A system to play skyrim?

[xulomo]

I'm considering the system below as a gaming box primarily to play skyrim...and other comparable games.

Wanting to know if this system is BALANCED...as in no components that are weak relative to others...none that are over powered relative to the others. Or...is the porridge just right? ;-)

According to Tom's Hardware...the CPU and graphics card should do the job....



Computer Case :Cooler Master Gladiator ATX Mid Tower Case (Black)Power Supply

Upgrade :Thermaltake Bronze 80Plus 700W Active PFC Power Supply

Motherboard :Asus P8H67-M LE Intel H67 SATA3 USB 3.0 Audio GB LANDDR3

Memory :12GB (3X4GB) DDR3-1333/1600 PC3-10666/12800

Processor :Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad Core 6MBCPU

Cooling Fan :Cooler Master HYPER 101

Hard Drive : 1TB Western Digital Black 7200RPM SATA-3 6 Gb/s 64MB Cache

Video Card :ATI Radeon HD6850 1GB DDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card DVD

Recorder : Samsung 22X DVD+/-RW Sound Card :Creative SB Audigy SE

Network Card :Built-in Gigabit LAN

Case Fan ual Case Fans 120mm (2xfans)

Operating System :MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit DVD

Warranty :Assembled and tested, 3 years parts and 3 Year ...$1300

thanks

 

[newt183]

looks solid to me, however I have a few suggestions.

Your not really going to need 12gb of ram right now. You should downgrade to 6gb or 8gb, and upgrade to 12gb or 16gb later.

With that extra money, you might want to invest in a radeon hd 6870.

It is a better card then the 6850 by a little bit, but worth the extra 50 bucks or so.

Either way, its a very solid system, you could expect to play on ultra or high.

Have fun! Newt183

 

[ScrewySqrl]

12gb will not work well. socket 1155 uses dual-channel ram, not triple-channel, so you want 8 gb (2x4gb) of RAM

 

[farrengottu]

since you want a 2500k you need a p67 or z68 chipset on your motherboard to overclock it. the h61 and h67 dont support cpu overclock.

your memory will be dual channel, no matter which motherboard you get the 2500k. so you need either 2 sticks of ram or 4. using 1 or 3 sticks will actually make your computer slower. not terribly slower but slower. just get an 8 GB kit that is 2x4GB sticks.

you dont need a sound card, the onboard sound is plenty good for gaming. now if you have $400 headphones or $500+ speakers and great hearing then maybe it will be worth the money.

and that isnt worth $1300 unless thats not US dollars.

better to build it yourself. save money.

 

[farrengottu]

you could just get something like this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.644166

throw in windows 7 and a radeon 7950. and you will be a good bit faster in games.
add an ssd and better cooler for the hell of it and your still a bit cheaper.

 

[xulomo]

Thanks for the answers...I was wondering about the memory sticks....12G vs 8G.

I've always wanted to build one from scratch but have always chickened out...though I've done all repairs for the last 10 yrs. I can install memory and pull connxs and spray them with Deoxit.

Don't like paying more than needed...but if I end up with something I can't get working right...I won't being playing too many games. Best to go with what you know? I do auto and home repairs...but there are certain things you need to know that you don't find in the manuals.

Guess I could save on the sound card since my creative speakers are only 5.1. anyway.

One issue is cooling...have AC but temps can reach 80F in summer...hoping the two 120 mms will do it....like sitting next to a plane taking off?

What is a good upgrade for cooling the CPU? Choice of Coolermaster...Corsair...Thermaltake....?

Any input helps.....thanks

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Thermaltake power supplies are junk. Do whatever you have to do to not get one. Go with Corsair, Seasonic, PC Power and Cooling, XFX, Enermax, Silverstone or Antec.

 

[farrengottu]

im a fan of the zalman cnps series. i have this one in my current computer.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118074

its cool and quiet. i actually have to stop every other fan in the case to hear it.
my i7 950 has never gone over 45c with this cooler was mid 50s with stock. i only mildly overclock. stock is 3.06GHz i put it to 3.2 just because the multiplier lets me.

 

[xulomo]

Ended up buying a pre-built Cyberpower box for $1K. Has about the same specs as above but 2 yrs less warranty (hopefully not needed)...no soundcard...Geforce GPU....no OEM Windows disk...but has a Cyberpower repair disk? Creative soundcard on order so I can use my 5.1 speakers.

