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Build Opinions Needed for Hardware.

F

Fire488

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 14, 2007
Messages
458
I usually place my possible hardware purchases on [H] to get some feedback. This hardware will be for 2 builds; one for my son and one for me.
We are both PC gamers and play games that are very hardware intensive such as ArmA2 series.
I would appreciate if anyone views any hardware conflicts or has any advice on hardware that may be better than the direction that I am going here.
I have been researching these builds since the fall and restarted my research with the new Sandy Bridge processors.
Thanks in advance for your opinions.

Hardware list:

2 of LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support
Item #: N82E16827106335

4 of Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136533

2 of EVGA 015-P3-1583-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) Black Ops Edition 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...
Item #: N82E16814130589

2 of EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...
Item #: N82E16814130595

ASUS XONAR_XENSE 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card
Item #: N82E16829132018

1 of CORSAIR Professional Series AX1200 1200W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Certified 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active ...
Item #: N82E16817139014

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007

2 of CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9
Item #: N82E16820233142

2 of ASUS P8P67 Deluxe LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131679

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
Item #: N82E16819115070

2 of CORSAIR Hydro H70 CWCH70 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835181013

1 of Mushkin Enhanced Callisto Deluxe MKNSSDCL240GB-DX 2.5" 240GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820226153

1 of OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTX100G 2.5" 100GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820227529

1 of ASUS VE276Q Black 27" 1920X1080 2ms Full HD HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor w/Display Port & Speakers 300 cd/m2 100,000 :1 (ASCR)
 
Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better. In fact, make sure to note in your answer whether it applies to the both of you, you, or your son.

Also can you please just split up that hardware list into two seperate PCs. I'm thoroughly confused which parts go where.

Oh and right off the bat: Ditch both SSDs and go with the faster Crucial C300 SSDs. In addition, the ditch the AS5 and go with this better thermal paste:
$10 - Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound
 
Danny Bui said:
Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better. In fact, make sure to note in your answer whether it applies to the both of you, you, or your son.

Also can you please just split up that hardware list into two seperate PCs. I'm thoroughly confused which parts go where.

Oh and right off the bat: Ditch both SSDs and go with the faster Crucial C300 SSDs. In addition, the ditch the AS5 and go with this better thermal paste:
$10 - Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound
Click to expand...

Sure Danny I'll do my best on those questions. Working on it.
 
I really appreciate your advise as always Danny. I hope this is enough information, but I think you see where I am going with this build.

Thanks again.

1)What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? Etc
Both PC’s will primarily be used for gaming. Some office work on both builds.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I did not set a budget as I just wanted the best bang for the buck, but for the sake of an answer say $7,000 for both

3) Where do you live?
New Jersey, USA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
As I said I am really not on a budget I will get better than I listed if I have to.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I will be re-using my modified Cosmos 1000 case for me and my COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro RS-850-EMBAD1-US 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply and my CS Storm Case for my son’s build.

6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes, I always dabble with overclocking and will not stop for this build.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
I will be re-using my SyncMaster 226BW for my son and mine is listed in the build list.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Right now! Ready to press the purchase button.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.
Wow! I need all of those features so far.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 Professional 64 bit, but I have Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit too. Do I really need professional for a gaming/ home use machine?

My build:
1 of LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support
Item #: N82E16827106335

2 of Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136533

2 of EVGA 015-P3-1583-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) Black Ops Edition 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...
Item #: N82E16814130589

1 of ASUS XONAR_XENSE 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card
Item #: N82E16829132018

1 of CORSAIR Professional Series AX1200 1200W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Certified 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active ...
Item #: N82E16817139014

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007

1 of CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9
Item #: N82E16820233142

1 of ASUS P8P67 Deluxe LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131679

1 of Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
Item #: N82E16819115070

1 of CORSAIR Hydro H70 CWCH70 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835181013

1 of Mushkin Enhanced Callisto Deluxe MKNSSDCL240GB-DX 2.5" 240GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820226153

1 of ASUS VE276Q Black 27" 1920X1080 2ms Full HD HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor w/Display Port & Speakers 300 cd/m2 100,000 :1 (ASCR)



Son's Build:
1 of LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support
Item #: N82E16827106335

2 of Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136533

2 of EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...
Item #: N82E16814130595

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007

1 of CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9
Item #: N82E16820233142

1 of ASUS P8P67 Deluxe LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131679

1 of Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
Item #: N82E16819115070

1 of CORSAIR Hydro H70 CWCH70 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler
Item #: N82E16835181013

1 of OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTX100G 2.5" 100GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820227529
 
Oh, I forgot to add that answers apply to both builds as we are both PC gamers.

