Noob Need Help on gaming CPU

[jdm4936]

I am new to building computers and to be frank last week I knew amlmost nothing when it came to any internal component, however I have been spending a significant amount of time researching because I want to build a gaming rig. I was originally going to make a purchase off cyberpower pc. Then i realized why would I pay someone to do something I could do myself. I was briefly a mac snob but realized how I wanted to start truly gaming again. I am currently torn between the i5 2600 and the i7 2600. In your guys oppinions what cpu is currently best for gaming and minor video editing, dvd ripping burning, etc. My main priority will be gaming. (skyrim and star wars the old republic) Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ares1214]

I think you mean the i5 2500K. I would go with that, its a fantastic value, and about $100 cheaper. Heres an overview of performance between the i5 2500K and the i7 2600K:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/287?vs=288

Only real difference are a higher clock speed on the 2600K, which means nothing once both are OC'ed, and Hyperthreading, which isnt that useful anyway, least of all for gaming. In short, 2500K is $100 cheaper for the same gaming performance, $100 you can use for a better GPU. Im looking forward to those games too, those and BFBC3

 

[jdm4936]

Haha thank you again brand new to hardware. I will be planning on overclocking it around 10-20 percent. Will overclocking it decrease its longevity and would liquid cooling be necessary.

 

[geofelt]

A modest 2500K OC, say to 4.0 is easy, and is all you need. Actually, stock is all you need, the chip is that good.
The chip will be obsolete before it wears out if you do not aggressively increase the OC voltage. Leave it on auto, and only increase the max multiplier to 40 or so.
Air cooling is fine.
An aftermarket cooler like the CM hyper212 will do the job, and is cheap.

 

[mdd1963]

If playing at 1920x1080/1200 with a single GPU, normally 80-90% of the performance equation is the video card, anyway...

Recommend at least a GTX460(1gb), and preferably a 6950(2gb) or GTX560Ti....

 

[jdm4936]

I'm defiantly going with the i5 then. What motherboard would you guys recommend I plan on using crossfire for graphics card probably start out with one 6950 then go to two. I hear you can modify the 6950s and then they can actually outperform the 6970.

 

[Raidur]

I don't know about outperform the 6970, considering they are pretty much the same chip with some power connector differences.

The only benefit, besides price, over a flashed 6950 is lower power usage than a 6970 while performing the same.

 

[kajabla]

Overclock as far as you can without excessive overvolting. 4.5 should be easy.

 

[jdm4936]

Is one fan sufficient for cooling such as this one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106150&cm_re=Thermaltake_Frio_CPU-_-35-106-150-_-Product

 

[bearclaw99]

Haha thank you again brand new to hardware. I will be planning on overclocking it around 10-20 percent. Will overclocking it decrease its longevity and would liquid cooling be necessary.

Liquid cooling is not necessary. The 2500K will go to 4.5 easy on a good air cooler

Longevity will be about the same as long as you keep it within thermal & voltage limits. Excess heat is the major CPU killer which degrades the chip over time if not kept in check

 

[seller417]

Newegg reviews on the above cooler:

ride4chevy
6/10/2011 10:17:39 AM
Tech Level: 4/5
Ownership: 3/5
Rating: 2/5Spendy for what it is
Pros: This cooler has exceptional airflow with the dual 120mm fans. Looks good if you want all matching Thermaltake products. Runs very quiet when dialed to low speed. Very easy to install and user friendly hardware. I like the white fans!

Cons: There is no 3-pin Y adaptor that comes with the cooler so you’ll have to buy one separate if you what to run both fans off the CPU fan terminal. These fans are extremely loud when you turn the speed dial between medium-high. Very minimal clearance over memory slots 1 &2 on my ASUS and MSI boards, so be sure not to buy memory that has high heatsinks!

Other Thoughts: Thermaltake should jazz it up by throwing in LEDs to light up the white fans. I own both CoolerMaster V6GT and the V8 and they are better bang for your buck Coolers. If you need clearance for your gaming memory, stick to the V8 because it is designed for memory sticks with heatsinks or ram coolers.

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Markusfarkus
6/7/2011 10:47:38 AM
Tech Level: 5/5
Ownership: 4/5
Verified Owner
Rating: 5/5Another redundant review
Pros: I had an Arctic Cooler 7 on my i7 930 OC'd to 4.2 and it would get into the 70's. Idle would be upper 40's. Of course the Arctic Cooler had only three heat pipes per side. This bad boy keeps everything below 60. Always. Idle is now always below 40. Doesn't make a peep as far as I can tell but I do have a couple 5970's running, but still the fan seems silent at full speed.

Cons: No cons - if you don't know what you are getting into then don't dis it when you find out.

Other Thoughts: I needed a new case anyway.

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N/A
6/6/2011 12:01:07 PM
Tech Level: 5/5
Ownership: 2/5
Verified Owner
Rating: 4/5Frio es Mucho Grande
Pros: This CPU cooler looks like it would be quite amazing in the cooling department but it doesn't fit on most motherboards.

