Building a new computer at the end of the month - recommendations?

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rayman2k2

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So after school lets out and finals are all said and done, I plan on building a desktop - something I've been meaning to do for almost 5 years but never had the opportunity as it was always the case of this-lead-to-that or okay-but-not-now.

First the questions:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
-Gaming, browsing, music listening, gaming and a little gaming.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
-Approx 1200 for just the PC, tax and shipping preferably included

3) Where do you live?
-Maryland

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
-Building from scratch, so everything.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
-Nope, I have nothing worth reusing.

6) Will you be overclocking?
-Yes, but nothing too insane. Enough to get a power boost but my main concern is the pc being quiet.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
-Dont know as of yet but ideally it will be a 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 monitor. Size-wise, it wont be bigger than 24" or smaller than 20"

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
-End of this month, early June. That said, is there a new Core i7 processor coming out this summer?

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
-Mainly SLI. If I dont do it initially, I will eventually.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
-No, I do not. I plan on running Vista x64 and Windows 7 on dualboot.



Here is what I have spec'd out so far (prices from newegg):

CPU: Core i7 920 - 279.99
Mobo: Asus P6T - 249.99
Ram: Corsair XMS 6gb - 98.99
Video Card: EVGA GTX 260 Core 216 - 194.99
HDD: WD 6400AALS - 74.99
HSF: Scythe KATANA3 - 26.99
Case: Antec P182 with Antec EA650 - 198.90 (Combo deal)


Thoughts? Total comes to 1157 with a DVD burner. Again, I'd like for it to be quiet. It would be great if I could get SLI off the bat, but no big deal. I just want to be able to play WoW and other upcoming MMO's with the settings on high, as well as other FPS's, RTS's, etc. For those, the highest settings are necessary but the higher the better.
 
Let's adjust some items man.

CPU + Video Card (Combo) - EVGA Geforce GTX 275 + Intel Core i7 920 both for $510

Ram + Mobo (Combo) - G. Skill 6GB DDR3 1600 + Asus P6T both for $320
 
What is up with all the "buy G.Skill and dump the Corsiar" talk lately? The G.Skill isn't bad performing RAM by any means, nor would I call it bad quality, but it sure as hell doesn't have the compatibility that Corsair RAM offers.
 
HardwareGuru said:
Let's adjust some items man.

CPU + Video Card (Combo) - EVGA Geforce GTX 275 + Intel Core i7 920 both for $510

Ram + Mobo (Combo) - G. Skill 6GB DDR3 1600 + Asus P6T both for $320
Click to expand...


Thanks for the suggestions man! I'll definitely upgrade to the GTX 275 then. Is it a loud card?


Dan_D said:
What is up with all the "buy G.Skill and dump the Corsiar" talk lately? The G.Skill isn't bad performing RAM by any means, nor would I call it bad quality, but it sure as hell doesn't have the compatibility that Corsair RAM offers.
Click to expand...

I guess its just for the combo deal in this case?
 
rayman2k2 said:
Thanks for the suggestions man! I'll definitely upgrade to the GTX 275 then. Is it a loud card?




I guess its just for the combo deal in this case?
Click to expand...

Maybe. I've seen the recommendations in favor of G.Skill in a number of threads now. The G.Skill is cheaper and you can get higher clocked modules for less money, but the compatibility of the G.Skill RAM vs. Corsair is lacking. G.Skill RAM is a little more problematic in my experience with some boards. Not saying its bad RAM, but I'm just wondering why everyone is so "pro G.Skill" and almost "against Corsair" here lately.
 
Dan_D said:
What is up with all the "buy G.Skill and dump the Corsiar" talk lately? The G.Skill isn't bad performing RAM by any means, nor would I call it bad quality, but it sure as hell doesn't have the compatibility that Corsair RAM offers.
Click to expand...

In this case, it was due to the combo deal. In general, G.Skill RAM tends to be cheaper without dealing with rebates, performs about the same, and I've personally never heard of any major compatibility problems.

