Posted by rSean in So I’m rockin’ my new super sweet Intel machine built from scratch… Genrally speaking, I don’t keep up with hardware like I used to… it changes to fast and I’m too busy. So to get caught up, I did a lot of research.
I ended up landing on My Super PC forums which had some very helpful folks that steered me in the right direction for the build.
I thought about just going with a “Core 2 Duo”, but after considering the length of time that processor has been on the market and the recent introduction of the i7, I thought it best to go with the newer bad boy cpu — the i7. In addition, the price was right – for a few hundred dollars more, I could get the i7, X58 Motherboard and DDR3 RAM (all required with the i7) and am likely to still be ahead in a few years. It’s my next 5 year machine.
I’m not a gamer, so I went with a lesser video card. I also downgraded the X58 motherbooard to Gigabit’s UD3R; many of the features of the UD5 weren’t required for me.
I got everything at Newegg.com; when a competitor was close to Newegg’s price, it was negligible.
The Parts:
- Case: Antec P183
- Power: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply – Retail
- Card Reader: VANTEC UGT-CR905 58-in-1 USB 2.0 Card Reader/Writer for 3.5” or 5.25” Drive Bay with Built-In USB Port – Retail
- Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail
- Video: EVGA 512-P3-N963-TR GeForce 9600 GSO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card – Retail
- CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 – Retail
- RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1333C9 – Retail
- Optical: SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q – OEM
- HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5″ Internal Hard Drive – OEM
- OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders – OEM
Total Cost:
- Total Cost w/ shipping and BEFORE MIR: $1152
- Total Cost after MIR: $1092
Final Review:
I’ve had the machine for one week and it’s been complete bliss; I love it! It’s still running at the factor 2.66GHz; no need to overclock yet.
Performance Marks and Build Photos:
Nice rig, brohamus.
I still have the old number, would love to get in touch.
Rob Paszta, on the other hand is hard to get a hold of:
http://www.spoke.com/info/pEqSnBn/RobertPaszta
Chris Savitz, he’s not on FB or any other normal site, and his wife is. I don’t want to bother him, tbh.
Its the only contacts I have from the old crew.
Hey Petko! Notice the grounding strap in some of the photos? It’s the same one I got from you back in Idaho… ahh the memories.