Issues? Have had the GPU drop out...screen go blank...reload message...a few times when opening a browser for some reason...no issues during game play. Front fan not powered...not sure it is needed...yet.....still has a rear and side fan. Plays skyrim well at highest settings...though I don't use a really high res with my 10 yr old antique cathode ray tube monitoring type device (top res is 1600 x 1024 at 75 hz). Using Speedfan...I've seen GPU temps spike to 130F though. I'm thinking of keeping it under 60C.

Not sure what the upper limit should be......

Now getting beat up in the land of skyrim...getting really poor deals at the "trading posts"...nasty people (?) and animals...can't find a place to store things or even sleep...I'm getting homesick. The things people do for fun....go figure. Game is more realistic both graphically and in game play/story line than Oblivion.

 

[donlev]

Heres what you want if you want to play the games you want. It is all brand new according to the add and the seller has 100% feedback. you can get this for allot less than that system you mentioned and it is twice the computer if you ask me.

It would be easily overclockable. and would save you about $400.
It is already pci.e 3.0 ready for future graph. cards and would last you for a long time into the future. you could eventually add up to 32 gigs ram , sli or crossfire graphics and even the new ivy bridge processors should work in it once they release them....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220966209276?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

The seller also has this system if you really want to get something worth the $1300 you have to spend.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220967630124?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I know his units are quality, because I have bought one myself and it really rocks!!!!

 

[Deleted member 217926]

You bought a computer from someone on ebay with a feedback score of 17?

Also you don't read very well as the OP has already bought a computer.

 

[donlev]

You bought a computer from someone on ebay with a feedback score of 17?

Also you don't read very well as the OP has already bought a computer.

A 100% feedback score of 17 and I know himfrom other forums. He is local to me and has built pc's for years.
He only rescently started selling on ebay!

Sorry I didn't notice it was the Op who had made that last post. Thought it was someone telling of his own purchase. lol

Like I said it Rocks. Got a great deal. Cyber pc wanted over $1600 for as similar a build as I could configure and I got a better board than they even offered for less than a grand. If they had offered the board I got they would probably have charged over $2000.

 

[xulomo]

My box has ~ the same Windows exper scores as the second $1200 example....HardInfo test rates my Seagate drive very well online.

Found that at in skyrim at 1600x1200 res and one step down from max setting causes the GPU to spike to 144F...and this is at ambient 72F...will need the front fan to work this summer....when despite AC...ambient is ~ 80F.

Still not sure what the UPPER LIMIT for the GPU should be...any guesses????

Want to use Speedfan to set an alarm.....

Heres what you want if you want to play the games you want. It is all brand new according to the add and the seller has 100% feedback. you can get this for allot less than that system you mentioned and it is twice the computer if you ask me.

It would be easily overclockable. and would save you about $400.
It is already pci.e 3.0 ready for future graph. cards and would last you for a long time into the future. you could eventually add up to 32 gigs ram , sli or crossfire graphics and even the new ivy bridge processors should work in it once they release them....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220966209276?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

The seller also has this system if you really want to get something worth the $1300 you have to spend.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220967630124?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I know his units are quality, because I have bought one myself and it really rocks!!!!

 

[donlev]

My box has ~ the same Windows exper scores as the second $1200 example....HardInfo test rates my Seagate drive very well online.

Found that at in skyrim at 1600x1200 res and one step down from max setting causes the GPU to spike to 144F...and this is at ambient 72F...will need the front fan to work this summer....when despite AC...ambient is ~ 80F.

Still not sure what the UPPER LIMIT for the GPU should be...any guesses????

Want to use Speedfan to set an alarm.....

Always have my temp guages set to celsius. and my gpu I have monitored with asus gpu tweek. On both my machines the idle temps of both cards is about 27-30c. During intence BF3 gameplay they raise to about 50c or so. I think (with no scale in front of me) that 144f is is not so far from 50c so I think still safe. I would set max a little beyond that, like maybe 160f which I think would be equal to about 80c. at that level you would at least get a warning when getting a little to warm. You could even set to 180f and be ok I think.

