• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Please check my i7 build

I

istrike

Weaksauce
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
65
Hey guys, its my first post and I know I'm a noob here, but don't rip on me too hard. My friend told me about this website and how you guys were legit and knew what you were talking about. Well I guess ill answer the main questions first then I'll show you what I'm working with.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

A little gaming, photoshop, general computing, watching 1080p movies, running two monitors, and for work and school.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

I am looking about $1800 or $1900. i will not be buying from newegg because I live in California and get charged wayyy to much for tax.

3) Where do you live?

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

CPU, RAM, MB, DVD/cd combo, sound card, I will list them below...
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Fresh build so no reused parts.
6) Will you be overclocking?

Maybe in the future but my friend told me not to because it voids the warranty and decreases the longevity of the computer. I think the parts that i have are set up perfectly for overclocking though.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?

17 inch dell crt. I know its crap but not getting a new monitor right now.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

June 2009
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.

Firewire, SLI, I don't think it matters cause every high end motherboard will have everything I need.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Yes Vista 64 bit and will be buying windows 7 64 bit when available

Now for the build:

Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 120mm SSO CPU Cooler
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
EVGA 017-P3-1293-AR GeForce GTX 295 1792MB 896 (448 x 2)-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card w/ Pre-installed EVGA Backplate - Retail
EVGA E758-TR 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OEM

The things that i am unsure about are the RAM, Hard Drive, and the EVGA card. I do want the GTX 295, but my friend recommended this one cause it had the best warranty.

Please make sure everything will work and recommend better stuff if you want. i am open to suggestions. Thanks a lot guys. I want this to be a formidable build you know?
 
You only have a 17" monitor? Dude you do not need to spend that much money on a video card for such a small monitor. You'll probably won't notice a difference between the $560 GTX295 and a cheap $80 9600GT on a 17" monitor. The GTX295 is only worth it once you play at 2560x1600 on a 30"+ monitor.

So I highly recommend either A) scale down the video card or B) scale down the video card a bit and get a new monitor.

Oh and spend the extra cash for the Black version of the 1TB drive since the Black is significantly faster than the Green and the warranty is longer by two more years.

I'll go more in depth later.
 
I agree with you about the monitor, but I will be upgrading it in the future and want to have my video card there when i need it. I also want this computer to last 6-7 years and that video card wont be the top dog anymore at that time.
 
Idea of hardware last 6 years doesn't hold up. Back in 2007, 3870 was a fast card and cost $300 bucks. These days 4670 is $65 and just as fast 3870 and uses 1/3 of power.
 
istrike said:
I agree with you about the monitor, but I will be upgrading it in the future and want to have my video card there when i need it. I also want this computer to last 6-7 years and that video card wont be the top dog anymore at that time.
Click to expand...

When are you going to upgrade the monitor? If it's 2 months after the purchase of the PC, it might be worth it. If it's more than that, not worth getting the GTX 295 as ATI's and Nvidia's new cards will be out and they'll be more cost-effective than the GTX295. Oh and the longevity of a PC is mostly dependent on the user. Keep your needs modest and that build will last long.

And finally: Most video cards will be outperformed or out-dated in about 6 to 8 months. Your plan for the GTX 295 to last 6-7 years isn't exactly feasible. Just look at the Radeon 9800 Pro: It was released 6 years ago in 2003. It can barely handle most modern games today at low settings. So basically what I'm getting at is this: A $1800 to $2500 build won't last that much longer than a $1000 build.
 
I don't understand why you are getting a soundcard.

I would suggest the xigmatech cooler over the noctuna

Like other said, scale down to a gtx 265 or so.

I would also look at the asus p6t SE its closer to $200 and imo a really nice board.
 
Tbolt said:
I don't understand why you are getting a soundcard.

I would suggest the xigmatech cooler over the noctuna

Like other said, scale down to a gtx 265 or so.

I would also look at the asus p6t SE its closer to $200 and imo a really nice board.
Click to expand...

I would take the XIGMATEK, but they don't make one for the i7 socket.
 
