Built this Core i7 system a couple weeks ago; thought I'd share my thoughts:
Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840 Black
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-1000HX 1000W
Motherboard: EVGA X58
CPU: Intel Core i7 940
HSF: (retail stock)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 280 SSC Edition
RAM: Corsair XMS 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR 1600 (PC3 12800) 1.65V 9-9-9-24
HDD(s): 2 x Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
O/S: Microsoft Windows Ultimate SP1 64-bit
Thoughts:
Everything started up with no issues. This has to be my most problem-free build of my last 4 or 5 systems. No system glitches, crashes etc in the last couple weeks of continuous operation. Even Windows Update (post SP1 patches) have been smooth... shocking! I'm waiting on getting a new CPU HSF before I get into overclocking so I have not touched ANY settings in BIOS.
Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840 Black
Much larger and roomier than my Antec P-180. Very solid construction. The tool-less HDD and optical drive bays were plesent and well constructed. For the price, I would have liked a few additional fans for which there are included brackets to be included. I'll have to order at least 3 more to feel comfortable with an overclocking setup. Additional fan installation will be easy as the brackets are included... again for the price they should have just included the fans. Padding for the PSU keeps noise and vibrations to a minimum. The railed motherboard tray is fantastic. Everything about working inside the case is great. One complaint I read about was not having tool-less expansion slots, but I actually prefer using thumb screws over clips. One odd mistake: the top audio slots were mistakenly reversed. The color is coded correctly but the little printed graphic for "headphones" and "microphone" is swapped incorrectly.
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-1000HX 1000W
As large as the PSU is, there's room for one about 50% longer in this case. Runs as quiet as my Corsair 620HX. Modular cables constructed well and plentiful. Volts off by very negligable amounts. No complaints.
Motherboard: EVGA X58
Cooling tower for chipsets are very well done and stayed out of the way of CPU/HSF install. I chose this board specifically for the expansion slot layout so of course I have no complaints there. I have not yet gone SLI but will be happy to use either the 2nd or 3rd slot (depending on whatever else I have installed at the time). No post issues. Flashed bios via windows installer with no issues. My sole complaint: location of the CPU power pins: very annoying to plug in with such little space between the edge of the board and the cooling tower. No other issues so far.
CPU: Intel Core i7 940
HSF: (retail stock)
Runs stable at default settings. I used no additional thermal compounds beyond the thermal stuff that was already on the retail HSF (which probably explains the variation in temps between cores more than anything else)
Prime95
System Temp: 29C
Load
Core 1 - 71C
Core 2 - 69C
Core 3 - 70C
Core 4 - 68C
NB - 56C
Idle
Core 1 - 51C
Core 2 - 47C
Core 3 - 52C
Core 4 - 47C
NB - 35C
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 280 SSC Edition
EVGA included the wrong 6 to 8-pin PCI-e power adapter (pin configuration to connect to their own card was wrong). Had to run to Fry's to get the correct one. Everything else: awesome. Bonus: runs quieter than my BFG 8800GTX OC.
RAM: Corsair XMS 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR 1600 (PC3 12800) 1.65V 9-9-9-24
No problems. Defaulted to 2:8 8-8-8-19 1T 1.5V according to EVGA E-LEET. Looks like there's headroom for overclocking in the future....
HDD(s): 2 x Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
I can hear them crunch a bit when they're working. Plan to eventually go with SSD as my primary sometime in 2009 so these will eventually be relegated to storage drives. They are a bit noticeably slower than my last system's Raptor, but that is to be expected. No complaints.
O/S: Microsoft Windows VISTA Ultimate SP1 64-bit
As mentioned earlier, I expected at least a couple issues with updates or compatibility with such new hardware. No problems at all so far! It's nice seeing all that extra RAM being utilized by the O/S. I had run Vista 32-bit in my last system. I can alt-tab in and out of games like L4D, CoD4, etc MUCH faster.
In conclusion, I recommend any of the parts I used in my latest system for your Core i7 build. I plan to wait a few months for these future upgrades: HSF, 12GB RAM, 2-way SLI, SSD drive(s). This will allow the market to mature, prices to go down, and bugs to be worked out. Also, while playing several of the latest games (CoD5:WaW, L4D, Crysis, Farcry2) I have yet to feel any need for more horsepower.
