Purple Heart Build

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taxableabe

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Apr 23, 2012
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Hello everyone! Long read but here it goes.

I was injured in Iraq in March of 2009 as an Infantryman in the US Army. I lost my left leg and burned up my right calf due to an Anti-Tank Grenade blast in my HMMWV

While in the hospital I made a bucket list and one of them was to build a computer again, I hadn't built one in years, so I figured it would be nice.
I succeeded and I was happy, until my socket was discontinued and couldn't buy a nicer cpu without spending way too much on an extreme i7-9XX.

I'm in need of advice on building a secondary gaming computer or even just upgrading and/or using parts from my current computer.

Here is a list of what I currently have, I want to either build a whole new separate computer or mix and match parts with my existing computer to best fit what I can do with my money as it would be nice to have a lan set up in my office.

ASUS Rampage III Formula LGA 1366 Intel X58
Intel Core i7-950 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W quad-core
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 PC3 12800
EVGA GeForce GTX 470 SuperClocked 1280MB 320-bit
Rosewill Xtreme Series RX850 S B 850W
Corsair Force GT 120GB SSD
RAIDMAX X3 cpu heat sink
SAMSUNG Black Blu-Ray Combo SATA OEM
NZXT Phantom white/blue case *Love it!

I think my bottleneck in my setup besides the discontinued 1366 socket, could be my dual channel set up, if I get one more 4GB stick of the same kind of RAM to run tri-channel, will it improve much?

Also have left laying around my office:
500GB WD Caviar blue.
Original intel heatsink that came with i7-950.
I even have a Corsair Force 3 120GB SATA 3SSD in my 2010 Macbook Pro i7, which I found out later isn't SATA3 6Gbps, which I don't mind using for the new setup and getting a cheaper Sata2 SSD in my macbook as this is my garage/movearoundalot laptop and I've already ruined 1 warrantied HDD and I just ended up buying the Corsair Force 3.


I'm looking to spend around $1,200-1,500 for the actual computer assembly part, on this new build.

I want to hardcore game on Arma 2:CombinedOps with Arma 3 coming and I do some battlefield and other games.

I want to run once again in 1920 HDMI, max settings, view distance as far as I can get it :sol:

I was thinking something like an i5-2500k or i7-2600k, I really like the unlocked ability. New Ivy-Bridge sounds nice too.

Another big thing I want to make sure doesn't happen again is getting a DISCONTINUED SOCKET! I mean c'mon the 1366 I got fooled into thinking was a great socket turns out dead support in less than 9 months after I bought it in early 2011.

So i'm pretty much stuck on figuring out which MOBO socket I want to use, and which exact MOBO.

I like ASUS products, and am reading a lot about ASRock for price. I'm a big fan of upgrading later so I want that opportunity to swap in things later too, I will be building again, and most parts from newegg or my local fry's electronics which price matches newegg.

For GPU, I don't really care, I want great graphics, whether it be a single GTX580 or 560 or dual lower end cards. Whatever provides best bang for buck performance and value. Open to AMD too, just don't know much about them.

I want to run the same NZXT Phantom case, just in a different color, i'm thinking white with the red lights instead would be cool, or having the all black one.

Thanks in advance!
 
Solution
jrwizbang
Well if you plan on doing Crossfire with a second 7970 later on, then you're going to need to plan ahead as far as a power supply goes. I'd say an 850w power supply would be probably the most that you will need for 2 7970s, and even still that might be a bit over kill, but over kill is not always a bad thing in that kind of situation. I'll recommend a few that are great for the price, and you can choose, depending on which you like better.

XFX PRO850W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80 Plus Silver Certified 850 Watt Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207017 XFX is great because they'll replace just about anything no matter what happens to it.