The Xigmatek S1283V comes with the bracket for the LGA1366 socket.

If you can spend $1900 on a new Core i7 system, you can put some of that money on the side for a decent 22-24 inch LCD. The video card is the fastest depreciating part of the system -- in fact, the high-end practically refreshes itself every 12 to 18 months. Get a new monitor and a decent mid-range card, like the GTX 275 or HD4890, now. Any video card made by BFG, EVGA, or XFX will come with a limited lifetime warranty... provided that you register the card as soon as you get it.

I recommend the WD Caviar Black series (instead of the Green) for your primary/OS drive. As Danny mentioned, you get a faster drive and a longer warranty for only a bit more cash. If you want sheer performance, you could consider an SSD, but I believe that your money would be better spent on a new, larger monitor.

There are plenty of guides available that can show you how to safely overclock your system. Done properly, with sufficient cooling for everything (including the case), overclocking the processor won't degrade the lifespan of your machine.
 
istrike said:
I would take the XIGMATEK, but they don't make one for the i7 socket.
Click to expand...

They do:
$42 - Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm HSF

Anyway, again, when are you planning on upgrading your monitor?

Oh and it does matter to figure out what features you need in a motherboard. Otherwise you might be overpaying for something you don't need and where you can free up cash for more substantial improvements in the build. So please try to figure exactly what feature you need in a motherboard.

Just to help you out: You need at least a 24"or 1920x1080/1200 monitor for SLI or any multi-GPU video card to be cost effective. Since you only have and want a 17" monitor and have not provided exactly when you plan on upgrading the monitor, no reason whatsoever to get a mobo that supports SLI OR a multi-GPU card like the GTX 295. Also note that you can get a 24" or 1920x1080/1200 monitor for around $200.

Oh and here's the Black 1TB drive I was talking about:
$100 - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I second Danny's suggestion about the Black drive. The Green is excellent as a storage hard drive, but not so much as a primary drive.

Other than that, everything looks good.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. So you guys thing the Xigmatek is better than the Noctua? The Noctua seems like a better build but I will take your word for it. I will go with the black drive as well. Ok, lets dump the 295 and start from here. I would like to upgrade to a decent 22-24 inch monitor, so if you can 1) recommend me a good, cheap monitor, and 2) recommend me the best video card for that size of monitor.
 
istrike said:
Thanks for all of the replies. So you guys thing the Xigmatek is better than the Noctua? The Noctua seems like a better build but I will take your word for it. I will go with the black drive as well. Ok, lets dump the 295 and start from here. I would like to upgrade to a decent 22-24 inch monitor, so if you can 1) recommend me a good, cheap monitor, and 2) recommend me the best video card for that size of monitor.
Click to expand...

The Xigmatek HSF is better in terms of price to performance. The Noctua will cool better than the Xigmatek but you're paying close to twice the price for a small drop in temps. So not really a good buy.

As for monitor and video card recommendations, I recommend this:
$215 - Asus VW246H Black 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor
$280 - BFG Tech BFGEGTX2801024OCXE GeForce GTX 280 1GB PCI-E Video Card
----
Total: $495 plus tax and shipping.
 
Danny Bui said:
The Xigmatek HSF is better in terms of price to performance. The Noctua will cool better than the Xigmatek but you're paying close to twice the price for a small drop in temps. So not really a good buy.

As for monitor and video card recommendations, I recommend this:
$215 - Asus VW246H Black 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor
$280 - BFG Tech BFGEGTX2801024OCXE GeForce GTX 280 1GB PCI-E Video Card
----
Total: $495 plus tax and shipping.
Click to expand...

I think I will go with the Noctua because the extra price doesn't bother me. I am looking for performance rather than budget. My friend told me EVGA cards were the best. do you agree?

Oh and is my RAM ok, because my freind was saying the RAM I had was "value" ram
 
istrike said:
My friend told me EVGA cards were the best. do you agree?

Oh and is my RAM ok, because my freind was saying the RAM I had was "value" ram
Click to expand...

