Al Capwn069

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Purchase Date: As soon as a P67 motherboard I'm interested in becomes available.

Budget Range: $1900-$2000 (before rebates)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing the web, movies.

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, speakers, monitor.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: tigerdirect.com or newegg.com

Country of Origin: United States

Parts Preferences: I would like to use a sandy bridge processor, dual graphics cards, mid tower case prefered. (full if needed)

Overclocking: Maybe (probobly just need to learn how to do it :p)

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I would like a quiet pc. I would like a case with a sleek look/good air flow. I want my pc to be upgradeable and overclock capable. Would like dual optical drives.


Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $109.98 (Any other case recommendations appreciated. Maybe something that stands out a little more.) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&Tpk=cooler%20master%20haf%20922

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - $109.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

Processor: Intel Core i7-2600 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600 - $299.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115071&cm_re=intel_i7-_-19-115-071-_-Product

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL - $99.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

Video Card: GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N560SO-1GI-950 GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $259.99 (x2 = $519.98) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125369&cm_re=gigabyte_gtx_560-_-14-125-369-_-Product

Optical Drive: LG Black 10X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Disc Combo Model UH10LS20 LightScribe Support - OEM - $67.99 (would like a second disc drive) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136183&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

Hard Drive/Windows 7 Combo: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM - $159.98 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.591429&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

Motherboard: Looking to get one of the new ASUS P67 B3 mobos when available. Could use help on the exact model I should be getting. I'll put $250 aside as a rough estimate for what I'll need.

Sound Card: Will be running a Logitech z5500 5.1 sound system with this computer. Could use help with what I should be looking for in this department.

Total Price: $1417.90 plus whatever the sound card/second optical drive will be, which is about $500 or so under my budget. Had a thread on this build about a month and a half ago right before the processors got recalled and I had a lower budget at the time. This is my first computer project so what should I be looking to upgrade with that extra $500? Thanks for the help!
 
Solution
This build includes dual factory o/c gtx 560's in SLI, after market cpu h/s, 8GB of low voltage RAM, semi modular psu, Windows 7, etc..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196 $89.99 FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371025 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply...
Hello Al Capwn069;

You want the K model CPU for overclocking;

Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) CPU & CPU cooler combo $369
Thermaltake Frio CPU cooler

MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Motherboard & RAM combo $265
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)DDR3 1333 CL7 RAM

Corsair Force 60GB SSD $130
SAMSUNG Spinpoint 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s HDD & Win7 combo $160
Win7 Home Premium 64bit

Asus 24x SATA DVD Burner $19
LiteOn 4x Blu-Ray ROM 32X DVD-ROM $50 (had higher customer review ratings)

MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB Video Card $250
MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB Video Card $250

XFX XXX Black Edition XPS-850W-BES 850W 80+ SILVER Modular Power Supply $150 $20 rebate
NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower Case [strike]$140[/strike] $119 15% off w/ promo code EMCKGKG27, ends 3/9

~$1762 before rebates, taxes and shipping.

11-146-067-Z03
 
I tossed around the idea of a sound card and had one in the list serveral time.
In the end I took it out and will recommend you give the motherboard a chance to see if it live's up to it's claim of THX TruStudio PRO quality. It's easy to add sound card later if you're not satisfied.

ss081.jpg


The NZXT case is a suggestion based on your desire for a 'sleek looking' case and it's owner reviews indicated it's a quite case with good cooling.
It does have a cover over the optical drives. Thats part of the reason it can operate a bit quieter I'm guessing.
Your part's don't need a full tower if you'd like something smaller. But the better 'mid' size gaming cases are pretty bit themselves.