 

[xulomo]

Well I understand F better than C...but use free Convert program to convert F vs C.

http://joshmadison.com/convert-for-windows/


Have since set res back down to 1028 x ???? ...tweaked other settings and this reduced max GPU temps by 10 to 20 F vs running at 1600 x 1200. At the higher res the game was messing up a bit...losing some stuff...hate killing stuff and then having it disappear....CPU issue?

I've always tried to use 60 C or 140 F as an upper limit. 80C = 176F. I might set an alarm at 70C or 158F....but have issues getting the alarm to work.

There is graphing capability with Speedfan...so I can see recent temp history right after game shutdown.

Generally...the cooler it runs the longer it lasts? Do notice that things cool down fast when the game is shut down. Previous gamer would take a long time to cool off and if I didn't let it get down under 100F (CPU/GPU)...I could lose the bios settings.

 

[Blarg44]

What card are you using?

Also from my knowledge 80 C is still pretty much fine, it is when it starts hitting 100 C that you have to be really worried.

 

[xulomo]

It has the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 (1 GB)....res actually set at 1280x1024. Getting a pretty consistent 135F (57C) peak...but this is at ambient 72F....will need to get the front fan going for summer...82F ambient....might see over 145F (63C) then?

Getting a typical 75 FPS except in rare situations. Do use a few mods and I guess these can up the frame rates some.

The game plays well and is graphically decent as set up.....guess I'll use the 80C (176F) as an upper limit and quit worrying about it so much...but it's fairly easy to get caught up in the game for a few hours and forget all about temps.....

 

[donlev]

It has the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 (1 GB)....res actually set at 1280x1024. Getting a pretty consistent 135F (57C) peak...but this is at ambient 72F....will need to get the front fan going for summer...82F ambient....might see over 145F (63C) then?

Getting a typical 75 FPS except in rare situations. Do use a few mods and I guess these can up the frame rates some.

The game plays well and is graphically decent as set up.....guess I'll use the 80C (176F) as an upper limit and quit worrying about it so much...but it's fairly easy to get caught up in the game for a few hours and forget all about temps.....

I have a couple of different monitors for my temps. One will play an alarm beep, which I am not really sure what it sounds like and the other will flash a warning on the screen if I reach my max, wich I have set to 70c. So far my gpu hovers around 25c - 32c and when pushed has only ever gone up to about 42. I am using an Asus gtx 550 ti dc top that is oc'd to 1045mhz. and Have coolermaster storm scout case.Very good airflow.
I have i5 2500k oc'd to 4.4g and it Idles at about 22c-24c and under prime 95 stress test, that temp goes up to about 45c or so and never gets warmer than that. I am using a coolermaster v8 heatsink just set on low fan with auto speed turned on

 

[xulomo]

I have a couple of different monitors for my temps. One will play an alarm beep, which I am not really sure what it sounds like and the other will flash a warning on the screen if I reach my max, wich I have set to 70c. So far my gpu hovers around 25c - 32c and when pushed has only ever gone up to about 42. I am using an Asus gtx 550 ti dc top that is oc'd to 1045mhz. and Have coolermaster storm scout case.Very good airflow.
I have i5 2500k oc'd to 4.4g and it Idles at about 22c-24c and under prime 95 stress test, that temp goes up to about 45c or so and never gets warmer than that. I am using a coolermaster v8 heatsink just set on low fan with auto speed turned on

Strange that my 560 GPU hits 57C...I also have a Coolermaster case with 3 fans (2 work?) plus the PS fan. Nothing is overclocked. GPU/CPU fans are stock. CPU cores are always maybe 10F lower than the GPU....same CPU you have. I've measured the output for the rear fan at 85F vs 72F ambient during a game.

Can get Speedfan to beep from the MB...but it's a a little hard to configure....need to test it also.

Did find this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/273623-29-overclock

"The GTX 560 does not hit 80C unless you are running a game that constantly holds the GPU usage in the 90%+ range.  (PS..... 80C is perfectly safe for the GTX 560 ) "

 

[megadelayed]

Heres what you want if you want to play the games you want. It is all brand new according to the add and the seller has 100% feedback. you can get this for allot less than that system you mentioned and it is twice the computer if you ask me.