There's no performance difference and little cooling differences between eVGA, BFG and XFX, the top three Nvidia card makers. Their customer support are relatively equal to one another and they all have lifetime warranties. So in other words: eVGA is one of the best but not the BEST. In fact, I don't think ANY video card manufacturer can be consider the BEST in every category.

With that said, I recommended the BFG card since it has Free shipping while the closest eVGA card did not:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130492

The RAM is a decent enough choice. Voltage is a bit too high for my tastes but it's still a good choice. Just an FYI: Value RAM performs just as well as so called "high performance" RAM. You would honestly not notice the difference between value and high performance RAM in real world apps and games.
 
Spend 1000$ now, put 1000$ in the bank, in 3-4 years spend that 1000$. Expecting a computer to last 6-7 years is unreasonable.
 
Danny Bui said:
There's no performance difference and little cooling differences between eVGA, BFG and XFX, the top three Nvidia card makers. Their customer support are relatively equal to one another and they all have lifetime warranties. So in other words: eVGA is one of the best but not the BEST. In fact, I don't think ANY video card manufacturer can be consider the BEST in every category.

With that said, I recommended the BFG card since it has Free shipping while the closest eVGA card did not:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130492

The RAM is a decent enough choice. Voltage is a bit too high for my tastes but it's still a good choice. Just an FYI: Value RAM performs just as well as so called "high performance" RAM. You would honestly not notice the difference between value and high performance RAM in real world apps and games.
Click to expand...

Since I will not be buying from newegg, the free shipping doesnt really apply. I am just looking for the best components. For example, if I get a gtx 280, I want the best gtx 280 card, which looks like the one you listed by the stuff i've been reading about it. but ya the more and more i read through this thread, the more and more i am starting to agree with you guys. Instead of buying a really expensive gtx 295, I can get a gtx 280 and a great 24 inch monitor for about the same price.
 
The "best" is highly subjective, and at best, it's only temporary. The GTX 280 was the "best" about 8-12 months ago, but it's no longer the case. Likewise, if you're running everything at stock speeds, you'll see little performance difference between the Xigmatek S1283V and the Noctua NH-U12P. Both CPU coolers will run quiet and keep things cooler than the stock HSF, but you won't really know how well each one performs unless you're conducting a series of tests and constantly checking the various temperatures of everything.

Stick with the Xigmatek S1283V, the "value" RAM that you have already, and whatever GTX 280 you find from EVGA, BFG, or XFX. Your current build, regardless of which particular parts you end up choosing, will easily run circles around your old setup.
 
Oh ya, I forgot to mention that I am getting two sets of the 6GB OCZ RAM to make a total of 12 gigs RAM. The reason my friend referred to it as value RAM is because I told him that i was going to overclock it and he told me to start with something better if I wanted to do that. i think the 12 gigs is an important part of the build because I want my programs and windows navigation to be as fast as it can. I don't want any waiting.
 
istrike said:
The reason my friend referred to it as value RAM is because I told him that i was going to overclock it and he told me to start with something better if I wanted to do that.
Click to expand...

Do note that you'll see very very very very very very little performance difference or increase by overclocking your RAM, no matter how high you OC the RAM. In addition, not a good idea to OC 12GB of RAM or 4+ sticks of RAM due to the extreme stress it'll be on the Core i7 and its Integrated Memory Controller (IMC).
 
Danny Bui said:
Do note that you'll see very very very very very very little performance difference or increase by overclocking your RAM, no matter how high you OC the RAM. In addition, not a good idea to OC 12GB of RAM or 4+ sticks of RAM due to the extreme stress it'll be on the Core i7 and its Integrated Memory Controller (IMC).
Click to expand...

So you are saying that if i overclock anything, it should be the i7? Because i was going to do both. But I don't know if I should do it at all. But I think with that heatsink, overclocking the i7 shouldn't really be an issue.
 
Contrary to popular belief, Vista works just fine with 2GB of RAM. One 3x2GB tri-channel kit is more than enough for your needs.

