New Build - $1400 Budget

[RJones]

I'm throwing together a new rig for my parents. They want something to last them another 8 years. Their budget is approximately $1400. Their main requirements are RAID hard drives and a small case. This is what I've come up with:

EVGA X58 Micro mATX LGA1366 DDR3 2PCIE-16 1PCI-E1 1PCI SLI SATA2 Sound Dual GBLAN 1394 Motherboard
Usually ships in 1-2 business days. In Stock 40654 $239.70 $239.70 Intel Core i7 920 Quad Core Processor LGA1366 2.66GHZ Bloomfield 8MB LGA1366 4.8GT/S
Usually ships in 1-2 business days. In Stock 34598 $356.83 $356.83 Price Match request for the above item
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$309.79 $309.79 Corsair HX520W CMPSU-520HX ATX Triple 12V 40A 24PIN ATX Modular Power Supply 120MM Fan 2X PCI-E
Usually ships in 1-2 business days. In Stock 19832 $116.28 $116.28 Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200RPM 32MB Dual Proc 3.5IN SATA Hard Drive OEM 5YR Mfg Warranty
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In Stock 35504 $209.99 $209.99 Terminator Salvation (PC Game) Coupon for Digital Download *NVIDIA Promo Only* In Stock 40920 $0.00 $0.00 Silverstone Sugo SG01B0-F Evolution Black SFF mATX Case 2X5.25 2X3.5INT No PS
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$105.60 $105.60 Logitech MX518 Gaming Grade Optical Mouse 1600DPI USB SILVER-BLACK
Usually ships in 1-2 business days. In Stock 14879 $49.99 $49.99 Corsair XMS3 TR3X6G1600C9 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1600 CL 9-9-9-24 Core i7 Memory Kit
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In Stock 34654 $127.20 $127.20 $1344 - $50 or so in Rebates.

My questions are:

1. Will everything fit in the case ok.
2. Will 520W be enough for a i7 and a GTX 260?

Please don't tell me that this rig is overkill, I've heard it before. My parents want something powerful that will last them another 8 years. Thanks.

[fredkruge]

I think 520 will be enough, but if your gonna OC at all, id go for a solid 600W power supply. And that isnt a real case... PFFFF. Get a coolermaster 690 and add a few extra case fans

edit- check out this power supply
NCIX.com - Buy OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W ATX 20/24PIN SLI Ready Modular Cables 135MM Fan 80PLUS Power Supply - OCZ700MXSP In Canada.

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IMO. This would be a lot better for you. And for the power supply, having a higher wattage and efficiency is good because itll stress the power supply less. And power supplies tend to be the most efficient at 50% load'ish (and decrease as you get to 20% load and 80% load)
Power Supply Efficiency
that sort of graph

[RJones]

Thanks Fred, I'm not going to OC the rig at all. As far as the case, it has to be small. I showed my parents a Mini P180 and they thought it was too big, lol.

[fredkruge]

Originally Posted by RJones

Thanks Fred, I'm not going to OC the rig at all. As far as the case, it has to be small. I showed my parents a Mini P180 and they thought it was too big, lol.

oh, seriously? I was editing post while you were posting back XD. But itll be really bad to have that small of a case with this kind of hardware. Im not sure itll fit. You should make them paranoid that if the case runs too hot itll catch on fire :P (small case, not enough fans, hardware too cramped)

[CroSsFiRe2009]

Seems like an ok build to me actually. I was going to suggest a TX750W Corsair but in that case I'm not so sure. The 520W should be fine for the build and I'll take Corsair over any OCZ PSU any day unless it's the super high end stuff. Have you also considered a better heatsink such as the Scythe Shuriken since in that cramped case, having a better cooler not only lowers temps but would also make for a quieter and longer lasting computer. Think you also need to factor in the cost of a keyboard too and monitor if your not reusing anything. If your budget still permits, you might as well go for the 275 but since I'm assuming your parents don't game, it might not be worth it The $200 275 at ncix is a good deal but you can always price match for $220. Also, with 8 years of computing, and depending on their computer uses, you might have to get more than 640gb of storage. You also mention RAID hard drives but I'm not sure where your going with that either since you only have one hard drive listed. Toss in a fan or two while your at it too. I'd say a Noctua since their quiet but it's up to you whether you want silence or cooling power, the AC PWM might not be a bad choice either

[RJones]

I decided to boost it up to the Corsair HX750 (Pro Series) as it needs to be modular. Thanks for the suggestion on the fan. The GTX275 definitely won't be necessary. I did have 2 HDD's selected though they don't show in the list. They lasted 8 years with a 80gb HDD.

[CroSsFiRe2009]

Another point that you might want to consider is the mouse. I generally don't like gaming mouses while surfing and prefer my mx610 over the g5. In this case, can I suggest a MX Revolution instead(and pm to ncix)? Would be much more comfortable for general use or REALLLY splurge out and go for this MX5500. Well, theres not much i'd change with the build. Only thing I can think of is having a quiet computer would be much better for your parents since you can leave it on while sleeping and such so choose those fans and heatsinks wisely.

[Evylldemon]

I find it hard to believe everything will fit into that case. I have a core 216 and it barely fits in my p180 case as is (i had to remove one of the storage bays). It would suck to order everything then when it arrived find out it doesn't fit.

[Liu Kang]

8 years? Sorry... not gonna happen.

No OC = No i7 IMO, stick to an LGA775 quad instead, and save a couple hundred bucks on the board and chip...

[omgwtf]

Originally Posted by Liu Kang

8 years? Sorry... not gonna happen.

No OC = No i7 IMO, stick to an LGA775 quad instead, and save a couple hundred bucks on the board and chip...

Since his parents don't game I think the build can make it...My rig is ~ 3 years old since I bought it and I can say that I don't need to upgrade anymore...since I lost my appetite in games ...maybe a HDD now and then but nothing else than that..