Built setup

[bigmen 2007]

Hello all!!

I would like to purchase some parts for my pc. These will be, motherboard, ram, cpu, gpu and custom cpu cooler.

The psu I have is 900Watt.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. Extreme gaming

2. What YOUR budget is. 1200Euros

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. Greece/ or from a paneuropean shop, like amazon.

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. Nope

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.HDD, PSU, optical drives

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.Default speeds, but I don't know in the future

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?1920x1080

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
As soon as possible

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?No

Thanks for your advice in advance!!

 

[DSF]

Do you know what site(s) you'll be ordering parts from? That's usually very helpful in giving advice.

 

[bigmen 2007]

Do you know what site(s) you'll be ordering parts from? That's usually very helpful in giving advice.

The only one site that is panEuropean is Amazon.co.uk. I don't want to shop from greek shops since they are way too expensive.

If you know another shop that ships to greece I am open to suggestions

 

[lehtv]

I'd recommend ordering from mindfactory.de. Great selection, great prices, 30€ shipping for the whole deal to EU countries.

Can you answer these questions so we can help you better? NOTICE - PC builders, when asking for input on YOUR projects Please Tell us...

Also, what exactly is the make/model of your psu?

 

[bigmen 2007]

I've updated the op..

 

[lehtv]

What exactly is the make/model of your psu? Is the current HDD large enough for you or do you need more disk space? What kind of games do you play?

 

[bigmen 2007]

What exactly is the make/model of your psu? Is the current HDD large enough for you or do you need more disk space? What kind of games do you play?

I have this psu http://www.pcplanetsystems.com/abc/product_details.php?item_id=3528

Yes, the hdd is enough, I have 2 hdds, one 120GB @ 10000rpm and one 700GB @7500rpm.

I usually play games like far cry 3, crysis 3, tomb raider, battlefield 3, assassins creed 3.

I' am also intrested in a good on board sound system.

 

[lehtv]

That's quite an old unit and too powerful for modern dual GPU systems (750W is enough). It's also not very efficient. I would sell the unit and get a new one, the budget can take it.

from mindfactory.de:

CPU 3570K 195€
Cooler Scythe Mugen 3 34€ (can buy later when you decide to OC)
Mobo Asrock Z77 Extreme4 113€ (realtek ALC898 sound, which is their highest end)
RAM G.Skill 2133 2x4GB 61€
GPU PowerColor 7970 326€
SSD Samsung 840 250GB 135€ (much faster than your 10000rpm drive)
HDD Reuse
DVD Samsung DVD-RW 16€ (unless you have one to reuse)
PSU XFX 750W semi-modular 90€
Case Cooler Master CM690 II Adv 87€

= 1057€

Don't see any need to spend more than that for 1080p gaming.

 

[bigmen 2007]

I forgot to mention that i also have a case. So I don't need to upgrade this. It is a full tower.

As for the psu, the reason to replace it is that it is too old, or that it's too powerful for my needs?

Should I take 3570 or 3770, for more futureproof results?

Thanks for your reply!!

 

[Sleepingforest]

The 3570K is plenty powerful enough to be competitive into the future, especially if you overclock. You should replace the PSU because it's not very efficient--it wastes a lot of electricity when converting the energy from the outlet into a form usable by the computer's parts.

 

[lehtv]

I forgot to mention that i also have a case. So I don't need to upgrade this. It is a full tower.

Great, that'll put the build under 1K € :thumbsup:

As for the psu, the reason to replace it is that it is too old, or that it's too powerful for my needs?

Four reasons:
- getting old
- too powerful
- not so efficient
- not from such a great manufacturer

Should I take 3570 or 3770, for more futureproof results?

3570K is all you need for gaming, the 3770K isn't worth it for gaming alone. If it cost something like 30-50€ more it might be worth it

 

[bigmen 2007]

Just seen that intel is going to release 4820k in Q3. Wouldn't be better to invest in a 3820 now and x79 motherboard, since the next gen cpus will be supported in the current motherboards.

I say for example something like this: ASRock Fatal1ty X79 Professional and 3820. What do you say?

 

[TY-1]

Just seen that intel is going to release 4820k in Q3. Wouldn't be better to invest in a 3820 now and x79 motherboard, since the next gen cpus will be supported in the current motherboards.

I say for example something like this: ASRock Fatal1ty X79 Professional and 3820. What do you say?

You don't need an Intel i7 Extreme CPU or X79 chipset motherboard to do what you want, which is high level gaming. You can get high level game settings on pretty much every title out there right now using an i5-3570K and a good GPU (Radeon 7950, Radeon 7970, GTX670, GTX680). If you are going to wait then wait for Haswell to launch in June and pick up an i5-4670K and a good GPU alongside it. Buying an i7-3820 and an ASROCK Fatal1ty X79 Professional just to do gaming is a mistake, one that will be compounded further by then buying i7-4820K later on. Save your money and put it into other areas, like your GPU.

