Comment on my Sandybridge build

Y

ymee

Weaksauce
Joined
Apr 29, 2005
Messages
99
Hi guys,

Just ordered these parts last night from newegg, what do you think.

1. Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD65 (B3)
2. RAM: 2Gx2 GSKILL F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM
3. Cooler: Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 RT
4. Video Card: EVGA 015-P3-1582-AR GTX580
5. Drive: SSD 128G|CRUCIAL CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1
6. Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W RT
7. CPU: INTEL CORE I7 2600K 3.4G 8M R

Thanks
 
Looks great. Only comment I could make is that for the price, why not go with 8gb instead of 4? I know I sold 4gb of DDR2 on ebay from my last build at a higher price than the cost of the new 8gb of ddr3 PC12800. You'll probably max out 4gb, but whatever, it won't be too much of a drag.

Also, you'll still need a pagefile. I'd recommend doing research on how to properly set up your computer for use with an SSD. Before learning about it, I assumed that since SSDs are so fast, I could get away with a pagefile... I was wrong, and programs crashed.

Otherwise, it sounds really sweet, and I think you'll enjoy it greatly. What is your primary use for the new computer? Gaming I guess, since you went with a 580 (though you could just use it for CUDA application or whatever).
 
Thanks for the feedback. My first time with using an SSD, any pointers/links on setting up the page file?

I went with 4Gb as I don't believe my current system ever used more than that at a given time. I dont have multiple applications open at the same time, etc. Any good reasons for going with 8?
 
Just let windows manage the pagefile as it normally does... don't screw with it :p

I never believed that I would need 8gb, but I did find windows using 3.5+gb of physical RAM while running some games and whatnot (I monitor that stuff on my Logitech G15) so with my new build, I said what the heck and went with 8gb since the price was the same as most 4gb kits ($70 after MIR).

I don't think you'll really notice much of a difference between 4 and 8gb. If you've got a few minutes to geek-out, check out this article about how much ram you can/should have http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-module-upgrade,2264.html
 
Also, for pointers on using an SSD, I recommend checking out your manufacturer's forum for suggestions on how to best run their SSD (Crucial's http://www.forum.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State-Drives-SSD/bd-p/ssd ),

but a helpful guide in general can be OCZ's guide for their SSDs (but most of it applies to any/all SSDs ( http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?79848-THE-BASIC-GUIDE-amp-FAQ-ABC-for-OCZ-SSD )

Best of luck with your new build. It sounds like it's going to be a blast. I'm still sitting here with video and processor with no mobo in sight (still waiting for the Asus P8p67 Pro to get in stock, but may end up settling on the MSI GD65 because of their good video card reputation and availability. I'm waiting until this coming weekend before jumping ship from the Asus).
 
yeah I'm an Asus fan myself but I didn't want to wait any longer, the MSI board seemed to get good reviews from what I could find on the web.
 
If you get 4GB you can add more later if you need it.

I have 16GB, but I process huge files in Photoshop and on my last system 8GB wasn't enough, Photoshop can use lots of memory.
 
Not to steal your thread, but I just completed an order too on a Sandy setup. I went with the 2500K, and I dont really care about HT, and it was $100 cheaper than the 2600K. And I already have a 6850, plan to add another semi-soon. Probably double my ram tp 16gigs too. My kb is worn out (logitech G15) with buttons that were missing letters, and the palm rest was broken, and my mouse is fine, but only has one side button (logitech G5) so I wanted new ones. I wanted the Asus Sabertooth, but its taking too long to come out. Hard gave the MSI model I picked out a good review.

Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model

MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W

Logitech G500 10 Buttons Dual-mode Scroll Wheel USB

Logitech G510 Black 18 Function Keys USB Wired Gaming Keyboard

HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.C HDS721010CLA332 (0F10383) 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard

A hair over $1000 because of tax. I hate tax from newegg, but they are so fast, and its easier to order everything at one place. Never had a SSD, I am pretty excited. Giving my old parts to my father in law who games. Gigabyte MA-770, Phenom X4 920, 4gigs ram, MSI 4850, and 74gig Raptor. Still a decent PC, but I was ready for an upgrade and havent had a chance to play games lately until now. After I ordered I forgot to get a new CPU cooler... how annoying.
 
fallguy said:
Never had a SSD, g.
Click to expand...

The SSD is still the bottleneck but you will be glad you bought it, huge increase in performance, more than the expensive MB&CPU.

