I7 920 Rig

[Tweakz]

I am in due time for a new desktop but plan on getting something i can use for a while. Now i know there is no way of future proofing anything but i can try to do the best i can for a while. I just wanted to put this out there and see what you guys think about the rig i am trying to build and get some feedback from you guys and what you think. Here it goes...

Intel Core I7 920
Asus-P6X58D Premium motherboard
Asus - ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5
Corsair - Dominator 3x 2GB PC3-16000 DDR3 DIMM
Creative - PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
Western Digital - Caviar Black 1TB Internal Serial ATA HDD - Raw Data
Western Digital - VelociRaptor 300GB Internal SATA - Programs
Intel® - X25-M Mainstream 80GB SSD - O/S
Corsair - 750W ATX CPU Power Supply
HP - 24x Internal Double-Layer DVD±RW/CD-RW Drive
CoGage True Spirit Heatpipe CPU Cooler
Windows 7 ultimate-I get it for free anyway
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

The total price of it would come out to about 2400$ maybe a bit cheaper depending on where i buy everything from.

 

[Tweakz]

But i do have a micro center by me so yah i might want to check that out first

 

[Gorilla]

First, this thread should probably have gone in the general hardware section.

Just a few thoughts.

1: I'm not sure if the velociraptors are still the best choice. I seem to recall reading that there are 7200rpm drives that are just as fast. Also, why not just go for a SSD for your OS and programs and a normal hdd for storage? I'm sure that there are others that will have more to say about this.

2: Do you really need a 1000W PSU? You would probably be just fine going with a corsair 750W.

3. I personally don't care for mid tower cases (yes, I know that I am using one). If you like the antec 902, great, but it seems like there are better cases out there (in terms of cable management and such).

4. Why go for the S1283V when you could get something like the Cogage TRUE Spirit for around the same price. I haven't read many reviews on the S1283V, but here is one: http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/xigmatek_dark_knight/4.htm. They list it as getting its ass kicked by the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, which [H] has found to be pretty close to the Cogage TRUE Spirit in terms of performance.

Anyway, definitely don't let me dissuade you if you have your heart set on something, but those are a few things that I would probably do differently myself.

 

[Tweakz]

I was going to get a intel 80gb SSD for my os but from what i understand they have a bit of a lifespan on them.. well for a SSD in general. i can change the hard drives easy. with the HS i didnt see that one when i was looking around but thanks on that i will deff be checking it out. as far as cases go idk it looked like an ok case but it would be nice to get a bigger case to have some room to move around in.

 

[Gorilla]

If you get a chance, read some of the reviews that [H]ard has done on heatsinks. http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/07/23/intel_core_i7_heatsink_roundup_q309/6. It won't take long to get a good idea of which ones are the best performing.

Link to a good price on the Cogage TRUE Spirit: http://www.svc.com/truespirit.html

 

[friedk]

I was going to get a intel 80gb SSD for my os but from what i understand they have a bit of a lifespan on them.. well for a SSD in general. i can change the hard drives easy. with the HS i didnt see that one when i was looking around but thanks on that i will deff be checking it out. as far as cases go idk it looked like an ok case but it would be nice to get a bigger case to have some room to move around in.

Shouldn't the current SSDs last at least a decade?

For CPU coolers look into the NOCTUA DH-15, Prolimatech Megahalems, and the Thermalright Venemous-X too. These seem to be the current top CPU coolers.

 

[Tweakz]

i have just seen a good bit of SSD die in my time. odd reasons but has happened.

 

[Tweakz]

changed it up a bit

 

[crazyassazian]

Intel SSDs have 3 year warranties just as good as any other hard drive OEMs out there. I think the pros outweigh the cons. If you don't want an SSD, I suggest a RAID0 setup of some sort.

 

[Tweakz]

Looking at it now not getting a SSD would be a dumb idea.

 

[Tweakz]

my only thing is how far do i really need to OC the 920 for it to be stable but also be able to handle the 5870 with full setting on lets say something like far cry 2 or bioshock 2 or even BFBC2. Is 4GHz really worth it and how much of the lifespan with that cut on the 920, but on the other hand with all the cooling and the set up im looking at i wont have a problem doing full OC at 4GHz on this 920 would i? I have been looking around these forums for a while now but just thought i would put my 2 cents in.

 

[dalearyous]

i would not buy the raptor drive. get a pair of 1TB or 640gb western digital black drives on raid and use the SSD for OS/games and programs. i would also get a pair of 5850s instead.

 

[The Cisco Kid]

my only thing is how far do i really need to OC the 920 for it to be stable but also be able to handle the 5870 with full setting on lets say something like far cry 2 or bioshock 2 or even BFBC2. Is 4GHz really worth it and how much of the lifespan with that cut on the 920, but on the other hand with all the cooling and the set up im looking at i wont have a problem doing full OC at 4GHz on this 920 would i? I have been looking around these forums for a while now but just thought i would put my 2 cents in.

I've just put together a new rig with an i7 920 and I love it! Over the weekend I OC'd it to 3.2GHz and ran every torture test I could. This was at stock voltages too. I've been told it doesn't take much to get these chips up to 4.0GHz. May be fun to try, but no way I'd leave it up there. I may aim for a stable 3.6-3.8GHz clock in the end.

I don't think you need to OC the i7 920 to keep up with the 5870, but it couldn't hurt to bump it up a little. Especially at stock voltages.

Good luck!