Core i7 Build

koviktir

koviktir

New Member
Yep.. time for yet another build. Needless to say, I'm drooling at the idea of a Core i7 CPU, and am completely willing to put forth the money involved with getting one. Will be selling ENTIRE current build to a friend, who's looking for a new computer. I'm generous. ;)

Formalities aside, let's get right to the build:

Case: Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 - $189.99
Motherboard: Asus P6T Deluxe X58 - $299.99
CPU: Intel Core i7 965 Extreme (3.2ghz) - $1,029.99
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme - $59.99
--(Okay, that's technically not the extreme, but I'll find it)--
--(Also, I'll have to hope that Thermalright currently has an adapter for the Socket 1366: anyone know? I might just have to call them :P)--
RAM: 6GB G-Skill Pi Black 1600MHz 8-8-8-21 x2 - $239.99ea ($459.98 total)
PSU: Zalman ZM1000-HP 1000w (1250w Max) - $199.99
GPU: EVGA GTX280 SSC Edition x2 (SLI)- $399.99ea ($799.98 total)
GPU (PhysX): EVGA 9800GT - $124.99
Monitor: 24" Asus 2ms HDMI 1080p Widescreen - $299.99
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB - $129.99
Disc Drive:LG 22x Multi-Drive - $25.99
Operating System: Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit SP1 - $179.99

Total: A little over $4,200 after shipping (for those of you playing the home-game: don't use UPS for computer equipment :P)

Of course, I'll use Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound, for the CPU, and attempt to maximize overclock as much as possible. I'm confident that 4GHz+ will be absolutely no problem, with this build. Plus, I'll eventually add my dual WD Caviar 750GB drives in Raid 0, but that'll be later. So, it'll come to a whopping $4,500.00 range. :eek:

Yes, it's obviously excessive, and I realize this (it goes without saying, really): but this will be yet another gaming/recording/photoshop/macromedia build. Core i7 @ 4GHz, 12GB of 1600MHz memory, and Dual GTX280's with a dedicated 9800GT for PhysX? I ought to be set. :)

Any thoughts, guys?
 
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I almost just left when i saw the components :D

Looks good. Can you build me a computer for 1k, or better yet just send me a 1k newegg gift card? i mean, you seem to have the money. Anyways im just kidding. looks really good, but i have got no clue how you can pay 4.5k for a COMPUTER!!!!
 
koviktir said:
Yes, it's obviously excessive, and I realize this (it goes without saying, really): but this will be yet another gaming/recording/photoshop/macromedia build. Core i7 @ 4GHz, 12GB of 1600MHz memory, and Dual GTX280's with a dedicated 9800GT for PhysX? I ought to be set. "
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so that would be gam-ing, record-ing, photoshop-ing, macromedia-ing all at the same time eh?

lol
 
scooter said:
Ah yes, another thread started by some 16 year old kid to try to impress strangers on a forum...
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Actually, scooter: I'm 18. :P

Now, it may be a common occurrence for some "16-year old kid" to post a "build" strictly to attempt to impress anyone, but regardless: I'm actually going to be building this computer sometime within' the next 2-4 weeks.

I'm simply asking if anyone has any thoughts on the build, or any suggestions for anything else (a different brand for RAM, for example). I have my knowledge when it comes to building computers, but one can never know everything that is to be known.

..and to clear up any assumptions: NO, this is not a computer funded by anyone else but myself. I work my butt off, 45 hours a week, to pull in the income that I do. This $4,500.00 computer will be dipping into money saved, and will probably equate to about four months worth of income.

Is it necessarily practical? No. Do I like coming home from a stress-filled day at work to sit in front of something that may not be operating as quickly as I'd like it to? Heck no.

I do admire your donation of your old build to someone less fortunate however, scooter. I think I might end up doing that with my current build. :)

Now, having said all that: does anyone actually have any input? One of my big concerns is whether or not the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme currently has a Socket 1366 adapter out there, yet. A lot of the CPU-Cooling companies are popping them out, but for some reason, I cannot seem to find any-which-way as to whether or not Thermalright is up to that point, with their monster. :confused:
 
i wouln't get a 9800gt just for physx, the 280's can handle that, and i would also recommend getting a plain gtx 280(not factory overclocked) oh, and 4ghz on air is pretty hard, you can do it, but thats not 24/7, and thermalright does make a bracket for the ultra 120
 
in your sig you already have like half that stuff up there why are you buying more, do you really need two cases and two 24 inch monitors?!?! annndd i would go for a 22 inch its about 150 cheaper for 2 inches comon man? donate that extra 150 to toys for tots this year
 
in your sig you already have like half that stuff up there why are you buying more, do you really need two cases and two 24 inch monitors?!?! annndd i would go for a 22 inch its about 150 cheaper for 2 inches comon man? donate that extra 150 to toys for tots this year
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As I said, the ENTIRETY of my current build is either being sold to a friend, or I may donate it, just as scooter did. A computer like that needs-not be taking apart.

