1500$Gaming Build

[Andy34]

This is going to be my first build aiming to get the parts by September-November depending if new hardware comes out. Amd build will upgrade to bulldozer,crossfire X,OC. Long Post Alert.

Approximate Purchase Date: within 2-3 months

Budget Range: aiming for $1400-$1600

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming,Cryengine3,web surfing, school work

Parts Not Required: no mouse or keyboard

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg

Country of Origin: US

Parts Preferences: no preference

Overclocking: yes

SLI or Crossfire: yes

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080,

Here is what i am ordering, suggestions would be helpful preferably on case, mobo,ram, and cooling. Also the GPU i want isn't in stock so suggestions on that are welcome.If better or equal parts are mentioned at lower prices may consider Crossfired 6970.

Burner http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827135204

Thermal paste http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16835608008

Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811119225

RAM and Mobo combo http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.693592

PSU and HardDrive combo http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.707984

CPU and CPU Cooler combo http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.710788

GPU CrossfireX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814102951

Other GPU considerations http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150548

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102929

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161372

 

[Why_Me]

How about upgrade to the new 22nm Ivy Bridge cpu's due out this spring ?

The board down below not only has the NF200 bridge (runs dual cards @ x16), but it also has the new PCI-E 3.0 slots for the 22nm Ivy Bridge cpu's due out next spring. That case is large...check the specks on it, and seeing how that board comes with a black bezel that includes 2 x 3.0 USB ports and 2.5" SSD bracket your future proofed in that regard. That XFX psu down below is manufactured by Seasonic for XFX as is most Corsairs. It was $10 cheaper at that site vs newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197 $99.99 - $89.99 after mail-in rebate FREE SHIPPING $10 off with promo code haf922deal, ends 8/31
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Computer-Cooling-R4-LUS-07AR-GP/dp/B002LE8BJA/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1314731522&sr=1-4 $14.76 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master Computer Case Cooling R4-LUS-07AR-GP 200mm Red LED Case Fan

http://xfxforce.com/en-us/Products/PSU/Pro-Series/750W-PSU.aspx?product=34605 $119.99
XFX PRO750W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80Plus Silver 750 Watt Power Supply

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-Z68E7G3 $287.99
ASRock Z68 EXTREME7 GEN3/ Intel Z68/ DDR3/ Quad CrossFireX & Quad SLI/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&2GbE/ ATX Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.694806 $264.98 FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G1YPH0/ref=s9_bbs_gw_d2_g23_ir01?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-7&pf_rd_r=0PW1BJ3V39QB4YRS51W8&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938451&pf_rd_i=507846 $27.67 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1314750116&sr=1-1 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Samsung Desktop Class Spinpoint F3 1 TB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 32 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare-OEM Drives, HD103SJ

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106334 $19.99 FREE SHIPPING
LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS-324-98B

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055Y66A4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER $264.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Sapphire DIRT 3 EDITION Radeon HD 6950 2 GB DDR5 DL-DVI-I/SL-DVI-D/HDMI/DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 100312-3SR

Total: $ 1,160.35 *not including shipping, rebates, and promo codes

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=CT128M4SSD $187.99 Free Shipping
Crucial M4 2.5 inch 128GB SATA3 Solid State Drive(MLC) - CT128M4SSD2

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157269 <----- That board on newegg

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z68%20Extreme7%20Gen3 <---- A better look at that board. Scroll down towards the bottom of the page to see the black 2 x 3.0 USB bezel w/2.5" SSD bracket

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ImageGallery.aspx?CurImage=13-157-269-Z05&SpinSet=13-157-269-RS&ISList=13-157-269-Z01%2c13-157-269-Z02%2c13-157-269-Z03%2c13-157-269-Z04%2c13-157-269-Z05&S7ImageFlag=1&Item=N82E16813157269&Depa=0&WaterMark=1&Description=ASRock%20Z68%20Extreme7%20Gen3%20LGA%201155%20Intel%20Z68%20HDMI%20SATA%206Gb%2fs%20USB%203.0%20ATX%20Intel%20Motherboard <----- You can see it on there also.

http://www.asrock.com/microsite/PCIe3/index.html <---- PCI-E 3.0 for Intel Ivy Bridge due out next spring.

http://www.asrock.com/microsite/IntelZ68/index.asp <----- Z68 features

http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6606 <------ A better look at that case

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html <---- Toms showed with this review here last week that those boards (NF200 bridge x16 & x16) help to reduce micro stutter

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/crucial-m4-ssd-firmware-update,13314.html <----- Crucial M4 Firmware update

 

[boiler1990]

I'd recommend the GTX 580 if you're gaming at 1920x1080. It's the best single card at that resolution, and with a good board can be SLIed with up to 3 cards. Some games do favor NVidia cards over AMD cards, so that may be something to keep in mind.

