$1,000 to spend on a new rig

[JAGX02]

Hello, I’m a college student and I’m looking to build my own PC for the first time, and I’m trying to get the most bang for my buck. I’ll be using this PC for everything, from word processing to gaming. I’ve got ~$1000 to spend, so I’m thinking the best option would be to go to an online site like Newegg and buy all the parts and then either assemble it myself (I’ve had limited experience replacing HDDs, RAM, and gfx cards) or having a local place like Best Buy do it for me. I’ve not had any experience with over clocking, but I would like to look into it, although I’m nervous about frying my hardware or wearing it out prematurely. I’m sure this will affect which hardware I should use depending on whether or not I want to OC it.

There are a whole lot of options out there, but roughly speaking, I had something like this in mind:

[$280]Processor-Intel Core i7 920 (I’m assuming this is better than the 860, even though it is similarly priced?)
I read that the 920 is good because it takes advantage of triple-channel architecture and will be upgradeable later on if I want to upgrade my processor in a few years. It also said something about automatic OC ‘Turbo boost’ or something, which might make over clocking easier for a newb like me?

[$250-300]RAM-6 GB of either OCZ or Corsair DDR3 triple channel RAM. I’m not sure which brand is better or what would be a good option (DOMINATOR GT vs OCZ BLADE series vs regular DOMINATOR, and what about low voltage versions of the same memory)? All I do know is that top-of-the-line memory is too much money, so I’d want to scale down to bring me back within my budget.

[$350]Video Card-Admittedly, I’ve fallen behind the times in SLI and Crossfire in terms of benefits. I’m not a graphics junkie, but I’d want my rig to look nice and perform well. That being said, I’m not sure which card would be best on my somewhat limited budget, or if I should invest in multiple cards? Or would it be better to invest in one expensive card?

[$100-150]Case-A full tower cooling-type case seems to be what I would need. I’d like expandability and I also know that if I do OC (or even if I don’t), that temperature is a major factor in the performance and lifespan of any PC. With this is mind, I just looked into these ones for functionality and price reference:

-AZZA Solano 1000 Full-Tower Advance Cooling Case w/ Dual 230mm Fan + Extra 3 Fans
-In-Win Maelstrom Full Tower Gaming Case w/ Sound Absorbing Foam
-Cooler Master HAF 932 High Air Flow ATX Full Tower Case Black

[$150-300]Motherboard-As far as these go, I have no idea what I would need for this type of rig, in terms of ports, compatibility, or anything else. I know it’s perhaps the most important component, so I’d need a more tech-oriented user to comment.

[$100]HDD-I don’t really care what size or make, just so long as it’s quick enough. I have already own two twin internal WDs that I’m using externally via esata, for moving around and backing up data among several computers.
[$80?]Power Supply-I don’t know, but I saw that a similar PC at Dell used a 750k unit, so I’ll use that as a reference…

[$?]Extra Fans-How many, if any? I know most power supplies havetheir own, and the case will feature some, and perhaps the memory/gpu will have some fans/sinks? I’m also weary of liquid cooling in terms of installation/maintenance and price.

[$150-250]Monitor-I know a bit about displays, it’s just a matter of finding a good-valued one. Anything over 22 inches with a good refresh rate and reliable brand will do. Obviously a display with high resolution is a must with the graphics card I’ll be using.

[?]Operating System-I actually have a Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit upgrade disk, but I need another OS to upgrade from. I’m thinking of maybe buying some Widows XP whatever online and then just upgrading?

So clearly, I’m way over budget and I’m not too experienced or eager to do any extreme OC type stuff, nor am I sure about multiple graphics cards. I need to trim down the costs, I was thinking primarily about maybe scaling down the RAM in terms of performance or maybe brand? And perhaps trying to get a cheaper mobo or display? But given my preferences about OC and graphics cards, would it be a good idea to invest in all of this top-tier stuff or is that really only for those who want to OC everything and run Crisis on High? I’d also be looking for some good warranty coverage since I’m buying all of these parts online and I may have to go with lesser brands.
Any input would be appreciated!

[RickyTick]

Hey JAGXO2. Welcome to the MySuperPC forums.

This is a current thread about a similar pc setup. Read through it and see what you think. We can go from there.
http://forums.mysuperpc.com/showthread.php?t=2899

[JAGX02]

Right, I read through the posts on the link posted, and I can see why the build RickyTick offered was a logical choice, but I have some concerns about it...

