New i7 920 Build Suggestions?

C

Chiral

n00b
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Jun 7, 2009
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Hi everyone! I've been reading around for a while and finally decided to register. Ive learned a lot so far and needed some advice on a new i7 build. Im coming from an old P4 3.4ghz HT so im pretty new to this stuff. So far the forums have been very helpful but i had a few specific issues.

To start off im mainly going to use this rig for gaming (1920x1080), some rendering here and there. I also would like to overclock the 920 to around 3.4, maybe 3.6 in the future. I do not plan on running SLI or Crossfire anytime soon but would like to have the option.

Here are the components:

CPU: i7 920
Will be a D0 from Microcenter if they ever have it in stock =\

HSF: XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

MOBO: EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (seems a little overkill for what i want to be doing but has lifetime warranty =\)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039

MEMORY: OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Tri-Channel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

GFX: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102831

PSU: XIGMATEK MC NRP-MC751 750W ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817815002

CASE: RAIDMAX SMILODON Extreme Black ATX Mid-Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156078
OR NZXT Tempest
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146047

HDD: 2x WD 74gb Raptors, 1x WD 250gb Caviar SE
Already have these


My biggest concerns with this build would have to be the PSU, MOBO, and MEMORY. The mobo seems a little to much for my needs and how far id be taking it, but then again it has the lifetime warranty which i would love to have. The ram is also a little iffy from some reviews i read with stability issue at rated speeds etc etc, Finally the PSU if its enough power for the system under high loads assuming a 3.6ghz overclock on the i7.

I would appreciate any suggestions or comments regarding this build. Im open to any changes which would either lower/raise cost, or improve performance and reliability. Thanks!
 
If you don't need a modular PSU, the Corsair 750TX is far far superior to that Xigmatek PSU:
$120 - Corsair 750TX 750W PSU

If you want modular, I recommend this significantly better PSU which will still be enough for your system:
$130 - Corsair 620HX 620W Modular PSU
 
if you live anywhere near MC in Tusin they should have d0, i got mine from there. With the i7 d0, they do 3.4-3.6 in a breeze. I was able to clock up to 180 bclk with stock volts.

For case, IMO NZXT tempest or my new favorite cooler master 690 (you can check it out @ MC while your there :).

As for motheboard, are you planning on keeping your pc for 3 years? if not the TR version with 3 year warranty would be cheaper. I believe the TR and A1 are the same thing just different warranty. IMO, if your just doing 3.4-3.6 gigabyte UD4P should be decent.

PSU, I would recommend the Corsair 750TX or PC Power & Cooling 750W Silencer S75QB thats on sale at zipzoomfly for 100-30MIR.

RAM: well i have the ocz plat and it works. thats all i can say about them lol.
 
Yeah i plan to keep the pc for more than 3 years :p. I've had my current rig for around 5-6 years, and I finally got fed up with it.

Yeah i will definitely get one of those two power supplies.

As for the mobo i don't want to run into any problems in the future and have to either build a new system or buy another mobo for the current build. Any other manufacturers that offer lifetime? Then again, i might not have much time 3 years from now to worry to much about gaming and such hmmm.

Yea i live about 20mins from tustin so i was going to call tomorrow and ask about the DO, or do you think i should wait for another $199 sale? not sure. Thanks though cleared up a lot of issues =].
 
I agree with Danny. The Corsairs have higher efficiency and better ripple suppression at higher loads.

Otherwise looks good. :)
 
rohan23 said:
How exactly is it far superior? Aren't they both using CWT internals?
Click to expand...

They are based off the same CWT PSH design. However, Corsair modified and upgraded the design a little bit while the Xigmatek did little to modify the design. As a result of Corsair's modifications and designs, the CWT 750TX is far better than the CWT Xigmatek 750W PSU or even the stock CWT design. As seen in the HardOCP reviews, the Corsair's DC output quality and has better efficiency is better than the Xigmatek.
 
Ok so i switched to the 750watt corsair psu and switched the mobo with the UD4P all at new egg minus cpu and it comes out to $835 without cpu. Now when i combo the EVGA x58 board with the mem the price only goes up to $861. Theres a $27 difference so my question now is would the evga board be better than the gigabyte? Anywhere else sell these for cheaper? I couldnt find them on microcenters website... What to do? ps im going to mc tomorrow if they have the D0 proc.

EDIT:
Not counting the HSF
 
Also, you might want to consider getting the Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB hard drive since those are faster than the 74GB Raptors.
 
Whats Live/Bing Cashback? i read it somewhere else on the forums but i didn't know what it was.
 
I just put together a very similar rig:

CPU: Core i7 920 D0
HSF: XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V
Mobo: Gigabyte X58 UD4P
RAM: OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Tri-Channel
PSU: PC P&C 750 (the one on sale at ZZF now)

So it looks like I have the same parts as your build except for the PSU.

Anyways, everything is running great. I had the RAM running for a week at 7-7-7-24, 1600 MHz with no issues. RAM Volt set to 1.64v. I've since put the BCLK at 180 with a 20x multiplier to get the CPU to 3.6 GHz, which as a result put my RAM at 1440 MHz. Gonna get that bumped up again shortly.

