I managed to hold out until sandy bridge!

[Ph.D]

... And now it is finally time to ditch this 5-year-old ageing, dying setup.


Template:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
● Web browsing, gaming, watching videos and similar activities.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
● +/- €2000 tax and shipping included

3) Where do you live?
● Belgium, Western Europe

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.
● Enclosure, CPU, RAM, Storage, motherboard, GPU, sound card, PSU, mouse, mousepad, possibly a keyboard, possibly speakers

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
● My Dell UltraSharp U2311H monitor and my Samsung writemaster DVD reader/burner

6) Will you be overclocking?
● Yes but probably not to the extent of needing extra equipment

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
● 23" (I'm considering adding another monitor in due time)

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
● This spring

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
● Considering my snail-paced update rate a bit of future proofing would be nice

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
● 64bit Windows 7 Ultimate


From browsing the internet (mainly techreport's spring system guide) I've already assembled a few likely candidates for this new setup:

CPU: Intel i7-2600k
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth P67
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 12GB (3 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: 2x Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB + a SSD
Sound card: Asus Xonar DX
Enclosure: Corsair Obsidian 650D (w-1 version with the fixed fan controller)

All of the above is subject to change of course, just the ideas I have at the moment.
Have at it ladies and gents!

 

[E4g1e]

... And now it is finally time to ditch this 5-year-old ageing, dying setup.


Template:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
● Web browsing, gaming, watching videos and similar activities.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
● +/- €2000 tax and shipping included

3) Where do you live?
● Belgium, Western Europe

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.
● Enclosure, CPU, RAM, Storage, motherboard, GPU, sound card, PSU, mouse, mousepad, possibly a keyboard, possibly speakers

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
● My Dell UltraSharp U2311H monitor

6) Will you be overclocking?
● Yes but probably not to the extent of needing extra equipment

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
● 23" (I'm considering adding another monitor in due time)

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
● This spring

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
● Considering my snail-paced update rate a bit of future proofing would be nice

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
● 64bit Windows 7 Ultimate


From browsing the internet (mainly techreport's spring system guide) I've already assembled a few likely candidates for this new setup:

CPU: Intel i7-2600k
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth P67
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 12GB (3 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: 2x Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB + a SSD
Sound card: Asus Xonar DX
Enclosure: Corsair Obsidian 650D (w-1 version with the fixed fan controller)

All of the above is subject to change of course, just the ideas I have at the moment.
Have at it ladies and gents!

Those are just ideas. Current Sandy Bridge CPUs do not have a triple-channel memory controller at all; their memory controller is dual-channel only. This means that the triple-channel 12GB kit will operate in a hybrid dual/single-channel mode (8GB in dual-channel, 4GB in single-channel).

Also, all of the current LGA 1155 motherboards have minor issues. In the case of the Sabertooth P67, it costs about $35 USD more than it should based on its feature set.

 

[Ph.D]

The sabertooth goes for sub 180 out here so I thought it was reasonable.
As for the memory, feel free to make a suggestion. Judging from your setup it might be better to go for 2x4GB?

 

[tonytnnt]

2x4 is the better setup for the P67 chipset. Or 4x4 if you really need more than 8 GB. Are you planning on using the F3s in a RAID array? Otherwise why not get a 2 TB drive?

For SSDs consider the Intel 510 or the Crucial C300.

 

[rolling_tiger]

If you can wait just a little bit longer, the Z68 boards will come out soon and it will come with more features.

 

[tonytnnt]

If you can wait just a little bit longer, the Z68 boards will come out soon and it will come with more features.

Don't torture the pour soul further!

Z68 will have a few more features, but for your budget I suspect P67 will make you quite happy.

 

[Ph.D]

2x4 is the better setup for the P67 chipset. Or 4x4 if you really need more than 8 GB. Are you planning on using the F3s in a RAID array? Otherwise why not get a 2 TB drive?

For SSDs consider the Intel 510 or the Crucial C300.

The Spinpoint F3s have a good reputation, even dethroning the famous WD Caviar black drives in many builds. However, I'm open to suggestions on good 2TB hard drives as well.
That intel 510 SSDs sure looks nice. I've also read good things about the OCZ VTX3 SSDs.

If you can wait just a little bit longer, the Z68 boards will come out soon and it will come with more features.

Will there be many advantages to the Z68 boards?

 

[fartq]

Will there be many advantages to the Z68 boards?

the z68 allows ones to use sandy bridge's graphics core. additionally, it allows the use of both discrete graphics and SB graphics with quicksync accelerated video transcoding (with video-out from discrete graphics), or power savings (with video-out from SB graphics).

additionally, at some point in Q2, it will allow one to build an array (at least single disk, unsure about RAID-levels allowed) fronted by a single SSD cache up to 64gb.

it also costs a bit more than p67, while being basically the exact same silicon. intel!

