Gaming PC build for $2k help

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way2game89

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For starters let me just say I have been lurking tom's for the last 2 months ago. I have come to the realization that building a computer can be terrible if not done correctly as well as rewarding if you follow instructions. I've also learned that building can be cheaper than buying if you know how to use the components you buy. SO I have decided that I want to build an enthusiasts gaming computer for right around 2000 dollars U.S.

Here is a rough take on what I plan to put into my computer:

Mobo:EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard ($285)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188039

CPU: i7 920 D0 Stepping ($305)


RAM: OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)($150)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365

Cooler: Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme-1366 RT Rev. C CPU Heatsink (Socket LGA 1366) ($75)
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8444/cpu-tri-67/Thermalright_Ultra-120_eXtreme-1366_RT_Rev_C_CPU_Heatsink_Socket_LGA_1366.html?tl=g40c14s757

Video Card: ASUS EAH5970/G/2DIS/2GD5 Radeon HD 5970 2GB 512($650)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121357

PSU:Corsair 950TX ($150)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139013

Case:Cooler Master HAF 932 ($140)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

Hard Drive:Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB ($85)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
(Later will add ssd once they are more affordable, heard 6gb ssd are faster or something?)

OS:Windows 7 Home Premium ($110)

Monitor: Samsung T240HD ($250)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001280&Tpk=samsung%20t240hd

As far as speakers and keyboard and mouse goes I'm not too worried about that as of yet. Right now I am more interested in visuals.

I plan on purchasing these components right around mid January if all goes as planned.
Mostly I will be gaming. I want to be able to run all of my games on maxed out settings for as long as I possibly can. (Hence the 5970 now)

The games I will be playing will be the upcoming fps games as well as some rpg.
I became a huge fan of crysis (although I've never actually played it but I was so astonished by the visuals)

I will also be a casual internet user. I do plan on doing some video editing and some 3-d rendering. Not as much as I plan on gaming though. I will definitely be watching movies and tv as well. Gaming is 1st though.

I will for sure be using crossfire once the 5970's become more affordable and available.

With that I plan on safely overclocking. This is really where I need the most help. I've heard the A1 mobo I have is excellent for oc but i'm really clueless as to how I gauge stability: performance ratios.


The T240HD has been recommended so many times to me that I decided to go with this one, yet I have never actually seen it in action. It has 1920x1200 res which is the main reason I am looking into buying that particular one.

So let me know what you all think of my first build. I would really appreciate any feedback as to what I can do to make this rig even more of a beast for right around the same price. Please tell me if I am heading in the right direction. I need all the help I can get. Thanks again in advance!
 
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banthracis
Here's an i5 based build. It has a Mobo with True USB 3.0 and SATA 6 and a full x16 PCIE lane (unlike the gigabyte UD4P).

Also has an Intel 80gb X-25M SSD, best one on the market.

Should have equal or better performance than the i7 build, and will definitely have a better user experience because of the SSD.

In gaming, the i5 is slightly better than the i7 in terms of FPS, but has a much higher minimum FPS, making it a better gaming CPU than the i7-920.
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3634&p=8

The ONLY weakness of the i5 platform, x8 PCIE lanes in xfire, is eliminated since with 1 5970 the ASUS has the same PCIE bandwidth as X-58.

The ONLY reason not to go with the i5 build is if for some crazy reason you want...
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p55ibexpeak

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A very well researched build.

I don't think you need to overclock the 920 to get better performance. What I'd do different is to ditch the HSF, get a cheaper X58 mobo, downgrade TB drive to F3 500GB, grab a 30GB/60GB OCZ VERTEX SSD for OS & software, dumb down the PSU to 850W which is sufficient for CF HD 5970, swap the HDTV out for a cheaper LCD, and a full tower atx case, while making sure I'm within budget.

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/ati-radeon-hd-5000/hd-5970/Pages/ati-radeon-hd-5970-system-requirements.aspx
 
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tkgclimb

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way2game89

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Only downside is it does 16x/16x/1x pci-e lanes for cfire, but that shouldn't matter unless you need to have third pci-e 16x slot.
Click to expand...

