Build my Build Please

[Fazzar]

I will readily admit, computer knowledge is not my strength. In the past, I've spec'd out PC builds and got great advice on this board that completely changed my build. Basically, whatever I come up with sucks. I spec'd out something prior to Sandy Bridge, but decided to wait to see how that played out.

So to avoid that painful and embarassing step, I was hoping that someone(s) would spec out my future rig for me

Here's what I'm looking at:

1) This PC will primarly be used for gaming and I want something that can really deliver the eye candy and high FPS. Some limited picture/video editing.

2) My budget is very flexible... like to keep around two grand or under, but willing to spend more if that is what it takes.

3) I live in Hudson, WI.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? Total build.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? None.

6) Will you be overclocking? No. Too complicated for me.

7) I have a 30-inch dell and I run everything in 2560x1600 resolution.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Almost immediately.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Yes. Firewire? dunno Crossfire or SLI support? Maybe, if needed for my 2560x1600 resolution. USB 3.0? dunno. I am very interested in a solid state drive for gaming purposes.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit? I currently run 32-bit Vista. I'm guessing nothing is transferable and I'm planning to buy Windows 7 64 bit.

Thanks in advance.

 

[CMadki4]

You're going to get a huge variety of answers to this one. You probably already know that. And on a $2k budget (not including monitor, since you already have), you're going to get some high-end suggestions. So make sure you do your own research too about each component. Read reviews and benchmarks. That way you'll better understand the capabilities and limits of the monster you've created (along with appreciating it more).

But a few mildly specific suggestions:
- build for the future (mobo especially: form factor, slots, socket, etc.)
- PSU to handle whatever you concoct (watts and connectivity)
- determine margin vs. overkill (i.e. will your CPU even break a sweat? Do you need tri-SLI to run SCII? (lol, no.)

My 2 cents. Have fun dreaming it up and actualizing it!

 

[Dangman]

7) I have a 30-inch dell and I run everything in 2560x1600 resolution.
......

9) .... Crossfire or SLI support? No.

If you're planning on playing games at or near max settings at 2560x1600, you're gonna need Crossfire or SLI for that. So you sure about your answer there?
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Fazzar]

Understood, I expect to get some variety in input and then I would summarize for review. I've looked over other builds to 'copy' but haven't found the match for me.

Given my 2560x1600 resolution requirement a single powerful card won't to the trick? I'm not opposed to SLI or Crossfire, I just didn't think it would be necessary.

High-end is good, I like to future proof my PC and get a long life out of it.

 

[plugwash]

Sandy bridge has been ruled out by the recall. So that leave the i7 950 as the best bet for a high end but not insane rig. There is only one chipset for the LGA1366 processors so picking your motherboard is mostly just a matter of what slot arrangement and onboard features you want. Make sure the board is approved for SLI and crossfire as well in case you want to use that (most will be)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128456 seems to tick all the boxes except for firewire but firewire seems to be falling out of favour anyway (you identified it as "dunno") so if you aren't using it now you probablly won't need it in the future.

I'll leave GPU reccomendations to someone else since I don't follow the higher end of GPU reviews.

As for the SSD afaict pretty much all SSDs are WAY faster at random access than hard drives so IMO the main buying critera there should be capacity. You need to add up all the games you consider important enough to put on the SSD and pick out an appropriate sized one.

 

[Dangman]

Given my 2560x1600 resolution requirement a single powerful card won't to the trick? I'm not opposed to SLI or Crossfire, I just didn't think it would be necessary.

Yeah a single GPU is not gonna do the trick here unless you're willing to play at medium settings.

$209 - Intel Core i5-760 CPU
$190 - Asus P7P55D-E Pro Intel P55 ATX Motherboard
$80 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$586 - 2 x XFX HD-695A-CNFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$135 - Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SSD
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$19 - LG GH24NS50 DVD Burner
$190 - Silverstone ST1000-P 1000W Modular PSU
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM
----
Total: $1574 plus tax and shipping

Choose your own case. I recommend the following cases for HD 6950 Crossfire:
$110 - NZXT Whisper WHI - 001BK ATX Full Tower Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case
$300 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case

I didn't go with plugwash's recommendation for a Core i7 950 setup because there's very very little difference between the Core i7 950 and Core i5 760 in games. Definitely not worth the extra $110 as a result.

 

[Fazzar]

Very nice. Thanks. I'm going to be dialing it in soon. However, I'm still drawn to the Sandy Bridge. Is the market OK again after the recall, or is it still tough to get a MB?

