New gaming build $2500 need adivce!

Approximate Purchase Date: Jan 31 2012
Budget Range: 2500
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Web Browsing
Parts Not Required: keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, OS
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg!!
Country: USofA
Parts Preferences: Intel, Nvidia
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: Possible
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080, 1920x1200

Comments: Looking to try and run a 256G SSD only as I will only have a few games installed at a time. I will use my old PC for videos/music. I do have an extra 1TB Cav Green if I need it.

Here is my updated build. (posted my 1st build last week) This computer will be mainly used for gaming. Did a lot of research and took a lot of advice from the community. I have a couple concerns about few items, so here are my questions.

1. The motherboard I choose is the P8Z68 and looks like it can run SLI, but per the manual it says 1 card at x16 and 2 at x8 and x8. So if I do decide to run SLI would this board be the best choice?

2. My 1st build was going to go with 16GB of DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) and now dropping it down to 8GB of DDR3 2133 (PC 17000). Good change?

3. Went with the 3GB 580 GTX, is it worth the $80 over the 1.5 card?

4. I pulled the manual off of ASUS's web site for the blow mobo and it says "According to Intel CPU specs DIMM voltage below 1.65v is recommended to protect the CPU". The memory I have below is 1.65V, could this cause an issue?

3. I still have like $600 left! What should I add? SLI?

Thanks everyone this community rocks! Wish I would have found it years ago!

MEMORY - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory - $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231476

CPU COOLER -COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm sleeve CPU Cooler - $29.04
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103065

MOBO - ASUS P8Z68 DELUXE/GEN3 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS - $269.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131791

PSU - CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX850 (CMPSU-850AX) 850W Power Supply - $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139015

SSD - SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/AM 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Desktop Upgrade Kit - $369.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820147135

VIDEO CARD - EVGA GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 03G-P3-1584-AR Video Card - $589.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130655

CASE -Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Computer Case With Side Panel Window - $169.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811139005

CASE - Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor - $219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115072

Grand Total:$1,918.97

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by Dysfunkshin on 01-04-2012 at 01:00:18 AM

Reply to Dysfunkshin

Anyone? I know its a lot to ask but want to make sure I get the right parts the 1st time

Reply to Dysfunkshin

1) X8/X8 sli will show negligible difference in fps vs X16/X16. You are good there.

2) No. Sandy bridge is largely insensitive to ram speeds and latencies.
Benchmarks look good, but the difference in fps is negligible.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503 [...] -best-ddr3 DDR3 1600 is the sweet spot.

No game will use more than 2-3gb, so 8gb is plenty for most users. If you will run 64 bit enabled apps, then 16gb is good.

3) I can't recall where, but 3gb vs 1.5gb did not seem to make any difference. Can't hurt though. I would get the 1.5gb superclocked version.
If you want 3gb and are not budget constrained, get the 3gb GTX580 classified for not much more:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130751

4) True, voltage over 1.65v can fry your cpu chip. 1.65v ram is really 1.5v ram that can be overclocked. There is no real need for it except for record seeking overclockers.

5) Save the $600. See how you do first. Prices will only go down.

If ivy bridge or kepler shows up as a gamebreaker, then you can sell the GTX580 and get the next best thing.

------------------------------ 3570K@4.3/Asus P8P67-M Pro/EVGA GTX680/Samsung 305T(x2)/Silverstone TJ-08E/Intel 520 180gb
Reply to geofelt

Dysfunkshin wrote :

Approximate Purchase Date: Jan 31 2012
Budget Range: 2500
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Web Browsing
Parts Not Required: keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, OS
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg!!
Country: USofA
Parts Preferences: Intel, Nvidia
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: Possible
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080, 1920x1200

Comments: Looking to try and run a 256G SSD only as I will only have a few games installed at a time. I will use my old PC for videos/music. I do have an extra 1TB Cav Green if I need it.

Here is my updated build. (posted my 1st build last week) This computer will be mainly used for gaming. Did a lot of research and took a lot of advice from the community. I have a couple concerns about few items, so here are my questions.

