Building a Gaming Pc

lampybc2

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Mar 22, 2011
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Hello,I am looking at building a new pc for the new games coming out this year but I am having a little trouble just wondering if all this will go together or if there is any improvements I can make I would like this to be a gaming BEAST


ASUS Crosshair IV Extreme Motherboard

Seagate Barracude XT 2TB

Enermax Revolution85+ 1200W

G.Skill F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL DDR3 4x4GB

2 x Gigabyte Radeon HD6970 2GB Overclocked

AMD Phenom II x6 1100T Black Edition

OCZ RevoDrive PCI-Express SSD 50GB

Zalman ZM-RC1000 Ultra Quiet Ram Cooler

Coolmaster HAF X Case

Sony BD5300SOB Blu-Ray 12x Writer Internal Drive

Zalman Modular 3-Bay HDD Rack

Scythe Kaze Master Ace 5.25" Fan Controller



So that's what I was thinking about any ideas on improvements would be greatly appreciated (not sure it will fit in this case)
 

welshmousepk

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+1.

Sandy bridge wipes the floor with the 1100t in just about every benchmark. an I7 2600k would almost certainly be a better choice.
Since cost is obviously not an issue, i see no reason not to.

The 4 GPU setup seems entirely overkill also. A single GTX580 would suffice, and leave you open for adding another when prices drop. Unless you insist on wasting all your cash now.
 

muz_j

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Yep, I'd forget the AMD and go for an Intel Sandybridge.
Have you seen how the two compare in gaming benchmarks?
The 1100T is consistently beaten by all of the old Core i7 CPUs.
The 2600K beats all of the existing i7 CPUs, excluding the 980x and 990x.
The 2600K costs about 25% more than an 1100T (in my part of the world).

...to me the maths is quite straight-forward...
 
The GA-P67A-UD7 (B3) and i7-2600K both are fine, I prefer the ASUS P8P67 DELUXE 2-WAY or Maximus IV Extreme 3-WAY. However, 3-WAY is so-so on any P67 - depends on the resolutions.

RAM; I prefer the 2X4GB 1600 CAS 9 or CAS 8 Ripjaws X - http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/memory/2011/01/11/the-best-memory-for-sandy-bridge/1
$99 - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
$129 - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM

GPU; nVidia scales better and on Intel it's the clear winner. The GTX 570 is in the same $ range. Also the GTX 560 Ti OC {limited to 2-WAY} is an excellent performer - http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/NVIDIA_GTX_560_Ti/12.html
EVGA GTX 570 or GTX 580
Side-by-side -> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%2050001402%20600030348&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=48|14-130-587^14-130-587-TS%2C14-130-595^14-130-595-TS

SSD (+$90) no brainer; 100GB+ is the minimum size for both OS + Apps - otherwise you're wasting your money.
$289 OCZ RevoDrive OCZSSDPX-1RVD0120 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227578

edit: Building Chart:
Build_Chart_Q1-2011-1.jpg
 

lampybc2

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Mar 22, 2011
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How about

ASUS Rampage III Extreme Motherboard

Intel Core i7 970

ASUS GeForce GTX 580 1536MB DirectCU II

G.Skill Ripjaws XL F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL (2x4GB) DDR3

Enermax Revolution85+ 1250W

CoolerMaster HAF X Case
 
You can OC an i7 930/950 within 1~3 FPS compared to either the 6-core 970/980. Majority of games cannot fully utilize more than 2 cores much less Hyper-Threading. The CPU is not a bottleneck for either X58 or P67, but the P67's PCIe starts getting in the way for multiple monitors or 3/4-WAY. http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2010/07/19/intel-core-i7-970-review/6

Little story, I Hobby Build {fun/fee} I can wake-up Saturday AM and by lunch have a 100% Koolance H2O rig running. I like my $1K brunch, but I own a nice company too. So I told everyone wanting an 'extreme machine' to WAIT for the SB 6/8-core 'X68' LGA 2011 -- the expected release is late Q3 or early Q4. My bet is November because of the P67 fiasco/delay; time for more P67 sales.