Cons: This thing is freaking HUGE. Did I say it was Mucho Grande?! It's so big that it won't fit on most motherboards because it overlaps the memory slots. Ridiculous that Thermaltake didn't take this into consideration when they designed this CPU cooler.

Other Thoughts: I wish I could use this thing but there's no way.

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zwimoX
6/6/2011 10:49:10 AM
Tech Level: 5/5
Ownership: 4/5
Verified Owner
Rating: 5/5Massive
Pros: Best CPU cooler that I've ever used! Block is all ready lapped to perfection, even after multiple re-installations it stays epically smooth. Supports 2 fans, push-pull is recommended - anything bigger than 120mm will not work.

Cons: Poor quality stock fans, accidentally broke one of the fins with my finger while it was running at full speed, surprisingly it didn't break the skin. The cooler is very tall, make sure your case is deep enough for it before you purchase.

Other Thoughts: For those using the new 1155 boards, you should use the 1156 brackets. I have mine equipped with 2x Ultra Kaze 120mm case fans.

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slongbong
6/5/2011 5:49:33 PM
Tech Level: 4/5
Ownership: 4/5
Verified Owner
Rating: 5/5coldest thing in my pc
Pros: keeps cpu colder then anything in my pc. It works better then i thought possible. Never seen my cpu go above 35 Celsius even overclocked in my hotter the hell room. even though doesn't cover whole cpu keeps the whole thing extremely cool for some great great overclocking.

Cons: big, but thats can also go under pros.

Other Thoughts: it didnt cover my amd phantom x6 the whole way (amd3 slot). i could peer down in my pc and see the top of the cpu which means part of bottom was showen too, i thought it was goin to keep the cores diffrent temps because of cpu partly showen, but it keeps all my cores regularly on 29 celsious and no higher then 35 or 36 and as low as 27 ( which is awsome in my room which is 36 Celsius or 98 Fahrenheit ). and the cores are all the same temp all the time.

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xpaladin
6/3/2011 4:14:20 PM
Tech Level: 5/5
Ownership: 2/5
Verified Owner
Rating: 5/5Outstanding fan, but mind the size
Pros: - Easy installation on P8P67. They've gotten really good at making these fan installs a cake walk.
- Fits in a Fractal Design R3 and NZXT Apollo, although for the Apollo I had to remove the side mounted fan. Wild.
- Quiet at low settings with relatively stable temperature.

Cons: - Its massive size makes it unfit for some form factors. And, by default install, the fan actually blocks one of the P8P67 DIMM slots. This isn't a problem, as I had planned for this, and the fan is removable, but it may catch some folks off guard.
- Loud on high settings.

Other Thoughts: Worthwhile purchase! But keep the size in mind when drafting your box.

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dwexpress
6/3/2011 3:36:40 PM
Tech Level: 4/5
Ownership: 3/5
Verified Owner
Rating: 4/5Great Cooling
Pros: Very good air flow and variable speed control for both fans, good for fine tuning.

Cons: Very large and bulky, needs a bunch of room in the case.

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Chris
6/3/2011 2:11:49 PM
Tech Level: 5/5
Ownership: 3/5
Rating: 1/5Over Rated, Over Priced
Pros: Looks cool.
Fans move a lot of air even on low setting.

Cons: The mounting system is more complicated than necessary.
One of the AMD mounting nuts was missing so I had to buy a new one from the hardware store.
The mounting screws have very thin threads that are made of cheap metal so it strips easily.
A small piece of the silverish coating chipped off from the cooling plate.
The thermal paste does not come in a syringe. It comes in a cheap plastic pouch so don't expect saving leftovers.

Other Thoughts: Bought a open box, which may explain my problems.
Idle temps (no overclocking) for an AMD 965 in a 23c room are 30c. My old 92mm single fan heatsink kept it at 27c-29c. Whether the fans are at the lowest speed or highest speed only makes about a 1c difference. I reseated the heatsink multiple times to no avail making sure improper installation wasn't the cause of poor performance.
This heatsink is really heavy compared to my old heatsink.
I'm very disappointed in the performance of this product. Being much bigger, popular, and expensive, I thought it would cool much better but the reality is that a stock cooler would perform just as well as this.
Don't buy an open box heatsink. It may be damaged and parts may be missing You'll spend just as much money as a new one replacing missing pieces.

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N/A
6/2/2011 6:43:28 AM
Tech Level: 1/5
Ownership: 3/5
Verified Owner
Rating: 5/5Good product
Pros: Easy to install, fast, no problems so far.

Cons: None

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TT
6/1/2011 9:05:22 PM
Tech Level: 5/5
Ownership: 3/5
Verified Owner
Rating: 5/5Cold in here
Pros: its quiet. the fans are smooth as silk. quality cooling system if your running hot or overclocking. this should cool you down. i would recomend this to a friend.

Cons: none really

Other Thoughts: it is very large. recomended a mid tower or larger. no problems with my corsair dominators with heat synks on a P6X58-D ASUS mother board . fit was perfect for this setup.

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