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Free Cryostasis game w/ registration at manufacturer website

 

[alishaan]

Why_Me - Thanks for the benchmark links, after reading I decided to stay with HD 4870.

A question regarding PSU, do you think 550 W should be enough as I'll add three additional HDDs.

Also, do you think the Mobo is fine, i read in some forums and UD4P is recommended. Please advice.

Thanks for your responses.

 

[Why_Me]

Why_Me - Thanks for the benchmark links, after reading I decided to stay with HD 4870.

A question regarding PSU, do you think 550 W should be enough as I'll add three additional HDDs.

Also, do you think the Mobo is fine, i read in some forums and UD4P is recommended. Please advice.

Thanks for your responses.

The UD4P is no doubt a better board imo. If you can fit it in your budget I say go for it.

With those extra HD's I'm going to go out on a limb here and recommend that 620 Corsair you had, or any 600w - 650w psu of a decent brand like Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Silverstone, a few of the Antecs, etc...