 
This build includes dual factory o/c gtx 560's in SLI, after market cpu h/s, 8GB of low voltage RAM, semi modular psu, Windows 7, etc..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196 $89.99 FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371025 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-P67-EX4&title=ASRock-P67-Extreme4-LGA1155-Intel-P67-DDR3-Quad-SLI-Quad-CrossFireX-SATA3-USB3-0-A-GbE-ATX-Motherboard $153.99
ASRock P67 Extreme4 LGA1155/ Intel P67/ DDR3/ Quad SLI & Quad CrossFireX/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard - P67 EXTREME4

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.618217 Combo Price: $250.98
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=N82E16827136181 $90.99
LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - OEM

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/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.604221 Combo Discount: -$15.00 Combo Price: $334.98
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video ...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JLNZXU/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER $249.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
MSI GeForce GTX 560 1 GB DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x 16 Graphics Card N560GTX Ti Twin Frozr IIOC

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.591429 Combo Price: $159.98 FREE SHIPPING
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache 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: $1,449.98 *not including shipping, rebates, etc..

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 update

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 update

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

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=P67%20Extreme4 <----- ASRock P67 Extreme4 Motherboard
 
Solution

I guess maybe an SSD. That's the only thing I can think of off the top of my head...You can probably catch a good deal on one on newegg. Maybe something around a 50+gb for your o/s. Or a new headset maybe... Logitech has some good ones for just over $100.
 

Al Capwn069

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Hmmm...have a headset and I don't think I need an ssd. Was thinking more along the lines of higher end graphics cards, more RAM, or a 2nd gen i7 processor as opposed to the i5. Or is there a reason you recommend that one?
 

The 560's when o/c run on par with a 570, yet they run cooler and use less juice seeing how they are on NVIDIA's newest and latest chip set and die...so no real need to up the vid...two of those cards in SLI rock. You have 8 gigs of RAM in that build...more than you will ever use or need most likely..and the 2500K runs dead even with the 2600K in games.

Maybe a bigger case like the Antec DF 85, CM 922 HAF...something along those lines. Or even a a full modular psu like the XFX 750, or Seasonic 750...both good psu's.
 
Case - At $2k, I'd want a full tower .... DF-85 or HAF-X 942. For a more sedate look with additional sound deadening, peek at the Antec P183, P193 ...even the 1200 all of which take CPX form factor PSU's for extra quietness....CP-850 is $120, gets a 10.0 performance rating and is super quiet.

PSU - TX is an 2nd tier PSU. Corsair's HX750 would be the 1st tier model at $127. XFX Black Edition is a 1st tier PSU, certainly as good if not betetr than the HX750 and is only $100. This change is a the proverbial "no brainer" if ya can't do CPX,

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=184

RAM - Since ya have $500 of budget room, I'd up the RAM to CAS 7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226178

CPU - Add the k for the OC'able version

MoBo - Asus P8P67 Pro has been a popular newegg combo .... $490 for the Board and CPU. Take a look at the Sabertooth also

http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-sabertooth-p67-tuf-review/

Speakers - I have 4 sets of X5500's here, all running on on board (MoBo) sound.....can simulate 7.2 on Richter scale :)

Optical - No need for a 2nd optical.

SSD - still budget room, vertex 3 120GB will be about $240 when released in 10 days or so.
 
In reference to Why_Me's build:

Since you want upgradability, you should leave a graphics slot free. Sure the GTX 560's in SLI own a GTX 580--but who needs more than a single GTX 580 right now?

I'd say skip the Blu-Ray burner (since BD-R discs are $10 a piece anyhow), upgrade to a Corsair TX-950W PSU ($149), get the GTX 580, and get the i7-2600K. This build is much less practical and worse in games today. But it's going to be much better whenever you add the second GTX 580 that it is ready for.

I agree on a larger case. I have the Azza Solano 1000R, which is a bit ostentatious, but it's got room inside. I also totally agree that an i7-2600K is nearly useless overkill--but it does have the bragging rights that go along with that.

You'll probably want a Solid State Drive sometime though. This all depends on how specific your budget is.

Why_Me's build is the best $1500 build you'll get. Mine is dependent upon a second GTX 580 for upgrade down the line. And add a blu-ray down the line if you decide you want it.

What is your monitor setup? That's actually worth more than a bunch of this fancy hardware we're recommending.
 

Al Capwn069

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Ok so I've looked at a few of the things you all recommended and I think I will be going with the XFX Black Edition 750w PSU and the Cooler Master Haf-x 942 case. Which with Why_Me's build would bring me to $1579.98. Few questions...

