i7 New Build

[chuckhrtn72]

I am building a new computer here is the parts I have picked out so far I would like some input I have only bought the case,psu,and cpu heat sink. I plan to oc to 3.8ghz if chip permits. I will most likely go to water at a later date, if I am feeling the True is not enough but what do you guys think about this build you were a real help on my last build

mushkin XP 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz
Western Digital VelociRaptor
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM
COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91
Thermalright "Limited Edition" TRUE Black Ultra-120 eXtreme CPU Heatsink
other thoughts are that I am addicted to building

[GregManning]

LOL, the TRUE will be MORE then plenty for your goals. In fact, you can target 4Ghz on the TRUE pretty safely.

For reference, I'm running the i7 920 at 3.6Ghz on stock cooling. Yes, you read that right, stock cooling. Full load temps get into the 70's (C), but that's it. I was able to hit 3.6Ghz on less then stock vcore, which is why it runs as cool as it does at this speed. Not all chips are equal though. YMMV is the first of the only 2 real rules of overclocking.

Rule #1 = YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary)
Rule #2 = Too much heat kills.

Everything after those 2 rules, refer to rule #1.

[Meridian]

I'd change the m/b to either the EVGA board (they only do one X58 board until the all-singing-all-dancing one finally arrives) or the Asus P6T DeLuxe.


Final speeds on i920s seem to vary a LOT - probably because Intel are still on the first iteration I think. 4GHz will be possible on some, others with struggle with 3.7GHz.


M

[chuckhrtn72]

I trust your judgment Meridian there is more than one of either board, Asus or Evga please be more specific. I am not sure which one. I have Asus board now and I think they are great but I wanted more sata ports I am willing to give up on that for the best of what I can get I am not buying the board till Friday. Or anything else for that matter. I shop at newegg.com they offer lot of choices. Thanks for your help and I know you know what your talking about I learned the first time the hard way.

[xiz0r]

Supports 3 channel DDR3 2100+ memory

from http://www.gigabyte.com.tw
so you should look for either a 3*1gb or 3*2gb ram kit (dual channel would still work but if you're going i7 you might as well start with tripple channel ddr3)

[GregManning]

I completely disagree with Meridian. The Gigabyte board is totally fine and is every bit as good as the Asus and FAR more trustworthy then the EVGA who is only on their first generation Intel chipset motherboard. The Gigabyte motherboards are renowned overclockers, easily trumping the EVGA board, and matching if not exceeding the Asus. Asus support is notoriously shoddy. Gigabyte support is well known for being Johnny on the spot with the end users needs. I've been down the support road with both companies too many times to have ANY respect for Asus support.

Stay with the Gigabyte board. It's a better choice. I could have gone any way I wanted on my i7. EVGA's lack of Intel chipset experience and Asus's crappy support history totally put me off of them.

[chuckhrtn72]

Well I have had really good support from Asus. They replaced a board free of charge and got it to me reasonably quickly So I can say I don't like them. They just don't have as many sata ports on them as the Gigabyte board has 10. I like having a dvd drive, blu ray drive, 3+ hdd,and eSata. With that all said I am out of ports on my Current board.. I was thinking about wd 2tb hdd. As far as ram goes I am back to looking I missed the dual channel tri channel thing oops. I am looking for the best mid range ram that I can overclock if need be. I do a lot of encoding so the i7 is where it is at. I have not done the math yet I just want to oc my i7 920 to 3.8 if that is possible with what I get. To match the speed I am at now. I have not read anywhere yet that getting the 940 gives you all that much or any increase if you plan to oc. I love figuring this stuff out and like coming here to see if what I have read is what I think I have read, I am dyslexic. Most of all I have learned that there are a lot of realy realy smart ppl out there that can help. thanks to all that help.

[GregManning]

Don't worry, 3.8Ghz is easy on a TRUE. 940 gives no extra OC headroom over 920 in general. They both tend to top out around the same level, meaning that technically, the 920 went further to get to the same point, making it the better overclocker from that perspective.

