[New Build] Some question and though

[mxno]

Hi there,

I'm about to change my current build (a full-atx ...)
here my current build
CPU : Amd phenom 2 x4 955BE on ThermalTake minityphoon
Memory : 6gb DDR2 (yeah ... main point of changing ...)
Mother board : some atx Asus am2+ supporting 4xddr2 ...
GPU : Ausus HD 6770 DirectCU
PSU : ThermalTake 700w
Some 1to HDD and
pionner CD/DVD burner
all of this inside Antec 900 cases

now i want to get rid of the big ass tower to make someting smaller
I dont care about keeping or not the cpu,gpu,psu.

I wanted to go in microatx , but found out that amd go no high-end (unlike Intel maximus gene & rampage gene) matx board
Should i throw evryting away and go Intel

like this build :
Keep PSU / optical
CPU - Intel 2600K
Mobo - Asus Maximus V Gene or Rampage Gene (idk)
Ram - G.Skill ripsaw 2400 (16GB)
GPU - pny xlr8 580 GTX Liquid Cooled
Cooling - Thermaltake CLW0211 Bigwater 760
Case - Broadway Com Corp 943PK (or some other TriBay matx case)

Ok , now people ask why Matx over ATX, why wather cooled over traditional airflow .
The Matx because i want someting small missing some room, and the wathercooled because i dont want to get some temp restriction when ill need to boost up the beast a (huge) bit ...

i love AMD ... seriously , but they lack of High-end performance for small cases ...

If some1 got any suggestion / or know some good matx to work with my p2x4955BE (that support massive oc)



Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: 1400-1500 cnd

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming and a bit of 3d animation

Parts Not Required: Mouse , keybo , screen

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg , tigerdirect ... any major

Country: Canada

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Prolly not

Monitor Resolution:1920x1080

 

[smorizio]

with small cases your going to have a hard time mounting the rad and finding short video cards. your better off buying the same size case but one made for gaming with water.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139011
as you can see here and on toms report the rad can be tuck under the top of the case.
this case can take a very long video card.

 

[mxno]

that's a great idea ... but i forgot to mantion 1 thing ... lol
the secound reason i wanted to go LC , is because im tired to dust off my front grill ...
and for the rad ... exect the rad of the GPU , CPU cooling unite got his own Rad in the main unit

 

[geofelt]

May I suggest a Silverstone TJ08-E case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163182
It is the case I am currently using.
I had a GTX580 installed, and a 2600K with absolutely no cooling problems.
In fact, I undervolted the front 180mm fan and kept it on low spees.
I was prepared to install a rear exhaust fan, but it was totally unnecessary.
The case has an easily removeable front air filter so there is no dust problem.
The case is wide enough for ANY great cpu air cooler. I used a prolimatech megahalems.
Did I say quiet?

There are a number of M-ATX Z77 motherboards that will work for you. P67 and Z68 also.
They will all OC decently. I see no real need for the highest priced motherboards unless you plan to OC to the point of instability.

Also, instead of spending lots of bucks on liquid cooling on a GTX580(which is still a fine card), why not look for a stock GTX680, which will be cheaper, stronger, and quieter than anything you can possibly get out of a GTX580.

Also, ivy bridge , like sandy bridge is insensitive to ram speeds. There is little value in speeds past 1600.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3

 

[mxno]

thx , that case is more like what i want but kinda need 3 5.25bay ... 2 for liquid cooling , and 1 for optic ... or i could use some external optic,

and for the OC though ... I will oc it to max ofc ... at least ... to try it ... lol, but more seriously, i'm afraid of mid-range mobo and oc'ing problem, because that what i got right now with my asus , cannot oc my pIIbe ... at all , kinda lame

do you know some DECEND to high-end micro in AMD by any mean ?

 

[azeem40]

mATX isn't necessarily a bad thing if you don't plan to use all features.

 

[geofelt]

thx , that case is more like what i want but kinda need 3 5.25bay ... 2 for liquid cooling , and 1 for optic ... or i could use some external optic,

and for the OC though ... I will oc it to max ofc ... at least ... to try it ... lol, but more seriously, i'm afraid of mid-range mobo and oc'ing problem, because that what i got right now with my asus , cannot oc my pIIbe ... at all , kinda lame

do you know some DECEND to high-end micro in AMD by any mean ?

Sorry, my experience has been with Intel.

You are looking at a 2600K, but for gaming, save $100 if it is important to you, and look at a 2500K instead.
Most games use only 2 or three cores, making the extra hyperthreads on the 2600K largely useless.
The 2500K will OC to the same levels as the 2600K.

If money is no object and you want insane performance you can always get a GTX690

 

[mxno]

Sorry, my experience has been with Intel.

You are looking at a 2600K, but for gaming, save $100 if it is important to you, and look at a 2500K instead.
Most games use only 2 or three cores, making the extra hyperthreads on the 2600K largely useless.
The 2500K will OC to the same levels as the 2600K.

If money is no object and you want insane performance you can always get a GTX690

maybe for the 2500k ... or 3570k ? whats the diff between sandy and ivy bridge ?

 

[tdoughtony]

16gb is overkill. You only need 8gb and the money you save you can get a gtx670. You can get them for 400 on newegg.

 

[geofelt]

maybe for the 2500k ... or 3570k ? whats the diff between sandy and ivy bridge ?

For the gamer, they are about the same.
ivy bridge is mostly a die shrink from 32nm to 22nm.
The 3750K has a slightly higher clock rate, and it is perhaps 10% more efficient per clock,
but does not OC quite as high.
At idle, it runs cooler, but at high OC, past 4.5 or so, it gets very hot.
There are other plusses, and that is what I would get, at perhaps a $20 price premium.
If you are near a microcenter, they will sell you one for $190; the 2500K is $170.
Really, you will run out of graphics capability before you run out of cpu power with either chip using a conservative OC.

 

[mxno]

Best answer selected by mxno.