Building a Gaming Rig, 2k limit.

E

Envie

n00b
Joined
Nov 26, 2008
Messages
54
Hello everyone, thanks for your time in reading this.
I am hoping to put together a heavy duty gaming rig in the next few months, and have a few questions. Here are the parts I''m currently looking at:
All prices are from Newegg.ca in Canadian Dollars

mobo GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX----------------------------------61.99
cpu Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz----------------------------------------------------------359.99
ram G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)---125.99
psu CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply-------------129.99
hd Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM-----------------224.99
hd Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM-----------------------149.99
opdrv SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Model SH-S223Q - OEM------------------29.99
opdrv SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Model SH-S223Q - OEM------------------29.99
case - Unknown
Video - Unknown
I was thinking of a gtx 260 video card, but I am curious as to if one of the better models is worth the extra cost. I also have no idea what to use for a case, something sturdy and cheap with decent airflow. Any ideas on if this will work, and will I have to OC the mobo to use the ram at its full potential?

-----Here is the questionnaire
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photo shop? Web browsing? etc
<>Heavy gaming and mild photo shop use.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
<>Around $2000 Canadian Dollars, tax and shipping included.
3) Where do you live?
<>Southern Ontario, Canada
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
<>All of the computers components are required. The peripherals are not needed, just the tower.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
<>No parts are to be re-used.
6) Will you be overclocking?
<>Only a mild overclock at worst, most likely will leave it stock.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
<>24 Inch LCD
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
<>End of April
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
<>RAID, Crossfire, and some overclocking options.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
<>No

Thanks for your time guys.
Envie
 
CrossfireX is ATI only; you're planning to get an Nvidia card, so you will probably want one of the SLI certified X58 boards. Not all X58s can do SLI, but they can all do CrossfireX.

Forget the Velociraptor, your money is much better spent elsewhere. I would suggest that rather than the 1TB drive and the Velociraptor, you buy a pair of Western Digital 6401AALS 7200RPM 640GB Black series drives and put them in RAID 0. Very nearly as fast, more space, nearly 1/3rd the cost.

Case, if you don't need something huge but want it reasonably priced consider the Antec Three-Hundred. They're usually around $55 USD. If you want something a little bigger and better quality consider the Lian Li PC series.

What size / resolution display are you planning to use? If it's 1920x1200 or higher (24"-28" LCD), consider a GTX 280/285 or Radeon HD 4850X2/4870X2. If it's 1680x1050 or lower (22" and smaller LCD) the GTX 260 will be plenty, and a Radeon HD 4870 1GB would be another option.

Since you are not building immediately watch for the Radeon HD 4890 as well. It is supposed to compete with the GTX 285 but cost a good bit less, in the $200-250 range. This is all rumor at this point, though. It should be released some time next month.

Even if you do not plan to OC I would strongly recommend picking up a quality aftermarket heatsink. The Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme now comes in a "kit" with the LGA1366 hold down kit and a 120mm fan for ~$65 USD. I would get that if you can. The only other real option for i7 right now is a Noctua heatsink, but I cannot remember the exact model. It is very similar in design and performance to the TRUE.

Do a lot of disc to disc copying? If not, drop the second DVDRW. I find myself using two drives less and less anymore, just rip ISOs to disk and mount them as necessary.

If you don't mind a reinstall in ~4-6 months I would skip Vista entirely, run the Windows 7 beta (7057 is the current build, find it in the usual places, hopefully you already have a legit beta 1 key) until release, and buy Windows 7. It may even be possible to do an in-place upgrade from the beta to the final retail version, if all the previous builds are any indication.
 
To add upon what silent-circuit has already said, which I agree with, the other CPU coolers you should consider are the Noctua NH-U12P SE 1366, the Cooler Master V8, and the Xigmatek HDT-S1283V "Dark Knight." The TRUE with the mount kit and the 120mm fan is the RT1366 (or 1366RT) model.

Other cases worth considering are the Cooler Master RC-590 or RC-690. They're good cases, and they each can support several 120mm case fans, but they're also more expensive than the Antec Three Hundred. Many people here do not recommend the Three Hundred's older sibling, the Nine Hundred, because of its horrible cable management. But unlike the Three Hundred, it does come with two front-mounted fans in addition to the fans in the top and rear of the case.

If you can't wait on the arrival of Windows 7, and/or you're unwilling to try out the beta, go with the 64-bit version of Vista Home Premium. It's really all that you need. (But if you can, wait.)
 
Envie said:
mobo GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX----------------------------------61.99
Click to expand...

Where do you get the EX58-UD5 for $61.99 ?? :eek:

Build looks good, but...

I'd also suggest going with the WD Black 640GB as the main OS drive and the Western Digital WD10EADS as a storage drive.

Otherwise, build looks good.
 
CPU i7 920

Asus P6T DE

GF295 SLI

Ocz 12 /1600 Triple Channel DDR3

Seagate 1TB

ThermalTake ToughPower 1200

SB X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Serie

Coolermaster Cosmos 1000

Logitech MX5500 Combo

Vista Ultimate 64bit
 
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