If your good with Asus, it's certainly far more trustworthy then the EVGA X58 board. I just cannot bring myself to trust in EVGA's first Intel chipset mobo. The upcoming refresh from EVGA may be a totally different beasty though. EVGA doesn't need alot of practice to get it right, second release should nail it for them

[Meridian]

I trust your judgment Meridian there is more than one of either board, Asus or Evga please be more specific.

I just saw that EVGA have now expanded their range to three! Ignore the "Classified", which is OTT for you. Didn't have long enough to check the differences between the other two, but EVGA aren't doing themselves any favours by calling them the same thing. I would guess only the add-on feature set is different.


As for Asus, the exact model name is the "P6T" - ignore ones like the "P6T Deluxe" etc.


And I can only say I'm not a fan of Gigabyte. That board got on my final three for selection, but came third.


M

[chuckhrtn72]

the Evga looks awsome thanks, I checked out the EVGA 132-BL-E758-TR and EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 the only diff I found was the A1 had a better package deal AR/A1 - packing list:
Quote from http://www.evga.com/support/knowledgebase/


The AR/A1 is the full retail box, includes all cables and brackets and comes with a lifetime warranty upon registration.
The TR/T1 is the light version, does not include all brackets, manual comes on CD, has only the essential cables and comes with a 2 year warranty.

AR/A1 - packing list:
Motherboard
I/O shield
NB fan
SLI bridge
Driver CD
Manual
USB bracket
Firewire bracket
Serial port bracket
6 SATA data cables
3 SATA power cables
IDE data cable
Floppy data cable
RAID floppy driver disk

TR/T1 - packing list:
Motherboard
I/O shield
NB fan
SLI bridge
Driver CD
2 SATA data cables
1 SATA power cable
IDE data cable
Floppy data cable

[Sparks]

I own the Gigabyte board and I have had Asus in the past (my 3 boards before thisone). In my experience Gigabyte was more stable for other chipsets but I wouldn't know for X58. The Gigabyte does a good job for me. 4GHz is no problem at all. I didn't stabelize it yet but this is just a matter of time.
I always remembered 1 thing about my Gigabyte boards. They didn't have the best OC options (which is better now), but they DID have the best stability at high speeds. Better then boards that had a big name for it (and I tried and swapped boards).
For info: I tried a 210MHz bus speed, this was no problem (primed it), I didn't try any higher.

I have the same memory and processor as well (just a 3 channel kit). It's a good combination. I would wait for the new processor speck because they seem to overclock better.
You can look at my results by clicking on the link in my sig, I update it now and then. I am runninf 2666MHz at 0.944v now.

[highoctane]

Asus has done me right so far with Intel based rigs, I don't have a problem with other brands really but I tend to stick with what has proven reliable to me.

In the end with x58 it basically boils down to whether you are going to be overclocking to the very edge of stability, then you may want to research a little more to suit your needs. For the most part they will all achieve very similar "24/7" stable overclocks for a particular cpu so that shouldn't be a major concern, especially with air cooling.

[chuckhrtn72]

HMMMMM I really liked the GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 X58 has some head room for memory expansion but EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 looks good for support I looked at the Asus P6T chipset cooling does not look like it is enough. I don't game so eliminate that all together man oh man this is tough. I want to figure this out by the end of the weekend thanks for all the input but I am torn between the Gigabyte and the Egva leaning closer to Evga since Meridian has helped me in the past. I will most likely have this system 6 months and rebuild w/ 32nm tech. I tend to over do stuff and I am still new this is my 3rd build. I promise to write a new thread saying how it all went with what ever I do.

[Sparks]

4GHz is no problem at all. I didn't stabilize it yet but this is just a matter of time.

And it's done. I primed it. I hope that I can lower the voltage a bit.

[chuckhrtn72]

Well guys I bought this
EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1
mushkin 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 Triple Channel
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz
Western Digital VelociRaptor
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM
COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1
CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91
Thermalright "Limited Edition" TRUE Black Ultra-120 eXtreme

It was tough though I realy did like the gigabyte board but I had a lot of trouble that could have been avoided if I had listened to Meridian in the past. He told me to get some awsome ram OCZ flex xlc which I did later. I will try Evga out they have awsome support what I can tell so far. Thanks to all who gave input. I will write a new thread when I have it all together. Chuck the noob lol