watermonger

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Apr 13, 2011
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Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP, current PC is dead.

Budget Range: $2000 after tax and shipping.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, headset

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com

Country of Origin: US, Tennessee

Parts Preferences: none, best bang for the buck I guess

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Current build Idea.

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0 and Black Interior
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

2x Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136795

2x SAPPHIRE 100312SR Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102914
$20.00 mail in rebate, not sure if I can do it twice.

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009
15.00 mail in rebate.

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224

ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131641

Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115211

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

Total before tax/shipping: $1,715.89
Total after everything: $1,909.13
 

asantesoul

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compared to what you have up there..for your budget..I'll show you what will outperform what you've listed

First and foremost..if your playing on a 1080p 2 6950's will only be a waste of money..instead pick up a single gtx 570. 6970..or heck, you know what, even a single 6950 will suffice, then again..depends on your resolution.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102915&cm_re=6970-_-14-102-915-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121432&cm_re=gtx_570-_-14-121-432-_-Product

Asus P8P67 Deluxe (currently out of stock, so, you can get a PRO, or a WS revolution..or check your local store)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131701&cm_re=p8p67-_-13-131-701-_-Product

i5 2500k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&cm_re=i5_2500k-_-19-115-072-_-Product

G.Skill ripjaws X - this is very good ram, and quite inexpensive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231430&cm_re=g_skill_ripjaws_x-_-20-231-430-_-Product

The rest of your stuff is fine...just swap out this motherboard, processor, and ram for the ones i have listed..and consider the video cards i have suggested as well....and, with the money you save..get an ssd for some speed! and 1 hard drive for data
 
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/100?vs=288 <------ Intel Core i7 950 vs Intel Core i5 2500K

This build will most likely get you to 4.6ghz - 5.0ghz on the o/c.

This build includes dual factory over clocked gtx 560's in SLI, a 120GB SSD, 1TB h/d, an after market cpu h/s, 8GB of low voltage RAM, and a mobo that runs dual cards @ 16x & 16x.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Advanced-Tower-SuperSpeed/dp/B001EPUQAE $154.82 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced Full Tower Case with SuperSpeed USB 3.0 - (RC-932-KKN5-GP)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.624838 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $204.98 $10.00 Mail-In Rebate Card Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $194.98
CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-750HX 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active ...
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.633432 Combo Discount: -$25.00 Combo Price: $334.98
ASUS P8P67 WS REVOLUTION LGA 1155 Intel P67 / NVIDIA NF200 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
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/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.632379 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $464.98 $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $444.98
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 ...
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=N82E16814127565 $249.99 (Before $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
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 Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103089 $59.99
COOLER MASTER V6 GT RR-V6GT-22PK-R1 120mm DynaLoop CPU Cooler w/ Universal bracket & Dual Fan

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 $21.99
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=N82E16820227551 $209.99 - $179.99 after mail-in rebate card
OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

Total: $1,801.71 *not including shipping, tax, mail in rebates, etc...
 

farsuka

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Wouldn't that aftermarket cooler be sort of useless since you can't overclock a 2500 like you can a 2500k?
 

camelsmaycry

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Well for that budget you can get an Alienware aurora with:
-Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
-Matte Stealth Black Chassis with 875W Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply
-Intel® Core™ i7-2600 (8MB Cache) Overclocked Turbo Boost to 3.9GHz
-4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
-Dual 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 6950
-No Keyboard
-1TB SATA 3Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache
-No Monitor
-Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
-Single Drive: 24X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability

But I honestly dont think 2 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 6950 are necessary as one would be awesome, all this for $1,999.00

and if you get 1 gpu instead of the double you can save $350 makes a total of $1,650.00 :D
 

banthracis

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Alienware makes very crappy products these days. Cheap crappy parts are used unless a high premium is paid for actual brand name items.

So, the PSU, RAM, mobo and HD in the above build are very likely to be subpar.

At the OP, unless you're going for bling/luxury/looks pretty components, or plan on using eyefinity or higher res, you don't need to spend $2000 for a PC.

You can build a PC that runs any game at 1080p for $1500.

