NEW BUILD, decisions decisions...

[icchy]

Hey guys,
I've decided to FINALLY give in to the temptation and build an i7. The system will primarily be used for gaming, mostly WOW, Crysis, Counter-Strike and Starcraft 2 + Crysis 2 when they comes out, along with occasional photo editing with Photoshop CS5 (FPS is very important to me).
I currently have the following items purchased with a budget of $1000 left over to spend on the remaining parts.
Case: Blue Haf 932
CPU COOLER: Corsair H50
PSU: CORSAIR TX650W - Contemplating whether an upgrade is needed???
Optical: Lite-On CD/DVD Burner

Needed parts:
Storage: $69.99
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" (until the ridiculous price of SSD goes down)

Hypothetical:
P55 Built
CPU: i7 875k - $200 from microcenter

Motherboard: ??
-ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $179.99
-GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard w/ USB 3.0 & SATA 6 Gb/s - 169.99
-EVGA P55 FTW 200 SLI 141-LF-E658-KR LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - $220
-ASUS Maximus III Formula LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - 229.99

Memory:
-G.SKILL PIS Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2200 - $159.99
-CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMD4GX3M2A1600C8 - $129.99

Graphic Card: ?? Any recommendations??

X58 Built
CPU: i7 930 - $200 from microcenter

Motherboard:
-GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $209.99
-ASUS Rampage III Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $359.99
-MSI Big Bang-XPower LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $309.99

Ram: ??
G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI - $179.99
Graphic Card: ?? Nvidia Perferred. Undecided


My current dilemma is deciding whether to go thru with an i7 875k P55 built or the more future-proof i7 930 on the X58 Boards. Things I'm concerned about in terms of 875k VS 930 and P55 vs X58...

1)I'm a beginner you can say to overclocking and my biggest concern is in finding a built that has a friendly bios and stable overclock reputation. I NEED to be able to oc to 4ghz+ on the i7 on this built. The 920/930s seem to definitely have these results.
2) SLI/CROSSFIRE SUPPORT! I intend to pick up one good graphic card for now and add on to it throughout the year.
3) I would like the mb to have support for Usb 3 and Sata 6, however it is not an extreme concern.
4) Meeting the budget

So... 875k or 930?? and which motherboard, ram to go with it?

I really need you guy's to give some expert advice to help me decide on the remaining parts and maybe even cut some costs along the way. Much Appreciated!

-Ken

[Pine]

Go with a 5850 for the best power to cost ratio for your GPU. Won't regret it. 5970's are always good, too.

[Rison]

If it were my decision, i'd go with the intel 930, and Gigabyte UD3R.

I laughted at the "need to get 4Ghz". need.
I have a 920 D0 @ 4Ghz with the H50, a 930 should have no issues.

As for vid card, depending on budget.. the XFX 5770 / 5850 / 5870. or for nvidia, the EVGA 470 / 480.

[fishingfanatic]

If you're going to xfire/sli, chances you're going to need to bump up your psu, but I'd wait 'til you're ready to make that jump before making that purchase. There are a number of good quality psus available. Look at Corsair, SilverStone,... There are a few others but I suddenly drew blanks, duhhh!. I like the X58 system because of the line being hyperthreaded, and considered the enthusiasts line. I have a feeling this will bring some nasty comments,but oh well. I purchased the P6X58D-E. Reasonable price for a good board, with usb3 and sata 6gb/sec. The top end board by Asus is darn good, ROG, but with the current budget, not recommended, based on that alone. It really is a matter of choice based on what you're willing to spend. For memory, I have always liked Mushkin over everyone else. This is one brand I'm loyal to because of past experience with my own and other builds. There are a number of good quality brands and G Skill seems to be favoured here because of price and quality. Lifetime warranty and support are what I base my purchases on.

Some of the experts will be able to help you better narrow down the choices. Regardless, good luck and enjoy the build and new system!!!

[martin_metal_88]

I would go with 930 with the UD3R and the G.skill PI. With that get a single 5850 and crossfire it later if needed. Futurproofing doesnot exist anymore since 1156 is appealing to disappear and 1366 will probably be gone a 2 years. Just get what is good now and hope it will last enough. For this reason go with the I7 930. They are aso easy to break the 4Ghz you want and the UD3R can do it no problem.