Core i7 Gaming Build

 

This computer is going to be used for gaming, and my intent is to build a rig that should last for the next 3 or so years (with the exception of a video card upgrade or two down the road).  So, when looking at this build, consider that I am going for something with a couple years worth of staying power. 

 

I am on the fence about overclocking (and quite honestly, have not done my homework on how well the new i7 systems / chipsets do OC), so I have not really taken that into account when selecting components - feedback is welcome in that department.

 

I would like to keep the price somewhere south of 3000$, but 3500$ is my absolute ceiling.

 

Here is the build, and a couple of questions to keep in mind ...

 

1) I chose 6GB (3 x 2GB) of ram clocked at 1333 MHz.  The 6GB (3 x 2GB) of the Dominator XMP ram clocked at 1600 MHz is about 65$ more.  Is it worth the difference?

2) I selected the eVGA GeForce GTX 280 SSC (which is the super-clocked version of the GTX 280), and it costs about 80$ more than the baseline eVGA GTX 280 card.  The only difference between the two cards is that the SSC is clocked about 6% faster than the base card.  Is that small difference in clock speed worth 80$?  (I suspect not, since I normally upgrade the GPU every year or two).

3) I believe the COOLERMASTER Cosmo S case comes with 4 fans (3 x 120 mm fans, and the side fan, which is 220 mm), but it has room for 7 (which would be three more 120 mm fans ... two at the top of the case for exhausting, and one intake at the bottom of the case).  Is the "LED Fans Maximum Package" going to put in those three fans?  Also, on a related note, I notice one choice is "LED Fans Maximum Package" (and I picked red, to be consistent with the HDD fan already in the Cosmos S case), but there is another option called "NON-LED Fans Maximum Package, Low Noise", and I was wondering how much difference in noise there is between the red LED fans and the non-LED low noise fans.

 

INTEL, Core™ i7-940 Quad-Core 2.93GHz, LGA1366, 6400 MT/s QPI, 8MB L3 Cache, 45nm, 130W, EM64T EIST VT XD, Retail
   
CPU Coolers
COOLERMASTER, V8 CPU Cooler, Socket 1366/775/940/AM2, Aluminum
   
Thermal Compound
ARCTIC SILVER, Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound, Polysynthetic Silver
     ASUS, P6T Deluxe/OC Palm, LGA1366, Intel® X58, 6400 MT/s QPI, DDR3-1600MHz (O.C.)12GB /6, PCIe x16 SLI CF /3, SATA 3 Gb/s RAID 5 /6, HDA, GbLAN /2, FW /2, ATX, Retail
   
DDR3-1333 Non-ECC DIMM Memory
CORSAIR, 6GB (3 x 2GB) XMS3 PC3-10600 DDR3 1333MHz CL9 (9-9-9) 1.5V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
   
PCI Express x16 Video Cards
eVGA, GeForce GTX 280 SSC, GTX 280 648MHz, 1GB GDDR3 2322MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, DVI /2, HDTV Out, Retail
   
Sound Cards
AZUNTECH, Auzen X-Plosion 7.1 Cinema, 7.1 channels, 24-bit 96KHz, S/PDIF In/Out, PCI 2.1, Retail
   
SATA Hard Drives
WESTERN DIGITAL, 320GB WD Caviar® SE16 (WD3200AAKS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 16MB cache
   
SATA Hard Drives
WESTERN DIGITAL, 320GB WD Caviar® SE16 (WD3200AAKS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 16MB cache
   
Floppy Drives and Card Readers
SONY, MPF920 Black Internal 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive
   
CD-ROM and DVD-ROM Drives
SAMSUNG, Super-WriteMaster™ SH-S223 Black 22x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ LightScribe, SATA, w/ Software, OEM
   
DVD RW Drives
NEC, AD-7200S Black 20x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner, SATA, OEM

 

Yes, I have read that it is hard to justify the price of the 940 (relative to the 920), and it is better to either go down to the 920 or up to the 965.  I am figuring out which way I want to lean.

 

As for the the GTX 285, it is on my radar, and that all depends on how long I want to wait, I reckon.  I do not think it is supposed to be widely available until after the 15th, but I doubt I will have the build finalized by then, anyway.  I am still undecided on a couple of components, and it will take me a couple days to figure out which way I want to go.