Now, I LOVE the Cosmos 1000 Case, the PSU I have, and the Monitor is beyond perfect. Yes, I do need 24" monitor, unfortunately: it's used for multiple inputs, through a converter: PC, PS3, 360, optional DVD player.

I'll tell you what, though: maybe I'll donate whatever is left to reach the $5,000 mark. As cold as it may sound, though: I'm not a huge believer in helping those less fortunate than myself. I've been through quite the roller-coaster in even my 18 years of life: I still manage though. I've worked myself to the bone, just trying to make it by, earlier in life. Things do change though, and luck can certainly take a turn for the better, just as easily for the worst. :(

you should be fine with 6 gigs of ram, theres no way you could ever use all 12, like even if you were running 9 games no way!
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People seem to fight me a LOT on the issues of RAM: just go ahead and check out my previous threads, if you'd like. :P

Now, I run SEVERAL applications at a time, and HATE it when there's any slip-ups. On my current build, with 8GB of RAM, I'm capable of running Photoshop CS3, Macromedia Flash, Cakewalk Sonar 7, ProTools, three mmorpgs, and have several browsers open, all while defraggin' the drives I'm not using.

Seems like a lot, right? Yes, well I'm also looking to run virtual XP on top of all of that, and dedicate a few gigs of RAM to that, alone. Excessive: I know. For the extra $200, though, I feel that it's worth it, down the road.

i wouln't get a 9800gt just for physx, the 280's can handle that, and i would also recommend getting a plain gtx 280(not factory overclocked) oh, and 4ghz on air is pretty hard, you can do it, but thats not 24/7, and thermalright does make a bracket for the ultra 120
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Well, the reason I'm looking at a 9800gt for PhysX, is because it seems to show somewhat of a significant increase, even when paired with SLI gtx280's. I plan on utilizing a LOT of GPU memory, running several games at once, possible on separate monitors. I might in the end, just end up using the 9800gt for the secondary monitor, and let the hardcore GPU power lay on the SLI gtx280's for the main monitor.

Thank you so much for letting me know that they have the bracket, though! Was hoping someone would know, eventually. I've seen several places manage to keep a 965 Extreme at above 4ghz (stable) with less than an Ultra-120, though. I'm pretty good with overclocking, and I'll certainly admit to pushing my CPU's past their limit (I love having my E8600 at 5ghz stable :P) I do just hope that I'm careful. I just will not make the mistake of attempting to overclock that baby for 2-4 weeks after stable performance at stock.

Plus, the Core i7 system is sliiightly different than AMD's HyperThreading, so I can't really be sure as to what I'll get out of it. I'll certainly let you guys know, though. :)
 
i love the case you chose
lemme know how it works out once you have it built
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Yeah, the case is pretty amazing. PLENTY of room, and pull-out bays for Hard Drives is such a nice feature. Plus, the entire cooling system that it has, is just very carefully designed. The airflow is incredible, and the ability to place the GPU airflow-directer over your graphics card is just awesome.

I'm not a big fan of "swing-doors" on the front of cases, but for this one, I made an exception. The case is BEAUTIFUL, and it's just sleek and elegant, in every way. :D
 
you could also get 2 4870x2's and a gtx 260 or something like that for physx, i've seen that somewhere before
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Really? I could have sworn that I'd read somewhere, that it doesn't work that way. Whoever did it must have seriously did some go-around work.

I'd certainly love to have dual 4870x2's also, but they don't seem to scale as well as they should. Plus, I've got my current one (which I LOVE, by the way) but when I compare the look of maxed out newer games on GTX280's vs 4870x2's, the 280's seem to look a LOT better.

That's probably just because Nvidia pretty much has the GPU field on lock-down, right now: at least, from the optimal system during programming stand-point. There are several games where an ATI setup destroys an Nvidia, but not as many as there should be.

I dunno, though: I've certainly considered the 4870x2's again, though. I'm trying to utilize the dual x16 PCI-E slots, and use the final one at the 1x for PhysX. Would be a waste of a card to run a GTX260 in that 1x, wouldn't it? :confused:
 
Make sure to take pictures when you are done :).
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I certainly will. I'll be EXTRA-thorough, too. Show off the entire build, the entire desktop setup, the sound-system setup.. everything. I'll even benchmark it as thoroughly as possible. Before overclocking, and after. :D

Any ideas from anyone as to which I should go for, though? Dual 4870x2's, or the Duo-SLI GTX280's, and the 9800GT on PhysX?

I think the 4870x2's might ultimately be faster, once ATI releases the driver that will utilize the system that allows the two GPU's to communicate real-time. Truth be told, I'd be willing to guess that that feature will ultimately give at least a 25% boost to the power of the 4870x2's. Any thoughts about that? :)
 
i would personally go for tri sli, around the same price as quad xfire i think you can pick up a $325 gtx 280 at tiger direct(i hate this company) or ebay whenever they get cashback going again
 
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