Gaming system need advice

[Yvesl]

Approximate Purchase Date: april - may

Budget Range: around 1700$ / 1300euro

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming

Parts Not Required: dataHDD(1TBWDblack)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: alternate.be but since language will be a barrier, just use mediocre current prices. I get a 6%discount as reseller so the somewhat cheaper prices on the US market should be accurate to my european prices.

Country: Belgium

Parts Preferences:

nxzt guardian case or CM storm enforcer
SSD 120GB
intel processor

Overclocking: maybe

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 Full HD LED

Additional Comments:

Ok i can't make up my mind about the cpu /graphicscard even after reading a thousand reviews and benchmarks.

I will spent a reasonable amount of money on this rig but i would like it to last a couple of years. My current system is 5+years old (core quad Q6600, 4gb 1066, radeon HD4870). i only upgraded the videocard in that time and its still an ok system. I want something similar, a system that will still be ok in 4-5years.

ok so the issues:

I can go for an i7 3820 with x79 chipset (spending a lot on mainboard) and get a slightly lesser expensive card (HD7850 or GTX570). the x79 does leave open other options like upgrading cpu later on to ivybridge-E. It also has pci-e 3 and quad channel ram..

or I can go for a i7 2700k with Z68chipset(less money for mainboard compared to 3820) and spend more on the graphicscard(GTX580)

or I could wait a month and get a new Ivy bridge i7-3770K and the new Z77 chipset (this should be around the i7 2700k pricerange) + GTX580(or similar)

So what would be the best cpu/gpu option futurewise? one of the systems above or spend less now (like get a videocard HD 6870 or GTX560ti) and upgrade it in a year or 2.


and second question: quad channel 1600 ddr3 memory on the x79 or dualchannel ddr3 1600 is their a big difference? What should the above systems be equipped with 16GB or is 8 more than sufficient ?

Thx a lot for reading and hopefully commenting

 

[llguitargr8]

Well, since you plan to only game, there is really no reason to go higher than the Core i5, as the only difference between the i5 and i7 is hyperthreading and games don't really use more than 4 cores, so you should save yourself the $100 and get an i5. I would say wait for Ivy Bridge i5-3570K since it will be a 10% performance increase over Sandy Bridge yet still come in at the same price point (as in Sandy Bridge CPUs will drop in price).

Then probably get a Z77 motherboard. If you aren't comfortable with getting a 1st revision motherboard, you could get a Gen3 Z68, as they will still accommodate the Ivy Bridge CPU. Only thing about that is you won't utilize the full PCIe 3.0, which Ivy Bridge will support.

Then for the graphics card, I suggest getting a GTX 680 (or HD 7970 or 7950, if they drop their price by time you build) because it is cheaper than the 7970, has a 45% performance increase on it, and uses less power.

As for memory, 8GB should be well sufficient for gaming. Get 2 sticks of 4GB, and then if you find yourself needing more in the future, just get 2 more to fill up the 4 memory slots.

Motherboard - Asus P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3

Graphics Card - EVGA GeForce GTX 680

Memory - G. Skill Ripjaw 8GB 2x4GB DDR3 1600

 

[gary1]

Actually, that board DOES support PCIe 3.0 as I have it. If you get Ivy Bridge, as well as a 3.0 capable GPU, it should (theoretically) be much better.

(Dunno where you're getting 45% maybe like 10-15%)

 

[llguitargr8]

Actually, that board DOES support PCIe 3.0 as I have it. If you get Ivy Bridge, as well as a 3.0 capable GPU, it should (theoretically) be much better.

(Dunno where you're getting 45% maybe like 10-15%)

Yea it has two 3.0 ports. Forgot to mention that. And I read it in an article somewhere that the 680 was SUPPOSED to have 45%, back before it was released.

 

[gary1]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-680-review-benchmark,3161-7.html

It's still better though. I would take a 680 over a 7970 anyday.

 

[llguitargr8]

Yes definitely. Here's another comparison. More benchmarks

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1455/pg21/asus-geforce-gtx-680-oc-vs-r7970-oc-vs-gtx-580-oc-performance-review-conclusion.html

 

[Yvesl]

Hey thx for the replies guys

I need the high performance mainly for gaming and for being futureproof. I work a lot on my computer besides gaming everything from c# programming, photoshop to editing some vacationmovies.
So from this point of view i would really like to go for a hyperthreading i7. I ll gladly pay that 100$ extra.


The other thing is my retailer is currently (this week) offering the i3820+asusmobo at a discount. Buy mobo+cpu get 80$ refund. Would this make the 3820 an interesting choice or is waiting for the 3770K still best ?

Memory 8gb i agree should be fine. But the dual channel vs quadchannel .. how would that turn out?

And i agree the gtx680 is a monster .. but we are talking 560$ for a videocard. Would a 570 really bottleneck me that much to be worth an extra 200$? + i d need a higher psu than the 520W i was aiming for atm.


This is what i primarly had in mind before starting to doubt

ASUS P9X79
INTEL 3820
OCZ AGT3-25SAT3-120G
16GB KIT (4 X 4GB) 1600MHZ DDR3 9-9-9-24 Corsair Vengeance Blue CML16GX3M4A1600C9B
MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr III Power Edition Geforce GTX570 1280MB GDDR5, Clock Rate 7...
500W NON-modular Corsair Gaming Series 80PLUS CP-9020005-EU
Iiyama E2473HDS-B1 24" LED ProLite
CM storm enforcer


This would cost me around 1700$ going for 8gb 8 8 8 24 would make not much difference. Going for the 680 however would take me up and additional 300$ (psu+card). :/ The ivy bridge + z77 would be like 100$ cheaper but atm with the 80$ discount on this cpu/mobo...

I just feel the x79 is more futureproof (which is very important to me) than the z77? Or am I completly wrong here ?

again thx for taking the time to read this. It's a lot of money so i d like to make the best choice possible.

 

[llguitargr8]

Well, even though that would be good since it would be cheaper to get that combo, I can't imagine you needing an LGA2011 i7 to get those jobs you asked about done. A 2600K would be good, and is easier to overclock because it has an unlocked multiplier. If you absolutely need the top of the line, you could go ahead with that combo, it's just I think it would be overkill. Those processors are mainly for those who are video/audio editing, animation, and CAD work for a business, in which case they get an expensive video card (more so than any geforce card) along with it.

With your listed uses, I agree the hyperthreading of an i7 would be worth it, its just I'm not too sure you need the pricey extreme edition when you can just simply overclock a 2600K or 3770K.

 

[Yvesl]

Ok great thx for all the help and replies.
I m gonna wait till the end of april and get the 3770K with a good z77 mobo and the gtx680.

 

[llguitargr8]

Ok great thx for all the help and replies.
I m gonna wait till the end of april and get the 3770K with a good z77 mobo and the gtx680.

That should be fine.