New gaming rig for 3D - need opinions.

[shepardh]

Aight,

After reviewing numeros benchamarks and consulting with a few ppl regarding hardware, here is the build I came up with the purpose of running Nvidia's 3D vision with a FHD (1920x1080) 120hz monitor.

I5-2500K (planning on ocing it to 4.5ghz)
Noctua NH-D14
Gigabyte P67A-UD4 (kinda sucks with just PCI-E X8, but 16X is too expensive)
2 X Gigabyte GTX 460 1GB OC (715mhz)
2 X 4GB Corsair DDR3 1600mhz XMS3 (CL 9 )
2 X Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB (@Raid 0 )
Seasonic X-750

Those are the parts I can get for the best value here.

sounds ok?

 

[mnewsham]

You will get okay-good performance with that, not great tho. 560's or 570's will get you better 3d performance at 1920x1080

 

[shepardh]

can't really get 2 X GTX 570...I can get 1 atm, and in the future get another 1.

 

[Davidh373]

560's or 570's

560's aren't our yet. I'd go with a single 580, or 2 570s (better).

Aight,

After reviewing numeros benchamarks and consulting with a few ppl regarding hardware, here is the build I came up with the purpose of running Nvidia's 3D vision with a FHD (1920x1080) 120hz monitor.

I5-2500K (planning on ocing it to 4.5ghz)
Noctua NH-D14
Gigabyte P67A-UD4 (kinda sucks with just PCI-E X8, but 16X is too expensive)
2 X Gigabyte GTX 460 1GB OC (715mhz)
2 X 4GB Corsair DDR3 1600mhz XMS3 (CL 9 )
2 X Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB (@Raid 0 )
Seasonic X-750

Those are the parts I can get for the best value here.

sounds ok?

Corsair is a no no because it isn't 1.5V, GSkill 1333Mhz is the way to go. It will save you $ and be more stable.

I5-2500K (planning on ocing it to 4.5ghz)

Why use the extra energy? It's the second fastest processor on the market already... and overclocking won't affect 3D performance.

2 X Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB (@Raid 0 )

lol... Seagate... poor.. poor Seagate... Samsung F3 1TB, or at least get Caviar Black drives.

The rest of the parts look good. You could save some money on the mobo if you go with a single card, and you won't have any problems with micro stutter.

 

[Davidh373]

here is a list of 1600Mhz RAM that is 1.5V if you still plan on OCing

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...e=&srchInDesc=

 

[mnewsham]

560's aren't our yet. I'd go with a single 580, or 2 570s (better).

With the pictures of the 560 showing up i am expecting within a month maybe month and a half. But yes two 570's or a 580 would be better.

Corsair is a no no because it isn't 1.5V, GSkill 1333Mhz is the way to go. It will save you $ and be more stable.

1.5V RAM is what sandy bridge likes so try and find a good 1.5V set, 1333Mhz will also offer a better value for your performance.

 

[shepardh]

I can get 2 X Samsung F3 for like 10$ more so no biggy, are they that better than 7200.12 ?

As for memory, I checked,
I can get the G.Skill Ripjaws 1600mhz found here for a good price:
http://www.gskill.com/products.php?index=239

Regarding GPU, I Can't buy 2X 570 ATM ...just 1,

Advantage : Future proof (could add 1 more down the road)
Disadvantage : It performs slowly than 2 X GTX 460.

what would you do?

 

[mnewsham]

I would go with ONE HDD right now, (spinpoint f3)
cheaper RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231396

If you live near a microcenter they are selling the i5-2500k for $179.99 (regular $220) one sunday In-store only.

TRY and get two 570's but if you cant i would get one and get a second as soon as i could.

 

[Davidh373]

I can get 2 X Samsung F3 for like 10$ more so no biggy, are they that better than 7200.12 ?

yes, they are better, but they are also $60 on amazon. so I don't know what you are paying for the Seagates, but $60 is pretty cheap. On another note, I agree with mnewsham, you won't notice a difference between HDDs in RAID 0 and a single HDD except in benchmarks. It's just a waste of $60 really. That pays for half an SSD, and with the rest of the money we saved you with the non-SLI mobo (if you get the single card) and the PSU, you'll easily have the other $60 to buy the rest of that SSD. SSD>Raid 0 any day o' the week.

