High-End Gaming System

[mfenn]

He can get the cheaper CPU today and save the 100 for Ivybridge.

:thumbsup: This.

OP, you could not build a system today that will be able to max out the games of 3-5 years from now even with an infinite budget.

A better plan is to buy a $1250 system and $500 monitor now and save the other $750 for upgrades down the line.

 

[mnewsham]

:thumbsup: This.

OP, you could not build a system today that will be able to max out the games of 3-5 years from now even with an infinite budget.

A better plan is to buy a $1250 system and $500 monitor now and save the other $750 for upgrades down the line.

my thoughts exactly :wub:

 

[yottabit]

I still think he could invest in a 2600k now and that would last him fine for games of the coming 3-5 years. It's the GPU that I don't think he should splurge on. Think about how far ahead a 2600k is for games right now, and how people with q8/q9xxx quad cores are still doing fine. However I'm sure DX12 or 11b will be out within 3 or 4 years and then the video card will be worthless if you want to get the best effects

The reason I think he should get the 2600k is because of the number of logical threads. When the next rounds of consoles launches who knows how many cores they are going to have, and that is probably what will dictate the future of gaming the most.

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

I still think he could invest in a 2600k now and that would last him fine for games of the coming 3-5 years. It's the GPU that I don't think he should splurge on. Think about how far ahead a 2600k is for games right now, and how people with q8/q9xxx quad cores are still doing fine. However I'm sure DX12 or 11b will be out within 3 or 4 years and then the video card will be worthless if you want to get the best effects

The reason I think he should get the 2600k is because of the number of logical threads. When the next rounds of consoles launches who knows how many cores they are going to have, and that is probably what will dictate the future of gaming the most.

DX versions only get released to promote new hardware and operating systems. there aint much difference between DX 9 to 11. No one is missing anything except for hardware getting punished due to crappy middelware.

 

[3xVicious]

Hey guys, I decided to switch from a Velociraptor to a Samsung Spinpoint F3 because of the faster read/write times as a Storage Hard Drive. I'm still confused about the Memory though, mnewsham mentioned that Sandy Bridge can't run anything higher than v1.5 so I've trying to choose a good v1.5. I found two at the same price but I'm confused on which would be better?

I'm assuming the DDR1600 would be faster in general, but the DDR1333 would be safer for overclocking? G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 or G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333?

Another question I have is whether or not Sandy Bridge System would work well with 2 Sets? IE. 2x4GB and 2x4GB or is it better just to have one 2x4GB? Money isn't really an issue at the moment, I just want to get the fastest system possible without going overboard on my money. But with what I've chosen so far I still have a couple hundred dollars left on my budget.

 

[mnewsham]

4x2gb is fine and ram speed won't matter that much, if one is cheaper get that one.

 

[deustroop]

I see a hardware issue in the choice of a superclocked video card. I would avoid them. There is technology to ramp the speed but nothing to preseve the circuits meant for lower speeds. The card may burn out sooner and the performance increase is not noticeable. A risk for no gain.

IMHO the same goes for oc the cpu--may take years off the use of the processor (unnoticed by those who upgrade frequently) and some software goes fubar for no other reason, as I have pointed out in another thread.

 

[3xVicious]

4x2gb is fine and ram speed won't matter that much, if one is cheaper get that one.

Did you mean 4x4GB or just a 2x4GB (Dual Channel)? To let you guys know what I'm about I have Overkill etched onto my computer case So, I prefer Overkill vs Enough or Adequate.

 

[mnewsham]

4x4gb is okay (tho wayyyyyy over kill) 2x4gb is okay (i recommend) 4x2gb is okay (not bad but not best) and then if you wanna spend everything you have you can get 4x8gb (for 32gb)

 

[BoomerD]

If I had it to do over again, I'd have gone with 2X4 instead of 4X2.

 

[mfenn]

I still think he could invest in a 2600k now and that would last him fine for games of the coming 3-5 years. It's the GPU that I don't think he should splurge on. Think about how far ahead a 2600k is for games right now, and how people with q8/q9xxx quad cores are still doing fine. However I'm sure DX12 or 11b will be out within 3 or 4 years and then the video card will be worthless if you want to get the best effects

The reason I think he should get the 2600k is because of the number of logical threads. When the next rounds of consoles launches who knows how many cores they are going to have, and that is probably what will dictate the future of gaming the most.

That would make sense if all 8 threads were backed by real cores. But they're not. Hyperthreading is great on your web or database server where you have lots of threads to juggle and are waiting for I/O most of the time. Hyperthreading is usually detrimental to computationally dense workloads (go ask any HPC center if they enable hyperthreading).

Add that to the fact that the extra $100 would be better put towards a future GPU upgrade, and the i5 is a no-brainer IMHO.

 

[mfenn]

If I had it to do over again, I'd have gone with 2X4 instead of 4X2.

Yeah, if you plan to go 8GB+ from the start, there is really no reason to buy 2GB DIMMs anymore.

