Intel building help $850 tops

Q

quidproqu0

n00b
Joined
Jun 8, 2010
Messages
21
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Only computer for the next 4 years - Gaming (like trying games out, so probably "heavy") and any tinkering/random applications I throw at it
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Based on my builds, I'd like not to exceed $850 including tax and shipping.
3) Where do you live?
Massachusetts - within easy driving range of a Microcenter
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Case, Mobo, Processor, RAM, Graphics Card, PSU
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
nothing
6) Will you be overclocking?
only if it's easy and relatively low risk - don't want to risk my computer dying in that time frame
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
23" 1920x1080 own already
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
prefer ASAP, but have until mid July to do it
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
don't think Crossfire/SLI will be necessary for me; since I expect it to last, USB3 and SATA 6gbs would be preferred
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7


What I found so far is:
Build 1:
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066 - Antec Three Hundred - See Price Below
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277 - G.SKILL 2x2GB DDR3 1600 - See Price Below
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012 - CORSAIR CMPSU-650HX 650W - See Price Below
MB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131620 - ASUS P7P55D-E - See Price Below
CPU: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317378 Intel Core i7 860 - $199.99
Video Card: XFX HD 5770 - $169.99 - $20 Code- DSS2560 - $18 BCB = $132 already bought
Total: ~$712 after Mail In Rebate of $20 for PSU and Bing Cash back of $18
I also think I'll get the more expensive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131621 P7P55D-E Pro version of that motherboard for $30 more with the same combo discount. Do you think this "upgrade" is worth it?
also, Microcenter has the unlocked i7-875 on sale for $200, so maybe I'll look into that
If I wanted to cut money and opted for an i3-530 for $100, will my performance take a noticeable hit, especially over the long run?

Build 2:
Intel i7-930 - $200 Mircocenter
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066 Antec Three Hundred - See Price Below
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225 G.Skill 3x2GB DDR3 1600 - See Price Below
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012 CORSAIR CMPSU-650HX 650W - $120-20MIR = $100
MB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423 GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R - $210
$132 graphics same thing
Total : ~$842 after Mail In Rebate of $20 for PSU and Bing Cash back of $18
so, that's $100-130 more for the "stronger" processor and 2 gb of more RAM and a different mobo. Do you think that's worth the difference?

I've been looking at case suggestions, and some people are suggesting the Cooler Master CM 690 II (80-10MIR=70) this would negate the combo discounts of those builds. Is it that good/worth it?

Lastly, do I need a different cpu fan? If so, which one would you suggest?
 
There's a minor issue with your answers to question 4 and 5: You did not mention a hard drive or DVD drive. Will you be reusing those or getting new ones or what?

With your limited budget, the Antec 300 is your best bet., sadly.
 
Danny Bui said:
There's a minor issue with your answers to question 4 and 5: You did not mention a hard drive or DVD drive. Will you be reusing those or getting new ones or what?
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, failed to mention those. I'll get those separately, just looking for deals on those slowly. Didn't list those since I don't consider those to be in my budget. I'll just grab a WD Caviar Blue/Black if i find it cheap and some random DVD drive. No SSD.
 
Well your best bet would be build 2 but with the XFX 650W modular PSU instead to save some cash.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
 
quidproqu0 said:
Oh yeah, failed to mention those. I'll get those separately, just looking for deals on those slowly. Didn't list those since I don't consider those to be in my budget. I'll just grab a WD Caviar Blue/Black if i find it cheap and some random DVD drive. No SSD.
Click to expand...

I would highly suggest a ssd, on a new system the difference is night a day, but thats if you can live with out the storage space.
 
I've just received a new Microcenter paper ad. The i7-860 went back up to $230 plus tax. It's not $200 any more now that the unlocked i7-875K is listed as on sale for the $200 price. This makes the locked i7-860 a mediocre value compared to either the i7-875K or the i7-920.
 
E4g1e said:
I've just received a new Microcenter paper ad. The i7-860 went back up to $230 plus tax. It's not $200 any more now that the unlocked i7-875K is listed as on sale for the $200 price. This makes the locked i7-860 a mediocre value compared to either the i7-875K or the i7-920.
Click to expand...

