First Build - i7 System

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MorbidLilim

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Dec 14, 2008
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First the questions from the sticky (omitted a couple for redundancy):

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Trying my best to stay at $2000 or so.

3) Where do you live?
California.

6) Will you be overclocking?
I plan to OC the CPU. I haven't overclocked anything before, though.

7) What size monitor do you have or plan to have?
24" 1920x1200.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Xmas build.

My current computer is 4 years old, so an upgrade is well overdue. Been limping along on a Pentium 4 3.6 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Radeon X850 XT. I've definitely learned that for my next system I should be upgrading every so often to keep up with technology, rather than waiting until my computer is ridiculously obsolete. I've also decided that I should do my builds myself, as at least in my opinion, prebuilt systems charge a ridiculous premium. I've been a little reluctant to build a computer myself, but then I figured this would save me thousands over my lifetime.

Anyways, I'm trying to get together a list of parts to order for Xmas, and here's what I've come up with. Any help or advice is appreciated.

Case: Antec 1200 Black Steel ATX Full Tower
Price: $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043
This is one of the areas I really don't have a clue with, so I'm open to suggestions here. Of prime concern to me is cooling capabilities and something easy to work with for a first-time system builder like me. This one seems roomy and has a high rating at newegg.

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W
Price: $119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
Again, not really sure about PSUs. Would have preferred modular, as that might be a little easier for me to manage, but I couldn't find a good one. I'm hoping 750W is about right for this build (or future upgrades, staying at the same res).

Motherboard: ASUS P6T Deluxe
Price: $299.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131346
Not much to say here. Pretty much the best MB for i7 as far as I can tell. I do like ASUS, also.

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz
Price: $299.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202
i7 CPU is pretty much required for an i7 build. :p I plan to OC it.

CPU HSF: Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme
Price: $74.95
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8...sink_Socket_LGA_1336.html?tl=g40c14s757#blank
I'm not sure how the stock fans are on Intel CPUs these days, but the P4's was unbearably loud. I'm getting this because I hate noise, and to help with my OC. This is the area I'm most nervous about by far, as I've never installed a CPU heatsink, and I'm paranoid about using too much/too little compound.

GPU: ASUS Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB Tri-Fan
Price: $519.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121294
This is an ASUS model with a tri-fan heatsink, and evidently runs 24 C cooler than the stock cooling on most cards, and is supposed to be relatively quiet as well. Unfortunately, according to the newegg review, it blocks both PCI slots on the P6T.

RAM: G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Price: $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225
Heard good things about this kit. Hoping it works well for a CPU OC as well.

Sound Card: X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional 7.1 Channels PCI Express
Price: $124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102019
Don't really know too much about sound cards. Picked this one with PCIe because the GPU blocks the PCI ports. Want to upgrade to Logitech Z-5500 speakers in the near future. Using the discontinued Z-5300 set currently, and occasionally IEMs. Better than onboard sound, though I may wait to get the sound card until I'm ready to get the speakers if it conflicts with my budget.

HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM
Price: $74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
Didn't really know what to pick. Raptors are too expensive. Considering going with a 1TB drive, but again, wouldn't know which one.

LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner
Price: $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136154
Blu-ray movies. I have a growing collection and I'd like to be able to watch on my PC in my room.

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit OEM
Price: $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488
Self-explanatory.

Total: $2074.85 before tax.

So I'm currently slightly over the $2000 target, though the sales tax in Los Angeles county will sting a bit at 8.25%.

How does this build look? And do you think this is feasible for someone with no prior hands-on experience?
 
Here's the Ultra-120 Extreme 1366 for $5 less.

If you don't want to go with a full-size ATX tower, check out the Antec P180/182. Great tower and they have been on sale recently.

Other than that, looks like a very solid build.
 
Yep looks good to me as well, went for the ram for the very same reasons (good reviews, never heard anything bad about them), power supply is the same as what I bought as well, again reviews and word of mouth hold this one in high regard. Should be a solid build from the look of it, and the thermal paste is easy, pea sized blob on heatsink and then place on cpu, job done.
 
It's a good build. But honestly, I think that's too much money for you to spend right now for your first build. I also think getting a Core i7 build just to keep up with technology is not a good idea and should not be based on that. I would recommend a Core i7 if you will fully utilize the power of that cpu, then, it would be justifiable. But, since you just mentioned gaming, I would suggest this Core 2 Quad Q9550 build as a better option. This is light years improvement over your single core P4 cpu, with 1gig RAM and X850XT video card. Save $742 when you go this route which is alot of money. As far as sound card, use the onboard sound on the mobo, it's already good.

