New Custom Gaming PC

[SMDemers]

Hello,

I'm going to be placing an order for a new gaming computer this coming Monday, once my delicious tax return hits my account to pad what I've saved over the months leading up to this upgrade. Was wondering if some of you kind folks wouldn't mind looking over what I've built to locate any potential bottle-necks or issues:

Budget: $3,000 (Please note the components listed below are that of matter to the discussion at hand. I have other items in my basket, such as networking equipment, UPS battery backup, keyboard and mouse, etc... that increase the overall cost. The cost of the actual machine is around $2000-$2100 dollars.)
Needs: High-end gaming, video editing/encoding and streaming.

Case: Cooler Master HAF-932 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160)
SSD: Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 120GB SATA-III (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 7200RPM SATA-III (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136792)
Monitors: 2x ASUS VW246H 24" 2ms 300cd/m2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049)
GPU: EVGA GTX 580 Fermi Classified ULTRA (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130751)
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 1000W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171056)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaw Z Series 16GB DDR3-2133MHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231503)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131791)
CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070)
Burner: Lite-On Blue-ray Burner w/ LightScribe (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106348)

Let me know if you need anything clarified. I did my best to make sure the components were compatible and somewhat future-proof in the event of a potential upgrade down the road.

Thanks!

-Steve

 

[paperwastage]

monitors: for that price, I'd have gotten a better IPS monitor

for $3000, I would have gone with SB-E.. more cores for video encoding

no overclocking? Would have added a 3rdparty HSF

tax return-> april for the refund? Ivy BRidge would be out by then

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Wait for Ivy Bridge if paying with tax return

 

[mfenn]

monitors: for that price, I'd have gotten a better IPS monitor

for $3000, I would have gone with SB-E.. more cores for video encoding

no overclocking? Would have added a 3rdparty HSF

I wouldn't spend $3000 on a computer to begin with, but I agree that what the OP has is a big fat waste of money. I its like he just picked the most expensive product in every category.

OP, let me know if you are interested and I will post a less expensive build that utterly destroys that one in terms of performance.

tax return-> april for the refund? Ivy BRidge would be out by then

If you file early (Jan-mid-March), you will get the regund within 2 weeks or so.

 

[OverClockerNoob]

I would love to see the build you choose that decimates the one listed above for less cost....

 

[SMDemers]

monitors: for that price, I'd have gotten a better IPS monitor

for $3000, I would have gone with SB-E.. more cores for video encoding

no overclocking? Would have added a 3rdparty HSF

tax return-> april for the refund? Ivy BRidge would be out by then

I'm afraid I don't know what "IPS" is -- I know that brightness and response rates are important, and researched those topics to find an appropriate monitor. Which would you use as a replacement?

Also, I'm not sure what "HSF" is -- could you elaborate?

As for Sandy Bridge-E -- I didn't really want to pay double the price for a processor, as I had enough invested as it was. Would I see this unbelievable difference in performance that justifies? I'm not against waiting another week to save additional funds.

Lastly, as for my tax return, I received my W-2 almost two weeks ago, and I e-filed same-day -- bank shows my return pending as of this AM, which should be clearing within a few hours.

Wait for Ivy Bridge if paying with tax return

The setup I have supports the upgrade to Ivy Bridge, as far as I know. Granted, I'm not a know-it-all, so I could be mistaken. Feel free to confirm/deny if you can.

I wouldn't spend $3000 on a computer to begin with, but I agree that what the OP has is a big fat waste of money. I its like he just picked the most expensive product in every category.

OP, let me know if you are interested and I will post a less expensive build that utterly destroys that one in terms of performance.

I'm afraid I wasn't too clear in my original statement. My grand total is about $3000, but that's for everything else that I didn't list, such as networking equipment, mouse/keyboard, headset, UPS battery backup, etc... The actual price of the computer is likely around $2000-$2100. My budget, what I had saved and set aside, was about $3000. My apologies for the confusion.

I definitely didn't just slam the most expensive items together. I researched each piece for compatibility with different components. Went with Z68 versus P67 for expandability in the future (MB claims Ivy Bridge support as well). The GPU I didn't cut a corner on because of the "need" for proper hardware given the extreme gaming/video editing/encoding I plan to do. Most, if not all items, are definitely top-tier, but there was reasoning to the choices. I posted here though to get some opinions, so I'd definitely be interested in seeing what you'd do differently, and seeing the machine that would destroy this one in performance - thank you!

