It's rig time!

[sagimine1]

Hello there I am new in this forum not sure this would be the appropriate area to post this.

I am planning to build a new rig by the end of this year due to budget restrain >> So I already bought the foundation for my new rig, the CoolMaster 690 11 Advanced Bay Tower. This process will be painful and slow due to the fact that the brain power I am looking for, few motherboard can support it and those that I find them in reasonable price are questionable. The Graphic processing unit is the most fundamental problem to completing this project. As usual ATI GPU doesn't have enough punch but are often stable than the O mighty Ndivia unstable mindless drone.

My plan was to get a rooming tower which I did, buy the I7(which should last 5 years or more), Instead of one GPU my is to get two GPU at decent price and performance to offset the overly expensive GPU I could not acquire. Buy a PSU that will enough firepower and stability to handle these hardware. Also put 12 gig of rams with a decent disk bay for the finishing touched.

Trouble looming my plan specially with the GPU, oh the ATI side like I stated before they are stable yet not powerful at the same time Nvidia are pushing out dated or rename product that are receiving notorious reports both from the consumer and costume manufactures. One of these report are some of the GPU have serious incompatibility issues which I DO NOT WANT TO BE PART OF.

If someone can guide with some good advice of how to go about the GPU businese, which one should I take into consideration which one should I avoid at all cost. I already which I7 I want, it is the matter of the motherboard should I consider and the size I am looking is the 1366 or something like that. I think the I7 I am looking into is the 960 the price range $250-$300. A minor issues is the PSU should I go 650 watts or 750 watts?

 

[striker410]

Hi there, welcome to the forums.

Looks like an excellent plan.

First things first. You are getting it at the end of the year, which is 5 months from now. By then, all the tech that is current will be outdated. Better to wait until then to price.

And you are a little misguided on the ATI Nvidia debate. They are now equals, with ATI getting the upper hand in the gaming sector due to more performance for the money. The driver debates are also not true anymore.

So with that said, you also don't want to look at LGA 1366. It's a dead socket, and the parts are very expensive. The $220 i5-2500k which uses LGA 1155 (current socket) often beats the $1,000 980x in gaming. It's a beast.

And finally, please fill in this form: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice but like I said, better to wait. All the advice we give now will no longer hold true.

Cheers!

 

[sagimine1]

Thank you for the fast and helpful but i must advice I must continue my search and complete this project by the end of the year. This is due to my current work will denied any free time starting around winter time. I will stay away from the LGA 1366 as you suggest but will it fit the I7 960 without difficulty or is there an alternative?

I do realize that part becoming aged and dated in the computer sector but that doesn't necessarily mean their performance will be significantly diminished. I bought this laptop about my laptop two years and it is still going on strong. I am not in the market quicky performance, I am here for durability part with ability to upkeep with most of today's game demands.

I see that you suggested that I get a stronger wattage, this area I will have to leave up to your opinion, since the PSU is technically the second in command when it comes to defining your rig.

 

[sagimine1]

An Update:

Approximate Purchase Date: Unknown at the moment due to budget constrain and availability


Budget Range: Somewhere between $900.00 - $1200.00


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Entertainment, researching(regular not heavy), etc


Parts Not Required: Camera Oo?


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Since I now reside in Alaska and already knock down most tedious part(the tower) out of the way due to shipping expense, any U.S. sell site would just and of course I am open to outside U.S. as long as the shipping isn't an arm and leg please.


Country of Origin: Fairbanks, Alaska


Parts Preferences: For GPU I am swaying more towards ATI and if needed I might look into Nvidia as well.


Overclocking: Since majority of the games I played or will be play in future will not require me to go into the extreme, overclocking is option able but swaying on the no side.


SLI or Crossfire: SLI a maybe Crossfire yes


Monitor Resolution: Since my neighbor will try to hook me up with 32' monitor its kind of hard to since with resolution will work for me.


Additional Comments: With the cool master tower the pc should be at often and wouldn't require additional cooling devices for now. As I stated with OP would I be better off with the LGA 1366 I7 or the LGA 1155 I7?

 

[striker410]

Well, You'd be best off with the i5-2500k on the LGA 1155 platform. Don't diss it just because it's an i5, and you want an i7. The 2500k has almost exactly the same specs as the i7-2600k. In fact, the only real difference is HT technology, which is really only used in heavy video editing or CAD. 2500k is the best bet, without a doubt.

As I said, LGA 1366 doesn't even need to be considered. It's too expensive for what you get. The other members will agree.

So, you need a rig capable of multi-monitor, and want to game... I suggest 6870's or 6950's in crossfire.

So, we are looking at a $1100 rig, since you need OS but have the case. I also have room for shipping.

I'll get back to you later with more stuff, just check out the stuff I suggested above.

 

[sagimine1]

The I5 and company look attractive for my project, I will abandon the I7 for now. I am no longer torn in the CPU race just need to find her a good man, any suggestion? This is CPU I have in mind and the price is attractive as ever, hopefully they will have a sale going on in the near future; http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i5-2500K-Processor-3-3GHz-LGA1155/dp/B004EBUXHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311221351&sr=8-1

I have a question regarding the 6870 or expensive 6950, am I better off with a 1 gigabyte or 2 gigabyte processing speed?

 

[striker410]

Well, the 1GB and 2GB have nothing to do with processor speed. It's Vram, which is basically the amount of textures and stuff it can load for the screens. Since you are going to be gaming with multiple screens (1080p I assume?) the 2GB might be a good idea. With your budget, we can fit 2 6950's 2GB easily if we find a site with good shipping.

For the mobo, check out Gigabyte's Z68x line. Lovely boards for the price.

I'll get back to you!

 

[sagimine1]

What is the difference Oo? They are almost the same from the look of it and the spec as well.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=Gigabyte+Z68x&um=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1639&bih=800&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=2165346175556285051&sa=X&ei=B8YrTpGXKOLeiALz8OWvAg&ved=0CH0Q8wIwBQ

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=Gigabyte+Z68x&um=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1639&bih=800&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=16393338302848888435&sa=X&ei=B8YrTpGXKOLeiALz8OWvAg&ved=0CFkQ8wIwAg

My friend suggested I go for 12gig of ram which should provided plenty of processing space for years to come. What is your input on this?

Since we got the processor and the GPU decided, possible the motherboard as well, the next big hurdle would the PSU.

 

[sagimine1]

Alright I bought the i5 2500k now but the motherboard is becoming quite a nuisance since the price I am shopping have multiple models and versions that could go for days!!! Also you stated I should go for the z68 line, I have read quite a few reviews stating z68 doesn't stack up so against the old p67 when it come to performance and options. I seen Asrock have products in my categories as well but with p67 version not the z68, I do believe they have but pricey if I recall on latest hunt.

 

[sagimine1]

Best answer selected by sagimine1.