New Build (i5 3570k GTX 680) Need Some Advice

[Howard Banister]

I'm making the switch from console gaming to PC. Here's the parts I've come up with:

CPU: i5 3570k - $190 (Microcenter)

MOBO: Asus P8Z77-V LK - $145 (Newegg)

GPU: EVGA GTX 680 2GB - $500 (Newegg)

MEMORY: Corsair Vengeance 8GB Low Profile - $42 (Newegg)

OPTICAL DRIVE: Asus 24x DVD Burner - $20 (Newegg)

HARD DRIVE: Western Digital WD Blue 500GB - $70 (Newegg)

SSD: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB - $94 (Amazon)

PSU: Seasonic M12II 620 Bronze - $90 (Newegg)

OS: Windows 7 - $169 (Amazon) I do not want the OEM version because I don't like the install being tied to one motherboard.

CASE: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer - $85 (Newegg)

CPU COOLER Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $31 (Newegg)


TOTAL : $1436

A few questions.

1) Is $1436 a good deal for what I'm getting?

2) The main reason I'm switching to PC is to get better performance and better graphics over console. This rig is roughly four times the cost of an Xbox 360. Will I be getting 4x the performance over an Xbox?

3) How far could I overclock the CPU considering that I'm using Ivy Bridge and air cooling? Is this motherboard good enough for some overclocking.

4) I will be gaming at 1920x1080. Off the top of my head I will be playing Super Monday Night Combat, GTA IV, Assassins Creed 3, Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, Sleeping Dogs, GTA V, Bioshock Infinite, Crysis 2, Portal 2. My goal is to get ~60 fps constant with max settings. Should I have any problems?


Any advice is appreciated. Thanks for reading!

 

[guerrero]

Get a GTX 670 instead to save $100

 

[luciferano]

Get a GTX 670 instead to save $100

Agreed.

 

[Howard Banister]

I was contemplating getting the GTX 670 FTW. Why do you guys recommend the 670 over the 680? Isn't it worth the extra hundred bucks?

 

[luciferano]

I was contemplating getting the GTX 670 FTW. Why do you guys recommend the 670 over the 680? Isn't it worth the extra hundred bucks?

The 680 is hardly any faster than the 670 at all and the difference between them will probably shrink as time goes on. Right now, the 680 is, at best, maybe 8% faster despite being 25-45% more expensive and consuming like 15-20% more power.

 

[excella1221]

Not to mention, that EVGA 680 is using a reference-design cooler.

You can probably get up to 4.3-4.4 GHz with the 212 EVO.

Judging from the list of games you play, you are better off with a regular 7970 or a 7970 GHz Edition card.
Better performance than the 670 and 680, at a cheaper price and with custom coolers.

 

[luciferano]

Be sure that if you go for a 7970, it's not one that has a 7950 using the same cooler. 7950s and 7970s with the same cooler generally have roughly equal overclocking headroom, so if you get a 7970 or 7970 GHz Edition, you'd better get a good one or else you may have wasted your money.

 

[bigcyco1]

The EVGA 670 FTW is very good i wouldn't buy a 680 because you only gaining 5% to 7% and paying $100 more

 

[excella1221]

^Performance-wise, yes it's a great. It has bad cooling though(reference).

 

[Kamen_BG]

Why don't you go for a HD 7970 GHZ edition instead?It's faster than a GTX 670 FTW and a GTX 680 and has a lot of overclocking headroom left.
Buy this one.You won't be dissapointed by its performance
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102982&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[ohhgourami]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($149.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($69.33 @ NCIX US)
Total: $970.25
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

I would go for this setup instead. This GTX 670 is one of the best and matches a stock GTX 680. Runs cooler and quieter than the crappy reference blowers. You could also go for the Asus DirectCU model which is even quieter.

If you plan on getting your CPU from Microcenter, you might as well pick up a mobo from there too as you get $50 off! The Gigabyte mobo I linked is better than that Asus model. It has more power phases with better mosfets and capacitors which can give you a higher and more stable OC.

The PSU I linked is cheaper and more than enough for one GTX 600 series card. It is made by Seasonic despite the badging.

Get the Plextor M5S at Tigerdirect for only $80! It is better than the HyperX 3K with 5 year warranty. The better option would be to ditch the 128gb and get a 256gb instead.