I wish GTX 590s were available ... My friend got one about two months ago and he absolutely loves it.

 

[paperwastage]

IPS = In-plane switching

TN = Twisted Nematic

IPS usually gives better color reproduction and viewing angles (good for photoshop/video editing where color is super important). However, TN usually has better response times(<5ms, IPS usually between 5ms-15ms), so maybe for gaming you might see some lag(but I dont really see any lag on my dell 2209WA)

HSF = heatsink fan for the CPU. the stock heatsink will work, but will either be loud or give high temps. the cooler master hyper 212+ has been the good performance-value for overclocking. You could go watercooling with a H60, or a (more expensive) or better air cooler

for SB-E, video encoding gives maybe 50-100% more(due to the 6 cores that 3930x has)

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.p...k=view&id=826&Itemid=63&limit=1&limitstart=10


for a computer budget of $2000, I CAN fit in an SB-E, decent GPU, nice case, overclock a little... there is barely any use to getting 2133mhz RAM (well, compared to spending the same $ to upgrade a CPU or GPU)

 

[SMDemers]

IPS = In-plane switching

TN = Twisted Nematic

IPS usually gives better color reproduction and viewing angles (good for photoshop/video editing where color is super important). However, TN usually has better response times(<5ms, IPS usually between 5ms-15ms), so maybe for gaming you might see some lag(but I dont really see any lag on my dell 2209WA)

HSF = heatsink for the CPU. the stock heatsink will work, but will either be loud or give high temps. the cooler master hyper 212+ has been the good performance-value for overclocking. You could go watercooling with a H60, or a (more expensive) or better air cooler

for SB-E, video encoding gives maybe 50-100% more(due to the 6 cores that 3930x has)

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.p...k=view&id=826&Itemid=63&limit=1&limitstart=10

You're a gentleman, paperwastage. Thanks for the reply and clarification. I'll dig a bit deeper regarding IPS & TN, alongside look and compare your Dell 2209WA versus the ones I was looking at for the better monitor.

I've thought of going with a better cooler, but I wasn't planning to do too much overclocking out of the gate. Water cooling scares me to the point where I don't care to bother with it -- nothing would crush my heart more than pouring $2000+ dollars into a machine that gets water all in it. I've had great success with Zalman and their CPU coolers -- perhaps I'll invest a small figure into those to alleviate potential heating and noise concerns.

Being that some are suggesting that I wait for Ivy Bridge -- I have a VERY old computer (5+ years) that is on it's way out. It has all it can do to stream movies and play TF2/SC2 on the lowest settings at this point. It's served me very well, but I don't know if it'll last (or if I can stand it) for 3 more months...

 

[paperwastage]

I'd still say to get a 212+ even if you're not planning on OCing.... stock heatsink + stock clocks + stress still takes it up to 60-70C... its only $20-$30

 

[SMDemers]

I'd still say to get a 212+ even if you're not planning on OCing.... stock heatsink + stock clocks + stress still takes it up to 60-70C... its only $20-$30

Sounds like a smart investment -- I'll add it to my list and cart. Thanks again!

 

[ElFenix]

I'd still say to get a 212+ even if you're not planning on OCing.... stock heatsink + stock clocks + stress still takes it up to 60-70C... its only $20-$30

it's probably more quiet as well. win win.




as for tax return, the IRS just started accepting on the 17th and it usually takes 10 days for refunds to hit, do they not? asking cuz i filed last week and i'd be really impressed to get mine by the end of this week.



edit: you really should rethink your RAM choice. SB processors just don't need high frequency RAM. spend half as much and get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231442

or, if you don't get SB-E and want the flexibility to upgrade to 32 GB get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231486

(though, the way the prices are coming down on 8GB sticks, i'd say go with the 4x4 kit now and get a 4x8 kit later).





as for Ivy, iirc the big improvements there are integrated video related. clock for clock for general applications or video encoding it probably won't be notably better than SB. no real need to hold off, imho.

