Building a Comp w/ i7.. Suggestions?

Building a computer, yadda, yadda, yadda.. Just like every other topic that gets posted on here haha.. I have a whole $1400 to spend. I was originally planning on keeping it under $1000, and I probably could if I swapped out the i7 with a Quad Core, but the way I see it, the extra money is worth it so I don't have to spend it down the road. Or am I wrong?

1 x Cooler Master - Centurion 534, Black w/ Window ($69.99)

1 x Intel - Core i7 Processor 920 2.66GHz w/ 8MB Cache ($374.99)

1 x Gigabyte - GA-EX58-DS4 w/ TripleDDR3 2100, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, 1394, PCI-E, CrossFireX ($279.99)

1 x Patriot - Extreme Performance Viper Series DDR3 6GB (3 x 2GB) PC3-10666 Enhanced Latency DIMM Kit ($119.99)

1 x Western Digital - 320GB Caviar Blue 7200rpm SATA II w/ 16MB Cache ($59.99)

1 x eVGA - e-GeForce 9800 GT 512MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out ($159.99)

1 x ANTEC - TruePower Trio 650W Power Supply w/ Triple +12V ($119.99)

1 x Microsoft - Windows Vista Home Basic x64 (64-bit) DVD w/ SP1, OEM, 1-Pack ($115.99)

Grand Total: $1365 after GST

Now, there's a couple things. I have an older system I can steal some parts out of. Unfortunately the only thing that could really be used is the DVD-Writer. So that saves me $30 or so. There is a 160GB HD in there, but I don't know what speed its at. I'm going to turn it on later and check, and if it somehow happens to be 7200RPM I'll just use that instead, saving me another $60.

As well, I really am not sure what size of PSU to use with these parts. My friend suggested I get AT LEAST 700W, so I threw a 650W in there as a placeholder. Does anyone know for sure what size I will need?

And I know this question was somewhat answered in a previous topic I made, but is it a good idea to use the i7? I know it's expensive, and to keep costs down I had to skimp a tad on the video card and case, but I'm assuming it will last me a HELL of a lot longer than say a Quad Core. I know I could overclock the Quad to get some crazy good speeds, but I could also run this thing at stock for a while, and then a couple years down the road when it needs it, OC it. Can this chip take an OCing in comparison to others?

If you have any suggestions as to places where I could cut costs, or maybe should spend a little more, let me know. Like for example, getting a 9600 instead of the 9800 for cheaper. Stuff like that.

Thanks a bunch guys.

I'm not gonna pose as an expert on computers but if you are gaming I definetly suggest getting a better video card, maybe a 9800gtx+, hd 4850, or an hd 4870. If you really need to stay within your budget i would suggest going with 4gb of ram as that's all you really need. But like I said, I'm not an expert.

I'm not gonna pose as an expert on computers but if you are gaming I definetly suggest getting a better video card, maybe a 9800gtx+, hd 4850, or an hd 4870. If you really need to stay within your budget i would suggest going with 4gb of ram as that's all you really need. But like I said, I'm not an expert.

goleafsguy

I would go with 4GB, but its actually cheaper to get the 6GB package they offer rather than get 2 2GB packages. Weird as that sounds haha. Thats the only reason why 6 is there.

And I have thought about getting putting a better video card in there, but I figure this one should last me for at least the next year or so? Or am I mistaken? I'd like to save money after dropping so much for the i7 :( lol

I got the Corsair 850W TX for the same price. It works great and has all the hookups for my i7 920.

Hey I have some good news. You have your i7 listed as 374.99. On newegg its listed at 288.99.............

So that saves you about $100 right there.

Hey I have some good news. You have your i7 listed as 374.99. On newegg its listed at 288.99.............

So that saves you about $100 right there.

csquared13

I'm in Canada. newegg.ca has it for I think 359.99. But then I have to pay $12 shipping on it.

Im pretty sure most current-gen cards will be supported for dx11.

Stick with the 9800gt. I'm sure that you'll want to upgrade to a DX11 card next year...-GeordiLaForge-

Yea thats sort of what I'm thinking. If I go with the 1366 platform then I'm set for quite a while. I can always find a 4870x2 in a year or so for much much less. Then again, I could go with a good video card and a lesser processor, and then upgrade the CPU and Mobo once the price of the i7 comes down in a year or so. Either way I may have to upgrade in a year or two.

Im pretty sure most current-gen cards will be supported for dx11.

Sporknife

[QUOTE="-GeordiLaForge-"]Stick with the 9800gt. I'm sure that you'll want to upgrade to a DX11 card next year...remlap

Yea thats sort of what I'm thinking. If I go with the 1366 platform then I'm set for quite a while. I can always find a 4870x2 in a year or so for much much less. Then again, I could go with a good video card and a lesser processor, and then upgrade the CPU and Mobo once the price of the i7 comes down in a year or so. Either way I may have to upgrade in a year or two.

