Time to finalize Z68 - 17-2600k box

[ellmo]

I bought an HP Elite in January (i7-930, GTX 460, 460W PSU...) then got BF3 in October. So, I started looking into upping my PSU and GPU - which led me to, "what the heck, might as well build a whole system!"

Timeframe: within 30 days.

I have purchased:
HX750 Corsair PSU
16GB Corsair Blue Vengence Memory (4x4MB)
WD7502AAEX 7200 750GB HDD
Corsair Force GT 120GB SSD
ASUS 24x DVD RW

I have been stumbling over the GPU - I wanted the GTX 570 - then I wanted the 2.5GB ram (since you can't upgrade that later), then I wanted to be sure I could SLI later. Now the GTX 570 seems to be rare at a good price - so I now see the GTX 580 3GB for $569 at Amazon. The big question there is what does the future of the 580 look like? I hope if I get one of these now, it will be around in a couple months so I can get the second one. Thoughts? (GPU market question I guess) Especially since the 570 seems to have gotten popular. (Maybe the 580 will be the next thrifty performance step?)
Also GPU related is the temp of these cards. I hear they are relaively quiet and cool - anyone care to comment?

To wrap it up, I want to get the ASUS Extreme Z mobo Amazon Mobo link
...and the 17-2600k processor
...and a case: more questions
I need a case that will hold the above.
I need a case that will be cool and quiet - which leads to the final question - OC'ing the CPU - any cooling suggestions?

The GPU is the highest priority - I'd like to hit "buy" today before the 580's (3GB) are all gone... but also curious about any input on the whole picture above.

THANKS!

 

[sadams04]

CPU - I would skip the 2600k and go with a 2500k as it is overkill for most all applications. For gaming purposes they are the same as games aren't going to utilize hyperthreading very much, if any at all. The 2500k will save you a little money and will OC very nicely.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

MB - The ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe is going to serve the same purpose as the Extreme-Z at a lower price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131753

GPU - You want a MB with SLI options so I would say the GTX 570 is the choice. If you need more graphics muscle you can add a second in SLI..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125384

CPU Cooler - The staple is the Hyper 212+ for its low price, great performance and low noise.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

CASE - This is mostly personal preference, but the Antec 900 is a solid case with good airflow.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129097

 

[ellmo]

All Newegg I see - although they usually lose the overall price battle because Amazon doesn't have shipping or tax (most of the time).

CPU - I'll have to think about that, I already feel burnt about the last purchase...I guess I'm trying to get to a good price/performance point. The 2600 fit that bill.

MB - I liked what I had read about being able to tune on the fly. Will I need to be able to do that all the time? Probably not, but it ill be fun to experiment if I go that route.

GPU - Yes, I agree. The 570 is what I was going for - and actually newegg was the best deal, but by the time I was ready to buy, it was sold out (and still is). Now all of the normal places are sold out as well so I'm entertaining the 580 so I can get one, without dealing with a no-name seller or too much money for what I'm getting. PS - both cases looking for the "double-memory" whether or not I SLI in the future.

CPU cooler - That looks good - thank you! and I like Cooler Master from some of the cases I have browsed.

CASE - probably the most difficult thing to nail down since there seems to be so much to consider...and I keep hearing about different brands with good features. Air Flow/Cooling, Cable mgmt, Space(internal and in your study / living room), Noise, Air Filters, etc. etc.

Thank you!

 

[raptorxrx]

The i5-2500k is the best gaming processor right now at it's price staple. I don't know how you will feel burned with that proc.
I wouldn't worry about the tuning on the fly. If it was invaluable, I think it would appear on more motherboards. That is a great motherboard no doubt. I would vote for the other ASUS; The Deluxe one.
+1 On the GTX 570 I'm loyal to EVGA, but that differs obviously. The nvidia 700 series is planned for next spring. The 570 is the best bang for buck with power in my opinion.
CPU Cooler: They now have a newer model of that. Look at the Hyper 212 EVO for a little better performance.
Case: more personal preferance than anything, but you do want it to have good reviews obviously. HAF series, CM Storm series, antec, lian li, lots of good ones.
SSD: Go with the Crucial M4, great performance, amazing reliability. No matter what I won't recommend OCZ: I might if the newest firmware release for Sandforce does fix their problems. But today, I say M4.

