Subscribe to How-To Geek
We encourage you to register on our forums and post any questions you might have. The How-To Geeks monitor this forum and will respond to your question quickly.
this will be the list of components of my first build. please leave any comments:
Case: Antec nine hundred two mid-tower
CPU: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz
Mobo: ASUS P6T SE x58
Graphics card: Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 1GB
RAM: OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600
HHD: WD caviar black 1TB 7200 RPM SATA
PSU: Corsair 750TX 750W
not planning on SLI/crossfirex, so i think the SE mobo works fine. otherwise the only thing i'm concerning is the price.
As far as I know, I won't be building this computer till mid-October or even November, so I'm planning on running Windows 7.
I am actually quite confident in picking between LGA1156 and LGA1366 series of intel CPUs. I have looked into the performance and capability, and going extreme is just not my preference (price$$). Intel pushing two chipsets out within this short period of time makes me wonder whether one of the chipsets will be cut soon, since the performances between the two seemed rather versatile. If I have to pick, I will consider the core i7 920 2.66 GHz or core i7 860 2.8 GHz. Maybe someone can talk me into getting the core i5 750?
And the motherboard right now really depends on the CPU. I will look into the mothernboard more once I decide which chipset I will use.
jpop122, it's true that the Intel CPU line is getting crowded with the release of these new processors and chipsets, but part of that is due to the continued viability of the Core 2 architecture. As far as phasing out chipsets, I would normally expect this to happen to the oldest ones, chronologically. But the P45 continues to be a sweet spot for price since X38 boards almost always require DDR3 memory. If anything should be phased out it's the even older relics such as the G45. Still, I can't fault Intel for keeping these chipsets around to put pressure on AMD in the entry-level price space.
Since you aren't doing your build until October or November, you have time to see how the Lynnfield / LGA1156 / P55 configurations perform and price out. I would expect the P55 to become wildly popular with board makers in the budget and mid-range space while the X58 and LGA1366 are primarily used for high-end, premium featured boards pushing $300. The P55 is a 2-chip solution, compared to the X58's 3-chips, and only requires paired DIMMs instead of triples. That means less power, less heat, less cost, and more room on the board for other devices or just easier PCB layout. Also, based on the technology, and early reports, Lynnfield CPUs should be just as overclockable as the Bloomfields for anyone who wants to bridge the performance gap to a stock Bloomfield.
I just bought all the parts for my new PC build as well. I was on the fence between i7 and i5. After looking on newegg for days and days trying all sorts of different configurations i ended up deciding on the i7. There was really not that much of a price difference between the 2 systems.
All of the parts were exactly the same. The only difference was the RAM, CPU and Motherboard. I was looking for a motherboard with Dual Gigabit LAN ports so that narrowed down the search.
The Ram was rougly $140 for 8GB of DDR2 or $119 for 6GB DDR3
I ended up getting the i7 920 from Microcenter. They are a local Computer store here...Also in NY and GA...i think CA too. It was only $199..they have the i5 for $159
All in all, i might have been able to save $100 if that by going the i5 route. I decided that i would rather spend the extra money up front than have to buy new ram/cpu and mobo later down the road. At least this way when the other higher end i7s come down in price i can upgrade only the cpu and not need a new Motherboard or RAM.
Here is a list of my parts ....hopefully it helps you make your decisions.
EVGA E758-TR 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813188046
EVGA 512-P3-N954-TR GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814130378
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231225
Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136283
LITE-ON Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDP118-04 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827106274
PLEXTOR 22X CD/DVD Burner Black IDE Model PX-870A LightScribe Support - OEM
Item #: N82E16827249053
Rosewill RCR-IC001 40-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/ USB port / Extra silver face plate - Retail
Item #: N82E16820223103
Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
Item #: N82E16824009145
Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE ... - Retail
^ I have the same mobo. I was advised that the 3-way SLI feature may be excessive, but I wanted room for potential expansion (additional GPU's). If he were to get the same X58 mobo, he may want to steer away from the 3 way SLI if he doesn't see a need for it's use. It would save a lot of money to get similar x58 mobo's without this feature.
thanks for the reponses guys. I appreciate it.