 

[SMDemers]

it's probably more quiet as well. win win.

as for tax return, the IRS just started accepting on the 17th and it usually takes 10 days for refunds to hit, do they not? asking cuz i filed last week and i'd be really impressed to get mine by the end of this week.

edit: you really should rethink your RAM choice. SB processors just don't need high frequency RAM. spend half as much and get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231442

or, if you don't get SB-E and want the flexibility to upgrade to 32 GB get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231486

(though, the way the prices are coming down on 8GB sticks, i'd say go with the 4x4 kit now and get a 4x8 kit later).

as for Ivy, iirc the big improvements there are integrated video related. clock for clock for general applications or video encoding it probably won't be notably better than SB. no real need to hold off, imho.

I can't speak for the IRS and tax filings in your given area, but my state doesn't have state taxes, so it was just federal for me -- the sooner you file, the less of a line there is to "wait" in. The ten days is the same as a company saying "ten business days until shipping" but it still ships in three and you have it by the fifth -- it's a safety blanket. I'm also part of a federal credit union for my bank, that might play a role.

As for the RAM, I should probably read more into what the higher frequencies give you in terms of performance versus price and such. I went with higher, and honestly it's the topic I'm the least educated on, I just didn't want DDR3 1333 or 1600 and be bottle-necked, IF that could cause one. Do you have a resource available, or could you break it down simply, so I get the gist of it? <3

And regarding the whole SB v SBE v IB, I don't know if waiting is really worth it when it comes to how big of a difference I'll notice regarding the different setups I could build. The only thing I'll be doing when I'm actually sitting at the PC is playing/surfing/streaming movies and music -- the encoding and such will take place when I'm off doing other things and not sitting there, so I don't care how long it takes so long as it's done when I return hours later.

 

[ElFenix]

ram investigation:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3/5

the difference between the fastest and slowest is worth half of 1 fps during the second x264 pass. even with an overclocked processor the difference is less than 1 fps.

if you're off doing other things (that's how i do it as well, i'm not waiting so much as sleeping or at work), go ahead and just get the 2500k now. if IB is really that much of an upgrade you can always sell the 2500k and drop in an IB. and IB probably won't be any harder on RAM than SB is (so long as you're not using integrated graphics). if you want to be safe you can bump the RAM up to 1600 for that extra little bit if IB happens to use it.

 

[LagunaX]

Get an AMD 7970 (same price as the Fermi) - it is much of a better performer - unless you want NVIDIA for some reason (CUDA, etc.)

 

[mfenn]

I posted here though to get some opinions, so I'd definitely be interested in seeing what you'd do differently, and seeing the machine that would destroy this one in performance - thank you!

One $2100 build that crushes yours in overall performance coming right up!

i5 2500K + Patriot DDR3 1600 8GB combo $253
Scythe Mugen 3 $50 - your build has no HSF and overclocked i5 2500K > stock i7 2600K
GA-Z68X-UD3H $160
Another Patriot DDR3 1600 8GB $38
6950 2GB x2 $480 AR - 6950 2GB CF >>>>> GTX 580
Crucial M4 128GB $183
Hitachi 7K1000.D 750GB x2 $200 - more spindles = more IOPS, which is much more important than the last 500GB of capacity
XFX Pro 750W $90 AR
Thor V2 $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236079Dell U2312HM x2 $478 - IPS, 'nuff said for color critical work
Total: $2062 AR

You could even add the i7 2600K if you really, really felt that you needed to have it and still stay around $2100.

 

[LagunaX]

Preliminary Ivy Bridge 3770k testing shows ~10% performance gain over the 2600k @ the same speed.
However, they were "only" able to get it to 4.8ghz - not 5ghz - for cinebench and a coupla other benchmarks.
However, the IMC can handle speeds of ddr3 2400 and pci-e 3.0 whatever small advantage it has if any over the current pci-e.

Undoubtedly the cpu it will be more expensive too.

Bottom line just go ahead and pick up a 2500k or 2600k and a z68 motherboard that will be able to upgrade to Ivy Bridge with a bios update in the future.

I think facebook currently has some promotion with Microcenter for a 2600k for $230 plus you can get the discount on a z68 mobo too.

Then the only thing you'll be swapping out would be the cpu in the future - and you would still be able to sell the cpu.

And if you are buying now I'd go for the 7970.
If in a coupla weeks then the 7950.

Coolers?

Just don't mess around and go for the best - NH-D14, Phanteks PH-TC14PE, Corsair H-100, etc.

