Building a New Computer.. Need some advice

[xNOVAx]

Hey guys,

I want to build a new computer that's going to last me a while (built my current computer 5 years ago.. its served me well), but it seems there's so many options out there now that I'm getting confused as to what I really want.. I'd like some good hardware, but I don't want to spend an arm and a leg.. I want to stick to Intel (cpu), ASUS (mobo), and nVIDIA (video) and I mainly want to use the new computer for gaming.. There's really nothing wrong with the computer I have now, but the games now a days are far too complex for my current rig (AH included and I can't have that now can I?) 

I'd like to keep my budget under $800, but if there's a real case for more I might consider.. My real delima is whether to go with the Core 2 Quad or the new I7 and how to build from there, but maybe I should be paying more attention to the video card? Any thoughts would be appreciated!

-NOVA

[Fulmar]

Are you reusing any components?  Case? HD/CD/DVD Drives? Mouse etc etc etc

[BaldEagl]

Core I7 is probably going to break your budget but if you're willing the spend more then that's the way to go.  If you want to stay within your budget then forget the quad core and go with a Core2Duo (E8400 or E8500) and build around that.  The Core2's generally offer better gaming performance than the quad cores.  I haven't checked out the Core I5's yet so they may be a viable alternative.

As to the video card you can spend more but the 9800 GTX is in a sweet spot for price/performance and will run AH full bore except for self-shadows which seem to stress just about every system.

Good luck.  Whatever you build I'm sure you'll like it.

[EDIT]  You might want to check out this artical explaining the differences in the Nephalim chips:  http://www.pcworld.com/article/171556/intels_new_core_i7_and_core_i5_processors_explained.html

[cattb]

with the many suggestions you may receive here is a site that has reviews , tech tips and benchmarks  that may help you research and help  with any decisions you make

http://www.tomshardware.com

[xNOVAx]

Are you reusing any components?  Case? HD/CD/DVD Drives? Mouse etc etc etc

Yeah I'm reusing the case, mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers, 2 hard drives, DVD drive, joysick

I'm pretty sure I only need the following..

Mother Board
CPU
Power Supply (current is only 400W, probably will need 7-800?)
RAM
Video Card
Windows 7

Hoping to keep those 6 items under $800, but I have some flexibility..

[xNOVAx]

Oh also..

Whats the difference between the Windows 7 Home Full..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116716

And Windows 7 for system builders?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

[633DH98]

Windows 7 Home also provides support from Microsoft.

With Windows 7 OEM Microsoft may charge you if you ask for support since support is supposed to be provided by the distributor/maker of the PC.

Also with the retail (full) version you will recieve both 32 and 64 bit versions and you must chose one or the other with OEM software.

[gyrene81]

Not much of an Asus fan...old Asus Nforce boards put a bad taste in my mouth.

Just for curiosity sake, are your hard drives IDE/ATA or SATA? If not SATA, you're gonna have to get at least one new hard drive.

Definitely a minimum of 700W PSU...I like the modulars but they are a bit more expensive. Thermaltake, PC Power and Cooling, OCZ would be your best bets.

New CPU cooler will be in order too...you're gonna want in the area of 45+ CFM.

Video card...since gaming is obviously a big reason for this system...do a Core2 Quad processor and get a really good video card...

I just bought one of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150357


But for you one of these would be a good choice:

http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=896-P3-1258-AR&family=Geforce 200 Series Family
Just make sure the new power supply has two 6 pin 12v outputs with a total 36 AMP rating.

Maybe a power supply like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153038


You might go over your $800 budget...

[BaldEagl]

Video card...since gaming is obviously a big reason for this system...do a Core2 Quad processor and get a really good video card...

Most games don't take advantage of quad prossessors which is why dual cores generally bench better in most gaming applications (10% or better).  Quads tend to perform better for things like video editing and pro graphics and possibly even spreadsheets, virus scans and the like.  Considering he's building a gaming system I'm not sure why you'd make that recommendation.

The exception to this is the Core I7 which, in most gaming situations, benches almost identically to the higher end Core2Duos and beats them hands down in every other area.

