i7 Extreme Build

O

outspoken

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 15, 2007
Messages
465
I'm interesting in building an i7 system and saw there are a lot of combo deals right now with this cpu so I wanted to take advantage of that. I'm also interested in SSD for the OS and additional storage drives for media. I'd also like to put 12GB of ram into it and keep SLI/Crossfire an option for future proofing it a bit so in 1-2 years when I need a kick throwing another card in is possible.

I've answered these questions:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
gaming, browsing, video editing (720p), encoding. at times i download while encoding and playing a game online.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
3,500-5,000

3) Where do you live?
new york

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
everything

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 being reused.

6) Will you be overclocking?
no

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
i'd like to get a 24" or two if possible.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
soon, in the next month.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
SLI/Crossfire

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Yes
 
Last edited:
$5k? You've probably reached the point of diminishing returns. :p I'll let others have fun with the builds. You can most definitely get a couple 24" non-TN panel monitors. Have you considered a 37" 1080P? :D

For SSDs, check out the Intels and OCZ Vertex drives. The Vertex drives are much cheaper and scream when in RAID0, and the 120GB+ are about 15-30% faster than the smaller 30 and 60GB versions. Alternatives to the Vertex drives are the G.Skill Falcon, Patriot TorqX, and Super Talent UltraDrive ME.

Here's some performance #'s and links for you to check out:
http://www.alphaq.org/enginurd/hdd/ocz_vertex.html

For storage, grab some WD1001FALS drives if you'll be writing to them constantly. If they're purely store and forget, pickup the Green version of that drive. ;)
 
If you are spending that much you should go dual CPUs
Edit: nvm...speakers/monitor are going to bitch slap your budget.
 
 
fromeo85's build needs some work. There are much better ways to spend $1k than on a Core-i7 Expensive Edition. BTW, you don't need Tri-SLI for a 24" monitor (or even two). ;) ... and $5k but only an Antec case?!?! blasphemy! :eek:
 
enginurd said:
I would not go with fromeo85's build. There are much better ways to spend $1k than on a Core-i7 Expensive Edition. BTW, you don't need Tri-SLI for a 24" monitor.
Click to expand...
+1
I cried as I read that build.
 
LoL

enginurd said:
I would not go with fromeo85's build. There are much better ways to spend $1k than on a Core-i7 Expensive Edition. BTW, you don't need Tri-SLI for a 24" monitor. ;) ... and $5k but only an Antec case?!?! blasphemy! :eek:
Click to expand...
 
I love all the comments, yet no one is giving him any other suggestions other than ribbing at my build, you don't like fine, at least give him other suggestions rather than just saying there are other ways to go
 
fromeo85 said:
I love all the comments, yet no one is giving him any other suggestions other than ribbing at my build, you don't like fine, at least give him other suggestions rather than just saying there are other ways to go
Click to expand...

Its nothing personal, so don't take it that way. Don't worry, with a $5k budget, he should have plenty of builds to go through by tomorrow. :p If and when I get a chance, I'll post a build on how I'd spend $5k.

Now... if I had $20k for a single computer... I'd spend it on something similar to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96dWOEa4Djs
 
O boy, $5k!

2 Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB
$199.98 ($99.99each)

1 LG W3000H-Bn Black 30" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
$1,159.99

2 XFX HD-487A-CDF9 Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
$739.98 ($369.99each) - $10.00 Mail-in Rebate

1 CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model HX3X12G1600C9 G - Retail
$239.00

1 LG Black Super Multi Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM Drive SATA Model GGW-H20L - Retail
$174.00

4 Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH080G1 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail
$1,256.00 ($314.00each)
in RAID 10

1 GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
+
1 Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
$543.98

Subtotal: $4,318.92
Shipping: $14.84
Grand Total: $4,333.76

You have $650 left for case, power supply, and anything else you want (speakers, headphones, etc.).
 
I would agree with this. This is something similar that I would put together if I were to blow $5K. $5K budget you should include a 30" IPS lcd. I personally won't spend $1200+ on 4 x SSD drives though. Hehe, that's more than the 30" lcd already.

mastermike707 said:
O boy, $5k!

2 Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB
$199.98 ($99.99each)

1 LG W3000H-Bn Black 30" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
$1,159.99

2 XFX HD-487A-CDF9 Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
$739.98 ($369.99each) - $10.00 Mail-in Rebate

1 CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model HX3X12G1600C9 G - Retail
$239.00

1 LG Black Super Multi Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM Drive SATA Model GGW-H20L - Retail
$174.00

4 Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH080G1 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail
$1,256.00 ($314.00each)
in RAID 10

1 GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
+
1 Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
$543.98

Subtotal: $4,318.92
Shipping: $14.84
Grand Total: $4,333.76

You have $650 left for case, power supply, and anything else you want (speakers, headphones, etc.).
Click to expand...
 
1.Asus Rampage II Extreme.

2.Corei7 920

3.2X NEC 2490 or 2X HP-2475W

4.2/3X 4890/GTX285 or 2X GTX295

The rest is easy to figure out ;)
 
thanks for all the input so far. It sounds like the Extreme i7 is a waste? I like the two SSD in RAID0 concept and those benchmarks at the top really show off the improvement.

At this point I think I'm most concerned about the case, power supply and motherboard. The new memory has me a bit confused with triple channel and different ratings which i'll have to read up on. i'm used to grabbing 4GB of DDR2 6400 and being set.
 
For RAM, just grab a 6GB set or two of DDR3-1600 with CL9 or lower, and with 1.6v or lower (1.65v is max set by Intel).

All motherboards use the same chipset, X58, so performance difference between them is similar. The popular choices are the Asus P6T and P6T Deluxe, Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P and UD5, and the eVGA tri-sli boards.