 

[Revolution 11]

TY-1 is right. Aim for a third of your budget to be in your GPU if your main use is gaming.

And don't waste money on branded motherboards like the Fatal1ty series. I am not saying they are bad but they are usually not worth the money.

 

[mfenn]

Buying an i7-3820 and an ASROCK Fatal1ty X79 Professional just to do gaming is a mistake, one that will be compounded further by then buying i7-4820K later on. Save your money and put it into other areas, like your GPU.

Agree 100%. You would be actively making your build worse by spending money on a Socket 2011 CPU and an X79 board. Why? Because that's money that you should be spending on the GPU (or GPUs plural) instead.

 

[bigmen 2007]

thanks for all your answers guys!!

I have a last question. You suggesting me asrock extreme 4. Is it such a good motherboard? I thought about maximus v formula, or msi's mpower. Are they good for gaming, or they are waste of money?

 

[TY-1]

thanks for all your answers guys!!

I have a last question. You suggesting me asrock extreme 4. Is it such a good motherboard? I thought about maximus v formula, or msi's mpower. Are they good for gaming, or they are waste of money?

All three are good boards with good points and bad points.

The ASROCK Extreme 4 is a good board for its price point but there have been a few issues lately with quality in some of ASROCK's boards (the board warping or even cracking under the pressure from a heavy CPU Heatsink or heavy Graphics Card). There have also been a few reports from people of the SATA connectors shorting out, but I've only heard of this happening maybe 2 or 3 times (out of the hundreds of boards sold). IT is a pretty decent board when it comes to overclocking.

The ASUS Maximus V Formula is a high end board and that is reflected in the price. I would say that it is overpriced, but it is quite the reliable board with a strong level of extra features (good onboard sound, WiFi and Bluetooth included, MSATA slot). The thing is that a near $300 pricetag is probably more than what you, and many others, want to spend when building the type of system you are interested in. It is an excellent board for overclocking, especially if you are running a custom watercooling rig. Also, of note is that this is technically an EATX board, not an ATX motherboard. Make sure it will fit your case if you select it.

The MSI Z77 MPower is a fairly good board that sits between the other two. It has more features thatn the ASROCK Extreme 4 but has a much better price point than the ASUS Maximus V Formula. It has integrated WiFi and Bluetooth. I've heard some complaints about the quality of the board, but nothing that really stands out as a consistent issue.

Really, it all comes down to what features you want on a board, what level of quality you are looking for, and how much you are willing to pay for those first two. Personally, I would probably go with the MSI MPower of the three, but the ASROCK Extreme 4 would be the better choice if you don't need WiFi or Bluetooth and don't want to spend the extra money on features you won't use.

 

[bigmen 2007]

All three are good boards with good points and bad points.

The ASROCK Extreme 4 is a good board for its price point but there have been a few issues lately with quality in some of ASROCK's boards (the board warping or even cracking under the pressure from a heavy CPU Heatsink or heavy Graphics Card). There have also been a few reports from people of the SATA connectors shorting out, but I've only heard of this happening maybe 2 or 3 times (out of the hundreds of boards sold). IT is a pretty decent board when it comes to overclocking.

The ASUS Maximus V Formula is a high end board and that is reflected in the price. I would say that it is overpriced, but it is quite the reliable board with a strong level of extra features (good onboard sound, WiFi and Bluetooth included, MSATA slot). The thing is that a near $300 pricetag is probably more than what you, and many others, want to spend when building the type of system you are interested in. It is an excellent board for overclocking, especially if you are running a custom watercooling rig. Also, of note is that this is technically an EATX board, not an ATX motherboard. Make sure it will fit your case if you select it.

The MSI Z77 MPower is a fairly good board that sits between the other two. It has more features thatn the ASROCK Extreme 4 but has a much better price point than the ASUS Maximus V Formula. It has integrated WiFi and Bluetooth. I've heard some complaints about the quality of the board, but nothing that really stands out as a consistent issue.

Really, it all comes down to what features you want on a board, what level of quality you are looking for, and how much you are willing to pay for those first two. Personally, I would probably go with the MSI MPower of the three, but the ASROCK Extreme 4 would be the better choice if you don't need WiFi or Bluetooth and don't want to spend the extra money on features you won't use.

Thanks for the answer!! it is like 3 mini reviews. I need wifi and bluetooth since we have 2 pcs in my house and the other one doesn't have a wifi card. I was also looking in gigabyte's z77x-up5 thunderbolt, and I was wondering which of the maximus or gigabyte is the best.

For my built I look for good performance and features that might come handy in the future, since I upgrade rarely.

