hi
ive been playing around with the idea of getting a new comp. my current one is an aging s939 x2 3800+, with a 7800gt, hardly a performance beast by today's standards.
1. pc will be used for gaming, cad, media playback, internet, ms applications.
2. budget is hopefully around $1000CAD, since i live in canada. i am visiting some friends in the US in the next couple of weeks, so ordering from newegg is a possibility. granted, there are duties issues and would like to avoid this scenario if possible. goal is for best value.
3. as stated earlier, i would prefer to purchase the majority of my components in canada, but could pick up maybe 1 or 2 major components from the USA. specifically, the mobo and gpu are the most likely components to buy in the USA, given the more significant price differences. newegg.com and ncix.com would be the two most likely vendors i would purchase from. all product links are taken from newegg for simplicity.
4. no brand preference, but recent research has steered me towards an i7 cpu, most probably paired with an evga mobo, with an ati video card.
5. no current parts cept my aging monitor, but that upgrade will come in the future.
6. i have read related threads, situations are quite different, and prices are always changing.
7. if i get an evga mobo, i heard there's a dummy-proof oc-ing application in the bios. if that is the case, i'll oc using that. not planning anything major, though.
8. i plan on building in the next several weeks, but can wait if it makes sense to.
cpu: core i7 920, trying to get this from a friend through the intel retail edge program $129USD
mobo: evga x58 le mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813188049
$219.99USD AR, no sli, but given my budget and purposes, i dont see the the cost/performance ratio benefit of going sli, to begin with.
ram: ocz platinum ddr3 6gb (3x2)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820227381
on sale in canada for $99 AR this weekend
psu: ocz gamexstream 700w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817341002
on sale in canada for $90 AR this weekend. is this an adequate, quality psu that can be trusted for mild i7 oc-ing?
case: antec 900
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129021
on sale in canada for $99.99 this weekend
hdd: looking at the western digital caviar black drives, probably in the range of 600gb to 1tb, not a real big issue, probably cost around $100
optical drive: probably a random $30 dvd-rw drive, no blu ray considered
gpu: here's where i'm having the most trouble. i could get a 4890 for some ~$150-170USD, but my monitor isnt HD, with a native res of only 1280x1024. if i were to buy a new monitor, it would probably be in november or december, unless there's an amazing deal i haven't spotted yet. with this in mind, should i go for a 4890 even though its overkill (understatement), or do i buy something like a 4850? if i got a 4850, i could wait out the new wave of cards and impending price drops, buy a new monitor, then re-assess the gpu situation.
total cost is approximately $1100CAD after currency exchange, taxes, and shipping, if i were to buy a 4890. not bad for a core i7 setup.
the real question marks i have are with the mobo, psu, and gpu. cpu is set, ram appears to be decent value, case is solid from reviews, and the remaining hdd and optical drive are relatively simple to choose simply based on price. do you hardware gurus have any recommendations?
tia for reading this huge post, and for any help.
ive been playing around with the idea of getting a new comp. my current one is an aging s939 x2 3800+, with a 7800gt, hardly a performance beast by today's standards.
1. pc will be used for gaming, cad, media playback, internet, ms applications.
2. budget is hopefully around $1000CAD, since i live in canada. i am visiting some friends in the US in the next couple of weeks, so ordering from newegg is a possibility. granted, there are duties issues and would like to avoid this scenario if possible. goal is for best value.
3. as stated earlier, i would prefer to purchase the majority of my components in canada, but could pick up maybe 1 or 2 major components from the USA. specifically, the mobo and gpu are the most likely components to buy in the USA, given the more significant price differences. newegg.com and ncix.com would be the two most likely vendors i would purchase from. all product links are taken from newegg for simplicity.
4. no brand preference, but recent research has steered me towards an i7 cpu, most probably paired with an evga mobo, with an ati video card.
5. no current parts cept my aging monitor, but that upgrade will come in the future.
6. i have read related threads, situations are quite different, and prices are always changing.
7. if i get an evga mobo, i heard there's a dummy-proof oc-ing application in the bios. if that is the case, i'll oc using that. not planning anything major, though.
8. i plan on building in the next several weeks, but can wait if it makes sense to.
cpu: core i7 920, trying to get this from a friend through the intel retail edge program $129USD
mobo: evga x58 le mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813188049
$219.99USD AR, no sli, but given my budget and purposes, i dont see the the cost/performance ratio benefit of going sli, to begin with.
ram: ocz platinum ddr3 6gb (3x2)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820227381
on sale in canada for $99 AR this weekend
psu: ocz gamexstream 700w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817341002
on sale in canada for $90 AR this weekend. is this an adequate, quality psu that can be trusted for mild i7 oc-ing?
case: antec 900
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129021
on sale in canada for $99.99 this weekend
hdd: looking at the western digital caviar black drives, probably in the range of 600gb to 1tb, not a real big issue, probably cost around $100
optical drive: probably a random $30 dvd-rw drive, no blu ray considered
gpu: here's where i'm having the most trouble. i could get a 4890 for some ~$150-170USD, but my monitor isnt HD, with a native res of only 1280x1024. if i were to buy a new monitor, it would probably be in november or december, unless there's an amazing deal i haven't spotted yet. with this in mind, should i go for a 4890 even though its overkill (understatement), or do i buy something like a 4850? if i got a 4850, i could wait out the new wave of cards and impending price drops, buy a new monitor, then re-assess the gpu situation.
total cost is approximately $1100CAD after currency exchange, taxes, and shipping, if i were to buy a 4890. not bad for a core i7 setup.
the real question marks i have are with the mobo, psu, and gpu. cpu is set, ram appears to be decent value, case is solid from reviews, and the remaining hdd and optical drive are relatively simple to choose simply based on price. do you hardware gurus have any recommendations?
tia for reading this huge post, and for any help.