Help Wanted: New Gaming PC

[bloodviper]

*Updated - 10-5-11*

Just wanted to thank everyone for their suggestions and help. These forums were an awesome resource to help build a great pc, thanks.

Approximate Purchase Date: This week.
Budget Range: ~$2000
System Usage from Most to Least Important: BF3 Ultra High Settings
Parts Not Required: Monitor, Speakers.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com
Country of Origin: U.S.
Parts Preferences: As described below
Overclocking: Absolutely
SLI or Crossfire: Yes
Monitor Resolution: 1920X1080
Additional Comments: Combo deals I might have missed, Quiet, cable management.
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OS Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit – OEM $140

Case Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower $280

Mobo ASRock Z68 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $200

CPU Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor $314

2 GPU w/Sli EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 ($350 ea)

PSU CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-850TX $135

RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $70

SSD Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal $197

HHD SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive $60

DVD ROM ASUS 24X DVD Burner $21

Blu-Ray LG Black Super Multi SATA WH12LS30 LightScribe Support $80

CPU Cooler CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler $120

3 140mm Case Fans Scythe Slip Stream Kaze Maru2 140 series SM1425SL12M 140mm Case Fan $39 ($13 ea)

2 120mm Case Fans Scythe SY1225SL12M 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan $28 ($14 ea)

Thermal Compound Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound $13

Keyboard Logitech 920-000914 Black USB Wired Ultra-thin Illuminated Keyboard $80

Mouse Logitech G9x Black Two modes scroll USB Wired Laser Gaming Mouse $70

Total $2,480

 

[Why_Me]

850w is total over kill for dual 6950's. Those cards eat up far less juice than the gtx 560ti's. You could even get by with a 650w psu for two of those cards. This psu down below is manufactured by Seasonic as are most Corsair psu's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207016 $129.99 - $99.99 after mail-in rebate
XFX PRO750W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80Plus Silver 750 Watt Power Supply

Some alternative cases to look at with great cooling.

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Tower-Gaming-Computer/dp/B0055Q7BR4/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1317663278&sr=1-8 $99.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case - CC-9011011-WW

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139008 <----- That same case on newegg + $20 shipping.

or...

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Tower-RC-922M-KKN1-GP-Black/dp/B0026FCI2U/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1317663278&sr=1-4 $89.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master HAF ATX Mid Tower Case, RC-922M-KKN1-GP (Black)

with...

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Computer-Cooling-R4-LUS-07AR-GP/dp/B002LE8BJA/ref=pd_sim_e1 $14.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master Computer Case Cooling R4-LUS-07AR-GP Red LED 200mm Case Fab

Get the new asrock P67 extreme 4 gen3 with the new PCI-E 3.0 slots

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265 $154.99
ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=P67%20Extreme4%20Gen3 <----- A better look at that board

http://www.asrock.com/microsite/PCIe3/ <----- PCI-E 3.0

Here's a 6950 with better cooling imo.

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=AT-6950_3R&c=FR&pid=ac296d709edc205d79155657662f0c49bf2dec9cd829caf1afd2602a834e1e69 $264.99 Free Shipping $10 off your order over $100 w/ code: DRAPER10, ends 10/3
Sapphire Radeon HD6950 2GB DDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card (Dirt3 Edition) - 100312-3SR

Here's the new and improved edition of the CM hyper 212+...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099 $34.99 FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R1 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler

*** this fan down below fits on that CM cpu cooler up above for a "push - pull" affect to lower your cpu temps even more.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-BladeMaster-Silent-R4-BMBS-20PK-R0/dp/B0030DL37I $11.06 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master BladeMaster 120mm PWM High Air Flow Silent Case Fan R4-BMBS-20PK-R0

 

[FinneousPJ]

Totally awesome. You didn't list a storage drive though. I suggest the SpinPoint 1TB.

 

[kajabla]

You can get a 128gb SSD (m4) for $200. Does this Wildfire offer any tangible performance benefits that make it worth $50 more?
^+1 Spinpoint.

