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vanillago-rilla

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Apr 14, 2006
Messages
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Hi all;

So my 8800 GTS has died in my age old pc and it's time to buy a new one. I need a little help choosing a motherboard, and PSU. Below is what I have been considering. I would like to keep everything else the same.

The PC will only be used for video games. I do not require fancy board features or the latest an greatest; just the best for the dollar will do. I would like to over clock it to unleash the best possible frame rates. I will be playing mostly on a 22" Samsung monitor and a 50" samsung 1080p television. OS will be Windows 7 64 bit.

Thanks for your input!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor $204.99
Motherboard: ________________
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-910-HTX3-G1 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler $17.99
Memory: Corsair XMS3 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $91.99
Hard Drive: OCZ Vertex 2 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $89.99
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 6850 1GB Video Card (CrossFire) $129.99
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 6850 1GB Video Card (CrossFire) $129.99
PSU: _____________________
 
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I can't concur with either the SSD or the video cards. (You haven't bought anything, right?)

First off, the OCZ Vertex 2 is a bad choice, period. I recommend the Crucial M4 in its place.

Second, why dual 6850? What games are you going to play? For the price, you're better off with a single high-end card, like the GTX 560 Ti or HD 6950 2GB, than a mid-range SLI/CFX setup.

The CPU cooler will have to go as well. You need to look for its big brother, the Hyper 212 Plus.

But help us out here... what's your budget? Which stores are you buying everything from?
 
I concur with Tiraides 100%: Listen to the wise wise man.

That Vertex 2 SSD would have to be $30 before I'd recommend it.
 
I have not purchased anything but will soon either this weekend or next week Okay, I have selected a motherboard, psu, and slightly changed the video cards and memory due to a good deal. I have also replaced the ssdd with your recommendation. Would I still receive better performance on a single card? Could you provide benchmarks?

Let's set the budget at 1100 cdn. The stores I generally deal with are newegg Canada and . Below are the changes.


CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor $204.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 139.99
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master hyper 212 evo 34.99
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 66.99
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk 118.95
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card 159.99
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card 159.99
PSU: corsair gs700 112.95
Windows 7 105

Total 1103$ cdn

Games will be bf3, diablo 3, swor, sc2.
 
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That Corsair PSU is a poor choice for the money considering that the higher quality and larger amperaged Corsair 750TX V2 costs LESS:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

As for the Crossfire setup, the two popular games right now, Skyrim and BF3, have issues with Crossfire in that neither games scales that well or at all with Crossfire. In some cases, the games are somewhat unstable with Crossfire. There are currently beta drivers out as well as game updates but those aren't exactly 100% stable and aren't working for everyone. If you're planning on playing a bunch of older games, then maybe HD 6870 1GB Crossfire might be the better choice assuming that older game can scale well with Crossfire. However with the two newest games out now, Crossfire is not a good choice at the moment unless you're willing to wait a few months for DICE, Bethesda, and AMD to work together on the Crossfire issues.
 
Just go with the cheapest HD 6950 2GB that you can find that's from Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, or XFX.
 
Danny is trying to suggest that you stick with a single card rather than a dual-card setup. While benchmarks will "show" that a mid-range, dual-card SLI or CFX (CrossFire X) setup would beat a high-end card (and yes, oftentimes, for less), some games can't handle a dual-card setup. In the case of Skyrim and BF3, you need to either go with a single card or a dual card Nvidia SLI setup for best results.

Speaking for myself here, I recommend you go with one high-end card now and decide later whether you want to buy a second one later. Buying two mid-range cards now limits you: should you find a game that requires better cards, you will have to sell or give away your old card and ask yourself the same question (one or two cards) yet again.
 
Okay I have evolved it once more. Please provide feedback:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor $204.99
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler $34.98
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $139.99
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $66.99
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $118.95
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6950 2GB Video Card $229.99
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply $104.99
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) $105.92
Total: $1006.80
 
vanillago-rilla said:
Okay I have evolved it once more. Please provide feedback:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor $204.99
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler $34.98
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $139.99
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $66.99
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $118.95
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6950 2GB Video Card $229.99
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply $104.99
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) $105.92
Total: $1006.80
Click to expand...
Good chip, good board, good cooler, good SSD, good graphics card, good PSU. I'm not certain of your specific application, but I've found in my personal use that 16GB of RAM is a waste right now. Still, at that price, I'd probably get it anyway! You'll be reusing your old case, right? Which case is it?
 
Yeah the ram was definitely too good of a deal not to fill to 16GB.

Re-using case which is a antec 300 mid tower. Also reusing some SATA 320GB seagate drives I have.

Here's something I haven't thought of, can I reuse my opticals? They're IDE drives.

The PSU I have is a Seasonic SLI-Ready 650W PSU. Im not sure if this is still useful?
 
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CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($204.99 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ )
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ )
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($118.95 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6950 2GB Video Card ($229.99 @ )
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($104.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($105.92 @ TigerDirect Canada)
Total: $1024.79

the only questions that remain are whether or not the case (antec 300) will work with the above and whether or not the original PSU could be used instead (Seasonic S12 Energy Plus 650W EPS12V 20/24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 80PLUS 6PIN PCI-E 120MM)
 
vanillago-rilla said:
the only questions that remain are whether or not the case (antec 300) will work with the above and whether or not the original PSU could be used instead (Seasonic S12 Energy Plus 650W EPS12V 20/24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 80PLUS 6PIN PCI-E 120MM)
Click to expand...
The 1155 motherboards that I've seen require a 24-pin ATX connector and a 4-pin CPU connector. Looks like the one you have selected requires a 24-pin and an 8-pin. It appears that the S12 has the EPS12V 8-pin, which I assume is the same as 2x4-pin. My 6970 requires an 8-pin AND a 6-pin PCIe connector. The 6950 I see on newegg requires a pair of 6-pins, which the S12 has. A review mentions that it BARELY clears the Antec 300 case, and that he had to move his HDD down a couple slots. If you plan on running multiple drives in that case, it might be good to keep in mind. 650W is plenty for the system listed, and Seasonic's a good brand. I'd say you're good. Keep your current power supply. You'd want to upgrade it if you're looking to run CrossFireX (since you don't have enough connectors or power for a proper dual card setup) or a single card like the 6970 (since the S12 doesn't have 8-pin PCIe and 6-pin), but for the 6950 you have selected, you're golden.
 
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