If anything, get DDR3 1600 RAM if overclocking is in the plans. And no, you don't need to overclock the memory in addition to the processor.
 
tiraides said:
If anything, get DDR3 1600 RAM if overclocking is in the plans. And no, you don't need to overclock the memory in addition to the processor.
Click to expand...

QFT. If you're gonna overclock anything, definitely the CPU since it'll have a more noticeable affect on performance than higher RAM speed.
 
tiraides said:
Contrary to popular belief, Vista works just fine with 2GB of RAM. One 3x2GB tri-channel kit is more than enough for your needs.

If anything, get DDR3 1600 RAM if overclocking is in the plans. And no, you don't need to overclock the memory in addition to the processor.
Click to expand...

Yes I agree. The memory I chose is 1600.

Is it worth it to pay a couple dollars more to get the gtx 285?
EVGA 01G-P3-1180-AR GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
 
Last edited:
istrike said:
What is the difference between the two cards?
Click to expand...

The 285's memory and shaders are clocked a bit higher than the GTX 280. That higher clocks don't translate into a noticeable performance increase though.

So I concur with Tiraides: the GTX 285 is not worth it considering that you can get the GTX 280 for $280 from a reputable company while the cheapest GTX285 is $330 from a reputable company. The GTX 285 is not worth the extra $50.
 
Unless I missed an NVIDIA preference, I'd suggest the HD4890 over the GTX280.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3539&p=15

Since you're in CA, you can get most stuff from Amazon:
$280 - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366
$242 - Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P LGA 1366 Intel X58
$104 - Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3-1600 TR3X6G1600C9
$258 - XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB
$230 - Asus VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD
$160 - Antec Twelve Hundred
$110 - Corsair 750W CMPSU-750TX
$100 - WD Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache SATA300
=============
$1485 shipped

Get the DVD Burner and Xigmatek from Newegg.com for around $70 after tax and shipping ($75 at amazon). If you have money to spare, consider an OCZ Vertex SSD. ;) I wouldn't pay that much for the Antec 1200, but thats just me. For that price, I'd go for a Lian-Li or Silverstone type of case.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
enginurd said:
Unless I missed an NVIDIA preference, I'd suggest the HD4890 over the GTX280.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3539&p=15

Since you're in CA, you can get most stuff from Amazon:
$280 - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366
$242 - Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P LGA 1366 Intel X58
$104 - Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3-1600 TR3X6G1600C9
$258 - XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB
$230 - Asus VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD
$160 - Antec Twelve Hundred
$110 - Corsair 750W CMPSU-750TX
$100 - WD Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache SATA300
=============
$1485 shipped

Get the DVD Burner and Xigmatek from Newegg.com for around $70 after tax and shipping ($75 at amazon). If you have money to spare, consider an OCZ Vertex SSD. ;) I wouldn't pay that much for the Antec 1200, but thats just me. For that price, I'd go for a Lian-Li or Silverstone type of case.
Click to expand...

Ya I guess you could say i prefer an NVIDIA card. i think overall, they are better cards. in those test, the ATI did win in some cases, but I noticed the gtx 285 did significantly better than the gtx 280 which makes me want the 285, but idk.

And would you guys recommend the EVGA E758-A1 or the TR? What is the diffrence between them besides $30. Here is the link for the A1...
EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Ok I found the difference. Quoted from EVGA:

The AR/A1 is the full retail box, includes all cables and brackets and comes with a lifetime warranty upon registration.
The TR/T1 is the light version, does not include all brackets, manual comes on CD, has only the essential cables and comes with a 2 year warranty.

AR/A1 - packing list:
Motherboard
I/O shield
NB fan
SLI bridge
Driver CD
Manual
USB bracket
Firewire bracket
Serial port bracket
6 SATA data cables
3 SATA power cables
IDE data cable
Floppy data cable
RAID floppy driver disk

TR/T1 - packing list:
Motherboard
I/O shield
NB fan
SLI bridge
Driver CD
2 SATA data cables
1 SATA power cable
IDE data cable
Floppy data cable
Click to expand...