Ex.
Case HAF 922 $100 w/ $10 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

More than big enough, the 922 is size of many full tower cases.

HD
Spinpoint F3 $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

SSD
Intel 320 120gb $240
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167050

Not a big fan of OCZ right now due to their bad support, stupid rebate process, Vertex 2 issue, and that fact that their RAM has been bad last few years, which may or may not be the reason they're leaving the RAM business altogether.

Optical $18
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276

PSU
Seasonic X750 $130 w/ promo code
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087

One of the best PSU's out there, from the best PSU maker in the buisness.

OS
win 7 64bit oem $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

HSF
Scythe mugen 2 $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142

CPU/GPU
i5-2500k and EVGA GTX 570 $567 w/ $50 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.630038

Don't need more than a i5-2500k for gaming and EVGA actually lets you get your rebates, unlike some other companies. 570 will run any game at 1080p.

Mobo/RAM
G Skill Sniper 8gb and Asus p8p67 pro $235
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.633275
G skill is probably best value for money RAM right now. That's a sli capable mobo in case you want to upgrade performance.

Total: $1507 including shipping
$1447 after rebates

 

nd_hunter

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No offense dude, but thanks for my daily laugh. :lol:
 

watermonger

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Ok changed the Mobo, ram, CPU, and case.

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197


Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136795


2x SAPPHIRE 100312SR Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102914


CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009


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


ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131702


Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070


Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

Dunno what to kind of SSD to get, is it really necessary?
 
Forget the 2600K for gaming. The hyper threading actually hurts it more than helps it. You can turn the hyper threading off, but then again if it's off why get the 2600K ? It's a total waste of $100 for a gaming build.

The Asus Pro is going to clock just as high as that Sabertooth. It's been proven time and again on the reviews of those boards. And start doing combo's to save some money.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.631977 Combo Discount: -$15.00 Combo Price: $147.97 $10.00 Mail-In Rebate Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $137.97
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.633300 Combo Discount: -$30.00 Combo Price: $249.98
ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

This psu down below is manufactured by Seasonic as is the Corsair you listed, yet this one is not only better rated, it's cheaper atm.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207011 $119.99 - $109.99 after mail-in rebate
XFX Core Edition PRO850W (P1-850S-NLB9) 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227590 $209.99 - 179.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD3-2VTX120G 3.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.625350 Combo Discount: -$8.00 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 ...
 

nd_hunter

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That WD hard drive is a rip-off unless you get two or more and put them in RAID 0. Single mechanical drives don't have the speed to take full advantage of SATA III.

With that budget, I would recommend a SATA III SSD. ~120GB is your best option for speed/size. Get the Intel 510 or OCZ Vertex 3 (if you can find them in stock). The Intel is about $15 less and is slightly slower, but you won't notice the speed difference unless you benchmark. You will notice your SSD (whichever you may choose) when you install your OS and programs, when your computer boots up, and when you load programs. That's about it. Whether that is worth it or not is up to you.

You should probably look into aftermarket CPU coolers if you want to do more than a slight (~4.0GHz) overclock. A top-down style cooler makes use of the "armor" on that Sabertooth, though if you get a tower- or H50-style cooler, you can add a 50mm fan to the board just below the socket.
 

watermonger

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I'm going to avoid the P8P67 Pro, seeing as its not very well reviewed. That PSU has no ratings. and I kinda don't want a SSD because it seems half the reviews say it died after a month. I am gonna do some more research on 2500k vs 2600k. Also, i dont care if the extra power is necessary now, as I am trying to build a somewhat future proof PC.
 

asantesoul

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That's a good point...ssd's are quite fast but are limited...do the research and report back my friend...but, you will find that asn extra 100 for 4 virtual cores that add about 20-30% more performance isn't really worth it when you can overclock the 2500k and get some sexy performance and put 100 towards a better video card..or...groceries :)
 

nd_hunter

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Don't regard Newegg reviews as the law. Me thinks quite a few people who post a negative review are to blame, not the product. You can't go wrong with that XFX PSU. Seasonic is the gold standard. XFX is a rebranded Seasonic.
 

