i7 Advice

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Powerage

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 26, 2007
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This is my second build, the last one I did was... 3 years ago or something and I'm still running my Opteron 144, and it's getting old.

I've really been debating the i7 or Phenom II. I like cheap, but I also like performance. Also, I don't really see AM2+ still being around next time I want to upgrade, if I ever do decide to just upgrade my processor and when I want to add RAM in later years, I think I'll appreciate the DDR3. I know there is an AM3 Phenom II coming with DDR3, but I also know that there is always something new around the bend with computers, and there isn't much use waiting.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Decent amount of gaming, casual Photoshop, lots and lots of web browsing. =P

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Budget... around 2000, but minus 300~ for the monitor I'll get eventually. Tax and shipping are included in that budget.

3) Where do you live?
Shippensburg, PA!... U.S.!

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
I need CPU, RAM, HDD, Case, GPU, Mobo, OS, Air cooling stuff, PSU, basically everything but a keyboard and mouse... and speakers.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Just reusing keyboard, and mouse (G15, Copperhead) and my old monitor, at first (Samsung 204BW 20" 1680X1050)

6) Will you be overclocking?
A little bit.

7) What size monitor do you have or plan to have?
20" but I'm going to get a 24" for 1920X1200 or 1920X1080.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Definitely before the end of the month.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
RAID isn't a necessity to me. Crossfire and SLI... meh. I'd like to have them just in case I want to upgrade with another GPU, later. I figure this will be cheaper since by the time I need to do that, the price for whatever GPU I get will have gone down.

Here's what I have:
Edit #3
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM

Thermaltake W0116RU 750W Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model GH22LS30 - OEM

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

ASUS EAH4870 DK/HTDI/1GD5 Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

Took out wireless card.

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Total on NewEgg w/o shipping: $1,455.91

Thermalright U120E-1366-RT CPU Cooler $69.99

Total w/o shipping: $1,525.90

I'm pretty sure of myself, I just don't want to bite the bullet without other opinions.

I really don't want to go higher than what I'm at, in terms of price.

Thank you!
 
There are cheaper PSUs that are of the same quality if you aren't looking for modular but if you are the toughpower is a fine choice. I might try finding a non-rebate version, but up to you, if you don't get the 40 dollars off the rebate it becomes a much worse value.

SSDs are not worth the price right now in my opinion. Soon probably, but right now it's hard to beat the value of just getting a single bigger drive and partitioning off the OS or something. I'd probably drop the SSD and get a 640gb or 1TB drive instead of that 500GB (bigger platters for moddern terabyte drives or the 640 mean faster seeks AND they hold more). The 640GB Western Digital can be had for 69.99 off newegg, cheaper than your 500gb black edition.

For the wifi card, usually it works best I've heard to use an adapter by the same manufacturer of your router. Any specific reason you chose this encore model? It probably won't make a big difference, just wondering. Everything else looks fine to me at least if you are confident you want to go the core i7 route.
 
Anchen said:
There are cheaper PSUs that are of the same quality if you aren't looking for modular but if you are the toughpower is a fine choice. I might try finding a non-rebate version, but up to you, if you don't get the 40 dollars off the rebate it becomes a much worse value.

SSDs are not worth the price right now in my opinion. Soon probably, but right now it's hard to beat the value of just getting a single bigger drive and partitioning off the OS or something. I'd probably drop the SSD and get a 640gb or 1TB drive instead of that 500GB (bigger platters for moddern terabyte drives or the 640 mean faster seeks AND they hold more). The 640GB Western Digital can be had for 69.99 off newegg, cheaper than your 500gb black edition.

For the wifi card, usually it works best I've heard to use an adapter by the same manufacturer of your router. Any specific reason you chose this encore model? It probably won't make a big difference, just wondering. Everything else looks fine to me at least if you are confident you want to go the core i7 route.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips. The SSD I liked because I want fast boot ups and, I think, for the novelty =P. That 640GB looks nice and I'll probably go with that instead of the 2 other drives. If I decide I want an SSD for the OS, I'll do it when they are cheaper!

The WiFi card... I just picked because it's N and I need a card. I'm coming from an Linksys Wireless B adapter, so... I figured anything was better. I'm not really sure what to look for in Wireless companies anymore. I favored Linksys but I don't see much by them in the Newegg store.
 
IMO, the Dominator RAM is overpriced considering that you can get similarly specced RAM and speeds for about ~$50 less:
G.Skill F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ 3 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM - $175

Case wise, if you like that case, go for it. With that said, IMO, that case should not cost over $80 with free shipping. The Coolermaster RC-690 case is roomier than, equal quality in terms of cooling and construstion to and cheaper than the Antec 900:
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $80

Did you choose that Toughpower because it was a modular PSU?
 
I'm not too impressed by the OCZ SSDs. The Intel ones... now those are FAAAAAST... or the MTRON. :p
 
Danny Bui said:
IMO, the Dominator RAM is overpriced considering that you can get similarly specced RAM and speeds for about ~$50 less:
G.Skill F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ 3 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM - $175

Case wise, if you like that case, go for it. With that said, IMO, that case should not cost over $80 with free shipping. The Coolermaster RC-690 case is roomier than, equal quality in terms of cooling and construstion to and cheaper than the Antec 900:
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $80

Did you choose that Toughpower because it was a modular PSU?
Click to expand...

