New build with hd 6950 crossfired

[a101817]

Approximate Purchase Date: July, 2011


Budget Range: 1100-1300~ After Rebates


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, office tasks/college work


Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: www.newegg.com


Country of Origin: United States


Parts Preferences: No preference between amd/intel nvidia/ati/amd


Overclocking: Yes


SLI or Crossfire: Yes


Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Parts:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133181 -case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229 -Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102928 -gpu x2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153136 -psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070 -cpu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428 -ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185 -hard drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 -dvd burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150070 -extra case fans

Total Cost (after rebates as of now): 1250~

Additional Comments: I'm going with the hd 69** series because apparently they do scale a little better than the gtx 500 series. I dont need physx or cuda so im fine with amd, plus the hd 6950 has a 2 gb of ram. Also is 750w enough for crossfire and a mild overclock/shader unlock. Also, when the amd bulldozer comes out in june, should I consider it over a i7 2600k? Lastly, im going with a mid tower case and adding extra fans as I need to lug this pc around ever year to a new dorm. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[brpeden82]

looks fine to me i wouldnt trust the PSU through i go with the corsair 750tx

 

[cjrulli]

I'm no expert, but many say that the i7 2600K is not necessary for gaming, and money should be spent elsewhere. A quality 750W would most likely be fine for SLI 6950s, then again don't quote me on that. And of course you should consider the AMD Bulldozer, compare the prices/performance of each and since you'll be buying in July you'll have the luxury of waiting for some hard reviews.

 

[brpeden82]

i think a site posted that the high end 8 core FX-8130P was going to be about 320
the 4 core FX-4110 was going to about 190
add the 6-core FX-6110 was going to be about 240

 

[a101817]

I'm no expert, but many say that the i7 2600K is not necessary for gaming, and money should be spent elsewhere. A quality 750W would most likely be fine for SLI 6950s, then again don't quote me on that. And of course you should consider the AMD Bulldozer, compare the prices/performance of each and since you'll be buying in July you'll have the luxury of waiting for some hard reviews.

What is the difference in speed between the i7 sb and i5 sb? Will there be a cpu bottleneck with the i5? ( a luxury i have never had lol)

 

[cuecuemore]

PSU looks good to me, though I don't know anything about Thermaltake PSUs. (I'm a Corsair man too) My only concern would be that it doesn't have full rated amperage on the +12v rail (12v x 56A = 672w), but even so, you should be good even with both cards unlocked and a heavy overclock; see:

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/159

Quick addition: the difference between the i7 and the i5 is hyperthreading; if you want 8 threads on 4 cores then the 2600k is good, but the 2500k is the best value in the cpu market today and more than enough for any game out right now.

 

[cjrulli]

What is the difference in speed between the i7 sb and i5 sb? Will there be a cpu bottleneck with the i5? ( a luxury i have never had lol)

About $100, 2MB cache, and hyperthreading. Very minimal for gaming, only truly worth it IMO for video encoding. The CPU will definitely not bottleneck with the i5, and from my understanding it is very very easy to OC, especially if you purchase a nice aftermarket cooler. I'm making my first build and I'm going with the 2500K i5, and using the extra money on an SSD where you will notice a much bigger performance boost.

 

[cmadrid]

I'd go down to the i5-2500k, change to corsair tx PSU (or even HX/AX for modular, cost more tho) and get an aftermarket heatsink

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142&cm_re=scythe-_-35-185-142-_-Product

 

[a101817]

Best answer selected by a101817.