Not because Cosair RAM is bad, just that many of us here are cheapskates here:).
 
Danny Bui said:
In this case, it was due to the combo deal. In general, G.Skill RAM tends to be cheaper without dealing with rebates, performs about the same, and I've personally never heard of any major compatibility problems.

Not because Cosair RAM is bad, just that some of us are cheapskates here:)
Click to expand...

Everyone's experiences are different I suppose. Most of the major board brands don't have any major issues with some of the cheaper RAM like G.Skill and Patriot, but I have seen a few issues from time to time. Mostly the SPD information isn't read correctly on some boards and you have to set all your timings manually. Fine for us enthusiasts, but sucks for OEM's.
 
Why do you want to dual boot Vista and Windows 7?

I'm a Corsair loyalist, but I'm tired of the rebates. I recommend G.Skill only because it's cheaper without rebates.
 
Do you have a microcenter near you? If so, they have the i7 920 for $230.

For a 24" monitor? I'd suggest avoiding SLI if your budget is only $1200. Dropping the SLI requirement will allow for a cheaper PSU. $200 for a P182 + EA650 is a bit pricey, IMO.

Corsair XMS used to be the same price as G.Skill, but then they bumped the price up and added a mail-in rebate instead. :( I've had good experience with both, so I, too, recommend the cheaper of the two without having to deal with rebates.
 
The only real option is weather you plan to oc or not.If so then there are plenty of boards that do a good job for that.Like my dfi that works great at 4.1 on water, if your are not planning on using water,one of the cheaper boards will work fine,as they will overclock way past what air can do for you.Next is the videocard.Pay alot now for a 295 or wait.If your not into any heavey duty games at he moment get a 4870 or 260.There priced pretty good and they want break the bank.You can pick up a 4870 for around 150 and a 260 on newegg for about 150 to 160 open box.That will last you til the next card comes out or until the 295 comes down.The ram I love is mushkin 3x2 7-8-7-20.It will oc good and the price has droped down to about 139 on newegg.Don't worry to much about the sound at this point,as the board will come with a decent onboard chip.You can skim on the ram if you like also.I have some gskill memory that you can pick up for about 90 bucks that will do a good job also.Plus the heatspreaders work good on them.They run alot cooler than my mushkin ram does,and I can oc the same on either brand.But,the mushkin scores a little better in benchmarking.

This is my set up with water running stable at 4.1

Ram:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226030
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247

Board:
Do not let the reviews fool you.I have stuck with dfi from the core2duo to the quad and also the i7.The dfi boards have all been stable and well oc.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136065

The rest is up to you now.
 
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If you plan on overclocking to even a modest degree, you need to choose a better CPU cooler. A good yet (relatively) inexpensive CPU cooler is the Xigmatek S1283V.

You may want to add $100 for the additional cost of a Vista license.

The P182 will go a long way towards your goal of a quiet PC. For more tips and/or recommendations, check out Silent PC Review.
 
I'll take a look at the mobo and the vid card in a few, but how about the TRUE for a HSF? I've noticed newegg doesn't carry it anymore...


...and is there anything wrong with the mobo I picked out?
 
The TRUE120 is great if you dont mind the price. As is the Noctua NH-U12P SE1366. If you want nearly the same performance but for less, the Xigmatek is good.
 
enginurd said:
The TRUE120 is great if you dont mind the price. As is the Noctua NH-U12P SE1366. If you want nearly the same performance but for less, the Xigmatek is good.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme is quite expensive. Especially the Black and Copper versions of it. The 1366 RT also seems to command a price premium in some cases.
 
I still wanna know why the OP wants to dual boot Vista and Windows 7. I can sort of understand it if he/she wants the permanence of Vista alongside the free year of Windows 7 that'll need to be rebuilt.

Otherwise it seems rather silly.
 
GJSNeptune said:
I still wanna know why the OP wants to dual boot Vista and Windows 7. I can sort of understand it if he/she wants the permanence of Vista alongside the free year of Windows 7 that'll need to be rebuilt.