With the case of your preference and all the other stuff, you should be below your original budget with better performance.

 

[excella1221]

Why don't you go for a HD 7970 GHZ edition instead?It's faster than a GTX 670 FTW and a GTX 680 and has a lot of overclocking headroom left.
Buy this one.You won't be dissapointed by its performance
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102982&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

+1

 

[luciferano]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($149.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($69.33 @ NCIX US)
Total: $970.25
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

I would go for this setup instead. This GTX 670 is one of the best and matches a stock GTX 680. Runs cooler and quieter than the crappy reference blowers. You could also go for the Asus DirectCU model which is even quieter.

If you plan on getting your CPU from Microcenter, you might as well pick up a mobo from there too as you get $50 off! The Gigabyte mobo I linked is better than that Asus model. It has more power phases with better mosfets and capacitors which can give you a higher and more stable OC.

The PSU I linked is cheaper and more than enough for one GTX 600 series card. It is made by Seasonic despite the badging.

Get the Plextor M5S at Tigerdirect for only $80! It is better than the HyperX 3K with 5 year warranty. The better option would be to ditch the 128gb and get a 256gb instead.

With the case of your preference and all the other stuff, you should be below your original budget with better performance.

How could you recommend a memory kit that has no heat spreaders in a $1000 build?

Also, more power phases doesn't necessarily mean better.

 

[bigcyco1]

He maybe prefers NV guys just let it go we are getting off topic enough is enough already he asked which 680 to get sorry OP to answer your question this is about what you'll get scroll down this link you can see test of games on video http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/55902-msi-gtx-680-lightning-review-4.html

 

[bigcyco1]

Your spending allot of money choose wisely here read these and decide and when choosing a card you don't take oc into account because other than a factory overclock there is NO Guarantee and don't let anybody convince you into thinking otherwise with links to different things as if that's some sort of proof it's not all it means is it's possible doesn't mean your card you get will oc like that anyway good": http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-geforce-gtx-670-directcu-ii-top-review/
http://www.guru3d.com/article/palit-geforce-gtx-670-jetstream-review/
http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-geforce-gtx-670-power-edition-oc-review/
http://www.guru3d.com/article/evga-geforce-gtx-670-sc-review/


http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/54295-evga-geforce-gtx-670-2gb-superclocked-review.html
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/56546-msi-gtx-670-power-edition-oc-review.html
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/54705-gigabyte-gtx-670-windforce-oc-review.html



http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_680_Lightning/
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zotac/GeForce_GTX_680_Amp_Edition/
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Palit/GeForce_GTX_680_Jet_Stream/
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_680/


http://hardocp.com/article/2012/07 [...] ing_redux/
http://hardocp.com/article/2012/06/26/asus_geforce_gtx_670_directcu_ii_top_video_card_review/
http://hardocp.com/article/2012/07/25/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_670_oc_video_card_review/
http://hardocp.com/article/2012/07/30/msi_geforce_gtx_680_lightning_overclocking_redux/

 

[ohhgourami]

How could you recommend a memory kit that has no heat spreaders in a $1000 build?

Also, more power phases doesn't necessarily mean better.

Would you prefer to recommend ram with a fan kit?? Ram does not need heat spreaders!

More power phases don't necessarily mean better, but it generally does. And since those two mobos are pretty much the same price, I'd go for the one with more power phases, capacitors, and MOSFETs. So what do you think will make a CPU OC better then?

 

[luciferano]

Would you prefer to recommend ram with a fan kit?? Ram does not need heat spreaders!

More power phases don't necessarily mean better, but it generally does. And since those two mobos are pretty much the same price, I'd go for the one with more power phases, capacitors, and MOSFETs. So what do you think will make a CPU OC better then?

It doesn't matter if it doesn't need heat spreaders, they should be had because they are very beneficial to longevity. Heatsinks with fans for RAM modules are obviously overkill.

I probably wouldn't get the GB board. They've been slipping in quality control lately.

 

[batsoy19]

You do know you can get the asus z77 v-lk for $94.99 with the 3570k for $189 if u bundled in microcenter. Just add the motherboard and cpu in the cart. Its a bundle discount. I think thats one of the best advice youll get today.

