i7 Gaming/Office - Feedback Appreciated

[rbird]

Hey there,

I've been out of system building quite some time, using a laptop for work over the last few years and gaming rarely. The last rig I owned had a Radeon 9800 in it, to give you an idea. I've been reading up but am very much a beginner all over again as it's been several years.

I'll be using this PC for gaming and for work. For gaming, I'd just like to be able to play the latest games (FPS or otherwise) on a 1900x1200 resolution monitor. In particular, Fallout 3, Diablo 3 (when it arrives), and Star Craft 2. And heck, TF2. For work, I do a ton of work in Excel and SQL.

Budget is around 2200-2500 after taxes. I'm not tied to one platform or another, though I have read a few articles that have me leaning to the i7 920. I'm hoping to build this system in a couple of weeks, and plan to explore overclocking at some point in the future. I am looking to add 2x hard drives to setup raid.

Here's what I have chosen:

Intel Core I7 920 D0 Stepping Quad Core Processor LGA1366 2.66GHZ Bloomfield 8MB LGA1366 -SLBEJ- 38881 1 $363.46 $363.46
Corsair XMS3 TR3X6G1600C9 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1600 CL 9-9-9-24 Core i7 Memory Kit 34654 1 $109.99 $109.99
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 X58 ATX LGA1366 DDR3 LGA1366 3PCI-E16 PCI-E4 2PCI CrossFire SLI SATA2 Motherboard
36225 1 $379.99 $379.99
Price Match Request(subject to approval) $339.99 $339.99
Western Digital WD10EADS Caviar Green 1TB SATA 32MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM
35676 1 $95.99 $95.99
Silverstone Raven RV01B-W Black E-ATX Case 5X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS W/ Window
35742 1 $279.99 $279.99
Price Match Request(subject to approval) $221.60 $221.60
Corsair XMS3 TR3X6G1333C9 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1333 CL 9-9-9-24 Core i7 Memory Kit
34256 1 $125.99 $125.99
Price Match Request(subject to approval) $125.49 $125.49
BFG GeForce GTX 275 OC 896MB GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card
37633 2 $284.99 $569.98
Corsair HX1000W CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX 20/24PIN ATX 80A 12V Afc Modular Power Supply W/ 140MM Fan
28797 1 $274.99 $274.99


Will this machine be cool enough for the cards/CPU by default, or should I consider additional cooling? Is there overclocking opportunity here with stock cooling?

Thoughts?

Thanks!

[rbird]

.....

[bojangles]

Is that a bump, or you having no patience? It's only been 40 minutes.

Anyway, looks good, but I would like to make a few changes:

Change the HDD to a WD Caviar Black 640GB (WD6401AALS). You'll get a little more performance out of it. Heck, there's even a 1TB version too.
Save money on the motherboard by getting just the vanilla P6T. They perform about the same unless you "need" all the bells and whistles.
As for the case, it's really up to your discretion. It really does look unique. I however don't like spending a lot of money on a case just yet because I'm poor.
You can also find lower latency RAM for around the same price as well so don't forget about that.
The PSU could also be downgraded to a 850W or even a 750W and should be just fine as well.

Overall it looks pretty good. Also keep in mind that Core i5 is soon to launch as well.

[rbird]

Thanks for the feedback (I wasn't bumping, I had edited out a very basic question).

Good to know about the power supply. I was afraid that I wouldn't be going far enough with a 750/850 watt. I'll take your advice on the harddrives as well.

Thanks!

[bojangles]

I guess I should add that you should really invest in a decent 750W PSU that has a high current rating on the 12V rail. The HX750 would be perfect for this rig. It should easily take the task of running 2 275s in SLI and a 920 OC'd. Should be around 65-75% under load if I extrapolate at the GTX 275 review properly. However, Usually it doesn't run that high forever, unless you're folding of course LOL. If you really want to be safe you can get the HX850. Of course, you can always buy their non-modular siblings to save some money too, but you don't get the cable-friendly part.

[CMetaphor]

Other than fallout 3, nothing your system is intended for will stress it much. So unless you really want to have more fps than you can even notice, you may want to consider a less expensive system and OC that id you really have to. Just an idea... Or are you planning on playing the absolute latest and greatest games on max? Then it might be worth it...

[Prof. Dr. Silver]

Hey rbird, here's an updated list for you with a better pricematch than you have:

i7 920: 310
6Gb RAM: 120
Mobo Asus: 325
HDD WD6401AALS: 76
Case Raven: 222
PNY GTX 275 OC x 2: 224 x 2 = 448
Corsair 1000HX: 222

For a total of $ 1723... I saved you $ 400 right there!

Here's the thing though... That mobo can be changed... for cheaper and you have two different speeds of memory listed(I picked the faster of the two)....Also I recommend some serious cooling as the i7's get very hot! Maybe this: TRUE 120 for LGA 1366

Ps.... I would also get me a 120Gb Vertex(369.99) if I was spending this kinda cash anyways

Anyone else?

[rbird]

Originally Posted by Prof. Dr. Silver

Hey rbird, here's an updated list for you with a better pricematch than you have:

i7 920: 310
6Gb RAM: 120
Mobo Asus: 325
HDD WD6401AALS: 76
Case Raven: 222
PNY GTX 275 OC x 2: 224 x 2 = 448
Corsair 1000HX: 222

For a total of $ 1723... I saved you $ 400 right there!

Here's the thing though... That mobo can be changed... for cheaper and you have two different speeds of memory listed(I picked the faster of the two)....Also I recommend some serious cooling as the i7's get very hot! Maybe this: TRUE 120 for LGA 1366

Ps.... I would also get me a 120Gb Vertex(369.99) if I was spending this kinda cash anyways

Anyone else?

Hey Dr. Silver - thanks for the feedback. I didn't realize I had selected two different speeds of memory. Already put the order through, so I'll have to check to see if I can return the lower clocked memory in exchange for the higher clocked memory.

NCIX has already pushed the order to 'Order Processed' status, I'm surprised. Hopefully that means the shipping will come in the next couple of days.

[Prof. Dr. Silver]

Hmmm... so basically all this hard work for nothing? That's not very nice! :)

What did your total come up to? Are you making a worklog? We wanna see pics!

[rbird]

I couldn't resist - however, I've sent in a customer ticket in an attempt to make the changes you suggested at the last minute. At the very worst, Ill need to return the ram chip and WD green harddrive. I've ordered dual black 1tb in its place.

Total cost at this point prior to returns and the two blacks is 2500. You bet, I will put together a build post later in the week, assuming I am blessed by the shipment gods. I am hoping its a fun build.