That being said, is it worth it to get the A1 for $30 more for the lifetime warranty? Cause I might be overclocking in the future if that affects anything...
 
Spend the extra $30 for the lifetime warranty. Totally worth it.
 
Ok with that settled, my friend recommended that I get the antec 1200 case because he said things would be a little cramped if I got the antec 900. Is this a smart move?
 
istrike said:
Ok with that settled, my friend recommended that I get the antec 1200 case because he said things would be a little cramped if I got the antec 900. Is this a smart move?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't recommend either cases. The Antec 1200 is only a bit bigger than the Antec 900. The Coolermaster RC-690 case is cheaper than and whose quality and cooling capability is equal to the Antec 900. IIRC, the RC-690 is a bit better than the Antec 1200 in terms of horizontal space. Check out this link comparing the Antec 900 and Coolermaster RC-690:
http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1034082083&postcount=53

So I highly recommend getting the Coolermaster RC-690 if you can:
$70 - Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case
 
Danny Bui said:
I wouldn't recommend either cases. The Antec 1200 is only a bit bigger than the Antec 900. The Coolermaster RC-690 case is cheaper than and whose quality and cooling capability is equal to the Antec 900. IIRC, the RC-690 is a bit better than the Antec 1200 in terms of horizontal space. Check out this link comparing the Antec 900 and Coolermaster RC-690:
http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1034082083&postcount=53

So I highly recommend getting the Coolermaster RC-690 if you can:
$70 - Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case
Click to expand...

I think the antec twelve hundred looks better though lol. It seems like a good buy, but if price was not an option, what case would cool better?
 
istrike said:
I think the antec twelve hundred looks better though lol. It seems like a good buy, but if price was not an option, what case would cool better?
Click to expand...

Kind of hard to tell actually.
 
Now should I get the gtx 275 with 1700MB memory here or stick with the gtx 280? My friend said this card is like two cards in one and will out perform the gtx 280 and 285 unless the gtx 285 has 2 GB of ram. is this true?
 
istrike said:
Now should I get the gtx 275 with 1700MB memory here or stick with the gtx 280? My friend said this card is like two cards in one and will out perform the gtx 280 and 285 unless the gtx 285 has 2 GB of ram. is this true?
Click to expand...

The GTX 275 is a single GPU card, not a dual GPU card like your friend think it is. In addition. it does not outperform the GTX 280 or GTX 285 as evident in this review:
http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTYzNiwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

However the GTX 275 does offer comparable performance to the GTX 280.
 
istrike said:
Now should I get the gtx 275 with 1700MB memory here or stick with the gtx 280? My friend said this card is like two cards in one and will out perform the gtx 280 and 285 unless the gtx 285 has 2 GB of ram. is this true?
Click to expand...

I would personally go with the 280 of that price....twice the vid.ram != twice the performance
 
Danny Bui said:
The GTX 275 is a single GPU card, not a dual GPU card like your friend think it is. In addition. it does not outperform the GTX 280 or GTX 285 as evident in this review:
http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTYzNiwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

However the GTX 275 does offer comparable performance to the GTX 280.
Click to expand...

Sorry ya I was a little confused there. He was talking about the gtx 295. But in that review, i believe they use the gtx 275 with 896Mb of memory. What i am asking is will the EVGA card with twice the video memory 1792MB outperform the gtx 280 or gtx 285 because both of those cars (under $400 at least) only have 1GB of memory.
 
Danny Bui said:
As for monitor and video card recommendations, I recommend this:
$215 - Asus VW246H Black 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor
$280 - BFG Tech BFGEGTX2801024OCXE GeForce GTX 280 1GB PCI-E Video Card
----
Total: $495 plus tax and shipping.
Click to expand...

Monitor is OK, but I don't see a point in spending $280 for a GTX 280 when you can get a 4890 1GB for around $200 after rebate. Better price/performance. Just my .02.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top