$700 Machine....Time sensitive

[sailorjohn]

Hey folks,

Caught the wife in a good mood, time to upgrade my old rig....time sensitive 'cause she can be a wee bit bi-polar with my money. Want to order this TONIGHT!




Approximate Purchase Date: TONIGHT


Budget Range: 700-800 before rebates


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming....wife's facebook crap.


Parts Not Required: Mouse, Memory, keyboard, speakers, monitor, modem, powersupply


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Egg


Country of Origin: USA


Parts Preferences: AMD, ASUS


Overclocking: Yes, to the extreme.


SLI or Crossfire: Yes, twin HD5770


Monitor Resolution: I have a 1920/1200


Here is what I have so far:

LIAN LI Lancool PC-K7B Black Aluminum/ SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112154

ASUS M4N98TD EVO AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131636

XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808



COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler Intel Core i7 compatible
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055

 

[oc_mania]

If you wanna overclock to the extreme, an Intel Sandy Bridge would overclock farrrrr more then a Phenom and give you better performance ofc.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/88?vs=288 - stock speeds, the 2500k can overclock to 4.5Ghz-5Ghz...

Case : The HAF 922 will give you alot better cooling than that Lian LI IMO:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&cm_re=haf_922-_-11-119-197-_-Product

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

Motherboard : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131705&cm_re=p67_asus-_-13-131-705-_-Product

Better gpu - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/291?vs=296 : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121419&cm_re=6850_1gb-_-14-121-419-_-Product

Total : 710$ (with the same cooler, i guess you want it `cuz of the look)

The Noctua NH-D14 and Thermalright Silver Arrow are the best air coolers, if you want you can go for one of them

 

[sailorjohn]

GPU is particular because I already have that card and figured I may as well use a crossfire setup.

Cooler was the best reviewed I could find for AM3, but its not so hot for I7. Ill take a look at the new list.

 

[dominnater]

I believe you could easily bump the processor on up to a i7. How much memory do you have? I would recommend 6 gigs for I7. Also what psu do you have? Be sure it can handle 2 5770s.

 

[oc_mania]

Im not sure if a Crossfired 5770 will be worth it, won`t be future-proof too...

Might be better to save some money, sell your current one and get an Amd 6950 2gb and overclock it to a 6970. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127575&cm_re=6950_2gb-_-14-127-575-_-Product

A single overclocked 6950 will surely perform better then a Crossfired 5770
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/292?vs=296

 

[striker410]

I'd agree with mania, A 6950 will do better than 5770's. If you plan to overclock, i5-2500k is definately the way to go.

 

[sailorjohn]

Coolers you mentioned were out of stock, I found these two with good ratings....I prefer Zalman, but Im no expert...

Thermaltake Frio Overclocking-Ready Intel Core i7 (six-core ready) & i5 Compatible
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106150

ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118003

Everything else looks nice, its about $175 more than I wanted to spend, but not bad. I should have pointed out I have to pick up Windows 7 with this, my bust.

I am also a die hard Lian Li fan. I have always loved thier cases, and thier customer support is out of this world. THis will be my first budget case from them though, so we shall see.

Is the Intel as easy to OC as AMDs? I have never used Intel before.

 

[oc_mania]

Imo building a Phenom rig when you can afford a Sandy Bridge right now is stupid...

And why should he overclock a Phenom to reach a first gen i7 when he can just gen an i5 2500k and overclock it to get the performance of a 1000$ i7 980x, or even better in some tasks... http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=142 {reminding again that these benchmarks are at stock speeds, imagine the performance of the 2500k at 4.5Ghz or if you can reach 5Ghz)

 

[sailorjohn]

I have about 3 hours before she gets home and wants to 'talk' about this.

My backs against the wall going over $800, the 5770 Crossfire seems to be the only option I have atm. I have a 650w power supply, that should run them?

If nothing else, I can skip the GPU for now, stick with the single 5770, and upgrade when the chance comes again. Yall make it sound like x2 5770's aint worth the effort.

 

[oc_mania]

Coolers you mentioned were out of stock, I found these two with good ratings....I prefer Zalman, but Im no expert...

Thermaltake Frio Overclocking-Ready Intel Core i7 (six-core ready) & i5 Compatible
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106150

ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118003

Everything else looks nice, its about $175 more than I wanted to spend, but not bad. I should have pointed out I have to pick up Windows 7 with this, my bust.

I am also a die hard Lian Li fan. I have always loved thier cases, and thier customer support is out of this world. THis will be my first budget case from them though, so we shall see.

Is the Intel as easy to OC as AMDs? I have never used Intel before.

Omg are you kidding me ? The Intel is WAY BETTER for overclocking then AMD, and it is way cooler. Just look arround the net : i5 2500k overclock and see how easy it is.

 

[oc_mania]

Ok, get the Lian Li case, the p67 motherboard and the 2500k. Leave the Gpu for later, that would be the best thing to do.
About the cooler : i would recommend you to keep the stock intel heatsink for now and wait untill they have the Noctua nh-d14, the 2500k is 4Ghz overclockable even with the stock heatsink. If you wanna save some money and dont intend to push your cpu to the limit, a Hyper 212 plus would be enough to cool it. [sorry for all the editing]

 

[oc_mania]

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/i7_2600k_i5_2500k_2300_1155_sandy_bridge_review/2

I still worry that the case you picked wont give you a good enough airflow. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112239

This would be a better pick becouse of the bigger 140mm front fan and the two top 140mm fans.

 

[dominnater]

650 watts is plenty. yeah a 6950 would be better, but more expensive then just getting another 5770.

