New Gaming Rig hows everything look?

[leglez]

Here is my public newegg list: https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=17851426

Mobo: ASUS P8Z68-V Pro $209.99
CPU: Intel i5-2500k $224.99
RAM: G. Skill 8GB(2x4GB) DDR3 $59.99
GPU: Saphire Radeon 6950 $262.99
Case: Cooler Master Haf X $199.99
PSU: Corsair AX750 $169.99
Boot Drive: OCZ Agility 3 120GB $239.99
Storage Drive: Already have 2x1TB Drives
DVD Drive: Asus DVD Drive $20.99
OS: Windows 7 64 Bit $99.99

Total: $1468.91

I plan on having it built by September. I plan on going crossfire with it if I need more graphics performance. I also plan on adding more RAM later on down the road. I am not really sure if the 850w PSU is necessary or not. I wasn't sure if I would need that much power for crossfire or not.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. It will be used mostly for gaming. It will be hooked up to another display to use for media (music, netflix, hulu, youtube).

2. What YOUR budget is. Don't really have a true budget set. The cheaper the better. I will be buying parts as I go. Plan on purchasing stuff that the technology will not be changing first (Case, PSU, DVD Drive etc.)

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc. No preference

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. I have 2 x 1TB HDDs I will be using.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads. Yes

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. Overclocking some.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with. 1920 x 1080

9. WHEN do you plan to build it? Over the next 2 months.

 

[biostud]

looks like I have to log in to see it

 

[leglez]

Hmm weird. Give me a second and I will post it.

 

[leglez]

Original Post has been updated

 

[biostud]

everything seems to fit the bill

 

[leglez]

Is it overkill to go with the 850w PSU? I just don't want to buy a 650w or 750w and then if I do crossfire and not have enough power.

 

[biostud]

If you're not planning to add a 2nd video card 600W is plenty, but for cf I would go for at least 750W, so why not 850W.

 

[leglez]

Ok well I do plan on adding a 2nd one on down the road. So is the 850w overkill or would 750w suffice?

 

[biostud]

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1488/18/

6950 CF load ~500W

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3744/his_radeon_hd_6950_2gb_video_card_in_crossfire/index17.html

6950CF ~450W

So I would guess that a 750W should be enough or even 650W

 

[wuliheron]

Ok well I do plan on adding a 2nd one on down the road. So is the 850w overkill or would 750w suffice?

If you don't plan on adding everything but the kitchen sink to your computer 750w is plenty. I'd also suggest you buy all the parts at the same time in case any are defective and need to be returned. They usually have a 30 day return policy.

 

[mfenn]

I'd also suggest you buy all the parts at the same time in case any are defective and need to be returned. They usually have a 30 day return policy.

:thumbsup:

OP, a few major things stick out about your build.
- Mobo: $210 is way too much to be spending on a 1155 motherboard. The i5 2500K + GA-Z68A-D3H combo gives you more than enough mobo for your requirements.
- RAM: This seems like a really odd place to try to save money. You should go with 8GB of RAM like this G.Skill DDR3 1333 kit IMHO.
- GPU: The card you listed is a 6950 1GB, not a 6970 and a rather expensive one at that. With all the money that we're going to be saving you by cutting the fat from your build, you can easily get two of these 6950 2GB cards.
- Case: Ridiculous overkill. The HAF 922 is perfectly fine IMHO.
- PSU: Ridiculous overkill. 6970 CFX barely draws 420W from the wall (380W real), so you do not under any circumstances need a $200 PSU. This XFX 650W can deliver 636W on the 12V rail alone.
- SSD : Not worth it over the Agility 3 IMHO.

 

[Skott]

If you are running dual cards splurge for the 850w. You'll probably need it down the road.

 

[mfenn]

If you are running dual cards splurge for the 850w. You'll probably need it down the road.

No, he won't. We're not moving from 250W max cards (outside of $700 low-production run cards) until we move away from the PCI Express standard.

 

[leglez]

Updated the first post with some changes that I have made based on feedback.

 

[mfenn]

Updated the first post with some changes that I have made based on feedback.

What exactly did you change? It looks pretty much the same to me (ie. overpriced mobo, case, and PSU, too stingy on the RAM).

 

[leglez]

Changed the RAM, SSD, GPU, PSU. I had already purchased the case.

 

[mfenn]

Changed the RAM, SSD, GPU, PSU. I had already purchased the case.

Hmm, the RAM was 4GB when I looked yesterday, maybe your final edit hadn't made it.

Anyway, from what I see now, my recommendations are:
- Mobo: $210 is way too much to be spending on a 1155 motherboard. The i5 2500K + GA-Z68A-D3H combo gives you more than enough mobo for your requirements.
- PSU: Still ridiculously overkill. This XFX 650W can deliver 636W on the 12V rail alone.

 

[leglez]

As far as the motherboard goes, I would much rather spend more now to future proof a little longer. I like some of the features the asus has over the gigabyte and am fine spending an extra $100 right now to save having to upgrade a motherboard in a year or possibly two.

I prefer a modular power supply, can you suggest any modular ones?