 

[limitedaccess]

There might be still leftover retail mobos, as to where to find them, I wouldn't know at this point.

For the new mobos to hit retail channel again, you will probably have to wait to April, if not May.

 

[Dangman]

Very nice. Thanks. I'm going to be dialing it in soon. However, I'm still drawn to the Sandy Bridge. Is the market OK again after the recall, or is it still tough to get a MB?

Still tough to get a motherboard. You're gonna have to do your own legwork there if you really want to get a P67 motherboard.

 

[Fazzar]

My ideal timing would be to order and build in early April. Based on what I'm reading that the mobo's might be generally available again by that time.

That said, the three modifications to the build would be P67 Mobo, chip and ram. The rest of the recommended build (thanks again) could stay the same correct?

 

[Dangman]

The rest of the recommended build (thanks again) could stay the same correct?

No. No guarantee that those parts will still be available in April or at their current prices in April. Also no guarantee that those parts will still be good buys in April.

So if you want the latest advice, wait till April and ask for advice then.

 

[Fazzar]

Once again, thank you for the very gracious help. I think I'm closing in on a build with the advice provided. It seems that I am indeed closing in on a more top-of-the-line rig.

Please check the most current update below:

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz
GIGABYTE P67A-UD7 LGA1155 PCI-E DDR3 SATA ATX Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws X+Turbulence II Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000)

2 x XFX HD-697A-CNFC Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16

Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SSD
Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

LG GH24NS50 DVD Burner
Silverstone ST1000-P 1000W Modular PSU
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM

Silverstone FT02B ATX Case

Just a couple questions about the build:

• The rig sits in a fairly confined space, will this set-up be sufficiently cooled?
• Is there any advantage to going with more than 8gigs of ram?
• I changed some of the components, does this case still suffice?

 

[Dangman]

G.SKILL Ripjaws X+Turbulence II Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000)

Not a good choice: There's literally zero difference between DDR3 1333 RAM and DDR3 2133 RAM. In addition, even if you were overclocking, the RAM isn't touched at all when OCin'g the Sandy Bridge CPUs.

So find the cheapest 1.5V DDR3 1333 RAM you can find and you'll be set with that. Timings do not matter BTW.

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz

Are you planning on overclocking? If not, then no point in getting the 2600K. Drop down to the 2600.

• The rig sits in a fairly confined space, will this set-up be sufficiently cooled?
• Is there any advantage to going with more than 8gigs of ram?
• I changed some of the components, does this case still suffice?

1) Depends on whether or not there's still room/clarence for the exhaust air to move out of the way and whether or not there's still room/clearance for cool air to be pulled through

2) For gaming, no.

3) Yes

 

[Fazzar]

Thank you. I am still leaning against over-clocking as I'm pretty much a PC newb. Great help, thank you.

 

[Fazzar]

Will I need a different CPU cooler, or will what ships stock be sufficient?

Also, does a Raid-0 config become unnecessary with the SSD? I presume I'll put one or two games that I play often on the SSD. Does Windows go on the SSD as well or the hard-drive?

 

[Dangman]

Will I need a different CPU cooler, or will what ships stock be sufficient?

Stock HSF will be fine.

 

[Almighty ODST]

Will I need a different CPU cooler, or will what ships stock be sufficient?

Also, does a Raid-0 config become unnecessary with the SSD? I presume I'll put one or two games that I play often on the SSD. Does Windows go on the SSD as well or the hard-drive?

Windows goes on the SSD. You'll get much faster boot times. Common rule of thumb is OS + most used apps on the SSD. Games and apps you don't use as often (and media) go on the storage HDD.

 

[Cmustang87]

^ ^ With that being said, I would advice looking at a larger SSD. Since this is primarily for gaming, unless you only play 2-4 games at a time, that 64GB will be used up fairly fast.

 

[Fazzar]

This has all been very helpful, and the mobos are coming back into stock, so trigger pulling time is very close. Please take a look at the most recent adjustments as I have tweaked based on input:

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz
ASUS P8P67 DELUXE (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)

2 x XFX HD-697A-CNFC Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16

Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III (SSD)
Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Silverstone ST1000-P 1000W Modular PSU
Silverstone FT02B ATX Case

Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM



Please comment on the following:

- I went with 16g Ram, yes, perhaps a waste, but I have so many applications that I like to run concurrently (work email, maybe Rift or Company of Heroes, ventrilo, iTunes, brower windows, etc.) I currently have a 8gig system (albeit over 3 years old) and it takes forever to alt-tab around. Thoughts?

