First System - $2000 - Gaming/Gen Purpose

[ihavefaith2]

I've been reading all the advice that's been given on the forums. I am trying to build a versatile machine that upgrades well and is able to play most games on high settings. If I do not get all the parts I want in India (Or they are too expensive over here), I will probably have a friend of mine bring them over from the US (The ones that are easy to carry anyway)

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: June 1st week

BUDGET : Budget cap of $2000 (It's on the higher side to account for the fact that I may have to buy parts locally at a premium)

SYSTEM USAGE: Gaming | HD Movies | Music | Photoshop | General Purpose

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, speakers, monitor, OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.theitwares.com, www.lynx-india.com, www.newegg.com

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: India

OVERCLOCKING: Not so much

MOBO: ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
OR Asus P6X58D Premium

CPU: Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX 470,480 or ATI 5870 (Not sure which)

SSD: Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2R5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

Casing and PSU: Cooler Master HAF 922
CORSAIR 750W ATX12V / EPS12V

Heat Sink, TIM, HSF: ???

Any suggestions?

 

[MadAdmiral]

I would switch the board to the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R. It'll save a bit of money and not really make a difference.

I would also steer clear of Corsair RAM. They're generally more expensive than comparable sticks out there. I'd check out G.Skill and Mushkin. Make sure to get at least 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 sticks. Mushkin currently has the fastest sticks (their Enahnced Redline 3x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 6), but G.Skill's Pi 3x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 are better for the budget.

For the GPU, I would definitely get the 5870, possibly the 5970 if possible. The 5970 is more in line with the budget and other parts, but for a single monitor, it's kind of overkill. I would avoid nVidia simply because they're not as good from a price to performance aspect and from a expandability aspect.

For the heatsink (or HSF), I'd look at the Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus. It's cheap and very good.

If I had to drop something out to afford the 5970, it'd be the SSD. They're really expensive right now and don't really help with gaming. They're also easy to throw in later.

 

[fardado07]

Hi there, as I was recommended, I would recommend you the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Intel X58 LGA1366 Motherboard.

http://www.frys.com/product/6168589?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Now I`ll let the experts make a better evaluation here .

 

[ihavefaith2]

Well my choice of build is guided by the fact that I won't be upgrading stuff for a while.

So based on some more information, here's my modified build

MOBO: ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Or if not available
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

RAM: G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100280OCSR Radeon HD 5970
Alternate
SAPPHIRE 100281SR Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0

SSD: Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH080G2R5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

CASING: Coolermaster HAF 922

PSU: CORSAIR 750W ATX12V / EPS12V

HSF: Coolermaster Hyper 212

Few Questions:

How exactly is the GIGABYTE any better or worse than the ASUS one.
How long does the thermally insulated material last?
Do I really need an HSF. Will the stock one not be good enough?

Thank you for the feedback

 

[MadAdmiral]

1.) There aren't that many differences. There are minor differences in the number and types of slots and such, but nothing major. It is cheaper though.

2.) I'm not sure what exactly you mean, but if you're asking how long the thermal paste will last, it's vitrually forever as long as you don't remove the heatsink.

3.) If you're not overclocking, stock should be fine. However, Intel's stock cooler is known to be loud. I would try out the stock cooler at first and make that decision later.