Then temps won't limit your overclock...

I think Facebook has a coupon for Microcenter now - basically a 2600k for $230 and you still get the Microcenter discount on a z68 mobo...

 

[mfenn]

Just don't mess around and go for the best - NH-D14, Phanteks PH-TC14PE, Corsair H-100, etc.

I thought overclocking was about saving money? Why spend a bunch of money on a fancy HSF when you could just use that money to buy a faster CPU in the first place?

 

[LagunaX]

You couldn't buy faster than a 2600k and now a 2700k for that matter in socket 1155.

Some overclocked in the past to get the same performance of a more expensive chip.
In this case you can't buy a better performing chip so you are overclocking to get the most performance you can get with temps and voltages that you are comfortable with.

And actually nowadays, there is very little about saving money in overclocking with respect to cpu's ( gpu's are a different story).

Most overclockers that post now are those going for highest postable benchmarks with expensive cooling and little care for going thru multiple cpu's to find the cherry one they want.

The more performance under a budget overclocking you remember disappeared with socket 939 and 775.

I'm no such bencher but for what I wanted and what I built was for the goal of the fastest 2600k on air (no watercooling maintenance) under 1.375v and 80 c load that was stable (linX/Prime95) for 24/7 usage - gaming, video encoding, whatever.

And toward that goal I realized that you couldn't scrimp on the psu or heatsink for maximum results.

But if you're not overclocking then I'd recommend the Hyper 212+ Evo for the quieter pwm fan operation and smoother base over the regular 212+.

Don't mean to derail this thread but that's all.

P.S. I still like budget overclocking stuff though - check out my thread about pushing some $49 Samsung 30nm ddr3 1600 2x4gb ram to ddr3 2133 9-10-10-28 1T stable!
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159320

 

[SMDemers]

One $2100 build that crushes yours in overall performance coming right up!

i5 2500K + Patriot DDR3 1600 8GB combo $253
Scythe Mugen 3 $50 - your build has no HSF and overclocked i5 2500K > stock i7 2600K
GA-Z68X-UD3H $160
Another Patriot DDR3 1600 8GB $38
6950 2GB x2 $480 AR - 6950 2GB CF >>>>> GTX 580
Crucial M4 128GB $183
Hitachi 7K1000.D 750GB x2 $200 - more spindles = more IOPS, which is much more important than the last 500GB of capacity
XFX Pro 750W $90 AR
Thor V2 $130
Dell U2312HM x2 $478 - IPS, 'nuff said for color critical work
Total: $2062 AR

You could even add the i7 2600K if you really, really felt that you needed to have it and still stay around $2100.

Thanks for this information, mfenn! I'll compare these with what I have and go from there.

Only thing I've been against is leaving NVIDIA and going to ATI. Personal preference backed by history, really. I've never had a good experience with ATI, and always a great one with NVIDIA. That aside, the comparison you posted shows in numbers that the 6950 is better than the GTX 580, but what of the GTX 580 Ultra?

Again, thank you for your input.

Thanks to you as well, ElFenix. I'll be changing the type of RAM I'm getting to cut costs after reading the article you linked.

 

[jordanecmusic]

One $2100 build that crushes yours in overall performance coming right up!

i5 2500K + Patriot DDR3 1600 8GB combo $253
Scythe Mugen 3 $50 - your build has no HSF and overclocked i5 2500K > stock i7 2600K
GA-Z68X-UD3H $160
Another Patriot DDR3 1600 8GB $38
6950 2GB x2 $480 AR - 6950 2GB CF >>>>> GTX 580
Crucial M4 128GB $183
Hitachi 7K1000.D 750GB x2 $200 - more spindles = more IOPS, which is much more important than the last 500GB of capacity
XFX Pro 750W $90 AR
Thor V2 $130
Dell U2312HM x2 $478 - IPS, 'nuff said for color critical work
Total: $2062 AR

You could even add the i7 2600K if you really, really felt that you needed to have it and still stay around $2100.

TBH no need for the i7, get an i5-2500k

also 2 geforce 560's in sli is roughly a 590 with slightly less performance

I don't have an aftermarket cooler on my rig, but I am heavily contemplating on getting one and at least one more fan for intake.

