• 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.

Trying for a cheap complete i7 build.

I

iMpathetic

Weaksauce
Joined
Apr 19, 2009
Messages
68
Hey everyone,

Here we go.....

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Probably not a ton of intensive stuff, but I really want to go i7 if possible. Web browsing, listening to music, the odd racing game, POSSIBLY Linux in VMs, etc. Starting a business and this sucker's gonna run it.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$850 or so. Yes and yes.
3) Where do you live?
NC
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
Most likely everything, but I could use a crappy case if need be until I bought a new one.... i.e. I can get better parts and not a case.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Possibly an ancient ATX case.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Eventually a 22" or a 24", but I have a 17" 1280x1024 CRT at the moment.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
When my current one sells.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Not much, maybe SLI or CF, if anything.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
OK.


So, here are some parts I was looking at --
$180 - Foxconn FlamingBlade motherboard
$75 - Antec EA650 Power Supply
$280 - Intel Core i7 920 processor

The rest I'm completely undecided on. I need to figure this stuff out, never really looked into i7 before :D

You could also convince me to go the 775 route, but I don't know if it'd be worth it, 'cause my rig is a Q6600 as of right now.
 
If you live near a Microcenter you can pick up the i7 920 for $199. Deal expires soon.

Some good news is that some of the cheapest i7 ram is also some of the best. G.skill 1600 - Currently $94.99 but has gone lower on sale before.

As I learned when building my computer there is a big difference between a 22" monitor and a 24" monitor in regards to graphics cards suggestions. Most suggest a single GTX 260 at 22" (1680x1050 res) vs a SLI or GTX 285 solution at 24+" (1900x1200+). On review, considering your price point and that this isn't going to be a gaming focused computer you probably won't want to go with a gtx solution, actually.

If you are going to overclock, this has been found to be the best low cost price/performance ratio i7 CPU cooler. Xigmatek Dark Knight - $39.99
 
Last edited:
So your rig has a Q66 and you just web browse, listen to music and rarely game on a 17".

And you want to go i7, why?
 
Here's a build for ya:
$280 - Intel Core i7 920 CPU w/FS
$193 - MSI X58 Pro Intel X58 ATX Motherboard ($8 shipping already factored in)
$95 - G.Skill F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ 3 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM w/FS
$77 - BFG Tech BFGE96512GTOCBE GeForce 9600 GT 512MB PCI-E Video Card
$75 - Western Digital WD6401AALS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive w/FS
$25 - LG GH22NS30 DVD Burner w/FS
$75 - Antec Earthwatts 650W PSU w/FS
$55 - Antec 300 ATX Case
----
Total: $875 plus tax and shipping.

The 9600GT is more than enough for the light gaming you're planning on. I went with the MSI mobo since it's only $5 more than the Foxconn mobo but offers six DIMMs rather than the 3 DIMMs for the Foxconn mobo.

Though please answer lowteckh's question. Sounds like a Phenom build is all that you need.
 
Q66 -> Phenom? That doesn't make sense for music, web, rare game, and whatever business that needs it.
 
lowteckh said:
Q66 -> Phenom? That doesn't make sense for music, web, rare game, and whatever business that needs it.
Click to expand...

I'm betting his current rig is for home use while the new rig (Core i7 or Phenom II) will solely be dedicated to work-ish.
 
Danny Bui said:
LOL!. Missed my question :)

YEah dude, there's very little reason for you to upgrade to Core i7.
Click to expand...

Oh, believe me, I know that. I am 15 and don't need it in the slightest but... what the hell, I can afford it, don't have anything better to do, why not try i7 out?

Thanks for your replies, guys, unfortunately can't be on constantly.... banned from my laptop... haha.

That $875 build looks nice. Will have to look into that.

I know my motives suck, but let's not worry about that.;)
 
Your motives do suck... :)

But the build Danny mentioned is quite solid, especially for that price.
 
iMpathetic said:
Oh, believe me, I know that. I am 15 and don't need it in the slightest but... what the hell, I can afford it, don't have anything better to do, why not try i7 out?

Thanks for your replies, guys, unfortunately can't be on constantly.... banned from my laptop... haha.

That $875 build looks nice. Will have to look into that.

I know my motives suck, but let's not worry about that.;)
Click to expand...

Dude, just use that money towards a bunch of new games (PC or console) or study materials for a A+ certification rather than a i7. Pretty stupid motive, even for a 15 year old.
 
Well, see, I don't play games enough to buy them. If I have a burning desire to play one I just download the demo. Games are about 4% of what I do.

Now, I will get a job at a grocery store later this summer. I will use the $$$ from that to help get a certification (and get my car running).

I know the motive is stupid, but IMO I don't really need one. I am selling my current computer for $750 so the only investment on my part is about $150... not a huge deal financially.

I understand if you guys still think I'm an idiot.
 
Well, we now understand why you chose that screen name. :p

Seriously, though, I agree with Danny that you shouldn't spend money when you don't need to. Especially at your current age; that certification and your car are better long-term "investments" than your new computer.

