I7-2600K 1250$ Gaming build

[ammar711]

Approximate Purchase Date: 2 weeks to a month from now

Budget Range: 1250$ before rebates

System Usage From Most To Least Important: Gaming , Surfing Internet, Photos Editing, Watching movies

Parts Not Required: OS, Monitor, Mouse, Keyboard, Speakers, SSD, CPU Cooler.

Preferred Website: Newegg.com

Country of Origin: US

Parts Preference: I do prefer Asus & Gigabyte motherboards

Overclocking: Yes

Sli/CrossfireX Yes for future, I will buy single GPU for now and add second one later.

Monitor Samsung Full HD 24" LCD Screen 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Do NOT Suggest me the Asrock P67 Extreme4 MB.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Motherboard:
[1]Asus Sabertooth P67=220$.
[2]Asus P8Z68-V Pro=210$
[3]Gigabyte Z68X-UD4=200$.

CPU:
Intel Core i7-2600K LGA1155 3.4GHz=315$

Memory:
G.Skill Ripjaws X 1600MHz Cl8 =100$.

Graphics Card:
[1]MSI GTX560 Ti Hawk 1GB OC'd To 950MHz=265$.
[2]XFX Radeon 6950 1GB OC'd To 830MHz=270$.

Case:
[1]NZXT Phantom Black Full Tower Case=140$.
[2]Cooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower Case = 155$.

PSU:
[1]XFX Core Edition PRO 750W=115$.
[2]Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750E=110$.

HDD:
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200RPM SATA2 3GB/s=65$.


Total:1210$-1240$

 

[striker410]

Have you looked into P8P67 pro? It's a good mobo. People seem to like it.

Also, have you researched the difference between the i5-2500k and i7-2600k? In gaming, there is practically no difference.

Better/larger/faster HDD: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1306004927&sr=8-2 $60

Have you looked into flashing your 6950? If so, grab a reference model.

That's about all I got Hope it helps.

 

[StinkFoot]

Nice, looks very close to the system I'm about to buy.
Just curious what's wrong with the Asrock P67 Extreme4 ?

 

[ammar711]

Nice, looks very close to the system I'm about to buy.
Just curious what's wrong with the Asrock P67 Extreme4 ?

There is nothing wrong with it but it is the only board that people suggest I just want some other thoughts xD

 

[mjmjpfaff]

how big of an ssd do you have?

 

[ammar711]

how big of an ssd do you have?

OCZ vertex 2 60GB, why are you asking??

 

[ammar711]

Have you looked into P8P67 pro? It's a good mobo. People seem to like it.

Also, have you researched the difference between the i5-2500k and i7-2600k? In gaming, there is practically no difference.

Better/larger/faster HDD: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1306004927&sr=8-2 $60

Have you looked into flashing your 6950? If so, grab a reference model.

That's about all I got Hope it helps.

P8P67 PRO = a lot of heat + mid-Range performance.
P8P67 WS Rev.= al lot of heat + high Performance.
Sabertooth P67 = low heat + mid-range performance

The Samsung f3 is larger but not faster than the WD caviar black

I know that the i7-2600K & the i5-2500K have about the same performance but I'm interested in buying the i7 (don't ask me why cause i really don't know ^^)

 

[aznshinobi]

WS Rev. Is useless, it doesn't mean high-performance at all because a MSI P67A-GD65 can beat it out. So that means nothing.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/01/03/msi_p67agd65_lga1155_chipset_motherboard_review/5
Owned for about 80 bucks cheaper.

The Samsung F3 is indeed faster than the WD Black
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/h2benchw-3.12-Avg-Write-Throughput,1013.html
Also, it wouldn't matter anyway since both are mechanical hard drives, the difference in minimal and unnoticeable.

Your reasoning for the 2600K is kind of weak when the things you want to do don't involve HT at all which is the only reason the 2600K is a valid choice. The 2500K performs at 99% of the 2600K just without HT, which you don't need. PS5 doesn't utilize HT, neither does games, or any of your things.

 

[slicedtoad]

yeah, downgrade to an i5 and spend the extra on a 2gb 6950 and flash it using this. It will give you a fully functional 6970 ($70 increased value). Note that this doesn't work with the 1GB 6950.

I have asus's p8p67 pro and it's worked fine for me. can't do sli or cf though. A highend mobo isn't going to make a difference unless you're ocing past ~4.8 or if you want cf or sli.

I'd also recommend an ssd.

 

[aznshinobi]

^ TBH I think a SOC'd 560 Ti is better since the 6950 2GB can only flash if it is the stock reference version.

 

[striker410]

Actually, I think you can flash a non reference, but it's much more rare and only works on ones with the dual bios. I know it only works on certain models though.

Edit: Looks like it must have reference PCB too...

 

[aznshinobi]

^ So I was correct?

 

[striker410]

Not entirely. After some research, looks like it's a mixed bag. Here's a techpowerup review stating they unlocked a non reference model (non reference PCB too) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/HD_6950_Twin_Frozr_III/27.html

 

[aznshinobi]

ZOMG YOU CAN MODD THE TFIII TO A 6970!

I love the TF3 series, they all look amazing. Though EVGA's new SOC DS series is pretty nice. The dual-fan's look nice.

 

[striker410]

ZOMG YOU CAN MODD THE TFIII TO A 6970!

I love the TF3 series, they all look amazing. Though EVGA's new SOC DS series is pretty nice. The dual-fan's look nice.

Make your day did I? =p

 

[aznshinobi]

Yes you did.