 

[Sleepingforest]

I'd say that Thunderbolt has yet to have a proven use case for consumers that is not fulfilled by another port, and it is still really expensive. Additionally, Bluetooth and WiFi are worth at most 35€ (it's 15-25€ for a USB WiFi dongle and another 5-10€ for a Bluetooth one).

Additionally, since you are at 1080p, you don't need the extra PCIe card space and SLI/CFX certification, and it's more cost effective to just get the next generation of graphics card and sell the old one than to run two in SLI/CFX. Even a very cheap board like the Asrock Pro3 or Pro 4 is adequate--if you're worried about the board's physical thickness, any 100€ board is reasonable. There is no reason to get a 200€ or even 150€ board in your case. The money is much better spent on a better graphics card or a bigger SSD.

 

[mfenn]

All three are good boards with good points and bad points.

The ASROCK Extreme 4 is a good board for its price point but there have been a few issues lately with quality in some of ASROCK's boards (the board warping or even cracking under the pressure from a heavy CPU Heatsink or heavy Graphics Card). There have also been a few reports from people of the SATA connectors shorting out, but I've only heard of this happening maybe 2 or 3 times (out of the hundreds of boards sold). IT is a pretty decent board when it comes to overclocking.

The ASUS Maximus V Formula is a high end board and that is reflected in the price. I would say that it is overpriced, but it is quite the reliable board with a strong level of extra features (good onboard sound, WiFi and Bluetooth included, MSATA slot). The thing is that a near $300 pricetag is probably more than what you, and many others, want to spend when building the type of system you are interested in. It is an excellent board for overclocking, especially if you are running a custom watercooling rig. Also, of note is that this is technically an EATX board, not an ATX motherboard. Make sure it will fit your case if you select it.

The MSI Z77 MPower is a fairly good board that sits between the other two. It has more features thatn the ASROCK Extreme 4 but has a much better price point than the ASUS Maximus V Formula. It has integrated WiFi and Bluetooth. I've heard some complaints about the quality of the board, but nothing that really stands out as a consistent issue.

Really, it all comes down to what features you want on a board, what level of quality you are looking for, and how much you are willing to pay for those first two. Personally, I would probably go with the MSI MPower of the three, but the ASROCK Extreme 4 would be the better choice if you don't need WiFi or Bluetooth and don't want to spend the extra money on features you won't use.

The problem with the latter two boards is that they are too expensive and take money away from what matters, the GPU(s). The OP specified "Extreme gaming" as his only use case and thus this box should spend as much money as humanly possible on GPUs.

 

[TY-1]

The problem with the latter two boards is that they are too expensive and take money away from what matters, the GPU(s). The OP specified "Extreme gaming" as his only use case and thus this box should spend as much money as humanly possible on GPUs.

I don't disagree. I'm assuming that he is only using a single monitor, so he's only going to need a single GPU. Spending the money on the latter two boards if you aren't going to Crossfire or SLI is kind of a waste. However, if he is looking to overclock his CPU and potentially his GPU I would suggest those two of the three instead of the Asrock as they seem to be the better overclock supporters. Personally, I would be looking outside these three boards at some of the Gigabyte boards and other Asus boards, but he asked about those three specifically so those are the ones I advised on.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Even a very cheap board like the Asrock Pro3 or Pro 4 is adequate--if you're worried about the board's physical thickness, any 100€ board is reasonable.

Agreed. I had some minor issues with the Pro4 (related to Linux and the AsMedia sata connections) but if you're gaming at 1080, you don't need a multi-gpu solution, and the Pro3/4 are perfectly adequate.

On the topic of thunderbolt, thunderbolt seems pretty gimmicky for desktop PCs right now. As I understand it, you can't even drive thunderbolt displays from your GPU, only from on-board graphics. Moreover, the price of thunderbolt peripherals is still QUITE high, so in addition to the up-charge for the thunderbolt port on your MoBo, you're also adding hidden costs just for the privilege of USING said port.

 

[bigmen 2007]

I was thinking of something like to keep the psu I've got and invest my money on two 7950's. Is it good, or am I going to do something stupid?

The rest of the system will be Asrock extreme 4, 3570K, 8GB RAM. Will the 750Watt Psu that lehtv suggested to hold these two cards?

 

[lehtv]

I definitely recommend against dual 7950's just for 1080p gaming. I have a 7950 myself and can play all games smoothly - a second 7950 would be simply 300 euros wasted for me. However it doesn't hurt to have the possibility to go CF one card is starting to lag in games, considering your budget.

 

[mfenn]

I was thinking of something like to keep the psu I've got and invest my money on two 7950's. Is it good, or am I going to do something stupid?

The rest of the system will be Asrock extreme 4, 3570K, 8GB RAM. Will the 750Watt Psu that lehtv suggested to hold these two cards?

Can you get those Yamakasi 2560x1440 monitors from Korea in Greece? They're about $400 in the US. That'd give you a nice monitor upgrade and justify the 7950 3GB CFX setup.