Cases are personal preference, but I'd definitely look into a Silverstone Temjin or Lian-Li case for such a nice budget.

Yes, i7 Extreme is a waste, IMO. Despite it being the only i7 chip clocked so high at stock, its clock speed is easily attained with a minor OC on the much cheaper chips.
 
Proxy said:
Here is a wish list I just threw together.

http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/ShoppingCart.aspx?Submit=ChangeItem&ChangeQty=0

That case has really good cooling, I have used it in a few builds. Two SSD's Raid-0. OC the hell out of that 920. Now just grab some AS5 and one of these: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-6272

Subtotal: $4,270.87 (With monitor)
Click to expand...

enginurd said:
wishlist link is borked. Please list part names. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112154

For SSD's if needed x2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994064

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

CPU cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

RAM x2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224

Sound: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102024

Boot Drives x2 Raid-0: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167015

Storage: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136344

Video x2 SLI: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130484

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007

OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116493

To mount the SSD's x2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994064
 
I charge $1 per click... looks like $11 plz. :p :D No, seriously though, could you please list part names so we don't have to click on each link? Thanks! Or fix the wishlist link. ;)
 
enginurd said:
I charge $1 per click... looks like $11 plz. :p :D No, seriously though, could you please list part names so we don't have to click on each link? Thanks! Or fix the wishlist link. ;)
Click to expand...

Right Click -> Open in new tab.
 
Proxy said:
Right Click -> Open in new tab.
Click to expand...

I've already got 39 tabs open... anymore and I'd have to scroll to see the rest... :( /me hates scrolling. Also, my poor P4 would die with even more tabs, lol.
 
Proxy said:
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112154

For SSD's if needed x2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994064

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

CPU cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

RAM x2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224

Sound: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102024

Boot Drives x2 Raid-0: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167015

Storage: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136344

Video x2 SLI: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130484

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007

OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116493

To mount the SSD's x2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994064
Click to expand...

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112154 LIAN LI Lancool PC-K7B Black Aluminum

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365 ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202 Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core

CPU cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing

RAM x2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224 CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

Sound: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102024 Creative 70SB088000004 7.1 Channels PCI Express 1x Interface PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi

Boot Drives x2 Raid-0: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167015 Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH160G1 160GB SATA II MLC

Storage: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136344 Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EADS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s

Video x2 SLI: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130484 EVGA 01G-P3-1181-AR GeForce GTX 285 Superclocked Edition 1GB

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007 CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX

OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116493 Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-bit

To mount the SSD's x2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994064 ICY DOCK MB882SP-1S-1B 2.5" to 3.5" SSD & SATA Hard Drive Converter

There ya go handsome.
 
ok, how about this setup:

ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
(x2) - CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model
(x2) - OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX30G 2.5" 30GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail
LIAN LI PC-A70B Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
(x2) - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - OEM
CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail

Monitor/keyboard/etc not included, will work on that later.

My main concern with this setup is can I put the OCZ SSDs into RAID0 and then put the WD 1TBs into RAID1 on that motherboard with the on-board controller? Otherwise I'll get one 1TB for data.
 
outspoken said:
ok, how about this setup:

ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail
(x2) - CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model
(x2) - OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX30G 2.5" 30GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail
LIAN LI PC-A70B Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
(x2) - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - OEM
CORSAIR CMPSU-850HX 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail

Monitor/keyboard/etc not included, will work on that later.

My main concern with this setup is can I put the OCZ SSDs into RAID0 and then put the WD 1TBs into RAID1 on that motherboard with the on-board controller? Otherwise I'll get one 1TB for data.
Click to expand...

Yeah, you will just have to enable the controller and define the RAID setups. It should do what you want. Build looks good.
 
Proxy said:
Yeah, you will just have to enable the controller and define the RAID setups. It should do what you want. Build looks good.
Click to expand...

thanks for your help, I based most of the build on your list. forgot to add the mounts and HSF to my list though, added to newegg cart now.
 
I agree, dominators are a waste of money. Since the max voltage for RAM set by Intel is 1.65v, I'd definitely choose some sticks that were 1.5v-1.6v, like the G.Skill DDR3-1600 kit... just a preference of mine to keep the voltage low (remember, the MCH is integrated into the CPU).

I also think dual HD4870X2 in Crossfire will give you more bang for buck than GTX285's in 2-way SLI. http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3520&p=7 Personally, I'm not that demanding, so HD4890 in Crossfire is fine with me, too (or even 3-way CF). Hm... it seems 3-way HD4890 gives the best bang for buck, guesstimating its performance in that link off of the HD4870.

For me, the Deluxe version of the P6T is also a slight waste of money unless you plan on breaking some OC'ing records (has better chipset/mosfet cooling), need a 2nd GbLAN, and need some SAS ports. Otherwise, the regular P6T OC's well and has all the features most people need (though with your budget the price difference is negligible, lol). Though, personally, I prefer Gigabyte's UD4P or UD5 over the P6T for no important reason.

My build? My build would be closer to mastermike707's build, but I would not use the Intel SSDs, as they're too expensive. I'd use OCZ Vertex, G.Skill Falcons, or Super Talent UltraDrive ME SSDs instead (indilinx controller). I have the 30GB Vertex drives in RAID, as linked above, but as I mentioned earlier, the 120GB versions are much faster, so I'd get that size at least. I do a lot of transcoding, so sequential write speeds are important to me (so I'd go black over green, for my TB drives). As for the case/PSU, since mike didn't list any, I'd personally go for the Silverstone TJ09-B and HX1000. The core system and quad crossfire with single hdd/odd would be around 725W before OC'ing, so you'd need some headroom for the extra drives and some 4Ghz OC awesomeness.

Since you chose the HD4890, the HX850 is a good choice.
 
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