 

[wr6133]

It doesn't matter if it doesn't need heat spreaders, they should be had because they are very beneficial to longevity. Heatsinks with fans for RAM modules are obviously overkill.

I probably wouldn't get the GB board. They've been slipping in quality control lately.

RAM heatspreaders are entirely cosmetic on DDR3 they serve no real purpose and seriously show some researched evidence that they increase longevity.

Also how about some proof that GByte are slipping as a maker? They are the only mobo brand I know that I have never had issue with.

 

[luciferano]

RAM heatspreaders are entirely cosmetic on DDR3 they serve no real purpose and seriously show some researched evidence that they increase longevity.

Also how about some proof that GByte are slipping as a maker? They are the only mobo brand I know that I have never had issue with.

They keep the RAM cooler. Over the years, I've noticed a distinct trend even up to this day of RAM with heat sinks being both cooler and a little more reliable than the same RAM without the heat sinks. It's also a known fact that heat is one of a computer components' worst enemies and reducing temps is almost always good for reliability, up to a point.

I look at the market as a whole, not my own experience because one persons experience can vary greatly from another's with the same board. Gigabyte has been having more coil whine issues on their graphics cards and their boards have had their own minor issues. I've noticed a bad trend in Gigabyte boards having components such as NICs and more failing prematurely far more often than boards from a few other brands in the same price ranges, among other more minor issues.

They're not the only ones either. A lot of computer companies have been slipping lately in many different types of products. Only a few such as ASRock have been improving.

 

[ohhgourami]

It doesn't matter if it doesn't need heat spreaders, they should be had because they are very beneficial to longevity. Heatsinks with fans for RAM modules are obviously overkill.

I probably wouldn't get the GB board. They've been slipping in quality control lately.

With that logic, you better recommend a high end CPU cooler or custom water loops as something like a 212 Evo isn't enough. You better not OC your CPU either...

Ram doesn't get that hot, nor do they need heat spreaders unless increase the voltage A LOT.

I recommended that ram specifically for air coolers to make sure there is a lot of clearance (barely taller than the memory locking mechanism on the mobo). Plus it OCs like crazy. @1.5V I get 9-10-10-27 1T 1866MHZ. Very good performance for the price and it doesn't get hot.

Got proof of QC issues for Gigabyte mobos? From a purely objective standpoint, the Gigabyte mobo looks better on paper.

 

[luciferano]

With that logic, you better recommend a high end CPU cooler or custom water loops as something like a 212 Evo isn't enough. You better not OC your CPU either...

Ram doesn't get that hot, nor do they need heat spreaders unless increase the voltage A LOT.

I recommended that ram specifically for air coolers to make sure there is a lot of clearance (barely taller than the memory locking mechanism on the mobo). Plus it OCs like crazy. @1.5V I get 9-10-10-27 1T 1866MHZ. Very good performance for the price and it doesn't get hot.

Got proof of QC issues for Gigabyte mobos? From a purely objective standpoint, the Gigabyte mobo looks better on paper.

That doesn't go along my train of logic at all. It goes completely against it. I specifically went against going overkill on the cooling with those actively cooled heat sinks that were brought up earlier, so I'm obviously not for going overkill in cooling, just getting enough.

RAM doesn't need to get very hot. Just getting somewhat hot decreases longevity. It doesn't need to kill the memory outright, it just hurts it over time. I've known RAM with heat sinks to very consistently outlast RAM without them. That's not always just because of the heat spreaders because RAM with heat spreaders is often designed to be of higher quality than RAM without heat spreaders, but it's still an obvious trend.

There are many low-profile RAM kits with low-profile heat spreaders that don't interfere with CPU coolers.

Everywhere I look, Gigabyte boards currently tend to have far higher rates of failure of individual components on the board than comparable boards except those from really bad brands such as Foxconn. Full failure rate is still nice and low, but that doesn't make up for the poor rates of non-necessary component failure.

I see them failing far too often in reviews from them all over the place. Newegg, Tigerdirect, and more as well as personal experience with the many systems that I've built for other people. You might balk at the lack of professional reviews, but those are irrelevant because of their sample sizes.