That's a good board from what Iv'e heard. The thing with that board though is it's only $20 cheaper than the Asus Revolution so it makes that board a bit of a deal breaker. It has all the bells and whistles...but most of that crap nobody will ever use.

Now here's a board worth considering. This Asrock board was the hottest thing since sliced bread before all the manufacturers (Asus, Gigabte, MSI, Asrock, etc..) had the recall on those 1155 mobo's because of the SATA issue...hence the reason all these boards have the (B3) logo on them to let everyone know they are the revised (fixed) boards. Also that CM 922 doesn't come with USB 3 ports and it doesn't have a 2.5" bracket for an SSD...well this ASrock board provides one. It's black and matches that case nicely.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229 $159.99
ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

or you can get it cheaper here when you factor in the shipping cost.

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-P67X4B3&title=ASRock-P67-EXTREME4-B3-LGA1155-Intel-P67-B3-DDR3-Quad-SLI-Quad-CrossFireX-SATA3-USB3-0-A-GbE-ATX-Motherboard $164.99 Free Shipping
ASRock P67 EXTREME4 B3 LGA1155/ Intel P67 B3/ DDR3/ Quad SLI & Quad CrossFireX/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

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/news/events/201102ex/warranty.html <----- Asrock two year warranty

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=P67%20Extreme4 <----- ASRock P67 Extreme4 - this mobo even comes with a Front USB 3.0 Panel (2 x 3.0 USB ports and an SSD bracket)...it's on this link.
 

nd_hunter

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It seems to be pretty popular on here. Do you need the $60 of extra features? I have the LE and while it works great, OCing is a pain. But then, I didn't need the features found on the pro or deluxe or sabertooth, etc, etc. It's serving its purpose, and when Z68 comes out, I will jump on a better-featured board (I want to be able to use Quick Sync).

ASUS makes a quality product. You need to determine what features you need and pay accordingly. Even if I had a $2000 budget, I wouldn't have bought anything higher than a -pro model.
 

watermonger

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I really like the way the sabretooth looks. How do I tell which features I need in a motherboard and which ones are superfluous. Also, is 16 GB of ram worth it for the extra 100 dollars?
 

asantesoul

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no..16gb is not worth it...4GB is enough for most people and gamers..8gb if you use more programs that require the memory..

As for the boards, most superfluous features for the average joe are LN2 mode (found on the M4E) extra pci-e slots, etc..if your just gaming, and want to use the computer for mainstream purposes..the P8P67 series (excluding the WS REV) is enough..the sabertooth is a great board..but, some might consider it expensive..i think its priced very well
 

nd_hunter

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Well even if you are going to crossfire or sli 2 graphics cards, two x8 PCI-e slots are sufficient. USB 3.0 isn't in wide use yet. We are just starting to see SATA III SSDs. You don't want one, so that will go unused. Has anyone seen any tests that tell us if the "armor" on the Sabertooth is actually helpful? Those are the only real differences between the board. Yes, you get more Digi/VRM features as you spend more dough and things like that. Gamers typically care about looks and frame rates. With that comes powerful GPUs, overclocking, LED this, and LED that. Everything else is secondary. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. If games were my only concern and I had a hefty budget, I'd have one badass looking rig.



In your case, no.
 

watermonger

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Ok I got a question about scaling in crossfire/sli, I'm not exactly sure what it is, but from what I can understand it has something to do with % amount of each GPU that is used. I read somewhere that the scaling with an I7 processor with crossfire HD 6950's is 80 - 90%. does this mean that 90% of each GPU is used? Is the scaling the same with an I5? Also, which 2GB HD 6950 would I have to get to be able to unlock them too HD 6970's

Currently I have these in my cart

HIS H695F2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161355
 

nd_hunter

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The scaling on an i5 should be the same. They used an i7 in an attempt to remove any CPU bottlenecks that would affect the fps.

From what I understand, all current 2GB HD 6950s have dormant shaders. This is apparently going to change some time in the future. Near or far, who knows. Another rout to getting to a 6970 (some unlocks are unstable) is to use a modded 6950 BIOS that unlocks the shaders and then give it an overclock to 6970 specs.

I have an MSI R6950 (reference design), but have yet to try anything as right now I need a stable system.