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New 2500k Build

J

jreinlie4

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 18, 2011
Messages
321
My buddy wants to upgrade to a 2500k/2600k system and I cant really give him much help because I am only familiar with AMD hardware, sockets, etc...
That's where you guys come in.
I'm pretty sure he wants to be as future proof as possible as features go but not "over-spend", I know he's thinking about getting a SSD .
He has a CFX 2gb 5870 setup so the new motherboard will have to accommodate that. Hes a light overclock-er so anything with extreme
overclocking features probably wont be tapped into. He most likely will try to take the 2500k/2600k to 4ghz+, so the mobo has to atleast
be able to handle that. So basically, if you guys could suggest a CPU(2500k/2600k)/ MOBO / RAM combo from Newegg (links to "said" products would be awesome)
that can handle these features it would be a big help. After all, I am no Intel Guru and i'm not afraid to admit it.
Right now hes rockin' a Phenom II 965@ ~4gz on a MSI 890FXA-GD65 with 16gb of Corsair XMS DDR3 1600mhz so a MOBO with atleast the same features as the one he has now
would most likely suffice.

He is primarily a gamer and plays BF3, Dirt 3, Arma 2 and sometimes runs multiple instances of Eve Online.


- 2500k/2600k
- 2 way Crossfire
- Overclock ready
- Decent on-board audio
- SATA III
- 2 PCI Express 2.0 16X slots
- preferrably ~$200 for mobo
- Triple channel memory DDR3 1600mhz
 
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1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Gaming, Specifics in OP.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$600 shipping/tax included

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

US, Florida, Deltona

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.

CPU(2500k/2600k), RAM, MOBO

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

- Antec 900 case
- 2x 2gb Radeon 5870
- Corsair hx750 Power supply
- 1TB Western digital Caviar Black SATA III
- Corsair H70 Cooler

6) Will you be overclocking?

Yes

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

1920x1080 24"

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

Within 30 days

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? etc.

- SATA III
- 2 way Crossfire or SLI
- USB 3.0
- On-board Audio

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

Legit, 64Bit, Windows 7 Ultimate
 
Like I said, if you're looking for a P67/Z68 motherboard with at least 2 PCIe slots, there are A LOT of options.

Head on over to my sticky at OCN and look for yourself.
 
Asus p8p67 Pro Gen 3.1 has a $20 MIR right now. I don't think it's pci 3 ready though. It's the board I'm leaning toward.
 
Corvette said:
Asus p8p67 Pro Gen 3.1 has a $20 MIR right now. I don't think it's pci 3 ready though. It's the board I'm leaning toward.
Click to expand...

I don't think it needs to be, imo. I doubt PCI-e 3.0 bandwidth will even start to be utilized until at least another couple/few generations of GPUs emerge.


My recommendation:
2500K
Asus P8Z68 PRO
G.Skill DDR3 1333 or 1600 2x4GB
Decent HSF
 
Not worth paying for the Pro over the vanilla -V, unless you really need 1394 or the extra SATA 6GB ports - otherwise they are the same.

And you want dual-channel memory for Sandy Bridge, not triple-channel.
 
Aye, PRO version difference is that you only get Marvel Sata3 controller. Though, I think Asus should price the -V board more then Pro... I know many, who would pay a lot, NOT to have Marvel on board :p

And for memory, get the Corsair low profile, low voltage 8gb kit. It will fit into every board, and having 1,35V is nice. I think on Corsair page it was about $70.

http://www.corsair.com/memory-by-pr...hannel-ddr3-memory-kit-cml8gx3m2a1600c9w.html
 
Does jreinlie4 need a Z68 board? DejaWiz, why the Z68 Pro over the P67 Pro if you don't need PCIe 3.0? Could save the guy more than $40 after rebate.
 
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PCI 3.0 might be worth it if he sells his 2 5870's and gets a 7970 like im trying to tell him. He plans on spending $200 on a mobo and wants as much features as possible, The Asus P8Z68 PRO looks like a good choice, does anyone have a suggestion from the MSI corner?.
 
Corvette said:
Does jreinlie4 need a Z68 board? DejaWiz, why the Z68 Pro over the P67 Pro if you don't need PCIe 3.0? Could save the guy more than $40 after rebate.
Click to expand...

Well, with a budget of $600 for CPU, MoBo, and RAM, why the hell not? Plus, the Z68 has options such as SSD caching and IGP capability. If the GPU cops a squat down the line (a lot of us have experiences this), then at least the IGP can serve as a basic functionality backup.

($133) P8Z68 LE if no need for the extra SATA3 ports or 1394
(205) P8Z68 Pro if the extra SATA3 and 1394 might be utilized
..I'll agree there's a HUGE spread in price for essentially a couple menial options, but whatever.

($230) 2500K
or ($320) 2600K

($35-37) 2x4GB 1333 or 1600 1.5V

($30) Hyper 212

TOTAL: $430-595

All well within the stated budget...
 
DejaWiz said:
($133) P8Z68 LE if no need for the extra SATA3 ports or 1394
(205) P8Z68 Pro if the extra SATA3 and 1394 might be utilized
..I'll agree there's a HUGE spread in price for essentially a couple menial options, but whatever.
Click to expand...