 

[bloodviper]

Get the new asrock P67 extreme 4 gen3 with the new PCI-E 3.0 slots

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265 $154.99
ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard


Here's a 6950 with better cooling imo.
http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=AT-6950_3R&c=FR&pid=ac296d709edc205d79155657662f0c49bf2dec9cd829caf1afd2602a834e1e69 $264.99 Free Shipping $10 off your order over $100 w/ code: DRAPER10, ends 10/3
Sapphire Radeon HD6950 2GB DDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card (Dirt3 Edition) - 100312-3SR


Here's the new and improved edition of the CM hyper 212+...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099 $34.99 FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R1 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler

Thank you for the response,

I am curious, what is the benefit of PCI-E 3.0 Slots, if there is no available GPU cards or Ivy Bridge? Sure the Mobo is upgradeable, but let's face it, my next upgrade the mobo I decide on now will be horribly outdated.

Can anyone be more specific as to how this 6950 is better than the one I suggested?

That new CM hyper has only 3 reviews, and just looking at I'm not sure it will fit in any case that's not a full tower. Has anyone looked into this?

 

[bloodviper]

You can get a 128gb SSD (m4) for $200. Does this Wildfire offer any tangible performance benefits that make it worth $50 more?
^+1 Spinpoint.

Patriot Wildfire PW120GS25SSDR 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal
Sustained Sequential ReadUp to 555MB/s
Sustained Sequential WriteUp to 520MB/s


Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal
Sustained Sequential ReadUp to 415 MB/s
Sustained Sequential WriteUp to 175 MB/s

 

[Why_Me]

Thank you for the response,

I am curious, what is the benefit of PCI-E 3.0 Slots, if there is no available GPU cards or Ivy Bridge? Sure the Mobo is upgradeable, but let's face it, my next upgrade the mobo I decide on now will be horribly outdated.

Can anyone be more specific as to how this 6950 is better than the one I suggested?

That new CM hyper has only 3 reviews, and just looking at I'm not sure it will fit in any case that's not a full tower. Has anyone looked into this?

The gen3 board is the exact same price as the older non gen 3 board...so why wouldn't you? Not only does it give you the option to upgrade if it should ever arise, it looks better.

About the cooling on those 6950's...it's the design as in the heat pipes. If you look at the MSI twin freezer II's along with the dual fan's you will see what I'm talking about.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150549#top <----- this XFX for example.

As far as that h/s and reviews...it's new on the market. Also it's the width of a case for a fit. Take a Antec full tower and match it up against a upper end cooler master mid tower or any corsair mid tower and you will see you have more room to work with, with the cm and corsair cases. Making a case "tall" doesn't give you any more room. It's width and length.


http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&site=&source=hp&q=COOLER+MASTER+Hyper+212+EVO+review&oq=COOLER+MASTER+Hyper+212+EVO+review&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=2301l10196l0l11069l8l8l0l7l0l0l660l660l5-1l1l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=f2d1beb1c4e15df7&biw=1440&bih=775 <----- reviews of that CM h/s

 

[kajabla]

Patriot Wildfire PW120GS25SSDR 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal
Sustained Sequential ReadUp to 555MB/s
Sustained Sequential WriteUp to 520MB/s


Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal
Sustained Sequential ReadUp to 415 MB/s
Sustained Sequential WriteUp to 175 MB/s

Hm.
http://hothardware.com/Reviews/SATA-III-SSD-RoundUp-OCZ-Corsair-Patriot-Crucial/?page=11
The wildfire does benchmark better, but, quoting from above, "users would be hard pressed to “feel” or a see a perceptible difference between any of these drives in typical day-to-day use. We should also point out that the Crucial M4 offered the lowest access times and most consistent performance with highly compressible or incompressible data."
Price per gig: M4 $1.74, Wildfire $2.76.
Go with what you want, but it seems like a better deal to me.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Crucial is great because it lists the actual real life performance (random data) unlike most manufacturers (compressed data).

 

[bloodviper]

I have made some changes based on the suggestions that have been given. Thank you.

I have been looking at the different GPU's and I am still thinking that the 6950 I am looking at initially makes me feel more comfortable as it has solid reviews. The others are questionable. If anyone could shed some light on this, please do so. I am not necessarily stuck on 6950's either, thats why I have an 850w psu and a $2000 budget.

If anyone has any other build suggestions feel free to chime in. Maybe someone can explain what case they prefer of the top sellers that are listed.

 

[bloodviper]

Totally awesome. You didn't list a storage drive though. I suggest the SpinPoint 1TB.

