Crossfire build advice

[erickghint42]

Approximate Purchase Date: next week

Budget Range: $1640 ($2000 to begin, but ordering a liquid cooling system from FrozenCPU)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, video, light audio / video editing, surfing

Parts Not Required: KB and mouse, monitor, HDD (storage), speakers, sound card

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg

Country of Origin: US

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Yes / Crossfire

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Parts already selected:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=15153325


I've pretty much nailed everything down with this one, but I'm wondering if that PSU is going to be enough to run the two 6950s, an overclocked system, and a liquid cooling system. I have roughly $65 extra to play with, so if a larger PSU is needed, I'll have to keep it within the $215 range. Thanks for the help, guys.

 

[aznshinobi]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227550&cm_re=vertex_2-_-20-227-550-_-Product

Save some cash and get that, you'll save 20$ for basically the same performance.
That PSU is more than enough, you could save some, if you wanted, and go with an XFX 850w. 110$ AR. Also XFX is a better known name under the Seasonic brand.

If you want more evidence to sway you, please read the review done recently on Newegg. Almost not enough power on the rails to power CF 6970. Expect problems then with the 6950 CF.

You don't need water cooling that's for sure. What exactly is your loop going to look like? I mean 2 full cover blocks are practically 100$. So if you plan on WCing your cards, expect some cash of at least 500$. I also think that better spent money would be on CPU's not WCing. Specially since you don't need it anymore.

Look at my site for advice, referring to the 2500K.

 

[erickghint42]

The loop I'm going with is just for the CPU for the moment. Eventually it's going to be expanded to the two vid cards, but for now it's just a basic CPU loop. I figure with the ambient temps on the 6950s (planning on flashing to 6970) the liquid cooling would help when the CPU is overclocked. Plus the aforementioned expansion. I read that review and it's unsettling. The one thing I always forget to research is the PSU. In the past, I've put together single card builds, so it's been easier.

 

[Why_Me]

If you can hold off for another month for the 1155 P67 mother board you can have a gaming build that will mop the floor with that build of yours.

Down below is some benchmarks worth looking at.

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/desktop-cpu-charts-2010/Gaming-Left-4-Dead,2432.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/296542-28-sandy-bridge-review

http://www.guru3d.com/news/core-i5-2500k--core-i7-2600k-processor-review/

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i5-2600k-i5-2500k-and-core-i3-2100-tested

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2011/01/03/intel-sandy-bridge-review/1

Now here's a build to give you an idea of what you would be looking at cost wise. This build includes dual o/c gtx 570's in SLI, SSD, Windows 7, etc...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.590981 Combo Price: $194.97 FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151100 $124.99 FREE SHIPPING
Seasonic SS-850HT 850W ATX12V v2.31,EPS12V v2.92 80Plus Silver Certified, Active PFC Power Supply - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157217 $152.99
ASRock P67 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.584425 Combo Price: $238.98
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125365 $359.99
GIGABYTE GV-N570OC-13I GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125365 $359.99
GIGABYTE GV-N570OC-13I GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 $18.99
ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148357 $122.99 FREE SHIPPING
Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817997013 FREE SHIPPING
Rosewill RX-C200P 2.5" SSD / HDD Plastic Mounting Kit for 3.5" Drive Bay

Total: $1,550.89 *not including shipping, rebates, etc...

 

[aznshinobi]

So your still planning to go with the AMD build? I can't persuade you but if you got a 2500K build it'd run cool and OC to 5.1ghz on air. Plus WCing isn't needed anymore as 32nm moves on. The stock intel cooler can get the 2500K up to 4.6ghz.

If you still plan to move ahead with the AMD build (which I wouldn't suggest as WCing those kinds of old builds are just stupid when current ones don't need it and money could be spent else where. Here is a loop that is cheap and most 1st timers or most WCers use for cheaper but still good performance.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=26994

The cost you put asside of 500$ would be me getting 2x 6850 EK full cover water blocks + 1x LGA 1155/1156 Heatkiller 3.0 + MPC655 (something like that) Pump + tubing + 120.2 Swiftech rad + 120.3 Swiftech rad + microres + all required parts.

 

[erickghint42]

I never said anything about still going with an AMD build. You had asked what the loop was going to look like, and I answered that.

 

[aznshinobi]

Ohhh, sorry bout that, just making sure.

Don't go WCing, you don't need it as of 32nm. Really cool and oc's really well.

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/intel_corei7_2600k_and_corei5_2500k/5.htm

 

[erickghint42]

Ohhh, sorry bout that, just making sure.

Don't go WCing, you don't need it as of 32nm. Really cool and oc's really well.

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/intel_corei7_2600k_and_corei5_2500k/5.htm

I'm a little on the tired side, so I'm getting lazy. Is there any ETA on the SB procs and mobos?

 

[aznshinobi]

next week - next month. around then. Chips should be next week.