1. The motherboard I choose is the P8Z68 and looks like it can run SLI, but per the manual it says 1 card at x16 and 2 at x8 and x8. So if I do decide to run SLI would this board be the best choice?

2. My 1st build was going to go with 16GB of DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) and now dropping it down to 8GB of DDR3 2133 (PC 17000). Good change?

3. Went with the 3GB 580 GTX, is it worth the $80 over the 1.5 card?

4. I pulled the manual off of ASUS's web site for the blow mobo and it says "According to Intel CPU specs DIMM voltage below 1.65v is recommended to protect the CPU". The memory I have below is 1.65V, could this cause an issue?

3. I still have like $600 left! What should I add? SLI?

Thanks everyone this community rocks! Wish I would have found it years ago!

MEMORY - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory - $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231476

CPU COOLER -COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm sleeve CPU Cooler - $29.04
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103065

MOBO - ASUS P8Z68 DELUXE/GEN3 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS - $269.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131791

PSU - CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX850 (CMPSU-850AX) 850W Power Supply - $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139015

SSD - SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/AM 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Desktop Upgrade Kit - $369.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820147135

VIDEO CARD - EVGA GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 03G-P3-1584-AR Video Card - $589.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130655

CASE -Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Computer Case With Side Panel Window - $169.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811139005

CASE - Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor - $219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115072

Grand Total:$1,918.97

1. No difference

2. For Sandy Bridge builds it's waste of money to go over than DDR3-1333Mhz, there's no measurable gains in games, save some money and get a 2x4GB DDR3-1333Mhz kit. If you're unsure get at MAX a 2x4GB DDR3-1600Mhz kit . (Only if you're using AMD Llano, then would be a good idea to get DDR3-1866Mhz)

3. Don't hurt to get a 3GB card. It could be useful since BF3 almost deplets all the 1.5GB

4. Aim at 1.5V memory, it's the best to do!!

5. Agreed with geofelt, save the money. If you need more power, then invest it!

Extra. If you want to SLI these GTX 580, try to get a stronger PSU, just to be sure.. (I would be in peace if you aim at 950w at least, as per SliZone website recommendation, also, this AX850 ISN'T certified for SLI GTX 580, only for SLI GTX 570)

------------------------------ Core i7 2600k, Asus P8Z68 Deluxe, 16GB Patriot DDR3, 2TB HD , SLI GTX 460 1GB, XFX 750W BE, 3D Vision, CM 690 II Advanced
Reply to vitornob

Quote :

1. The motherboard I choose is the P8Z68 and looks like it can run SLI, but per the manual it says 1 card at x16 and 2 at x8 and x8. So if I do decide to run SLI would this board be the best choice?

Read this to decide if ya need Z68 .... I think the article makes the answer pretty clear:

http://www.ukgamingcomputers.co.uk [...] -a-22.html

If ya want x16 x16 which will show as much as a 10% improvement in some games (i.e. STALKER), grab the WS Revolution which is a killer board.

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3 [...] dex12.html

Quote :

2. My 1st build was going to go with 16GB of DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) and now dropping it down to 8GB of DDR3 2133 (PC 17000). Good change?

For a gaming box, it doesn't matter much. If ya were doing a 2600k build w/ a focus on hyperthreaded apps, I'd say invest in the better RAM.....otherwise, it's only gonna get ya 2-5 %. But if ya go there, I'd look at Corsair or Mushkin.

Quote :

3. Went with the 3GB 580 GTX, is it worth the $80 over the 1.5 card?

At 2560 x 1600 yes.

But twin 900Mhz 560's top that 580 giving you 40% more fps and still working w/ ya 850 watt PSU.....if you add another 580, you'll need 1000 watts and Corsair's HX1000/1050 (8.0 jonnyguru performance rating) are not up to the quality of the HX or AX850 (both get 10.0 ratings)

Quote :

4. I pulled the manual off of ASUS's web site for the blow mobo and it says "According to Intel CPU specs DIMM voltage below 1.65v is recommended to protect the CPU". The memory I have below is 1.65V, could this cause an issue?

