Some Final Advice or Ideas on Gaming build

[J-dub86]

Getting ready to place the order and was just looking for some final advice. compatibility, ideas to get a little cheaper, wanted to make sure the gpu will fit in the case comfortably, etc. Please take a look and tell me what ya think

Budget Range: Close as possible to $1000 or less

Approximate Purchase Date: within a week

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Watching movies, music and web surfing. Would like to keep the functionality of a z68 chipset

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

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences: Nvidia

Overclocking Yes

SLI: Yes Down the road

Monitor Resolution 1920x1080



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CPU: Intel 15 2500k

Mobo: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 $124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

GPU: MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

MEMORY: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314 Edit: Fixed this link too lol was in the after work daze when i did these xD

CPU cooling:COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

CASE: COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196

PSU: Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-900 900W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371050 EDit: fixed the psu link

SSD: Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448

CD/DVD DRIVE: LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

Build Price ends up being $1321.88

 

[kajabla]

A 750W PSU would do for two Tis, like a TX750W.

 

[inzone]

Nice PSU , although you could drop down to an Antc High Current 750 and save a little there ,Newegg has one for 179.99 with a $25 rebate to make it 154.99. I did click on your link for that PS and it says not available. Other than that it looks like a decent system.

 

[J-dub86]

would the 750W psu work ok with though with OCing the i5 and SLI 560ti's? without stressing anything?

 

[madchemist83]

probably not. u'll need some high quality 850W at least to be sure and not use 90% of ur PSU power

 

[kajabla]

Why would there be a problem with using 90% of the PSU's potential?
If that's not a problem (I don't see why it would be, but please enlighten me) then 750W will be fine.

 

[boiler1990]

probably not. u'll need some high quality 850W at least to be sure and not use 90% of ur PSU power

A quality 750W PSU is recommended for an i5-2500K + SLI 560Tis (650W for one 560Ti), because it gives the PSU enough headroom so that it's not running at a high % of its maximum power rating. However, if you have to up the voltage on the CPU when OCing (most likely), then 750W may not be enough to maintain that headroom, and an 850W is probably the way to go.

Why would there be a problem with using 90% of the PSU's potential?
If that's not a problem (I don't see why it would be, but please enlighten me) then 750W will be fine.

You don't want to run a PSU really above 80% because you 1) lose the maximum efficiencies of the PSU, and B) begin to stress the PSU to the point where you start shortening its life (good PSUs run anywhere from 4-7 years). 80+ efficiency certifications are taken around 50-65% of the maximum power rating because that is where the power supply is the most efficient. You can run a system at 90% of the PSU's power, but you can expect to replace it within a short period of time.

 

[madchemist83]

Cause it will reduce ur PSU lifespan and efficiency
the best efficiency achieved when ur PSU running at ~60%

 

[boiler1990]

CPU: Intel 15 2500k

Mobo: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 $124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157271

Obvious choice for the CPU, and great mobo pick. The ASRock boards are gaining significant popularity (for good reason), and the Extreme3 Gen3 is one of the cheapest SLI capable boards.

GPU: MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127565

In all honesty, a reference 560Ti design will work well, and will cost less. Also, the Frozr cooler designs don't perform well temperature-wise, because the cooler actually dissipates too much heat onto the bottom card in the SLI setup. A reference card will pull air from the case and exhaust it out the expansion slots, which will keep both cards sufficiently cool.

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] gwp6a1x22x

Best choice for a hard drive right now.

MEMORY: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231314

Not sure which kit this is (broken link), but make sure you get the 1600MHz kit @ 1.5V. The 1333 MHz kit will perform well too, so you can trim some of the budget here if you have to.

CPU cooling:COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103065

The Hyper 212+ is a great cooler and should serve you well.

CASE: COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119196

The HAF 912 is also a good case, and is anywhere from $10-20 cheaper than this.

PSU: Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-900 900W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371050 EDit: fixed the psu link

If you plan on going with SLI 560Tis, you may as well stick with this. It's a great PSU for the price and will easily handle an OCed i5 + SLI 560Tis.

SSD: Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820148448

This eats up a big chunk of change. I would recommend either scrapping this (if you must stay under $1000) or dropping down to a 64GB if you really want to keep the SSD. W7 takes up about 30GB after updates, so you can fit a few programs that you use often on the SSD (I have Office 2010 on mine, and all my other games/programs on a 1TB Hitachi). I have about 17GB free because I disabled my RAM caching and hibernation storage on the SSD, and my games load very quickly even though I have a slow HDD. The only game I've had loading problems with is Shogun 2, but everybody is having the same problems.

Build Price ends up being $1321.88

Are you willing to spend that much? If not, you have some serious trimming to do.

 

[J-dub86]

Quote :

MEMORY: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231314



Not sure which kit this is (broken link), but make sure you get the 1600MHz kit @ 1.5V. The 1333 MHz kit will perform well too, so you can trim some of the budget here if you have to.

lol fixed the link, thanks. it is the 1600 1.5v

Quote :

Build Price ends up being $1321.88


Are you willing to spend that much? If not, you have some serious trimming to do.

after setting my original budget i ended up getting some side work so figured I'd toss the cash at the SSD

 

[Wamphryi]

That is a good build. As far as the PSU goes I never knew anyone who suffered issues because their PSU was to powerful. I installed the very GPU you are looking at into my system a couple of weeks ago and my Corsair 620 Watt started failing under load and my Rig started warm booting at random.

