Build Suggestions and Discussion for new PC.

[Pr0d1gy]

Here is the need to know: I'll be coming back from Disney World in early April and will be looking to put together my PC at that time. I already have a Galaxy GTX460+ that I am very happy with and will add another in short order after this PC is built, so video card isn't in the discussion at all. My budget is theoretically limitless but I want to keep it realistic, obviously. I'm not here to buy anyone a new Ferrari...heh

My previous build recently took a massive dump but it was as follows: FX-55, 2gb Corsair Xpert, Antec TP 2.0 550w, Abit Fatal1ty AN8 mobo, x850xt pe.....I am not looking at any of these companies for my new build.

I am interested in the Sandy Bridge Intel CPU's and will probably get the i5 or i7 if the mobo issues will be cleared up by April. Please let me know what's up with the SB issues as I have been out of the build game since 2006 or so.

I will be getting at least 8gb of RAM and have been looking at getting the G.Skill 2x4gb Ripjaw kit I see many people recommending unless you have a better option. Also, is it worth the extra $10-20 for the 1600 over the 1333?

My biggest complaints about my old build would have to be my case (I have VERY big hands and need plenty of room to work, and would prefer a solid tool-free case if possible), and my motherboard (again it felt cramped, couldn't use most aftermarket HSF's because the RAM slots were like 2 inches from the CPU slot; also it greatly lacked in expansion slots...theoretical longevity is key).

I will be using the PC mostly for gaming and web surfing, no video editing or anything.
I don't need a large hard drive (OS + WoW + a few other modern games will be installed at once at most). I won't be loading the drive with music, movies, etc at all.

WoW performance is important to me, I want to be able to max all my settings if possible. I will also be playing Batman AA and possibly Arkham City when it releases. Other than those games I would also be playing Battlefield 3, SC2, and similar games (not Crysis 2 or any other ridiculous rig type games). Keep in mind I will be running a pair of gtx 460's in SLi so we're just focusing on speed and performance in the other hardware areas.

If you need anymore info just let me know and we can go from there. Thanks for any help and info you can pass along. I live very close to a Microcenter so any deals/buys I can do there will help, but it is not a necessity (I am very willing to buy online et al).

 

[BoomerD]

We have several good builds recommended here, so I'm not going to go into what processor, RAM, board, etc...but I will talk about cases with you.
I also have large hands, and MOST cases don't give me enough room to maneuver in without leaving bits of hide behind.
I HIGHLY recommend the CoolerMaster HAF cases. VERY roomy, very quiet fans, well built, and not bad looking.

My BIGGEST complaint is the very bright LEDs they use for power/CPU activity lights. You could land the space shuttle with those things!! Definitely not recommended for use in a bedroom if you like it dark. :biggrin:

Here's a thread I started a couple of months ago when I was researching my newest build:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2125015


BTW, for a gaming machine...i5-2500K is the only processor to consider in the Sandy Bridge platform.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Thanks Boomer, that looks like a real winner. It solves seemingly every problem I had with my old case, which I believe was also a CoolerMaster oddly enough...lol

The i5 does seeem like the most reasonable CPU purchase, and it will let me run at max settings in WoW, right?

 

[fffblackmage]

For a gaming rig, you don't need to consider anything higher than the i5-2500K, because something like an i7-2600K is too expensive ($100 more), but hardly provides any benefits (HT is useless for gaming).

You should be asking which GPU will get you what you want instead.

I would also recommend that you consider getting an SSD. I've heard WoW benefits from one.

 

[BoomerD]

Thanks Boomer, that looks like a real winner. It solves seemingly every problem I had with my old case, which I believe was also a CoolerMaster oddly enough...lol

The i5 does seeem like the most reasonable CPU purchase, and it will let me run at max settings in WoW, right?

