1.3 Budget 1366 Set Up

[warv1]

Approximate Purchase Date: Soon.

Budget Range: 1 - 1.3

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (Rift), Netflix, Itunes,

Parts Not Required:Keyboard, Monitor, Mouse, Speakers (just need the rig)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg

Country of Origin: (USA

Parts Preferences: Intell

Overclocking: Yes (but dont know how)

SLI or Crossfire: Down the road sure

Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1200

Additional Comments: After some debate with my friends they said I shouldn't wait around for Sandybridge and that I was just as good off with a 1366 set up. I played around a little and this is what I came up with.

Couple questions...

1) Am I missing something important?
2) Is this able to Overclock?
3) What are your opinions on the Sandy Bridge over hype?
4) Is this the best 1366 set up for my budget?

------------------------------------------------------------------------


SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R

XCLIO Windtunnel Fully Black Finish 1.0 mm SECC Chassis ATX Full

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB

Antec CP-850 850W Continuous Power + GeForce GTX 570

Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz + GASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel Motherboard

Thermal Paste

COOLER MASTER Hyper N 520 RR-920-N520-GP 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Intel Core i7 compatible

 

[MadAdmiral]

You SHOULD wait for Sandy Bridge. Period. Anyone who says otherwise really shouldn't be giving advice. The i7-2600K ($330) easily matches the i7-980X ($1,000) at stock, and blows it away once you overclock. Heck, even the i5-2500K ($225) nearly matches the i7-980X at stock. It certainly beats the "cheap" LGA1366 i7s. Combine that with the fact that the P67 motherboards are roughly $100 cheaper than comparable X58 boards, and the P67 uses dual channel RAM (about $20-50 of savings there), you'll get a hell of a lot more power and save a lot of money.

Sandy Bridge wasn't overhyped at all. If anything it was under hyped. It gives at least 20% more performance over the parts it's replacing, and in most cases even more. Not only that, but the chips overclock like crazy. Supposedly 5.0 GHz is possible with the best air cooling.

As for what you're missing, you're missing the RAM and a good case. Also, the Antec CP-850 is a special size that will only work with the Antec 1200, P183 and P193.

Here's what I'd build, after waiting for Sandy Bridge:

CPU: i5-2500K $230 (you don't need hyperthreading)
Mobo: ASRock P67 Extreme4 $150 (or whatever replaces it)
RAM: Corsair XMS3 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 9 $40 after rebate
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB $65 (might be less on Amazon)
GPU: GTX 580 $445 with promo code (ends 3/3)
Case: Coolermaster 690 $70 after rebate
PSU/OS: Corsair 850W and Windows 7 64-bit Home OEM $205 after rebate
Optical: Cheapest SATA DVD burner $17 (free shipping with promo code)
HSF: Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B $40 w/ $3 shipping

Total: $1,265

 

[eloric]

1) something important: You might want to do a little more reasearch before you pull the trigger. I suggest reading this article posted in Tom's this morning. Or you can read another one from earlier this week: . Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: February 2011. These authors are recommending waiting instead of going with the lower end LGA 1366 option.

All right, so you can't wait? I understand.

2) i7-950 definitely overclocks. My I7-920 is running at 3.5 Ghz, cool and stable for almost a year now.

3) See answer to point 1.

4a) Do not get a 92 mm Heat sink. i7-950 130 W monster needs a big chiller to pull off all that heat, especially if you are going to overclock. If you want to go inexpensive, try this 120 mm model: XIGMATEK Intel Core i7 compatible Dark Knight for $25 AR

If you eant to get a maximum performance, look seriously at this bad boy: Noctua NH-D14 for $93

4b) Do you need hard drive, Operating System and RAM?


Edit: Darn, beat to the punch by MadAdmiral (again). at least we agree you should wait.

 

[pacioli]

I agree about waiting for Sandy Bridge. My 2500k is OCed to 4.75Ghz and is stable 24/7 and maxes out at 42 degrees Celsius after hours of gaming. Also AsRock is already selling their P67 Mobos with the updated B3 chipset!
www.asrock.com

 

[Why_Me]

Approximate Purchase Date: Soon.

