- Mar 4, 2012
- 168
- 0
- 10,710
Hi all,
I'm looking towards building my first PC in the next 1-2 months and have a TON of questions. These forums have been extremely helpful but I am left with some questions and though I would organize those into a thread. First some essentials:
Approximate Purchase Date: Would like to start buying parts now, final build late April
Budget Range: 1500-2000$ (then 1300-1600$ later this summer for upgrade to SLI and 2560x 1600)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, the rest can be handled with ease (internet, movies, spreadsheets)
Parts Not Required: Mouse,keyboard, Possibly sound card (See below)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg or whatever, no preference here
Country: USA
Parts Preferences: nVidia, guess I'm a fanboy
Overclocking: yes although I've never done it before
SLI or Crossfire: not at first, eventually yes
Monitor Resolution: current 1680x1050 (x2)
I was initially planning on an intel i5-2500k, Z68 mobo, 8 or 16 gb ram, nVidia 560ti x1 ( x2 SLI down the line), 120 GB SSD for the OS and a bigger HDD for data and 850W PSU.
So my questions are:
1. What are the advantages of the new X79 chipset motherboards (versus Z68, my initial choice). My understanding is that the only difference is the X79 accepts the LGA 2011 socket. The next gen of ivy bridge processors will be compatible with the LGA 1155 so is the only advantage of the X79 that it takes the "E" version of the chips (both sandy and presumably ivy bridge)?
2. Is 850W enough for i5-2500k OC, 8 GB ram, SSD + HDD and eventually TWO 560Ti's? Is it enough if we assume a i5-3570K OC and two 660Tis?
3. I understand Kepler is coming out in April and so are the new intel ivy bridge CPUs, am I waiting to buy these new and improved versions of CPU and GPU or am I waiting for the prices to fall on the existing hardware? (probably a difference in opinions here more than hard facts...)
4. I am currently using two 1680 x 1050 displays (only one while gaming), I could upgrade to a 1920 x 1080 display now but was planning on waiting and getting a super high res 2560x1600 display when I get the second SLI card (cause 2x 560Ti (or 660ti) would be a waste on a single 1080p right?) late this summer. Is the difference between 1920x1080 and 1680 x 1050 visible? Would it be worth upgrading immediately to 1080p or should I run on 1680 x 1050 until I get the monster?
5. Ok last question, thanks for reading so far. I currently have a Soundblaster X-FI something something in my current rig from around 2007-2008. Is it worth transplanting it into my new build or has onboard audio gotten to the point where I probably would not hear a difference? Seems like no one is including soundcards in their builds. Also would i requuire more power from the PSU?
Thanks for any answers!!!
I'm looking towards building my first PC in the next 1-2 months and have a TON of questions. These forums have been extremely helpful but I am left with some questions and though I would organize those into a thread. First some essentials:
Approximate Purchase Date: Would like to start buying parts now, final build late April
Budget Range: 1500-2000$ (then 1300-1600$ later this summer for upgrade to SLI and 2560x 1600)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, the rest can be handled with ease (internet, movies, spreadsheets)
Parts Not Required: Mouse,keyboard, Possibly sound card (See below)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg or whatever, no preference here
Country: USA
Parts Preferences: nVidia, guess I'm a fanboy
Overclocking: yes although I've never done it before
SLI or Crossfire: not at first, eventually yes
Monitor Resolution: current 1680x1050 (x2)
I was initially planning on an intel i5-2500k, Z68 mobo, 8 or 16 gb ram, nVidia 560ti x1 ( x2 SLI down the line), 120 GB SSD for the OS and a bigger HDD for data and 850W PSU.
So my questions are:
1. What are the advantages of the new X79 chipset motherboards (versus Z68, my initial choice). My understanding is that the only difference is the X79 accepts the LGA 2011 socket. The next gen of ivy bridge processors will be compatible with the LGA 1155 so is the only advantage of the X79 that it takes the "E" version of the chips (both sandy and presumably ivy bridge)?
2. Is 850W enough for i5-2500k OC, 8 GB ram, SSD + HDD and eventually TWO 560Ti's? Is it enough if we assume a i5-3570K OC and two 660Tis?
3. I understand Kepler is coming out in April and so are the new intel ivy bridge CPUs, am I waiting to buy these new and improved versions of CPU and GPU or am I waiting for the prices to fall on the existing hardware? (probably a difference in opinions here more than hard facts...)
4. I am currently using two 1680 x 1050 displays (only one while gaming), I could upgrade to a 1920 x 1080 display now but was planning on waiting and getting a super high res 2560x1600 display when I get the second SLI card (cause 2x 560Ti (or 660ti) would be a waste on a single 1080p right?) late this summer. Is the difference between 1920x1080 and 1680 x 1050 visible? Would it be worth upgrading immediately to 1080p or should I run on 1680 x 1050 until I get the monster?
5. Ok last question, thanks for reading so far. I currently have a Soundblaster X-FI something something in my current rig from around 2007-2008. Is it worth transplanting it into my new build or has onboard audio gotten to the point where I probably would not hear a difference? Seems like no one is including soundcards in their builds. Also would i requuire more power from the PSU?
Thanks for any answers!!!
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