High performance and gaming desktop- advice

[spider89nz]

Hey guys, i am new to this forum. Right now iam living in Vietnam, therefore it is pretty much impossible to get hands on a high performance working and gaming desktop. MOst shops do have all the necessary parts so i decided to let them build my desktop the way i want.
My budget would be 2000 Dollar, i mainly using it for my work but also for gaming.my desktop is supposed to be up to date for the next few years. i came up with the following:

CPU:

Intel Core i7 2600 (3,5 Ghz,8mb cache, LGA1155-Sandy Bridge) $320

( i was thinking of the i7 2600k, but the 2600k only means it comes with a video card right? but as i will buy a VGA Card seperately i wouldnt need that, is that correct? so i was thinking i can save money there. I was also told, the i5 2500 would do the job, but i want to build a up to date pc, which will last for several years.)

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13-131-753&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1
Asus p8z68 Deluxe $ 290

( i need to make sure, i will be able to connect it to 2 screens, 1 with HDMI and ONE with VGA for my work, also i am looking for a reliable motherboard, which will last for a long time. So this one had good reviews.)

Vga Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121432&Tpk=eng%20570$ 420

(will i be able to play all current and upcoming games with it? Would it be better to buy 2 cheaper VGA Cards than rather 1 good one? )

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194 $ 208

(quite like the look and had good reviews)

Power: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171057 $200

(will it be enough or to less?)

RAM;
Corsair 8gb kit bus 1600 $150 ( any recomandations?)

HArddrive:

I was told i should go for A SSD instead of an HDD. MY work requires a lot of data processing quickly, so i was thinking of putting Windows and some applications,GAmes on my SDD and all other stuff like photos,Music... on a HDD.BUt i am not so sure how to do it and even if you recommend such a solution)

As said, My budget would be around 2000 Dollar, but i dont want to waste unnecessary my money. Prices in VIetnam are more expensive as you see, but are they still resonable? IS there anything else i would need? CPU cooler? Would everything fit togehter?( they would build it for free, and give me a webcam for free, well at least sth lol. I guess i am their best customer ever .) Anything else i need to consider? i am so thankful for any respond really, i am not very good with Hardware stuff, just to let you know. Thank you

Matt

 

[ScrewySqrl]

my suggestions to you.

the -K models are overclockable. all of them come with built-in-video.

I'd suggest an SSD in *addition* to the standard hard drive

Thats said, I'll suggest the $100 cheaper 2500K use the dfifference to buy a SSD (60-64GB should be good)

the 800W PSU is a bit much for a single 570. a 600-650W PSU is all you need for one. get one from a reliable company (Antec, SeaSonic, XFX, Corsair) instead of cooler master. Cooler Master is decidedly second tier compared to the 4 I mentioned.

 

[AdrianPerry]

Ok, well firstly just to clear things up, 'K' means 'unlocked' processor, this means the CPU can be over-clocked because the multiplier is unlocked. Non-K series processors have very limited over-clock ability, if any at all.

Generally if your looking at a high-end gaming build, the K series is what your after. If the primary build usage is for gaming, id also recommend looking at the i5-2500k, its considerably cheaper, over-clocks the same (more or less exactly the same core frequency) and will perform the same in games. i7 is recommended if you use any video rendering programs that are going to make use of the Hyper Threading technology, otherwise, save yourself $100 and get the i5-2500k

Motherboard: There's not much point in paying extra for the DELUXE version unless you need the features. The ASUS P8Z68-v PRO is more than adequate. Id also recommend looking at some GEN3 motherboards, just for future expandability. ASRock Extreme4 Gen3 is a good choice here.

VGA Card: Good choice, the GTX 570 is a good card, stick with it. You might want to compare prices with the ATI 6970 - they both perform very similarly and so getting whichever one is on a cheap deal, might be worthwhile.

Case: Nice choice, this seems to be becoming more popular recently.

PSU: Good PSU, but id recommend a little different. Single GTX 570 only needs about 650w PSU, if you plan to add another GTX 570 in SLI, look slightly higher (850w+). XFX, Antec, SeaSonic, Corsair and Cooler Master Silent PRO Range are all worth considering - Modular cable type recommended.

RAM: No idea where the price of $150 came from here. G.Skill Ripjaws or Corsair Vengeance RAM 1600MHz, CL9, 1.5v are both around the $40-50 mark for 2x4GB sticks (8GB total).

