[New Build] Trying to trim the fat from my new build

[shuvool]

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next 3 months

Budget Range: Not really concerned here....we'll say under $6000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming while simultaneously surfing the internet

Parts Not Required: everything needed, full build

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences: Trying to steer clear of "bargain brands"

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200


Additional Comments: Looking for raw gaming power and longevity here. Old computer is gone and currently have no components, so starting from scratch. I have a list below, but although it is within my budget, I can't help but think I'm being wasteful when I see others posting sub $2000 gaming builds, so I would like some help "trimming the fat". There are a few things on this list I am flexible with (don't care about AMD vs nVidia) and some I am not (2 displays is a must, so is an unlocked cpu and a huge SSD)

OS - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
MS Office - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116856
CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131730
SSD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148443
HDD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245
RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231440
VGA (2 for SLI) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130687
Sound Card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132013
PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171055
Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119225
aftermarket cpu cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
card reader - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820176021
keyboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823114012
game pad - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126050
mouse - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153064
120hz monitor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001473
Secondary monitor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001473
headset - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826158081
speakers - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121048
BD Burner - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136226
Wireless Router (for wifi for the rest of the house, not really for the computer, but buying at the same time - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320038

*edit - spelling and updated product links*

 

[rolli59]

For gaming as the main object start by dropping down to I5 2500K and just 1 set of ram (8GB is plenty)

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

Right now with games very few of them can take advantage of more than 3 threads because of this the hyper-threading on the Intel Core i7-2600K has very little value in a gaming system. Since the only differences between the Intel Core i7-2600K and the Intel Core i5-2500K is that the i7-2600K has hyper-threading, 2MB more cache and 100MHz faster clock speed. All of these differences lead to very little performance advantage for the Intel Core i7-2600K in a gaming system.

Also the memory that you have select is rated at 1.65v. With the 2nd generation Intel Core processor you want to make sure that the memory that you select is rated at 1.5v ±5%. Using 1.65v memory can damage your processor and void your warranty.

If you can give up the ability to call Microsoft for technical support you can pick up the OEM version of Windows 7 ultimate http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116997.

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[mauler184]

Ohh boy here we go

Drop the 2600k get the 2500k instead.
Get OEM OS.
One set of 8gb 1600 is more then enough. heck, you could get 16gb of 1333 for the price of 8gb of 2133 (which isnt noticable in a gaming rig)
The thermaltake psu link isnt working may i suggest http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171055 or even http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171055

For the fans do you really need 7 fans in your system? Will they fit? Try like an extra 2
GReat keyboard and gamepad and gpu

sweet looking card reader, mouse, monitors

The Speakers are Sweet!

With all the money saved above, why not step up to a more expensive/better headset. (Logitech Thermaltake etc)

for the BD burner get this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136226 itll save sooo much $

Well i hope this helped! put up screenshots and show off this monster

Add me on steam so we can play mauler184

 

[Zenthar]

Many things were already mentionned, but here some additional considerations:
■Windows 7 Home Premium is usually enough for everyone (if you can't name a feature of Ultimate you need, you don't need it )
■Case is nice, but do you really need THAT big, I mean even the HAF X is made to be able to hold extended ATX MB that can hold 4 video cards...
■For the monitors, if you don't want/need 3D, I would suggest you get two Dell Ultrasharp, the new U2412M looks very nice and is 1920x1200, not 1920x1080.
■If, by any chance, you are a student (a very rich one it seems ), you can probably get the 100$ student deal on MS Office Pro
■For the cooler, for that price I would get the Noctua NH-D14, but it is probably much bigger
■For the SSD, if you are to invest that much in one, I would get the Crucial M4 instead; you will risk far less issues that the Vertex (go on the OCZ forum and look at the 40+ pages long threads about freezing and BSOD PCs, I have one without issues, but I don't even dare updating the firmware because of that); moreover, with the latest firmware, the M4 got a performance boost that puts it very close to the V3 (see review).
■For the HDD, if you only need it for storage, 2TB "Green" drives like the Samsung F4 would be much cheaper and not much slower (or get 3 in RAID5 to have both speed and HW failure safety, but it will cost a bit more)

 

[4745454b]

And seeing as no one has mentioned it, if you want to go 3D, dump the 6970s. You'll want nvidia video cards.

 

[addison]

Well you can wait for AMD bulldozer...

 

[addison]

And seeing as no one has mentioned it, if you want to go 3D, dump the 6970s. You'll want nvidia video cards.

Why should he buy nvidia? What does ATI have that nivida doesn't.

 

[4745454b]

The ability to do 3D. The 6970s have it in name only.

 

[Outlander_04]

You can max out any game at 1920 x 1080 with a $2000 computer

 

[vigilante212]

Those monitors are great for 2d, but don't buy them if you want 3d. Also the battery in the glasses dies within a few hours non rechargeable, watch battery.