You know what? I might as well pitch in my suggestion. My rig but with a better card lol.

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition Case: $40
MSI P67A-C43 B3 Intel P67 Socket LGA1155 Motherboard: $120
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3Ghz Unlocked LGA1155 CPU: $250
Corsair Vengeance 4GB PC12800 DDR3 1600MHz (x2): $50
Seagate 1TB LP Serial ATA HD 5900/32MB/SATA-3G: $60

(I have)Diablotek DA Series 600w ATX Power Supply: $30
OR
(You Want) Diablotek PSUL775 UL Series ATX Power Supply 775w: $70


(I have) EVGA GeForce GTX 560 2GB SC GDDR5 PCIe 2.0 DVI: $250
OR
(You want) EVGA Geforce GTX 560Ti 2Win! Dual GPU: $520

Total: $800 with the GTX 560 OR $1110 with the GTX 560Ti 2Win!

I just saved you money big time

The reason why I said 560 or 560sli is because that is the sweet spot sli graphics card. Adding 560 to another 560 litterally doubles your performance unlike other cards. Usually the percentage is 30% or 50% performance increase when SLIing with other cards. With the 560SLI it is litterally a 95-100% performance increase. The GTX560Ti 2Win! is just 2 560ti's integrated into eachother technically making it a 560ti sli setup in one. For people without Sli ports, that is the card you should have, unless you want a 590 for a 10-15% performance increase over 560tiSLI.

Also note that everything I listed has a 3 year warranty and the ram has a lifetime warranty.

Note I got my rig off of tigerdirect.com. Good stuff. Plus you can get Arkham City (comes with 560) and Shogun 2 (comes with Intel Processor) for free.

Oh and 50$ rebate total with the stuff you got.

 

[fffblackmage]

(I have)Diablotek DA Series 600w ATX Power Supply: $30
OR
(You Want) Diablotek PSUL775 UL Series ATX Power Supply 775w: $70

Absolutely not. No! NO!

Never, ever, buy a Diablotek PSU. Don't even think about it. I don't care how much money you're saving. You simply don't rely on a cheap PSU that could potentially take out your entire rig when it explodes.

 

[LagunaX]

Don't scrimp on the power supply.
Get a quality power supply from the likes of seasonic, corsair, etc.

You'll need a quality one too if you overclock and plan on running 2 power hungry video cards.

Personally I prefer 1 single video card but a lot of the stuttering and driver issues don't exist anymore for SLI/X-Fire. But you are using more power and might need a higher watt power supply.

I'd say a decent 750w and you'll be fine for a while.

 

[jordanecmusic]

Absolutely not. No! NO!

Never, ever, buy a Diablotek PSU. Don't even think about it. I don't care how much money you're saving. You simply don't rely on a cheap PSU that could potentially take out your entire rig when it explodes.

no clue what your talking about. My diablotek psu is good for how much its price. But listen to these guys, I got the diablotek psu because it was with my barebones kit that I picked up. Better safe than sorry, and a psu is a + on that.

 

[jordanecmusic]

Absolutely not. No! NO!

Never, ever, buy a Diablotek PSU. Don't even think about it. I don't care how much money you're saving. You simply don't rely on a cheap PSU that could potentially take out your entire rig when it explodes.

I hate you...lol

I was recently in a really bad grease fire btw

Now I'm kind of scared of my computer exploding.

 

[mfenn]

Thanks for this information, mfenn! I'll compare these with what I have and go from there.

Only thing I've been against is leaving NVIDIA and going to ATI. Personal preference backed by history, really. I've never had a good experience with ATI, and always a great one with NVIDIA. That aside, the comparison you posted shows in numbers that the 6950 is better than the GTX 580, but what of the GTX 580 Ultra?

Again, thank you for your input.

Thanks to you as well, ElFenix. I'll be changing the type of RAM I'm getting to cut costs after reading the article you linked.

A GTX 580 Ultra is not a real NVidia SKU, it's just EVGA's term for a 3GB, overclocked card. It won't perform significantly differently than a GTX 580, certainly nowhere near 6950 2GB CFX.

AMD (no such thing as ATI, get with the times!) is just as good as Nvidia on average. AMD sometimes has bad driver released, but then again so does Nvidia (just ask all the Nvidia owners who had their cards fried by the legendary 196.75 drivers).