Advice on GFX, PSU and

[zeeeeeeebra]

Hello

After toying with the idea of building a cheap gaming desktop, then buying a gaming laptop. I'm now back to building a gaming PC.

I just would like to ask the community's advice on GFX, Chassis and PSU


This is build iv'e got so far.

CPU: Intel Core i7 2600K Unlocked S1155, Sandy Bridge
Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V GEN3
Memory: 16GB (2x8GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance
HDD: Western Digital WD5000AAKX Caviar Blue 500GB
DVD: Samsung WriteMaster SH-S222BB/BEBE


GFX:
I'm currently torn between the EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Core Classified or the XFX 7850 Double Dissipation Edition.

Back in the day when I used to build PC's I was an Nvidia fan boy and I am reluctant move away from them. How ever the 7850 seems the better card for the same price and lower power consumption. Also the motherboard supports Crossfire but not SLI. So in the future if I want to add another GFX card. The AMD seems the logical choice.

PSU:
I'm currently looking at Corsair Enthusiast Series 650TXV2UK 650W. Will this be enough?

Chassis:
Looking for a MIDI chassis. I'm not looking to spend over £50 but am flexible. I don't mind using tools, and I don't really care about looks as it will be stuck under my desk most of the time. With the build I'm doing I would like room for a potentially another GFX card, and a SSD. Good airflow and cable management is essential. The quieter the better as well.

Thanks for your help in advance.

Any other suggestions on different components would greatly appreciated.

 

[AdrianPerry]

i5-2500K is going to perform just the same as the i7-2600K for gaming.
16GB RAM is just unnecessary, 8GB is more than enough and will never be utilized fully.

Post an over-all budget and I'll see what I can come up with

 

[zeeeeeeebra]

Thanks very much.

Does the I7 not have the advantage of hyper threading over the I5?

The above is roughly £800. So I'd give my budget about that.

Not interested in CrossFire Or SLI at this moment in time, but possibly in the future. Same with Overclocking.

 

[azeem40]

In heavily threaded apps, it does, but in gaming, HT will not help you at all.

 

[DXRick]

The P8Z68-V/GEN3 motherboard supports the following:

Supports NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI™ Technology
Supports AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX™ Technology
Supports LucidLogix® Virtu™ Technology

 

[AdrianPerry]

Ok £800 is a nice budget, lets see what we can do.

I'll edit this post with a build shortly

Here we go:


i5-2500k £162
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-2500k-unlocked-s1155-sandy-bridge-quad-33ghz-hd3000-igp-850mhz-6mb-cache-95w-oem
Asus P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 £75
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-p8z68-v-lx-intel-z68-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-20-(x16)-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-atx
XFX 550w PSU £52
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/550w-psu-xfx-pro-series-core-edition-p1-550s-ukb9-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-fan-at
8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz Corsair Vengeance £40
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-(2x4gb)-corsair-ddr3-vengeance-jet-black-lp-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-15v
Fractal Design Core 300 £50
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/fractal-design-core-3000-mid-tower-performance-case-w-o-psu
2GB Sapphire 7870 £275
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-sapphire-radeon-hd-7870-ghz-edition-4800mhz-gddr5-28nm-gpu-1000mhz-1280-cores-dl-dvi-hdmi-mdp
WD Caviar Blue 500GB £60
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500gb-wd-wd5000aakx-caviar-blue-sata-6gb-s-7200rpm-16mb-cache-8ms


£714 Total + Optical drive + CPU cooler

 

[zeeeeeeebra]

Thanks. I think i was looking at an earlier board and got the two specs confused.

 

[zeeeeeeebra]

Ok £800 is a nice budget, lets see what we can do.

I'll edit this post with a build shortly

Cheers. Of course the lower the cost the better, but £800 would be my max. :lol:

 

[AdrianPerry]

i5-2500k £162
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-2500k-unlocked-s1155-sandy-bridge-quad-33ghz-hd3000-igp-850mhz-6mb-cache-95w-oem
Asus P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 £75
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-p8z68-v-lx-intel-z68-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-20-(x16)-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-atx
XFX 550w PSU £52
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/550w-psu-xfx-pro-series-core-edition-p1-550s-ukb9-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-fan-at
8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz Corsair Vengeance £40
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-(2x4gb)-corsair-ddr3-vengeance-jet-black-lp-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-15v
Fractal Design Core 300 £50
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/fractal-design-core-3000-mid-tower-performance-case-w-o-psu
2GB Sapphire 7870 £275
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-sapphire-radeon-hd-7870-ghz-edition-4800mhz-gddr5-28nm-gpu-1000mhz-1280-cores-dl-dvi-hdmi-mdp
WD Caviar Blue 500GB £60
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500gb-wd-wd5000aakx-caviar-blue-sata-6gb-s-7200rpm-16mb-cache-8ms


£714 Total + Optical drive + CPU cooler

 

[zeeeeeeebra]

I5 2500k £166
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-2500k-unlocked-s1155-sandy-bridge-quad-33ghz-hd3000-igp-850mhz-6mb-cache-95w-retail

EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Core Classified £210
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1280mb-evga-gtx-560-ti-classified-40nm-3900mhz-gddr5-gpu-797mhz-shader-1594mhz-448-cores-2x-dl-dvi-m

Asus P8Z68-V/GEN3 Intel Z68 Socket 1155 Motherboard £131
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-p8z68-v-gen3-intel-z68-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-(x16)-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-atx

8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz Corsair Vengeance £40
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-(2x4gb)-corsair-ddr3-vengeance-jet-black-lp-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-15v

WD Caviar Blue 500GB £59
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500gb-wd-wd5000aakx-caviar-blue-sata-6gb-s-7200rpm-16mb-cache-8ms

Coolermaster GX550 Power Supply 550W £50
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/550w-psu-coolermaster-gx-rs550-acaae3-uk-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v

Fractal Design Core 300 £50
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/fractal-design-core-3000-mid-tower-performance-case-w-o-psu

£706.

I went for the EEVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Core Classified. As looking at reviews, it seems to outperform the 7850 and compares to the 7870 for a lot cheaper.

That lead me to getting the GEN 3 Mobo for adding a second in the future.

How does that look? Or could i save myself some money by getting a factory overclocked 7850 like the XFX black edition? and get the cheaper LX Mobo?

 

[AdrianPerry]

^^ Nice build, but a few pointers....

The mother board is SLI ready, the PSU is not. Either go one way or the other, a cheaper non-SLI motherboard, with a 500-550w PSU, or a SLI ready motherboard but spring for a 750-850w PSU with the intention of running multiple GPU's.

Second of all, CoolerMaster PSU's are generally avoided. Recommended brands include: Corsair, XFX, SeaSonic, Antec, some OCZ, some Thermaltake.

7870 is performing at a similar level to the GTX 580.....certainly much higher than the 560Ti, even the 448 core one.

BF3 Benchmarks:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7870-review-benchmark,3148-6.html

TOMs Hardware Conclusion:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7870-review-benchmark,3148-21.html

 

[zeeeeeeebra]

Thanks.

The scan link said it the PSU SLI/Crossfire ready? Think i'll plump for the 750W Corsair Enthusiast
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-psu-corsair-enthusiast-series-cmpsu-750txv2-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps12v-quiet-fa

As for the GFX Card.

I went by this review.
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/36565-evga-geforce-gtx-560-ti-448-classified/?page=6

I think the factory over clocking helps it out. Unfortunately I can't find a review/benchmark for a factory OC 7850 or 7870 for comparison. Because i'd happily get something like the XFX Black or the Sapphire OC and pick up the cheaper mobo.

With the mobo's though, is there much trade off with PCIe 2.0 and PCIe 3.0?

 

[AdrianPerry]

PSU is good, but id probably recommend getting a MODULAR or at least SEMI-MODULAR design. At 750w, your going to have quite a lot of cables to keep tidy.

Here's the PSU I use myself:
XFX XXX PRO 750w - Its Modular, and 80PLUS Silver, without breaking the bank.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-xfx-xxx-p1-750b-ukb9-psu-88-eff-80-plus-silver-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-fan-atx-v22

The review your looking at shows the 448 Core GTX 560Ti at 35FPS and the 7870 at 38FPS.....

The one higher up says GTX 560Ti CF - the classified version. Which is like a £270 card.

It just doesn't make sense to pay the same price for "old tech". 7xxx series is the new "GEN" graphics card. If your looking for an Nvidia card, wait for the new 6xx series that's due next month.

If your going down the 750w PSU route with the intention of running 2 cards, I recommend this Motherboard, and yes it is GEN3 (PCI 3.0 ready) http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-p8z68-v-gen3-intel-z68-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-(x16)-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-atx

 

[zeeeeeeebra]

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1280mb-evga-gtx-560-ti-classified-40nm-3900mhz-gddr5-gpu-797mhz-shader-1594mhz-448-cores-2x-dl-dvi-m

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/36565-evga-geforce-gtx-560-ti-448-classified/

Are they the same card? If so that's probably the one I'd pick up.

The Mobo is the same I'm looking to get anyway.

How quiet is the fan your PSU?

 

[zeeeeeeebra]

Also any recommendations on CPU Cooler? When I last brought a CPU there was a heatsync and fan included? Do Intel still do this? or they a bit pants?

 

[AdrianPerry]

Are they the same card? If so that's probably the one I'd pick up.

Yes they are the same card.

How quiet is the fan your PSU?

Doesn't really make any noise at all.

Also any recommendations on CPU Cooler? When I last brought a CPU there was a heatsync and fan included? Do Intel still do this? or they a bit pants?

You get a "stock" cooler with your motherboard, however its not going to cool your i5-2500k all that much, and your OC will be greatly limited. Your better off buying a cheap-ish aftermarket cooler...

Arctic Freezer 13 I use personally and can easily reach 4.5-4.6GHz.

Another common cooler of choice is the HYPER 212+ or HYPER EVO. Although personally I think they are far too big and just case hassle.