1.65 is just fine ....the manual says so ! 1.6499 is below 1.65

http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/ove [...] nners.html

Quote :

Sandy Bridge does not demand only 1.5v modules, it will be perfectly happy with 1.65v modules too. If someone tries to tell you that you must have 1.5v modules, then they are either trying to sell them to you, or they have been reading misinformation, or both! Another point to consider here, is that in your BIOS, if you head to the memory voltage setting, and enter 1.5v, the text will remain white/grey, if you enter 1.65v, it will turn yellow, and it isn't until 1.73v that it turns red, so at the moment, I'd rest assured that 1.65v modules are OK to use, and I have had this confirmed by Asus, Gigabyte and Corsair so far, as soon as I hear from anyone else, I will update this again.

Quote :

5. I still have like $600 left! What should I add? SLI?

I'll spend it !

-The 212 is a great budget cooler, well suited for a $1,000 - $1,200 system. A $2.5k build deserves the best. If ya don't wanna do the Thermalright below, at least do the Hyper 612 PWM or Scythe Mugen 3.

-Ya SSD choice is tier 1

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 088-6.html

and $20 off w/ promo code SAMSSD12, ends 1/9

I'd look at the 500R and Thermaltake Level 10GT if ya like the white.....

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index. [...] mitstart=9
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index. [...] &Itemid=61

Is $280 too much to spend on a case .... I used to think so .... until I saw the Level 10 GT .... The door / fan feature is worth $50 to me alone ! Here's some oter case / PSU combos to consider.....

Antec 1200V3 or DF-85 ($135) w/ CP-850 ($115)
The best price performance choice the CP-850 gets that ever elusive 10.0 rating from jonnyguru while also getting an Editor's Choice from SilentPCreview.com for it's quietness and cooling.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.p [...] 4&reid=142

Quote :

It is completely unmatched by any ATX unit on the market I can think of. You'd have to spend twice as much as this thing costs to find the next best thing, performance wise.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article971-page7.html

Corsair 500R ($130) w/ HX850 ($150)
Another 10.0 rating from jonnyguru and a great case for a great price.

HAF-X w/ AX850
Another 10.0 rating from jonnyguru but a bit pricey which kinda matches my feelings about the case. It's a great case and all....but I'd rather have the Antecs / Corsair and they're significantly less hard on the wallet.

Case - $ 270 - Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811133192
Case Fan - $ 12 - Thermaltake Blue120 mm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835106149
PSU - $ 150 - Corsair HX850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139011
MoBo - $ 200 - ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131790
CPU - $ 205 - Intel Core i7-2500K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115070
Cooler - $ 83 - Thermalright Silver Arrow http://www.frozencpu.com/products/ [...] 2_AM3.html
TIM - $ 5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835150080
RAM - $ 50 - (2 x 4GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 (White) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820233199
GFX - $ 230 - Asus GTX 560 900Mhz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121425
GFX - $ 230 - Asus GTX 560 900Mhz Same
HD - $ 130 - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 64MB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148840
SSD - $ 350 - 256 GB Samsung 830 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820147135
DVD Writer - $ 58 - Asus Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135247
Monitor - $ 290 - ASUS VG236HE Black 23" 120 Hz Monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824236104
Keyboard - $ 95 - Logitech G510 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823126100
Mouse - $ 60 - Logitech G500 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6826104318
OS - $ 100 - Win 7-64 Home Premium http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116986

Total $ 2,518

Ya didn't say what ya were keeping so since i had leftover money, I put in what I'd add if those parts were missing. If ya have the Monitor, KB, Mouse, OS, and drop down to one of the other listed cases, ya can about cover a 2nd GTX 580 and the AX1200 ugrade.

Message edited by JackNaylorPE on 01-04-2012 at 02:13:09 AM

------------------------------ If a man speaks in the forest and no woman hears him, is he still wrong ?
Reply to JackNaylorPE

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