I have some questions on choosing the parts for my new PC. The new system will be used mainly for games and perhaps some light video editing but nothing too serious.
1) CPU
Originally, I wanted to get an i7 960, but from what I have read on different forums, it seems that the LGA 1366 is considered to be "old" technology for a new system.
Sandy bridge LGA 1155 appears to be the way to go and the benchmarks do confirm it. The question is which one?
I have my eyes set on the Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) however, a lot of people say that the i5 2500k is more than enough for gaming, but down the line will it not be better go with the more powerful chip?
Another point is regarding the 2600 vs 2600K. I have never done overclocking and I'm not even sure how to go about doing it. If it's an easy-to-do thing, maybe one day......but it's not something that I'll do the moment I get my hands on the new PC. I know that the price difference is quite small but would keeping the 2600K at stock be considered a waste of potential?
Some people say that "the 2600 is better than the 2600k, because they want vt-d virtualization, which the 2600k does not support, (only supports vt-x hardware virtualization)."
To tell you the truth I don't really understand what that is, or how useful it would be to me!
Becuse i will buy a VGA card, should I get the 2600k with the HD2000 instead of the HD3000 to save money, does it have any performance difference?
Lastly, what about the difference between the P67 and Z68?
2) MOTHERBOARD
I will only get a single VGA card, therefore I'm not interested in crossfire/sli. A P67 MOBO is what I want, but not quite sure which one. In the past I've always used Asus and would like to continue, also their mobo have the new ASUS EFI BIOS and TPU/EPU. But their P67 mobo are not cheap. Maybe the only Asus model for me would be the P8P67 LE, the PRO model looks good but it's too expensive. Can you suggest any good P67 motherboards which don't cost an arm and a leg. I'm looking for a good and stable MB without too many frills, not a budget model but good.
3) VGA CARD
I've decided to go with the GTX570
4) OS
Win XP has been very good to me over the years but it looks like win7 is here to stay, I don't really like to change but I will get WIN7 Professional 64 bit. By the way, will the 64 bit be compatible with older softwares and games? Should I get the 32bit?
5) MEMORY
4GB DDR3 RAM. I know it's not much but I'm trying to save a little money. Memory can always be added later on.
My question is: Should I get the DDR3 1333 or the 1600? I heard that If you are not going to be overclocking, get 1333 speed 1.5 volt ram. Why?
I know there is ram especially for sandy bridge and P67 MOBOs. Are these the ones I should buy, will others not work as well? I was considering this:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBXM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231430
I don't know how to choose, any suggestion would be appreciated.
6) POWER
Considering the above system will a 750W be sufficient or should I go with a 850W?
7) Cooler
I'd like to know how good is the 2600k/2500k stock cooler. If I decide to overclock will it be strong enough, or do you suggest to change it?
8) PC CASE
I think a Mid-Tower should be big enough. There is something I'd like to know: why do newer cases have the PSU placed at the bottom? Is it safe with only 1-2cm of space for ventilation, it does't seem like a good idea to me.
Anyway, again here I'm not sure, except that I don't want to spend more than 80/85$.
9) HD
I heard that the Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive, is quite good.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533&cm_re=caviar_black_1tb-_-22-136-533-_-Product&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4169931&SID=10np8vvqkxkrm
This will be my primary and only HD.
Well, this is it, sorry for the long and "demanding" post but as you can see I'm not a computer expert. You can only go so far on your own reading forums and articles, eventually questions pile up and you need to ask.
Thank you for any advice.
1) CPU
Originally, I wanted to get an i7 960, but from what I have read on different forums, it seems that the LGA 1366 is considered to be "old" technology for a new system.
Sandy bridge LGA 1155 appears to be the way to go and the benchmarks do confirm it. The question is which one?
I have my eyes set on the Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) however, a lot of people say that the i5 2500k is more than enough for gaming, but down the line will it not be better go with the more powerful chip?
Another point is regarding the 2600 vs 2600K. I have never done overclocking and I'm not even sure how to go about doing it. If it's an easy-to-do thing, maybe one day......but it's not something that I'll do the moment I get my hands on the new PC. I know that the price difference is quite small but would keeping the 2600K at stock be considered a waste of potential?
Some people say that "the 2600 is better than the 2600k, because they want vt-d virtualization, which the 2600k does not support, (only supports vt-x hardware virtualization)."
To tell you the truth I don't really understand what that is, or how useful it would be to me!
Becuse i will buy a VGA card, should I get the 2600k with the HD2000 instead of the HD3000 to save money, does it have any performance difference?
Lastly, what about the difference between the P67 and Z68?
2) MOTHERBOARD
I will only get a single VGA card, therefore I'm not interested in crossfire/sli. A P67 MOBO is what I want, but not quite sure which one. In the past I've always used Asus and would like to continue, also their mobo have the new ASUS EFI BIOS and TPU/EPU. But their P67 mobo are not cheap. Maybe the only Asus model for me would be the P8P67 LE, the PRO model looks good but it's too expensive. Can you suggest any good P67 motherboards which don't cost an arm and a leg. I'm looking for a good and stable MB without too many frills, not a budget model but good.
3) VGA CARD
I've decided to go with the GTX570
4) OS
Win XP has been very good to me over the years but it looks like win7 is here to stay, I don't really like to change but I will get WIN7 Professional 64 bit. By the way, will the 64 bit be compatible with older softwares and games? Should I get the 32bit?
5) MEMORY
4GB DDR3 RAM. I know it's not much but I'm trying to save a little money. Memory can always be added later on.
My question is: Should I get the DDR3 1333 or the 1600? I heard that If you are not going to be overclocking, get 1333 speed 1.5 volt ram. Why?
I know there is ram especially for sandy bridge and P67 MOBOs. Are these the ones I should buy, will others not work as well? I was considering this:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBXM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231430
I don't know how to choose, any suggestion would be appreciated.
6) POWER
Considering the above system will a 750W be sufficient or should I go with a 850W?
7) Cooler
I'd like to know how good is the 2600k/2500k stock cooler. If I decide to overclock will it be strong enough, or do you suggest to change it?
8) PC CASE
I think a Mid-Tower should be big enough. There is something I'd like to know: why do newer cases have the PSU placed at the bottom? Is it safe with only 1-2cm of space for ventilation, it does't seem like a good idea to me.
Anyway, again here I'm not sure, except that I don't want to spend more than 80/85$.
9) HD
I heard that the Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive, is quite good.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533&cm_re=caviar_black_1tb-_-22-136-533-_-Product&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4169931&SID=10np8vvqkxkrm
This will be my primary and only HD.
Well, this is it, sorry for the long and "demanding" post but as you can see I'm not a computer expert. You can only go so far on your own reading forums and articles, eventually questions pile up and you need to ask.
Thank you for any advice.