I went into SB cheap with just a low end H67 MB and a 2500 cpu, the bottleneck for the avergae computer user is still the hard drive and the internet, until there are big upgrade on that end SB is nice cause it is very power efficient. I also like not having ATI or Nvidia drivers, adds stability and I think security.
 
Fallguy, later down the road you could always get another C300 and RAID 0 those puppies! Trust me, you won't be disappointed!
 
glen said:
The SSD is still the bottleneck but you will be glad you bought it, huge increase in performance, more than the expensive MB&CPU.
Click to expand...

Since the OP purchased a GTX 580, we can probably assume this machine's purpose is gaming. In that case, an SSD doesn't increase "performance" (a highly-undefined term). The only true statements you can make about an SSD in a gaming machine are; (A) SSDs increase the overall cost, (B) SSDs do not increase framerates or reduce input lag, (C) SSDs reduce program/map loading times.

If you're building a $750 to $1500 gaming rig, an SSD doesn't make sense. If you're spending more than $1500 go for it if you're impatient. If you're spending over $2000 put a few in RAID 0.

Once data is loaded into RAM (which the OP should have bought more of instead of an SSD), the SSD just sits there while the rest of your machine is breaking its back trying to provide all those juicy frames/sec. Don't throw your money away on an SSD until you're sure you'll get the FPS you want.

I might seem a bit pedantic here...but I really don't want a budget-gamer going away from this thread somehow thinking they need to pair a 200GB SSD with their Radeon HD 5770.
 
First of all, glen was replying not to the OP but the post directly above his :)

Nonetheless, you can generally assume that any machine that is used for gaming will also be used for other purposes. Not too many folks buy a computer strictly for gaming only. From that standpoint you could say that the end user experience will be improved simply due to the access time reduction for the OS. There are other improvements, but in my experience that's the main one. That, IMHO, is a performance increase.
 
Neb said:
First of all, glen was replying not to the OP but the post directly above his :)

Nonetheless, you can generally assume that any machine that is used for gaming will also be used for other purposes. Not too many folks buy a computer strictly for gaming only. From that standpoint you could say that the end user experience will be improved simply due to the access time reduction for the OS. There are other improvements, but in my experience that's the main one. That, IMHO, is a performance increase.
Click to expand...

Most of those other purposes occur within a single browser window. Once IE, FF, Chrome, etc. is opened, the SSD has very little to do with the "end user experience". If you're someone who shuts their PC down & boots it back up multiple times per day, then an SSD will serve up Win 7 faster...but if you leave it on all of the time & don't jump between 10 different programs every hour, an SSD simply isn't worth it until you've broken the $1500-in-the-box threshold.
 
I respectfully disagree. Even a "budget" game rig can experience a profound improvement with an SSD. For example, an RPG like Mass Effect is not very CPU or GPU heavy but there a lot of scene transitions that pause the game. Once I updated to an SSD I now fly through the scenes without interruption which dramatically improves the experience. The C300 128GB is now only $230 on Newegg. I highly recommend the upgrade to anyone.
 
Sotiri said:
I respectfully disagree. Even a "budget" game rig can experience a profound improvement with an SSD. For example, an RPG like Mass Effect is not very CPU or GPU heavy but there a lot of scene transitions that pause the game. Once I updated to an SSD I now fly through the scenes without interruption which dramatically improves the experience. The C300 128GB is now only $230 on Newegg. I highly recommend the upgrade to anyone.
Click to expand...

So, if someone is building this $800 budget gaming system:

  • $230 CPU (2500K)
  • $170 Radeon HD 6850
  • $115 MB (Minimal P67 Cost)
  • $105 8GB RAM (DDR3 1333)
  • $80 PSU (700w'ish)
  • $50 Case (Antec 300?)
  • $50 Storage Drive (bein' real conservative here)
you would highly recommend they add a $230 SSD (29% of the cost of all other parts) just so that stuff opens faster instead of spending it on a better video card to bump up from 30fps to 60fps? :confused:

Don't get me wrong, I love the 30GB SSD in my HTPC. But my HTPC has no need for storage capacity & I got the SSD for $90 a year ago. My 2500K build is going to have (3) 320GB Samsung F4s in RAID 0 & should perform at about 1/2 of SSD speeds & give me about 960GB upon which to install programs & games...all for $140. SSDs with adequate capacity for installation of programs & games are still way too expensive for sub-$1500 builds, IMO.

*presses F5 on Newegg's LGA 1155 page again*
 
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