 

[fasteddy]

I've also read good things about the OCZ VTX3 SSDs.

I've got one and it's great... although, I'm not sure it's worth the price premium.

These P67 boards are fast enough with mechanical drives and you wouldn't have the size constraints to worry about.

 

[Ph.D]

the z68 allows ones to use sandy bridge's graphics core. additionally, it allows the use of both discrete graphics and SB graphics with quicksync accelerated video transcoding (with video-out from discrete graphics), or power savings (with video-out from SB graphics).

additionally, at some point in Q2, it will allow one to build an array (at least single disk, unsure about RAID-levels allowed) fronted by a single SSD cache up to 64gb.

it also costs a bit more than p67, while being basically the exact same silicon. intel!

Doesn't really seem worth it to wait even longer for that. Quicksync seems nice but still.

I've got one and it's great... although, I'm not sure it's worth the price premium.

These P67 boards are fast enough with mechanical drives and you wouldn't have the size constraints to worry about.

Alright.



Some of the questions on the table now:

Size of the SSD drive? (I was thinking 120GB minimum.)
2 spinpoint F3s or 1 2TB drive? If so which?
Amount of RAM? Brand?
GPU
PSU
Enclosure
Sound card
Speakers
Mouse/mousepad/keyboard
Other thoughts, advice, observations, etc.

 

[Dangman]

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
? This spring

If your definition of "spring" is more than a month from now, your best bet is to ask again when you're actually 2-3 weeks away from building your PC. Let us know your exact timeframe for this build. Otherwise, we're just pissing in the dark here.

Also please link up any online stores that ships to Belgium.

 

[Ph.D]

Alright, ASAP then. Meaning as soon as I have all the necessary components lined up.
As for stores I'm a bit in the dark myself. If anyone knows some good ones I'm all ears.
Some vendors I've found:
http://www.alternate.eu/
http://www.komplett.com/
http://www.pixmania.com/


I'm certainly not demanding that people only look at these stores, I'd rather they tell me what they think is the best component (within my budget) and I'll attempt to find it in stores.

 

[Dangman]

In a bit of a rush here so none of my normal links:
Core i5 2500K
Asus P8P87 Pro or MSI P67A-GD65 motherboard
A single 4GB stick to 8GB (2 x 4GB sticks) of 1.5V DDR3 1333 CAS 9 RAM from G.Skill, Corsair, or any reputable brand who has RAM that matches the above criteria.
AMD HD 6950 from Asus, Gigabyte, MSI or XFX
Crucial C300 or C400 64GB SSD or Intel's 310 or 510 series 80GB SSDs
Samsung F3 1TB for large program installations
Samsung F4 2TB for data storage (i.e music, movies, etc)
Antec Truepower New 750W PSU

Try the keyboard and mouse in person if you can as that'll let you know right away if the feel of those parts are right for you.

 

[Ph.D]

Talked to some other people and they pretty much all say I should wait for the Z68 boards to come out early next month.

Ugh, while waiting on that I guess we can still work out the GPU, PSU, Storage and Speakers aspects of the build.
Mr. Bui already made some interesting suggestions regarding these, does anyone else have any ideas?

 

[tonytnnt]

I like Danny's build. I don't know if I'd get a 1 TB and a 2 TB drive personally but there's nothing wrong with that setup if you need that much storage.

Some other options to consider (depending on the price) would be a GTX 570 for your GPU. I would only pay a little more for that over a Radeon 6950 2GB though as the performance is about the same or a little better.

For a keyboard and mouse, if you have shops where you can try them or feel them you'll get a better idea. That being said, I like my Logitech G500 a lot. And I'm considering a Logitech G110 or G510 as my next purchase, but everyone has different preferences in their keyboards.

For a power supply, consider options made by Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, PC Power and Cooling (select units), Sparkle Power/Forton/FSP (if budget becomes an issue), and XFX if they're available in Europe. HardOCP and Jonnyguru are great sites for Power Supply reviews.

 

[Ph.D]

Thanks for the review site recommendations.
As for the GPU: I guess the 570 mainly competes with the 6970, not sure if either is worth the price premium.

 

[tonytnnt]

Yeah I think a 6950 2 GB will be about perfect for your build, but I don't know how the prices for the cards are in Europe. If they're similar it would be worth considering.

 

[Ph.D]

To compare:
The ASUS EAH6950 DCII sells for around €250 out here.
The ASUS ENGTX570 DCII sells for around €330.

I've also read some reviews which state that the 2GB version of the 6950 is not worth it and we should stick with the cheaper 1GB version. Any thoughts on that?


P.S.
@tonytnnt
I see you are using the 6970, you don't recommend that one?