 

[wr6133]

They keep the RAM cooler. Over the years, I've noticed a distinct trend even up to this day of RAM with heat sinks being both cooler and a little more reliable than the same RAM without the heat sinks. It's also a known fact that heat is one of a computer components' worst enemies and reducing temps is almost always good for reliability, up to a point.

I look at the market as a whole, not my own experience because one persons experience can vary greatly from another's with the same board. Gigabyte has been having more coil whine issues on their graphics cards and their boards have had their own minor issues. I've noticed a bad trend in Gigabyte boards having components such as NICs and more failing prematurely far more often than boards from a few other brands in the same price ranges, among other more minor issues.

They're not the only ones either. A lot of computer companies have been slipping lately in many different types of products. Only a few such as ASRock have been improving.

1- It has been proven time over time heatspreaders have no real effect on DDR3, early on some were even shown to be bad. Show us proof of this trend you have "seen" and tell us your testing method as if your not blowing smoke like I suspect then you clearly have found something new and exciting.

2 - Prove your trend of failure in Gbyte mobos? How large is your sample size and how did you collect this data? I suspect your blowing more smoke but just incase my habit of always building for people with Gbyte boards (and never having had an issue) is utterly incorrect please enlighten me as to how this upper tier manufacturer is actually a low tier mobo maker.

 

[luciferano]

1- It has been proven time over time heatspreaders have no real effect on DDR3, early on some were even shown to be bad. Show us proof of this trend you have "seen" and tell us your testing method as if your not blowing smoke like I suspect then you clearly have found something new and exciting.

2 - Prove your trend of failure in Gbyte mobos? How large is your sample size and how did you collect this data? I suspect your blowing more smoke but just incase my habit of always building for people with Gbyte boards (and never having had an issue) is utterly incorrect please enlighten me as to how this upper tier manufacturer is actually a low tier mobo maker.

Read my edit if you care to.

I can't show proof of my experience over the years. It's not like I keep a paper trail of all of this. My testing methods are simple. If the memory fails, then it has failed. When I see this happening for computers that are just running 24/7 doing the same thing such as network servers, not just home computers where usage can vary greatly, it's kinda difficult to deny it. I find that it can strongly depend also on the CPU cooler and case cooling, but it's still a consistent rend, just to less of an extent with good case temps and such.

Using Gigabyte doesn't guarantee problems as I'm sure you already know. It's simply more likely to cause issues with hardware on the boards that is not necessary, such as NIC and such. It's also a very recent trend, I only noticed it with some Z68 and newer chipset boards from Gigabyte.

Failure rates are still lower than success rates, so problems are unlikely, but they're much more likely than with some other boards right now.

 

[wr6133]

Read my edit if you care to.

I can't show proof of my experience over the years. It's not like I keep a paper trail of all of this. My testing methods are simple. If the memory fails, then it has failed. When I see this happening for computers that are just running 24/7 doing the same thing such as network servers, not just home computers where usage can vary greatly, it's kinda difficult to deny it. I find that it can strongly depend also on the CPU cooler and case cooling, but it's still a consistent rend, just to less of an extent with good case temps and such.

Using Gigabyte doesn't guarantee problems as I'm sure you already know. It's simply more likely to cause issues with hardware on the boards that is not necessary, such as NIC and such. It's also a very recent trend, I only noticed it with some Z68 and newer chipset boards from Gigabyte.

Failure rates are still lower than success rates, so problems are unlikely, but they're much more likely than with some other boards right now.

The TLDR of that is your a spamming troll consistently giving out bad/factless/made up/ridiculous advice across threads on this site.

It's also a very recent trend, I only noticed it with some Z68 and newer chipset boards from Gigabyte.

If this is true then why are you the only one to notice this? Is the entire review industry and those of us that recommend them bribed by Gbyte or something? Are you the one shining light in the hardware industry with this knowledge?

or

Is it a factless assertion?

I can't show proof of my experience over the years. It's not like I keep a paper trail of all of this. My testing methods are simple. If the memory fails, then it has failed.

Earlier you claimed it was shown across identical RAM with and without spreaders that would have meant you would have needed to test that specifically.

Again

Factless assertion

Why am I being a seeming ass with this? We help people here on this site your advice is consistently harmful, harmful advice that influences peoples very expensive decisions. Stop thinking of inflating your post count at what could be the expense of somebodies wallet.