• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

New build help

G

GreatestOne

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 15, 2005
Messages
488
Hey all... its been way too long but finally have the op to build a new one for myself.. havent been keeping up too much on the latest and greatest hw details but I need to get started quick and I need a hand in the right direction, so here is the scoop and any useful info would be appreciated:

- I need a good balance of price/performance.. budget is under $1k includes everything but a display
- My priorities in usage is: General massive multitasking (ie, 10 windows open at once, possible 100 different tabs open across 3 different browser types), heavy Photoshop (some massive files), high end gaming (FPS, adventure/strategy etc...)

*** CASE: I already have a LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black ATX Mid from back when, brand new... will this be good enough to use (consider those gargantuan coolers)?
*** MB: I have NO idea about this one, but I see the ASUS Sabertooth X58 has some of the best ratings, so lets start there, altho its a bit pricey for me...
*** CPU: Really dont care Intel/AMD, but I have gone with Intel for myself my whole life, but I have used many reliable AMD for clients... I would like to go with some form of the i7, might as well right? Just then need to know the right model and any revisions, etc....
*** Cooling: Still going to stick with air cool... unless someone things one of those portable water coolers (I think from coolermaster?) is better in performance, price and silence. This also has to fit in the case I have so... any thoughts are appreciated... I will OC if possible, wouldnt mind getting to 4.0 safely.
*** RAM: Fastest compatible for my MB without breaking my bank.. assuming something like 2x4GB for now (unless I will feel an actual difference with a 3x4 or a 2x8... can always add another 4-8 later).. the G.SKILL Ripjaws (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) seems nice for $42
*** PSU: I still have a brand new XFX Black Edition P1-750B-CAG9 750W, would love to use it, dont think its modular but heck it will save me $$$ from getting a new one
*** Video Card: The HD6850 for about $150 seems like the best deal but I usually use nVidia, so how about the GeForce GTX 560 Ti for about $220?
*** HD: Thinking of again going with the Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLHX 300GB 6.0Gb/s 32MBcache... would love to run a RAID 0, but just too freakin expensive, so maybe I'll just stick with one, unless someone thinks putting in a 7200rpm in RAID 0 will be faster? HD speed is pretty important to me, lotta file crap.

I think thats about it... help! Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Please answer the following questions so that we can help you better:
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
4) Did you need a video card and DVD burner as well?
6) Will you be overclocking?
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
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.

While I wait for answers, I shall address some of your concerns/thoughts in an update
 
Thanks for your time:

Danny Bui said:
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
South Florida
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.
Its just as listed in my OP, those only, and some of those I have as described, but need to know if I can use them or if they are too antiquated, etc....
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
All this has been listed in OP
6) Will you be overclocking?
Listed in OP
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
26-28", 1920x1080/1200
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
In the next week or two... want to buy parts ASAP
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.
Click to expand...
Dont care about features... onboard 7.1 sound is the only requirement.. I am assuming any MB I am getting will have USB 2.0/3.0, and RAID only if I need it.
 
GreatestOne said:
*** CASE: I already have a LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black ATX Mid from back when, brand new... will this be good enough to use (consider those gargantuan coolers)?!
Click to expand...
Still a decent enough case to reuse.
GreatestOne said:
*** MB: I have NO idea about this one, but I see the ASUS Sabertooth X58 has some of the best ratings, so lets start there, altho its a bit pricey for me...
Click to expand...
No. The Sabertooth X58 and all X58 mobos for that matter, uses an outdated LGA 1366 CPU socket. The latest mainstream Intel socket is LGA 1155 which is part of the P67, H67, and Z68 chipsets. There is a newer enthusiast Intel socket, LGA 2011, but that's ridiculously so far out of your budge it's not worth considering.
GreatestOne said:
*** CPU: Really dont care Intel/AMD, but I have gone with Intel for myself my whole life, but I have used many reliable AMD for clients... I would like to go with some form of the i7, might as well right? Just then need to know the right model and any revisions, etc....
Click to expand...
An i7 might not be possible depending on how much you have to spend on the rest of the parts. But we'll see.

