haven't been around since AthlonXP days.. about to take the plunge, a core i7 rig

[nanoblaze01]

this is the system im using to type this up right now.. bought in '04

ABIT "NF7-S" Rev. 2 - L12
AthlonXP-M 2500+ IQYHA 0407 @ 2497MHz [1.8V/11x227]
Thermalright SI-97A w/ Nexus DF1209SL-3
Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB flashed to XT @ 440/398 w/ Zalman VF700-Cu
GeIL VS 512MB DDR400 @ 2.5-3-3-11 [2.9V]
WD Raptor 74GB | Seagate Barracuda 7200.2 120GB
LITEON 52327S CDRW | NEC 3540A DVDRW
Antec TruePower 430W

planning on taking it apart, throwing it in another case to have a backup rig for whatever.

this is what i have right now, just want some extra feedback/suggestions before i place the order. unless i have it or i listed another site, most of the prices are from the egg.

Antec Solo (have this)
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 - $289 or GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R - $210 (not sure the extra $80 is justified in my case)
Intel Core i7 920 (purchased from microcenter for $230)
TRUE 120 - $75 (from frozencpu)
SAPPHIRE ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB - $140
G.Skill 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - $100
WD Raptor 74GB, WD Caviar Black 1TB (have these)
Sony Optiarc 7220S SATA DVD Burner - $24 (from ZZF)
LITEON 52327S CDRW (have this)
Corsair 620HX - $150
Sunbeam Rheobus (have this) - 2x Scythe SY1225SL12SH 120mm "Slipstream" (1 CPU, 1 Exhaust - $17) Nexus DF1209SL-3 (intake - have this)

thanks in advance

[perkam]

Go for UD3R + Corsair 750TX + 4870 512MB + TRUE and you're set.

Perkam

[B.E.E.F.]

I disagree. HD4870 1GB and the HR-01 instead. Better than the TRUE.

[nanoblaze01]

thanks for the replies guys.

i forgot to mention that im using a dell 1801fp, aka maxing out at 1280x1024. is the extra juice is worth it for this "low" res?
ive been contemplating the hr-01.. looking at this review on SPCR (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article842-page1.html) it seems it would be a better cooler while my fans are turned down, with the mounting bracket its about $10 cheaper.

[Bobsama]

thanks for the replies guys.

i forgot to mention that im using a dell 1801fp, aka maxing out at 1280x1024. is the extra juice is worth it for this "low" res?
ive been contemplating the hr-01.. looking at this review on SPCR (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article842-page1.html) it seems it would be a better cooler while my fans are turned down, with the mounting bracket its about $10 cheaper.

Why not a HD4830 512MB then? And it'd spare you money to upgrade later. As for PSU, consider the VX550 or so. The TX650 can be had for rather cheap so that's also a great option. And for CPU fan, I'd say look at the Scythe Mugen 2. It's $32 at NewEgg and is within a few degrees of a TRUE without the need to track down a 1366 version or buy a mounting kit, and the money saved can be spent ($8 or so) towards a matching fan and an extra set of fan clips, such as from PTS or PPCs.

[nanoblaze01]

thanks bobsama but i have some comments

id prefer to have a modular power supply. as it stands now, a crap load of extra cables are just hanging out in my drive bay (the antec solo is a fairly small case). although its not really a problem, id be happier if they weren't there all together

id like to have the 4850 since im not thinking about upgrading anytime soon and id be able to run a stronger crossfire setup if i decide to do so. last time i did buy a computer was 5 years ago and before that i was running a pentium 2-300!

[SoulsCollective]

HX620 is a fantastic PSU, I'd stick with that. And even at 1280, you'll see the difference between a 4850 and a 4830; I'd stick with the 4850.

For mobo I'd go with the UD3R, unless you really feel like spending the money. Unless you're determined to get as much out of your PC as possible (ie. shooting for a 4GHz OC 24/7), the extra money isn't justified - and no offence, but if you haven't upgraded your PC since the AthlonXP days, you probably aren't into tinkering and OCing enough for it to be worth it.

As for cooler, I can vouch for the Mugen. Fantastic for the price.

[netforce]

Go with the UD3R, it's a great board, and you'll get the same overclock on air as you would with the other board. Better overclock with require better (water) cooling. Those i7's can get toasty!