The Microcenter in MA doesn't have the 875K, but the internet still lists the 860 at $200. I know the 930 is supposed to be better than the 860. Do you guys think that the $100+ price differential is worth that improvement (and the 2gb of ram)?

Also, are there any other improvements you guys can suggest? Any better parts?
 
quidproqu0 said:
The Microcenter in MA doesn't have the 875K, but the internet still lists the 860 at $200. I know the 930 is supposed to be better than the 860. Do you guys think that the $100+ price differential is worth that improvement (and the 2gb of ram)?
Click to expand...

Actually, I've just double checked. The ad in the Web now lists the i7-860 at $230. The 875K has been removed from the ad since the print ad was printed before any last-minute changes were made (it was likely removed because the chain ran out of stock on that CPU before the sale ad went into effect.). Thus, if you visit your local Microcenter in person, there is a very good chance that you might get charged $230 plus tax for that CPU.

And although the ad listed $230, the price on the Web has been lowered to $200 because they did not receive the 875K that was supposed to be at that price.

By the way, at the $200 price point for the CPU it all boils down to whether you really want to overclock or not. If you plan to overclock that CPU to at least 3.6GHz get the 930. (Which then means that you'll have to spend more money for a motherboard and RAM compared to the 860.)

Alternatively, Microcenter this month has a $40 CPU/motherboard combo discount if you purchase certain Intel i-series CPUs. On the Intel deal, only the i3-530, i5-650 and i5-750 qualify for the combo discount. Purchase any of those three CPUs at their sale price, and get $40 off of the regular or sale price of a compatible 1156 motherboard. This makes a combo of an i5-750 and a Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 $299.98 plus tax - slightly lower than what Newegg charges for that same combo even after sales tax is assessed.
 
Last edited:
E4g1e said:
Actually, I've just double checked. The ad in the Web now lists the i7-860 at $230. The 875K has been removed from the ad since the print ad was printed before any last-minute changes were made (it was likely removed because the chain ran out of stock on that CPU before the sale ad went into effect.). Thus, if you visit your local Microcenter in person, there is a very good chance that you might get charged $230 plus tax for that CPU.

And although the ad listed $230, the price on the Web has been lowered to $200 because they did not receive the 875K that was supposed to be at that price.

By the way, at the $200 price point for the CPU it all boils down to whether you really want to overclock or not. If you plan to overclock that CPU to at least 3.6GHz get the 930. (Which then means that you'll have to spend more money for a motherboard and RAM compared to the 860.)

Alternatively, Microcenter this month has a $40 CPU/motherboard combo discount if you purchase certain Intel i-series CPUs. On the Intel deal, only the i3-530, i5-650 and i5-750 qualify for the combo discount. Purchase any of those three CPUs at their sale price, and get $40 off of the regular or sale price of a compatible 1156 motherboard. This makes a combo of an i5-750 and a Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 $299.98 plus tax - slightly lower than what Newegg charges for that same combo even after sales tax is assessed.
Click to expand...

I'll just call them tomorrow or something to check what's on sale. I've read some interesting stuff about the i3, though I'm leaning away from it simply because I want a computer to last years. Same with the i5, though MC had the i5 for only$20 less than the i7s, so i figure $20 more for i7 was more worth it. mostly debating on 860/930 i guess
 
So, I called my local MA Microcenter and they verified that they have all the i7-860,875k and 930 priced at $200. So I'm stuck deciding between the socket 1156 875k or the 1336 socket 930.

The reviews and data suggest that the 875s runs at faster clock speeds, but has lower memory bandwith:
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1313/4/ a synthetic test; you can look at the other pages which shows the 875k>930 barely on other clock speed tests
http://ark.intel.com/Compare.aspx?ids=48499,41316,41447, Intel's site of spec comparisons
I personally don't know much about RAM - especially when it comes to bus speeds/mem bandwith.

So:
1) Which processor do you guys think is a better choice (if you ignored price for a moment)?
2) If choosing the 930 for the above, considering the extra price (in my above calcs, ~$100) which gets a different mobo and probably another 2GB stick of DDR3 RAM, is that benefit worth it?
3) Am I missing anything else?
 
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