EDIT: Looks like the Core i7 2600K should be within the budget.
GreatestOne said:
*** Cooling: Still going to stick with air cool... unless someone things one of those portable water coolers (I think from coolermaster?) is better in performance, price and silence. This also has to fit in the case I have so... any thoughts are appreciated... I will OC if possible, wouldnt mind getting to 4.0 safely.
Click to expand...
I recommend this HSF:
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
GreatestOne said:
*** RAM: Fastest compatible for my MB without breaking my bank.. assuming something like 2x4GB for now (unless I will feel an actual difference with a 3x4 or a 2x8... can always add another 4-8 later).. the G.SKILL Ripjaws (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) seems nice for $42
Click to expand...
Better choice:
$35 - Patriot Signature PSD38G1600KH 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
GreatestOne said:
*** PSU: I still have a brand new XFX Black Edition P1-750B-CAG9 750W, would love to use it, dont think its modular but heck it will save me $$$ from getting a new one
Click to expand...
That is a modular PSU BTW. And it's still a good enough PSU to reuse.
GreatestOne said:
*** Video Card: The HD6850 for about $150 seems like the best deal but I usually use nVidia, so how about the GeForce GTX 560 Ti for about $220?
Click to expand...
The GTX 560 TI is a good choice at $230 SHIPPED. Any higher for a GTX 560 TI card and you're getting ripped off.
GreatestOne said:
*** HD: Thinking of again going with the Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLHX 300GB 6.0Gb/s 32MBcache... would love to run a RAID 0, but just too freakin expensive, so maybe I'll just stick with one, unless someone thinks putting in a 7200rpm in RAID 0 will be faster? HD speed is pretty important to me, lotta file crap.
Click to expand...
Nope. Poor choice for the money. You're better off from a bang for the buck standpoint with a SSD + fast hard drive combo:
$110 - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SSD
$126 - Hitachi Desktar 7K1000.D HDS721010DLE630 1TB SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Costs $4 more but you get a significant performance increase. The SSD is for your OS, small apps, and one or two large critical apps and the hard drive is for other large program installations and other data.
 
Last edited:
Danny Bui said:
Still a decent enough case to reuse.
Click to expand...
Sweet, I was worried it might not be big enough to accommodate stuff, and one less thing.

Danny Bui said:
No. The Sabertooth X58 and all X58 mobos for that matter, uses an outdated LGA 1366 CPU socket. The latest mainstream Intel socket is LGA 1155 which is part of the P67, H67, and Z68 chipsets.
Click to expand...
This is exactly why I am here asking, thank you... seems like there is no runaway winner here on newegg anyways... so my criteria for choice would be:
Reliability, Speed, OC ease, and the rest whatever... I have USB adapters for more ports, and I wont ever run SLI/XFire so... I usually love ASUS, then GB, but here the price and ratings point to MSI and ASRock??
5 tops comparison (1155's)
Someone else recommended
GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 ($130)

Danny Bui said:
An i7 might not be possible depending on how much you have to spend on the rest of the parts. But we'll see. EDIT: Looks like the Core i7 2600K should be within the budget.
Click to expand...
$300+, ehhh... is it like 60% better/faster than this i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz for $195? I hate waiting and lag and I hear that the 2500 doesnt have hyperthreading??? I just wonder if I'll notice the difference more than a few times a year right.. but 4 threads vs 8, if thats right, is kinda hard to ignore, but god dangit, the i7 is so opverpriced, ugh. That $15 off the i5 is only thru today so.................. :confused:

Danny Bui said:
I recommend this HSF:
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
Click to expand...
No doubt thats the best value out there, but, just BUT, what do u think of this for $50:
CWCH60
Wouldnt mind racing past the 4.0 mark... :D

Danny Bui said:
Better choice:
$35 - Patriot Signature PSD38G1600KH 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
Click to expand...
Cant really argue with a $35 recommendation for 8GB... I wont OC RAM, dont wanna deal with that, so I assume this will never be my bottleneck?

