PC people

[Bebpo]

I just picked up an i7 920 from Microcenter since it was on sale for $230.  I'm planning on overclocking for the first time ever.  I want to run it at 3.4ghz. What's a good motherboard for doing this?  I see three i7 Gigabyte motherboards at newegg.  One is like $210, one is $250ish, one is $290.  I also see some Asus ones for around $250-$300.  I don't plan to SLI and the only thing I'm plugging in is 1 longass videocard in the PCI-E slot.

Then next up is ram.  I see 6gigs of Corsair DDR 1600 ram for $166
    *  DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
    *  Timing 8-8-8-24
    *  Cas Latency 8

vs.

6 gigs of OCZ for $110 ($90 after rebate)
    *  DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
    *  Timing 7-7-7-24
    *  Cas Latency 7

vs.

6 gigs of Corsair at amazon (no tax; free shipping) for $68
# 6 GB Kit PC3-10666 1333MHz 9-9-9-24 240-pin DDR3

Is the difference going to be noticable to the point where I should buy the $100 or even $166 ram vs. the $68 ram?

Finally, since I'm overclocking the i7 I figure I should probably integrate some sort of cooling solution?  I've never used anything besides the default fans that come with the case/cpu/videocard.  What sort of cooling thing should I put in? 

Thanks,

[Smooth Groove]

Nice, you're gonna love it.  I7 was such a worthwhile upgrade from my Core 2 Quad. 

The motherboard is very important for overclocking.  I got up to 4ghz with this board:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128374

The higher end model Gigabyte is not really necessary.  It just has more SATA ports, LAN ports, etc. 

Other brands you should check out are ASUS, DFI, MSI.  Go to www.hardocp.com for detailed pros and cons of each board. 

They're pretty much equivalent though so you should let price determine your purchase.  Also, don't pay extra for a SLI or Crossfire features if you don't ever plan on using more than 1 videocard.


Ram:

Get the more expensive ram.  It'll give you more overclocking flexibility.  I7 has to maintain certain FSB to RAM speed ratios and using faster RAM just makes everything easier.

Cooling:

Since you live in superhot LA, like I do, you'll definitely need an aftermarket cooler.

I got up to a stable 4ghz with this :  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055&Tpk=coolermaster%20v8

The V10 is even better but it's hard to fit in a case + it's more expensive.

This is good as well:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106102

[Bebpo]

What case did you go with?  I realized I'm going to need a new case because of the size of the cpu fan.

[Smooth Groove]

I've had this case even before my upgrade: http://www.xpcgear.com/p182se.html

It looks nice and is very quiet but it's kinda small for my needs.  If you're just using one videocard and less than 5 internal hard drives, it should well for you.

Other brands which I like are Lian-Li and Coolermaster.  I'm not so fond of Thermaltake.  Thermaltake's designs always seemed a little crude. 

Cases are not easy to pick as they all differ from one another.  Here are some good sites to help you make your decision:

http://techreport.com/case+power/
http://www.legitreviews.com/content.php
http://www.extremetech.com/category2/0,2843,2279241,00.asp

[Bebpo]

Ok, I decided I'm just going to build a 2nd computer and keep my old one instead of swapping the parts in my current computer/case.  So right from the start.

I have:
-XTX Geforce 9800GTX+ Black Edition
-640gb WD drive
-750W Power Supply
-i7 920
-Windows XP

I ordered:
-The Corsair 1600 ram for $155 on amazon
-That cooler master for $68 on amazon
-A 1TB WD hard drive for $90 on amazon
-An X360 wired controller for PC use for $35 on amazon

I'm going to order:
-The gigabyte board for $240
-This case for $80?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
-A dvd/cd burner

Is that everything?  I don't need an audio card because the motherboards all have SPDF-out and that's what I use for movies/games when gaming on tv-out to my hdtv.  Or if I do stuff on my monitor I can just use the onboard sound for my speakers.

[Smooth Groove]

What videocard are you using?  The 9800GTX is definitely too slow for the I7.

Either get an Nvidia 200 series card or an ATI 4870.  I would recommend Nvidia since they still have better drivers.

Actually, I still have 2 EVGA 280 GTXes that I need to sell.  They both have only been used for 6 months, are in excellent condition and have lifetime warranties.

Let me know if you're interested.  Some people here can vouch for me. 

If you buy it from me, you can get it in a couple of days since I'm in LA. 

[Bebpo]

I just bought the 9800GTX+ like 2 weeks ago.  It was the first part of this new computer.  I bought the i7 920 because my current cpu was too slow for the 9800GTX+.

The XTX Black Edition version of the 9800GTX+ is about the same performance as the GT260 according to most benchmarks since the Black Edition is overclocked.

[Smooth Groove]

Maybe for the older games but the 200 series' new architecture makes it much faster for many of the new games, especially if you're going to use higher settings or more anti-aliasing. 

[Bebpo]

Well, I'm not going to sell/replace the card I spent $150 on less than a month ago.  So I'll just stick with it for a year or two and then upgrade to something more top of the line.

Also I don't need the same power requirements as you since I run games at 1280x720p and not 1080p.  Right now on my Athlon 4000 2.4ghz cpu with DDR1300 ram & the 9800GTX+ I'm running every game pre-Crysis at 60fps with full AA @ 1280x720p.  Crysis/Far Cry 2 run at about 20fps or less.  I'm sure I'll get 60fps by moving the the i7 and then if I can play every game in existence at 720p with 60fps I think I will be more than satisfied for the next 2 years until I upgrade my videocard.

[Smooth Groove]

720P only?  What monitor do you use?