 

[ellmo]

So, bigger isn't always better??? I hadn't even considered an i5... I'll have to go back. I think my purchase today or tomorrow will be the Mobo and Case (and CPU cooler)
GPU I am still really perplexed. The 570 is only available from Circuit City and they don't deliver to my PO Box. I *really* like stuff delivered there (not left on my doorstep) and the shipping prices for USPS are so good nowadays, I don't see why some companies don't use them more. ANYWAY, 570 availablility vs. 580 price. ARGH. I could save $170 going with 1 570 for now and then look for the 7xx's in the spring. ...and always get another 570 (save another $170) if I want one before I want a 7xx.

The mobo point about tweaking is true. If I think about it I will probably tweak it for a week or so and then it will be a feature that sits unused for several months. So, I could save another $130 there. I want an ASUS, but if I don't ge the Extreme, what is the model number you guys are looking at? (i.e. deluxe, deluxe pro, etc...) I think the one I was looking at before I got sidetracked was $209... Now I'm seeing this one for $269.99 (only a $70 savings, but I see USB 3 and...) here's the link (sorry, lost url tags) http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-P8Z68-Deluxe-6Gbps-Motherboards/dp/B0053HCOMM ($269.99 includes shipping and no tax ))

Thanks again.

 

[ellmo]

cat tomshardware.com/* | grep ASUS | grep Z68 | grep best

 

[rmiiirusty]

go with the 2500k and check out this board it is little brother to the maximus extreme you wanted. I cant find anything on the bigger board that would make me spend the extra.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131759

Alot of folks will say that the ROG boards are overpriced but as you can see by the price, this one is a steal. I have it and am o.c.'d to 4.3 with the click of a mouse. I can go higher using the auto tune and even higher by manually tweeking.

It has sound blaster on board and many great features. A very stable and quality board.
just watch the video on the link to see the features.

I have been using this board to build for friends and local customers. Any of my friends who chose the other asus (blue boards) have wished they had went with this one after seeing the computers built with it.

Toms Hardware did a build with this board in an article called "Building a liquid cooled micro gaming monster" Also read that article as It will describe more about the boards quality features.

 

[ellmo]

Ok - I think I can get the 570 from TigerDirect for $399 if they will ship to a POBox.
-
I am trying to like the $169 ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z microATX Z68... I am probably stuck in the "bigger is better" way of thinking. The only questions that come to mind are if it has enough for the future (can I SLI 2 570s? or do I lose something.) and does th size of the boarde have anything to do with a CPU cooler? (I saw somewhere in my travels about coolers that were so bulky they put stress on the mobo when mounted...) AND will I be ok with a mATX in an ATX /mATX case? Will my HX750 PSU fit in an mATX case or should I just get the ATX/mATX to be more sure?!
-
Pretty soon I think I'll just go crazy, buy the rest of the stuff and have to sell what doesn't work. :-/

 

[ellmo]

by the way I haven't said thank you for the input so far... THANK YOU!!!

If I go crazy and get "the rest of the stuff", I'll have:

mobo: ASUS Maximus IV mATX
Case: TBD
PSU: Corsair HX750
CPU: i7-2600k I want this...
CPU Cooler: 212 Plus or 212 EVO
GPU: EVGA GTX 570 2.5GB
mem: 16GB (4x4GB) Corsair Vengence Blue
SSD: Corsair 128GB Force GT
HDD: WD7502AAEX 7200, 750GB, 64MB cache
DVD: ASUS 24x...

...probably get a second DVD soon... have a 27" 1ms monitor will get another one very soon...

maybe I'll turn the old HPE Elite 480t into a SQL server...

