New Build for BF3, Skyrim ($1000 - $1500 budget)

that motherboard cant support sli. id go for this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

heres a good cpu ram combo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

you will want 850w for gtx 570 sli:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

First off, if you're planning on building in a few months, then you may as well wait for the Bulldozer release. It's unlikely that it'll match Intel's performance, but prices may adjust and there are rumors of new CPUs being released around the Bulldozer launch.

That aside, the i5-2500K is the right direction and what we'd all recommend for gaming.



This is a pretty bare board - I'd recommend a solid Z68 board like the ASRock Extreme3 Gen3, one of the Gigabyte UD3-Z68 boards, or an Asus z68 board (a bit pricey though).


Personally I've never used the Loki. I've had great experiences with the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ and it's only $30.


Go for the DDR3-1600 set. The Cas Latency 8 set is a little bit faster, but you won't really notice it (I have the Ripjaws X DDR3-1600 CL9).


With a budget of $1500, I can't imagine why you wouldn't go with the GTX 580, and you might have money left over to put toward the second one. At 1920x1080, the 580 is the best single card option, and since you plan on going SLI, you'd be better off SLI-ing the best cards rather than middle range ones.

I'd get the standard 1.5GB VRAM vs 3GB VRAM model, since the extra VRAM really only helps with multiple display setups (NVidia Surround).


Talk you out of a full-tower? That's crazy. A full tower is where it's at. I love my Raven RV02, and would love a FT02 if I could afford it. The HAF series is known for good cooling as well.


For SLI 580s, you should be looking at a 900W+ or at the least a good 850W (HX/AX 850). That'll give you headroom to keep the PSU running at low loads (increases lifespan of the PSU).

Motherboard : Change to Z68. ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 is a great option.

GPU : Get 2GB version of the HD 6950 and flash it with 6970's firmware, and bingo! you have a 6970!

RAM and CPU is OK!

CPU Cooler : I recommend the newly released CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo. Costs $35, Solid Cooler!

Case is OK.

If you plan to SLI/Crossfire later, I'd recommend a quality 850W unit. Corsair HX850 V2 is a great PSU.

Alrighty, a quick update thanks to everyone's suggestions! Also, I want to say that my budget is more around the $1,000 plus maybe a couple hundred more...

Anyway, here's how she looks now:

PARTS:

Mobo: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3

CPU: Intel i5 2500K

CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X 2x 4GB DDR3 1600 CL9

Graphics: EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-AR GeForce GTX 570 1GB Look below for question on this.

Optical: LITE-ON Black 4X BD-ROM

Case: Cool Master HAF 932

Power: Corsair HX850

008Rohit suggested of getting the HD 6950 and flashing the firmware to make a 6970. This seems to be a cheaper and possibly better option than the 570?

I would like to hear some other people discuss this, what do you all think? Stick with the SLI 570's or Crossfire 6950's?

flashing the 6950 is now pretty unreliable. And of course if something goes wrong, the manufacturer most likely won't replace the card. 6950 would be better for higher resolutions, as it has 2 gb of vram, so if you plan on getting more monitors it would be a better choice

I don't plan on doing multiple monitors, I have a Samsung 26" and like I said, it maxes out at 1920 x 1200.

Even so, I guess the question still is Crossfire 6950 vs SLI 570?

If you're at 1920x1200, get a better card than the 6950. It does well in terms of price vs performance at that resolution, but the 570 > 6950 at this resolution. If it were a choice between 6950s and 560Tis, I'd vote for the 6950s in that case.

The only real advantage of the 6950s is the additional VRAM with the 2GB model for multiple displays, but since you're not planning on it, it doesn't make much sense.


Also, note that in order to play blu-ray movies (if that's what you intend to do), you'll need playback software. I've used Cyberlink's PowerDVD 10 Ultra and it was great - it has a good interface and was easy to pick up from the start.

@ OP

Check this.

www.dailytech.com/Get+Radeon+HD+6970+for+Price+of+HD+69...

i5 2500K + MSI 560 Ti TFII OC $449 ($20 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...
Corsair 8GB DDR3 1600 $48
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
OCZ ZS 750w $90 ($25 MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Asrock Extreme3 Gen3 Z68 $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Seagate 1TB + Lite-On DVD drive $68
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...
HAF 922 $90
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Tower-RC-922M-KKN1-...
Hyper 212 Evo $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Crucial M4 64gb $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Total: $1000 before rebates

MSI 560 Ti TFII OC (Equals 570) review:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2011/01/27/ms...
OC it a little more to 900mhz and it'll surpass the 570.