I might want to end up investing into a nice sound card once more funds are available. I've read that the placement on the last pci-e slot can be a hassle. When it comes to sound cards thought I am quite clueless as to what requirements it needs or if that will even be a problem with what I plan on doing.

Also downgrade the monitor too
Click to expand...

The reason I like the 240hd is the fact that I can use it for more than just gaming. It has a built in tv tuner which I was pretty stoked about. The fact that it had 1920x1200 res was a huge plus because from what I've heard anything less than that would not be using the 5970's to their full potential. Also the reviews on the one that you recommended weren't that spectacular.
 
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way2game89

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Thanks for your suggestions! I see you would downgrade a lot of stuff... Is that so you could implement the ssd without going over budget? Those things are uber expensive! Anyways I am planning on getting the ssd when the "new" ones come out. I heard they will be crazy killers. Any reason for switching any of these things? As for the Mobo I wouldn't mind getting something a little more futureproof so that's the one thing I'm willing to upgrade if anything. Let's say I didn't change anything about the build but later on added a blu ray burner, an 80gb ssd, and a sound card, would the psu be affected by these addons? That's more or less why I went with the extra 100w.
 
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tkgclimb

tkgclimb

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The problem with waiting for the "new" ssd's that will be super fast is that when they come out, there will be more "new" ssd's that are even faster. But they are expensive, and too wait for one that you want is more than fine.

But if you want this system too last for a while (haha) I would still reccomend getting a USB 3.0 and sata III motherboard. Even though these capabilities aren't fully taken advantage of yet, you don't want to get caught 1-2 years down the road saying I need a new mobo.

As for the power requeirments and SSD, a sound card, and a bluray drive are not going to add that much power requirement. That 850w spec is pretty much running a full system. That said another 100w wouldn't hurt either. Though you probably don't need a sound card (it depends on your speaker setup).

Here are some cheaper MOBO choices that will probably work for you (there are many more, and don't just look at newegg reviews)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157163

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130226

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188046
not quite as good Oc'ing as the A1 but still pretty good.

and if your feeling it

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128413

Unless you want to be fancy or do extreme OCing you probably don't need the thermalright here's another very good, yet very cheap one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004&cm_re=core_contact-_-35-207-004-_-Product (it's big though)

Another thought on the PSU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817611009

not quite as nice though (a little louder i think) and multiple rail 12v but this shouldn't be a problem. Or go down to the 850w/900w.

As for the sound card, remember most of them are pci or pci-e 1x, but unless you have a kick@ss speacker system your not going to need it.

An ssd would really boost the performance of this PC and you could get one just for os and frequent programs plus a data drive. A super fast CPU/mobo/mem/gpu/..... isn't any good if it takes forever to boot and load applications.
 
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way2game89

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What's the difference besides the cooler?

Asus :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131614


Gigabyte: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128413

Personally I'm leaning towards the asus if I end up getting it. Looks a little more futureproof than my evga. The gigabyte has the cooler but i will be using the thermaltake. Would they fit together?

Man this build is starting to get real expensive! LOL. The most I'm willing to spend would be $2500 all together.

Thanks for the insight. This is really helping me out immensely.

 
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blackhawk1928

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Well, the GPU you picked (5970) is the right card for crysis cause it will eat it for breakfast, you can max the resolution on your monitor and max the settings in crysis as well as tweak it for ultra high settings and get good framerates.

-If you still have money in your budget, i'd get a mobo with SATA/USB 3.0 support and a 30GB OCZ vertex SSD for $130 for the OS, and a important Apps, and then a hard drive for storage and less important apps.

-If you will crossfire your 5970 eventually then stay with the 950watt but if not, you can get a 800watt for it and you will be fine.

-Once the build is assembled, i'd overclock the CPU to about 3.3-3.4Ghz while playing crysis, thats the sweet spot for games. It should be a cake walk with a 920 D0.

-And your cooler is overkill, you can get a much cheaper one. Plus the haf932 has amazing cooling so you will be fine.

Everything else seems fine, you did you research well, have fun building it and murdering the koreans and aliens in crysis on high settings and high resolution with your nanosuit.
 
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banthracis

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The HSF you picked is really overpriced and poor performing.

