APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Next few days if possible.
BUDGET RANGE: US$1000-1500
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, web surfing, movie watching/music
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Have mouse, keyboard, and speakers.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, but open to others as long as they're reliable.
PARTS PREFERENCES: I have no parts preference, other than that the manufacturers are reputable and have good QA programs. I hear many people giving anecdotal opinions either way regards NVIDIA vs. RADEON, but am unclear as to the reasons people might prefer one over the other. I'm pretty much decided on the i7 920, though. Seems like a great processer at a really good price, and future friendly to boot.
OVERCLOCKING: Certainly, but probably not right out of the box. I have no experience, and am willing to learn.
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe, if it's the best option.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: I'd prefer at least 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'm inexperienced at this, built a couple computers several (almost 10) years ago, but had knowledgeable friends completely walking me through the process, so I have an idea of what goes on, and am looking forward to really doing it myself. I'm probably not going to get a blue ray drive yet, but want to get one down the road, so want an appropriate monitor. I'd like to try the Windows 7 RC if possible, but not sure how to get it on a fresh system with no prior OS.
A friend suggested the following parts:
EVGA 896-P3-1260-TR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Newegg.com - EVGA 896-P3-1260-TR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
Acer X213Hbid 21.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor
Newegg.com - Acer X213Hbid 21.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 20000:1 (ACM) - LCD Monitors
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3750330AS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive – OEM
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3750330AS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply – Retail
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case – Retail
Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory – Retail
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor – Retail
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
BIOSTAR TPOWER X58A LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Newegg.com - BIOSTAR TPOWER X58A LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
I have some questions, though, and alternate items I found
As for the graphics card, I noticed that the one he linked me had the older chipset, and found
EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card – Retail
Newegg.com - EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card – Retail
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
Looks like a great, comparable Radeon, and is one I'm considering. And another friend even suggested that it'd be worth it to splurge on the 280.
Found a
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive – OEM
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
Which has a little less storage space, but more consistently good reviews. Would this be a better choice than the Seagate?
I'm unsure of the motherboard he picked. I have always heard good things about ASUS, and found a few well reviewed boards in the price range he picked out for me,
ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail
Newegg.com - ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail
Newegg.com - ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail
Newegg.com - ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
These seem to be versions of the same board, but in increasing levels of quality. I am, however, completely at a loss as to what the actual difference is between them, other than some support 24 gb of memory when I'll never even come close to 12. Why would I purchase one of the Deluxe boards over the regular p6t? And would these be better purchases than the biostar?
Regards the memory, the friend hooked me up with 4 gb dual channel, saying that 6 gb was overkill, that I'd never come close to using it and it'd be very difficult to use even 4 gbs. However, since the X58 boards are triple channel, do I need to get 6 gbs anyway?
If 6gb is preferable, I've seen builds using
OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory – Retail
Newegg.com - OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
and
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory – Retail
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
Any suggestions here?
Thanks to the guides here, saw
Antec Signature SG650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply – Retail
Newegg.com - Antec Signature SG650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
While the power supply the friend recommended looks really good, this one had an incredible review, and seems to be more efficient; at least, it has a higher 80 + certification, and energy efficiency is important to me.
I have two finishing questions. First, is it worth it to get an extra hard drive and a RAID setup? And what cpu heat sinks do you recommend? The friend in question left that off of his list, but I've seen people speak highly of
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler – Retail
Newegg.com - XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks
Thank you for any help, and sorry about the wall of text.
BUDGET RANGE: US$1000-1500
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, web surfing, movie watching/music
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Have mouse, keyboard, and speakers.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, but open to others as long as they're reliable.
PARTS PREFERENCES: I have no parts preference, other than that the manufacturers are reputable and have good QA programs. I hear many people giving anecdotal opinions either way regards NVIDIA vs. RADEON, but am unclear as to the reasons people might prefer one over the other. I'm pretty much decided on the i7 920, though. Seems like a great processer at a really good price, and future friendly to boot.
OVERCLOCKING: Certainly, but probably not right out of the box. I have no experience, and am willing to learn.
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe, if it's the best option.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: I'd prefer at least 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'm inexperienced at this, built a couple computers several (almost 10) years ago, but had knowledgeable friends completely walking me through the process, so I have an idea of what goes on, and am looking forward to really doing it myself. I'm probably not going to get a blue ray drive yet, but want to get one down the road, so want an appropriate monitor. I'd like to try the Windows 7 RC if possible, but not sure how to get it on a fresh system with no prior OS.
A friend suggested the following parts:
EVGA 896-P3-1260-TR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Newegg.com - EVGA 896-P3-1260-TR GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
Acer X213Hbid 21.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor
Newegg.com - Acer X213Hbid 21.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 20000:1 (ACM) - LCD Monitors
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3750330AS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive – OEM
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3750330AS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply – Retail
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX 620W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case – Retail
Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory – Retail
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor – Retail
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
BIOSTAR TPOWER X58A LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Newegg.com - BIOSTAR TPOWER X58A LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
I have some questions, though, and alternate items I found
As for the graphics card, I noticed that the one he linked me had the older chipset, and found
EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card – Retail
Newegg.com - EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card – Retail
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
Looks like a great, comparable Radeon, and is one I'm considering. And another friend even suggested that it'd be worth it to splurge on the 280.
Found a
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive – OEM
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
Which has a little less storage space, but more consistently good reviews. Would this be a better choice than the Seagate?
I'm unsure of the motherboard he picked. I have always heard good things about ASUS, and found a few well reviewed boards in the price range he picked out for me,
ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail
Newegg.com - ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail
Newegg.com - ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail
Newegg.com - ASUS P6T Deluxe LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
These seem to be versions of the same board, but in increasing levels of quality. I am, however, completely at a loss as to what the actual difference is between them, other than some support 24 gb of memory when I'll never even come close to 12. Why would I purchase one of the Deluxe boards over the regular p6t? And would these be better purchases than the biostar?
Regards the memory, the friend hooked me up with 4 gb dual channel, saying that 6 gb was overkill, that I'd never come close to using it and it'd be very difficult to use even 4 gbs. However, since the X58 boards are triple channel, do I need to get 6 gbs anyway?
If 6gb is preferable, I've seen builds using
OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory – Retail
Newegg.com - OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
and
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory – Retail
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
Any suggestions here?
Thanks to the guides here, saw
Antec Signature SG650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply – Retail
Newegg.com - Antec Signature SG650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
While the power supply the friend recommended looks really good, this one had an incredible review, and seems to be more efficient; at least, it has a higher 80 + certification, and energy efficiency is important to me.
I have two finishing questions. First, is it worth it to get an extra hard drive and a RAID setup? And what cpu heat sinks do you recommend? The friend in question left that off of his list, but I've seen people speak highly of
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler – Retail
Newegg.com - XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks
Thank you for any help, and sorry about the wall of text.