What is the purpose of an SSD? I understand that it's a hard drive but what sets it apart from a HDD and makes it worth the cost?

@JackNaylorPE What exactly is CAS 7? lol

@delauder I am currently using a Samsung 23" PX2370 LED monitor. 1920x1080

And also...completely unimportant other than for looks but what could I buy to make my HAF-x 942 look like this one haha. (The one on the right side) If it's cheap I'd love the extra LEDs. http://www.digitalstormonline.com/gamingcomputers.asp

Edit: Sorry one more thing since I'm unable to find prices on a lot of the new B3 mobos. How much more would I be looking at for an ASUS p67 vs the Asrock that Why_Me recommended?
 
SSD: In a word; Speed. It gets rid of the mechanical moving parts of a HDD.
Raw speed: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4202/the-intel-ssd-510-review/4
Performance improvement: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4202/the-intel-ssd-510-review/10

CAS or Cas Latency or Column Address Strobe latency: http://www.crucial.com/kb/answer.aspx?qid=3657

Case Mod supplies: http://www.frozencpu.com/ http://www.xoxide.com/

Last time we saw all the MBs available the prices looked something like this:
ASRock P67 Extreme4 $153
ASRock P67 Extreme6 $195
Fatal1ty P67 Professional $236

ASUS P8P67-M $150
ASUS P8P67 PRO $190
ASUS P8P67 Deluxe $240
ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME $365

GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD4 $190
GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD5 $260
GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD7 $329
 

If you like LED's then take a look at this. This Zalman is in the top ten rated cpu h/s @ frosty tech, and it has a red LED. There's a blue version of this h/s also.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118075 $79.99 - $69.99 after mail-in rebate FREE SHIPPING
ZALMAN CNPS9900MAX-R 135mm Long life bearing CPU Cooler Red LED

And then add one more 200mm red LED Mega Flow fan on the side of that case...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103072 $21.99
COOLER MASTER Megaflow 200 R4-LUS-07AR-GP 200mm Red LED Case Fan

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=2988 <---- This shows the optional fans on that CM HAF X

 

Al Capwn069

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Thank you guys. Last few things before I post a final build for review. If I went with an SSD for my o/s is there a specific brand or ssd you'd recommend? 80gb is probobly what I'd want.

And also...750 watt power supply is definentally enough for what I'm doing correct?
 

Your o/s (Windows) is going to use 40GB of space.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227531 $107.99 FREE SHIPPING
OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD2-2AGT50G 2.5" 50GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
 

Al Capwn069

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Haha thanks. Now that just leaves the question of the PSU. It will for sure be enough? And I'm doing a bit of research on sound cards to see if I should invest in one or just wait. Once I'm done I'll get back to ya with the final build :)
 

I would definitely wait to hear the on board sound. Chances are you aren't going to get a sound card after that.

As far as a psu goes...any solid 750w will push that build with juice to spare. Antec, Seasonic, XFX, Corsair, Silverstone...those are about the most solid psu's out there.

On newegg, an Antec True 750w semi modular can be had for $99.99 and free shipping.
 

Al Capwn069

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Ok cool deal. Here is what I'm looking at...this would be with no sound card.

COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119225&cm_re=haf-x_942-_-11-119-225-_-Product $189.99

SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087&Tpk=seasonic%20750 $159.99

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&Tpk=i5%202500k $228.99

LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136181&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID= $90.99

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=N82E16827135204&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID= $18.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428 $99.99

GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N560SO-1GI-950 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/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125369&cm_re=gigabyte_560_ti-_-14-125-369-_-Product $519.98 for 2

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.591429&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID= $159.98 for combo

ZALMAN CNPS9900MAX-R 135mm Long life bearing CPU Cooler Red LED http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118075&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID= $79.99

COOLER MASTER Megaflow 200 R4-LUS-07AR-GP 200mm Red LED Case Fan http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103072 $21.99

OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTX60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227704

Asus P8P67 Pro ~ $190 when able to buy

Total: $1887.87 before rebates/no shipping

Thoughts?