CPU/Mobo (Combo Deal) - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550(2.83ghz) + Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3LR both for $395
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.147878

Ram - 4 gig G. Skills DDR2 800 for $40 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

Computer Case/Video Card (Combo Deal) - Antec 1200 + EVGA Geforce GTX 280 1 gig($30 MIR) both for $485
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.146949

PSU - Silverstone ST70F 700W (Modular) for $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256045

HDD - WD 6400AAKS 640gig for $75 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

Optical - LG Black 6X Blu-ray DVD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM for $100 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136154

O/S - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit OEM for $100 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Heatsink - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle for $29($10 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

Retention Bracket - XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 for $8.50 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019

Total: $1,332.50
 
PC_User said:
Here's the Ultra-120 Extreme 1366 for $5 less.

If you don't want to go with a full-size ATX tower, check out the Antec P180/182. Great tower and they have been on sale recently.

Other than that, looks like a very solid build.
Click to expand...

Size of the tower isn't really an issue to me. The Antec P180/182 seems like a great looking case though. Any downsides to picking that over the Antec 1200?
 
Antec 1200 is a very good builit case. and it does the job very well it pushs air very well and keeps your whole system very cool. and it will fir a 9800GTX or better video card in there with no problem you have fan controls in the front of the fans and in the back of the case. just my input
 
HardwareGuru said:
It's a good build. But honestly, I think that's too much money for you to spend right now for your first build. I also think getting a Core i7 build just to keep up with technology is not a good idea and should not be based on that. I would recommend a Core i7 if you will fully utilize the power of that cpu, then, it would be justifiable. But, since you just mentioned gaming, I would suggest this Core 2 Quad Q9550 build as a better option. This is light years improvement over your single core P4 cpu, with 1gig RAM and X850XT video card. Save $742 when you go this route which is alot of money. As far as sound card, use the onboard sound on the mobo, it's already good.

CPU/Mobo (Combo Deal) - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550(2.83ghz) + Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3LR both for $395
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.147878

Ram - 4 gig G. Skills DDR2 800 for $40 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

Computer Case/Video Card (Combo Deal) - Antec 1200 + EVGA Geforce GTX 280 1 gig($30 MIR) both for $485
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.146949

PSU - Silverstone ST70F 700W (Modular) for $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256045

HDD - WD 6400AAKS 640gig for $75 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

Optical - LG Black 6X Blu-ray DVD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM for $100 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136154

O/S - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit OEM for $100 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Heatsink - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle for $29($10 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

Retention Bracket - XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 for $8.50 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019

Total: $1,332.50
Click to expand...

Can't really argue with the savings. It's just that going with the "old" tech sort of makes me a little nervous. One of my reasons for going with i7 now was that it might save me the trouble of a CPU/MB/RAM upgrade in the future. I'm also worried about getting burned by inferior numbers compared to i7 if/when devs start optimizing for it.

Any other opinions on this?
 
MorbidLilim said:
Can't really argue with the savings. It's just that going with the "old" tech sort of makes me a little nervous. One of my reasons for going with i7 now was that it might save me the trouble of a CPU/MB/RAM upgrade in the future. I'm also worried about getting burned by inferior numbers compared to i7 if/when devs start optimizing for it.

Any other opinions on this?
Click to expand...


My take is that you should build around what you need. It's all about practicality. If you have an unlimited budget, you can argue that you want the "latest" technology and that money is not an issue so why not build the best and baddest computer. However, if you're not going to utilize the performance and advantages offered by the i7 + DDR3 combination, then what's the point really?

You mention that you're worried about getting burned by numbers...but in the end, they're just that - numbers. Numbers are just numbers on paper and you can spend your whole life building systems and trying to chase benchmarks...but what's the point of that? The build should make you happy and should satisfy your needs/requirements, not fulfill some meaningless statistics.

The Q9550 is a great recommendation and you can save a noticeable amount of money. You can build around it with DDR2 1000 ram that can be found for $45 and overclocked past stock speeds. You can also overclock the Q9550 and that should create enough of a performance boost to last you for several years. Additionally, that combination should be able to handle the latest games when coupled with something like a 4870x2.