Crucial is great because it lists the actual real life performance (random data) unlike most manufacturers (compressed data).

Yes, and yes.

 

[cutebeans]

Rather than going the dreaded dual GPU route why not just get a 6970 or just flash the 6950 to 6970 but I'm not sure if it truly works as i have not had personal experience.

 

[bloodviper]

Rather than going the dreaded dual GPU route why not just get a 6970 or just flash the 6950 to 6970 but I'm not sure if it truly works as i have not had personal experience.

I dont beleive setting up crossfire is really that hard. Buying a single overpriced GPU is not the way I'd like to go.

 

[bloodviper]

Does anyone know if this mobo will allow two 6950's to be ran at PCI-E x16/x16? Or is that exclusive to the ASRock Z68 Extreme7 Gen3?

In either case, how much of a difference are we talking about?

 

[Why_Me]

Does anyone know if this mobo will allow two 6950's to be ran at PCI-E x16/x16? Or is that exclusive to the ASRock Z68 Extreme7 Gen3?

In either case, how much of a difference are we talking about?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/p67-gaming-3-way-sli-three-card-crossfire,2910.html <----- review you should check out.

x16 & x16 is only possible on boards with the NF 200 Bridge like that asrock extreme7. Toms did a review w/benchmarks in regards to micro stutter, and it did show that the NF 200 boards helped to reduce micro stutter.

atm there's like five 1155 boards with that NF 200 bridge.

 

[bloodviper]

If the difference between x16 & x16 and x8 & x8 is irrelevant what are the benefits of getting a mobo that has NF 200 bridge capabilites?

 

[Why_Me]

If the difference between x16 & x16 and x8 & x8 is irrelevant what are the benefits of getting a mobo that has NF 200 bridge capabilites?

Other than slightly reducing micro stutter...but not by much, and being able to run a tri vid card set up...there is no advantage.

 

[bloodviper]

Other than slightly reducing micro stutter...but not by much, and being able to run a tri vid card set up...there is no advantage.

Thanks again, Why_me. Is there any consideration to be placed when talking about future upgrades? As in, this mobo vs a non NF 200 mobo. I think I read somewhere that the extreme7 is also going to be ivy bridge capable?

 

[bloodviper]

I have been examining some other cases, like this one SILVERSTONE Fortress Series FT02B-W Black Aluminum / Steel Computer Case . Has anyone ever purchased one of these? I know they are great for cable management and cooling, but would it fit dual 6950's? I also read in the reviews that some psu's would overlap the fan, how would I find out if mine was a good fit?

 

[kajabla]

I hear that it's become a lot harder - certainly not easy enough to count on - to flash 6950s. With a budget like that, you could go dual 580s pretty easily.

 

[morgoth780]

why would you go for 2gb 6950s? at 1920 x 1080 1gb cards would be fine, though if you plan on getting a tri monitor setup at some point, 2gb would be useful

 

[kajabla]

^+1. Only matters with multiple monitors.

 

[mjmjpfaff]

I have been examining some other cases, like this one SILVERSTONE Fortress Series FT02B-W Black Aluminum / Steel Computer Case . Has anyone ever purchased one of these? I know they are great for cable management and cooling, but would it fit dual 6950's? I also read in the reviews that some psu's would overlap the fan, how would I find out if mine was a good fit?

amazing cooling and one of the best cases on the market if not the best...Hence the price.
x16/x16 is not worth it for the extra $ of the motherboard and if you have a gpu stronger than a gtx 560 ti or 6950 micro stuttering isnt even present.
the crucial m4 128gb and samsung f3 1tb is the way to go.
for your build go with the hyper 212 evo at least.
CL8 ram is not worth it at that price. you will see little to no difference in ram 20$ cheaper- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416 well 30$ today.
for 6950 cf all you need is 750w. to be on the safe side i reccomend gtx 570 sli to max out BF3 though i am 95% sure that 2 6950's will max it out. that requires a 850w psu.
+1 to the p67 extreme4 gen3

 

[kajabla]

^Micro-stuttering is always present; it's just a small enough issue to be ignorable.

 

[bloodviper]

to be on the safe side i reccomend gtx 570 sli to max out BF3 though i am 95% sure that 2 6950's will max it out.

This seemed to be the consensus around these forums. Thank you for the advice.