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New Sandy Bridge Build

M

mls1995

Guest
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
99% gaming (Crysis games, Metro 2033, Mass Effect 3, Deus Ex Human Revolution)

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Soft Max of about $2000 including everything, would prefer less though as I'm into bang for the buck

3) Where do you live?
Near Pittsburgh, PA. I am planning a trip to Ohio in a few weeks so I could stop by Microcenter but I'd only be willing to buy things I wouldn't have to return to the store if I had a problem (processors, anything Corsair).

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc.
CPU, MOBO (I want a Z68 one since it seems like they might be more mature or refined versus the P67 ones, only exception would be for the EVGA P67 FTW which I have been waiting for like an idiot), GPU(s) (prefer Nvidia but I'll consider AMD), RAM (2x4 GB please), PSU (would like something that could support 580GTX SLI just so that I'm covered for years into the future), Case, SSD, 2TB HD, DVD drive, keyboard, 23 to 24 inch monitor


5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
New Corsair H60 (bought on sale for $45 AR), New Antec High Current Pro HCP-1200, New Windows 7 Pro SP1 64 bit OEM (got for $10 off), Used Razer Death Adder Mouse

6) Will you be overclocking?
YES, but within reason

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Don't have currently, but will want at least 23 inch screen

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next 2 weeks or so

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, LPT Parallel header or port (for my LJ1100), COM header or port (for my UPS)
Crossfire/SLI support required

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, just bought new Windows 7 oem from newegg

Other notes:
I'm a big fan of EVGA and Corsair (since I've had them before and had good luck).

Was thinking of this for a build:

Intel Core i5-2500K CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...5072&cm_re=intel_2500k-_-19-115-072-_-Product

ASUS P8Z68-V PRO (or whatever you guys like. If EVGA actually releases their P67 FTW in the next week then I'd get that if it would fit in a reasonably sized case)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...730&cm_re=asus_p8z68-v-_-13-131-730-_-Product
http://www.evga.com/products/moreIn...rd Family&series=Intel P67 Series Family&sw=5

2 x4GB RAM (Corsair or G skill, prefer something on the QVL list for whatever mobo you guys like)

EVGA GTX 560 Ti with lifetime warranty (or whatever you guys think is good for 1080p gaming. I want a nice card, even if I have to go to a 580GTX. Also, I want to be able to SLI or crossfire either now or down the road. I prefer EVGA as the manufacturer.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...4&cm_re=evga_gtx_560ti-_-14-130-604-_-Product

Crucial M4 128 GB or similar (I want something reliable from Crucial, Intel, or Corsair [no OCZ])
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...48442&cm_re=crucial_m4-_-20-148-442-_-Product

Samsung 2TB internal hard drive (is this fast enough?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245

Corsair Obsidian Series 650D


Cheap Asus or Samsung DVD writer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...d_burner_internal_sata-_-27-135-204-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...d_burner_internal_sata-_-27-151-233-_-Product

Asus-VH236H Monitor (unless someone has a better suggestion)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Asus-VH236H/11084623

Saitek Cyborg Keyboard (it's similar to my old Eclipse which I really liked)
http://www.amazon.com/Cyborg-CCB440...JCYU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306268643&sr=8-1
 
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Oh and I should mention that this is my first build from scratch so any advice is appreciated. My last PC was a Maingear and the one before that was a barebones that I assembled everything but the case/mobo/CPU. Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Update: just bought the Antec High Current Pro HCP-1200 for 250 shipped
 
mls1995 said:
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Soft Max of about $2000 including everything, would prefer less though as I'm into bang for the buck
Click to expand...
I'm sorry but I have to point this out: You're not into bang for the buck at all. If you were, that Antec PSU, eVGA P67 FTW mobo, GTX 580 or even GTX 580 SLI, would NEVER have been a possible choice AT ALL.

In any case:
- Nvidia does not have a good bang for the buck value these days. Since your usage scenario is 99% gaming and you're supposedly into "bang for the buck", then AMD's HD 6950 1GB or HD 6950 2GB would be the better choices. If you want to stick with Nvidia, do note that you're paying more money for lower performance.