- I kept the processor the same as I may overclock in the future and I want to keep that option.

- Upgraded the SSD to 128gig

- Given the updates, will all the hardware pieces play nicely with each other and will the case still be good with the ASUS board?

 

[Dangman]

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)

- I went with 16g Ram, yes, perhaps a waste, but I have so many applications that I like to run concurrently (work email, maybe Rift or Company of Heroes, ventrilo, iTunes, brower windows, etc.) I currently have a 8gig system (albeit over 3 years old) and it takes forever to alt-tab around. Thoughts?

If you're gonna go for 16GB of RAM, don't waste your money by getting that 16GB RAM set. You can save ~$86 by getting those same sticks of RAM individually:
$164 - 4 x G.Skill Ripjaw Series F3-10666CL9S-4GBRL 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

- Given the updates, will all the hardware pieces play nicely with each other and will the case still be good with the ASUS board?

Should be fine.

 

[Fazzar]

Awesome, thanks.

 

[Fazzar]

Well, installing Windows 7 and all seems to be going according to plan. However, there is no post-beep. I can't find a speaker on the motherboard, or the case listed above. Have I overlooked something?

 

[Dangman]

Well, installing Windows 7 and all seems to be going according to plan. However, there is no post-beep. I can't find a speaker on the motherboard, or the case listed above. Have I overlooked something?

Nah. Some motherboards only beep when there's a major issue or don't have speakers at all. And many newer cases don't come with a speaker either.

 

[Fazzar]

Thanks. All seems well, so won't worry about post-beeps.

Still updating and such but I cannot believe how quiet this case is.

 

[tiraides]

I don't believe you... where are the pictures of everything?

 

[Fazzar]

Soon!

 

[Fazzar]

The build team:

The puter:

Thanks all for the help, this thing rocks!!

 

[tiraides]

Damn, I forgot that Silverstone makes some awesome cases. It almost makes me want to go back to full-scale ATX.

 

[Dangman]

Iron Man helped you out? Awesome!

Anyway thx for the pics!

 

[E4g1e]

Nah. Some motherboards only beep when there's a major issue or don't have speakers at all. And many newer cases don't come with a speaker either.

True. And if one still needs a beeper, he can get a piezo beeper for $2. That's exactly what I did for my older system with an Antec Nine Hundred case. The Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced already comes with a piezo beeper (albeit not attached to the case).

 

[tonytnnt]

Damn that's a great case. Nice build!

 

[KaizerDan]

Haha, you could have just had me throw it together for you! I live right around the corner in minnesota!

Sweet build though.

 

[Fazzar]

Haha, you could have just had me throw it together for you! I live right around the corner in minnesota!

Sweet build though.

Wish I would have known that... IronMan cost me an arm and a leg to hire

This build got my friend's juices flowing, he left my house, went directly to Micro-Center and bought parts for his own build.

 

[Dangman]

This build got my friend's juices flowing, he left my house, went directly to Micro-Center and bought parts for his own build.

Yeah that tends to happen

 

[Fazzar]

Couple follow up questions if you don't mind.

System is very stable, blazing fast. But my temps seem high and maybe that's because I'm into a whole new stratosphere of hardware now.

At idle, CPU is 67C.

The 6970s hit darn near 90C underload with Rift. At that temp, the game begins to hitch and freeze. For some reason Rift is really putting a massive strain on the cards while Crysis 2 is not as demanding and the cards don't run as hot.

I downloading MSI Afterburner and will modify the GPU fan curves to be more aggressive. I'm also going to position my case to allow better air intake at the bottom.

Beyond that, any other suggestions on temps?

 

[Dangman]

Yeah those temperatures are rather high for that kind of hardware and case. Try reorienting those bottom fans to push air up rather than pull air down. Also reseat the CPU HSF.

 

[Fazzar]

Well, I'm getting totally different numbers with Real Temp.

The four cores at idle are 30-35C. I'm about to test them out under load.

Any clue why the bios would display such drastically different numbers? When I first boot into bios it shows the cpu at 30C. Then within a minute it climbs to 60C. But Real Temp in Windows 7 is consistently 30-35C.

 

[Fazzar]

Under load, Real Temp shows the CPU under load maxing around 70C. Totally different story.

 

[chrissphinx]

from what I've read I think you should trust the Real Temps over your BIOS temps

edit: I think it has something to do with reading the CPU case temp vs. the core temps