Hey, nice suggestions! I did choose the Toughpower because it's modular. Also, I had planned on doing CF with a Phenom, so I wanted the wattage, then I backed off... now I'm thinking I still need the wattage because of the i7.

I like the RAM and the case a lot. My patience is slowly being tested by shoddy cases, so I just decided to look at what appeared to be the most popular and lowest price. I'm not really worried about cooling... I can always cut another hole, if I need it. I just want sturdy, roomy and cheap, while looking decent. I wanted a p182, then decided it was way too expensive and the all gunmetal look didn't help. If it had been all black... maybe.

The RAM... I'm not too familiar with how hot DDR3 RAM gets. I know my DDR500 ram is warm when all ONE GB (!!!!!) is being used, so I thought the heat dissipating fins would be nice to have.

enginurd said:
I'm not too impressed by the OCZ SSDs. The Intel ones... now those are FAAAAAST... or the MTRON.
Click to expand...
Yeah the price on those is a little... well, I'm sure you know! =P! I just figured pretty much any SSD would be decently quick when only being used for an O.S.

[H]adouken said:
OCZ Gold RAM is $50 cheaper (or the G. Skill), even though the Corsairs are prettier. Your choice of heatsink can be better, especially since there's no free shipping on it. You might as well spend $10 extra bucks and get the TRUE 120:

http://www.directron.com/u120e1366rt.html
Click to expand...
I was going to ask where I could find one to look at, then while quoting I saw the link... duh! Do you think that's a better heatsink? I have a thermalright XP-90 I think it's called on my 939 now, and it's great. That one I had picked out seemed to have really good reviews, though. The copper base and heatpipes made me move towards it. Any reason why you think the TRUE 120 is better?

Thanks all, I appreciate it!
 
Powerage said:
I was going to ask where I could find one to look at, then while quoting I saw the link... duh! Do you think that's a better heatsink? I have a thermalright XP-90 I think it's called on my 939 now, and it's great. That one I had picked out seemed to have really good reviews though, and the copper base and heatpipes, made me lean that way. Any reason why you think the TRUE 120 is better?
Click to expand...
Personally, I've read on every review / big hardware website that for 1366, the TRUE 120 and the Cooler Master V8s are the top two dogs out right now. There's many good options, but the TRUE 120 seems to be the most popular by far.

15305.png


It's just reeally good! The 120 is bigger than the 90, so it automatically pulls more heat off.
 
[H]adouken;1033567643 said:
Personally, I've read on every review / big hardware website that for 1366, the TRUE 120 and the Cooler Master V8s are the top two dogs out right now. There's many good options, but the TRUE 120 seems to be the most popular by far.



It's just reeally good! The 120 is bigger than the 90, so it automatically pulls more heat off.[/QUOTE]

Nice chart, thanks!
Click to expand...
 
Another chart, incase you think that one was b/s:

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2346&page=4

Actually, the chart is pretty new. In fact, just recently it seems the Thermolab BARAM matched the 120! The chart shows it actually beating it, but different fans were used in this case, and little 1C difference is not really enough to claim one is better, especially since weather changes day-by-day. Just goes to prove just how good the 120 is, being all the way @ #2.
 
[H]adouken;1033567718 said:
Another chart, incase you think that one was b/s:

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2346&page=4

Actually, the chart is pretty new. In fact, just recently it seems the Thermolab BARAM matched the 120! The chart shows it actually beating it, but different fans were used in this case, and little 1C difference is not really enough to claim one is better, especially since weather changes day-by-day. Just goes to prove just how good the 120 is, being all the way @ #2.
Click to expand...

Also very nice. Thanks for the links and the nice sources for future use.
 
Powerage said:
... now I'm thinking I still need the wattage because of the i7.
Click to expand...
i7 doesn't need THAT much power. You don't really need 750W. The Corsair 620W HX is modular and would be still more than enough for your needs. Now, if you ever plan on going Crossfire/SLI, you'll want at least an 850W, IMO.
Powerage said:
... I just want sturdy, roomy and cheap, while looking decent. I wanted a p182, then decided it was way too expensive and the all gunmetal look didn't help. If it had been all black... maybe.
Click to expand...
The Antec 900 is pretty flimsy, IMO, especially compared to the P180/P182. The P180B has been discontinued, but it was the same as the P182, just in black instead of gunmetal (yes, it even had all the cable management features). You can probably find one used, if you really want one. I'd choose the CM RC-690 over the Antec 900 -- much better case, IMO, with equal cooling ability. While looks are subjective, I also think it looks better than the 900.
Powerage said:
... I just figured pretty much any SSD would be decently quick when only being used for an O.S.
Click to expand...
I was hoping for that, too, but still not too impressed. (Disclaimer) I haven't done any recent research, but when I was looking into them in the summer, it just seemed that they were the same performance as mechanical drives for write speeds, and of course, reads were off the charts -- That wasn't good enough for me, especially for the price premium, so I'm holding off for now.
Powerage said:
... Do you think that's a better heatsink? ...
Click to expand...
The TRUE120 is the benchmark for Core2's, and looks like the same story for i7's, too. Just make sure whatever you choose costs less and can perform on par.
 
enginurd said:
i7 doesn't need THAT much power. You don't really need 750W. The Corsair 620W HX is modular and would be still more than enough for your needs. Now, if you ever plan on going Crossfire/SLI, you'll want at least an 850W, IMO.
Click to expand...

