![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
Hey everybody. This is my first new build in about 5 years, so it's my first i7 build. I'll answer the generic FAQ questions first..
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming, web browsing, some CAD work
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? Under $1500. Cheaper is always better, of course, so under $1400 is preferable.
3) Where do you live? Houston, TX
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? Full build, see what I've got so far below. No monitor needed.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Probably will only reuse a Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty Pro, unless it's a little out of date now or something. Haven't really been keeping up with sound cards. I'd assume it'd be better than onboard though.
6) Will you be overclocking? Yes, hopefully will be able to get it to 3.8GHz, 4 would be awesome.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?Currently a NEC20WMGX2, which is a 20.1" at 1680x1050. Possibly will go higher resolution later. Maybe dual monitors but only one will have a game on it.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Next week if possible
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc. No really special features. Maybe crossfire/sli support for the future.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? Yes
Anyways, here's the build I have so far.. I am trying to be make it as quiet as possible while still retaining some good cooling ability and performance. Luckily I have a MicroCenter in town so I can take advantage of the i7 920 for $200+tax. Also, if you're wondering about the prices of some items with rebates, I basically just discounted half of the rebate price off of the list price instead of the full rebate to account for the time that it takes for the rebate to go through.
CASE: Cooler Master HAF 932 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160 - $160
POWER SUPPLY: Corsair 750TX - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006 - $115
MOTHERBOARD: EVGA E-758-A1 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039 - $285
CPU: Intel i7 920 - http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0302727 - $217
CPU COOLER: Thermalright TRUE Black 120 - http://www.crazypc.com/products/true-black-50984.html - $65 with Noctua NF-P12 120mm Fan- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608004 - $22
VIDEO CARD: SAPPHIRE Vapor-X HD4890 1GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102841 - $220
MEMORY: OCZ Gold DDR3 1600 6GB (3 x 2GB) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365 - $95
HARD DRIVE: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 - $95
OPTICAL DRIVE: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188 - $30
WIRELESS: ENCORE 802.11b/g/Draft n 2.0 Wireless Adapter - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833180052 - $25
COMBO DISCOUNT (EVGA MoBo + OCZ Gold): -$22
COMBO DISCOUNT (Corsair PSU and CM Case): -$10
TOTAL: About $1300, adding in shipping, probably around $1350.
So, any comments? I have been looking at the Corsair H50 as a replacement for the TRUE, but it's still kind of new. Some numbers I've seen in reviews look good, but the TRUE is pretty well established. Also, is the Noctua NF-P12 fan good enough for the TRUE? Should I go for a push, pull config or just leave it with 1 fan? I'm hoping to keep noise down so one fan would be preferable.
I'm currently going with the Vapor-X for its quietness. I have been using Nvidia GPUs forever, so this is my first ATI GPU, but I'm not really partial to either one. If someone has a Nvidia GPU that you could recommend that is also quiet, feel free.
Also, what do you think about the memory? Is it fine for OCing? It seems earlier in the month memory was dirt cheap, and unfortunately the prices have risen now. Wish I could have jumped in on those deals, but oh well. The OCZ Gold is a bit on the low end I think, so I'm a little unsure of it's OCing ability.
As for OCing, what is the optimal load temp I should look for, around 75C or lower? I'm guessing running at 80C+ would decrease the life of the CPU quite a bit, right? Is under 75C possible at 3.8GHz? I would prefer to stick with air cooling as well. Also, I know I should go for a chip with D0 stepping, anything else besides that?
Also, is it worth it to go Raid 0 with two 640gb/750gb WD Caviar Blacks? Basically an extra $50-60 for better performance and an extra 280/500gb? Is the performance increase really that high to make it worth it?
Of course, if you have any other components that you would like to suggest in place of what I have proposed, feel free. I'll definitely take them into account!
Thanks in advance! I know I had a lot of questions.
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming, web browsing, some CAD work
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? Under $1500. Cheaper is always better, of course, so under $1400 is preferable.
3) Where do you live? Houston, TX
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? Full build, see what I've got so far below. No monitor needed.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Probably will only reuse a Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty Pro, unless it's a little out of date now or something. Haven't really been keeping up with sound cards. I'd assume it'd be better than onboard though.
6) Will you be overclocking? Yes, hopefully will be able to get it to 3.8GHz, 4 would be awesome.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?Currently a NEC20WMGX2, which is a 20.1" at 1680x1050. Possibly will go higher resolution later. Maybe dual monitors but only one will have a game on it.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Next week if possible
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc. No really special features. Maybe crossfire/sli support for the future.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? Yes
Anyways, here's the build I have so far.. I am trying to be make it as quiet as possible while still retaining some good cooling ability and performance. Luckily I have a MicroCenter in town so I can take advantage of the i7 920 for $200+tax. Also, if you're wondering about the prices of some items with rebates, I basically just discounted half of the rebate price off of the list price instead of the full rebate to account for the time that it takes for the rebate to go through.
CASE: Cooler Master HAF 932 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160 - $160
POWER SUPPLY: Corsair 750TX - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006 - $115
MOTHERBOARD: EVGA E-758-A1 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039 - $285
CPU: Intel i7 920 - http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0302727 - $217
CPU COOLER: Thermalright TRUE Black 120 - http://www.crazypc.com/products/true-black-50984.html - $65 with Noctua NF-P12 120mm Fan- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608004 - $22
VIDEO CARD: SAPPHIRE Vapor-X HD4890 1GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102841 - $220
MEMORY: OCZ Gold DDR3 1600 6GB (3 x 2GB) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365 - $95
HARD DRIVE: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 - $95
OPTICAL DRIVE: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188 - $30
WIRELESS: ENCORE 802.11b/g/Draft n 2.0 Wireless Adapter - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833180052 - $25
COMBO DISCOUNT (EVGA MoBo + OCZ Gold): -$22
COMBO DISCOUNT (Corsair PSU and CM Case): -$10
TOTAL: About $1300, adding in shipping, probably around $1350.
So, any comments? I have been looking at the Corsair H50 as a replacement for the TRUE, but it's still kind of new. Some numbers I've seen in reviews look good, but the TRUE is pretty well established. Also, is the Noctua NF-P12 fan good enough for the TRUE? Should I go for a push, pull config or just leave it with 1 fan? I'm hoping to keep noise down so one fan would be preferable.
I'm currently going with the Vapor-X for its quietness. I have been using Nvidia GPUs forever, so this is my first ATI GPU, but I'm not really partial to either one. If someone has a Nvidia GPU that you could recommend that is also quiet, feel free.
Also, what do you think about the memory? Is it fine for OCing? It seems earlier in the month memory was dirt cheap, and unfortunately the prices have risen now. Wish I could have jumped in on those deals, but oh well. The OCZ Gold is a bit on the low end I think, so I'm a little unsure of it's OCing ability.
As for OCing, what is the optimal load temp I should look for, around 75C or lower? I'm guessing running at 80C+ would decrease the life of the CPU quite a bit, right? Is under 75C possible at 3.8GHz? I would prefer to stick with air cooling as well. Also, I know I should go for a chip with D0 stepping, anything else besides that?
Also, is it worth it to go Raid 0 with two 640gb/750gb WD Caviar Blacks? Basically an extra $50-60 for better performance and an extra 280/500gb? Is the performance increase really that high to make it worth it?
Of course, if you have any other components that you would like to suggest in place of what I have proposed, feel free. I'll definitely take them into account!
Thanks in advance! I know I had a lot of questions.