Otherwise it seems rather silly.
Click to expand...



That mainly. Just to tinker around with Windows 7 for the hell of it, no particular reason. (Sorry somehow skipped your question the first time around)



For the video card, do you guys think SLI GTX 260's are worth it? Would it be worth the extra 100 dollars for SLI GTX 275's?


How loud are said cards?
 
rayman2k2 said:
For the video card, do you guys think SLI GTX 260's are worth it? Would it be worth the extra 100 dollars for SLI GTX 275's?
Click to expand...

Depends on what resolution you're playing at. I see that you haven't exactly decided what size monitor you want/need/gonna buy. But in a general sense, below 1920x1200, no difference whatsoever. Above 1920x1200, depends if you want the absolute highest settings.
 
GJSNeptune said:
I still wanna know why the OP wants to dual boot Vista and Windows 7. I can sort of understand it if he/she wants the permanence of Vista alongside the free year of Windows 7 that'll need to be rebuilt.

Otherwise it seems rather silly.
Click to expand...

Danny Bui said:
Depends on what resolution you're playing at. I see that you haven't exactly decided what size monitor you want/need/gonna buy. But in a general sense, below 1920x1200, no difference whatsoever. Above 1920x1200, depends if you want the absolute highest settings.
Click to expand...




Size-wise, I haven't decided, but I know for a fact it will be 1920x1200, potentially higher.
 
enginurd said:
You'll need at least 750W for SLI, so keep that in mind, too.
Click to expand...

Depends on the cards that will be used in SLI. Two Geforce 8600 GTS's won't need that much power. Two Geforce GTX 275's probably will. I know two Geforce GTX 295's will.
 
I recommend getting a cheap graphics card with a GOOD motherboard right now... ESPECIALLY if you are going with Windows 7. Remember DX11 is right around the corner. Suffer for now, save for later.
 
Manic_Midwestern said:
I recommend getting a cheap graphics card with a GOOD motherboard right now... ESPECIALLY if you are going with Windows 7. Remember DX11 is right around the corner. Suffer for now, save for later.
Click to expand...

Please. Most games still haven't utilized DX10 to its fullest.

No one should get a new operating system just for gaming. The money would almost always be better spent on a good graphics card.
 
Dan_D said:
Depends on the cards that will be used in SLI. Two Geforce 8600 GTS's won't need that much power. Two Geforce GTX 275's probably will. I know two Geforce GTX 295's will.
Click to expand...

Yes, of course, but he was talking about gaming at 1900x1200 and SLI'ing GTX260's or GTX275's.
 
Thanks for the heads up on the psu, I think if I go single caRd I'm gonna go sinle gtx 275, if I sli, the two gtx 260s
 
Good choices with either route. Though, the HD4890 should also be considered, depending on the games you play.
 
I think I'm leaning towards the single card route now - the games I'll play at 1920x1200 res are primarily MMO's, a few FPS's and RTS's. I'm not so much worried about cranking up the quality as much as I am playing at that res with solid framerates.

Still, woudl a 650watt PSU suffice?


EDIT: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121313

That's the card I'm looking at.
 
A good 650 watt power supply would work. The Corsair TX650 and the Antec Earthwatts EA650 are two such examples.
 
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For the system you spec'd earlier and a single GTX275? even a good quality 550W would suffice. ;)
 
hehe and one more question...Velociraptor worth it? I do very little encoding, but some music editing and a lot of gaming. The only reason why I'd see getting a Velociraptor is to lower game load times but would it increase game performance? I.e. loading textures that much faster...
 
In my opinion, no. The Western Digital Caviar (Blue or Black) 640GB hard drive performs about 10% slower than the VelociRaptor in most benchmarks. Either 640GB HDD costs, at most, around $80 each -- a fraction of the VR's price. Even though the VR would reduce load times, the game will still run the same (as the video card largely determines the overall FPS).
 
I agree with tiraides. If you have cash to burn, check out the OCZ Vertex SSDs. ;)
 
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