PS - not CRAZY about saving $$, but don't mind saving where it won't hurt.

E

 

[raptorxrx]

rmiirusty have this discussion every time. about that motherboard. so i'm not going to say anything about it. i don't want to spend time fighting about it when i could do more intelligent things. so i won't say anything about the motherboard.

on the i7, do you video edit seriously? if so pay for it, if not, it is really not worth it. as in for gaming you won't know the difference.

for your ssd, really consider the Crucial M4. It might not have as high of stated specs, but you wouldn't be able to tell the difference honestly (especially after their latest firmware update, 0009), but the M4 has better reliablity. If your SSD isn't working, than whats the point. The Corsair would work too though.

Case=Personal Preference. I wouldn't pay more than 150 for a case though.

 

[rmiiirusty]

Ok - I think I can get the 570 from TigerDirect for $399 if they will ship to a POBox.
-
I am trying to like the $169 ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z microATX Z68... I am probably stuck in the "bigger is better" way of thinking. The only questions that come to mind are if it has enough for the future (can I SLI 2 570s? or do I lose something.) and does th size of the boarde have anything to do with a CPU cooler? (I saw somewhere in my travels about coolers that were so bulky they put stress on the mobo when mounted...) AND will I be ok with a mATX in an ATX /mATX case? Will my HX750 PSU fit in an mATX case or should I just get the ATX/mATX to be more sure?!
-
Pretty soon I think I'll just go crazy, buy the rest of the stuff and have to sell what doesn't work. :-/

Sorry to take so long to answer ,Have been busy with two builds today,an issue with a faulty gpu driver, and shipping out a build for a customer who wants it before christmas.

All of your concerns are not to be worried about with this board. The only issue with sli is that your cards wont have allot of space between them but there is enough for airflow as long as you dont have a 3 tier card (one that takes up 3 spaces on your rear ports) You cannot fit two of those on this board but then again I cant see needing to. If you have one that big ,it should do ya.
You should still consider a good sized case for two reasons ,airflow and room in case your gpu's are long cards. You didn't mention the brand so I can't know the dimmensions.
As far as a cpu cooler goes, the one I use for most builds is the coolermaster v8

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055

It is a great cooler and looks realy cool with the ROG boards and it only weighs 865gr.
light as a feather. You will want to make sure your case is at least 8 1/2 in. wide to use this cooler,it is pretty big as are many of the coolers out there. While it looks tough , you could crush it with one hand because the fins are so thin. It doesn't have to be heavy and strong to work well. There is also a v6 model that Is probably similar but I have never used it.

To be honest, just one of your gpu's will be heavier than this cooler.

Raptorx is right, I do recommend this board alot. but it is because I find it to be the best value on the market. If you want to know more about how it rates,look up the Toms Hardware article called "Building a Liquid Cooled Micro Gaming Monster" I think you can find it by typing the title in the search paine

 

[ellmo]

Thanks to all of you - I don't know if you saw my Case post, but on that note, it doesn't seem like I can go too wrong.

I ordered the Hyper 212 plus. The EVO wasn't available direct from Amazon, so I didn't go there. I'll keep the V8 in mind in case I need something different - this project has been kinda fun, might have to do it again.

The mobo was $170 cheaper than the full size brother - and like I said I may not use all the features as it is. I just relly don't want to short-change myself by saving a few bucks and then the next game comes out and I need just a hair more. -never mind the fact that even though I may never video edit, one of the kids might!

Now, I'm excited to receive the stuff (case and proc not ordered yet) and again, really appreciate the input. Some things have changed in the last 20 years!

E

 

[ellmo]

Best answer selected by ellmo.

 

[rmiiirusty]

Best answer selected by ellmo.

n
n Thank you ellmo and post again after your build to let us know how you like it. remember if not using an antistatic wrist strap to ground by touching your case metal every little bitbefore and during handling your parts to avoid static discharge.