In the end, these are the questions to answer:
1. What is my budget price? Is my money better spent if I save some here?
2. Is this build practical for what I'm going to be doing?
3. How often do I plan to upgrade in the future?

In the end, if you really want the fastest and 'latest' build, then the i7 is probably the only way to go...but that's if you really need to go down that path. ;)
 
It's not like you will fully utilize the Core i7 power right away. Besides, why jump on an entry level Core i7 cpu. I rather wait until the Core i7 cpu becomes more mainstream just as how the Core 2 duo line of CPUs did when it hit 45nm. A Q9550 quad at 2.83ghz per core is no slouch. You won't even fully utilize the power of this cpu also. If you look at some of these benchmarks in gaming, the Core i7 920 cpu does not blow away a Core 2 Quad Q9550 cpu that would justify spending $742 more on the Core i7 920 build.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/intel-core-i7_12.html#sect0
 
Well, I guess the Q9550 isn't too far behind i7 in gaming considering the price difference. I guess maybe I should re-evaluate and try a Q9550 build unless there really is a compelling argument for staying with i7...
 
My argumnt for people to get a Core i7 build is when they really run alot of cpu intensive applications such as Autodesk Inventor, Solidworks, Photoshop editing, Mathematica, Matlab, Video and Audio encoding programs. These type of applications rely heavily on cpu/ram power than GPU power. Therefore, I can understand someone who does this on a computer would get a Core i7 cpu.
 
I agree with both HardwareGuru and PC_User.

That would still be a kick ass build and you could get a nice 24 inch lcd monitor for the GTX280 and still have money left over.

edit: Just re-read your OP, looks like you already have a 24 inch monitor. I still like the Q9550 build over the i7 build. I feel you get more for you money right now for core2 over i7 but that just me.
 
I think I'm going to stick with my original build. Compared to a Q9550 build, the difference is about $250-300 when keeping components as similar as possible. I'd rather just pay the difference and have an i7, honestly. I'm a little OCD, so the money is worth it purely for the sake of my sanity as far as I'm concerned.

One last quick question: my brother is running a 2.13 GHz C2D, 2 GB RAM, 500W PSU (maybe 550), and he wants a GPU upgrade. What's the best we could do without upgrading the PSU, and what size monitor would it be ideal for?
 
It would be better for us if you told us which (specific, as in brand and model name/number) power supply your brother has and what the resolution on your brother's current monitor is. If he has a quality power supply, theoretically, it could handle just about any video card that's currently out.
 
tiraides said:
It would be better for us if you told us which (specific, as in brand and model name/number) power supply your brother has and what the resolution on your brother's current monitor is. If he has a quality power supply, theoretically, it could handle just about any video card that's currently out.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately he's asleep in his room right now. All I know is it's some sort of Coolermaster model. Also, he is using a 1440x900 monitor, which is nothing, but the plan is to get him a GPU and monitor upgrade for Xmas. So I was wondering what we could do within those contstraints. I was worrying his CPU might be somewhat of a bottleneck. The upgrades are basically to get him through until it's time for a completely new PC.

I was thinking a 24" and 4870 1GB, GTX 260, or GTX 280. Whatever the PSU can handle and won't be held back too much by the CPU.

I can probably get the exact model of the PSU tomorrow if it's really important.
 
Wow, can I be your brother? I wish my brother would give me a 24" monitor. :(

Yes, PSU model is important.
 
Okay, I updated my build in the OP by axing the sound card and changing the PSU to the BFG ES-800. I'm still a little torn between the Antec 1200 and P182. 1200 has better cooling and is more spacious, but it is louder and attracts more dust, while the P182 is quieter but is cramped and has inferior cooling to the 1200. I just wonder if the noise difference is worth it. As it stands now, my loudest components are (supposedly) about 30 dbA at max load. One this that has me wondering about the cooling in the P182 is the tri-fan heatsink on the 4870 x2 instead of the traditional rear exhaust. I don't know if the PSU will fit well either.

Anyways, as for my brother, he has a Cooler Master iGreen 500W. What GPU would go well with that and a 2.13 GHz C2D, 2 GB RAM for 24" gaming on XP?