If anyone has specific questions about any of the products used feel free to post.
Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840 Black
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-1000HX 1000W
Motherboard: EVGA X58
CPU: Intel Core i7 940
HSF: (retail stock)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 280 SSC Edition
RAM: Corsair XMS 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR 1600 (PC3 12800) 1.65V 9-9-9-24
HDD(s): 2 x Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
O/S: Microsoft Windows Ultimate SP1 64-bit
Thoughts:
Everything started up with no issues. This has to be my most problem-free build of my last 4 or 5 systems. No system glitches, crashes etc in the last couple weeks of continuous operation. Even Windows Update (post SP1 patches) have been smooth... shocking! I'm waiting on getting a new CPU HSF before I get into overclocking so I have not touched ANY settings in BIOS.
Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840 Black
Much larger and roomier than my Antec P-180. Very solid construction. The tool-less HDD and optical drive bays were plesent and well constructed. For the price, I would have liked a few additional fans for which there are included brackets to be included. I'll have to order at least 3 more to feel comfortable with an overclocking setup. Additional fan installation will be easy as the brackets are included... again for the price they should have just included the fans. Padding for the PSU keeps noise and vibrations to a minimum. The railed motherboard tray is fantastic. Everything about working inside the case is great. One complaint I read about was not having tool-less expansion slots, but I actually prefer using thumb screws over clips. One odd mistake: the top audio slots were mistakenly reversed. The color is coded correctly but the little printed graphic for "headphones" and "microphone" is swapped incorrectly.
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-1000HX 1000W
As large as the PSU is, there's room for one about 50% longer in this case. Runs as quiet as my Corsair 620HX. Modular cables constructed well and plentiful. Volts off by very negligable amounts. No complaints.
Motherboard: EVGA X58
Cooling tower for chipsets are very well done and stayed out of the way of CPU/HSF install. I chose this board specifically for the expansion slot layout so of course I have no complaints there. I have not yet gone SLI but will be happy to use either the 2nd or 3rd slot (depending on whatever else I have installed at the time). No post issues. Flashed bios via windows installer with no issues. My sole complaint: location of the CPU power pins: very annoying to plug in with such little space between the edge of the board and the cooling tower. No other issues so far.
CPU: Intel Core i7 940
HSF: (retail stock)
Runs stable at default settings. I used no additional thermal compounds beyond the thermal stuff that was already on the retail HSF (which probably explains the variation in temps between cores more than anything else)
Prime95
System Temp: 29C
Load
Core 1 - 71C
Core 2 - 69C
Core 3 - 70C
Core 4 - 68C
NB - 56C
Idle
Core 1 - 51C
Core 2 - 47C
Core 3 - 52C
Core 4 - 47C
NB - 35C
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 280 SSC Edition
EVGA included the wrong 6 to 8-pin PCI-e power adapter (pin configuration to connect to their own card was wrong). Had to run to Fry's to get the correct one. Everything else: awesome. Bonus: runs quieter than my BFG 8800GTX OC.
RAM: Corsair XMS 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR 1600 (PC3 12800) 1.65V 9-9-9-24
No problems. Defaulted to 2:8 8-8-8-19 1T 1.5V according to EVGA E-LEET. Looks like there's headroom for overclocking in the future....
HDD(s): 2 x Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
I can hear them crunch a bit when they're working. Plan to eventually go with SSD as my primary sometime in 2009 so these will eventually be relegated to storage drives. They are a bit noticeably slower than my last system's Raptor, but that is to be expected. No complaints.
O/S: Microsoft Windows VISTA Ultimate SP1 64-bit
As mentioned earlier, I expected at least a couple issues with updates or compatibility with such new hardware. No problems at all so far! It's nice seeing all that extra RAM being utilized by the O/S. I had run Vista 32-bit in my last system. I can alt-tab in and out of games like L4D, CoD4, etc MUCH faster.
In conclusion, I recommend any of the parts I used in my latest system for your Core i7 build. I plan to wait a few months for these future upgrades: HSF, 12GB RAM, 2-way SLI, SSD drive(s). This will allow the market to mature, prices to go down, and bugs to be worked out. Also, while playing several of the latest games (CoD5:WaW, L4D, Crysis, Farcry2) I have yet to feel any need for more horsepower.
If anyone has specific questions about any of the products used feel free to post.