There is a quality difference between the LE and the Pro though, and the LE has fewer power phases. A better comparison is between the P8Z68-V and the P8Z68-V Pro - the only difference there is that the Pro has 2 extra SATA 6GB ports (Marvell controller) and 1394. The -V is only $162 right now also:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131792

If you want to check MSI, either the Z68A-GD65 or GD55 are good choices:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130611
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130622
 
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I did some research and found a Gigabyte board. http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3978#ov

Endorsed by Anand and Tom's. It doesn't have the Intel NIC but I've lived with a Realtek (I think) and haven't had problems. The Rev. 1.3 board claims PCIe 3 support. You probably won't get UEFI from what [H] has writen on other Gigabyte board, but I spend a couple of hours a year in the BIOS, so meh.

Oh, $148 at NCIX (I pay tax at Newegg) and a $10 MIR.
 
Hey, you'll have to let us know how big of a boost you feel going from the P965 and 6300. My brother is still using that exact board and cpu setup, but with a 8800GTS!
 
K1tty said:
Hey, you'll have to let us know how big of a boost you feel going from the P965 and 6300. My brother is still using that exact board and cpu setup, but with a 8800GTS!
Click to expand...

My 7900GS was getting tired.

I'm checking NCIX to see if they are selling Rev 1.0 or 1.3. I'll try to get them to price match Amazon and still use the $10 rebate. $130 seems like a decent deal.
 
Corvette said:
*snip*
Click to expand...

You know, a big problem I have with most of these SB boards are a severe lack of 4-pin PWM fan headers. With most chassis able to support 4+ 120mm fans nowadays, there really are only a couple of motherboards that have ample fan headers. Some eVGA boards and Asus Maximus/ROG come to mind.

And given the fact that a 3 pin fan CAN be plugged in to a 4 pin PWM header gives absolutely no excuses for the motherboard manufacturers to weasel out of saving about a buck or less per board.

This is 2012, and PWM motor control has been around since the 1960's! Get with the program, already! :mad:


/rant

Anyway, my vote still goes to just about any Asus P8Z68 board. Hell, I'll even recommend the Gene-Z Gen3 since it's capable of squeezing just about every last oc'd MHz out of SB and has plenty of 4 pin fan headers. At $185 shipped from Newegg right now, it's cheaper than the V Pro, to boot! :p
 
Personally, my recommendations would be a 2500k to get to the 4Ghz

8GB or 16GB of Gskill ram often go on sale via newegg, and even after tax it's a lot cheaper than most.

Mobo, asus Max Gene-z.

All the stuff you want, none of the fluff you don't.
 
I've seen 2500K + P8Z68 bundles for $300. You have to be on the look-out for sales/specials/promos.

My buddy bought a P8Z68V-Pro for only $150. It was one from ASUS but a warranty replacement the store got back and so they put it on the clearance shelf. The board inside was sealed and brand new.

I've had two 2500Ks that do 5GHz easily (get decent cooling, $50-$80 worth of air or watercooling) on the P8Z68V-Pro.
 
Microcenter has 2500ks for $179 ( 159 ) every once in awhile. Grab that with a mobi combo for $99 and your in buisness
 
us.ncix informs me that they only stock rev. 1.0 with no eta on rev 1.3 of the GA-Z68XP-UD3.
 
That's bizarre. I got mine back in maybe June/July and got the 1.3 revision (it just adds pcie 3.0 right?)
I'm lucky enough to be near a MC so I got the 2500k and mobo bundle deal.
 
Is it just a BIOS update? Does the box say Rev. 1.3? Maybe the NCIX rep or his informant isn't capable of determining the difference.
 
I don't think it actually says anywhere other than on the board itself in small print. However, the box says "supports pcie 3.0" on the 1.3 revision and not the 1.0 revision. If you really don't care about pcie 3.0 then it wouldn't be a big deal to get the 1.0 revision. With only being capable of two graphics cards I'm not so sure pcie 3.0 is necessary.
 
Corvette said:
I did some research and found a Gigabyte board. http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3978#ov

Endorsed by Anand and Tom's. It doesn't have the Intel NIC but I've lived with a Realtek (I think) and haven't had problems. The Rev. 1.3 board claims PCIe 3 support. You probably won't get UEFI from what [H] has writen on other Gigabyte board, but I spend a couple of hours a year in the BIOS, so meh.

Oh, $148 at NCIX (I pay tax at Newegg) and a $10 MIR.
Click to expand...
I have the UD4 and love it! This is a really good board "series" I am pretty sure the only difference is my board has double the power phases 16 vs 8. The IGP utilization that these boards offer is a pretty big plus because you are not left without a computer if you GPU takes a crap

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128507

also I saw it posted once but You should most definitely get the Coolermaster hyper 212+ This cooler is only 25 dollars and is an incredible cooler. Cools just as good as 80+ coolers. Dont waste your money on anything else. Im at 4.3 1.310 with temps in the 50's
 
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