Building budget rig

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biohazard701

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Hey all. I'm trying to build a rig that won't break the bank too much, while still delivering speed and performance. My monitor isn't even HD, so i don't think i need a lot of money for graphics card, but here's what i have. Any suggestions i'd love to hear 'em

Intel i7 860 CPU
Gigabyte P55A-UD4P mobo
Corsair 750HX modular Power supply
PNY geforce 9800 graphics card
apevia X-plorer midtower case
LG optical drive (not sure about all the specs and such but it was around $25)
Hitachi 1TB sata-2 HDD
Windows 7 Pro OEM

I'm recycling Monitor/Speakers


Any advice would really be appreciated!
Thanks
-Bio
 
I willing to bet that your monitor is HD, since they have been so since 1993.

Anyway you make it sound like you have a small monitor, you could get a cheap 24" 1080p one.
 
I would go with an i5 750 over the i7 860 and get a better graphics card now. Later if you need to upgrade the i5 750 will retain more of it's resale value. While the 9800 graphic card is, in my opinion, already dated.
Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

And unless you need XP Mode, which is not for gaming, you should get Window 7 Home Premium 64-bit.
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - Operating Systems
 
I would go with an i5 750 over the i7 860 and get a better graphics card now. Later if you need to upgrade the i5 750 will retain more of it's resale value. While the 9800 graphic card is, in my opinion, already dated.
Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

And unless you need XP Mode, which is not for gaming, you should get Window 7 Home Premium 64-bit.
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - Operating Systems

Thanks for the advice. I do need XP mode, though so i can't really go down to Home Premium. I really want to keep the I7 860. Also, If i do get the I7, how do i go about overclocking it? What do you think I could get it up to? I'm pretty new with this stuff so as much detail as possible would be nice!

I'll considering updating the Graphics card, thanks!
 
If you really want an i7 then you should get the i7 920. The i7 860 is really just a glorified i5 750 using the same P55 chipset. You don't get triple-channel memory like a real i7 and the P55 chipset has a limited or reduced graphic pipeline.

Here's a link to my i7 Overclocking Guide, it will help but it's really aimed more at the i7 with a X58 chipset.
http://www.techist.com/forums/f10/i7-overclocking-guide-224693/
 
Indeed, the only reason they call it an i7 is because it has hyperthreading; would've been much easier to call it an i5 HT or something :\
 
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