 

[ammar711]

WS Rev. Is useless, it doesn't mean high-performance at all because a MSI P67A-GD65 can beat it out. So that means nothing.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/01/03/msi_p67agd65_lga1155_chipset_motherboard_review/5
Owned for about 80 bucks cheaper.

The Samsung F3 is indeed faster than the WD Black
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/h2benchw-3.12-Avg-Write-Throughput,1013.html
Also, it wouldn't matter anyway since both are mechanical hard drives, the difference in minimal and unnoticeable.

Your reasoning for the 2600K is kind of weak when the things you want to do don't involve HT at all which is the only reason the 2600K is a valid choice. The 2500K performs at 99% of the 2600K just without HT, which you don't need. PS5 doesn't utilize HT, neither does games, or any of your things.

After making some researches i claim that the P8P67 WS Rev. is useless and it is waste of money but the sabertooth is not it have the about same Performance of the MSI P67-GD65 and the p8p67 pro but it is cooler.

it is a good news that the f3 is faster than the caviar black cause both of them have the same price but the samsung is double the capacity.

the 2600K is a free upgrade from one of my relatives (he have a small pc store and he is going to sell me the 2600K for 245$ only 20$ more than the i5)

Thanks for your suggestions

 

[ammar711]

Here Is An Update:

Motherboard:
[1]Asus Sabertooth P67=220$.
[2]Gigabyte P67A-UD5=260$.

CPU:
Intel Core i7-2600K LGA1155 3.4GHz=245$

Memory:
G.Skill Ripjaws X 1600MHz Cl8 =100$.

Graphics Card:
[1]MSI GTX560 Ti Hawk 1GB OC'd To 950MHz=265$.
[2]XFX Radeon 6950 1GB OC'd To 830MHz=270$.
(Still Not Sure but I guess that i'll go with the 560 ti cause i prefer Nvidia for their better drivers and overclocking features)

Case:
[1]NZXT Phantom Black Full Tower Case=140$.
[2]Cooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower Case = 155$.

PSU:
[1]XFX Core Edition PRO 750W=115$.
[2]Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750E=110$.

HDD:
Samsung F3 1TB 7200RPM SATA3 6GB/s=60$.

one more question:
Does the P67 have any feature that the Z68 doesn't have??

 

[ammar711]

Total is 1140$-1205$ After update and will buy CM Hyper 212(40$) or Thermaltake Frio(60$) Cause my CPU Cooler is kind of old so the total will be 1180$-1265$

Does any one know when will the asus maximus IV gene or formula be released??

i heard that bulldozer will be released after 3 weeks is that true??

 

[aznshinobi]

YES BD will be released soon.

Where are you getting your information that cooling actually matters that much for the motherboard? Also, if I read that sentence correctly. Your basing your buy off of a mobo that looks cooler? Is that correct?

 

[slicedtoad]

YES BD will be released soon.
Also, if I read that sentence correctly. Your basing your buy off of a mobo that looks cooler? Is that correct?

to be fair, if you care about aesthetics, the mobo is one of the most visible things on the inside. I recently built a similar priced pc and almost got the sabertooth. I changed cause with research i found the "special features" to be somewhat gimmicky and performance is more important than looks to me. I also found a great combo deal at NCIX for the p8p67 pro and 2500k for $50 off.

About the gpu, while the 560 ti is a great card, the 6970 (or modded 6950) destroys it in performance. Also there aren't any significant problems with amd's 6000 series drivers. The "nvidia has better drivers" is mostly hype atm imo. Also, According to the gpu articles on toms, they both sli/crossfire very well.

That said, i'd recommend the 2GB 6950 if you can find a reference version (you live in the us, so you can find one). Otherwise the 560 is fine.

Get the corsair psu.

The phantom black looks sweet. haven't read up on it though. I don't personally like the CM one (looks flamboyant imo) but a lot of people do and it's very well reviewed.

 

[aznshinobi]

Uhh... The 560 Ti SOC'd = 570 which the 6970 is on par with.
6970 vs 570
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/292?vs=306
I don't oppose to the 6950 2GB, it's just that the 560 Ti runs cooler and quieter but is still on par. Plus you'd have to find a reference PCB 6950 2GB to unlock, so that's a bit of a downside since the reference designs are usually VERY loud and hot.

 

[deoxide]

EVGA gtx 570
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130622
$255 - $20 with HARDOCPX518C (code) and another -$40 MIR so $295 for a gtx 570!?!

 

[aznshinobi]

^ Still meh, 570 runs quite hot compared to the 560. Granted the 570 will perform better with the SOC. But the 560 Ti will run A LOT cooler and A LOT quieter, plus will perform on par after OCing.

570 vs 560 OC'd
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2011/01/27/msi-geforce-gtx-560-ti-1gb-review/8

Thermals
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2011/01/27/msi-geforce-gtx-560-ti-1gb-review/7

 

[ammar711]

YES BD will be released soon.

Where are you getting your information that cooling actually matters that much for the motherboard? Also, if I read that sentence correctly. Your basing your buy off of a mobo that looks cooler? Is that correct?

Well, I think that I'll wait for bulldozer then, if it wasn't better than sandy bridge then I guess that I'll go with this build.

It actually matters for me, it doesn't just look cooler IT IS COOLER!! I saw a review that says that the thermal armor decrease the heat 19c-24c idle and 4c-5c underload (I don't remember the website but I'll find it)

Sorry for my bad grammar cause I'm a foreign speaker