Danny Bui said:
That is a modular PSU BTW. And it's still a good enough PSU to reuse.
Click to expand...
Sweet... I'll probably have like 3-4 HD's and 1-2 DVD drives, but that should still be fine... and this is still brand new BTW, no reusing! My freakin home looks like a compusa.

Danny Bui said:
The GTX 560 TI is a good choice at $230 SHIPPED. Any higher for a GTX 560 TI card and you're getting ripped off.
Click to expand...
BTW, is it true that I should be going for a 2GB, that some of the modern games are pushing the 1GB? I guess its an extra like $20-30 but.....

Danny Bui said:
You're better off from a bang for the buck standpoint with a SSD + fast hard drive combo:
$110 - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SSD
$126 - Hitachi Desktar 7K1000.D HDS721010DLE630 1TB SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Click to expand...
Hitachi Deathstar huh? LOL, jk, anyways, I been having my head up my a$$ I totally forgot about the SSD's, which I JUST used to build a client's PC, duh.... but 64GB will never work, just the way it is even with all the other drives and external, etc... so what about this:
SanDisk Ultra SDSSDH-120G-G25 2.5" 120GB SATA II ($135, only $1.12/GB seems cheap)
Or
Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F90GBGT-BK 2.5" 90GB SATA III ($120AR)
But I am guessing the SATA III is well worth the extra?

Thanks for your help!
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
GreatestOne said:
This is exactly why I am here asking, thank you... seems like there is no runaway winner here on newegg anyways... so my criteria for choice would be:
Reliability, Speed, OC ease, and the rest whatever... I have USB adapters for more ports, and I wont ever run SLI/XFire so... I usually love ASUS, then GB, but here the price and ratings point to MSI and ASRock??
5 tops comparison (1155's)
Someone else recommended
GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 ($130)
Click to expand...
All of the mobos in that comparison are complete overkill for your needs according to what you've said so far. Unless you're not telling us something, from what you've said so far, that Gigabyte should fit your needs just fine.

But even if you wanted to go overkill, AsRock is automatically out since they only have a 1-2 year warranty on their mobos. That's crap considering that mobos from Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI have three year warranties to start.

GreatestOne said:
$300+, ehhh... is it like 60% better/faster than this i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz for $195? I hate waiting and lag and I hear that the 2500 doesnt have hyperthreading??? I just wonder if I'll notice the difference more than a few times a year right.. but 4 threads vs 8, if thats right, is kinda hard to ignore, but god dangit, the i7 is so opverpriced, ugh. That $15 off the i5 is only thru today so.................. :confused:
Click to expand...
For gaming, little to no difference. For multi-tasking, you're not doing enough multi-tasking that would fully take advantage of the i7's HT. As for Photoshop, last I heard, Photoshop wasn't that heavily multi-threaded. So yes the 2500K would be enough for your needs. Unfortunately you chose a pretty bad time to buy the 2500K as it's rapidly going out of stock in many online stores. Not mention that the few stores that do have it in stock are overcharging for it. Due to the fact that you want to OC to 4Ghz, your best available choice is the Core i7 2600K. However if you're fine with a max OC of around 3.6Ghz, then the Core i5 2400 is a solid choice.

GreatestOne said:
No doubt thats the best value out there, but, just BUT, what do u think of this for $50:
CWCH60
Wouldnt mind racing past the 4.0 mark... :D
Click to expand...
Well if you're looking to add a "WOW" factor to your build, that Corsair isn't a bad choice at all.

GreatestOne said:
I wont OC RAM, dont wanna deal with that, so I assume this will never be my bottleneck?
Click to expand...
Nope. With current Intel CPUs, you don't touch the RAM at all during overclocking. In addition, it's also been shown that current Intel CPUs do not see a noticeable performance incraese in real world apps and games from RAM speeds higher than DDR3 1333. So you'll be fine with that DDR3 1600 RAM.

