Final Words
The Intel Core i7 processor currently owns the high end of the market, which is the reason the CPU prices remain high relative to Intel Core 2 Quad and the AMD Phenom II. The cheapest Core i7 920 CPU is around $300, with two more models going for $600 and $1000. In addition, the Core i7 uses a new socket 1366 and supports the first triple-channel DDR3 memory configuration. That means new Core i7 buyers will be shopping for a number of new and unique components as they move to Core i7.
Despite the high cost of the CPU and the uniqueness of some components, we have shown that it is possible to build a complete high performance Core i7 system for as little as $1450. That price is for a system with 1TB hard drive, Blu-ray player/DVD burner, a Radeon HD 4870 1GB video card, 1920x1080 monitor, keyboard/mouse, and even Windows Vista Home Premium. If you have some components that are compatible with a Core i7 build, you can reduce the cost even further. Just be sure you will not be leaving performance behind with the components you are considering moving over to a new Core i7 build.
We also showed an extremely flexible Core i7 overclocking system build with components selected to support overclocks to 4.0GHz with the Core i7 920 processor. While the cost was just a bit over $2000 for the complete system, the overclocking i7 system should carry you considerably higher than the current top-line Core i7 965 which runs at 3.2GHz. The OC system was pushed toward value overclocking but the $1010 965 CPU is unlocked and it could be the basis of a "highest performance at any cost" Core i7 overclocking system.
Finally, our Core i7 Dream system used all the best performing parts we could assemble in a $5000 "performance king" system built around a 30" S-IPS panel LCD driven by an NVIDIA GTX 295 dual GPU video card. The Dream Core i7 includes the superb Silverstone "positive pressure" aluminum case and the similarly excellent Corsair 1000HX modular power supply driving a $1010 Core i7 965 and 6GB of fast Mushkin DDR3-1600 triple channel memory. We could have carried the "dream" even further with items like RAID 5 storage, a boot SSD RAID, quad SLI with two GTX 295, or a GTX 285 triple SLI setup - supported by the ASUS motherboard used in the dream system. We went as far as $5000 would take us and paused, but there could definitely be more.
The point of all this is that while the Core i7 CPU is the most expensive processor family in today's CPU market, there are still many options. You can build a complete i7 system for less than $1500, use the Core i7 as the heart of an overclocking computer for around $2000 that has incredible performance potential, or use the top $1000 Core i7 965 as the basis for a luxury system with extreme performance for gaming, photo editing, or graphics. The Core i7 is that flexible and is at home in a wide variety of computer configurations. Of course, if all you do is surf the Internet, write email, and work in Microsoft Office, you should save your money and get a more reasonable system - there are plenty of people that simply have no need for eight logical processing cores.
We hope these three systems with widely different goals and prices have given some ideas of where you might like to take a Core i7 build. Wherever you take it, you will be extremely pleased with the Core i7 performance. Core i7 owns the top of the current CPU market because it delivers the best performance in the market today. There is definitely a price premium but you get the best performance you can buy in today's desktop market with an Intel Core i7 system.
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Hxx - Thursday, February 5, 2009 - link
They are referring to an "entry" system in the high end area, which is why its priced under 2000. For $1000 you will not build a core i7 gaming / multimedia... system which again, is what they're referring to. A corei7+mobo+ram+videocard will be about $1000.strikeback03 - Thursday, February 5, 2009 - link
Umm, no. The exact corei7+mobo+ram+videocard they chose is $755. Switch to a cheaper video card (under-100 gets you less gaming, but fine for entertainment or other non-gaming use) and that leaves you $350 short of $1000, meaning you can easily add DVD burner, case, hard drive, and PSU for under $1000. Depending on how small a HDD and monitor you choose, you might be able to sneak a complete system under $1000. Obviously this provides lots of processor power relative to everything else, but if that is your need then it works.frozentundra123456 - Thursday, February 5, 2009 - link
How can you even fit the OS on your 1 GB hard drive mentioned in the final words??? (LOL) There is a typo there, obviously should be 1 TB.Wesley Fink - Thursday, February 5, 2009 - link
Corrected to 1TB. Thanks for letting us know in good humor.H8ff0000 - Thursday, February 5, 2009 - link
I think the HT Omega Claro Halo XT would be a better choice for a dream system sound card.Wesley Fink - Thursday, February 5, 2009 - link
I agree the HT Omega Claro Halo XT is a superb audio card, and it is one I would choose for my own system. The C-Media CM18788 chipset is a spectacular performer.However, at $250, we believe the top HT Omega card should be matched with much better than powered PC speakers. If we use the HT Omega and then pare it with audiophile grade amplifiers and speakers we are are completely busting our self-imposed $5000 budget. In addition we didn't want the selection of audiophile audio components to become the focus of the comments and discussion - so we chose a more conventional high-end computer audio solution. We did mention Option #2 - we just didn't flesh it out.
We also thought that most of our readers, who mostly believe on-board sound is more than adequate, would have a tough time swallowing a $250 audio card and associated components. For those who can appreciate its virtues the HT Omega Claro cards are a superb choice.
AmbroseAthan - Thursday, February 5, 2009 - link
I was actually going to say the same thing. How is it that the Xonar made it and Creative/Asus got honorable mention, but nothing towards the HT Omega line?In almost any test, the Omega lineup blows the doors off the other cards in almost all categories and the Halo XT would be perfect for anyone who wants an amazing sound system. If I was dropping this much money on a system, you can gaurentee I would be making sure I had a sound system to match the rest.
reform - Thursday, February 5, 2009 - link
How about Remote Desktop? An essential feature not available on Vista Home Premium.... an interesting fact I found out to my dismay after installing Home Premium recently! Thank the lord for LogMeIn... a good alternative.Spivonious - Thursday, February 5, 2009 - link
There's also FreeVNC. I don't think the lack of Remote Desktop server (the client is in all versions of Vista) is a reason to avoid Home Premium. Just how often are you logging in remotely anyway?Lord 666 - Thursday, February 5, 2009 - link
While the guide was well thought out and generally explained, the one part lacking was a full explainantion on the different hard drive selections... Specifically the WD Black. For only $15, it was passed over for the first two systems, but then used in the dream system with out proper justification.IMHO, $15 is insignificant and if its good enough for the dream system, it should be used across the board.