Here's a build I put together for you.
However, read my next post for a i5 build that will perform as well or even better and has a SSD.

Note you can still get win 7 premium or pro for $30 at win741.com. Though deal ends tonight. This'll save you $75

CPU/Ram Combo i7-920 and OCZ gold DDR3 1600 8-8-8-24 $426.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.312916

MOBO Asus ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 $299.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614

GPU - 5970 $649.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102863&cm_re=5970-_-14-102-863-_-Product

HD's
Samsung Spinpoint F3 500gb $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

Case HAF 922 $99 - Does everything the 932 does, cept it's cheaper. Fits a 5970 fine, the thing practically the same size as a 932.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&cm_re=haf_922-_-11-119-197-_-Product

You will however, need to get a 3.5" to 2.5" bay converter to fit an SSD.

Monitor Gateway 24" 1920 x 1200 $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824113019

PSU Corsair 850 TX $139.99 $10 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

HSF CM Hyper 212 Plus $28.83
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Blows away the Thermalright for a fraction of the price.
http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2419

OS Win 7 Premium $104.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=win+7&x=0&y=0

Total $1984.75

Edit: $1954.75 after MIR
 
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banthracis

banthracis

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Here's an i5 based build. It has a Mobo with True USB 3.0 and SATA 6 and a full x16 PCIE lane (unlike the gigabyte UD4P).

Also has an Intel 80gb X-25M SSD, best one on the market.

Should have equal or better performance than the i7 build, and will definitely have a better user experience because of the SSD.

In gaming, the i5 is slightly better than the i7 in terms of FPS, but has a much higher minimum FPS, making it a better gaming CPU than the i7-920.
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3634&p=8

The ONLY weakness of the i5 platform, x8 PCIE lanes in xfire, is eliminated since with 1 5970 the ASUS has the same PCIE bandwidth as X-58.

The ONLY reason not to go with the i5 build is if for some crazy reason you want to Xfire 5970's.

Note you can still get win 7 premium or pro for $30 at win741.com. Though deal ends tonight. This'll save you $75

CPU/HSF Combo- i5 and CM Hyper 212 Plus $215.82
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.296096

MOBO Asus P7P55D-E Pro $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131621

RAM G SKill DDR3 1333 7-7-7-21 $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276&cm_re=g_skill_ripjaw-_-20-231-276-_-Product

GPU - 5970 $649.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102863&cm_re=5970-_-14-102-863-_-Product

HD's
SSD X25-M 80 gb $269.99
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/SKUSearch_v3.asp?scriteria=BA32332

Samsung Spinpoint F3 500gb $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

Case HAF 922 $99 - Does everything the 932 does, cept it's cheaper. Fits a 5970 fine, the thing practically the same size as a 932.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&cm_re=haf_922-_-11-119-197-_-Product

You will however, need to get a 3.5" to 2.5" bay converter to fit an SSD.

Monitor Gateway 24" 1920 x 1200 $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824113019

PSU Corsair 850 TX $139.99 $10 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

OS Win 7 Premium $104.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=win+7&x=0&y=0

$2004.74
$1994.74 after MIR.


So yea, the difference btwn getting an i5 vs an i7 system in your case is that one is that the i5 is $20 more expensive ($40 if you include MIR), but has a SSD. Performance wise they should be pretty much identical, with the i5 better for gaming, i7 better for heavily multi threaded apps.

So in summary, either get an i5 + SSD or i7 system for the same money, with the i5 system actually having better gaming performance and system responsiveness. That i7/X58 tax starts to stand out now doesn't it?

Edit: 3.5" to 2.5" bay converter for a SSD $7.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817997007&cm_re=3.5_to_2.5_bay_converter-_-17-997-007-_-Product

Brings System total to $2002.73 after MIR
 
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tkgclimb

tkgclimb

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^ You obviously didn't read the OP's post. He says he for sure will be crossfiring the 5970 once is system isn't the latest and greatest anymore and they become more affordable.

