Thoughts On This i7 Build

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prolific

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Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next 1-2 weeks.

Budget Range: $1000-1400, not including combo deals / rebates. I'd be willing to go over a bit if the part is really that necessary - any and all comments/suggestions/critiques welcomed, please.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, TF2, Starcraft II, Brink), web browsing, media (music and movies).

Parts Not Required: Monitor, keyboard, mouse.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country of Origin: United States

Parts Preferences: Intel, other than that, no preference.

Overclocking: No (none at all, ever).

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe in the future.

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Here's what my cart at Newegg looks like as of this morning:

Processor: i7-950
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth
RAM: Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2)
Graphics Card: GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GeForce GTX 470
Hard Drive: OCZ Vertex 2 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Case: Antec P183
Power Supply: Corsair 650TX-650W
CPU Fans & Heatsink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus

Curious about the thoughts on the GPU choice - too much money, are the better, just as good, alternatives out there?

I'm also wondering if the heatsink is even needed for a build like this? It's only $40, however, and I've heard nothing but good things about the improvements it makes on systems - would there be any noticeable difference in a build like this?
 
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jaguarskx

jaguarskx

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Pretty good. I was gonna suggest that you get a i5-750 / 760, but they are basically the same price as the i7-950. My reasons were lower power consumption and the fact that what you do does not take advantage of hyperthreading. All three CPUs are basically overkill for your needs, but it's not my PC.

Regarding the video card, I recommend the HD 5970 since in most game benchmarks it is gives you better performance, in some cases the increase is significant. The only benchmark I see where the HD 5970 is moderately slower than the GTX 480 is Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. (79 FPS vs. 102 FPS * 1920 x 1080). See following review:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/geforce-gtx480-sli.html


The HD 5970 also consumes about 21w less power than the GTX 480. Not much of a difference when both cards consume power in the mid 200's watt range.


 
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prolific

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Thanks for the reply man.

I saw the combo for the CPU/Case/Mobo which is why I decided to go with an i7 build, something I originally intended on doing until fooling around with an i5 setup. Right now, I'm sitting at over $1500, which is a bit out of my budget. I suppose I'm going to wait around for the new SSDs to drop and hopefully the prices will even out a bit. Other than that, what else should I be looking at in order to cut costs?
 
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gkay09

gkay09

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CPU - The i5 760 is a very good choice for a gaming PC. It also saves good money.

CASE - The Antec P183 is a good case, but not a good choice for that GPU. The GTX 480 even though is currently the most powerful single chip card, but it also stands top on heat output and power consumption and IMO the performance doesn't warrant the heat it gives out and power that it consumes...

Graphic card - I wouldnt suggest the GTX 480.
If you want to stick wiht Nvidia, then GTX 470 would be my choice, especially the new Gigabyte Super Overclock GTX 470 - It is factory overclock but still uses less power than a stock GTX 470, is cooler and noise levels are far lower...

SSD - I would suggest a 60/ 64GB SSD as boot and a large HDD for data...

Here is a setup with the above changes,...
i5 760 + Gigabyte GTX 470
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.512621

ASUS P7P55D-E Pro + DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.496710

CASE -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007583%20600006302&IsNodeId=1&page=2&bop=And&CompareItemList=7|11-119-197^11-119-197-TS,11-112-239^11-112-239-TS,11-119-216^11-119-216-TS,11-146-062^11-146-062-TS,11-119-215^11-119-215-TS

PSU + HDD
Corsair 750TX + WD Black 1.5TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.492755

SSD -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008120%204017&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=636|20-227-542^20-227-542-TS,20-148-357^20-148-357-02%23

RAM -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007611%20600006050%20600006066&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=147|20-231-303^20-231-303-TS,20-231-277^20-231-277-TS,20-231-276^20-231-276-TS,20-231-321^20-231-321-TS
 
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prolific

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Thanks for the reply man, especially with the new links with included combos. That GTX470 looks great, definitely worth considering, especially with the money I'll be saving. The reviews are limited (only 11), but everyone says it's cool and quiet, which is a huge factor for me.

Looking forward to some more thoughts and comments. Thanks in advance.
 
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prolific

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Oh, didn't even read the Tom's review prior, looks great though, definitely a solid choice.

Processor: i7-950
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth
RAM: Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2)
Graphics Card: GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GeForce GTX 470
Hard Drive: OCZ Vertex 2 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Case: Antec P183
Power Supply: Corsair 650TX-650W

So that's where I'm at right now, sitting at $1307, not too bad - only problem is that's not including the Vertex 2 SSD. I'm torn; I was planning on placing an order as soon as possible, but I've heard a lot of talk about the price of SSD's going down a pretty decent amount come this holiday season (November - December). Worth waiting?

Looking for some more feedback and such in regards to the build. Thanks in advance.
 
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gkay09

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^ Well during Nov-Dec, you will have more options even for the graphics card...
But if you are planning for buying the SSD alone duing that time, then its fine, but just make sure you the C: drive is not very big as you would have trouble cloning that onto the SSD, else you would have to do a fresh install...
 
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prolific

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I know there's talk of new GPU's, but I thought those were dropping during Q1 of 2011? I could be mistaken, any other information you could provide would be helpful. Thanks again.
 