 

[addison]

The ability to do 3D. The 6970s have it in name only.

3d is useless.

 

[Zenthar]

3d is useless.

Then those 2 monitors are close to useless too; that is why I recommended the U2412M instead.

 

[addison]

Yeah freakin 500$ for a monitor is redicoulous, plus it will strain your eyes. Get a normal monitor.

 

[4745454b]

While you and I would agree with that, the OP and others don't. If he wants to go 3D, that's his choice. I was just saying if you want 3D your better off with Nvidia video card. I'd keep what he has and go Eyefinity myself. But others would want 3D.

 

[Outlander_04]

Im wondering how bad a game has to be for you to want to web surf while you play it

 

[addison]

I personally think that 3d is useless, messes up your eye's and gives you head aches.

 

[shuvool]

Ok, swapped out the 2600K for a 2500K, since I can't think of any instances where I would need more than 4 threads running at once.

Swapped the 6970's for GTX570's, which raised the price by $20 each, but 3d is my goal.

Since the goal is 3d, I stuck with the 23" 950's, although the price is not correct, I will be getting those seperately via employee discount site at $500, so I guess that's $77 off each?

Not a student, so no student discount for me

Swapped the OCZ SSD for the Crucial one

Swapped the Hitachi HDD for the Samsung one

Swapped the Asus BD burner for the LG one, and the Thermaltake PSU went away in favor of the Crucial one. Also, ditched the Corsair case for the Cooler Master one (had more fans and $100 cheaper)

Traded the OC RAM for some 1333 and went from 4x4GB to 2x4GB

Upgraded the headset from the Fata1ity to the Pro Series Fata1ity headset. Looks more comfortable for those all nighters

Chose the OEM version of ultimate. Going with ultimate for EFS/Bitlocker. Other than keeping my data private, I don't see any reason why I couldn't use Home Premium, but I would like to keep my data private, and doing it as part of the OS seems the easiest way to do that.

Looks like all those changes dropped the price below $4300, thanks!

I think that covered all of the suggestions

As far as how bad a game has to be for me to want to surf the web while playing, I think you misunderstood my intent. I wish to be able to use the second monitor to do things like look up a boss strat for an MMO, dial up a buddy on Skype, see and reply to IM's, and log onto a couple of websites if need be

 

[4745454b]

You don't need a 3d monitor for that right? Drop it down to a normal one?

There are programs that can do what bitlocker does for free. Just something to consider.

 

[Zenthar]

Chose the OEM version of ultimate. Going with ultimate for EFS/Bitlocker. Other than keeping my data private, I don't see any reason why I couldn't use Home Premium, but I would like to keep my data private, and doing it as part of the OS seems the easiest way to do that.

Just a note here as I'm not sure how bitlocker works, bit it is possible that using encryption will significantly reduce the amount of data you can recover if you get Windows issues so backup, backup and backup. I just though I should say so as security rarely comes without a price.

 

[mauler184]

Good call op!

 

[obsidian86]

too much over kill psu

this is a great deal right now

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371053

 

[g-unit1111]

I don't think I'd trust that e-card reader with that low of a rating. Check this one out instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820176021

And the case is huge, you could do with something like an Antec 300 or Cooler Master HAF 912/Centurion 5, and still come out ahead.

And the after-market cooler - the Cooler Master Hyper 212 is 1/3 the price of that Zalman fan, and with a second 120mm fan attached, you still come out to around $40 for it, and it's 1/2 the cost.

Oh and you don't need all the features of Ultimate unless you plan to run more than 16GB of RAM (overkill), huge RAID arrays (also overkill), and tons of other stuff you don't really need.

And those monitors are major overkill - you're paying nearly $1,000 for displays when you could get 2 24" 60hz monitors for $300 and still get the job done, or you could even get a really nice 46" LED edge-to-edge display for that! Heck, my Acer 24" display has been pretty consistent for nearly two years and hasn't failed on me yet!

 

[shuvool]

I like the card reader you suggested, but I am unsure about going with a smaller case. I like large cases since they have a lot more space for airflow inside. I don't really have a reason for not going from the Zalman cooler to a Cooler Master cooler, so I'll take a look at that. As mentioned earlier, I only care about Ultimate for the EFS/Bitlocker aspect, although as someone else already mentioned, there are free alternatives, so I guess I could save around a hundred bucks going with Home Premium. As far as the monitors, what would you suggest to fill the following criteria: 2 displays, 120hz refresh rate, minimum of 23". I prefer Samsung for reasons mentioned earlier.

 

[4745454b]

If you like that 3D monitor go for it. The only issue I see is that you are buying 2 when you only want one 3D screen. Buy some normal 2D monitor that looks similar and use it for the stuff on the side like you want. No point in spend a couple hundred extra when you don't need to.