It certainly should. It's the best gamer CPU on the market today. You'll definitely want a good video card to go with it...I've never played WoW, so I can't make specific recommendations there, but maybe this will help:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/62

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU11/188

 

[Pr0d1gy]

As I said before I will be running SLI gtx460's which should run anything without any issues, so GPU is already handled. I'm not at all familiar with SSD's so if you have any useful info there it would be useful. I can't imagine I would need more than 100gb or so at the most.

 

[mfenn]

As I said before I will be running SLI gtx460's which should run anything without any issues, so GPU is already handled. I'm not at all familiar with SSD's so if you have any useful info there it would be useful. I can't imagine I would need more than 100gb or so at the most.

In that case, here's a good one: Mushkin Callisto Deluxe 120GB.

 

[BoomerD]

As I said before I will be running SLI gtx460's which should run anything without any issues, so GPU is already handled. I'm not at all familiar with SSD's so if you have any useful info there it would be useful. I can't imagine I would need more than 100gb or so at the most.

Why not just buy a better single video card instead of going with SLI?
In most games, your frame-rate will either be better...or so close that the difference won't be noticable...with lower power draw and lower temps.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

As I said, I already have the 460 so it just makes more sense to run it for now and upgrade the card down the road when the $300+ jump makes more sense. I don't need anything more than the 460 to run max on all my games for the most part, considering most of my games are older like WoW, or not very demanding like Blood Bowl.

Thanks mfenn for the Mushkin suggestion, that's probably exactly what I need. I take it that I don't have to worry about which version of that I get unlike the OCZ's, right?

 

[jterrell]

It certainly should. It's the best gamer CPU on the market today. You'll definitely want a good video card to go with it...I've never played WoW, so I can't make specific recommendations there, but maybe this will help:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/62

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU11/188

WoW is not GPU intensive... compared to other games.

It is CPU intensive and can be memory intensive(lots of game addons that eat memory).

Any of the modern systems spec'd out here will work beautifully. Socket 1155 would be a plus because the CPUs are so quick.

 

[jterrell]

As I said, I already have the 460 so it just makes more sense to run it for now and upgrade the card down the road when the $300+ jump makes more sense. I don't need anything more than the 460 to run max on all my games for the most part, considering most of my games are older like WoW, or not very demanding like Blood Bowl.

Thanks mfenn for the Mushkin suggestion, that's probably exactly what I need. I take it that I don't have to worry about which version of that I get unlike the OCZ's, right?

yea placing the wow folder on the SSD will make a huge difference... i am about to do the same thing... when p67 boards are readily available again.

my guildmates who have done so rave about it.

 

[mfenn]

Thanks mfenn for the Mushkin suggestion, that's probably exactly what I need. I take it that I don't have to worry about which version of that I get unlike the OCZ's, right?

You are correct, that drive uses the known-good 34nm flash (seems to be OOS at the moment though).

OCZ has been too aggressive in updating their drives/firmware, which leads to all sorts of problems that should have been caught in validation testing.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Hopefully some better SSD's will come down the pipe in the next month while I'm waiting. As for the GPU, I've been running WoW on my laptop's HD 4250 without any problems so I doubt I would need more than a 460 anytime soon...at least until Battlefield 3.

Does anyone have some good pointers/links/suggestions for motherboards for the i5 SB? I really want a company that is dependable and offers good support after install (BIOS updates, quality drivers, etc).

 

[mnewsham]

GIGABYTE, ASUS, ASRock, MSI.

 

[mfenn]

GIGABYTE, ASUS, ASRock, MSI.

Pretty much, though it's not like you'll be buying any of those at the moment!

I imagine the few boards that we've been seeing on Newegg were shipped via air freight (very expensive) in order to capture some of the "gotta have it now" sales. We should see normal quantities trickle in over the next couple weeks.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Thanks for all the help guys but I think I'm just going to stick with my cheapy laptop and use my ps3 for games. Gaming is really losing it's appeal to me as it becomes more of a cash grab and developers continue to drop the ball game after game on so many platforms. If you're a serious gamer you could hardly blame me. Take care guys and sorry to waste your time.