P.P.S.
I've browsed around on Jonnyguru and came across a glowing review of the Corsair TX850 Corsair V2 PSU. It costs around €115 out here. Seems like a good deal at only about €15 more than the TX750 V2.

 

[tonytnnt]

I have a 6870 not a 6970 (I wish I had one of those!) It works very well, but I got it for budgetary reasons as my computer cost approx $800 to $900 (not to mention the card was on sale.) I can see games in the not so distant future requiring a faster card, which is why I suggested the 6950, especially as your budget is larger.

 

[Ph.D]

Ah sorry, I read it wrong.

So you think the more expensive cards are not worth it in my case? And what about the 1GB vs 2GB versionof the 6950?

 

[tonytnnt]

If you decide to go the Eyefinity route and add additional monitors, you'll want the 6950 2 GB or the 6970. If you stay at a single, 1920x1080 display you'll be okay with the 1 GB card. See this review for 1 GB vs 2 GB and this review for a more comprehensive look at the 6950 vs the 6970 vs the GTX 570 vs the GTX 580.

With your budget and since you're considering a second monitor, I'd go with at least the 6950 2 GB and consider the 6970.

 

[Ph.D]

I am indeed considering the 6970. It seems to be in a great position in the low 300 range.
let me tell you about some of the cards I see for sale here:

6950 1GB:
GIGABYTE HD6950 OC - € 228
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD6950 - € 230
XFX 1GB D5 X HD6950 XXX Edition R - € 220

6950 2GB:
ASUS 2GB D5 X EAH6950 - € 259
ASUS EAH6950 DCII - € 250
GIGABYTE GV-R695D5-2GD-B - € 254
MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III PE/OC - € 264
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD6950 - € 239
XFX HD6950 - € 240

6970:
XFX HD6970 XXX - € 319
MSI 2GB D5 X R6970 - € 289 (!?)
GIGABYTE GV-R697OC-2GD - € 319
ASUS EAH6970 DCII - € 339
SAPPHIRE 2GB D5 X HD6970 - € 324

GTX 570:
ASUS ENGTX570 DCII - € 329
EVGA GeForce GTX570 - € 329
GIGABYTE GV-N570D5-13I-B - € 349
MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr II/OC - € 339
ZOTAC 1.2 D5 X GTX570 - € 284 (!?)

 

[tonytnnt]

That MSI 6970 for 290 Euros looks like a pretty good deal. It is $50 more than the XFX 6950 2 GB but if you want that extra edge it's hard to beat that MSI 6970. What are GTX 580s going for?

 

[Ph.D]

"Cheapest" is the ASUS ENGTX580 DCII going for a cool € 444

 

[tonytnnt]

Yeah, overpriced everywhere. Especially when you could crossfire two 6950s for not much more than the cost of the GTX 580. Not that you would need to with a 1920x1080 monitor.

 

[Ph.D]

Alright after another round of questions, answers, research and what have you I've come up with the following:


CPU: Intel core i7 2600k ------------------ €269
GPU: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD6950 --- €239
SSD: OCZ VTX3 120GB ------------------ €269
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB ------ €50
HDD: WD Caviar Green 2TB -------------- €75
Sound card: Asus Xonar DX -------------- €68
PSU: Corsair 850TXV2 -------------------- €115
Speakers: Logitech z906 ----------------- €299
Mouse: Logitech G500 ---------------------- €42

What I still need:

Motherboard: (Z68?)
RAM: (Dual channel)
CPU cooler:
Mousepad:
Keyboard:
Enclosure: Corsair Obsidian 650DW (which I haven't found yet)


Thoughts? Opinions? Critique?
I chose the Sapphire 6950 mostly because it's apparently one of the cards you can flash into a 6970. But there appears to be a new version of this card which doesn't unlock. :|
I can also get the Asus Radeon EAH6950 for €235 Would that be a better choice?

 

[Dangman]

What I still need:
CPU: Intel core i7 2600k ------------------ €269

From what you've wrote so far, I don't see any need for the 2600K. You're not gonna notice a difference between the 2600K and 2500K with your listed usage scenario. Situations where you are gonna see a big difference mainly involved 3D editing/rendering, music encoding, and video editing/rendering/re-encoding. None of which you've said so far.

SSD: OCZ VTX3 120GB ------------------ €269

Personally would not go with OCZ due to their poor track record when it comes to SSDs.

RAM: (Dual channel)

As I said earlier: A single 4GB stick or 8GB (2 x 4GB sticks) of 1.5V DDR3 1333 CAS 9 RAM from G.Skill, Corsair, or any reputable brand who has RAM that matches the above criteria.