 

[Brakner]

I don’t understand this fascination with spending hundreds of dollars for an SSD OS drive on a gaming PC unless he is going to install 1 or 2 games on it then rotate them off as needed. With 8+ GB of ram most games load the entire area you are playing into memory, so unless you have this overpowering urge to exit enter exit enter exit enter the level to giggity giggity at your load speeds you are better off spending that $200+ bumping to a top end video card or upping to a 2600k. ( IMHO )

 

[fffblackmage]

I don’t understand this fascination with spending hundreds of dollars for an SSD OS drive on a gaming PC unless he is going to install 1 or 2 games on it then rotate them off as needed. With 8+ GB of ram most games load the entire area you are playing into memory, so unless you have this overpowering urge to exit enter exit enter exit enter the level to giggity giggity at your load speeds you are better off spending that $200+ bumping to a top end video card or upping to a 2600k. ( IMHO )

Oblivion comes to mind. The maps kinda loads as you run around, so an SSD would help here. Most games don't really benefit from an SSD, but there are a few out there. From what I hear, WoW is one of them as well.

 

[mfenn]

I don’t understand this fascination with spending hundreds of dollars for an SSD OS drive on a gaming PC unless he is going to install 1 or 2 games on it then rotate them off as needed. With 8+ GB of ram most games load the entire area you are playing into memory, so unless you have this overpowering urge to exit enter exit enter exit enter the level to giggity giggity at your load speeds you are better off spending that $200+ bumping to a top end video card or upping to a 2600k. ( IMHO )

Most people don't have dedicated gaming machines. The OP is planning to run other programs (Adobe suite, etc.) which greatly benefit from being on an SSD.

 

[Sephire]

Its 2011 whoever is building an enthusiast build should be using SSD at least for the boot drive.

 

[wuliheron]

SSDs also help to reduce stuttering when the game makes a bad prediction as to what to load next and has to go back to the HDD. As games use increasingly high textures this becomes more of a problem in general. By this upcoming summer the new sata 6gb SSDs should be out driving the prices down on the last generation which are plenty fast for gaming purposes. There is also work being done to increase their lifespans to at least 3 times that of HDDs which should help to close price gap considerably.

 

[Brakner]

To each their own I guess. All I know is the 50+ games I have on my system HD speed is not even remotely an issue, its all about the video card, cpu and ram. If you can’t handle the extra 5 - 10 seconds for a level to load you need to get your A.D.D looked at.

Edit:

Don't get me wrong , when SSD prices get out of the stupid range I will be the first to buy one. Right now for the price it has very limited gains on a "gaming" PC over say upgrading HD6850 to a HD6970. I guess if you have money to burn then sure.

 

[Zap]

Hello everyone

Hello 3xVicious, and welcome to AnandTech Forums.

I don't really have a price range because I see this as a huge investment

Funny, because I see computers as a huge money sink. :awe:

So I really need help figuring out what my best choices are for a 3-Year Obsolete-Proof system.

There is no such thing. You can get a top system today and if you're lucky it will still be rather good by 2014 standards. If you're not lucky, whatever you get today can be a turd by 2014. The only thing you can do is to make intelligent choices (and we'll help with that) but just understand that there's always the chance of being disappointed in 3 years.

I actually mentioned that I do not Overclock, which is why I didn't want to go with a i5 2500K or i7 2600K. Since I've never overclocked in my life.

You probably never drove a car in your life until you were getting your license either.

There's always a first time. :awe: I suggest you try it.

He can get the cheaper CPU today and save the 100 for Ivybridge.

3xVicious sounds more like the type to buy once and use for several years, instead of the incremental upgrade type.

Well if the i5 is truly better for Gaming, than I'll go with that.

They are the same for gaming. That's why everyone says go with the i5. Same gaming performance, yet cheaper.

Oblivion comes to mind. The maps kinda loads as you run around, so an SSD would help here. Most games don't really benefit from an SSD, but there are a few out there. From what I hear, WoW is one of them as well.

Add FSX to the list.

To each their own I guess. All I know is the 50+ games I have on my system HD speed is not even remotely an issue, its all about the video card, cpu and ram.

No, it's all about which games you play. It is proven that some games benefit from an SSD (not just level loading either). Besides, any higher end computer may as well have an SSD.

3xVicious, here is my recommendation for you.

CPU - Core i7 2600k $330 (less at Micro Center)
Since your budget is up to $2500, may as well go all the way.

Motherboard - Asus P8P67 Pro $190 (once new version comes out)
The Pro supports SLI in case you want that in the future, plus has an Intel LAN chip (highly regarded).

RAM - any 1.5v 2x4GB DDR3 1333/1600 kit $80-110 (no need to spend more)
Low end gets you 8GB 1333 CAS 9, higher price gets you either 1600 or CAS 7. Really, you probably won't be able to tell a difference.