Advantage : Future proof (could add 1 more down the road)

What is this "future proof" you speak of . There is no such thing.

Get a two 570s or a 580. If you aren't getting the two 570s, then you can save yourself money by not having an SLI capable mobo (usually saves ~$50-$100) and a lower wattage PSU (usually saves around $50-$100).

As hard as you wish, as much as you spend, you never can have a "future proof" computer. Don't even try, it's hopeless.

 

[shepardh]

ok, I'll get the cheapest SSD (Intel 40GB) for os, and only 1 Spin Point F3 for data.

What difference would the memory make oc wise ?

I can get either Ripjaws 1333mhz CL7 or Ripjaws 1600mhz CL9 (The 1333mhz cost 5$ less...),
what difference will it make on a sandy bridge?

 

[mnewsham]

ok, I'll get the cheapest SSD (Intel 40GB) for os, and only 1 Spin Point F3 for data.

What difference would the memory make oc wise ?

I can get either Ripjaws 1333mhz CL7 or Ripjaws 1600mhz CL9 (The 1333mhz cost 5$ less...),
what difference will it make on a sandy bridge?

Memory isnt that big of a factor really, you would be hard pressed to find a visible non synthetic difference in 1333 CL7 or 1600 CL9 hell you could go 1333 CL9 and save some money and still not be to bad off, remember sandy bridge OC is different you are really only going to be changing the multiplier.

 

[Zargon]

1.5V RAM is what sandy bridge likes so try and find a good 1.5V set, 1333Mhz will also offer a better value for your performance.

most reviews seem to be running 1.65V 1600 stuff for their OC'ing so it can't be that big of a deal can it?

 

[mnewsham]

most reviews seem to be running 1.65V 1600 stuff for their OC'ing so it can't be that big of a deal can it?

No but 1.5V is going to be more stable

 

[MisterDonut]

most reviews seem to be running 1.65V 1600 stuff for their OC'ing so it can't be that big of a deal can it?

BCLK is locked on SB. You OC by raising the multiplier which doesn't affect the memory. Props to mfenn for that fact . I'd just go for the cheapest 1.5v RAM you can find by a reputable maker.

Also, you might as well go for a SF-1200 controlled SSD (or wait on the SF-2000 Vertex 3)}. Intel's 40gb SSD is a little outdated, and you can't install many apps on it.

Go for a single card solution. It limits your build because you'll have to get rid of both for an upgrade. Besides, 1080p is not a hard resolution to run even with one GTX460.

 

[mnewsham]

You might as well go for a SF-1200 controlled SSD (or wait on the SF-2000 Vertex 3)}. Intel's 40gb SSD is a little outdated, and you can't install many apps on it.

Agreed get a 60Gb sf1200 like:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227550

Go for a single card solution. It limits your build because you'll have to get rid of both for an upgrade. Besides, 1080p is not a hard resolution to run even with one GTX460.

Agreed for a single card, however a 460 isnt going to give you good fps in many games when running 3D a single 570 or 580 would be much MUCH better.

 

[Zargon]

a)BCLK is locked on SB. You OC by raising the multiplier which doesn't affect the memory. Props to mfenn for that fact . I'd just go for the cheapest 1.5v RAM you can find by a reputable maker.

b)Also, you might as well go for a SF-1200 controlled SSD (or wait on the SF-2000 Vertex 3)}. Intel's 40gb SSD is a little outdated, and you can't install many apps on it.

c)Go for a single card solution. It limits your build because you'll have to get rid of both for an upgrade. Besides, 1080p is not a hard resolution to run even with one GTX460.

a) yeah 1.5 is nice, but I'm just saying its not necessary as most reviews are running 1.65v stuff.....and 1.5 does have a bit of premium, most of the big sales are all 1.65v stuff sadly

b)Im working on the same thoughts for my build. thinking about either a 60 or 80-90 vertex 2, or like a 40gb then get a g3 when they launch and use it for something else

c)i dont think a gtx460 can do 1080p with the overhead 3d puts on it

 

[Davidh373]

ok, I'll get the cheapest SSD (Intel 40GB) for os, and only 1 Spin Point F3 for data.

