Hey, guys. I would love and appreciate some suggestions on my first build.

[seejackierun]

Hey everyone. Hope everyone is doing well.

I've been really interested in building a desktop for a while, and finally got a good enough job that would support a project financially. This would be my first build completely, and to be honest, I'm still learning and teaching myself from sources people are recommending to me, and my other techno-savvy friends.

Here's what I've got so far:

• Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601930
• ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
• SPARKLE SXX4601024D5SNM GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
• G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI
• COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
• CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
• SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
  
• COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU Cooler
  
• Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
  
• LG Black 10X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Disc Combo Model CH10LS20 R LightScribe Support
  

I'd like to know if there are any brands I should avoid, or what are some other good brands that I should look into for alternative products.

Thanks so much for everyone's time in advance.

- Jackie

Also: In terms of pricing, Memory Express is an Edmonton based company that will basically match any Canadian site (saves me shipping costs too) for any parts that they carry. Are there any other websites other than the basics (NCIX, Newegg) that I should also look into?

As a side note, I suppose I should mention moderate gaming and photo editing capabilities are what I expect to do with this machine. I intend to have dual monitors, expect to game on full 1080, and possibly want another video card for sli in the future.

[martin_metal_88]

First of all...Welcome here!! Well, all your part are far solid. For a first build it's rock solid. Keep it like that. You may want to look at EVGA for the video card since they have a rock solid warranty and service. Also, to find the cheapest price use shopbot.ca! Keep on posting!!!

P.S. You can also look at the HX750 ( the modular version ) or the silverstone strider plus 850W so you will have less un-used cable in the case. That's nice for the look:)

[seejackierun]

Thanks for the welcome, Martin.

Lol, as the brand name is "SPARKLE!!!!!" I was a little wary. Any specific video card suggestions?

[martin_metal_88]

This one is lifetime warranty upon registration within 30 business day.
Newegg.ca - EVGA 01G-P3-1371-AR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

You can also look at the Zotac that is also lifetime warranty. But any EVGA, Gigabytes or Asus 460 will be nice and sweet.

[Realityshift]

To be honest for what your looking to do with this system you could save alot of money by going with either an AMD build (X4 955, X6 1055) or a 1156 build (I3 530, I5 750) But still have MORE then enough horsepower to get the job done. I do alot of photo editing in lightroom and photoshop, as well as some 3dsmax work and the i3 530 has never come close to lagging behind. Personally I would go with a lower priced CPU/MB/Ram setup and spend the extra money on a bigger video card.

What Resolution will you be gaming at exactly?

These are just my humble opinions, Im in a very similar position as you and I just see the i7 as being overkill for anyone other then benchmarkers, but it really depends on how much money you wanna throw at your build.

[_dangtx_]

you may find other choices in that price range, mobo wise. rest looks good. have owned a few sparkle gpus.thumbs up. except if it breaks not sure bout warranty up here

[0o0]

Swap the...:
arctic silver 5 for mx3, or the IC7 diamond stuff sold on this website
haf922 for either a fractal define or cm690 II
samsung f3 for a WD Black 1tb 64mb cache (make sure it's the 64mb version)
tx750 for a hx650
hyper 212+ for a venomous X

The 460 is a good choice, but personally I don't like it because it's short and looks ugly in a big case. If your budget allows, get a gtx470, much bigger and beefier and looks better :)

[seejackierun]

Originally Posted by 0o0

Swap the...:
arctic silver 5 for mx3, or the IC7 diamond stuff sold on this website
haf922 for either a fractal define or cm690 II
samsung f3 for a WD Black 1tb 64mb cache (make sure it's the 64mb version)
tx750 for a hx650
hyper 212+ for a venomous X

The 460 is a good choice, but personally I don't like it because it's short and looks ugly in a big case. If your budget allows, get a gtx470, much bigger and beefier and looks better :)

What would "this" website be just to clarify? I'd like to check out prices.

[seejackierun]

Originally Posted by Realityshift

To be honest for what your looking to do with this system you could save alot of money by going with either an AMD build (X4 955, X6 1055) or a 1156 build (I3 530, I5 750) But still have MORE then enough horsepower to get the job done. I do alot of photo editing in lightroom and photoshop, as well as some 3dsmax work and the i3 530 has never come close to lagging behind. Personally I would go with a lower priced CPU/MB/Ram setup and spend the extra money on a bigger video card.

What Resolution will you be gaming at exactly?

These are just my humble opinions, Im in a very similar position as you and I just see the i7 as being overkill for anyone other then benchmarkers, but it really depends on how much money you wanna throw at your build.

I'd like to be able to game on the full 1080, and I'm pretty set on getting two monitors. I'm keeping in mind for the future that I'd like to get another video card for sli.

My bf's also mentioning that amd and 1156 mobos are bad for new gen sli.

Valid suggestions though. What do you think should be a good price range then for what I'm looking for? Am I going crazy with some of the components?

[xlilmissmjx]

+1 for the EVGA GTX460, WD Caviar Black 1TB 64MB Cache, CM Hyper 212+ and Corsair HX650!

Everything about your build looks great and would sweeter with the above mods, especially if you could afford to put in an SSD for the OS & programs and make the 1TB drive as you storage for documents/pics/music etc.

If you do wish to step down to the 1156 setup though then I would suggest going with these changes...

Intel Core i5 750
Asus P7P55D-E Pro
G Skill PI F3-12800CL6D-4GBPI DDR3-1600 4GB 2x2GB

Good luck with whichever way u go for your build