New Gaming Rig - Please Critique

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BLaZEjjp

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 30, 2003
Messages
232
Hey guys. I'd like to thank you all for your help last time, especially Danny Bui.

I have a friend building a computer and I told him that I always come to this forum before I ever make any purchases to make sure I am making good decisions. He said he would appreciate it. So, without further ado..

He is looking to spend under $1500, after tax and shipping. It will be used mainly as a gaming rig (all different games, high to low end). Maybe a little photoshopping or code developement.No Overclocking. He owns and will be using a 22" Widescreen LG. I can't think of anything else you all might need. Let me know if I forgot anything.


Graphics:EVGA Geforce GTX260 PCI Express 2.0 x16 $280
Case:Xclio Case $130
Mobo:EVGA LGA 1366 Intel x58 Intel Mobo $300
PSU:Xclio Goodpower 500w PSU $60
CPU:Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz $300
Memory:Corsair Dominator 3GB (3x1gb) DDR3 1600 $139
HD:WD Caviar Black 7200 RPM, SATA $75
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit $100

Subtotal: $1234.94

Also, He currently owns a 8800 that he is considering SLI'ing with another 8800 that he would need to purchase instead of the 280GTX.(EVGA Geforce 8800GTS $150)

So, thoughts on all of this? Questions?
 
Is this strictly for gaming or does he plan to do any thing else that might stress his core i7? From a strictly gaming perspective the cost of the x58 mobo and good ddr3 ram is pricey, but obviously worth it in certain situations, but generally not for someone mainly interested in gaming.

I'd get the 260 over another 8800, it'll have a better expandability at least, also the extra ram is helpful on several of the more current games. You may want to wait until after the 295 comes out where the price might fall. Although the same time the 295 comes out prices may get slashed on the ATI cards as well, so if you can wait a little bit you might want to see where the dust settles. If you are ok with paying the 300ish right now though you can get a 260 from evga and might be able to straight step up to a 280 after the 295 comes out and reduces the prices of the other cards hopefully.

Can't say I am a fan of that case and I might side toward a slightly bigger and slightly more reputable brand than xclio for the PSU. Xclio weren't too bad a budget PSU for core2 and the 8800gt or something like that but you may want something slightly better like a corsair 650 or 750tx. Get a 640gb version of the WD HDD, the bigger platter size will result in faster seeks and general better performance and I consider the price difference slim between the 640gb and 500gb (+ you get more space). Newegg has the blue version for 69.99 even: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218 and I'm fairly sure the bigger overall and platter size beats the extra cache of the black.

I'd probably look to get a 3x2 kit instead of 3x1. Also if you have absolutely no plans for overclocking I believe you can even run 1066 ram, and you especially don't need 1600 rated ram. Does he need a new dvd burner/drive or will you be scavenging those from the old machine?
 
Here are prices and comparisons for Anchen's suggested PSU's

Not too bad. Free Shipping and a 20 buck rebate on both
 
Okay, I'm the one who's building the computer. Thanks you for your comments, I have updated my i7 build and now it looks like this:

RAM: CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D $232.00
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply $159.99 -$60.00 Instant $99.99
HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $69.99
Case: XCLIO A380BK Fully Black High Gloss Finish SECC 1.0mm thickness ATX Full Tower Computer Case $129.99 -$20.00 Instant $109.99
Mobo: EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard $299.99
Video Card: EVGA 896-P3-1265-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card $279.99
Processor: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 $294.99
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders $109.99 -$10.00 Instant $99.99

Subtotal: $1,486.93

You mentioned you didn't care much for the case, is this purely aesthetics or does it have to do with performance? I am aware that airflow is important and the current case seems to do a decent job at it, plus i like the style. I wouldn't mind looking at a few of your suggestions though.

I changed the PSU and the memory and i think I'm going with the 260gtx.

Now, someone strongly recommended building around a Dual Core processor instead because it would be cheaper and I would probably get the same performance out of it. I quoted a core duo build and it comes out being at a little over $1000, but is it really going to perform as well as the i7 build? I'm trying to keep this computer as is for at least 4 years and I don't think the core duo will last me that long before i feel the need to upgrade. What are you thoughts on this?

After doing some research I think I'm interested in overclocking so keeping the 1600 RAM would be beneficial correct?

Lastly, while the computer is mainly for gaming, I do multitask a lot and hate having to shut down browsers / music / random programs in order to play games.

That's a lot of questions!

Thanks, I appreciate your input.
 
Oh, and I will be scavenging the drives from my current computer so there is no need to buy them.

I also forgot to mention that I'm going with the Blue HD as you suggested.
 
If your goal is say 90% gaming, as stated in your title, then it is true for current games there is not a large difference between the core i7 and a core 2 duo and you could save a lot of money. Most games currently still do not make tremendous use of multithreading to even quads, let alone a hyper threaded Core i7. Will in 2 or 3 years better multi threaded games arrive? It's possible. The core i7 can really smoke a dual core in several multimedia tasks like encoding and such, and it is a superior multi task cpu, but it is true that the total cost is gonna be a good deal more. You'll have to judge whether that is worthwhile for you and just how much you'll use it for things besides gaming (that could actually stress it that is, I'm not talking about like browsing or something like that).

As for the case, yeah it is partially about looks. I also think there is other cases that are a bit cheaper and look a little less gaudy (that 250 mm front fan is certainly eye catching one way or the other). One example would be the Coolermaster RC-690 that I think is a bit nicer overall but it's your call, the case is really your choice.

Yes the 1600, or at least 1333 is needed for ram. I might try the g.skill 3x2gb kit instead of the dominator's, I don't think the heatspreaders are really needed and you can save about 50 bucks with just as good quality ram. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225 Yes it has a bit worse latency but it'll overclock your CPU just as well, and from what I've read latency does not have that much affect on real life day to day gaming/tasks, although obviously your benchmarks for memory might be a little worse. I don't think it's enough to justify 50 bucks of difference.
 
I took a look at the case you suggested and it's a little too plain for me. Call me tacky but I think I prefer the over the top looks of the XCLIO. Up until now I have been using a stock dell case and getting funny looks when I go to LAN parties. So I really want something that looks cool (IMO anyway). I will look for something I little more 'grown-up' next time I build a computer.

I will keep in mind the g.skill RAM. I am planning on building this computer in about 2-3 months, so maybe by then the Dominator (and everything for that matter) may be a little lower... but you're right, it isn't worth the $50 extra.

As for the CPU / Mobo I still have 3 months to think about. I may opt to spend the extra $300 to get the i7 build. Dual core is a fine choice too... we'll see.

Thanks a lot for your help Anchen. I'll try to remember to post pictures / benchmarks when it's all built.
 
If you want props when you go to a lan party you should do the modding yourself. Back in my day, we didn't have these fancy Pre-modded computers. We just had saws and steel....

;-)
 
Bigbacon said:
You could get a 280 for the same price after MIR or only like 10 dollars more without the MIR.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was looking at that and I guess $20 to $50 bucks more isn't a big deal considering the build is already near $1.5k.

I'll definitely go with the 280
 
BLaZEjjp said:
If you want props when you go to a lan party you should do the modding yourself. Back in my day, we didn't have these fancy Pre-modded computers. We just had saws and steel....

;-)
Click to expand...

I don't care for getting props but not getting the "what-a-piece-of-crap-computer-is-that??" look would be nice. I'm not into the e-peen boasting business, it's all for my own enjoyment :D
 
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