GreatestOne said:
BTW, is it true that I should be going for a 2GB, that some of the modern games are pushing the 1GB? I guess its an extra like $20-30 but.....
Click to expand...
BF3 and Skyrim are certainly pushing past the 1GB barrier if you're going for max settings. However, Nvidia doesn't really have cost-effective 2GB cards out. There is the GTX 560 TI 2GB but it's not fast enough to take advantage of the extra VRAM and its pricing puts it right up against the significantly faster GTX 560 TI 448 Core 1280MB Card and HD 6950 2GB cards. Prettty much if you want a cost-effective card with 2GB of VRAM, your best bet would be the HD 6950 2GB.

GreatestOne said:
SanDisk Ultra SDSSDH-120G-G25 2.5" 120GB SATA II ($135, only $1.12/GB seems cheap)
Click to expand...
Really slow, unreliable, and just really really old.

GreatestOne said:
Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F90GBGT-BK 2.5" 90GB SATA III ($120AR)
But I am guessing the SATA III is well worth the extra?
Click to expand...
Unfortuantely that's a Sandforce based SSD. As such it may have that random BSOD issue that's currently plaguing current Sandforce SSDs. If you want to take a gamble and hope that you don't get the random BSOD issue, go ahead and grab this SSD. But personally I'd go for the more reliable Crucial m4 128GB:
$190 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Hot dang you are &$&#$ good and easy to understand.. I'm no dummy but I hate it when I dunno what the ^%#^# someone's talking about when trying to help, LOL.... I relaly appreciate this.

I didnt analyze the MB enough to see what "overkill" was, so unless you tell me there's something in those higher end ones that will do something much better for me, I'll go with the GB, end of story. And yes I wasnt sure about the ASROCK, but now I am.

This i5 no good? In stock on sale right now, $195
i5
And really, this cant hit 4.0 even with the water cool I mentioned below? Ok not a big deal, its just, u know..... "nice"....
"Hey dude, got my CPU to 4.1 !!!" LOL

Actually I dont care about wow at all for the cooler... so I assume u r saying temp wise for price, not much different, so not worth the trouble and added price?

HD 6950 2GB all seem to be minimum $225... might stick with the 560 Ti... does that support eyefinity type of setup like the ATI's do?

DONE, good enough.
The more reliable Crucial m4 128GB
$190 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD[/QUOTE]
 
GreatestOne said:
I didnt analyze the MB enough to see what "overkill" was, so unless you tell me there's something in those higher end ones that will do something much better for me, I'll go with the GB, end of story. And yes I wasnt sure about the ASROCK, but now I am.
Click to expand...
Not end of story actually: The big problem with that Gigabyte mobo is that Newegg is overcharging you for it. It normally costs $125 with free shipping. So I recommend buying it from Amazon.com if you can.

If you can't buy from Amazon.com, then go with this Asus mobo instead:
$130 - Asus P8Z68-V LE Intel Z68 ATX Motherboard

GreatestOne said:
This i5 no good? In stock on sale right now, $195
i5
And really, this cant hit 4.0 even with the water cool I mentioned below? Ok not a big deal, its just, u know..... "nice"....
"Hey dude, got my CPU to 4.1 !!!" LOL
Click to expand...
When it comes to overclocking, Intel pretty much divided up their CPUs in the following categories:
- Not overclockable: Basically their Core i3 line
- Limited overclocking: Basically their Core i5 and Core i7 line
- Full overclocking: Only Intel CPUs with a "K" at the end of the name.

So due to Intel's artificial limitation, the Core i5 240, Core i5 2500, and Core i7 2600 cannot OC past 3.6Ghz no matter how hard you try or spend on cooling. However, the Core i5 2500K and Core i7 2600K CPUs can be OC'd to the limits which is around 4.2 to 4.8Ghz with the right amount of cooling, motherboard capability, etc.