I also hear the "P67 smokes the X58" crap all of the time...blah...blah...the CPU true/PCIe false and for single HD resolutions, and if you're DAF and cannot OC your i7 X58. The P67 architecture is more less-the P55 with a fast CPU. Both the P67/P55 are 'consumer' level and not 'extreme.'

The new 6/8-core SB CPU + 'X68' LGA 2011 MOBO with twice the PCIe bandwidth will BOTH smoke the i7-2600K and crap on the P67.

So the $100 question -- CAN YOU WAIT?
 

lampybc2

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Mar 22, 2011
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ok so atm i have


2.40 gigahertz Intel Core2 Quad Q6600

Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. EP43-DS3L

NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX/9800 GTX+


It NEEDS another Power Supply so maybe get "my" power supply for the new computer put it in this one get a GTX 580 and wait till the end of the year to create a new build??? better idea maybe

 
You'll be bottlenecking the GTX 580 big-time, and just the other day the GTX 590 was just up for sale. So that's your call on waiting 100% or adding a GPU + PSU now.

Getting a PSU - plan ahead 2/3-WAY SLI with an adequate PSU. There's no such a thing a too large PSU; you can have a 3000W on a 200W requirement rig - the PSU produces only what's drawn.

2-WAY -> HX1000W
3-WAY -> AX1200 or larger

Example, short-term bottlenecking {more with the GTX 580}:
CPUandGPU_Bottlenecking.jpg
 

lampybc2

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the psu i was planning on is 1250W

I realize i will be bottlenecking the GPU but i figure whilst i have the money get half the computer now add it to this one then get the rest at the end of the year

so i will get ssd psu gpu then i just need mobo and cpu later
 
Antsy are we?!

Q - What monitor or Monitors?
Q - What Games do you play, are any PhysX or nVidia 3D Vision?

GTX 590 vs HD 6990 review -> http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-590-review/14 I'm a Crysis guy :??:

I assume part of the 'problem' is 3GB vs 4GB memory. I also know the GTX 590 is more less the same performance of a GTX 570 SLI. I saw this article as well -> http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/nvidia_gtx590/7.htm

Interesting video HD 6990 CF vs GTX 580 SLI 3-WAY -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6xcQFJNHNY&feature=player_embedded
 

lampybc2

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i have been looking up the 6990 it does not have very flattering reviews, overheating loud etc:

ASUS GeForce GTX 580 1536MB DirectCU II x 2 $1249
Gigabyte Radeon HD6990 4GB x 1 $ 900
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 590 3GB x 1 $950
Sapphire Radeon HD6950 2GB x 3 $ 990
EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB x3 $1230
Gigabyte Radeon HD6970 2GB Overclocked x2 $780


looking at these and comparing there performance and price

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/nvidia_gtx590/7.htm

3 way

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crossfire-sli-3-way-scaling,2865-5.html

i would have to say for best performance for price the 2 x 6970 would have to come out on top
 
I'm an avid nVidia guy, and my Gaming rigs are all on water so 'noise' is not an issue. I just noted the Crysis test.

Again, to 'help' I need the following, I really need the Monitor(s) more than anything. If you look carefully at the Building Chart you know why.
Q - What monitor or Monitors?
Q - What Games do you play, are any PhysX or nVidia 3D Vision?

Example, if I had a single HD monitor then I'd go P67, in my case I run 3X HD Monitors and I know all about saturation and performance. Further, since I like 3D they're all 120 Hz.

Nothing you linked is anything but stellar. If I had to pick 'today' GTX 580 2-WAY SLI, wait a week or two for the GTX 590 to drive the prices down and knowing 'me' Koolance -> http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=2005 otherwise if buying a GTX 590, Koolance, and go the P67 route; the single x16 is not a problem.