SILVERSTONE Strider Gold ST85F-G 850W ATX 12V v2.3 /...
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MacHooper

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Feb 15, 2012
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Hello

First of all I am sorry for what happened and second I put together a build on newegg, you can use these from your old build
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 PC3 12800t
Rosewill Xtreme Series RX850 S B 850W
Corsair Force GT 120GB SSD
RAIDMAX X3 cpu heat sink
SAMSUNG Black Blu-Ray Combo SATA OEM

and you could use the case to however I included the White and Red NZXT phantom in the build, which you can remove entirely and use the old one or go for that or the all black one, they are very nice cases.

anyway here is the link to the build, let me no what you think and anyone who thinks something should be changed feel free to say

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=23937827
 
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taxableabe

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Apr 23, 2012
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Thanks MacHooper, but for some reason the wishlist is empty!

Also, I want a whole new seperate computer, but it's ok if I take like, my SSD from my MacBook Pro and use it for the new build, as long as I get a replacement SSD for my Macbook if that makes sense.

I like the idea of taking out my current RAM and using it for the new build and getting a TRI-Channel RAM setup for my current computer.

Here is the case i'm going to buy, once again, this is a seperate whole new computer, i just don't mind mixing and matching parts to get the best out of both computers.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146068

I have yet to try to overclock the i7 950. I don't know what to use, but my temperatures are very very low on the cpu.
 
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azeem40

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Dec 11, 2011
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You can reuse the RAM, Case, WD Caviar Blue 500GB HDD, and the Corsair GT SSD.

Unfortunately, LGA 1155 is soon to be replaced with Haswell sometime in 2013, so your best option for now is to keep the i7-950 and wait until next year to build a new system.
 
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ahnilated

ahnilated

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Nov 9, 2006
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You could use the stock voltage and just bump up the BCLK ( don't let it auto adjust this or the voltage). Then test until you start having CPU errors and back it down from there. You will need to make sure your temps don't go above the low 70's C for 24/7 operation.
 
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taxableabe

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Apr 23, 2012
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Ok, looks like i'm just going to end up overclocking my i7-950, I hope that helps with my Arma 2 gaming. As I feel I'm getting bottlenecked by my cpu.

I'm going to add one more stick of 4GB same speed RAM. Does it have to be the same model number? Or just speed/brand?

Is my graphics card also outdated? I knew I should've just bought the GTX580 3gb in the first place. This is exactly what I don't want to do. It happens to me with my vehicles too! I had a 2002 Subaru WRX, and I knew I should have got the WRX STi, and a few months later I end up with the WRX sold and got myself into an STi. I hope that's a decent metaphor, "I don't want the WRX in the first place, as I'm just going to get the STi" which is the faster, better platform for modding.
 
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taxableabe

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Wow, thank you for that site azeem! I just compared my i7-950 to the cheaper newer i5-2500k, and it outperforms my system on the gaming aspect, I think the 950 has the edge in flash and video stuff, which I'm not too big on using!
 
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jrwizbang

jrwizbang

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Apr 21, 2010
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Yeah anandtech is a great site. I use it all the time. I think a 2500k would suit your needs well. Also, for a GPU, the 7970 is a great card, and is about right on par with the GTX 680, but the 680 is out of stock EVERYWHERE, so a 7970 is a great choice, however, right now, the GTX 480 is on sale for $210, which in SLi out performs both the GTX 680, and 7970. However, there are some bugs with SLi, sometimes stuttering and issues like that. So you could go that route, 2x GTX 480's, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130759 or you could go with a single 7970, for a bit more, but it's a single card, meaning that you won't get as many issues such as stuttering.
 
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taxableabe

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Apr 23, 2012
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Thanks Jrwizbang! Ok, about the cpu, i'm thinking Ivy bridge may not be for me, as this will be another strictly gaming platform.

I think i'm just going to buy a new platform and build from there, but i'm still undecided on i5-2500k or i7-2600k. Also what mobo would be best for myself on any of these two boards?

I'm going to take out the SSD in my macbook pro, the Corsair Force 3 120GB. And buy a cheaper <$125 SSD for my Macbook Pro i7.

I like the idea of just one single big card, as later I can probably run 2 big cards, correct? That's my main focus, I never wanna be left in the dust when newer games start coming out like Arma 3.