I did some research on the Core I5 and the second generation Core I7's today and the 2.66 Ghz Core I5 at about $200 looks promising as far as bang for the buck.  I'll probably try to look up some benchmark tests on it tomorrow.  If it performs as I suspect it will it will be a viable gaming alternative to the E8400/E8500 and allow for improved system upgrade options.

I also, while researching today, put together the guts of a Core I5 system (Mobo, CPU, RAM, video card) which came to about $740 with, IIRC, a GTX 260 or 265 and DDR3 1600 dual channel RAM (dreaming about replacing the guts in my 1 1/2 year old build).

Oops... guess it was a GTX 275 and the price was a little higher than I remembered.  Here's the parts list (not thouroughly researched as I was just trying to get a handle on the cost of a good Core I5 system):

EVGA P55 SLI 132-LF-E655-KR LGA1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #:132-LF-E655-KR
  $199.99    $199.99
.  .
EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
  $254.99    $254.99
.  .
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail
  $199.99    $199.99
.  .
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996601 - Retail
  $127.99    $127.99
.  .
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler - Retail
  $36.98  -$3.00 Instant $33.98

Subtotal: $816.94
 

[xNOVAx]

Ok guys.. I've done some research and here's what I came up with.. I decided to increase my budget a little to allow for a little longer life span and something I can "grow into" since the software being written will start taking advantage of the 4 cores in the future..

Core I7 920
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-2-66GHz-Hyper-Threading-LGA1366-Processor/dp/B001H5T7LK/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1QBWILXATGLXN&colid=H4EVMEQLXYB8

ASUS LGA1156
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-LGA1156-Intel-P55-DDR3/dp/B002LIU05E/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=IZXCOYNNCYNZ8&colid=H4EVMEQLXYB8

EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX260
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-896-P3-1255-AR-GeForce-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B001NXDQCW/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I26C3WYHQ5WQO&colid=H4EVMEQLXYB8

Thermaltake W0116RU Toughpower 750W
http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-W0116RU-Toughpower-Supply-Active/dp/B000FKMGD4/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3JJ1NIRTEM0JK&colid=H4EVMEQLXYB8

Corsair TR3X6G1600C9 XMS3 6 GB 3 X 2 GB PC3-12800
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-TR3X6G1600C9-PC3-12800-1600MHz-Tri-Channel/dp/B001K56XW8/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=ITUTMEL3DKNLX&colid=H4EVMEQLXYB8

Thoughts? Am i missing anything?

[633DH98]

From a quick look the i7 920 is a 1366 socket and your mother board has a 1156 socket.  For the motherboard you need an i5 or an i7 8xx processor.

If the 1366 and 1156 sockets are cross-compatible then disregard this post.

[xNOVAx]

From a quick look the i7 920 is a 1366 socket and your mother board has a 1156 socket.  For the motherboard you need an i5 or an i7 8xx processor.

If the 1366 and 1156 sockets are cross-compatible then disregard this post.

Ahh thanks.. Good catch..

How about this one?
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-LGA1366-MAX-16GB-3PCIE16-2PCIE/dp/B001PKUUJ0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1257099751&sr=1-3

[guncrasher]

get some retention brackets if u happen to be installing a push pin cpu fan, only 7-8 dollars more but worth not having the hassle.  also get some thermal paste  i think people here like the arctic silver 5.  also double check if u order win7 oem that u get the 64 bit.  or you'll be wasting some of that ram .

semp

[xNOVAx]

get some retention brackets if u happen to be installing a push pin cpu fan, only 7-8 dollars more but worth not having the hassle.  also get some thermal paste  i think people here like the arctic silver 5.  also double check if u order win7 oem that u get the 64 bit.  or you'll be wasting some of that ram .

semp

Never heard of retention brackets.. What are they supposed to do? And yeah I'll definitely make sure i get the 64bit version of Win 7.. 

[Dragon]

The last fan I used came with the following parts, was a bit confusing, but once I figured it out, I loved it.  I've always been worried about how the crappy plastic pins hold the heat sink in place, with this one I have absolutely no worries, very strong and secure mounting.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/include/AddCartfromGallery.asp?EdpNo=4950641&csid=ITD&Sku=C283-2054&imgcart=1&imgcounter=3