He also stated that he doesn't want this mobo for is x58 rig
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614
because with xfire you can't fit a pci card in there (sound card)

And furthermore he stated again that he wanted the the samsung 240hd right here

"The reason I like the 240hd is the fact that I can use it for more than just gaming. It has a built in tv tuner which I was pretty stoked about. The fact that it had 1920x1200 res was a huge plus because from what I've heard anything less than that would not be using the 5970's to their full potential. Also the reviews on the one that you recommended weren't that spectacular."

And the monitor that was already recommended by me, the one he's saying he doesn't want, is the exact same one you just recommended.


 
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way2game89

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Man! Why you gotta confuse me like that? LOL. I hadn't even looked at the i5.

The only thing is I DO want to be able to xfire in the future when more demanding games come out.

I will also be rendering video though and that was one of the smaller reasons for getting the i7 was for the ht.

And I have been seriously contemplating getting an ssd now instead of waiting.

It looks like I'll be switching out the heatsink though. Thanks for the link!

What about upgrading for the future? I'm not very learned in that department for mobo's. Thanks for all of the great insight.

I am coming up with a new and revised build. Soon to be up shortly!
 
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tkgclimb

tkgclimb

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If you want to xfire the 5970 I would stay with the x58, though I haven't seen any official numbers, i would say that and 5970 does exceed 8x pci-e bandwidth.

An SSD would really speed up your comp.

As for motherboards, try to get a sata III and usb 3.0 as well as other features (dual 16x pci-e slots in the spots you need them) that will allow you to upgrade the build and keep it future proof as possible.

You don't have to get a ssd now though, it's very easy to add one once you have more funds, unlike a motherboard or cpu (since there you bought a part that you don't need anymore)
 
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way2game89

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Just so everyone is clear, I am looking an enthusiasts kick ace gaming computer that also can kick rendering's butt. The ONLY components I am set in stone with is the CPU. IF there is anything that is better for what i am wanting to get out of it for right around the same price please share.

As for the monitor goes. That is where I need help

Specs should include:

NEEDS
1920x1200 res.
24"
5ms or faster response
NO DEAD PIXELS
contrast ratio 1000:1 at least

WANTS
tv tuner
lots of port compatibility
better viewing angles
great g2g?

Is there anything that could fit that description?

 
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banthracis

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The gateway we linked is fine for general computing purposes. A TV tuner built into the monitor isn't something that's actually all that useful. It's more something for a HTPC.


If your budget is flexible by all means get a better monitor, but if you can't spend more than $2k then you're better off with the i5 system I linked and an intel SSD.

As for xfire 5970's, lol I don't see that being necessary. Bear in mind, TV is only 24 FPS, and anything above 35 FPS is unnoticeable except to a trained eye.
IE most people will not be able to tell the difference between a video running at 35 fps and one at 60 FPS in double blind tests.

With this in mind, and the fact that the 5970 runs Crysis at Very High 8x AA at 44.6 FPS at your resolution (everything else at over 100 FPS), there is no need for a better video card for the forseable future. There has not been a single game yet announced that I forsee the 5970 being unable to max out with 35+ FPS.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5970,2474-8.html

The reason for this is that the industry is still programming around the 360/PS3 level of hardware and even Crysis 2, will be capable of being run on those consoles (we're taking about hardware that's 3 generations old now). There will not be any major title released that will be stressing the current generation of hardware until the next generation of consoles comes out (industry analysis are expecting this to be 2014 at the earliest).

While I won't guarantee that a 5970 will max every game till 2014, for the next 2 years at least I do not foresee any game being an issue, and by then there will be 2 more generations of GPU's making the 5970 look pathetic =D

So, you're better off not bothering with Xfired 5970's. Also, unless money grows on trees for you, the price/performance ratio of using more than 2 GPU'S is very poor. Anandtech showed the performance gain from going from 2 to 4 GTX 295's (closest equivalent to the 5970), ranged form 5% to 50% depending on the title.

That's spending double the money, for at best, a 50% increase in performance.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3520&p=7


Also, motherboard sound is sufficient for everything except professional audio work.


So yea, you could xfire 5970's, but in the current environment, it really is nothing more than a waste of money, and not recommended unless your last name is Gates or Trump =D
 
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banthracis

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Um not sure what you mean by video rendering. There's 3D rendering and video encoding. Either, way, if this is a major concern for you, you're better off with an i7-860 for the same price as the i7-920, yet much better performance in gaming and in rendering/encoding.

