^

That said, I think that 80GB will be good to start off, not to mention that I can add to it later.

Also, how do these two mobos compare?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614

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Well, even before any of these replies, I was looking into the X25-M, at 80GB. I guess the question now is, if I'm not planning on installing a lot on my computer and use it mainly for gaming, is 80GB going to be enough? I just don't want to have to buy both a hard drive and SSD.

Hard drives can be very simple, or very complicated, depending on what you are looking for. If you are just looking for standard, large-capacity drives, just get a WD Caviar Black or Samsung F3 drive. Both are very fast for a platter hard drive, and have relatively large capacities for very fair prices. If, however, you wish to get the best of the best, then you will be looking into SSD's, or Solid State Drives. These things can make your computer lightning fast compared to anyone else's out there, but it comes at a very hefty cost. If you are looking to go into it, then give the Intel X25-M 80GB, the OCZ Vertex series, or any Sandforce-controlled SSD's out there (Corsair F120, G.Skill Phoenix, OCZ Vertex 2, etc.) a look. These drives, however, will eat a hefty chunk of your budget, so only delve into them if you have enough money left over.ravenguard90

I feel as if I'm picking you apart here raven, but I suppose that's only because of the quality information you've been giving me. I've looked into both the SSDs and normal hard drives, and I think I might go with the SSDs. I'm not planning to pay a huge amount of money though, so I won't consider anything over $250. The problem is, if I do use that budget cap, I won't be able to get anything over 80GB of storage room on an SSD, and I'm not sure if that is a problem or not. They do seem extremely fast though, which makes it very tempting to purchase one, and if I have to compensate it's low amount of storage room with more memory then that is what I'll do.

Also, don't feel pressured into answering all these questions right away. I know I'm putting a lot on your shoulders, but all the info you and everyone else have given me so far has helped in a huge way.

For memory, I would recommend going with at least 6GB's of DDR3 memory. Since the i7 supports triple channel memory, you will want to take advantage of it while having adequate memory to run applications smoothly. The different speeds that you can get for them, however, are not as crucial, as gaming performance seems to barely be affected between slower and faster memory. Overall, just get the fastest 6gb memory kit that you can fit in your budget.ravenguard90

Also (I know, I'm asking for a lot), if I'm correct, DDR3 is the best type of memory I can get. What I'n not very clear on is the concept of "triple channel memory" and the different speeds I can get from different types.

=P Nothing seems to ever be as simple as I assume it is. Here I was thinking memory was just memory.

When it comes to the motherboard, it pretty much goes down to 1) how hard you are planning to overclock your CPU, 2) how important are features like SATA3 (hard drive data throughput) and USB 3.0 (USB device data throughput), and 3) how many video cards are you planning to run? As far as I have gone through for X58 motherboards, the Gigabyte X58A-UD3R seems to be the sweet spot with all 3 criteria, with very well-built motherboard components, SATA3 and USB 3.0 capabilities, and triple Crossfire/SLi compatibility.ravenguard90

Okay, but do I specifically need an LG 1366 motherboard?

And, for future reference, I am not planning on overclocking anything.

And concerning the motherboard... raven, in one of your previous posts you stated "Not necessarily a motherboard from Intel specifically, but you do need to get an LGA1366 motherboard.". I do not doubt what you said, but I would just like to know why exactly this specific type of motherboard is needed to go hand-in-hand with the i7 930 CPU.

Also, how much should I reasonably be spending on one of these mobos? I've checked out a few at around $300, but since the motherboard isn't actually affecting how my computer runs (at least, I don't think it does), will I notice any difference if I go with a cheaper alternative?

"Please do not buy a Phenom II X6. They under perform pretty much any quad, gaming wise, because they have increased cache latency which makes them a lot better for work station type tasks and not playing games. Not to mention that games can't even utilize all 6 cores yet, so in a gaming machine hexcores are a complete waste of money. And like an earlier poster said, by the time that games are utilizing all 6 cores, there will be much, much better hexcore CPUs out to play them on. I fully endorse your other choice however, the i7 930. That's a beast of a CPU to game on, and most games won't even eat up half of it."

"As far as your GPU is concerned, either GPU being considered (the GTX 480 or the ATI 5870) are going to give you amazing performance while gaming. While I am an ATI fanboy as I am still supporting an ATI card, the GTX 480 pretty much out performs the 5870 in every area, and when you OC that thing it'll get even better. If you don't mind cooling that thing down and powering it effectively, while paying the extra money to do so, the GTX480 is a great choice IMO."

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Once again guys, great feedback, and I've finally made my decision to go with the i7 930 CPU paired with the GTX 480 GPU.

And back to one of the questions I posted earlier:

"Okay, you guys have been a great help so far. I've picked out most of the major components such as CPU and GPU, and now I'm down to the memory, hard drive, and DVD drive/burner. I know that these aren't as crucial as the other parts, which, in a way, makes them even more difficult to choose from. For example, does the type of memory or hard drive I get really matter? Also, when it comes to the DVD drives, I'm not even sure about what I'm supposed to be getting. Do I need a DVD burner and drive or will simply a drive be fine. There's also the case of Bluray or DVD, but considering the price of the Bluray drives/burners, I think I'll stick with their DVD counterparts."

Other than the motherboard issue, these four "minor" components (if I can call them that), are all that is left for me to choose. If anyone can enlighten me on how to go about making these choices it would greatly speed up the process.

^

Don't worry Cheesehead, I read your pros and cons, although I may have only read them after I posted that. My brain has had to try and process a ton of information lately, so I might accidentally read past a post here or there. But actually, based on what you wrote, I might even consider going back to an AMD CPU.

i7 930 or Phenom II X6 1090T, tough decision.

So, just to confirm, the GTX 480 is better than the HD 5870 performance-wise?

Oh, what the heck, I'll just post them anyways.

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http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130551

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121373

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130552

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133319

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They all seem to be the same thing!