New i7 Build, Please Check?

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night_2004

2[H]4U
Joined
May 31, 2007
Messages
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Working on this one, but I believe I got a build finally figured out. I have my own hard drives and sound card to add to the system, so you won't find that in the list.

Anyway...

Case: Antec Three Hundred
Power Supply: Corsair 650W CMPSU-650TX
CPU: Intel Core i7 920
Motherboard: ASUS P6T Deluxe V2
RAM: 6GB or 12GB (2x 6GB) OCZ DDR3 13333
Graphics Card: eVGA GTX 275
CPU Cooling: Zalman 9500AT with 1366 Socket Adapter
More Cooling: 2x 120mm Antec Tri-cool Fans
Thermal Paste: AS5

Other components I already own:
Hauppauge HVR-2250 PCIe TV Tuner
Creative X-Fi PCI Card
2x 640GB WD Drives
1x 1TB WD Drive

I'm not planning on doing much overclocking (well, maybe a little to like 3.2GHz for the CPU and maybe clock the GTX 275 to GTX 285 speeds). Maybe.

A bit concerned about the Zalman cooler too, as I'm not 100% sure it will fit into the 300. I think it will, not sure. Does anyone have that particular combination of components?

Also, I've debating getting the 750W Corsair 750TX. While it would let me move to SLI later, there is a bit of a question here.

Could an SLI system like this draw more than about 600W? I have a backup battery that can output up to 750W, and assuming an 80% efficient PSU that means the computer can't require more than 600W of power before overloading the battery. I don't want to be gaming during a storm, have the power blow, and then take out the backup battery too :D.

Anyway, thoughts and concerns welcome!
 
Newegg for whatever reason doesn't seem to carry Thermalright products anymore.

I don't know about the Zalman coolers, I know the 9700 was supposed a pretty good cooler back in the day but from the recent cooler reviews I've been reading it as top of the line as it once used to be. Instead I would recommend the Xigmatek Dark Knight (Note if you want to buy the HDT-S1283 which is basically the same cooler just not in black you will have to purchase the new mounting bracket). The Xigmatek comes in at low $40s and performs within 1-2 degrees C of the Thermalright which means the cost/performance ratio is great.
 
regnak said:
Newegg for whatever reason doesn't seem to carry Thermalright products anymore.

I don't know about the Zalman coolers, I know the 9700 was supposed a pretty good cooler back in the day but from the recent cooler reviews I've been reading it as top of the line as it once used to be. Instead I would recommend the Xigmatek Dark Knight (Note if you want to buy the HDT-S1283 which is basically the same cooler just not in black you will have to purchase the new mounting bracket). The Xigmatek comes in at low $40s and performs within 1-2 degrees C of the Thermalright which means the cost/performance ratio is great.
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Eek...all of these (including the Zalman) are really heavy. They all grossly exceed the weight specification for LGA1366 sockets.

I'm just a little worried about that...
 
Many people have used heavier CPU coolers with no trouble, in part, due to the retention brackets that the newer CPU coolers use. The Xigmatek Dark Knight and the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme RT1366 (aka TRUE) are good choices for a Core i7-based CPU cooler. You can get the TRUE from other locations, like Jab-Tech or the Heatsink Factory.
 
Alright, here's the next question then. What temps could I expect with the stock cooler? (call me a heretic)

I've been trying to find solid information about the stock cooler for the i7, but I cannot find it. At the very least I'd get a good benchmark to compare other coolers with, at worst I discover that I'm okay with those temps and save myself $50.
 
Check out FrostyTech. That site reviews CPU coolers and uses several versions of the stock HSF as references.
 
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Ditch the Zalman and ditch the Tri-Cools. The Xigmatek tiraides mentioned cools nearly as good as the TRUE, but costs a LOT less. It also cools better than the Zalman.

The Tri-Cools are expensive. Get some Yate Loon fans from jab-tech or Petra's instead.

I don't think Thermalright can supply Newegg's demand(s)? I'm just guessing here.
 
enginurd said:
Ditch the Zalman and ditch the Tri-Cools. The Xigmatek tiraides mentioned cools nearly as good as the TRUE, but costs a LOT less. It also cools better than the Zalman.