I'm thinking one 7970 for now, and getting a second one a few months down the line.

For RAM i'm going to take out the dual channel G.Skills I currently have in the LGA1366 build I have, and get a tri channel kit (3x4GB) for the LGA 1366.

What size power supply should I run on this setup?
 
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azeem40

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Dec 11, 2011
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That is the most wise decision on the GPU you can ever make. Why get 2 weaker cards when you can add a second stronger card to SLI/CF with? :p

For overclock headroom + the anticipation of a second GPU, I would recommend the XFX Black Edition 850W PSU or the PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK 850W PSU. Both are made by Seasonic, one of the best PSU manufacturers on the market.
 
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jrwizbang

jrwizbang

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Apr 21, 2010
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Well if you plan on doing Crossfire with a second 7970 later on, then you're going to need to plan ahead as far as a power supply goes. I'd say an 850w power supply would be probably the most that you will need for 2 7970s, and even still that might be a bit over kill, but over kill is not always a bad thing in that kind of situation. I'll recommend a few that are great for the price, and you can choose, depending on which you like better.

XFX PRO850W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80 Plus Silver Certified 850 Watt Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207017 XFX is great because they'll replace just about anything no matter what happens to it.

SILVERSTONE Strider Gold ST85F-G 850W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V 80 PLUS GOLD Certified 100% Modular, Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256067 Silver Stone makes decent stuff.

SeaSonic M12II 850 SS-850AM 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Semi-modular Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151108 SeaSonic is known for very very high quality power supplies.

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850M 850W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Semi Modular High Performance Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139029 You can almost never go wrong with Corsair.

As far as the ram situation goes, I think that is a good idea. It should work well.

For a processor, don't bother with the 2600k. The 2500k actually beats it in a lot of gaming areas. Mainly, the 2600k is more for if you are doing a lot of video editing, game creation, any thing like that. The 2500k would be a much better bet, and is $100 cheaper :)

And for a mother board, since you will most likely be going with a 2500k, correct? You will need an 1155 socket mother board, which I think you already knew, but there are many different ones out there. Z77 just came out, and so far, seems to be quite amazing. I would recommend something like this for you: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157295 ASRock makes pretty nice motherboards, especially their Extreme boards, and Pro boards. This mother board will allow you to run two 7970s in x8/x8 when and if you decide to get two :p


 
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taxableabe

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Apr 23, 2012
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Yes, i'll be going with the 2500k, makes a ton more money in my build. 1155 socket is exactly what I want now that I got some more info on the gaming vs video stuff.

I added that Z77 to my cart, it's perfect, fits my i5-2500k, will work with sata 3 6gbps with 4 slots, has 2 pci-e 3.0 slots! :D

So, this is what I have in my cart so far:

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=19089785

Tell me if you can see the link or not, I checked with the shopping cart and it wouldn't show so a wish list should work for viewing.

I have HDMI cables, and will be on the lookout for a Monitor/TV, and I'll end up just using a regular wired logitech basic keyboard, and a nice razer mouse like I currently have.

Also remember, that the SSD that I chose in the wishlist is going into my Macbook Pro, and I will be pulling the Corsair Force 3 120GB that's currently in there to use for the new build. Accompanying it is another older macbook pro 500GB HDD that I just might end up wiping and reformatting to use as extra storage for pictures, movies, music, etc.
 
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jrwizbang

jrwizbang

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It says that the wishlist is empty. I believe that you have to move it to a public wishlist somehow.
 
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taxableabe

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Apr 23, 2012
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In that case:

NZXT Phantom Black Steel Full Tower Case $129.99
ASRock Z77 Extreme6 LGA 1155 Z77 $169.99
Intel i5-2500K 3.3GHz (3.7GHz) $219.99
CORSAIR TX850M 850W $139.99
OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 60GB SSD $ 79.99 <For my Macbook Pro
RAM *Still looking for a tri channel kit as this new build is dual channel so might as well reuse my old setup and buy a new tri channel kit 3x4GB

 
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