APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within a week of settling on the hardware, so maybe two weeks.
BUDGET RANGE: About $1600
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (probably more single players since my internet connection is kinda not the best for the next year. WoW when I can) General surfing, downloading. I’d also like to explore the Folding@home stuff. Seems like a really good cause.
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, speakers.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg as much as possible.
PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel/Nvidia. As far as specific manufacturers, I am open to all suggestions.
OVERCLOCKING: Some, but nothing too extreme.
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: SLI possible later, but ideally I can hold out for a price drop or two from the GT300 series.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: Will use primarily on a 1920x1080 21.5 monitor, and some on a 1920x1080 42” TV.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I would like to avoid a lot of bling. I’m more interested in good air cooling while keeping noise very respectable. I’m also going for a high level of “future proofing as evidenced by the socket 1366 and DDR3 RAM.
HARD DRIVE: Very interested in a RAID 0 configuration, but not entirely committed yet.
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive $75 each ($150 to RAID 0)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
STORAGE DRIVE: Nothing else really to add.
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
MONITOR: Open to true 22”, not too interested in anything larger.
ASUS VH226H Black 21.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen 16:9 Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 12000 : 1) $180 ($160 with MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236051
Video Card: Going for something that I *should* be able to get away with not having to replace for up to two years and will run just about everything out now at max or near max settings. Not too interested in an ATI card as every forum I see has people talking about driver issues and that is one thing I will sacrifice some price saving/minor performance gains to avoid. This particular card will also come with CoD: WaW and Cryostasis.
EVGA 896-P3-1171-AR GeForce GTX 275 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card $200 ($180 with MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130478
RAM: Some reviews, including one done by Toms recently saw very little performance gains between DDR 800 and DDR 1600, much less between competing 1600 modules. These are half the price of the highly touted Dominators with virtually identical performance.
OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory $100 ($80 with MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365
Motherboard: This is one area I am most open to suggestions. It still seems like no one is putting out a well priced i7 board with very consistent results, and opinions range very widely in this area too. I do intend to do some moderate overclocking of the CPU.
ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard $250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359
(Note: Newegg has a combo to buy the i7 920, the OCZ Gold Ram listed above, and the P6T Deluxe for $10 less than the i7 920, OCZ gold, and regular P6T. My only hang up on this combo is the possibility of guaranteeing the D0 stepping from Tankguys, see below)
Case Fan(s): It seems these offer a very good performance/noise ratio and Scythe is one of the more touted fan makers in the industry (as long as you touch em up with olive oil before you install them). I plan on having one of these in every 120mm fan slot in the case.
Scythe SY1225SL12M 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan $9 each ($63 for one in every slot)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185058
CPU Heatsink: Once again, open to suggestions here. I’ve seen competitions where one first place sink will get 5th on a different comparison. The V8 appears to consistently be in the top 3 in every showdown and it’s that consistency that I’m looking for.
COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055
Power Supply: One of my least educated areas. I’m pretty sure I’m going modular, the thing I’m worried about is the wattage. It seems many manufacturers over-estimate their wattage requirements (videocards, SLI configurations). Also, once you pass the 700-750 range the price really escalates. I think 700 will be enough for a good while since the GT 300 series cards are supposedly going to be 15% better (performance and energy efficiency). Also, not listed is that it’s a single 12v rail at 50 amps. I understand single rails to be better for overclocking.
COOLER MASTER RS-700-AMBA-D3 700W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Power Supply $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171037
Case: Ideally I want a mid tower, but I’m not sure I can fit everything I want in there and still maintain the air flow I desire. These forums are huge on the CM 690. If anyone thinks this will not accommodate the gear inside please voice your opinion. I have a full size picked out if I have to go that route. Also, I know I said no bling, and this case has a big blue LED fan, but it will be swapped out during the install.
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
(Note: The case and power supply are available in a combo for $30 less than their individual price, plus a $10 MIR. This brings the total for those combined to $160 before the MIR)
CPU: The ONLY definite in my build. I do have one question though. Would it be worth it to order from Tankguys (for about $25 more) and guarantee a D0 stepping or probably settle for a C0 stepping from Newegg? I intend to OC to about 3.5 Ghz and I understand the C0s to not always be compliant in even getting to that point, while the D0s very regularly perform at 3.8 and even sometimes at 4.0 on air.
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor $280 ($305 for the guaranteed D0, currently out of stock though)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202
Total price from Newegg: $1662.81 (plus $70 in MIRs)
I know I left out the optical drive, but that’s probably the most flexible, easiest choice I can make in this build.
I appreciate your thoughts, recounts of personal experience, and recommendations to this thread.