I need to get these orders in within the next few hours for regular shipping by the 24th.
 
incase you didnt read this about that asus 4870x2 ::::

Pros: Unlike previous posters, I actually have this card. I ordered it next day air the day I saw it on newegg. I am going from a sapphire 4870x2 to this because of the cooling solution. I have been dying for a good cooling system for the x2s since they came out. I saw this and had to try it. I am glad I did. Compared to my sapphire, this thing idles at half the temperature. Without doing any manual adjustments, the sapphire idled at 80c, this at 40c. Looking in the CCC, this is with the fan set at 35%. So then I started adjusting the fan and at 50% (what I needed to turn the sapphire up to to cool it to 40), it is dead... DEAD quiet. You can start to hear it >50% and at full speed it is as you would expect, a wind tunnel. But it is still less loud than the sapphire. Asus hit a home run with this cooling solution. As for performance, it is a 4870x2 so that speaks for itself. Card fired up out of the box no issues.

Cons: I don't really want to call it a con, because I knew it was huge, but if you are using PCI slots, you need to ensure the layout before you buy this. Or, be willing to give them up like I was. I have the Asus P6T motherboard and the sapphire x2 covered one PCI slot, this covers both. I expected that though, due to the size of the cooling solution and I was willing to give up my PCI slots for it. I have to move to on board sound or a PCIx1 sound card, but I am ok with that. Just giving you fair warning. Besides being huge lengthwise, this thing is thicker, obviously, than the standard x2. Look at the pics of the P6T motherboard and envision it covering both PCI slots to get an idea of just how big it is.
The only real con I have thus far, is not the cards fault. But I always have to say ATI drivers as of late. 8.11 was a dud and if you are not lucky, 8.12 is also a dud. So just be careful with your drivers, especially if you are using vista x64.

Other Thoughts: If you do use vista x64, do yourself a favor an install the .net 3.5 and the 3.5 SP1 before installing this card and new ATI drivers. With this, I have had good luck with the 8.12 so far. You can read all about this at the ATI forums. Some have reported needing to update directx but I fine in that respect. Finally, I just have to say, if you want a cool (temp wise) 4870x2, this looks like your only option.
 
Alright, order is completed. Got my bro the GTX 260, monitor still TBD.

I stuck with the Antec 1200 in the end for the superior cooling. I figure I don't have any terribly loud components anyways, so I might as well go with the extra cooling. Now I suppose I just have to study some PC building and hunt for some good online guides...

Thank you, everyone who provided input.
 
How old is your brother's power supply? If he's had it for over two years, then I recommend getting a new one. The BFG LS-550 is available right now for under $70 shipped -- a quality PSU of around 550-650 watts normally starts around $80 -- and it would be more than enough for his needs. (Since you've bought the GTX 260 already -- which one? -- get a new power supply as well... just to be on the safe side.)

For a 24 inch monitor, I would recommend either the HD4870 or the GTX 260 for decent gaming at medium visual settings. Ideally, you go toward the newer cards -- the 1GB HD4870 and the GTX 260 with 216 stream processors -- but to fit a video card and a power supply within the same budget as the 24 inch monitor (which is...?), you probably need to look at one of the older cards -- the 512MB HD4870 or the GTX 260 with 192 shader cores. You could also get the smaller 22 inch monitor as well....

And if you need how-to-build guides, check out the stickies on the top of the first page. They may also have answers to some of the questions that you may have while you're building your system.
 
tiraides said:
How old is your brother's power supply? If he's had it for over two years, then I recommend getting a new one. The BFG LS-550 is available right now for under $70 shipped -- a quality PSU of around 550-650 watts normally starts around $80 -- and it would be more than enough for his needs. (Since you've bought the GTX 260 already -- which one? -- get a new power supply as well... just to be on the safe side.)

For a 24 inch monitor, I would recommend either the HD4870 or the GTX 260 for decent gaming at medium visual settings. Ideally, you go toward the newer cards -- the 1GB HD4870 and the GTX 260 with 216 stream processors -- but to fit a video card and a power supply within the same budget as the 24 inch monitor (which is...?), you probably need to look at one of the older cards -- the 512MB HD4870 or the GTX 260 with 192 shader cores. You could also get the smaller 22 inch monitor as well....

And if you need how-to-build guides, check out the stickies on the top of the first page. They may also have answers to some of the questions that you may have while you're building your system.
Click to expand...

It should be almost exactly 2 years since we got the computer/PSU. And we got this card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130373
 
Drop the sound card if you want to save a few bucks, you can always add that later.
 
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