First Computer Build

[tice03]

This is my first post so bare with me. Delivery of my new Dell 3008wfp is expected today. Figured I would reach out to the community and get some feedback on building a new computer system around my new monitor. This will be my first computer build so I plan on taking my time and doing as much research as possible. Actually decided to get a 30" monitor for something besides gaming, but since I have it I figured I would build my new system around it so that I could play games at its native resolution.

 

 

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: over the next month or so

 

BUDGET RANGE: US$1500-2000 (can go a little higher or lower depending on needs)

 

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Online poker, gaming, surfing the internet

 

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers/audio system, OS

 

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, SuperBiiz, NCIXUS, eBay, Amazon, etc...

 

PARTS PREFERENCES: Only thing I have decided on this the Intel I7 920 for the chipset, everything else is up in the air

 

OVERCLOCKING: Yes, eventually

 

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Potentially both

 

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 2560 x 1600

 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Looking to play recent games at 2560 x 1600 at moderate to high settings. Most everything below will be linked to Newegg unless unavailable there. Overall just looking for the best bang for the buck, I'll be looking for deals and sales and probably taking advantage of some combo deals if possible.

 

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Video Card(s)

This is definitely the area I have thought most about the past two weeks. One day it will be the two or three GTX 275s. The next day it will be a single GTX 295. A day later it will be two or three HD 4890s. I could go a couple different ways. The more I think about it the more I am weary of spending a lot of money on this area given the fact that the next generation of video cards are seemingly right around the corner. Now I have no exactly knowledge of when they will be released, but I am assuming it will probably coincide for the most part with the release of Windows 7. Now that is not to say that I will go out and immediately get the first thing that comes out. I would definitely want to see how they perform and what the reviews look like. When it all comes down to it I am looking for a somewhat cheap setup that will last roughly for the next year or so. At which point I can look to upgrade to the newer generation. Right now hd 4870, hd 4890, hd 4870 x2, gtx 275, gtx 285, and gtx 295 are all in play. Help me decide.

 

CPU

Intel Core i7 920 seems to be the standard for most new builds

 

Motherboard

No brand here in particular, but would like to stick with the bigger ones (MSI, ASUS, EVGA, GIGABYTE, BIOSTAR). The ability to easily overclock the CPU is definitely a plus. Needs to support 3-way Crossfire/SLI. Here's a couple I have been looking at.

 

EVGA E758-A1

ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution

EVGA E760 CLASSIFIED "Overclocker's Pick"

MSI Eclipse Plus

 

Memory

I have heard OCZ and Corsair mentioned quite a bit here. Any others that have good reviews? I figure 6GB would be enough for the present, but 12GB might future prove me a little. From researching a little 1600MHz seems to be the way to go. For than likely I will try and combo this part with the purchase of the motherboard. Suggestions welcomed.

 

Power Supply

As mentioned above I would like the option in the future to possibly have a 3-way Crossfire/ SLI setup so that comes into play when choosing the size. I would rather oversize from the start than have to go back and buy a new one latter on. So I guess my question would be what is the minimum wattage I would need to run 3-way Crossfire/SLI setup. Is it 1000W? Higher? Lower? Also I'll need a total of six 6Pin and/or 6+2Pin connectors to run a 3-way Crossfire/SLI setup. Here's some that I have found:

 

BFG Tech EX-1200 BFGR1200WEXPSU 1200W

CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W

Tuniq Ripper PSU-RIP1000W-BK 1000W

Rosewill RBR1000-M 1000W

 

Hard Drive(s)

No SSD at this time as they are still a bit pricey. Probably looking at around 1 to 1.5 TB total split between two hard drives. First one being smaller, faster and the second one larger used mostly for storage and what not. I haven't really looked too much at the different brands so I am open to suggestions here.

 

Computer Case

I don't plan on messing with a water cooled setup so I want the best air cooled case I can get. Right now I debating between this two full tower cases:

 

Antec Twelve Hundred

COOLER MASTER HAF 932

 

I figured that a full tower case would make the most sense with the potential of a 3-way Crossfire/SLI setup due to the large amounts of heat. From what I have read some of the mid tower cases are quite large and spacious so I am open to considering them or other full tower cases.

 

Fans & Heatsinks

Haven't really looked into this part yet. I have heard Zalman and Cooler Master mentioned quite a bit. All suggestions welcome.

 

 

Well that's about it. I appreciate any feedback/discussion anyone wants to give. I'll update as I make desicions and purchases along the way. Thanks

[jgv115]

Core i7 Online Poker ftw!

 

Since you have such a big screen, you might want to think of getting a SLI mobo and getting 1 GTX295. Then when time passes and you feel for more power then just SLI another one.

[iOverclock]

I would get Antec 1200 since it has 2 120mm's, 3 120mm's and 1 230mm on top Antec tricool fans which pull a but load of air. I think the Coolermaster V8 would be good. The Corsair 1000watts is a beast so i think you should get that but if your thinking of going Gtx 295 sli in future i think you should get the 3 powersupplies listed that can only support it. Evga x58 looks popular with maxishine and trubritar's. Corsair is a good pick for memory. Get a Western Digital Caviar 1tb 7200rpm which would be really good for its price. Get Intel i7 920 and overclock it to 4ghz which should be easy with the v8. The build with all the parts i picked.

 

Build:

CPU: Intel Core i7 920

RAM: Corsair Dominator 6gb DDR3 1600mhz

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W

MOBO: Evga X58 Classified

Case: Antec 1200

Cpu Cooler: Coolermaster V8

HDD: Western Digital Caviar 1 TB 7200rpm

GPU: Evga, XFX, BFG or MSI Gtx 295 (They are all pretty good companies.)

 

Optional:

Case fan: Antec Tricool blue led (Side Fan.)

Ram Cooler: Corsair Dominator Ram Cooler

 

Sorry for the big post. Good Luck with your build.

Edited June 20, 2009 by iOverclock