[YukonTrooper]

If you're going for a high-end system, you need a new 22-24" widescreen monitor.

[perkam]

M8. Forget spending that much on other stuff. Get yourself a proper 22" or 24" LCD first.

Perkam

[Tsaroth]

M8. Forget spending that much on other stuff. Get yourself a proper 22" or 24" LCD first.

Perkam

If he did that he wouldn't be able to play any games with his current set up at native resolution lmfao.

[nanoblaze01]

yeah yeah i know im very out of date lol [insert broke college student excuse here]. so 22" is the new standard now? any suggestions for a monitor?
but, a new monitor is something i'll have to push through after this system. as Tsaroth said.. id be crippled with my current setup if i had to hold off and buy a nice LCD.

im convinced on the mugen. at $45 shipped jabtech it seems like the best for my money right now. same with the ud3r. any other suggestions?

[Houdini]

22" is pretty much standard now yes, though personally I would go for a cheap 24-28" monitor. 22 isn't really that much when you have had it for a while.

[perkam]

22" is pretty much standard now yes, though personally I would go for a cheap 24-28" monitor. 22 isn't really that much when you have had it for a while.For someone who's upgrading from a crappy 18-incher, a new 2ms 22inch LCD will be more than enough and he saves at least $100 not trying to buy a cheap 24incher.

Perkam

[ToTTenTranz]

Scratch the whole i7 thing, buy a Phenom II X3 720BE with a 790GX, use the spared money (around $220) to get a decent 22" monitor and get a 1GB HD4870.


Overall suggestion: spend less money on each system you build and upgrade more often.

[clayton]

I7 makes almost no difference than Core 2 Quads if you're running single GPU.

[nanoblaze01]

i knew i was going to receive some resistance because of the i7. i'll admit i didnt do enough research to see that i could have comparable performance with its less expensive counterparts. but i've already bought it for what i believe was a good deal ($230), and took some effort driving a distance to pick it up.

i figured since you guys convinced me that my monitor is complete garbage.. i'll be buying a 22" soon. so, im going to compensate by bumping up the video card to a 4870. this will also give me the option of picking up another 4870 for crossfire down the line once i have the funds.

ive also decided on the mugen 2. only if it was in stock somewhere...

so this is my final tab:

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R - $200, $185 AR
Scythe Mugen 2 - $50 (OOS everywhere, hopefully it'll show up soon)
SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB - $190
G.Skill 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - $96
Sony Optiarc 7220S SATA DVD Burner - $24
Corsair 620HX - $140, $110 AR

= $700 (give or take for shipping and rebates). including the i7, it will be $930 for the complete overhaul. i'll be placing the order when i get paid on friday. any last comments?

and of course, thanks for the help everyone. i really appreciate it.

[YukonTrooper]

Good to go. I can't believe how much DDR3 has dropped; I bet a lot of people on the fence will be going to i7 now.

[perkam]

i knew i was going to receive some resistance because of the i7. i'll admit i didnt do enough research to see that i could have comparable performance with its less expensive counterparts. but i've already bought it for what i believe was a good deal ($230), and took some effort driving a distance to pick it up.

i figured since you guys convinced me that my monitor is complete garbage.. i'll be buying a 22" soon. so, im going to compensate by bumping up the video card to a 4870. this will also give me the option of picking up another 4870 for crossfire down the line once i have the funds.

ive also decided on the mugen 2. only if it was in stock somewhere...

so this is my final tab:

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R - $200, $185 AR
Scythe Mugen 2 - $50 (OOS everywhere, hopefully it'll show up soon)
SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB - $190
G.Skill 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - $96
Sony Optiarc 7220S SATA DVD Burner - $24
Corsair 620HX - $140, $110 AR

= $700 (give or take for shipping and rebates). including the i7, it will be $930 for the complete overhaul. i'll be placing the order when i get paid on friday. any last comments?

and of course, thanks for the help everyone. i really appreciate it.The only $96 GSKILL 6GB Ram kit I found on Newegg is this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225 ... which should be avoided like the plague.

DDR3 1600 Cas 7 is where it's at right now and it's not much more expensive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381

Perkam