Go with Danny's core build, but replace the processor, motherboard, and RAM with the following:

$335 - AMD Phenom II X4 940 & Asus M4A79 Deluxe combo deal
$59 - G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2 1066 dual-channel kit (free shipping)

The above setup would perform better than what you are planning to sell, and it won't require as much of a personal "investment" as the Core i7 build.
 
so your car isnt running but your gonna drop 900 on a pc you dont need? You make as much as sense as friend who just bought a mac pro
 
If you haven't sold your computer yet, hold off. Chances are that it's more than enough for your needs for now and the immediate future.

The overall performance difference between the Core 2 Quad Q6600 and the Phenom II X4 940, with all other factors being similar if not equal, isn't enough to justify selling your old rig and building a new one.

After looking at the pictures of your car, you're going to need every penny you could get.
 
the i7 isn't going to help you do anything better, even work. I doubt the work you will be doing will require a massive machine to do. Even if it did, you'd probably lose interest in 2 week and it's wasted.
 
iMpathetic said:
I know the motive is stupid, but IMO I don't really need one. I am selling my current computer for $750 so the only investment on my part is about $150... not a huge deal financially.
Click to expand...

Even for $150, a Core i7 or Phenom II still wouldn't be the hassle of selling your current rig, buying a new rig, setting it all up, etc.

Buy yourself a bike or something. Use that to head down where the car is and work on it.
 
I missed the whole Q6600 thing..

Yea, why bother at all. Just keep what you have as it does everything you listed without fail.

Danny, car is 3 hours away and I guess thats by car, LOL, I can't image the bike ride.
 
$150? not bad. Go for it.

wait... laptop? get unbanned from the laptop and use that $150 + $750 to buy a new car instead. I'm sure you can find something that runs for $500.
 
iMpathetic said:
Well, it's either I do this or I buy a bike. Car later... I live 3 hours away from where it's stored and I can't just mosey on down there to work on it whenever I want.
Click to expand...

Or you can save your money and use your current computer! GASP!

Get real kid. Your just burning money.
 
But see, its kids like him that keep the economy moving. If everyone just sat on their Q6600s and E8400s no one would be buying i7s. :D
 
You can always donate that money to some charity for good cause.
 
I soo agree with this. Sometimes, I find myself buying the more expensive product/equipment etc. but, find myself being bored of it quickly.

Bigbacon said:
the i7 isn't going to help you do anything better, even work. I doubt the work you will be doing will require a massive machine to do. Even if it did, you'd probably lose interest in 2 week and it's wasted.
Click to expand...
 
Jealous? I'd just say most are offering pretty solid advice to help the kid out. Why spend money and time on something not currently needed, especially with other projects he's already shown interest in.
 
DTN107 said:
Get real kid.
Click to expand...


I honestly don't understand how your seniority gives you free rein to be a complete douchebag.


DTN107 said:
You're just burning money.
Click to expand...

Fixed that for you.

How am I doing that? It seems to me like a lot of people on here like to have the latest parts. I am blessed with disposable income, and I intend to use it. Just because I'm not a power user doesn't mean I'm not allowed to upgrade.
 
skitlets said:
Jealous? I'd just say most are offering pretty solid advice to help the kid out. Why spend money and time on something not currently needed, especially with other projects he's already shown interest in.
Click to expand...

I understand what you're saying.

See, the thing is, I AM still a kid, meaning I am only doing this because it's fun. I like to take things apart, tinker, etc, and I have been tinkering with the same parts for months and months. I want to get my hands on some new hardware.

I don't really care if I need to or not. This is a hobby of mine, meaning I don't even need a computer in the first place. I like to always have the best I can afford, and if the $150 I effectively spend to jump up to i7 isn't worth it, I'll eat my foot.
 
iMpathetic said:
How am I doing that? It seems to me like a lot of people on here like to have the latest parts. I am blessed with disposable income, and I intend to use it. Just because I'm not a power user doesn't mean I'm not allowed to upgrade.
Click to expand...

I think the point here is that the "disposable income" you have could obviously be spent in a better way rather than pissing in the wind.... i.e. new tires for that magnificent car ;)
 
iMpathetic said:
I understand what you're saying.

See, the thing is, I AM still a kid, meaning I am only doing this because it's fun. I like to take things apart, tinker, etc, and I have been tinkering with the same parts for months and months. I want to get my hands on some new hardware.

I don't really care if I need to or not. This is a hobby of mine, meaning I don't even need a computer in the first place. I like to always have the best I can afford, and if the $150 I effectively spend to jump up to i7 isn't worth it, I'll eat my foot.
Click to expand...

In your case, it really is not worth going to i7 at this time. Though the i7 920 will outperform the Q6600, that doesn't mean that the Q6600 is outdated for the tasks that you have in mind. All you really need to upgrade is the case, since you've said earlier that it's crap. You may need a new video card, if your current one isn't up to snuff; you may need a new power supply, if you have an old one; you may need more RAM, if you're planning to use more resource-intensive programs; and you may need a better CPU cooler, if you plan on overclocking and/or you don't have a good one right now. But the emphasis here is on the word "may," as in you don't necessarily need those parts right now. (At least, as far as I can tell....)
 
hey kid, how about upgrading to a SSD? I hear it's the shits, and you can always use it down the road on whatever CPU upgrad you do.
 
You've heard enough advice.

Its your money, do with it as you please. Have fun. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top