The Tri-Cools are expensive. Get some Yate Loon fans from jab-tech or Petra's instead.

I don't think Thermalright can supply Newegg's demand(s)? I'm just guessing here.
Click to expand...

Yeah, definitely ditching the Zalman cooler. I'm liking the Dark Knight right now.

Anyway, I'm hunting on NewEgg for fans right now. I might replace all the case fans, I might set up 4x 120mm and 1x 140mm fans with a fan controller up front. Not sure about that though, since I'm reading nothing but bad QA reviews of all the controllers @ NewEgg.
 
Eh, I stopped using fan controllers when I switched to cases with 120mm case fans, hehe.

I like YL's cuz they're cheap ($3.50ea) and quiet, while moving a lot of air.
 
You may want to consider starting out with 1600 ram rather than 1333 ram. This will give you more headroom for overclocking if you should choose to do so... Here is the set that seems to be the standard recommend around here: G.skill 1600 DDR3

The TRUE, CM v8, and Dark Knight are all pretty solid choices. If you want something a little more exotic you may want to consider the Megahalem. Trickier to find in the US though.

Consider Yate loons or Scythe Slipstreams for case fans, you can probably find whatever fan you choose significantly cheaper somewhere other than newegg...Case fans seem to be a pretty weak spot in their competitive pricing structure.

One thing I've learned here in the past few months is that you really can't trust the vast majority of the newegg reviews...there is really no quality control on who posts what or way to tell what the knowledge level of the poster is.
 
Ahh yes, slipstreams... forgot about those for a minute there.

I think newegg keeps the fans high priced either because they know people need them and would rather pay the higher price than going to another etailer, and/or because they don't stock them locally (drop shipped). Again, these are just guesses, lol.
 
That looks promising. Haven't used one nor read about it yet, though, so not sure.

Yah, Newegg doesn't carry Yates. Don't forget the slipstreams mentioned above.
 
RAD said:
You may want to consider starting out with 1600 ram rather than 1333 ram. This will give you more headroom for overclocking if you should choose to do so... Here is the set that seems to be the standard recommend around here: G.skill 1600 DDR3

The TRUE, CM v8, and Dark Knight are all pretty solid choices. If you want something a little more exotic you may want to consider the Megahalem. Trickier to find in the US though.

Consider Yate loons or Scythe Slipstreams for case fans, you can probably find whatever fan you choose significantly cheaper somewhere other than newegg...Case fans seem to be a pretty weak spot in their competitive pricing structure.

One thing I've learned here in the past few months is that you really can't trust the vast majority of the newegg reviews...there is really no quality control on who posts what or way to tell what the knowledge level of the poster is.
Click to expand...

For now, I'm going to have to pass up the DDR3 1600 modules. Its quantity more than speed right now that really matters (as in I definitely need 6GB now and probably 12GB in the near future). That's an extra $40 total and I'm on a tight budget right now.

I'm almost at my budget limit, and I haven't gotten the fans figured out yet.

enginurd said:
Ahh yes, slipstreams... forgot about those for a minute there.

I think newegg keeps the fans high priced either because they know people need them and would rather pay the higher price than going to another etailer, and/or because they don't stock them locally (drop shipped). Again, these are just guesses, lol.
Click to expand...

Well, they know us well then. I don't have a local source for fans, and I need this all to be delivered on the same day. I have probably a 12-24 hour window to build the entire system so I'm not going to screw around waiting for parts.

enginurd said:
That looks promising. Haven't used one nor read about it yet, though, so not sure.

Yah, Newegg doesn't carry Yates. Don't forget the slipstreams mentioned above.
Click to expand...

Sounds like either fan would work.
 
I understand the pain of working within a budget, but I would caution against factoring MIRs into your build costs. At best they will probably take 4 to 6 weeks to get to you with no fuss. At worse 10 weeks from now you will get a message from the rebate company saying you didn't provide something you know you did and you will have to go to war to get that 10-20 bucks.
 