HDD/SSD - You have the right idea. Grab yourself a 120GB SSD for your OS and Applications/Regularly used programs, then a 1TB HDD for your music and media storage. (Samsung SpinPoint F3, WD Caviar Black, SeaGate Barracuda - are all recommended).

 

[spider89nz]

[

quotemsg=2406649,3,915012]Ok, well firstly just to clear things up, 'K' means 'unlocked' processor, this means the CPU can be over-clocked because the multiplier is unlocked. Non-K series processors have very limited over-clock ability, if any at all.

hey, thanks i did not know that. As said, i am not up to date with hardware stuff and i am not able to do overclocking :-(. I would need someone else to do it later on if i want to. Should i still go for the 2600k then? is the difference in performance between overclocked and underclocked that huge? Also, can i ask my local shop to overclock?

Generally if your looking at a high-end gaming build, the K series is what your after. If the primary build usage is for gaming, id also recommend looking at the i5-2500k, its considerably cheaper, over-clocks the same (more or less exactly the same core frequency) and will perform the same in games. i7 is recommended if you use any video rendering programs that are going to make use of the Hyper Threading technology, otherwise, save yourself $100 and get the i5-2500k

I mostly need my pc for my work (Online Poker, My software has to process huge data quickly) and gaming. So still no need for the i7 and rather safe the money?

Motherboard: There's not much point in paying extra for the DELUXE version unless you need the features. The ASUS P8Z68-v PRO is more than adequate. Id also recommend looking at some GEN3 motherboards, just for future expandability. ASRock Extreme4 Gen3 is a good choice here.

i ve seen bad reviews about the ASUS p8z68,(newegg) i am afraid that once its build together my motherboard will get burned or any other failure will happen. i really need a reliable Desktop and therefore i thought i dont want to safe on the motherboard. I need to connect the desktop to 2 big screens (prefferable one HDMI and 1 VGA or both HDMI ( i think its better).

PSU: Good PSU, but id recommend a little different. Single GTX 570 only needs about 650w PSU, if you plan to add another GTX 570 in SLI, look slightly higher (850w+). XFX, Antec, SeaSonic, Corsair and Cooler Master Silent PRO Range are all worth considering - Modular cable type recommended.

okay, now stupid question i guess: the first VGa card will be in crossfire then? so would i really need a second one and will a second one always be in SLi mode? Maybe i rather go for The silent pro coolermaster 1000 W then (they dont have any other in stock here in Vietnam).

RAM: No idea where the price of $150 came from here. G.Skill Ripjaws or Corsair Vengeance RAM 1600MHz, CL9, 1.5v are both around the $40-50 mark for 2x4GB sticks (8GB total).

Thank you, good to know, i will keep that in mind. BUt prces are a bit higher as you have seen. Still 100 bucks difference is not acceptable!

HDD/SSD - You have the right idea. Grab yourself a 120GB SSD for your OS and Applications/Regularly used programs, then a 1TB HDD for your music and media storage. (Samsung SpinPoint F3, WD Caviar Black, SeaGate Barracuda - are all recommended).[/quotemsg]

Stole this idea

 

[AdrianPerry]

The price difference between the K series processors and non-K series is so minimal, its worth buying the K for the extra $10 or so, just so the option to over-clock is there if you ever want it. (Most high end motherboards come with built in over-clocking software that will do it for you).

For online Poker, i5-2500k is going to perform at exactly the same level as i7-2600k. Its more down to your internet connection here than your processor. i7-2600k is only recommended over the i5-2500k if your doing heavy video creating and encoding/rendering HD video.

The ASUS board you listed, (DELUXE) is all part of the same ASUS P8Z68 family, there are a few tiers of boards, ranging from non-SLI ready, to SLI ready to DELUXE. I personally own the -v PRO and haven't ran into any problems. ASUS and Gigabyte are both very well recognised manufacturers and you shouldn't have any problems with either of manufacturers motherboards.

Multiple Displays - This is all based on the graphics card, not the motherboard or CPU. The GTX 570 will support the 2 displays you require. It has x2 DVI ports and a mini-HDMI port.

Crossfire basically means running 2 ATI video cards at the same time. SLI is what Nvidia calls running 2 Nvidia cards at the same time. Crossfire and SLI are the same thing, one just refers to ATI cards, and the other refers to Nvidia cards. If you have a single card your running a single card set up, if your running 2 ATI cards your running a crossfire set up, if your running 2 Nvidia graphics cards your running an SLI set up.