Thank you.
BUDGET RANGE: About $1600
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (probably more single players since my internet connection is kinda not the best for the next year. WoW when I can) General surfing, downloading. I’d also like to explore the Folding@home stuff. Seems like a really good cause.
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, speakers.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg as much as possible.
PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel/Nvidia. As far as specific manufacturers, I am open to all suggestions.
OVERCLOCKING: Some, but nothing too extreme.
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: SLI possible later, but ideally I can hold out for a price drop or two from the GT300 series.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: Will use primarily on a 1920x1080 21.5 monitor, and some on a 1920x1080 42” TV.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I would like to avoid a lot of bling. I’m more interested in good air cooling while keeping noise very respectable. I’m also going for a high level of “future proofing as evidenced by the socket 1366 and DDR3 RAM.
HARD DRIVE: Very interested in a RAID 0 configuration, but not entirely committed yet.
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive $75 each ($150 to RAID 0)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
STORAGE DRIVE: Nothing else really to add.
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
MONITOR: Open to true 22”, not too interested in anything larger.
ASUS VH226H Black 21.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen 16:9 Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 12000 : 1) $180 ($160 with MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236051
Video Card: Going for something that I *should* be able to get away with not having to replace for up to two years and will run just about everything out now at max or near max settings. Not too interested in an ATI card as every forum I see has people talking about driver issues and that is one thing I will sacrifice some price saving/minor performance gains to avoid. This particular card will also come with CoD: WaW and Cryostasis.
EVGA 896-P3-1171-AR GeForce GTX 275 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card $200 ($180 with MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130478
RAM: Some reviews, including one done by Toms recently saw very little performance gains between DDR 800 and DDR 1600, much less between competing 1600 modules. These are half the price of the highly touted Dominators with virtually identical performance.
OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory $100 ($80 with MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365
Motherboard: This is one area I am most open to suggestions. It still seems like no one is putting out a well priced i7 board with very consistent results, and opinions range very widely in this area too. I do intend to do some moderate overclocking of the CPU.
ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard $250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359
(Note: Newegg has a combo to buy the i7 920, the OCZ Gold Ram listed above, and the P6T Deluxe for $10 less than the i7 920, OCZ gold, and regular P6T. My only hang up on this combo is the possibility of guaranteeing the D0 stepping from Tankguys, see below)
Case Fan(s): It seems these offer a very good performance/noise ratio and Scythe is one of the more touted fan makers in the industry (as long as you touch em up with olive oil before you install them). I plan on having one of these in every 120mm fan slot in the case.
Scythe SY1225SL12M 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan $9 each ($63 for one in every slot)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185058
CPU Heatsink: Once again, open to suggestions here. I’ve seen competitions where one first place sink will get 5th on a different comparison. The V8 appears to consistently be in the top 3 in every showdown and it’s that consistency that I’m looking for.
COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055
Power Supply: One of my least educated areas. I’m pretty sure I’m going modular, the thing I’m worried about is the wattage. It seems many manufacturers over-estimate their wattage requirements (videocards, SLI configurations). Also, once you pass the 700-750 range the price really escalates. I think 700 will be enough for a good while since the GT 300 series cards are supposedly going to be 15% better (performance and energy efficiency). Also, not listed is that it’s a single 12v rail at 50 amps. I understand single rails to be better for overclocking.
COOLER MASTER RS-700-AMBA-D3 700W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Power Supply $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171037
Case: Ideally I want a mid tower, but I’m not sure I can fit everything I want in there and still maintain the air flow I desire. These forums are huge on the CM 690. If anyone thinks this will not accommodate the gear inside please voice your opinion. I have a full size picked out if I have to go that route. Also, I know I said no bling, and this case has a big blue LED fan, but it will be swapped out during the install.
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
(Note: The case and power supply are available in a combo for $30 less than their individual price, plus a $10 MIR. This brings the total for those combined to $160 before the MIR)
CPU: The ONLY definite in my build. I do have one question though. Would it be worth it to order from Tankguys (for about $25 more) and guarantee a D0 stepping or probably settle for a C0 stepping from Newegg? I intend to OC to about 3.5 Ghz and I understand the C0s to not always be compliant in even getting to that point, while the D0s very regularly perform at 3.8 and even sometimes at 4.0 on air.
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor $280 ($305 for the guaranteed D0, currently out of stock though)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202
Total price from Newegg: $1662.81 (plus $70 in MIRs)
I know I left out the optical drive, but that’s probably the most flexible, easiest choice I can make in this build.
I appreciate your thoughts, recounts of personal experience, and recommendations to this thread.
Thank you.