Help with Gaming/workhorse build

[Sugeknight]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
some gaming, multimedia, development, file transers, file conversions

2. What YOUR budget is.
$1800-2100

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
US, Newegg

4. IF YOU have a brand preference.
prefer Intel

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
all new parts

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
I've searched build threads and have a few related questions below. I haven't built a machine in 3 years so I've been researching as much as possible.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
no plans to overclock

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.
1080

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
as soon as the part choices are finalized

Questions:
The Sapphire video card is out of stock, any suggestions to sub?
Would i7 be worth the performance bump?
Any reasons why SSD is a bad idea?
Thoughts on where price can be trimmed?

Comments/suggestions?

This is my current build:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=11896711

Thanks!

updated
-COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
-CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
-GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
-Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I5750
-COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long ...
-qty 2 - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
-XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
-Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2R5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
-HITACHI Deskstar HD32000 IDK/7K (0S00164) 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
-ASUS VE246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor
-LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support
-Logitech G500 10 Buttons Dual-mode Scroll Wheel USB Wired Laser Gaming Mouse
-Logitech 967740-0403 Black USB Standard Internet 350 USB Keyboard - OEM
-Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

 

[mfenn]

OK, a few suggestions on price (just going down the list here, so no particular order):

• 6GB is not necessary or recommended for P55. You should be able to go down to 4GB with no trouble. (Before somebody comes in here and says, "But but but, I read that 2 of the DIMMs in a 3 DIMM config would run in multichannel!!!!", I will respond by saying that yes, that is true, but you don't control where in the physical address space that the memory allocator puts your pages, therefore you will be held up by the slower channel).
• 850W is overkill, get the 650TX
• Get the retail version of the X25-M, as it comes with the mounting bracket that you will need
• Don't pay $325 for a 5850, just pick the cheapest

To answer your questions: see above, no, no, see above.

 

[Sp12]

Do you live near microcenter?

 

[Sugeknight]

Thanks for the reply. I've incorporated your suggestions.

Would 8GB be the proper increase from 4GB then? I'd like to go higher than 4GB if it makes any sense for this config.
I chose the regular G.Skill instead of the Ripjaws because I read the performance difference wouldn't be realized in the price difference.

 

[Sugeknight]

Do you live near microcenter?

Yes, about 20 mins.

replace i5-750 with i7 875k?

 

[mfenn]

Thanks for the reply. I've incorporated your suggestions.

Would 8GB be the proper increase from 4GB then? I'd like to go higher than 4GB if it makes any sense for this config.
I chose the regular G.Skill instead of the Ripjaws because I read the performance difference wouldn't be realized in the price difference.

Yes, 8GB would be. Yeah there is really no difference between the Ripjaws and the normal G.Skill

Yes, about 20 mins.

In that case, you can get the CPU much cheaper at MC.

 

[Sp12]

Yes, about 20 mins.

replace i5-750 with i7 875k?

Yes very much so.

Higher base clock, hyperthreading, much higher turbo, unlocked.

How much are they charging for it now? 200$ or 230$? I've heard both.

 

[Sugeknight]

Yes very much so.

Higher base clock, hyperthreading, much higher turbo, unlocked.

How much are they charging for it now? 200$ or 230$? I've heard both.

acc to their site, it's $299 right now. Is it only certain locations? (I'm in VA)

 

[Sp12]

acc to their site, it's $299 right now. Is it only certain locations? (I'm in VA)

They typically do not list in-store only deals, they actually never listed the 200$ deal online.

I think it would be worth an in-store trip to see what price they have it at at your store. If it's not at 230 or less, I would grab the 860/750 from wherever based on the best price.

 

[aigomorla]

Can you tweek your budget and go X58 over P55?

X58 offers more max memory for your workhorse appilcations.

The X58 is a better gaming platform then the p55.

The X58 offers you an upgrade of a future hexcore later on, while the p55 will be EOL'd to the pathetic overclocking defunct sandy bridge 1155.

If you decide you want to practice or play with overclocking... a i7 930 @ 3.6-4.0 absolutely rips though anything u give at. And the X58 platform offers a better overclocking experience because of a higher VTT thanks to more pins on the cpu socket.

I would get a X58 over a P55.

 

[Sp12]

Can you tweek your budget and go X58 over P55?

X58 offers more max memory for your workhorse appilcations.

The X58 is a better gaming platform then the p55.

The X58 offers you an upgrade of a future hexcore later on, while the p55 will be EOL'd to the pathetic overclocking defunct sandy bridge 1155.

If you decide you want to practice or play with overclocking... a i7 930 @ 3.6-4.0 absolutely rips though anything u give at. And the X58 platform offers a better overclocking experience because of a higher VTT thanks to more pins on the cpu socket.

I would get a X58 over a P55.

While the max memory is true, I've yet to see someone use an X58 platform with more than 12GB, and even that's rare. Not only that, but P55 has the option of 4, 8, 12, or 16 GB, X58 uses multiples of 6 (assuming matched dimms) so you can only do 6, 12, 18, or 24.

P55 is arguably a better gaming platform, it has higher turbo speeds and is cheaper, so you can spend more on your GPU.

X58 is set to EoL Q3 2011, and the only info on Sandy Bridge is one leaked A1 silicon engineering sample for a notebook.... yeah. And judging by the OCing you can get on the 32nm clarkdales, I expect Sandy Bridge to OC excellently.

Also, higher VTT is not really relevant as you'll be limited by thermals and the chip before you get to any sort of volt limit.

I honestly don't think X58 is a better platform at all, it's more expensive, but I don't think it's any better.

And believe it or not X58 and P55 chips are the exact same architecture, but P55 has higher turbos, while X58 has triple channel memory, guess which one is applicable in realworld use?