 

[J-dub86]

That is a good build. As far as the PSU goes I never knew anyone who suffered issues because their PSU was to powerful. I installed the very GPU you are looking at into my system a couple of weeks ago and my Corsair 620 Watt started failing under load and my Rig started warm booting at random.

ouch that sucks.

The HAF 912 is also a good case, and is anywhere from $10-20 cheaper than this.

Think i will go with the HAF 912. I had my mind set on the scout because of the side window and the led fans, then i realized the tower is going to be sitting down in the lower part of a computer desk where no one can even see the side window. Plus i can buy a led fan down the road if i want.

 

[boiler1990]

after setting my original budget i ended up getting some side work so figured I'd toss the cash at the SSD

That makes more sense. If it's worth it to you, get the bigger SSD. Otherwise, you could put some amount of it into the GPU and upgrade to the 570.

 

[J-dub86]

I know the Msi twin frzr 560ti OC is suppose to perform at the same level as a 570ti but the 570ti OC should perform at at the 580 level Correct? so what yould be the better overall rig a 560ti OC with a 128gb SSD or a 570ti OC with a 64gb SSD?

 

[Wamphryi]

You are far better off with a 128 GB SSD. 64 GB is to small. I have a 128 GB SSD and it has 10 GB free and I have already uninstalled stuff. If you need to drop to a 560 Ti to obtain the larger SSD then do it IMHO.

 

[boiler1990]

You are far better off with a 128 GB SSD. 64 GB is to small. I have a 128 GB SSD and it has 10 GB free and I have already uninstalled stuff. If you need to drop to a 560 Ti to obtain the larger SSD then do it IMHO.

It just depends on how you use it. If you're a photo/video editor that regularly uses the entire Adobe CS5 suite, and other programs like Sony Vegas and Maya, then yes a bigger SSD makes more sense. But if you're just looking for a boot drive that can hold one or two major programs then a 64GB is all you really need. I have 17GB free on my SSD (recently got rid of the 12GB hyberfile.sys and my 16GB RAM cache).

 

[kajabla]

I know the Msi twin frzr 560ti OC is suppose to perform at the same level as a 570ti but the 570ti OC should perform at at the 580 level Correct? so what yould be the better overall rig a 560ti OC with a 128gb SSD or a 570ti OC with a 64gb SSD?

There's no such thing as a 570 Ti. The Ti label has been applied only to the 560 and 550. That OCed 560 Ti might perform at the level of some reference gtx 570s, as the Ti already puts its performance between the normal 560 and 570, but no OCed 570 can hit the level of a 580, just as no OCed 560 (no Ti) can hit the level of any 570.

 

[boiler1990]

There's no such thing as a 570 Ti. The Ti label has been applied only to the 560 and 550. That OCed 560 Ti might perform at the level of some reference gtx 570s, as the Ti already puts its performance between the normal 560 and 570, but no OCed 570 can hit the level of a 580, just as no OCed 560 (no Ti) can hit the level of any 570.

Given how well the 570 performs in relation to the 580, I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few lucky 570 owners that can match a 580's performance with their 570. I definitely would not count on being able to, but I'd still say it's possible.

I remember that my SLI GTX 460s could OC past SLI 470 performance. In hindsight I should have stuck with them instead of upgrading to the 470s because the 470s were poor OCers and overheated whenever I tried. I don't know if the 570 is in a similar situation.

 

[J-dub86]

So I'm going to go with the crucial 64gb ssd since i mainly want it for a boot drive and 1 or 2 games and the MSI N570GTX Twin Frozer ii OC.

The only problem left is the cheap skate in me wont let me hit submit order

 

[madchemist83]

Then just skip SSD and u can allways get it on Black friday or cyber monday and just pop it in

 

[kajabla]

^I disagree on that. You could save, oh, maybe even $25 or $30, though it would probably be more like $10 or $20, but it wouldn't be worth the time and effort it would take to get the OS onto the SSD, not to mention fighting the crowds to get the thing.

 

[boiler1990]

^I disagree on that. You could save, oh, maybe even $25 or $30, though it would probably be more like $10 or $20, but it wouldn't be worth the time and effort it would take to get the OS onto the SSD, not to mention fighting the crowds to get the thing.

Agreed. You'd have to do a reinstallation of everything in less than a month.

 

[J-dub86]

I got the order in and am anxiously awaiting delivery.

Thanks guy for the advice. I've found I've learned quite a bit from everyone since i found Tom's hardware

 

[madchemist83]

^
^
Whatever.
That's what cyber mondays r for if u don't whanna stand in line.
So what if u reinstall everything in a months? big deal

 

[boiler1990]

^
^
Whatever.
That's what cyber mondays r for if u don't whanna stand in line.
So what if u reinstall everything in a months? big deal

It's quite a hassle - you have to format the 1TB storage drive so it can be used for data, so anything on that drive is gone. Sure, you can backup some of the stuff, but I hate sitting for an hour waiting for AutoCAD 2012 and several hours for all of my Steam games. If you're only going to save some pocket change, it's really not worth the trouble.
I bet the SSDs on sale will sell out too, so waiting for a discount would be rendered a moot point.

I got the order in and am anxiously awaiting delivery.

Thanks guy for the advice. I've found I've learned quite a bit from everyone since i found Tom's hardware

Congrats Let us know if you hit any problems that we might be able to help with (just post in this thread).