New System, Reassurance?

[doctorhorrible]

Hello, all. I'm building a new system and have two in mind: the first one will work perfectly, the second one (Core i7 based) I'm not so sure about. Here's the specs of the second:

MSI X58 Platinum mobo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130216)

PC Power & Cooling 750W PSU, 60A@12v (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009)

2GB OCZ Reaper DDR3 1333 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227355)

Intel Core i7 920 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227355)

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4870 x2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102768)

===

All in an Antec 900 case (it will fit the card, I've checked). I can downgrade the 4870 x2 to a GTX 280 if necessary. My main worry is the X58 working well with all of this - can I get a professional's opinion? There are no reviews to go on for X58/Core i7. Thanks so much!

 

[slomo4sho]

To be honest, everything looks fine except the ram.

Go with either 3 sticks of 1gb for a total of 3gb or 3 sticks of 2gb for a total of 6gb of ram. DDR3 1333 should be fine speed wise, just make sure the ram is designed to run at 1.5volt.

 

[doctorhorrible]

Slomo:

So does dual-channel RAM not work in a board that supports triple-channel? If so, what RAM do you recommend for it around the $100 price range? (Decent quality RAM, good brand name.)

 

[kurtyboh]

From everything i've read has to be ddr3... which is the one major drawback to the upgrade because that ram is rediculously priced....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231222
but since the board actually utilizes tri-channel its wicked fast, even though the timings look like it sucks.

 

[Proximon]

The dual channel RAM is all older stuff that does not meet the voltage requirements of the i7. You'll want one of the 3-stick kits, and frankly if you can't afford a 6Gb kit you should be looking at a Q9550 and an x48 board.

You should think about ASUS or Gigabyte or EVGA for the MB. MSI would be my last choice. They have an awful record lately. I have seen good reviews for both the ASUS P6T and an EVGA board.

 

[slomo4sho]

This is your best bet for a ~$100 budget, unfortunately its currently out of stock at newegg!

G.SKILL 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Chan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010170147+1052345113&Configurator=&Subcategory=147&description=&Ntk=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

Its currently a little difficult to get a hold of parts online due to today being the official release of the i7...

This is the cheapest 3 gb DDR3 1333 kit I could find in stock:
Corsair TR3X3G1333C9 XMS3 3 GB 3 x 1 GB PC3-10666 1333MHz 240-Pin DDR3 Core i7 Memory Kit
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-TR3X3G1333C9-PC3-10666-1333MHz-240-Pin/dp/B001J3U4P8/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1226993365&sr=8-16

 

[doctorhorrible]

Thank you for all the replies.

I am going for a slightly cheaper set of DDR3 as I am blowing most of my money on the Core i7 and high-end GPU.

I will look into the G-skill and Corsair, I can go as high as $120-$130.

In terms of motherboards, how is this for an X58 (I am determined to use Core i7)? (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121361) - Intel BOXDX58SO X58

That one and the MSI board are the ones that fit my budget. However, I can get a slightly better one if I ditch the 4870 x2 and go for a GTX 280 instead for now.

If the Intel BOXDX58SO is a decent board, I will shoot for that. If not, I'll ditch the x2 and go for a GTX 280, and get the EVGA/Asus board.

Last to clear up, NO dual-channel RAM setup will work in this board whatsoever?

 

[kurtyboh]

or you can go with a 4870 and crossfire later...

 

[slomo4sho]

As Kurtyboh said, you could go with a 1gb 4870 and use the $200-250 saved to get 6 gigs of ram and even get a better board.

There are actually quite a few options but picking the right one really depends on your needs.

 

[doctorhorrible]

I don't need a huge amount of expensive RAM - the most important piece for me is the video card. I'd like to be able to run Crysis, 1280x1024, High and 4xAA with a decent amount of FPS, something the GTX 280 and 4870x2 will no doubt do - my only real question at this point is, is the Intel board any good or should I shoot for a more expensive board an a less expensive GPU?