RAD said:
I understand the pain of working within a budget, but I would caution against factoring MIRs into your build costs. At best they will probably take 4 to 6 weeks to get to you with no fuss. At worse 10 weeks from now you will get a message from the rebate company saying you didn't provide something you know you did and you will have to go to war to get that 10-20 bucks.
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Oh I know that one, believe me. I'm more a "fan" of instant rebates. So far I've found combo deals and whatnot that save another $45 off of the system in the last day. And I haven't had to change my parts selection at all.

There's a good bit of instant discounts as well on this. Without those and the combo, this build would cost about $145 more than it is already.
 
Darn it...I forgot to add in the optical drive. That's gonna hurt, my budget might be about $5 over :D.
 
night_2004 said:
... I need this all to be delivered on the same day. ...
Click to expand...

There's no guarantee of this unless you pay for like 2nd day shipping, I think -- especially since you have a large order. Some parts may ship from a farther warehouse, which will take longer to arrive. Start ordering as soon as possible... better to get your parts early rather than late.

One of my recent newegg orders took 7 days total for everything to come in, and my order was sourced from all 3 warehouses, lol. :p Heck, my most recent orders were placed within an hour of each other, 9:30am and 10:30am, and the latter one didn't ship until the next day. :(
 
enginurd said:
There's no guarantee of this unless you pay for like 2nd day shipping, I think -- especially since you have a large order. Some parts may ship from a farther warehouse, which will take longer to arrive. Start ordering as soon as possible... better to get your parts early rather than late.

One of my recent newegg orders took 7 days total for everything to come in, and my order was sourced from all 3 warehouses, lol. :p Heck, my most recent orders were placed within an hour of each other, 9:30am and 10:30am, and the latter one didn't ship until the next day. :(
Click to expand...

Well, I'll try to get it all delivered on the same day :D.

I think it is just about done now. Anything like SATA cables or molex extender cables or anything that I'm forgetting? I'm pretty sure what is included in the motherboard kit will work with the Antec 300.

I'm thinking about saying 'screw it' and keeping the 750W in my build, just for the extra two PCIe connectors. Just in case.
 
More shouldn't hurt. Eh, maybe for cable mangement, lol -- no biggie.
 
Alright, I think I've got what I need. $50 in fans, but I've got 4 120mm fans and 2 140mm fans...just in case. Dead fans are too expensive to ship, better off just getting spares.

Hopefully the last question...how does this stack up against this desktop configuration with all other specs about as equal as they can get?

Core i7 920 v. Q6600
GTX 275 v. 8800GT 512MB
 
night_2004 said:
Core i7 920 v. Q6600
GTX 275 v. 8800GT 512MB
Click to expand...

Core i7 920 v. Q6600: Little differences in gaming. But a sizable increase in video/media editing apps and photoshop.

GTX 275 v. 8800GT 512MB: The GTX 275 beats the 8800GT 512MB. Simple as that.

If you're mostly gaming, you're better off just upgrading to the GTX 275 in your current rig
 
Danny Bui said:
Core i7 920 v. Q6600: Little differences in gaming. But a sizable increase in video/media editing apps and photoshop.

GTX 275 v. 8800GT 512MB: The GTX 275 beats the 8800GT 512MB. Simple as that.

If you're mostly gaming, you're better off just upgrading to the GTX 275 in your current rig
Click to expand...

There's also RAM support. I might need more than 8GB in a few months (current rig only supports 8GB). I forgot about that. I'm actually checking out RAM requirements for Quartus v7.1, and it could get ugly for me soon. Plus I might need to run about 8 virtual machines for another project.

I checked the specs on my XPS 420, I'd have to tear the entire system down a swap out the PSU. So I'm out about $249 (GTX) and $100-109 (PSU) right there.

Don't know. I want to do this build, its just a question of affordability and reasonable cost.
 
My soon-to-be-wife is going to kill me. I bought it.

Now I have to work on selling my XPS 420 and a 22" monitor to try and make a down payment on this thing. You might want to keep an eye out in the trade section in about a month once I'm confident in the new build.

And what do you know...NewEgg's shipping parts from all three warehouses. Lovely!
 
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