In any case, the Core i5 2500 is a good buy if you can get it for $195.
GreatestOne said:
Actually I dont care about wow at all for the cooler... so I assume u r saying temp wise for price, not much different, so not worth the trouble and added price?
Click to expand...
The temp differences aren't that different but for $20 more, I think it's a fair price for it. But you would be fine with the Hyper 212 as noted earlier
GreatestOne said:
HD 6950 2GB all seem to be minimum $225... might stick with the 560 Ti... does that support eyefinity type of setup like the ATI's do?
Click to expand...
With Nvidia, you need two Nvidia GPUs in SLI in order to use Nvidia Surround which is basically Nvidia's version of AMD's Eyefinity. With AMD, it's possible to just use a single video card for Eyefinity but performance might be lacking.
 
Actually, Danny, the maximum overclock with four cores active on the non-K i5 and i7 CPUs is actually five steps above stock (four steps above the default Turbo Boost multipliers) - in the case of the i5-2500, it would be 3.8GHz. However, the Gigabyte mobos are set to automatically overclock three steps above stock (two steps above the Turbo default) to 3.6GHz (for the i5-2500) if XMP is enabled on the RAM unless overridden manually.
 
E4g1e said:
Actually, Danny, the maximum overclock with four cores active on the non-K i5 and i7 CPUs is actually five steps above stock (four steps above the default Turbo Boost multipliers) - in the case of the i5-2500, it would be 3.8GHz.
Click to expand...
I'm fairly sure you've told me that before but I keep forgetting. My bad.

E4g1e said:
However, the Gigabyte mobos are set to automatically overclock three steps above stock (two steps above the Turbo default) to 3.6GHz if XMP is enabled on the RAM unless overridden manually.
Click to expand...
Huh, did not know that.
 
Btw how can you easily "quote" someone here multiple times within the same post like you do? I copy and paste the tags but that seems dumb... I tried that little button on the lower right but it put a "check" mark and then ........ not sure if thats even it.

Anyways, down the stretch:
Already have:
Case: LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black ATX Mid [[ $70 ]]
PSU: XFX Black Edition P1-750B-CAG9 750W [[ $70 ]]
And lying around somewhere
DVD-RW [[ $30 ]]
2x1TB (7200rpm) [[ $110 NIB]] + [[ used backup ]]

MB: GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 [[ $123 Amazon... I hate newegg now anyway]]
CPU: Intel Core i5 Processor i5-2500K [[ $210 ]]
Little risky here but unless someone says NO, I'll try it for this price
I neglected the "K"... for a few bucks more, I'll take it for the op to maybe hit 4.0
COOLER: CWCH60 [[ $50 Amazon]] (This will fit my case right?)
RAM: Patriot PSD38G1600KH 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM [[ $30 ]] (Thanks Melon!)
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1 GB GDDR5 GV-N560OC-1GI [[ $210 Amazon]]
HD: Crucial 128 GB m4 SATA 6Gb/s CT128M4SSD2 [[ $189 Amazon]]

Total: $969 !!!

Dont tell me I missed something stupid to put me over $1k.
 
Give me a second to scour my Newegg Newsletters, there might be a promo code for a 2500k/560 Ti.
 
Melon said:
Are you dead set on the K variant? You can pick up the regular 2500 for $195:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115073

I've never heard of that site you want to buy your 2500k from, so it's a gamble.. :(
Click to expand...

I know i know.......... ugh... its ALWAYS something.
I really want a chance at 4.0, I mean, might as well go big with what I have for like $30 extra, would be fun.

If not that site, I thought I saw it for like $235 somewhere else......
 
GreatestOne said:
I know i know.......... ugh... its ALWAYS something.
I really want a chance at 4.0, I mean, might as well go big with what I have for like $30 extra, would be fun.

If not that site, I thought I saw it for like $235 somewhere else......
Click to expand...

Go with the K variant, then -- 4GHZ will be no problem. You could save $20 by getting a Hyper 212+ HSF and then get the 2500k from a more reputable vendor.
 
And to answer your question about NVSurround (Nvidia's multi display technology, similar to Eyefinity), you'll need two Ti cards to run it; AMD cards can run it from a single GPU.
 
Eh, I really dont care about saving $20, not gonna destroy me, just wont be able to supersize my happy meal for a month.

