Critique my build + Questions

[timothy2180]

Approximate Purchase Date: August 1st.
Budget Range: $2000, though not willing to spend hundreds of dollars for a 2% performance increase.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Heavy Gaming
Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, storage hard drives, optical drives.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: None.
Country of Origin: U.S.
Parts Preferences: None
Overclocking: Yes
SLI or Crossfire: Yes
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 or 1920x1200
Additional Comments:


[strike]Motherboard $139.99($7.87 s&h)
GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3-B3

CPU $219.99
i5 2500k[/strike]
Z68 + i5 combo $319.98

[strike]Video Cards $286.99 x 2 = $573.98(+$15.12 s&h -$60 mail in rebate)
2x XFX HD-695X-CDFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5[/strike]
6950s @840MHz $249.99 x 2 = $499.98

[strike]SSD $419.99
Plextor PX-M2 Series PX-256M2S 2.5" 256GB SATA III(SSD)[/strike]
Faster Corsair SSD $449.99

[strike]CPU Cooler $51.99
ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler[/strike]
Better, cheaper CM CPU cooler $37.99

Case $159.99
Silverstone RV02-BW

PSU

RAM

Also, what would be the best way to ship this across the US? I will be moving from NC to California at the end of the year. How much would shipping this system cost me, roughly?

 

[aznshinobi]

Please fill this out.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

 

[timothy2180]

Please fill this out.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

Okay. I looked for that on the homebuilt forum before posting but could not find it. I see that "homebuilt" and "new build" are different. Thanks.

 

[aznshinobi]

2500K + MB -$333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.660241
2* Corsair Force Series 3 120GB ($210x2) $420 - $30 MIR Each
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233181
Hyper 212+ $30
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0%3FSubscriptionId%3D19BAZMZQFZJ6G2QYGCG2%26tag%3Dsquid1240995-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB002G1YPH0
2* MSI 560 Ti OC TFII ($250*2) $500
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-PCI-Express-N560GTX-TWIN-FROZR/dp/B004JLNZXU%3FSubscriptionId%3D19BAZMZQFZJ6G2QYGCG2%26tag%3Dsquid1240995-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB004JLNZXU
HAF 922 $100
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Tower-RC-922M-KKN1-GP-Black/dp/B0026FCI2U%3FSubscriptionId%3D19BAZMZQFZJ6G2QYGCG2%26tag%3Dsquid1240995-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB0026FCI2U
Total: $1383 before rebates.

Z68 isn't really needed because SSD Caching for large sized SSDs is pretty useless, it's more for small SSDs like 64gb/60gb.

 

[timothy2180]

2500K + MB -$333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.660241

The MB has less reliable reviews than the z68 I have. I couldn't find a p67 board that was reliable, at least not according to NewEgg's reviews.

2* Corsair Force Series 3 120GB ($210x2) $420 - $30 MIR Each
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233181

Is there an advantage to running two drives(which I would still use as one logical drive)? I think it would be a hassle to have 2 logical drives when I want it to hold the OS and all of my steam games.

Hyper 212+ $30
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0%3FSubscriptionId%3D19BAZMZQFZJ6G2QYGCG2%26tag%3Dsquid1240995-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB002G1YPH0

Is this better than the ZALMAN CPU cooler?

2* MSI 560 Ti OC TFII ($250*2) $500
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-PCI-Express-N560GTX-TWIN-FROZR/dp/B004JLNZXU%3FSubscriptionId%3D19BAZMZQFZJ6G2QYGCG2%26tag%3Dsquid1240995-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB004JLNZXU

6950s are supposed to be the best cards for ~$550. Do 2x 560 Ti in SLI outbench 2 6950s in CF?

HAF 922 $100
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Tower-RC-922M-KKN1-GP-Black/dp/B0026FCI2U%3FSubscriptionId%3D19BAZMZQFZJ6G2QYGCG2%26tag%3Dsquid1240995-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB0026FCI2U

Sorry, I should have said I prefer the vertical MB mount.

 

[aznshinobi]

Newegg reviews mean nothing. Do all of the reviewers on Newegg even sound competent? They're all ignorant on the subject. You have 5 Star tech guys giving a product a 1 star because it is DOA? Then you got guys saying that an HDD is fast and reliable as well as quiet after a week? How do you know an HDD is reliable after a week. And to the HDD being quiet, they say that about the WD Black but they're louder than the Samsung F3's.

2 drives can run in RAID 0. That's what I mean, that'll stack up to fit 240GB and be faster since RAID 0 partions it onto the 2 disks (SSDs) Also the Force 3's sport SF-2200 controllers which are much better than any of the Idelinx (Think that's how you spell it) and Marvell ones.

The 560 Ti's I linked are stock OC'd to be matching up to the 570. Both are good I guess, pretty close in fact, though the 6950's win in some games, but the 560 Ti OC'd in others.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/02/21/msi_n560gtx_ti_twin_frozr_ii_oc_sli_review/6
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/02/21/msi_n560gtx_ti_twin_frozr_ii_oc_sli_review/5
Your preference I suppose.