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prolific

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Thanks for the link. I suppose I will wait for the first week or two into November and see if the Nvidia cards drop in price again at all.

Thoughts on this SSD:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148348&Tpk=N82E16820148348

I was told to consider it due to my motherboard supporting it. Worth it? It's $20+ more expensive, wouldn't the Vertex 2 work just fine?

Also, I was told to look into a bigger PSU? I originally had a 850W selected, but was told that was way, way too much. NOTE: I am not overclocking anything at all, which is why I figured the 650 would be substantial. Thoughts?
 
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gkay09

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prolific

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I don't plan on SLI-ing or going CrossFire anytime in the future, nor do I plan on overclocking anything really.

Other than that, what's the general consensus on SSDs used for gaming? Is it more logical to just grab a 60GB SSD for Windows and maybe 1-2 games (since 60GB goes quickly) + a 1TB Spinpoint F3 for all other games/programs/etc OR should I just splurge for a 120GB SSD for Windows + games and such?
 
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gkay09

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^ PSU - Stick with the Corsair 650TX

SSD - The SSDs help only in reducing the boot times, level load and the app load times and have no effect on in-game performance...
As for the size, it depends on your usage IMO, so you would know how much space you need on the C: drive(SSD)...
 
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prolific

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prolific

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I'm wondering if it's possible to save some money here, what should I be looking to cut? The max I'm looking to spend is $1300ish, including combo deals and rebates and such. Currently, I'm sitting at $200+ too much, that money is going towards a new monitor. Where should I start?
 
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coleam45

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Step one would be to drop the SSD for a conventional hard drive. You really shouldn't be using a SSD as your primary drive anyways; too many read/writes degrade them over time. Currently they're best for use as a boot drive for your OS and the programs that you run most frequently. If you're still over budget, go with a 5850 or GTX 460 instead of the GTX 470. Between the two downgrades, you can easily shave off $200.
 
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prolific

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Would it be reasonable to use a 60GB SSD for my boot drive, programs, and 1 game? Rather, how much room does Windows 7 take up? I've seen people with replies that range from 15-40GB, there has be an in between correct answer? I'd probably toss something like World of Warcraft on there as well, with the new expansion, that'll probably take us 20GB+ of space, would I still have room to make it worthwhile?

I'd couple the 60GB SSD with a Spinpoint F3, of course.
 
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prolific

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Originally, I planned on going to a Mircocenter that was close to my place, pick up the i7-950 which is only $30ish more dollars than the i5-760 on Newegg, figured it'd be worth it.

As for SLI, no, I think I'm going to stick with the single card approach. I've never SLI'd before and I haven't heard any arguments saying it was the absolute best when it comes to performance increase and such. And I think that factory overclocked 470 from Gigabyte for $300ish is a pretty good deal. It'll perform just as well as a 480 for $200 less.
 
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gkay09

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^ The main advantage of the i7 9xx for a gaming PC is that they are able to keep up with multiple card config...But for a single card setup, IMO they are not worth it...
Also @Microcenter, the i5 cost less -
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0341729

Gigabyte P55A-UD3 + Gigabyte GTX 470
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.533437

RAM -
$10 off w/ promo code EMCZYYV65, ends 10/13
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

CM 690 Advanced + CM Silent PRO 600W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.523812

The above setup would still offer similar gaming performance as that i7 setup...
 
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G

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im thinking and im just a newB, maybe you should reconsider your graphic card. since you aren't planning on overclocking it, then go with a decent (mid) graphic. right now you got the top of the line 470 card. maybe a 460 will cutt the price a bit and still get good performance... just my thought

 
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prolific

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Instead of making a new thread, I'll just update this one. Thanks to everyone who has replies thus far, your comments are much appreciated.

This is what I have in mind most recently. The big change is going from a i7-950 build to a i7-860 build; I'll be saving money on the CPU, RAM and Mobo. Here is what my cart at Newegg looks like at the moment:

Processor: i7-860
Motherboard: ASUS P7P55D (+ Windows 7 combo)
RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Graphics Card: GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GeForce GTX 470
Hard Drive: OCZ Vertex 2 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Case: Antec P183
Power Supply: Corsair 650TX-650W

Looking for any sort of advice or general suggestions regarding my selections above. To me, everything looks fairly on-point, but then again, that's why I'm asking everyone here at Tom's. Thanks in advance.

 
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mortonww

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If you want to leave the option for SLI open, I think you should get at least a 750 watt power supply. Two gtx 470s might be a bit of a strain on a 650 Watt power supply.

This one is modular and of good quality:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207003

It's more expensive than the 650 you have listed, but it'll get the job done.

As far as the case is concerned; why the p183? It seems more geared towards style and noise suppression at the expense of airflow. Wouldn't something like a HAF 922 be more appropriate for this build? I'm thinking about the future when you have two gtx 470 cards in your case.

Why not this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&cm_re=haf_922-_-11-119-197-_-Product

You'll save $60 too.

And with that, why not get RAM that's a bit faster and less than $10 more expensive than your current set:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226122

Runs at the same frequency, but on lower voltage, with lower timings.

EDIT: Oh. Your new setup does not support SLI or Crossfire. Is this still important to you?
 
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