 

[aigomorla]

X58 is set to EoL Q3 2011, and the only info on Sandy Bridge is one leaked A1 silicon engineering sample for a notebook.... yeah. And judging by the OCing you can get on the 32nm clarkdales, I expect Sandy Bridge to OC excellently.

umm..

I know... but the X58 is a more open path for him to upgrade later on then a dying P55.

Also i dont know if you know who i am on this forum..

Ive previewed a lot of intel CPU's on this forum b4 anand even gets his hands on them.

the X5570, W3580 , W3570, i7 975, i7 Gulftown A0, i7 980X

Maybe this might give ya an idea on who your trying to contradict on Sandy Bridge. :hmm:
Right now if u mention Sandy Bridge + overclocking, to anyone who has a sample, they cant stop laughing...



OP... theres a reason why i push the X58 platform.
The price difference is small, yet the future benifits is great.
Also You asked for a workhorse... There is no future 6 core on the P55 side.

 

[mfenn]

I don't see how X58 is "dying" any more or any less that P55 TBH. Who cares about a future X58 6-core @ $500 when the Sandy 6 cores will be cheaper even when you consider the cost of a new mobo?

 

[Sp12]

umm..

I know... but the X58 is a more open path for him to upgrade later on then a dying P55.

While true, the release price of the 970 is set around the 500$ mark, which doesn't make a lot of sense in a build with a 1800-2100$ budget, let alone waiting for it to drop. I don't see the justification to a Nahalem hexacore with this timing.

Also i dont know if you know who i am on this forum..

Ive previewed a lot of intel CPU's on this forum b4 anand even gets his hands on them.

the X5570, W3580 , W3570, i7 975, i7 Gulftown A0, i7 980X

Maybe this might give ya an idea on who your trying to contradict on Sandy Bridge. :hmm:
Right now if u mention Sandy Bridge + overclocking, to anyone who has a sample, they cant stop laughing...

A: P55 is NOT sandy bridge, so it isn't really relevant.
B: Sandy bridge is a mainstream platform until Q3 2011.
C: Engineering samples that are alpha silicon typically need work to even get to requisite clockspeeds, iirc the leaked chip was 2.5 Ghz. There's good reason most chips release as B/C revisions.

OP... theres a reason why i push the X58 platform.
The price difference is small, yet the future benifits is great.
Also You asked for a workhorse... There is no future 6 core on the P55 side.

What is the future of X58? So far, there's info on price drops and a 970/990 hexacore. It's not like it'll be getting new features.

 

[aigomorla]

While true, the release price of the 970 is set around the 500$ mark, which doesn't make a lot of sense in a build with a 1800-2100$ budget, let alone waiting for it to drop. I don't see the justification to a Nahalem hexacore with this timing.

A: P55 is NOT sandy bridge, so it isn't really relevant.
B: Sandy bridge is a mainstream platform until Q3 2011.
C: Engineering samples that are alpha silicon typically need work to even get to requisite clockspeeds, iirc the leaked chip was 2.5 Ghz. There's good reason most chips release as B/C revisions.



What is the future of X58? So far, there's info on price drops and a 970/990 hexacore. It's not like it'll be getting new features.

no my comment about sandy was in your comment about the overclocking.
Its a laughing situtation at the moment.
And the sample which is running around is a 2.4ghz clocked processor on a 1155 chipset.

And the future of X58? The OP has the option to get a hexcore next year.. the year after.. the year after.... there still selling Q9550's at retailers... i dont see how the hexcore wont drop in price after 1 or 2 years even.

That means he can pick up a hexcore in the future and give his system 2/4 more working c/t.

 

[mfenn]

no my comment about sandy was in your comment about the overclocking.
Its a laughing situtation at the moment.
And the sample which is running around is a 2.4ghz clocked processor on a 1155 chipset.

And the future of X58? The OP has the option to get a hexcore next year.. the year after.. the year after.... there still selling Q9550's at retailers... i dont see how the hexcore wont drop in price after 1 or 2 years even.

That means he can pick up a hexcore in the future and give his system 2/4 more working c/t.

Sure he could, but with the way Intel doesn't mark down the older generations, it is almost always a better deal to just get a chip from the new generation.

 

[Sp12]

no my comment about sandy was in your comment about the overclocking.
Its a laughing situtation at the moment.
And the sample which is running around is a 2.4ghz clocked processor on a 1155 chipset.

And the future of X58? The OP has the option to get a hexcore next year.. the year after.. the year after.... there still selling Q9550's at retailers... i dont see how the hexcore wont drop in price after 1 or 2 years even.

That means he can pick up a hexcore in the future and give his system 2/4 more working c/t.

Key phrase is "at the moment". I have no doubt engineering samples are very much engineering samples.

Newegg price on a Q9550? 280$. Unless you really want to hang onto your old platform (without sata/USB3 of course), it makes much more sense to spend 280 on a current-gen architecture. Intel chips don't price-drop for years.

Now... a year in the future if he wants a hexacore, there will be Sandy Bridge octacores out, no doubt for less than what a i7-970 ends up costing. Admittedly, it's nice to have that upgrade path, but you're looking at higher performance/year with a P55 system now, and possibly a new mobo/CPU if/when it becomes appropriate for the application. X58 platforms don't turbo as high and therefore perform worse in games.

If he upgrades to a new platform in a year, he'll get PCIe 3 and sata 3 integrated, both very nice features that will never come (standard) to X58 (or P55). If he doesn't, he has a higher-performing platform for the entirety of it's life until it no longer performs well and a hexacore or new platform make sense.

I'd rather not clog up a thread asking for build advice with platform discussions, PM me.