- That Samsung will not be fast enough. Go for this Samsung:
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

- Go for this RAM:
$80 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

- Mobo wise, do note that not a single mobo these days comes with a LPT port or header or even COM headers. You're gonna need add-on cards for that.
 
draken24 said:
Danny maybe he meant lots of bang for lots of bucks?
Click to expand...

That's the same thing isn't it? I mean the HD 6970 2GB is a good bang for the buck value compared to the GTX 580 despite it costing so much.
 
Danny Bui said:
I'm sorry but I have to point this out: You're not into bang for the buck at all. If you were, that Antec PSU, eVGA P67 FTW mobo, GTX 580 or even GTX 580 SLI, would NEVER have been a possible choice AT ALL.

In any case:
- Nvidia does not have a good bang for the buck value these days. Since your usage scenario is 99% gaming and you're supposedly into "bang for the buck", then AMD's HD 6950 1GB or HD 6950 2GB would be the better choices. If you want to stick with Nvidia, do note that you're paying more money for lower performance.

- That Samsung will not be fast enough. Go for this Samsung:
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

- Go for this RAM:
$80 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

- Mobo wise, do note that not a single mobo these days comes with a LPT port or header or even COM headers. You're gonna need add-on cards for that.
Click to expand...

- I assure you, I want value. Everything I've bought thus far has been on a nice sale. I'm a big fan of having a quality PSU, plus $250 shipped for the best PSU available (according to HardOCP) is a steal. Now I'll be able to have the same PSU for the next 5 years and never switch it out no matter what video card I'm running. That's worth something to me.

- What Z68 mobo do you recommend?

- If I'm going to go with a 6950 2gb card, then I'd like to get one that can be "unlocked". Which one do you recommend? Also, I've never heard of most of the AMD ATI companies except for XFX and Sapphire. Which are the good ones?

- I agree with the Samsung hard drive recommendation, thank you.

- I've seen Corsair Vengeance 2x 4GB 1600 mhz RAM for cheaper than that G.Skill Value Series. Is the Corsair Vengeance line crap or what am I missing?
 
draken24 said:
Lol I meant like super high end for lots of money
Click to expand...

Dude, couldn't I say that you wasted money on your 2600K (when a 2500k will do the same thing) or your GTX 570? I want the help, I don't want someone mocking me.
 
mls1995 said:
- What Z68 mobo do you recommend?
Click to expand...
The Z68 mobo that you chose is a very decent choice for the money and with your budget in mind.

mls1995 said:
- If I'm going to go with a 6950 2gb card, then I'd like to get one that can be "unlocked". Which one do you recommend? Also, I've never heard of most of the AMD ATI companies except for XFX and Sapphire. Which are the good ones?
Click to expand...
Basically you're looking for a reference HD 6950 2GB model if you're looking to unlock. Dead giveaway as which is a reference model is the HSF which looks like the HSF on this card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102914

However, as you'll soon see, there aren't that many reference HD 6950 2GB cards available on Newegg. And the few reference cards that were on sale weren't from the good AMD manufacturers. Regarding good AMD manufacturers, that's gonna be Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and XFX on account of their three year minimum warranties (lifetime for the XFX) and good customer support compared to Sapphire or HIS.

However with your budget, the HD 6970 2GB is a good choice as well.
mls1995 said:
- I've seen Corsair Vengeance 2x 4GB 1600 mhz RAM for cheaper than that G.Skill Value Series. Is the Corsair Vengeance line crap or what am I missing?
Click to expand...

Well you're probably factoring in rebates which I don't factor in at all. Or you're looking at the Corsair RAM when they're on sale. If they're on sale for a lower price than the above G.Skill RAM without having to deal with a rebate, by all means get the Corsair RAM. However do note that there's little to no real world difference between DDR3 1600 and DDR3 1333 RAM.
 
Danny Bui said:
The Z68 mobo that you chose is a very decent choice for the money and with your budget in mind.