That said, my 6950 2GB is a great card and it games very well at 1920x1080. Only in intense games like Arma 2 do I experience framerates below 60FPS (average about 43 in Arma). I would highly recommend 6950/6970s for multi-monitor setups (which are great for schoolwork, I might add )

Why_Me has some very good recommendations up there, and obviously your power supply and motherboard choice will vary based on the number of GPUs you want and the features that will be most useful to you.

 

[Andy34]

Hmm Why_Me does have some good points but I'm uneasy on spending 300$ on a mobo.Edit: Will this mobo run the RadeonHD7000 series when they come out using PCI 3.0? Ugh so many edits.

 

[boiler1990]

You'll need an Ivy Bridge CPU, but yes, it will support PCI-E 3.0. It's expensive because it can support 3 GPUs in CF/SLI. A good alternative is the Extreme3 or Extreme4 Gen3.

 

[Andy34]

Can you elaborate on Ivy bridge CPUs, I don't know much about Intel.I was originally planing on a AMD build but considering that they don't have pci3.0 mobos yet I might just end up with Intel.Also any info on how Bulldozers will fair against Ivy Bridge any specs on either?Edit: Can you also explain Sandy bridge-e?

 

[Why_Me]

Can you elaborate on Ivy bridge CPUs, I don't know much about Intel.I was originally planing on a AMD build but considering that they don't have pci3.0 mobos yet I might just end up with Intel.Also any info on how Bulldozers will fair against Ivy Bridge any specs on either?Edit: Can you also explain Sandy bridge-e?

Ivy Bridge is the new 22nm chips due out in April/May. It's estimated that those chips will o/c at or near 6.0Ghz. Small die, and run cool and will support features such as PCI-E 3.0.

 

[boiler1990]

I'm betting the Sandy Bridge architecture is stil going to hold off Bulldozer - AMD hasn't made any astounding changes to the way their CPUs work. Ivy bridge will most likely be much faster, and more CPU than you'll need for gaming for a very long time...

 

[Andy34]

Ok what I am getting: http://s1097.photobucket.com/albums/g347/Andy343434/

 

[boiler1990]

You may want to consider the 6970s instead of the 6950s. You have enough money to at least afford one, and it'll hold you over until you can make up the difference for the second one. My 6950 plays almost everything @ 60+ FPS, so the 6970 will be plenty until you get a second.

 

[Andy34]

Can't I just buy flashable 6950s to save money I was thinking CF these if they come back in stock, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102951. Or if you know any other website thats also sells these.

 

[boiler1990]

No cards is guaranteed to flash, and even if they do, they may not be stable (my MSI reference wasn't). Plus a 6970 will always beat a flashed 6950.

 

[Andy34]

In that case I'll go with one 6970, these are my choices for a 6970

- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127581

- Will it still be x16 x16 although this takes 3 slots http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121430

- the 6970 version of the 6950 i was going to get ppl say the 6950 Version flashed and OCed beats a 6970 so I'm guessing this will be even better. http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-DL-DVI-I-SL-DVI-D-PCI-Express-100311-2SR/dp/B004PFVNIY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314902398&sr=8-2

Last question before I start ordering, Will the extreme7 be able to dual x16 pci 3 cards just a confirmation?

 

[boiler1990]

It would support x16/x16 CF using PCI-E Slots 1 & 4 (noted in the specs section on Newegg), so it could support two of the Asus 6970s. Just note that those coolers exhaust the air internally into the case, so the second GPU might heat up if they're OCed significantly. If you got dual slot cards instead of triple slot cards, they would have a gap in between for more optimal cooling.

Sapphire's AMD GPUs are very good. Just note that an OCed 6950 will beat a 6970 simply because of the hardware similarities, but an OCed 6970 > OCed 6950.

 

[Andy34]

I feel sad I'm not going with AMD for once,well I still got my hopes up they'll clean up there act by the time I will upgrade to either sandy bridge-e or a pile-driver if there on the horizon at the time. Well I guess will go with a 2 slot 6970. Thanks for all your help with the decisions.

 

[Why_Me]

I feel sad I'm not going with AMD for once,well I still got my hopes up they'll clean up there act by the time I will upgrade to either sandy bridge-e or a pile-driver if there on the horizon at the time. Well I guess will go with a 2 slot 6970. Thanks for all your help with the decisions.

Sandy Bridge-E is a hose job. It's an expensive enthusiast chip that uses a lot of juice and runs hot. Ivy Bridge is going to be where it's at if you decide to upgrade the cpu in that board.

 

[Andy34]

Best answer selected by andy34.

 

[Andy34]

[Ordering atm] Thanks Why_Me and boiler1990 for your help!!