You dont NEED 2 cards, its just nice to have to option there to add another card if ever you need a graphical performance boost. Ideally an 850w PSU would be fine for SLI 570's however anything higher would also work, just dont go lower. Again though, this is OPTIONAL. You could buy a single card and a lower wattage PSU and be just fine

 

[spider89nz]

Thank you Adrian, you are awesome !! I guess it must be hard to explain even the most simple stuff to someone who works with his pc like me , haha . Alright, so my Desktop would look like that know.

CPU:
i5 2500k Sandy Bridge for $240 (safe $80!)

Motherboard:
Asus p8z68 Pro for $195 (safe 95 Dollar!)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=asus+p8z68-v+pro

Vga CARD:
GEforce GTx570 (same as before) for $420
http://****/api/click?format=go&key=984ed3ed6aa9a69986f88d56d10e7616&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tomshardware.com%2Fforum%2F322919-31-high-performance-gaming-desktop-advice%23t2406649&v=1&libid=1317825190930&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2FProduct%2FProduct.aspx%3FItem%3DN82E16814121432%26Tpk%3Deng%2520570%24&title=High%20performance%20and%20gaming%20desktop-%20advice&txt=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2FProduct%2FProduct.aspx%3FItem%3DN82E16814121432%26amp%3BTpk%3Deng%2520570%24&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13178256631423

Case:
Coolermaster Storm Scout for $110 (safe $90 )
( would the fans cool it enough? i thought that this case would be fine enough for me, what you think?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196
PSU:
Silent Pro Gold coolermaster 1000W for $236 ( $ 100 more)
( still dont know, either 800W or 1000W. They only have coolermaster so i have to decide between them.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Description=coolermaster+silent+pro+1000w

So i would save $180 about ($ 280 if i stay with the 800W PSU, but as said money is not a primary objective, more important is reliabilty. BUt also dont want to waste any money obv.)
I am ging to buy a good SSD 128gb. i will put Microsoft 7 ,my games and all my pokersoftwares on it. On my HDD i ll put all the rest. (just need to inform how to do that properly!)

Also i will buy a 8gb RAM and try to keep the price reasonable.

 

[AdrianPerry]

I have the Cooler Master Storm Scout myself. Its a great case and i've been really pleased with it. I've kept the front, rear and roof fans as stock (the ones supplied with the case) and then i've added 2 side fans on as well. Probably unnecessary but they look nice and should help keep my Graphics card cool.

Honestly, its a really tough call with the PSU. I think if your not too sure about upgrading, or at least don't plan to add a second card for say maybe a year or more, just go with the 800w and then see what's on offer at a later date when you do plan to upgrade. $100 extra for the 1000w just doesn't seem worthwhile unless your 100% sure you'll be buying a second Graphics card sometime soon.

Crucial M4 is a well recommended SSD at an "average" price range.

 

[spider89nz]

One more thing, could i ask the shop to overclock the CPU for me when they build it? what happens to the warranty then? would it be enough to just overclock the CPU or if already, just overclock VGa Card and sth else as well then?

 

[ScrewySqrl]

depends on the shop.

Overclocking a sandy bridge chip is easy though. yuo go into the bios, increase the multiplier 1 notch, and reboot. test with Prime 95 for 10-15 mins, repeat until a) windows doesn't start or b) Prime 95 crashes.

at that point you can step back a notch and run Prim 95 for 24 hours. If it stays up, that's a stable overclock. If it doesn't, step back again until you can run prime 95 for 24 hours. If you are on the stock fan, this is as far as I would go. Most peopel, on the stock fan, can push up to a 4.5 GHz speed. doing just this with no voltage chanjge WON'T void the warranty...its actually what the turbo does anyway (just not as far up the chain)

Alternately, you can increase the voltage one notch and repeat. do it until the voltage is no more than 1.4v (1.35 is probably safest). again you'd repeat until it crashes, then test a 24 hour prime 95 run. Increasing voltage WILL void your warranty.

ANY overclock will shorten the lifespan of your CPU, which is why it voids the warranty. However, the typical lifespan for a CPU is 10 years... and it'll be obsolete in 3 years, hopelessly obsolete in 5 years. taking a few years off that 10 years (so that it wears out in 7 years instead of 10) won't really hurt the actual operational life of the CPU -- you'll get rid of it before it is worn out, which is why people do it.