Budget Range: 1 - 1.3

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (Rift), Netflix, Itunes,

Parts Not Required:Keyboard, Monitor, Mouse, Speakers (just need the rig)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg

Country of Origin: (USA

Parts Preferences: Intell

Overclocking: Yes (but dont know how)

SLI or Crossfire: Down the road sure

Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1200

Additional Comments: After some debate with my friends they said I shouldn't wait around for Sandybridge and that I was just as good off with a 1366 set up. I played around a little and this is what I came up with.

Please don't take offense, but your friends sound clue less. Show them the links I posted at the bottom of this post if they ever try to give you advice again. btw those boards are being shipped, and should be on the shelves as early as late March - early April.

If you don't need an o/s (Windows) just subtract it from this build.

This build is set up to add another one of those factory o/c gtx 560's in SLI if you so choose. This includes Windows 7, after market h/s, etc...

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-RC-922M-KKN1-GP-Tower-Black/dp/B0026FCI2U/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1298617650&sr=1-5 $103.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master RC-922M-KKN1-GP HAF 922M ATX Mid Tower Case (Black)

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Truepower-TP-750-BLUE-Management/dp/B001RTPMM4/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1298395469&sr=1-1 $89.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Antec Truepower 23754 TP-750 BLUE LED 750-Watt PSU NVIDIA SLI Certified 80 Plus Bronze Advanced Hybrid Cable Management Power Supply

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=P67%20Extreme4 $152.99 @ newegg
ASRock P67 Extreme4

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.593413 Combo Price: $251.98
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...

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.amazon.com/Lite--LightScribe-Layer-Drive-IHAS424-98/dp/B002SIMPXM/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1298659856&sr=1-1 $24.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive IHAS424-98 - Retail (Black)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125363 $244.99
GIGABYTE GV-N560OC-1GI GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.591429 Combo Price: $159.98 FREE SHIPPING
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

Total: $1,128.89 *not including shipping, rebates, etc...

*Start with the first link and work your way down.

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

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-core-i7-2600k-core-i5-2500k,2833.html

http://www.guru3d.com/article/core-i5-2500k-and-core-i7-2600k-review/

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

http://www.asrock.com/news/events/201102ex/warranty.html <----- Look for the B3 Stepping Chipset Logo/Sticker on the new boards

http://www.madshrimps.be/articles/article/1000116#axzz1EqpvWFEN <---Review on that Asrock motherboard after the latest bios

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1098/pg2/asrock-extreme4-p67-and-fatal1ty-professional-p67-vs-x58-with-core-i7-950-review-asrock-p67-extreme4.html <---Review on that Asrock motherboard after the latest bios

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4080/welcome-to-sandy-bridge-with-the-asrock-p67-extreme4 <--- Review before the latest bios...and it still stomped the Asus and Gigabyte boards

 

[MadAdmiral]

Has anyone found somewhere where they're actually selling the new ASRock boards? I know they're not on Newegg yet...

 

[warv1]

Best answer selected by warv1.

 

[warv1]

Thank you to everyone!! I thought what they were saying was a bit fishy... I have no problems waiting but then my buds got me thinking I could be just as well off with a current system. I will scold them for sure.

Again thank you for the help and ideas

 

[Why_Me]

Has anyone found somewhere where they're actually selling the new ASRock boards? I know they're not on Newegg yet...

Not in North America yet...but they are taking orders for them (revised P67 boards) on a lot of the Canadian sites, and some warehouses already have them.

I shouldn't be posting this next thing...but wth...

There's a regular poster I know on the guru3d forums who has a buddy that works for UPS up in Canada. He swiped one of those P67 boards and mailed it to him...for a profit I'm sure. So much for having faith in the honesty of UPS workers. It just goes to show the lengths some people go for one of these revised P67 boards.

 

[christop]

Yeah SB is this best bet it overclocks way past the 950 and it much cooler in temps.