Please critique this i7 build before I buy

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klezmer41

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motherboard ASUS P6T
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359

proc Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
https://www.antaresdigital.com/customer/product.php?productid=16135&cat=282&page=1"
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

(does it matter if I go with antares digital or newegg?)

vidcard MSI gtx 285
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127428

hard drives 2x WD 1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043

PSU corsair 750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

(with a few hard drives in there, and maybe adding another video card down the line should I consider a bigger PSU?)

ram OCZ 6GB platinum
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

xigmatek dark knight heatsink
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

(might not do any overclocking... is this premium heatsink really necessary?)

antec 1200 case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043

arctic silver ceramique
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100009

(i have some of this left over from 4 years ago... is it still good?)

Any other comments please let me know!
 
gkay09

gkay09

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What is the resolution of the monitor that you have or will be getting...
IF it is 1920X1200, then save $130 and get the GTX 275...
There is not much difference between these 2 cards upto that resolution...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130475

Or even better for the price of 1 GTX285, get 2 GTX 260 in SLI and they would easily beat that GTX 285 by a good margin and can hold on until newer DirectX11 cards come out (Mostly by this year end or early next year)...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150329

Rest of the specs look very good...
 
K

klezmer41

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Yeah I will likely be running a pair of 24" at 1920x1200, but only one of them when gaming. Is the EVGA better than MSI?

Also what about the d0 stepping versus c0 etc? Should I buy from Tankguys or Antares Digital rather than Newegg?
 
gkay09

gkay09

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Certainly EVGA, XFX is better than MSI...

And as for the CPU, the stepping only matters if you are going to overclock...If you are not or just planned for slight overclock, then C0 or D0 doesnt matter much...

And coming back to the graphics card, If you want the maximum performance for your resolution, then go with my second suggestion - 2x GTX 260 in SLI...It would certainly offer incredible performance for the price of a single GTX285...
Check these articles...
http://techreport.com/articles.x/16229/7
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2009/01/30/bfg-tech-geforce-gtx-285-ocx-1gb/6
 
Yoosty

Yoosty

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Definately get CPU at Antares Digital and get the DO stepping.

Would pick this thermal compound over Artic Silver (takes about 200 hrs to cure).

Tuniq TX-3 Extreme Performance and Exceptional Reliability Thermal Compound $10.99
($5.99 after $5.00 Mail-In Rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154007

Check out this Review on 80 of the top Thermal Compounds and then you decide which you would want.
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=150&Itemid=62

Prolimatech Megahalems and 12 Other Coolers for Intel Core i7 Overclocking
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/core-i7-coolers-roundup_18.html

Below are some other CPU HSF Coolers you should look at.

Thermalright Ultra120 eXtreme-1366 RT $74.95
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=450&products_id=24727

Zalman CNPS10X Extreme $78.95
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=450&products_id=25765

Xigmatec "Thor's Hammer" - World's First 7 x Heatpipe Cooler with 4x8mm Pipes $64.95
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=450&products_id=25678

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233032

Titan Fenrir $52.99
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9209/cpu-ttn-03/Titan_Fenrir_Universal_CPU_Cooler_Socket_1366_775_AM2_AM2_AM3_940_939_754_K8_-_TTC-NK85TZ.html?tl=g40c14s757

Scythe "MUGEN-2" 5-Heat Pipes $37.99
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=450&products_id=24978

Everything else looks great.
 
gkay09

gkay09

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@Yoosty the OP is actually doubtful that he would even overclock...So would you still suggest him those CPU coolers ???
Actually he can get away with the stock cooler with the AS5 or TX2/ TX3 for stock speeds...
 
Yoosty

Yoosty

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@Yoosty the OP is actually doubtful that he would even overclock...So would you still suggest him those CPU coolers ???
Actually he can get away with the stock cooler with the AS5 or TX2/ TX3 for stock speeds...
Click to expand...
No they are not needed if he is not going to OC. But if he ever decides too, then it would be a pain in the butt to have to pull the motherboard out and install an Aftermarket HSF Cooler.

All I did was to show him some alternate CPU cooling options, the decision is his.
 
K

klezmer41

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I like the idea of having the option, in case I decide later on. A lot of people like the xigmatek dark knight, is that good enough?

Yeah thanks on the 275 suggestion, I think I'll get the EVGA and then another one down the road.
 
chripuck

chripuck

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Great build!

I wouldn't waste money on anything larger than that 750W PS UNLESS you plan on SLI. I run a GTX 260 216 w/ a Core i7 at 3.2 Ghz and 6 Gigs of RAM with a 550W perfectly fine. Prime95 for 8+ hours with no errors and no power issues.

Additionally I agree with an above reader about the 275 over the 285. Personally at this point I'd get a 260-216 for ~$160 and wait for the GTX 300 series (which apparently should be out by October/November.) With my rig I consistently get 45 FPS on Crysis at High Detail at 1680x1050.

Also, contrary to another post, even if you don't overclock I'd still get the Dark Knight. Even if you don't need the extra cooling, it is much quieter than the stock option.
 
chripuck

chripuck

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Oh and I know you said you won't overclock but with that RAM you should just set the base clock to 160 and the RAM multiplier to 10 and you'd get an easy 3.2 Ghz CPU and 1600 RAM. You shouldn't even have to change any voltages (especially if you get the d0 stepping.)
 
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klezmer41

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Cool, I'll get the Xigmatek DK :D Might even do this bit of overclocking for 3.2 GHz, but I've never done it before... so expect a billion questions very soon ;)

Is the GTX 300 worth waiting for? I'm going to be running at 1920x1200, so that might make a bit of difference.
 
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brianbyrd

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Is that with the stock Intel cooler, cause I have a build similar to the OP, the only differences are HD 4890 and no aftermarket cooler. Thoughts?
 
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