What would you do?

[clock245]

So i started a thread a while back and got some great advice. My plan was to go with a I7-950, but i took some of the advice i got and changed to go with a sandy bridge (2600k). However, i received some RAM as a gift the other day -- 3 x CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 -- or 24 GB of RAM. Looking at all the MOBOs available i guess i'm maxed at 16GB. So my questions is what would you do? Would you get a LGA1366 or would you still go with sandy bridge and just have an extra 8GB of RAM sitting around(cannot return)?

What full ATX motherboard would you get by the way?

1. Not that it really matters, but i plan on using an SSD as my OS drive and running windows 7 ult
2. System Usage from Most to Least Important: (Lots of number crunching but mainly with Office products, Gaming/surfing the internet, watching movies)
3. Country of Origin: U.S.
4. Overclocking: At some point i might
5. SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
6. Monitor Resolution: (1920x1200)

Thanks for the advice!

 

[mdd1963]

install 4 sticks (16GB), but, even this is overkill IMO.....

I'd still stick with SB cpu/P67 mb....

YOu can always sell off two mem modules, if price is right, I wil buy them.

(use money towards GTX570)

 

[eloric]

Agree with mdd1963 - 8GB is plenty sufficient, and SandyBridge P67 is the way to go. Not sure your budget or preferences, but here are some of choices for motherboard:

GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD7 for $340, one very beautiful looking board and chock full of features. Definitely the best available at the moment.

ASUS P8P67 PRO for $198, a solid choice, and plenty of room to grow.

Either of these boards will support crossfire or SLI. If you want to scale back a bit on your budget, try an MSI P67A-C43 for $138. With this selection, you are limited to a single video card, but if you put in a whopping GTX570, you may be outstripping your monitors anyway.

 

[clock245]

What CPU fan would you recommend for the 2500/2600K?

 

[eloric]

This is perfectly adequate: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus for $37, but you can find it cheaper elsewhere. There are more expensive choices for heavy overclocking, if you are interested.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

With the heavy number crunching the primary task and gaming as only backdrop, I'd stay with the 1366 based build and use all that RAM.

Case - $240 - Antec DF-85 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.591259
PSU - incl - Antec CP-850 incl in above
Case Fans - Later - Antec 120 mm Fan http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209006
MoBo - $480 - Asus Sabertooth http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.580680
CPU - incl - Intel i7-950 w/ above
Cooler - $40 - Scythe SCMG 2100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142
TIM - $5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080
RAM - You have 24 GB
GFX - $370 - EVGA GTX 570 SC http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130595
GFX - Later - Same
HD - $55 - Samsung F3 1TB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
SSD - $230 - OCZ Vertex 2 3.5" 120GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227590
DVD Writer - $22 - Asus 24X DRW-24B3L w/ LS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135221
OS - $140 - Win 7-64 Pro http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758

System set up for two GFX cards just pop in a 2nd 570 when ya feel the need ...say XMas present to self in 11 months.

$1,582

 

[eloric]

Looks like JackNaylorPE is right after all - SandyBridge is now officially off the shelves until April.

Stick with Win7 home premium to save $40, unless you have special Networking requirements or Windows XP support for some legacy apps. There are other freeware choices for encryption and back up. If you really need the ultimate version, note that Jack's link takes you to Win-Pro.

You should also consider your need for SLI - this configuration has a bigger PSU than you need for a single card. If you are going to upgrade your monitors, then consider it.

 

[clock245]

awww man!! i was close to pulling the trigger too....im not sure whether to be happy i waited or annoyed i cant get it....so now new question....if it were u would you wait til april?

 

[eloric]

I would go back to my current machine and see if it could be upgraded with anything that would 1) carry me over to April and 2) carry forward to the new build. For example, the SSD will likely spice up any old machine, and also be usable in the new build.

I have taken old, tired machines and added a heat sink - either the Cooler Master 212 plus or the Scythe SCMG that JackNaylor recommended - then overclocked the heck out of them. Makes a real difference.

If your old machine can carry you forward, maybe you can even wait until AMD's Bull Dozer is realeased, and see if that platform can pull off a miracle and leapfrog Intel (hey, it has happened before).

If I could not wait, then the core I7-950 it is. This is no slouch of a chip, either. I have an I7-920 for my personal machine and am very happy with it.