How much wattage do GPUs like the one I have actually draw. The wattage calculator on NewEgg sucked, big time. I would like the ability to go CF.
 
After some deliberation I decided that 750 wouldn't be enough if I go CF. From what you said and from what I've read, 850 seems to be a safe bet. I went with the Thermaltake because of the modularity and it had really good reviews. Also, it has 4x 6 pin PCI-e connectors.. so, that will work if I get the same GPU later on.
 
Hm... I thought you had the HD4870X2 (probably cuz I saw 1920 res mentioned), in which case, Crossfire w/ two of those would be around 825W for the whole system. Since you only have the HD4870 1GB, power consumption for two in Crossfire is only around 475W, so even the 620W Corsair HX would handle that just fine. Keep in mind, with a single HD4870 1GB, your system will only be using around 325W at full load. All of my estimates are based off of your OP config.
 
Ah, okay. Do you think that the HD4870 1GB will be enough for 1900x1200 gaming? I don't really want to play Crysis, I'm just looking forward to using TES IV with all the texture mods and stuff and later playing TES V, when it comes out. And RTSs and stuff, and CS:S. I played Oblivion on my... 6600gt 256MB @ 1680x1050 and low settings with frame rates, so I figured a HD4870 would kick the crap out of that, even with a higher resolution.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I definitely want high end graphics, I was just under the impression that the HD4870 1GB was better than other single GPU cards and not that much slower than the X2, considering the price.


Edit: Oh, and I think I'll just keep the 850W the extra power gives me a generous buffer, clearly, but at least I'll know I won't need another PSU if I want to get a HD4870X2 or whatever the newest generation will be at the time.
 
Alright, thinking about it again I decided the price difference between the 850 and the 750 was a bit too high to get the 850, if I don't really need it (110$ including MIR). If I want to do a bigger SLI later, I'll upgrade the PSU.

The only problem with this is that the 750W (both Thermaltake and Corsair) only have 2 6pin PCIe connectors. 1 HD4870 1GB needs 2 6 pin connectors, so if I got another one later, I suppose I'd have to buy adapters. I think I've seen adapters for Molex -> 6 pin, anyways.
 
You'd have to check out reviews for the games you play for a better answer to the vidcard question. I haven't looked at them in a while... been so busy :(. But from my research last year, lol, the HD4870X2 or GTX280 were the ideal single cards for 1920x1200 gaming. The HD4850X2 is out now, but I haven't read up on it yet, so I don't know how it compares to the HD4870 1GB (which performs on par with the GTX260 216sp).

The Corsair website states that both the TX750 and TX850 both come with four (4) PCI-E 6+2-pin connectors. The PC Power & Cooling website states that the 750 QUAD comes with two (2) PCI-E 6-pin connectors and two (2) PCI-E 6+2-pin connectors.
 
Powerage said:
Ah, okay. Do you think that the HD4870 1GB will be enough for 1900x1200 gaming? .......
I guess what I'm trying to say is, I definitely want high end graphics, I was just under the impression that the HD4870 1GB was better than other single GPU cards and not that much slower than the X2, considering the price.
Click to expand...

Whether or not the HD4870 is enough for 1920x1200 gaming is totally up to the user and his/her definition of acceptable settings and frame rates. But at the very least, the HD4870 1GB will be enough for medium settings at 1920x1200. However, if you don't increase the AA that high or max out the settings completely, you can play at 1920x1200 at near max settings with the HD4870 1GB AFAIK with most games.

Oh and the GTX280 is better than the HD4870 1GB BTW. The GTX80 is actually the fastest single GPU card out now.

Powerage said:
Alright, thinking about it again I decided the price difference between the 850 and the 750 was a bit too high to get the 850, if I don't really need it (110$ including MIR). If I want to do a bigger SLI later, I'll upgrade the PSU.
Click to expand...

Well you could avoid this headache altogether if you drop your modular PSU requirement. For the price of many of those modular PSUs, you can get higher wattage and higher amperage PSUs:
PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W PSU - $120
Corsair 750TX 750W PSU - $130
BFG Tech BFGR800WESPSU ES-800 800W PSU - $140
 
Alright! So, I switched out the modular HDD for the BFG 800W and the HD4870 for a GTX280!

...w00t...

Ordered it last night, wish me luck in getting good parts!! Thanks for the tips, all!

>_< When I went to order my BenQ G2400WD from NCIX (@ the sale price of ~$270) the were sold out! I had just checked like 5 minutes before...!! Oh well, I'll use my 20" until I find another nice 24" at a decent price. I think the GTX280 should be able to handle 1680X1050. =P
 
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