-ken-

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Hi guys, I'm planning to build a computer with this specs :

Processor : Core i7 2600K 3.4Ghz, s1155, 8MB, GPU Core, Tray
Motherboard : Sabertooth P67 B3 s1155 Core i3/i5/i7, Intel P67, DDR3 1866, 2xPCI-E
Memory : 2x4GB G.Skill SNIPER Dual Channel DDR 3 1333mhz
Gpu : 2x GTX560 Ti 1GB DDR5 DX11 2xDVI MiniHDMI PCI-E
Sound card : Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio
Hard drive : Caviar Black 1TB 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA III WD1002FAEX
Power supply : Antec's High Current Gamer 900W Active PFC 13.5cm PSU HCG-900 (Retail)
Case : Six Hundred V2 Mid Tower Gaming Black Case

Now I have few questions :
1. Is there anything wrong with the build ?
2. Does 2x gtx 560Ti's fit into the motherboard ?
3. Do I need a sound card at all ?
4. How do you consider the build high\low end ?

Thank you :)
 

rvilkman

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1) Just one thing, blu-ray/DVD+/-RW drive missing

2) The GTX560Ti's will fit fine.

3) You don't need it, but it will give you better sound if you have a good headset or quality speakers.
Make sure it's a PCI-e x1 card though. Otherwise you won't be able to hook it up to the motherboard.
The 2nd video card will cover the PCI slot on the MB.

4) With those options, high end build. But generally mid to high end build.

Other comments:

- I assume it's not only for gaming since you are going with the i7 2600k. If it's gaming only go with i5 2500k and save $100.
- If you intend to overclock your are going to need an aftermarket HSF.
- Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB would be faster cheaper and more reliable than the one you have. SataIII is pretty much bogus with current mechanical hard drives.
- You could consider getting the sniper 1600Mhz memory, it's 5 bucks more than the 1333.

 


^+1 to all. However, I would recommend scrapping the dual GPUs and getting a better single GPU (570/6970 or a 580). There's no real point to buying 2 cards in the beginning because it limits your upgrade options. A single 580 will be a bit slower than 2x560Tis, but keep in mind that you could upgrade in a few years to 2x580s and that the 580 will still be pumping out 60+ FPS framerates on the most demanding games.
 
Also, make sure the soundcard supports Dolby Digital Live Encoding, which will support true 5.1/7.1 surround sound. Most sound cards virtualize the 5.1/7.1 sound using software.

A solid sound card is the HT Omega Striker 7.1; the drivers are a bit tricky at first like any sound card, but a few resets later they should work properly. Sounds great with my Roccat Kave 5.1 headset (6 speakers).
 

-ken-

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Where do I see the PCI-express ? at the details its only says pci-e 2.0
What is "HSF" ?
The HD have a mb 64\32\ what that means ?
 

rvilkman

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If the sound card says pci-e 2.0 then you can be pretty certain the sound card is PCI-e x1 card. I think just about all PCI-e sound cards are x1. At least the ones at newegg.

HSF = Heatsink and Fan

the 64mb and 32mb are Cache sizes. While a bigger cache usually helps, it's no guarantee that a bigger cache makes the drive faster in normal desktop use.
 
Sound cards are either PCI-E x1 or PCI; there aren't any cards that can really use even a PCI-E x1 slot to its fullest.

In response to the cache - the F3 gets its speed from its platter density, but has a lower cache (32MB) than most other "high performance" hard drives like the WD Black. That's why the WD Blacks aren't as fast, even though it uses the SATA III standard - WD's platter density is lower than Samsung's.
 

-ken-

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No, the 2.0 is the video card so still its PCI - E 1x ?
 
The GPUs are all PCI-E x16. The sound cards are x1.

I don't believe anybody makes PCI-E x16 1.X cards anymore; they're all 2.0 or 2.1 now, and 3.0 is coming probably next year. They're all compatible with one another, but all boards made now are PCI-E 2.0 or 2.1, which are basically the same.
 

-ken-

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the motherboard has 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (single at x16 or dual at x8/x8 mode)‎
‎ 3 x PCIe 2.0 x1‎
‎ 1 x PCI‎

So whats that mean ? can I still use 2 gpu's with PCI-E x16 ? I'm bit confused.
 
That means you have 2 PCI-E x16 that will run at x8/x8 speeds on each slot (required minimum for SLI; Crossfire will run at x16/x4), 3 PCI-E x1 slots, and 1 PCI slot.

Don't know why they threw in the "PCI E 2.0" part though - it won't affect anything because PCI-E is an industry standard.
 

rvilkman

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Yes you can, the x8/x8 mode is due to the limits of the controller on the intel CPU. So it lets you run a single card at x16 or share that amount of bus with 2 cards hence the x8/x8.
As long as it fits in the physical connector you are fine, and in this case the physical connectivity is still x16 for both slots.

Currently the x8 is enough to run a graphics card. The difference between running a card at x16 vs x8 is 2-3%. So in practice they are the same.
 

-ken-

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Here is the final build :

Processor : Core i7 2600K 3.4Ghz, s1155, 8MB, GPU Core, Tray
Motherboard : Sabertooth P67 B3 s1155 Core i3/i5/i7, Intel P67, DDR3 1866, 2xPCI-E
Memory : 8 GB Corsair Vengeance Dual Channel CL9-9-9-24
Graphic card : Asus GTX580 1536MB GDDR5 DX11 2xDVI Mini HDMI PCI-E
Hard drive : samsung 1TB EcoGreen F2 32MB SATA II HD103SI
power supply : Antec High Current Gamer 900W Active PFC 13.5cm PSU HCG-900 (Retail)
Case : Antec Twelve Hundred V3 The Unbeatable Gaming Case

Processor cooler : Corsair Hydro H70 High Performance Dual-Fan Liquid CPU Cooler

Only left to ask at the market if everything fits and buy :)
The whole build costs about 2200 USD, Since I live in Israel the hardware is expensive... In U.S it will be cheaper.
any final thoughts ?

Thanks for the help :)
 

vextastic

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No, that drive is still Eco Green, if you want to spend your money on something fast and worth the money, get the Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ. Is that the only GTX580 available to you? You should look for MSI GTX580 Lightning, since imo it's the best 580 out there at the moment, considering cooling, noise and overclocking potential.
 

-ken-

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yea asus gtx 560 is the only available... and there isn't "Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ"
The market that I buy from have the hard drives from western digital\hitachi\seagate and samsung... can you suggest other HDD ? 1TB will be enough for me.
Whats the difference between ecogreen\blue\black ?
How do I use SSD with the hard drive ? so I could see the date on both without changing between.

thank you.
 

rvilkman

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Since the preferred one is not available, get western digital black WD1002FAEX 1TB instead. ( Generally Western digital black 1TB the model numbers vary a bit )

Black is optimized for performance
Blue is for budget builds.
Green is optimized for temperature and power.