The i7-860 is the hyper threaded version of the i5.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3641&p=4

If you do that, just add $80 to the i5 build I made for you and switch the i5 for a i7-860.

Motherboard wise, especially if you get an SSD, you'll want SATA 6.0 and USB 3.0.

SSD's hit the SATA 3.0 ceiling in read speeds a long time ago, and if you read anand's new article on SSD's, they've hit the ceiling for write speeds as well.

http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3702


This means the Asus' mobo's we've been recommending. Fitting a sound card is not an issue on the ASUS's if you have 1 5970 installed. Haven't tried it with xfired 5970's, but like I told in my last post, doing that is just a waste of money.


Edit: I did read his posts tkgclimb :D but since he's here to ask for advice about a new build, I figured I'd give him the best system for his money and explain afterward any questions he may have about my choices/justify my recommendations ^^

I prefer to correct people's misconceptions rather than let them make less than ideal choices! Thanks a lot for the help you've provided in this thread though!

Edit 2: Gah, totally screwing up my CPU names. Corrected them to i7-860, w/ correct link to benchmarks of the 860
 
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way2game89

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I really do appreciate all of the different ways I could go about doing things with my build. Although I am looking for something that i would be able to upgrade in the future. For me that means going with 1366 socket. Correct me if I'm wrong but arent the new i9's going to be using these? Not that I would switch to one as the i7 would probably give me more than enough power. But just for kicks. I wouldn't mind the potential.

"banthracis" When I say video rendering I'm talking about pinnacle editing. I figure the green taskline would be considered rendering? As of right now when I insert an effect it takes approx 5 minutes for about 2 sec worth on my c2d. Not sure if hyper threading helps this. Could just be the fact that my computer is a dinosaur.

>>As for the 5970 xfire... I have never played crysis but want to. When it first came out I heard the best computer would not be able to play it on maxed settings. Are you saying that no other games in the next year will be challenging our current pc's? I guess if there isn't a NEED for it I won't get one. Once games become more demanding and the cost has gone down some I do want to invest in one though. Unless of course there will never be a game that will take advantage of crossfire 5970's ever.

 
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banthracis

banthracis

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By the time something comes out that will take advantage of xfire 5970's, a much better GPU will be out. So no, pointless to xfire those things.

Problem is that PC hardware is already 3 generations ahead of what gaming companies games are made to run on, and this is only gonna get worse over the next few years (until next generation consoles come out).

Pinnacle looks to me like a video editing program like Foundry or Vegas. So it's not actually rendering. Rendering refers to the creation of 3D meshes and turning them into a 2D image which appears 3 dimensional.

I can't tell you for certain if Pinnacle will benefit, as the effect of hyper threading is entirely dependent on how well the program is written for multi threading.





 
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way2game89

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So I read the ssd link you gave me. It sounded more like a rant agaisnt ssd's than anything. I might just have interpreted it that way. lol Btw i am implementing the ssd in my build no matter what direction I go in. It's just a matter of when. The only downfall of waiting is the fact that my os will already be on the hard drive. No biggie but still.

so the 860 is the same price as the 920 and I have to find a different mobo/ memory? I'm not to fond of this route but I will consider it.
 
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banthracis

banthracis

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Lol, it's your interpretation. Anand Li Shimpi is actually a huge advocate of SSD's. In fact, it's because of changes he demanded that OCZ's vertex has become so successful (gives you an idea of how respected he is if companies are willing to change their products because of what he wants =D ).

http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3631&p=20

The i7-860 is the P55 equivalent of the i7-920, so the MOBO and RAM i recommended for the i5 build will work for it.
 
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blackhawk1928

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Banthracis
SSD's hit the SATA 3.0 ceiling in read speeds a long time ago, and if you read anand's new article on SSD's, they've hit the ceiling for write speeds as well.

http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3702
Click to expand...

The i7-860 is the P55 equivalent of the i7-920, so the MOBO and RAM i recommended for the i5 build will work for it.
Click to expand...