Adding this for me: Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC256MAG-1G1 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD).
and this for both: ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound
 
Last edited:
Unless "some office work" includes heavy Adobe Photoshop or Premiere use, I recommend the Intel Core i5-2500k over the i7-2600k. The only true difference between the two is the i7-2600k's Hyper Threading support, which isn't really needed for gaming.

Additionally, the Western Digital WD1002FAEX doesn't perform significantly better than the cheaper Samsung F3 HD103SJ. Simply put, despite the WD1002FAEX's SATA III/6.0 controller, it doesn't utilize the full SATA II/3.0 bandwidth available.

How far do you plan on pushing your overclocking? I ask because RAM speed isn't as important with Sandy Bridge; you could obtain excellent results with DDR3 1600 RAM.

Do you really need a full tube of thermal compound for each build?

Granted, my recommendations seem to be largely cost-cutting measures, but you aren't going to see much of a performance boost by spending more money on those parts.
 
tiraides said:
Unless "some office work" includes heavy Adobe Photoshop or Premiere use, I recommend the Intel Core i5-2500k over the i7-2600k. The only true difference between the two is the i7-2600k's Hyper Threading support, which isn't really needed for gaming.

Additionally, the Western Digital WD1002FAEX doesn't perform significantly better than the cheaper Samsung F3 HD103SJ. Simply put, despite the WD1002FAEX's SATA III/6.0 controller, it doesn't utilize the full SATA II/3.0 bandwidth available.

How far do you plan on pushing your overclocking? I ask because RAM speed isn't as important with Sandy Bridge; you could obtain excellent results with DDR3 1600 RAM.

Do you really need a full tube of thermal compound for each build?

Granted, my recommendations seem to be largely cost-cutting measures, but you aren't going to see much of a performance boost by spending more money on those parts.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I have a feeling I'm going overboard, but I'm just not too sure.
 
You're not really going overboard, per se. Both builds are collectively pretty solid.

But I feel that, in certain areas, they are a bit overkill for OC-friendly gaming machines. Then again, there's a lot about Sandy Bridge that I'm still trying to figure out for myself.
 
You don't need Windows 7 Pro for a gaming/home use PC.

Zero reason to get that WD1002FAEX unless you hate Samsung, really love Western Digital, and/or if you can get the WD1002FAEX for close to the same price as that Samsung F3 1TB drive. Otherwise, the Samsung F3 1TB is the better buy.

Also, there's litterally no real world difference between DDR3 1333 RAM and DDDR3 1866 RAM at all. In addition, even if you are planning on overclocking, the Sandy Bridge CPUs have effectively made it so that getting RAM higher than DDR3 1333 RAM utterly pointless. In fact, you would notice ZERO difference between that Corsair RAM and this G.Skill set:
$78 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

PSU wise, I would recommend the Antec High Current Pro HCP-1200 1200W PSU instead since it performs slightly better and is of slightly higher quality than the Corsair. Once you factor in shipping the Antec High Current Pro is only $8 more:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371043
 
Danny Bui said:
You don't need Windows 7 Pro for a gaming/home use PC.

Zero reason to get that WD1002FAEX unless you hate Samsung, really love Western Digital, and/or if you can get the WD1002FAEX for close to the same price as that Samsung F3 1TB drive. Otherwise, the Samsung F3 1TB is the better buy.

Also, there's litterally no real world difference between DDR3 1333 RAM and DDDR3 1866 RAM at all. In addition, even if you are planning on overclocking, the Sandy Bridge CPUs have effectively made it so that getting RAM higher than DDR3 1333 RAM utterly pointless. In fact, you would notice ZERO difference between that Corsair RAM and this G.Skill set:
$78 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

PSU wise, I would recommend the Antec High Current Pro HCP-1200 1200W PSU instead since it performs slightly better and is of slightly higher quality than the Corsair. Once you factor in shipping the Antec High Current Pro is only $8 more:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371043
Click to expand...

Thank you Danny I will make the changes tonight and get it ordered. Thanks.
 
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