Need advice on new system build.

[shatterstar]

Hello Everyone. First I'd like to say thanks for taking the time to read this thread.

My current system:

Intel Xeon 3350
8 GB DDR2 1066 OCZ brand
2GB ATI Radeon 5870
160 SSD

This has been a great system. Still is a great system. Can still play all my games on max settings no hiccups but It's about time I upgraded this as its been a few years so I want to retire this PC and use it as my video streaming PC.

I plan on using the new system mostly for gaming but once in a while I do so some 3d modeling work/video editing work. I want to purchase a system that will handle those things very very well. Here is the catch... I don't want to be buying parts to upgrade in a year or two because it is outdated or not up too par with my high standards anymore. what I want to know is for someone who will use this new PC for 3 years most likely what would you guys recommend?

ATM I am leaning more towards a SR-2 System with a pair of Xeon 5645 but I am not sure if it would be better to get a I7 extreme instead.

My Budget is not huge. If I go the I7 Build I can get the system up and running anywhere from now and a month. (fully loaded) If I go the SR-2 route it will take from 1-2 months. (unless someone on this board want to sell me a SR-2 with CPU's cheap then maybe sooner.)

Also, I have 1 monitor and wanted to know if there is any benefits to going SLI/Xfire with just 1 monitor?

 

[Dangman]

I plan on using the new system mostly for gaming but once in a while I do so some 3d modeling work/video editing work. I want to purchase a system that will handle those things very very well. Here is the catch... I don't want to be buying parts to upgrade in a year or two because it is outdated or not up too par with my high standards anymore. what I want to know is for someone who will use this new PC for 3 years most likely what would you guys recommend?

There's really no solid answer to that question as a user's needs may change over that period of time and/or software could become even more demanding. Even a SR-2 system can easily be replaced after a year of use depending on just how demanding their needs are.

With that said, unless you do a fuck-ton of video editing and 3D modeling work, a SR-2 setup is a really bad idea. That SR-2 setup would not be any faster than a Core i7 2600K setup in gaming.

In addition, pretty much the best bang for the buck performance setup would be a Core i7 2600K CPU. However it's pretty hard to tell if that CPU will last you another three years since we and you both don't know how your needs and software will evolve.

Also, I have 1 monitor and wanted to know if there is any benefits to going SLI/Xfire with just 1 monitor?

What size monitor?

 

[xBanzai89]

If you are still doing this build soon, I would just keep that 5870 if you are not considering doing SLI/Xfire. That card is still high end performance as we've been stuck on 40nm for 2 years now. Don't be expecting double the performance from a 6000 or 500 series card. AMD's 28nm GPU is coming out later this year and would be a proper upgrade for a 5870 imo.

 

[shatterstar]

oh wow forgot about this thread. lol...
Anyways thank you guys for the responses you have given me. After reading through your responses I had realized that I may have chose stuff without really thinking it through. I have taken what was said into consideration, and did some research (very little being honest) and decided to not go with the SR-2 build and go with a 2600k build instead. I am supposed to b buying a 2600k tomorrow from someone locally at a really good price and want to know from you guys what board would you recommend for it? Initially I was going to go with a Rampage III Black Edition but realized after doing some reading on these boards it is not a good idea to invest in X58 chipset board. so now I am confused as to go P67 or Z68. Which is best for Gaming? I plan on going 2x-3x SLI if possible on the new build.

What size monitor?

I have a HP2159m 21. Inch Widescreen.

If you are still doing this build soon, I would just keep that 5870 if you are not considering doing SLI/Xfire. That card is still high end performance as we've been stuck on 40nm for 2 years now. Don't be expecting double the performance from a 6000 or 500 series card. AMD's 28nm GPU is coming out later this year and would be a proper upgrade for a 5870 imo.

Something broke in my old media streaming PC and I am too lazy to fix it so the current gaming PC will become a media streaming PC. that is one of my main reasons for upgrading. I plan on leaving the 5870 in this PC.

One more Question. I plan on going into water cooling and never went into this before. what can I watercool and what parts are needed to buy to do this?

Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Dangman]

so now I am confused as to go P67 or Z68. Which is best for Gaming? I plan on going 2x-3x SLI if possible on the new build.

Both chipsets are about the same when it comes to gaming performance. The Z68 chipset has all of the features of both P67 and H67 chipsets as well a few additional features as well.

I have a HP2159m 21. Inch Widescreen.

In that case, you really don't need SLI or XFire unless you're extremely demanding when it comes to performance.

 

[shatterstar]

the monitor will changed somewhere down the road as soon as I find a new bigger desk that will hold 2 pc's and multiple monitors. For now I will concentrate on the and the parts inside.

Any Z68 Board recommendations?

 

[Dangman]

Before I continue with recommendations, please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.

 

[shatterstar]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, little bit of 3d modeling + Encoding

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
cant say really. At the moment its $1500 but this keeps going up every 2 weeks.... lol

3) Where do you live?
New York City, USA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word

Casing
PSU
-Motherboard
-RAM
-VIDEO CARDS
-SOUND CARD
-BD Burner
-A Wireless KVM Switch (IOr Keyboard/Mouse Switch. that supports USB Connection f this exist... )
-Water Cooling System /Fans


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

-CPU: I7 2600k
-Hard Drive: 4x Intel 320 Series 160 GB SSD Drives
-Keyboard & Mouse: Logitech Wave
-Monitor: HP2159m (This will change in the near future after I get new furniture, When the time comes I'll ask again if help is needed.)
-PSU: Antec Truepower Quattro 1200W
6) Will you be overclocking?
yes

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
At the moment it is 21 inch. but when I plan to upgrade it will be a 3 monitor set up. size is unknown.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next 30 days if possible.

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.
Raid
3-way SLI
Bluetooth
A good n easy overclocking tool.

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

 

[Dangman]

Thank you for answering the questions. Unfortunately, I recommend that you please come back in a week and bump up this thread. By then we'll know what Newegg combo deals are available and therefore help save you money.

 

[shatterstar]

brought a PSU from here so wont need that anymore.