CPU cooler:

Go for the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ Plus HSF

Enclosure: Corsair Obsidian 650DW (which I haven't found yet)
Other cases to check out if the Obsidian isn't in stock when you buy:
$70 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58W ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K56 ATX Case
$90 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
$100 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$106 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$110 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Case
$110 - NZXT Whisper WHI - 001BK ATX Full Tower Case
$120 - Velocity Micro GX2-W Silver Classic Aluminum Case with Side Window
$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
$165 - Corsair Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$220 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$220 - Cooler Master ATCS 840 RC-840-KKN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case
$220 - Lian Li PC-A71F Black ATX Case
$290 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case
$330 - Silverstone Temjin SST-TJ07B Full Tower ATX Case

Thoughts? Opinions? Critique?
I chose the Sapphire 6950 mostly because it's apparently one of the cards you can flash into a 6970. But there appears to be a new version of this card which doesn't unlock. :|
I can also get the Asus Radeon EAH6950 for €235 Would that be a better choice?

What matters more to you: The higher chance of an unlock or a better customer support and warranty?

 

[Ph.D]

Oh right, sorry about the RAM thing. I removed my choice because I removed the motherboard.

Also I've heard nothing but good things about the Vertex 3, that combined with the saddening absence of the intel 510 series makes me want to give it a try.

I think I might have located a store which sells the Corsair Obsidian 650DW. It's about €175 so I'm going to try and go for it. (It's a relief that you recommend it too.)

As for the GPU, so Sapphire is known for its customer support and warranty? I have to admit that my current GPU is a Sapphire as well and it has served me well all these years. I have no experience with ASUS on the GPU side but none of their products have died on me either.

 

[Dangman]

Also I've heard nothing but good things about the Vertex 3, that combined with the saddening absence of the intel 510 series makes me want to give it a try.

Meh, your money. You know my thoughts.

As for the GPU, so Sapphire is known for its customer support and warranty? I have to admit that my current GPU is a Sapphire as well and it has served me well all these years. I have no experience with ASUS on the GPU side but none of their products have died on me either.

I guess the question was lost on you. Lemme rephrase: What matters more to you: The higher chance of an unlock with the Sapphire or the significantly better customer support and warranty of the Asus? Sapphire is not known for customer support or warranty. They're known for being cheap to buy.

 

[E4g1e]

Also I've heard nothing but good things about the Vertex 3, that combined with the saddening absence of the intel 510 series makes me want to give it a try.

Actually, OCZ has been really shady of late. You know, "SSD" when it applies to OCZ stands for "Shady, Suspect, Deceitful". In fact, their reputation has really plummeted since the advent of DDR3 system memory.

 

[Ph.D]

I guess the question was lost on you. Lemme rephrase: What matters more to you: The higher chance of an unlock with the Sapphire or the significantly better customer support and warranty of the Asus? Sapphire is not known for customer support or warranty. They're known for being cheap to buy.

Well since the Asus is cheaper, this makes it easy then!
One €235 GPU in the shopping cart.

Gonna go for that Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus as well. It's only €25!

You guys are starting to scare me with this OCZ SSD stuff though... I do want a 120GB one at least. Is the Intel 510 series the best choice?

 

[Dangman]

You guys are starting to scare me with this OCZ SSD stuff though... I do want a 120GB one at least. Is the Intel 510 series the best choice?

Honestly, it's not the best choice on account of its current choice but it's a great choice overall. Though, not sure what exactly is the best in all categories SSD now.

 

[Ph.D]

Looks like that Asus P8Z68-V PRO will be the motherboard to get for this build.

Here's what I have so far:
CPU: Intel core i7 2600k --------------------------- €269
GPU: Asus Radeon HD6950 2GB -------------- €232
Speakers: Logitech z906 --------------------------- €299
Mouse: Logitech G500 -------------------------------- €42
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 plus --- €25

And here's what's still on the menu:
Sound card: ASUS Xonar DX/XD --------------------- €68
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB -------------- €50
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB ----- €75
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-850TXV2 --------------------- €115


Which leaves:
Mobo: Asus P8Z68-V PRO (not available yet)
SSD: I've seen the 120GB Vertex for €243... Still in the dark on this.
RAM:
Keyboard:
Enclosure: Corsair Obsidian 650Dw (haven't located it yet)

Suggestions for the memory, keyboard (not really any good places to test them here) and other advice will be very appreciated.

 

[Dangman]

As I said earlier: The cheapest single 4GB stick or 8GB (2 x 4GB sticks) of 1.5V DDR3 1333 CAS 9 RAM from G.Skill, Corsair, or any reputable brand who has RAM that matches the previous criteria will suit your needs just fine.

SSD wise, again, I really don't recommend getting that OCZ SSD.

 

[tonytnnt]

I've always preferred Logitech keyboards. I've heard good things about the G series keyboards (my next one will probably come from that lineup.)