... nope... don't want to be doing that now... Sandforce... think Sandforce...

 

[mfenn]

most reviews seem to be running 1.65V 1600 stuff for their OC'ing so it can't be that big of a deal can it?

Reviewers also don't give a shit if the the memory controller burns out after 24 months. They just want to eke out the last 1-2% of performance.

 

[mfenn]

Aight,

After reviewing numeros benchamarks and consulting with a few ppl regarding hardware, here is the build I came up with the purpose of running Nvidia's 3D vision with a FHD (1920x1080) 120hz monitor.

I5-2500K (planning on ocing it to 4.5ghz)
Noctua NH-D14
Gigabyte P67A-UD4 (kinda sucks with just PCI-E X8, but 16X is too expensive)
2 X Gigabyte GTX 460 1GB OC (715mhz)
2 X 4GB Corsair DDR3 1600mhz XMS3 (CL 9 )
2 X Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB (@Raid 0 )
Seasonic X-750

Those are the parts I can get for the best value here.

sounds ok?

LOL at the bolded.

Drop that down to 4GB of DDR3 1333 (as Donut said, DRAM speed doesn't matter for Sandy Bridge overclocking), a single F3 1TB, and a Corsair 750TX. That should get you pretty close to the second GTX 570.

If that doesn't get you to 2 GTX 570's, drop the D14 as well and just overclock as high as you can on the stock cooler. Anand was able to get to 4.4GHz on the it and trust me, the second GTX 570 is much more important than that last 100MHz.

 

[Zargon]

there is P67 certified 1.65v memory all over newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...p%20Memory

but in the spirit of also being helpful...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226095
cheapest good sets of 1333 I saw

 

[mnewsham]

LOL at the bolded.

Drop that down to 4GB of DDR3 1333 (as Donut said, DRAM speed doesn't matter for Sandy Bridge overclocking), a single F3 1TB, and a Corsair 750TX. That should get you pretty close to the second GTX 570.

If that doesn't get you to 2 GTX 570's, drop the D14 as well and just overclock as high as you can on the stock cooler. Anand was able to get to 4.4GHz on the it and trust me, the second GTX 570 is much more important than that last 100MHz.

agreed %100, if you really WANT a HSF get hyper 212

 

[mfenn]

there is P67 certified 1.65v memory all over newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...p%20Memory

Read the fine print. "Tested on Intel P67 platform". Nobody here is saying that 1.65V memory will not work on Sandy Bridge. What we're saying is that feeding that much voltage to the memory controller is not a good idea in the long run.

 

[Zargon]

Read the fine print. "Tested on Intel P67 platform". Nobody here is saying that 1.65V memory will not work on Sandy Bridge. What we're saying is that feeding that much voltage to the memory controller is not a good idea in the long run.

gotcha

 

[MisterDonut]

Agreed get a 60Gb sf1200 like:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227550



Agreed for a single card, however a 460 isnt going to give you good fps in many games when running 3D a single 570 or 580 would be much MUCH better.

Yeah you won't get great fps, but I was just saying that it COULD handle it. Of course, if you have room in your budget for a 570, go for that.

 

[shepardh]

LOL at the bolded.

Drop that down to 4GB of DDR3 1333 (as Donut said, DRAM speed doesn't matter for Sandy Bridge overclocking), a single F3 1TB, and a Corsair 750TX. That should get you pretty close to the second GTX 570.

If that doesn't get you to 2 GTX 570's, drop the D14 as well and just overclock as high as you can on the stock cooler. Anand was able to get to 4.4GHz on the it and trust me, the second GTX 570 is much more important than that last 100MHz.

As I said on my first post, "here", I don't live at the U.S...

assuming I do everything you recomeneded, I save about 200$...the problem is a 570 cost around 400$ here.

I will go with the 1333mhz CL9 Ripjaws, I read good reviews about them.

As for SSD, don't have OCZ here for a reasonable price, have either Intel or A-data (with sf1200).

I'll probably get another gtx 570 down the road...hopefully before skyrim is out.