Do u really think the H50 benefit is negligible? And where should I get the K then... it seems its sold out or N/A in most reasonable priced places... If I will go over $250 then might as well go the i7-2600K.
 
Hmmm, I didnt see that before in Amazon..... I guess I'll just get it there... I dont have time to wait really.

And ya I might barely use 2 monitors right now, so even though I would love 3, I am pretty sure it aint happening soon, and besides, the gpu is one of the easiest things to switch out so I'll take care of that if I need to later.
 
The H60 won't really cool any better than the Hyper212+, to be honest. I think HardOCP has a review of the H50, or 60 on the site that compares a bunch of air coolers with it.
 
And I assume noise level will be very similar?

Geez, Amazon, 2500k comes out to $240.... 2600k is $315, $75 difference, hmmmmm... I hate this.
 
GreatestOne said:
And I assume noise level will be very similar?

Geez, Amazon, 2500k comes out to $240.... 2600k is $315, $75 difference, hmmmmm... I hate this.
Click to expand...

I can't really comment on the noise, but I'm sure that they're pretty similar -- depending on if you go with a Push, or Push/Pull fan setup on the Heatsink/Rad. You aren't going to see any improvements in gaming with the 2600k, that's more useful for heavily threaded applications. I'd recommend dumping that extra 75$ into your video card budget and getting a 6950.
 
That evo is really like a miracle cooler isnt it, for the price and pedestrian old school design... must be some revolutionary new materials... I guess if I take off the $25 there, I am only paying $50 more for the i7.... thats looking better and better....
 
GreatestOne said:
That evo is really like a miracle cooler isnt it, for the price and pedestrian old school design... must be some revolutionary new materials... I guess if I take off the $25 there, I am only paying $50 more for the i7.... thats looking better and better....
Click to expand...

Well, the EVO in the review is the same as that one. The Hyper 212+ is the best bang for your buck HSF, hands down. So really, it boils down to if you want to lose a few extra C's from your load temps.
 
Ok, I think final:

Case: LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black ATX Mid [[ $70 ]]
PSU: XFX Black Edition P1-750B-CAG9 750W [[ $70 ]]
And lying around somewhere
DVD-RW [[ $30 ]]
2x1TB (7200rpm) [[ $110 NIB]] + [[ used backup ]]

MB: GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 [[ $123 Amazon... I hate newegg now anyway]]
CPU: Intel i7-2600K [[ $315 Amazon]] (for $75, I'll just bite the bullet now, whatever)
COOLER: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm RR-B10-212P-G1 [[ $27 Amazon ]]
OR
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (RR-212E-20PK-R1) [[ $38 Amazon]]
(Seems like the newer model, sleeker fan?)
RAM: Patriot PSD38G1600KH 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM [[ $30 ]] (Thanks Melon!)
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1 GB GDDR5 GV-N560OC-1GI [[ $210 Amazon]]
HD: Crucial 128 GB m4 SATA 6Gb/s CT128M4SSD2 [[ $189 Amazon]]

Total: $1174 or $1185
(It was actually $1092 before, I miscalculated)
Hmmmmmm......

Not its too late to get the $195 i5, dang... I'll think about this again tomorrow.
 
Ya just saw that, and also saw the H60 for $50... but again I guess even the H60 is not really worth the extra $30? I assume the 212 with 2 fans should get a 2500k over 4.0 easily right? Just getting worried about a real crowded case.

And btw, I am now thinking of getting the Gigabyte Ultra Durable VGA Series Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 Video Card + Dirt 3 for $120... it seems like the best price/perf easily.... but I also heard bec of the 7970 out, prices will drop on say the 6900's, is that true? Or has it already dropped or it will take a while? I dont want to wait more than a few days really.

And someone stressed to me about the 2GB's being a no brainer or a 1GB... so then so something like this for $195
XFX HD-687X-CNFC Radeon HD 6870 2GB
is worth it over a 1GB version for $130 or the 560 Ti 1GB for the same $220?
 