Basically you're looking for a reference HD 6950 2GB model if you're looking to unlock. Dead giveaway as which is a reference model is the HSF which looks like the HSF on this card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102914

However, as you'll soon see, there aren't that many reference HD 6950 2GB cards available on Newegg. And the few reference cards that were on sale weren't from the good AMD manufacturers. Regarding good AMD manufacturers, that's gonna be Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and XFX on account of their three year minimum warranties (lifetime for the XFX) and good customer support compared to Sapphire or HIS.

However with your budget, the HD 6970 2GB is a good choice as well.


Well you're probably factoring in rebates which I don't factor in at all. Or you're looking at the Corsair RAM when they're on sale. If they're on sale for a lower price than the above G.Skill RAM without having to deal with a rebate, by all means get the Corsair RAM. However do note that there's little to no real world difference between DDR3 1600 and DDR3 1333 RAM.
Click to expand...

Thanks Danny, I really appreciate the advice. I'll look at the 6950 and HD 6970 2GB. And yes, the Corsair RAM is on sale for a little lower than the Gskill.
 
I just did a i7-2600k build, and a couple of things that may help:

- I got the P8Z68 mobo and love it thus far, no complaints
- I use Corsair Vengence 1866 memory, and its great. (To what someone else said, I saw a 3Dmark score increase of about 15% for CPU when going from 1333 to 1866, about 5% increase overall).
- I got a OCZ Vertex 3 and love it. Blazing fast and works great. I know many consider it a gamble but I don't regret it.
 
jsteinm1 said:
- I use Corsair Vengence 1866 memory, and its great. (To what someone else said, I saw a 3Dmark score increase of about 15% for CPU when going from 1333 to 1866, about 5% increase overall).
Click to expand...

Yeah that's a synthetic benchmark that has no bearing on actual games or real applications. It's basically an e-peen kind of thing. Trust me, there's little to no real world difference between DDR3 1333 and DDR3 1866 RAM.
 
Looking for a monitor right now. Haven't bought the mobo yet but it's more or less decided.
 
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PersonalJ said:
Tomshardware is wrong because an unlocked 6950 is nearly a 6970.
Click to expand...

Well, they just said that for $330 that the 570 wasn't a bad option. I agree that an unlocked 6950 looks great but it's hard to find one that unlocks anymore. That's why I was asking about that MSI card
 
Spend the $330 on the 2GB HD 6970 instead of the GTX 570. The GTX 570 would only benefit you if you're using programs that utilize Nvidia's CUDA technology or run a lot of Linux programs.
 
That MSI HD 6950 2GB looks fine to me. Though really can't comment on its unlock capability.
 
tiraides said:
Spend the $330 on the 2GB HD 6970 instead of the GTX 570. The GTX 570 would only benefit you if you're using programs that utilize Nvidia's CUDA technology or run a lot of Linux programs.
Click to expand...

I won't be utilizing those much. I think if I go AMD I'll just get a 6950 and unlock.
 
Danny Bui said:
That MSI HD 6950 2GB looks fine to me. Though really can't comment on its unlock capability.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Someone in the AMD section said this card does unlock. I'm trying to decide if I should pull the trigger, and if so if I should go crossfire.
 
Do some research, as Danny and I can't tell you either way.

As for CrossFire, try out one video card first and see if you're satisfied with the results.
 
tiraides said:
Do some research, as Danny and I can't tell you either way.

As for CrossFire, try out one video card first and see if you're satisfied with the results.
Click to expand...

I'm doing my research, I'm just thinking out loud here as it's nice to bounce these ideas off of people who are knowledgeable and helpful like Danny!
 
I understand, and you're not going to find many people more knowledgeable than Danny.

But he doesn't know anything about the particular MSI HD 6950 that you're considering, and I don't have any additional information to help either of you with that card.
 
tiraides said:
I understand, and you're not going to find many people more knowledgeable than Danny.

But he doesn't know anything about the particular MSI HD 6950 that you're considering, and I don't have any additional information to help either of you with that card.
Click to expand...

I hear you
 
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