I'm actually finding EVGA motherboards pretty price-reasonable for the functions they offer. I may switch to that...
I think the i9 that intel is developing will be LGA 1366 as well, so I think I will still go with core i7 920 now, so that I can upgrade to i9 without switching motherboards.
for power supply, does it really make a big difference between regular and modular?
alright I got another question. I am in serious consideration whether to get a mid tower (antec nine hundred two) or a full tower (antec twelve hundred). I know I do not need a full tower for now, as with my current hardware, but I do appreciate the large space for future upgrade and the better airflow within the case in a full tower. The two cases are $50 apart in newegg, and I was thinking, why not get a full tower if I will get a full tower anyway in the future?
Also, I'm thinking about adding a fan controller to my build. Do you guys have any suggestion? Currently I find the Scythe Kaze Master appealing...
In regards to the towers, I actually went with the full antec twelve hundred. It is certainly huge, but keep in mind the open space. I have a GTX 275 inside and after installing it there is still a few inches before the hard drive cages of free space. Also, I don't know if it's a feature of the mid tower, but on the full tower the case panel opposite the window (behind the mobo) has about 1-2 inches of space -I believe thats about right - for cables to run through. I put all the power cables for my DVD drive and most of the fan cables (keep in mind that this case comes with 6 fans pre-installed) back there. It provided for a clutter-free space, which also greatly helps the airflow. Not to mention the fact that it made the interior look MUUUCH cooler with that window and the blue LED's.
On high settings the fans can be a little loud. There are physical nobs/switch-things for each fan to adjust the speed to your liking, though. If you want a more accurately tuned RPM for the fans, a fan controller wouldn't hurt. I don't know anything about the Scythe, but the first three reviews that showed up kinda sucked.
Thanks the reply guys. I actually decide to build my computer this month, so I will be ordering parts in a week or two. Now I have a few certain components are:
CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA1136
Graphics card: Sapphire HD 5870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16
RAM: OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600
HHD: WD caviar black 1TB 7200 RPM SATA
However, I got more confused about the case, motherboard, and power supply.
For case, I was originally going for Antec Nine Hundred Two Mid Tower ">Antec 902 mid tower (for the air flow), but I have read a lot of reviews comparing it to Coolermaster HAF 922. And for $15 more than Antec 902, I can get Coolermaster HAF 932, which is a full tower and has enormous airflow. Do some of you have any particular experience with these cases?
For motherboard, I realize I may upgrade to crossfire in near future, so for some price-reasonable boards I am considering Asus P6T x58 LGA 1366 and EVGA x58 SLI LE LGA 1366. I know there is no perfect motherboards, but I heard Asus has a more user-friendly bios to tweak things with, and EVGA is another quite promising brand for its quality and support. Again, I'm looking for suggestions here.
For PSU, not only am I stuck between brand vs price, I'm also stuck between PFC and modular. If I am going for a mid tower case with efficient airflow, I am happy to go with a modular ~600W PSU. However, modular is still really expensive, and I can get ~800W PFC PSU for more or less the same price. I want my computer to last around 5 years, so I believe a power supply with higher wattage power is better, but I'm not planning to spend >$150 on a 700W modular yet...
Please, if you have any experience with my problem, I will appreciate your input. Thanks.
In regards to the case, that coolermaster 932 looks like it has great air flow, as does the 900 or 1200(full). I have the EVGA x58, and I've had no problems at all. You seem to be pretty set with these two parts... Doesn't seem to matter which way you go, all of them look good.
I'm not sure about PSU's, though. I went with the Antec 1200 that had a built in 750w PSU, and its working great.
You must log in to post.