Last edited:
GreatestOne said:
Ya just saw that, and also saw the H60 for $50... but again I guess even the H60 is not really worth the extra $30? I assume the 212 with 2 fans should get a 2500k over 4.0 easily right?
Click to expand...
It should.
GreatestOne said:
And btw, I am now thinking of getting the Gigabyte Ultra Durable VGA Series Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 Video Card + Dirt 3 for $120... it seems like the best price/perf easily....
Click to expand...
It is a good price to performance card but due to your high resolution, the HD 6850 isn't a good choice unless you're only playing Blizzard games.
GreatestOne said:
but I also heard bec of the 7970 out, prices will drop on say the 6900's, is that true? Or has it already dropped or it will take a while? I dont want to wait more than a few days really.
Click to expand...
The price on the HD 69xx series cards will probably drop in price but not by much. And it will take awhile.
GreatestOne said:
And someone stressed to me about the 2GB's being a no brainer or a 1GB... so then so something like this for $195
XFX HD-687X-CNFC Radeon HD 6870 2GB
is worth it over a 1GB version for $130 or the 560 Ti 1GB for the same $220?
Click to expand...
The HD 6870 isn't fast enough to take advantage of the extra VRAM. Go with the GTX 560 Ti 1GB.
 
Is the Hyper 212 Evo worth the extra $11 over the 212+? Fan looks cool, lol, but supposed to have better features overall...
 
GreatestOne said:
Is the Hyper 212 Evo worth the extra $11 over the 212+? Fan looks cool, lol, but supposed to have better features overall...
Click to expand...

Not really but if you need every ounce of temp decrease, go for the Evo.
 
Eh not really, just wonderin bec the fan looked pretty, lmao... jk
Just reading some tests on the H80, at 63C avg load vs 80C for 212+, hmmm.... u think those #'s are accurate?
But every time I even think of WC, I think about when, not if, it will leak, so is it worth it... probably not since I am not thinking of pushing my sys to the max, and with the 212+ I guess, so cheap that if I want to "upgrade" later, I can always save it for a client or friend or something... so it seems 212+ for now, maybe with 2 fans, cant go wrong... make me stop.... please....

Btw do all these coolers come with good paste these days or should I clean them and use my tuniq?
 
GreatestOne said:
Eh not really, just wonderin bec the fan looked pretty, lmao... jk
Just reading some tests on the H80, at 63C avg load vs 80C for 212+, hmmm.... u think those #'s are accurate?
Click to expand...
Probably depending on the ambient temperature and cooling of the PC.

GreatestOne said:
Btw do all these coolers come with good paste these days or should I clean them and use my tuniq?
Click to expand...
Yes they come with good paste these days
GreatestOne said:
SAMSUNG 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
$50
Are the 30nm chips that much better, with the low voltage and cool run?
Click to expand...

No. Not worth it.
 
212+ ordered, $20! (even tho the coupon should have expired, lucky) I jus heard bec of the smaller size it doesn't do as well on the high OC end, but whatever, as long as I am over 4.0, I"ll be happy.

Not to be like this, but the Patriot RAM is the only thing kinda bugging me (u know how this can get, and I apologize for quad-guessing, but I can only afford to do this like once every 4 years so...) I've always been a Crucial/G.Skill/Corsair man, can I get a quick reason why that Patriot (and they look SO pedestrian, not to be so superficial!) is better than say (beside the few bucks cheaper things... $20 wont make or break me if performance is noticeably better, if thats why you recommended the 1600 for $35 ):

G.SKILL Ripjaws X (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900)
G.SKILL Sniper (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) - (Customer Choice Award Winner if that means anything)

These also have awesome ratings and a lot of them too... am I missing something?

Also, I am thinking about using my brand new ATI 4870 laying around for now until I find a better deal for a vcard... these are so easily swappable with no almost no work, I dunno if I wanna spend $230 for the 560 Ti right now, bec I wont need it right away until I upgrade all my software anyways, and MW3 on XBOX is robbing all my game time with my buddies (curse them for being on XBOX!!! I loathe that controller... love my mouse to point and shoot)...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top