And yes, the Hyper 212+ is better.
http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2497&page=5
Just CTRL+F the Hyper 212+, it is about 2 spaces better than the CNPS9700

 

[Onus]

You'll probably want a 750W PSU for two high-end cards like that. Look for full range active PFC (no little voltage switch) and some level of 80+ certification for efficiency. Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, XFX, and Enermax/LEPA are among the better brands. The best sites for competent technical reviews of PSUs are HardwareSecrets, Jonnyguru, and HardOCP.
I have a WD Black, and it is fast, but the loudest "performance" drive I've ever owned.

 

[Timop]

^AFAIK, RAID SSDs still don't support TRIM. Plus you get the risks of RAID0. 240GB drives perform slightly better than the 120s anyways:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233182

On the GPUs, a pair of these would be better than the 560s as its OCed also, $500 too
(not much point in 2GB without the unlock):
http://www.amazon.com/HIS-Radeon-256bit-Mini-DisplayPort-H695QNT1G2M/dp/B004WZ0HPC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1309726934&sr=1-2

Heres a 2500K+Z68 combo, $320. Though theres not much point, Lucid might turn out to be interesting:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.676009

 

[aznshinobi]

^ Could you show me where 6950 1GB CF would beat 560 Ti's OC'd SLI?

 

[Timop]

^ Could you show me where 6950 1GB CF would beat 560 Ti's OC'd SLI?

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/3942/amd_radeon_hd_6950_1gb_video_card_in_crossfire/index13.html
And thats with 800Mhz clock compared to 940Mhz on the IceQs.

 

[aznshinobi]

Hmm... In certain other games, I'm seeing that 560 Ti SLI is beating out the 6950 1GB quite a bit. But some they're on par at best if not a little better. But true, that 6950 1GB isn't OC'd. Though how much of a difference are we expecting here?

 

[Timop]

Hmm... In certain other games, I'm seeing that 560 Ti SLI is beating out the 6950 1GB quite a bit. But some they're on par at best if not a little better. But true, that 6950 1GB isn't OC'd. Though how much of a difference are we expecting here?

There are games that favors Nvidia alot, though there are some AMD-favoring ones too.
The 6950 @880Mhz comes pretty close to a stock 6970, while @1000Mhz matches a 580, so 940Mhz is about the middle i guess.

 

[Timop]

Whoops, link: http://www.overclockers.com/6970-6950-iceq-turbo-review/

 

[aznshinobi]

Huh, pretty solid. I dunno, I still like the 560 Ti since OCing that would give you better temps IMO. But IMO it's personal choice. The 560 ti OCs well too and can surpass the 570 pretty well which is close to the 6970.

 

[timothy2180]

Newegg reviews mean nothing. Do all of the reviewers on Newegg even sound competent? They're all ignorant on the subject. You have 5 Star tech guys giving a product a 1 star because it is DOA? Then you got guys saying that an HDD is fast and reliable as well as quiet after a week? How do you know an HDD is reliable after a week. And to the HDD being quiet, they say that about the WD Black but they're louder than the Samsung F3's.

2 drives can run in RAID 0. That's what I mean, that'll stack up to fit 240GB and be faster since RAID 0 partions it onto the 2 disks (SSDs) Also the Force 3's sport SF-2200 controllers which are much better than any of the Idelinx (Think that's how you spell it) and Marvell ones.

The 560 Ti's I linked are stock OC'd to be matching up to the 570. Both are good I guess, pretty close in fact, though the 6950's win in some games, but the 560 Ti OC'd in others.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/02/21/msi_n560gtx_ti_twin_frozr_ii_oc_sli_review/6
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/02/21/msi_n560gtx_ti_twin_frozr_ii_oc_sli_review/5
Your preference I suppose.

And yes, the Hyper 212+ is better.
http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2497&page=5
Just CTRL+F the Hyper 212+, it is about 2 spaces better than the CNPS9700

Someone else brought up the point of TRIM with SSDs in raid 0. I've also heard the gain from RAID 0 for SSDs is not nearly as drastic as it is for HDDs. Did I hear wrong?

The Hyper 212+ is indeed better, and cheaper. Thanks for that!

 

[timothy2180]

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/3942/amd_radeon_hd_6950_1gb_video_card_in_crossfire/index13.html
And thats with 800Mhz clock compared to 940Mhz on the IceQs.

I'm reading 840 MHz on the link. Would a 940 MHz overclock be most likely successful? Also, do I not need the 2GB RAM, playing at 1920 x 1080?

840 MHz 6950s

 

[Timop]

I'm reading 840 MHz on the link. Would a 940 MHz overclock be most likely successful? Also, do I not need the 2GB RAM, playing at 1920 x 1080?

840 MHz 6950s

Whoops, got confused with 8 and 9.
However, OCCs had theirs at 1Ghz, so 950Mhz shouldn't be hard.
1080P doesn't need 2GB, unless you are extreme in term s of AA and undersampling. the 2GB parts are better chips from what I've seen and would use a bit less power.

 

[timothy2180]

Whoops, got confused with 8 and 9.
However, OCCs had theirs at 1Ghz, so 950Mhz shouldn't be hard.
1080P doesn't need 2GB, unless you are extreme in term s of AA and undersampling. the 2GB parts are better chips from what I've seen and would use a bit less power.

Ok sounds good, thanks. I switched my cards with those.

 

[aznshinobi]

Well it is true the RAID 0 speeds aren't as huge of change as HDDs. However they should run solid. Though if you're worried about the TRIM support (I'm not to storage savvy) I recommend this SSD.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227552
OR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227710
OR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233182