 

[Chaoticlusts]

I'm actually looking at a quite similar build with similar priorities and prices (little differences cause I'm in Australia but minor) I'm looking at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157250
for the motherboard, little cheaper almost identical feature set but if the asus one really draws you there's not much in the price (over here the difference is more like $40 than $20)

but I'm looking to build in the next few days. given you've said your not building till September and you don't have a brand preference this all might be a bit premature, we've got Bulldozer coming out before then (well in theory but since your waiting anyway you'll get the opportunity to find out ) assuming it doesn't get delayed again it gives you extra options..whether you choose it or different sandy bridge components due to price changes an entirely new architecture launching between planning your build and buying it adds a hell of a lot of uncertainty

you can save money on the PSU if like mfenn said your willing to step down a little..the big difference between the one he listed and what you listed isn't the fact that it's a little less power..one is a top end gold certified PSU the other is a good budget bronze PSU so less efficiency non modular cheaper components...I highly recommend http://www.jonnyguru.com/ if you want to find a cheaper but still good modular PSU...as is I've picked the same one as you ^_^

But yeah if your buying now I like your build (I'm going for a Vertex III Maxiops but I'm trying some odd stuff with it too so that changes the requirements the Agility is a good choice for what your doing ^_^) if your planning on doing a little overclocking adding a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ster%20212 will make life *way* easier and is a nice cheap cooler (there others in that price range in the USA I'm not sure..over here it seems to be uncontested until you double the price)

If you really are looking to build in September...wait on the Bulldozer launch which hopefully should happen within a month (in terms of reviews official pricing and stuff not a hard launch but if the reviews appear in July then the product will be out by the time you want to buy )

 

[Morg.]

No, he won't. We're not moving from 250W max cards (outside of $700 low-production run cards) until we move away from the PCI Express standard.

This is wrong.
A) I built a PC for a client here, unlocked and OC'd 6950 burns 277 Watts
B) GTX580 Can easily burn more than 400 Watts after a little tuning
C) HD6990 (6970CFX on a stick more or less) can easily use up to 450Watts

Beyond that, For your PSU I would consider the following factors :

a) A Well Oc'd i5-2500k often comes close to 200 W
b) An unlocked, clocked HD6950 CFX is around 450 W
c) The rest of your system will still be around 50 W at least
d) PSU's are better when not at 99% capacity

In conclusion, I believe it is safe to take a margin and pick at least 750W, in order to account for some extreme spikes in load as well as the fans in your system etc.

On a sidenote, 200 bucks for that case is not worth it considering your build, which would fit very nicely in an Antec 100 that costs 55 bucks (add a side fan and you've got all the air you need). Or get an Element V- not that great a case but it has plenty of ventilation and it's around 100 bucks.

 

[Morg.]

As far as the motherboard goes, I would much rather spend more now to future proof a little longer. I like some of the features the asus has over the gigabyte and am fine spending an extra $100 right now to save having to upgrade a motherboard in a year or possibly two.

I prefer a modular power supply, can you suggest any modular ones?

There is no future proofing, you want to save your money ? sell your pc within 6 months and get a new one, that is all you can do.

The gigabyte is the better choice, the 100 bucks will never be worth it to you, believe me.

For a modular PSU, I've got a Corsair 750Watts that's real nice . HX something I believe.

Otherwise, good PSU's mostly come from there / seasonic / enermax and a few others.

 

[Chaoticlusts]

There is no future proofing, you want to save your money ? sell your pc within 6 months and get a new one, that is all you can do.

The gigabyte is the better choice, the 100 bucks will never be worth it to you, believe me.

For a modular PSU, I've got a Corsair 750Watts that's real nice . HX something I believe.

Otherwise, good PSU's mostly come from there / seasonic / enermax and a few others.

actually yeah with that big a price difference I'm inclined to agree..I'm going with the extreme 4 but I can only get $40 difference between them over here at best (and that'd mean splitting my order between more shops) so can justify that for the extra features I'll use... For $100 the features aren't *that* good

 

[Morg.]

I think I missed the biggest part of your story :

Please delete your thread and all your planning, September is supposed to be Bulldozer release month and it will change the market landscape enough to make you buy something else than this configuration.

Honestly, doing any planning now for a config that will be bought after the next wave of cpu/gpu's is not worth it.

Besides, all flash stuff is due for a huge price decline in the coming two / three years, some of which will happen between now and september, so this'll influence your build even more.

On a sidenote, if your rig is for gaming, you might want to consider dropping the Intel altogether in order to get a 6950CF right off the bat with a less (but enough to drive those gfx's) powerful CPU and much cheaper mobo.

 

[mfenn]

This is wrong.
A) I built a PC for a client here, unlocked and OC'd 6950 burns 277 Watts
B) GTX580 Can easily burn more than 400 Watts after a little tuning
C) HD6990 (6970CFX on a stick more or less) can easily use up to 450Watts

Beyond that, For your PSU I would consider the following factors :

a) A Well Oc'd i5-2500k often comes close to 200 W
b) An unlocked, clocked HD6950 CFX is around 450 W
c) The rest of your system will still be around 50 W at least
d) PSU's are better when not at 99% capacity

In conclusion, I believe it is safe to take a margin and pick at least 750W, in order to account for some extreme spikes in load as well as the fans in your system etc.

Sure, you can find a corner case (the limited production run cards that you and I mentioned). The data that I linked to is completely valid for stock and mildly overclocked. I understand that you live in extreme OC-land, but remember that most of us don't live there with you.

On a sidenote, 200 bucks for that case is not worth it considering your build, which would fit very nicely in an Antec 100 that costs 55 bucks (add a side fan and you've got all the air you need). Or get an Element V- not that great a case but it has plenty of ventilation and it's around 100 bucks.

Agree

 

[Morg.]

extreme OC-land

Errr This is basic OC, no voltmod (be it bios, pencil or hard), no extra cooling ... anyone NOT doing that is just too lazy to check out their catalyst software.

The 6950 -> 6970 morph is NOT extreme and it's 277W per card.

Also there was a mistake in my numbers, its 550W (not 450W) and thus 850W total PSU and not 750.