Motherboard MSI P55-GD80 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

This is perhaps my weakest area in terms of technical knowledge, so please be patient with me :)

Given my price range, I find that I have a dilemma: While I want to make a build that will perform well, that limits me to maxing out a 1156 i7 860 dual channel build. The cons of this are that it will not be expandable in the future and that it is expensive. The other option, which I think might be better, is to build a PC focused on future expandability. So a 1366 i7 920 triple channel build could be my best option, but this is expensive as well, and I need to learn more about the mobo socket types (Lynnfield vs Bloomfield, 1366 vs 1156 etc).

Unfortunately, the way I understand this, is that I'll need to purchase the newest 1366 mobo and couple that with an i7 920 and to triple channel DDR 3 RAM architecture. This makes it just as, if not more expensive, than beefing up an i7 860 & 1156 with only dual channel RAM. It seems like I'm stuck in a hard place, because if I wanted to be able to take advantage of triple channel memory, and put in a new processor 3-4 years from now, I'd have to make a 1366 i7 build.

CPU Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz

Again, please excuse my ignorance, but I've read many conflicting reviews about the i7 860 vs. 920 controversy. I understand it as they both perform similarly when OC'd but the 920 build will cost a little more and leave you with room for expandability in the future (with a mobo that can support 1366 for more cores) and make use of triple channel RAM.

That being said, I've looked over the specs for the triple channel RAM, and they didn't seem very ground-breaking to me. In many cases they were less than 5% performance gains. I also know that current apps don't make much use of multiple cores, and since the new 6x or 8x or whatever core processors are coming out, I doubt that they will offer much practical improvement.


Ram G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

And then finally, is it simply economical go with RAM like this over say OCZ or Corsair?

[RickyTick]

Right, I read through the posts on the link posted, and I can see why the build RickyTick offered was a logical choice, but I have some concerns about it...

Motherboard MSI P55-GD80 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

This is perhaps my weakest area in terms of technical knowledge, so please be patient with me :)

Given my price range, I find that I have a dilemma: While I want to make a build that will perform well, that limits me to maxing out a 1156 i7 860 dual channel build. The cons of this are that it will not be expandable in the future and that it is expensive. The other option, which I think might be better, is to build a PC focused on future expandability. So a 1366 i7 920 triple channel build could be my best option, but this is expensive as well, and I need to learn more about the mobo socket types (Lynnfield vs Bloomfield, 1366 vs 1156 etc).

Having a $1K budget is precisely why I suggested the i7-860 and P55 build. Although the i7-920 and X58 are only going to increase the cost only by about $125. And yes, the Gulftown 6-core processors are supposed to work in the X58 motherboard too. One thing is for certain, both of these builds are lightning fast. The only limiting factor in relation to gaming is going to be the video card.



Unfortunately, the way I understand this, is that I'll need to purchase the newest 1366 mobo and couple that with an i7 920 and to triple channel DDR 3 RAM architecture. This makes it just as, if not more expensive, than beefing up an i7 860 & 1156 with only dual channel RAM. It seems like I'm stuck in a hard place, because if I wanted to be able to take advantage of triple channel memory, and put in a new processor 3-4 years from now, I'd have to make a 1366 i7 build.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that either of these processors will be outdated in 3-4 years. You should ask yourself if you are a casual gamer having a lot of fun on a regular basis, or are you a hardcore gamer that MUST be on the cutting edge of pc technology.



CPU Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz

Again, please excuse my ignorance, but I've read many conflicting reviews about the i7 860 vs. 920 controversy. I understand it as they both perform similarly when OC'd but the 920 build will cost a little more and leave you with room for expandability in the future (with a mobo that can support 1366 for more cores) and make use of triple channel RAM.

That being said, I've looked over the specs for the triple channel RAM, and they didn't seem very ground-breaking to me. In many cases they were less than 5% performance gains. I also know that current apps don't make much use of multiple cores, and since the new 6x or 8x or whatever core processors are coming out, I doubt that they will offer much practical improvement.

Hmm, you seem to be making my arguement for me. :D My 2 1/2 year old system is overkill for most of the games I play. There are very few games out there that take advantage of a Quad core cpu, much less a 6-core. I guess it's really all about money JAG and how much you're willing to put into you system.



Ram G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

And then finally, is it simply economical go with RAM like this over say OCZ or Corsair?

Yes.

[JAGX02]

OK then it sounds pretty logical that the 1366 may be a bit overboard for my price range. I'd just like to learn a bit more about the newer terminology then.

I understand what OCing is, but Turbo Mode totally confuses me? :confused:
I plan on doing some mild OC with whichever processor I use, but how does Turbo Mode factor in? And at what point should I consider liquid cooling and/or custom or additional heat sinks for my cpu?

And then also, what about future upgrading in terms of USB 3.0? I'm currently stuck with USB 1.0 (or 1.1) and it's a real pain because not only is it slow, but incompatible with many devices. So how will my mobo choice affect that, if anyone knows?