It would be easily overclockable. and would save you about $400.
It is already pci.e 3.0 ready for future graph. cards and would last you for a long time into the future. you could eventually add up to 32 gigs ram , sli or crossfire graphics and even the new ivy bridge processors should work in it once they release them....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220966209276?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

The seller also has this system if you really want to get something worth the $1300 you have to spend.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220967630124?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I know his units are quality, because I have bought one myself and it really rocks!!!!

ROFL i can tell you you have been ripped off,
$1200 and $1629 and 550ti???
anyway the 550ti is a ripoff even retail wise, unless you have not heard of a gtx460

 

[pure_drivel]

Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/5tyb
Part price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/5tyb/by_merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($125.35 @ Compuvest)
Motherboard: Intel DP67BAB3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($115.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Patriot Viper Xtreme Series, Division 2 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Microcenter)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($177.86 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHBS112-04 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $882.14
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-03-07 13:18 EST-0500)

 

[megadelayed]

Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/5tyb
Part price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/5tyb/by_merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($125.35 @ Compuvest)
Motherboard: Intel DP67BAB3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($115.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Patriot Viper Xtreme Series, Division 2 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Microcenter)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($177.86 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHBS112-04 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $882.14
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-03-07 13:18 EST-0500)

with the op's budget he could easily replace the i3 with the 2500k

 

[pure_drivel]

with the op's budget he could easily replace the i3 with the 2500k

Truth.

 

[donlev]

ROFL i can tell you you have been ripped off,
$1200 and $1629 and 550ti???
anyway the 550ti is a ripoff even retail wise, unless you have not heard of a gtx460

My system was closer to the second system he has listed with the asus maximus and I bought it without graphics card for $900 I priced all of the components of the build before the purchase and he made about $50 for building it for me. I bought the 550 ti dc top for $90 brand new (on sale ) and I have never seen the 460 for less than $149 even on sale. If the 550 ti does ultimate settings with BF3 with my setup why would I waste money on another card because you heard it was better.
I got a better deal than the one he has listed online because I know him from computer science class, and I took it without the gpu. He has to pay ebay about 9% of his sale and paypal about 5% which is normal for any site you sell through. But the fact remains , if you go to cyber power or any other build your own site, they would want $1800 to $2200 for the same build. I have tried to configure simmilar builds and they are rediculous. Sure you can build it yourself for less, but if your gonna pay someone, $50 ain't bad. The problem is everyone wants to find a pc for sale that the builder is willing to take a loss on. Why would he do that?
Besides, those prices you listed were the buy it now price and his starting price is $850 and $1300. Nothing like maxing it out to make your point.

Also another interesting fact you have to sli 460's to achieve a 7.6 we score while a single 550 ti does this by itself.

 

[megadelayed]

My system was closer to the second system he has listed with the asus maximus and I bought it without graphics card for $900 I priced all of the components of the build before the purchase and he made about $50 for building it for me. I bought the 550 ti dc top for $90 brand new (on sale ) and I have never seen the 460 for less than $149 even on sale. If the 550 ti does ultimate settings with BF3 with my setup why would I waste money on another card because you heard it was better.
I got a better deal than the one he has listed online because I know him from computer science class, and I took it without the gpu. He has to pay ebay about 9% of his sale and paypal about 5% which is normal for any site you sell through. But the fact remains , if you go to cyber power or any other build your own site, they would want $1800 to $2200 for the same build. I have tried to configure simmilar builds and they are rediculous. Sure you can build it yourself for less, but if your gonna pay someone, $50 ain't bad. The problem is everyone wants to find a pc for sale that the builder is willing to take a loss on. Why would he do that?
Besides, those prices you listed were the buy it now price and his starting price is $850 and $1300. Nothing like maxing it out to make your point.

Also another interesting fact you have to sli 460's to achieve a 7.6 we score while a single 550 ti does this by itself.

http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/-b-NEW-b-Alioramus-2500K-OC-4-3Ghz-94p1110.htm
£700 is around $1,100
but this comes with a 60gb ssd as well as a faster 6870
i dont live in the usa but here in the uk the 550ti is around £80-90 and 460 1gb 256 bit can be seen for around £100 while the 768mb and se versions go for even less.
as for the wei its not always accurate, sli 460's tends to perform faster than a single 480 but my single 480 scores 7.8 on wei and is still 7.8 after i've enabled sli