[QUOTE="remlap"]

[QUOTE="-GeordiLaForge-"]Stick with the 9800gt. I'm sure that you'll want to upgrade to a DX11 card next year...-GeordiLaForge-

Yea thats sort of what I'm thinking. If I go with the 1366 platform then I'm set for quite a while. I can always find a 4870x2 in a year or so for much much less. Then again, I could go with a good video card and a lesser processor, and then upgrade the CPU and Mobo once the price of the i7 comes down in a year or so. Either way I may have to upgrade in a year or two.

Well it works out to more than $200 because I have to buy DDR3 instead of 2. So I could probably save a bit more than that, and put that towards a better video card.

[QUOTE="-GeordiLaForge-"][QUOTE="remlap"]

Yea thats sort of what I'm thinking. If I go with the 1366 platform then I'm set for quite a while. I can always find a 4870x2 in a year or so for much much less. Then again, I could go with a good video card and a lesser processor, and then upgrade the CPU and Mobo once the price of the i7 comes down in a year or so. Either way I may have to upgrade in a year or two.

remlap

Well it works out to more than $200 because I have to buy DDR3 instead of 2. So I could probably save a bit more than that, and put that towards a better video card.

[QUOTE="remlap"]

[QUOTE="-GeordiLaForge-"]Go for the 1366 platform. It'll save you money in the long run, since it's only about $200 USD more than a 775 setup... -GeordiLaForge-

Well it works out to more than $200 because I have to buy DDR3 instead of 2. So I could probably save a bit more than that, and put that towards a better video card.

Hmm ya don't say.. I've been on another forum (Tom's Hardware) and pretty much everyone is saying that I should get the e8400 or a q9400 (or something similar), and put the money I've saved there into a better video card. And I mean, I could do that, stay with the 9800, and spend the extra on a better case or something.

[QUOTE="-GeordiLaForge-"][QUOTE="remlap"]

Well it works out to more than $200 because I have to buy DDR3 instead of 2. So I could probably save a bit more than that, and put that towards a better video card.

remlap

Hmm ya don't say.. I've been on another forum (Tom's Hardware) and pretty much everyone is saying that I should get the e8400 or a q9400 (or something similar), and put the money I've saved there into a better video card. And I mean, I could do that, stay with the 9800, and spend the extra on a better case or something.

[QUOTE="Sporknife"]

Im pretty sure most current-gen cards will be supported for dx11.

-GeordiLaForge-

[QUOTE="-GeordiLaForge-"][QUOTE="remlap"]

Well it works out to more than $200 because I have to buy DDR3 instead of 2. So I could probably save a bit more than that, and put that towards a better video card.

remlap

Hmm ya don't say.. I've been on another forum (Tom's Hardware) and pretty much everyone is saying that I should get the e8400 or a q9400 (or something similar), and put the money I've saved there into a better video card. And I mean, I could do that, stay with the 9800, and spend the extra on a better case or something.

[QUOTE="-GeordiLaForge-"][QUOTE="Sporknife"]

Im pretty sure most current-gen cards will be supported for dx11.

Auraknight1

[QUOTE="Auraknight1"][QUOTE="-GeordiLaForge-"]Maybe, I haven't checked out the developer forum yet... I just got the internet turned back on. We had it disconnected when Gustav was on it's way....-GeordiLaForge-

[QUOTE="-GeordiLaForge-"][QUOTE="remlap"]

Well it works out to more than $200 because I have to buy DDR3 instead of 2. So I could probably save a bit more than that, and put that towards a better video card.

remlap

Hmm ya don't say.. I've been on another forum (Tom's Hardware) and pretty much everyone is saying that I should get the e8400 or a q9400 (or something similar), and put the money I've saved there into a better video card. And I mean, I could do that, stay with the 9800, and spend the extra on a better case or something.

[QUOTE="remlap"]

[QUOTE="-GeordiLaForge-"]I just bought an e8400, 4gb Geil black dragon DDR2 RAM, and a 750i FTW motherboard. I added it up, and for an i7 920, good Gigabyte motherboard, and 4gb of 1800MHz DDR3 RAM, it would've been almost exactly $200 more. That's USD btw... And it was right after christmas. There may have been a sale. Either way, I would go with the i7 setup. If you're really that worried about the 9800gt, you can always overvolt it...keiblerfan69

Hmm ya don't say.. I've been on another forum (Tom's Hardware) and pretty much everyone is saying that I should get the e8400 or a q9400 (or something similar), and put the money I've saved there into a better video card. And I mean, I could do that, stay with the 9800, and spend the extra on a better case or something.

Well I posted in the Tom's forum mentioning the i7 + DX11. I also posted a larger post saying this.

Which one should I go with? Not a pure gaming build, as I do other things like downloading almost all the time my computer is on, occasional video encoding, internet, watching movies, stuff like that. Budget is definitely less than $1400, trying to bring it down as much as possible to $1200-$1000. Prices in CAD. From what I can tell, there's not a HUGE difference in price between DDR2 and 3. Maybe if I went 3, I'd only get 4GB whereas if I went 2 I might get more. Or just get a slightly better case instead.

Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3R w/ DualDDR2 1200, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, 1394, PCI-E 2.0 x16 - 144.99
Intel CoreTM2 Quad Processor Q9550 2.83GHz w/ 12MB Cache - 349.99 (on sale till Sunday w/ 25.00 off)
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out, HDMI - 289.99
OR
BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC MAXCORE 55 896MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDMI, HDTV-Out, Mirror Edge Coupon - 284.99

Total - 785.00

Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3R w/ DualDDR2 1200, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, 1394, PCI-E 2.0 x16 - 144.99
Intel CoreTM2 Quad Processor Q8200 2.33GHz w/ 4MB Cache - 214.99 (on sale till Sunday w/ 15.00 off)
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out, HDMI - 289.99
OR
BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC MAXCORE 55 896MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDMI, HDTV-Out, Mirror Edge Coupon - 284.99

Total - 650.00 (Could possibly sneak an even better card in here because of the savings on the CPU)

Gigabyte GA-EX58-DS4 w/ TripleDDR3 2100, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, 1394, PCI-E, CrossFireX - 279.99
Intel CoreTM i7 Processor 920 2.66GHz w/ 8MB Cache - 374.99
BFG GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB PCI-E DualSlot w/ Dual DVI HDTV-Out - 189.99

Total - 845.00

AMD PhenomTM II X4 940 Quad-Core Black Edition 3.0Ghz w/ Asus M4A78-E Bundle (Mobo and CPU) - 429.99 (on sale for 40.00 off till end of March)
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out, HDMI - 289.99
OR
BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC MAXCORE 55 896MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDMI, HDTV-Out, Mirror Edge Coupon - 284.99

Total - 720.00

So what do ya think? I want to stick with Intel if possible. I can find a decent case for about $70. PSU for about $120 or so. DVD Drive from an old computer at my house. Like I mentioned, RAM for about 120 or so.

Not a pure gaming build, as I do other things like downloading almost all the time my computer is on, occasional video encoding, internet, watching movies, stuff like that.

remlap

[QUOTE="remlap"]

Not a pure gaming build, as I do other things like downloading almost all the time my computer is on, occasional video encoding, internet, watching movies, stuff like that.

-GeordiLaForge-

Ya this computer build is coming from someone who's last "gaming" rig was a family computer that had a Radeon 9800 256MB in it. I think the CPU was running at around 2.0Ghz. The newest thing our family has played on it is Civilization 4 + Expansion packs. 1024x768, medium settings I believe. After I got my Xbox 360 I stopped PC gaming all together. I just found it too expensive to upgrade parts every 1-2 years.

But recently I got a decent new laptop that could play some newish (1-2 yr old) games at high graphics and I LOVED it. Fortunately the laptop had some issues so I'm in the process of sending it back, and I have $1400 to play with haha. So for me, even an 8800 would probably blow me away at first.

[QUOTE="-GeordiLaForge-"][QUOTE="remlap"]

Not a pure gaming build, as I do other things like downloading almost all the time my computer is on, occasional video encoding, internet, watching movies, stuff like that.

remlap

Ya this computer build is coming from someone who's last "gaming" rig was a family computer that had a Radeon 9800 256MB in it. I think the CPU was running at around 2.0Ghz. The newest thing our family has played on it is Civilization 4 + Expansion packs. 1024x768, medium settings I believe. After I got my Xbox 360 I stopped PC gaming all together. I just found it too expensive to upgrade parts every 1-2 years.

But recently I got a decent new laptop that could play some newish (1-2 yr old) games at high graphics and I LOVED it. Fortunately the laptop had some issues so I'm in the process of sending it back, and I have $1400 to play with haha. So for me, even an 8800 would probably blow me away at first.

[QUOTE="IvanElk"]drop the i7 and get a decent quad core like q8200. Since in a matter of months there will be 6 core processors. I would suggest atleast a nvidia GTX 2** or a ATI HD 4870. Look for new egg deals.paullywog

So your opinion is to just spend a little more now with the i7? I actually just found an AWESOME deal on a video card on NCIX.

XFX GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 576MHZ 896MB 2.0GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card - 209.00 after mail in rebate.

[QUOTE="remlap"]

Not a pure gaming build, as I do other things like downloading almost all the time my computer is on, occasional video encoding, internet, watching movies, stuff like that.

-GeordiLaForge-

[QUOTE="paullywog"][QUOTE="IvanElk"]drop the i7 and get a decent quad core like q8200. Since in a matter of months there will be 6 core processors. I would suggest atleast a nvidia GTX 2** or a ATI HD 4870. Look for new egg deals.remlap

So your opinion is to just spend a little more now with the i7? I actually just found an AWESOME deal on a video card on NCIX.

XFX GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 576MHZ 896MB 2.0GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card - 209.00 after mail in rebate.