One note, I had to increase the QPI voltage to 1.3v and Core voltage to 1.225 to hit 180 BCLK. This surprised me a bit, because I had read such good things about the D0 stepping. But it's not really an issue since these voltages are still within the allowable range. I just would have preferred not needing to change them.

Good luck with your new build!
 
Bigwillis said:
I just put together a very similar rig:

CPU: Core i7 920 D0
HSF: XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V
Mobo: Gigabyte X58 UD4P
RAM: OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Tri-Channel
PSU: PC P&C 750 (the one on sale at ZZF now)

So it looks like I have the same parts as your build except for the PSU.

Anyways, everything is running great. I had the RAM running for a week at 7-7-7-24, 1600 MHz with no issues. RAM Volt set to 1.64v. I've since put the BCLK at 180 with a 20x multiplier to get the CPU to 3.6 GHz, which as a result put my RAM at 1440 MHz. Gonna get that bumped up again shortly.

One note, I had to increase the QPI voltage to 1.3v and Core voltage to 1.225 to hit 180 BCLK. This surprised me a bit, because I had read such good things about the D0 stepping. But it's not really an issue since these voltages are still within the allowable range. I just would have preferred not needing to change them.

Good luck with your new build!
Click to expand...

It seems we have just about the same specs beside hdt and psu. Fortunately, I was able to clock 180 bclk without having to up any of my voltages. my goal is just 200 bclk for everyday usage.

For OP, when I was building my first i7 2 weeks ago I was in the same situation picking between those motherboards. I was initially going to go for the TR version because it seemed to have better reviews but ewiz had a sale on the UD4P that I couldn't resist. 220-20 code - 15MIR- 5% bing = :D
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188049
evga x58 sli 3 way board with fewer features, about $60 cheaper.

many better psu's than the xig (which is only average at best) in that price range.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009
pcp&c 750 for $79 ar and code, free ship. look at hot deals forum here, can be found all the time for $69.

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817226009

both those cases are ugly.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196
 
Last edited:
Dorkiedoode and bigwillis Knowing you two got pretty much the exact same setup gives me a feeling of relief. Lotta iffy reviews and I still couldn't decide on a mobo. Thanks a bunch! And onowig the mem is compatible with the board is also a relief!

What's the difference between the two psu's? The P&C is a bunch cheaper with the Mir. Last item on my list and I'm ordering my parts! :)

Thanks so much everyone! Almost got it all figured out. Haha.
 
Yeah so now i dont know which mobo to get, althoughthe UD4P does seem like a great board. Im sure ittl be fine for my needs, but the evga board vanilla guerilla linked looks so awesome! What do you guys think?
 
Chiral said:
Yeah so now i dont know which mobo to get, althoughthe UD4P does seem like a great board. Im sure ittl be fine for my needs, but the evga board vanilla guerilla linked looks so awesome! What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

UD4P for $210 after rebate is the better deal.
 
vanilla_guerilla said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009
pcp&c 750 for $79 ar and code, free ship. look at hot deals forum here, can be found all the time for $69.

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817226009
Click to expand...

Chiral said:
What's the difference between the two psu's? The P&C is a bunch cheaper with the Mir. Last item on my list and I'm ordering my parts! :)
Click to expand...

I would not go with the Sigma PSU (the second PSU link) as it only has 58A on the +12V rail whereas the PC P&C has 60A on the +12V rail. So not only does the PC P&C 750 offers more power for modern parts than the Sigma, it's cheaper as well. So defintiely go with the PC P&C.
 
Chiral said:
What's the difference between the two psu's? The P&C is a bunch cheaper with the Mir. Last item on my list and I'm ordering my parts! :)
Click to expand...

Difference (compared to corsair) ? I'm not too sure about that. I read they are just about the same in performance. But looking at the p&c price at zipzoomfly, that should make the decision much easier.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10005611&prodlist=celebros

you can also use ebillme for another $30 off. Or if your set on corsair, look for it on amazon should be cheaper. (no tax :D)

As for the motherboard, both are great. I guess you should go for what your budget allows. You could get the UD4P and use the extra it would cost for the TR to get a TRUE or equivalent HDT.
 
Ok so I got all that sorted out. Now my las question would be. If price were not an issue would it be better to get the evga x58 sli le. The ud4p. Or the x58 sli tr?
 
Chiral said:
Ok so I got all that sorted out. Now my las question would be. If price were not an issue would it be better to get the evga x58 sli le. The ud4p. Or the x58 sli tr?
Click to expand...

If price were not an issue, I would probably rank them as follows:
1. EVGA 3X SLI TR
2. Gigabyte UD4P
3. EVGA X58 SLI LE

Not much info on the EVGA LE as it was just recently released. The UD4P is probably the best deal right now for $210 after rebate. EVGA 3X SLI may have a better layout, but the UD4P is still a very solid board (especially for that price) and will surely provide a stable overclock with nice features.
 
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