 

As for the GTX 295, based on the previews (not reviews) I have read, I am leaning towards the GTX 280 or 285 instead of the GTX 295. It may a decent improvement over the GTX 280, but the fact remains that the GTX 295 is essentially two 260 PCBs glued together, and Nvidia's history with support of dual GPU cards is not stellar. I realize the 295 is a dual PCB setup, but I still have qualms about spending that kind of money for a card and then having to worry about driver support and whether or not my games are taking advantage of the dual setup.

I get the feeling that the GTX 295 is nothing more than a hastily-contrived, marketing-driven stop-gap designed to temporarily steal the "performance crown" back from ATI, and once the next generation GT 300 series cards come out (which is rumored to be as early as summer), the GTX 295 will not be given the extra time and support it needs to keep the drivers current and optimized.

 

Socket 1366 Core i7 Desktop Processors
INTEL, Core™ i7-965 Extreme Quad-Core, 3.2GHz, LGA1366, 6400 MT/s QPI, 8MB L3 Cache, 45nm, 130W, EM64T EIST VT XD, Retail

 

CPU Coolers 
COOLERMASTER, V8 CPU Cooler, Socket 1366/775/940/AM2, Aluminum
 
Thermal Compound
ARCTIC SILVER, Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound, Polysynthetic Silver
 
Socket 1366 Core i7 DDR3 Motherboards
ASUS, P6T Deluxe/OC Palm, LGA1366, Intel® X58, 6400 MT/s QPI, DDR3-1600MHz (O.C.)12GB /6, PCIe x16 SLI CF /3, SATA 3 Gb/s RAID 5 /6, HDA, GbLAN /2, FW /2, ATX, Retail
 
DDR3-1333 Non-ECC DIMM Memory
CORSAIR, 6GB (3 x 2GB) Dominator XMP PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz CL9 (8-8-8-24) 1.65V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
 
PCI Express x16 Video Cards
eVGA, GeForce GTX 280, GTX 280 602MHz, 1GB GDDR3 2214MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, DVI /2, HDTV Out, Retail
 
Sound Cards
AZUNTECH, Auzen X-Plosion 7.1 Cinema, 7.1 channels, 24-bit 96KHz, S/PDIF In/Out, PCI 2.1, Retail
 
SATA Hard Drives
WESTERN DIGITAL, 320GB WD Caviar® SE16 (WD3200AAKS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 16MB cache
 
SATA Hard Drives
WESTERN DIGITAL, 320GB WD Caviar® SE16 (WD3200AAKS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 16MB cache
 
Floppy Drives and Card Readers
SONY, MPF920 Black Internal 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive
 
CD-ROM and DVD-ROM Drives
SAMSUNG, Super-WriteMaster™ SH-S223 Black 22x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ LightScribe, SATA, w/ Software, OEM
 
DVD RW Drives
NEC, AD-7200S Black 20x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner, SATA, OEM
 
Tower Cases Without Power Supply
COOLERMASTER, Cosmos S (RC-1100-KKN1-GP) Black Tower Case, EATX, No PSU, Aluminum
 
Fans
CASE FAN, NON-LED, Fans Maximum Package, Low Noise
 
Power Supplies
CORSAIR, CMPSU-1000HX HX Series Power Supply w/ Modularized Cable Management, 1000W, 80 PLUS®, 24-pin ATX12V EPS12V, Multi-GPU Ready
 
Operating Systems
MICROSOFT, Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition w/ SP1, OEM

 

 

Some of my questions from my initial post still apply (ie, 1600 MHz memory vs 1333 MHz) and the questions regarding the fans / maximum fans package and the Cosmos S case.

 

 

 

Based on your response, I reckon I will save the money and go with the 1333 MHz ram.

 

Two more questions for you, if you do not mind:

 

1) Do you have a preference in regards to the cooler I should go with?   I selected the Coolermaster V8 based on some reviews I read (and one person's direct feedback) that were very positive, but I have also seen quite a few posts across multiple message boards that state the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme is the best air-cooler money can buy.  I would be interested to hear your opinion (as well as anyone else that wants to chime in).

 

2) Do you know when you will start offering the GTX 285?  I was thinking of going with the eVGA GTX 285 SSC, and was just wondering when it would be on your configuration lists.  I think that is the only thing I am waiting on, and then I am ready to order.

 

I do have some more detailed questions in regards to OCing, but I suspect that should wait until I have the final config ready to order.

 

 

GTX 285 AVAILABLE NOW!!!!