^UHM, 99.99999% of SSD's both MLC and SLC can't even reach the SATA 2.0 Ceiling. I know of maybe 2-3 SSD's that can acheive a read speed of over 750GB/s and they cost around 1.5-2 Grand. Even the ultimate Intel X-25M has a tiny read speed of 270mbps max, which isn't even close to reaching the limits of SATA 2.....

And the i7 860 and i7 920 are quite different.
Look at this:
Intel's Comparison of 920vs860
^You will see they are quite different.
 
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banthracis

banthracis

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The SATA 3.0 interface is maxed out and has been by SSD's read speeds since last year when the Intel X25M g1 came out. The new Vertex 2 will also max out SATA 3.0 in write speeds.
Read http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3702&p=9

SATA 3.0 runs at 3 gigabits per seconds. That equates to about 320 Megabytes per seconds. Add in network overhead, etc and that equates to 270-280 megabytes usable bandwidth. SSD's hit that barrier a while ago.

Think you're confusing byte and bit.

As for i7-860 and i7-920, of course they're not identical. I was referring to them being price equivalents. My point is that the i7 860 is the better buy for the same price because it beats the i7-920 in every benchmark, synthetics, gaming, rendering, encoding, everything.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3641&p=2



Anand Lai Shimpi has been advocating an SSD as the greatest upgrade to a computer for a while now.
http://www.anandtech.com/storage/s [...] =3631&p=20


Recently, Tom's has also done the same.
http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 18-10.html

With 2 top hardware review sites agreeing on that fact, I'd say you can't go wrong with an SSD ^^
 
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W

way2game89

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So other than the cpu is there anything you would change about your i5 build compared to the 860 build? I'm starting to like the performance to cost ratio there with the ssd. Although the 860 is exactly the same price. It does look like I would be saving some $$$ on the mobo.

I would like to hear more about your performance comparisons between the 860 and 920. As well as the benefits i would have OVER the 920 and any disadvantages as well other than xfire. Also a final recommendation for either the 860 or 920 in regards to my circumstances. Sorry if I'm asking too many questions... I just want this to be a great first build, last for the future and be upgradeable for a while! Thanks
 
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blackhawk1928

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No Problem, thats what the forum is here for, to ask questions and learn.

When comparing the 920 and 860 as just a processor and nothing else assuming all other variables the same, the 860 emerges superior due to a higher clockrate for the average user. However since these two CPU's are designed for two different sockets aka platforms, many other pros/cons start to emerge between the two processors.
I'll repeat this link from my previous post but open it and check it out
Click HERE

As you can see, both processors have pros/cons on thier platform. For example the the 860 has a 2.8Ghz clockrate which beats the 2.66Ghz clockrate of the 920. However, the 920's platform supports 16x/16x SLI/Xfire bandwidth but the 860's supports only 8x/8x. You can see the 860 beats the 920 in turbo frequency. However the 920 has a faster system bus. The 860 consumes less energy then the 920 by about 35watts on its max. The 920 supports 24GB of ram while the 860 supports 16GB which can be a deciding factor for people requiring more. The 920 has 3-way memory while the 860 has 2-way, it can be unoticable for the average user/gamer but for other software it can quite a performance factor. While the 920 can a bit cheaper then the 860, the platform (1366) is usually much more expensive since more ram is usually required, the motherboards cost more...etc The 920 however has a higher upgradability though. So you see how both platforms can be beneficial for some people and vice versa, take the pick that best suits you and is optimized for your needs best.

I think the 920/x58/1366 route is best for you becuase since you will be crossfiring, the platform supports higher bandwidth and just becuase the 860 has a 140Mhz higher clockrate, doesn't mean anything as the i7 920 D0 can be overclocked to 4GHz+. Besides since you will be gaming on high res/high detail and using a monster card, i'd highly reccommend an overclock of the CPU to about 3.3-3.4Ghz.
 
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banthracis

banthracis

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Or to make it simple.

1. If you really want to xfire the 5970 down the line go with the i7 build I posted.

or

2. If you're fine with 1 5970 go with the i5 build i posted, but use a i7-860 processor instead.

Your choice basically boils down to that. Everything else is minor compared to that critical choice.
 
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