CPU cooler - just about anything that fits socket 1155/1156 will work $20-50
No need to spend too much, but $50 will get a Scythe Ninja 3 which can make for a really quiet system. Other popular choices are Cooler Master 212+ or basically just about any cheaper tower heatsink with 92mm or larger fan and 3 or more heatpipes. The 2600k CPU doesn't get too hot even when overclocked.

graphics card - GTX 580 of your choice $500
Flip a coin. The ones with two or three fans are probably quieter, but the single fan blower units are probably better for SLI if you might go that route in the future.

power supply - Antec Truepower New modular 750W $90
Right now on sale for cheaper than XFX and without need for rebate, and they both come out of Seasonic's factory. Should have juice for SLI, otherwise can probably go with lower wattage unit.

case - your choice $80-200
That price range covers a LOT of great cases. What features do you want? Aluminum? Side window? Quiet? Airflow? No particular case specified because pretty much anything will work, and you are the one who has to look at it for the next 3 years.

optical drive - SATA DVD writer of your choice $20
Really, these things are almost disposable.

SSD - Intel 120GB or Crucial 128GB $230-265
Intel is the reliable choice, while Crucial has the fastest reads for a still reasonable price. New stuff is coming out, but when?

HDD - Samsung F3 1TB $55-65
If you want fast and cheap, this is it. Pretty quiet, too.

sound card - $0-130
Use onboard if using SPDIF output to receiver, or just using cheap speakers. If using high end headphones consider something like the $130 Auzen X-Fi Bravura which has a dedicated 1/4" headphone jack with user upgradable OP amps. If using a 5.1 or so "multimedia speaker" kit that uses individual analog inputs, maybe a cheap X-Fi gamer card will suffice. Seriously though, onboard audio has come a LONG way and you will usually need higher end speakers/headphones to hear a difference.

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit $100
Gotta have Windows

Not including keyboard/mouse/headphones/speakers/monitor or shipping/tax, I come up with $2050 using the higher prices listed, or $1405 using the lower prices listed. Price can get even lower if you use a 2500k CPU, or even higher if you go with a larger SSD or dual graphics cards.

 

[3xVicious]

Hey everyone, I've made what looks to be the final changes to my build, I'll still take all your suggestions into consideration and would appreciate all the input. I've edited my first post with all the parts.

I decided to go with the i7 2600K instead of the i5 2500K because I found saving $100 in a system this expensive to be a stupid reason to constantly second guess myself. I rather be safe than sorry with the i7.

I may also change the Video Card and SSD if the eVGA GeForce 590 GTX will be released within the next 2 months and be in my price range. I'm also looking into the Intel 510s, the new SATA III SSD because I've been weary of OCZ and all the problems I heard about false advertising on the Vertex 2. I heard the Intel 510 120 GB will be around $280 dollars, very doable for a 450 MB/s Read Speed and 300 MB/s Write Speed!

I also really need to know of a good high end heatsink, one the preferably goes with the Motherboard and Computer Case. I'm willing to go up to $100 but somewhere around $50 would be best, I also want to make sure it isn't so big that it'll take up the space of my memory modules like I heard so many new heatsinks do.

I'm also going to be spending extra money on a nice gaming keyboard, Razer Mamba Mouse, and Razer Headset, so if I need to get extra on actual funds, I'm willing to cut my budget on the peripherals.

 

[Sephire]

I recommend Zalmans. I use them on all of my builds.

 

[mfenn]

Bottom line, you're wasting your money by building a $2.5K system with the hope that it will last 3-5 years. We've given you our best advice that you should build a $1.5K system and upgrade in 18 months. But hey, it's your money, burn it if you want to.

I fully expect to see a thread in 2016 with the title, "So I spent way too much on my last rig and couldn't afford to upgrade until now, please help me come up with a sensible plan".

 

[Nebor]

Good thinking on going with the i7 over the i5. Everyone recommended I go with the i5 since I'd never use the features of the i7, but it was worth the $100 to see 8 little processor monitors in the Windows resource monitor.

 

[fffblackmage]

Good thinking on going with the i7 over the i5. Everyone recommended I go with the i5 since I'd never use the features of the i7, but it was worth the $100 to see 8 little processor monitors in the Windows resource monitor.

D:

 

[Brakner]

Bottom line, you're wasting your money by building a $2.5K system with the hope that it will last 3-5 years. We've given you our best advice that you should build a $1.5K system and upgrade in 18 months. But hey, it's your money, burn it if you want to.

I fully expect to see a thread in 2016 with the title, "So I spent way too much on my last rig and couldn't afford to upgrade until now, please help me come up with a sensible plan".

It depends on what people think satisfactory FPS and quality in a game is. I am just upgrading my C2D 6850 / 4GB ram / Ati 4870 512 system that I paid $2500 over 3 years ago and it is still giving me very good framerates at 1680x1050. Granted I haven’t played the latest and greatest but it gives me 30 - 60 fps in games like DoW2 , Fallout Vegas and Mass Effect 2 With everything turned on. I think you are over estimating how crappy a 2600k / GTX580 / SSD system will be in 3 years ( I know I’m not, I just bought one )