Here is the guru3d review of the crossfire 5770:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-5770-review-test/1

I recommend looking at the call of duty and fallout3 benchmarks, I don't think xfiring them would be bad.

 

[sailorjohn]

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

OCZ EliteXStream OCZ800EXS-B 800W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341043

ASUS P8P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131705
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131705

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118003

Not counting paste and fans. Decided on the case after reading reviews. Zalman should cover me untill I can afford a full water cooling setup (had one years ago, LOVED IT) PLaying with the numbers, without the GPU, I can afford some memory.
I have no idea how this 2 and 3 channel crap works or what memory overclocks...I keep hearing G.SKills.....but anyways, can you suggest a 6gb setup that would work well for all this?

Thanks to all, big thanks to Mania. If you ever need work done on a diesel truck, give me a holler!

 

[sailorjohn]

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/i7_2600k_i5_2500k_2300_1155_sandy_bridge_review/2

I still worry that the case you picked wont give you a good enough airflow. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112239

This would be a better pick becouse of the bigger 140mm front fan and the two top 140mm fans.

How did I not see that one in my search. You rock man.

 

[aznshinobi]

Hyper 212+ is better for the cooling, just saying.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-RR-B10-212P-G1-Universal-Heat-Pipe/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1297643962&sr=8-1

You'll never need water cooling for this rig. P67 chips simply do not get that hot that it requires water cooling.

Change that board and save some money, not even worth what it costs. Runs CF at 16x/4x get this board. Saves you 15$ plus when you want to you can run CF @ 8x/8x I don't know why they didn't critique that
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130583&cm_re=msi_g43-_-13-130-583-_-Product

Never cheap out on a power supply. Especially not a recertified one, What in the right mind made you do that. Specially for a OCZ one, terrible units.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207009&cm_re=750w_xfx-_-17-207-009-_-Product

100 AR, way better will supply power to a crossfired 6950 overclocked system with room to spare.

 

[sailorjohn]

The board I have no idea, 2 folks in the thread recomended it, and I have always used ASUS. I know nothing about MBs these days, hence this thread pleading for help lol.

The Power Supply....I just dont know how much power I need. And I dont know the difference between good watts and bad ones.

The cooler....I am in no position to argue with anyone on this board....but doesnt copper transmit heat better than aluminum? Are there any side by side comparisons of the Zalman and Hyper 212?

 

[aznshinobi]

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/19383-cooler-master-hyper-212-plus-cpu-cooler-review-10.html

Performed better than some of the best on the market, that says something.

That power supply according to this review says it's a pretty decent unit.
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/7384-ocz-elitexstream-800w-power-supply-review-9.html
However, I never trust re certified, that's the main thing I'm bugging about.

Asus is bull... they over charge for their boards when cheaper boards and have better or more features. IE MSI or Asrock.

 

[sailorjohn]

Alright, Ill look up the MSI.
You have any ideas on a 6gb memory setup for this rig? Overclock friendly?

 

[aznshinobi]

6GB is X58.... Not P67.

P67 is dual channel not triple channel, you want kits like 4GB, 8GB, and 2GB. Not 6GB. Overclocking is easy now and the most expensive ram needs not be purchased as cheap ram can OC just as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231425&cm_re=4gb_ddr3-_-20-231-425-_-Product

 

[sailorjohn]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231304

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

I dont understand. The first link is a 3 channel kit, 6gb, the second is a 2 channel, 8gb. Which is better?

 

[aznshinobi]

You'll never need more than 4.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426&cm_re=8gb_ripjaws-_-20-231-426-_-Product
That's a better kit for you.

Triple channel is 3 sticks, and dual is 2. Really simple to understand. In your case you want dual, P67 only supports dual-channel, NOT triple channel.

 

[spentshells]

If you want to crossfire 5770's its worth it, as long as the game supports crossfire.
It is a bit stronger in reviews then a 470 GTX uses less power and costs less
don't listen to the future proof bulloney, or get a 6850 and add another later when you come up with another 50 dollars

 

[oc_mania]

The board I have no idea, 2 folks in the thread recomended it, and I have always used ASUS. I know nothing about MBs these days, hence this thread pleading for help lol.

The Power Supply....I just dont know how much power I need. And I dont know the difference between good watts and bad ones.

The cooler....I am in no position to argue with anyone on this board....but doesnt copper transmit heat better than aluminum? Are there any side by side comparisons of the Zalman and Hyper 212?

Asus, Gigabyte, Msi, Evga - they are all reliable good for overclocking motherboards. Get Asrock if you are on a budget. Just stay away from Elitegroup, Foxxconn and some other brands (i cant think of all of the brands right now, just ask the forum if you plan to get a motherboard to be sure)

Here is a good Psu : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&cm_re=750w_psu-_-17-139-006-_-Product Corsair is a reliable brand that makes nice psus, as you see this one has a pretty nice rating This one would be enough to power a 6950 in Crossfire.

Ram sticks : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226099 These would have better overclocking abilities
Here you can read about dual and triple channel http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Memory/Intel-Core-i7-Dual-Channel-vs.-Triple-Channel-Memory-Mode.html

Cpu cooler : the Hyper 212 plus will surely give better performance then the Zalman and its cheaper and there is no need to waste money if you plan to get watercooling, even if its 10$

Gpu : i dont think i need to explain this again but the 6950 will give you ALOT better performance then a 5770 Crossfire, no need to waste money on a 5770 Crossfire - you are gonna replase it after 1-2 years. The 6950 will last you for that time and when it comes time to get an upgrade you`ll just add another one.

Hope i helped... even more