I forgot to mention that you should absolutely install a copy of XP.

For some weird reason, some games, including newer ones like the COD series and Left 4 Dead, run much better on XP.

I have to use a lot of hardware power to negate the optimzation differences in those games. 

It's pretty dumb. You'd think that developers would have Vista figured out by now. 

Well, I'm not going to sell/replace the card I spent $150 on less than a month ago.  So I'll just stick with it for a year or two and then upgrade to something more top of the line.

Also I don't need the same power requirements as you since I run games at 1280x720p and not 1080p.  Right now on my Athlon 4000 2.4ghz cpu with DDR1300 ram & the 9800GTX+ I'm running every game pre-Crysis at 60fps with full AA @ 1280x720p.  Crysis/Far Cry 2 run at about 20fps or less.  I'm sure I'll get 60fps by moving the the i7 and then if I can play every game in existence at 720p with 60fps I think I will be more than satisfied for the next 2 years until I upgrade my videocard.

You'll see a big boost in Far Cry 2, and not so much in Crysis.  FC2 is very CPU demanding. 

[Bebpo]

I use a 1280x1024 monitor with 16ms response time   I don't game or watch movies on it though.  It's just for internet and it's fine for that.

I play all my games and watch all my videos using tv-out on my 720p hdtv.  That's why I don't need to run games at ultra high resolutions, which makes it less demanding.

And yeah, I'm sticking with XP which I already have.  I don't like Vista and I'm waiting for Windows 7 to be out and optimized for a bit.

[Smooth Groove]

I use a 1280x1024 monitor with 16ms response time   I don't game or watch movies on it though.  It's just for internet and it's fine for that.

I play all my games and watch all my videos using tv-out on my 720p hdtv.  That's why I don't need to run games at ultra high resolutions, which makes it less demanding.

And yeah, I'm sticking with XP which I already have.  I don't like Vista and I'm waiting for Windows 7 to be out and optimized for a bit.

You'll need Vista or I7 for DX10 though.  DX10 is not necessary but it makes a noticeable difference in many newer games.

But then again, the 9800 is more suited for DX9 than DX10.

An X360 wired controller for PC use for $35 on amazon

Just get the wireless adapter for PCs.  

http://www.massmedia1.com/xbox-360-wireless-win-pc-adap360.html

There's no difference between the PC 360 controller and a regular controller.  

Is that everything?  I don't need an audio card because the motherboards all have SPDF-out and that's what I use for movies/games when gaming on tv-out to my hdtv.  Or if I do stuff on my monitor I can just use the onboard sound for my speakers.

Even a cheap-ass, Audigy card would perform and sound much better than an onboard solution.

You also need a X-FI for EAX effects in Vista for older games that don't use Open-AL.  It shouldn't be too hard to find a low-end X-FI for less than $50.

It's worth the investment, imo.  

[huckleberry]

I love my i7 920.  I have mine paired with a gtx260 and it just eats alive any game out right now.


make sure the case you get has plenty of room in it.  I got a small Lian Li and now have to cut out the top of the case to add two ventilation fans.  

gtx260 + i7 920 = small furnace.


Smooth is definitely right on about the sound card.  You may not have it in your budget to get one right now but do it.  I had never had a sound card in my life and bout one a few months back and love it. Not only does it sound better than onboard but it takes some of the load off.

[Smooth Groove]

I love my i7 920.  I have mine paired with a gtx260 and it just eats alive any game out right now.


make sure the case you get has plenty of room in it.  I got a small Lian Li and now have to cut out the top of the case to add two ventilation fans. 

gtx260 + i7 920 = small furnace.


Smooth is definitely right on about the sound card.  You may not have it in your budget to get one right now but do it.  I had never had a sound card in my life and bout one a few months back and love it. Not only does it sound better than onboard but it takes some of the load off.

Did you mention in a previous thread that you couldn't overclock your 920 much? 

You might just need a better CPU cooler or maybe you didn't fasten the heatsink properly.

Heat shouldn't be much of a problem with overclocking a 920 to 3.4ghz or below. 

Although an overclocked I7 can run pretty hot, it's designed to run stably at high temps.

Likewise, the 260 GTX has a pretty high tolerance for heat so <100 degres celsisus shouldn't make it crash. 

I only use air cooling with my 4ghz I7 and 2 295 GTXes and a 9800 GT.  Heat hasn't been an issue even though my case is quite small, like I mentioned before. 

[huckleberry]

I haven't tried to overclock mine at all yet.  I still have the stock cooler, but have a thermalright in my sights to get next week.  Mine is more of a problem with getting my case to not sound like a jet engine. 

[Bebpo]

I have a sound card in my current one (a chaintech card) that I could move over.

But like my video, I do all my audio through optical out to my receiver for games/videos.  So since the motherboard has optical out I don't need a card.  The only reason I have a sound card on this machine is that my current motherboard doesn't have optical audio out so I had to get a cheap card to do it.


Also a question:  So since I bought that V8 cpu cooler that you recommended, do I just throw out the stock cooler that came with the i7 and use the V8 instead?

[Bebpo]

I love my i7 920.  I have mine paired with a gtx260 and it just eats alive any game out right now.


make sure the case you get has plenty of room in it.  I got a small Lian Li and now have to cut out the top of the case to add two ventilation fans.  

Yeah, I went with this case: http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Centurion-Tower-Black/dp/B000V95YOC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=miscellaneous&qid=1239405234&sr=8-1

The diagram says max space is given for video cards so hopefully everything will fit right.  I'm only going to have 2 hard drives + 1 dvd/cd burner so I should be able to give it a lot of room by not filling the slots.