Selecting Graphic Card

[wayneluu91]

Hi all,
To make it quick, this is the list I wanna build:
CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K $570
MBoard: ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 $330
SSD: Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW120A3K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $135
Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance LP 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 $92
Power Sup: CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 $145
Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 550D Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $150
Cooler: CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler $115
Graphic Card: ???

So the total now is about $1537
My budget allows me only to $1800.
So any advice will be welcome, it's hard to choose Graphic Card, I wanna to run SLI but i think I will only buy 1 of the card 1st then the 2nd later, is that a good idea? Anything wrong with my build please cmt. THanks.

 

[manofchalk]

Are you gaming across multiple monitors or a single 120Hz monitor? 3D gaming a factor? (though on cards this... not high-tier, I suspect it would be horrible).

Does things like strong OpenCL and GPGPU performance matter (I assume it would, since this must be a number crunching build, way overkill for just gaming). Or would the software involved only utilize CUDA?

From the looks of it, you only have $250 to spend, that puts you at a HD7870 or GTX660. I would go for the 7870 personally. But the answer to the above questions could change that though.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

There is no point in getting a sabretooth or a 3930k for gaming - something like a 3570k and z77 Extreme4 will perform just as well and allow you to get a 7970Ghz.

Get 2x4GB RAM.

You can find an SSD that performs better for less, eg Vertex 4.

Closed loop cooling is overpriced and often less effective than good air cooling.

You may be able to squeeze a pair of 7970s in to your budget I think.

 

[wr6133]

There is no point in getting a sabretooth or a 3930k for gaming - something like a 3570k and z77 Extreme4 will perform just as well and allow you to get a 7970Ghz.

Get 2x4GB RAM.

You can find an SSD that performs better for less, eg Vertex 4.

Closed loop cooling is overpriced and often less effective than good air cooling.

You may be able to squeeze a pair of 7970s in to your budget I think.

+1 on this unless you are making a pro level workstation for a production environment forget socket 2011 and the 3930k. If you're gaming the build is just wrong a $570 CPU and a $300 GPU... your $1800 "monster" will get outgamed by some guy that spent $1000 more sensibly.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

THIS is a good $1800 gaming build:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($83.26 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 550D ATX Mid Tower Case ($149.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: OCZ Z Series Gold 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($88.78 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($91.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1784.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

EDIT: You didn't include a storage drive in your build so I left it out.

 

[wayneluu91]

@manofchalk: 1st, thank you a lot for the advice. it will not be multiple monitor tho, and not 3D gaming. Yeah, I kinda go for the GTX660 but why would u suggest the HD 7870? I am totally a noob. I have not been looking at computer parts for like 4-5 years since my last build. Back then, I heard that Radeon is not the best choice for gaming, cuz Nvidia supports for features for gaming, probably this is a myth i have been believing in.

@Someone Somewhere: thank you alot too, Im glad that u suggested me the build for my budget. Took a look at ur build I actually love it. Can you please explain more why I don't need a 3930k and the Sabber tooth? and more about the HD7970 please. Actually I already have the OS and OpticDrive plus the storage, I just need the SSD. So if I cut out those 2 can I go for a better CPU like i7? something? Thank you alot. Best Regards

 

[Someone Somewhere]

There is very little performance difference between a i5-3570k and i7-3770k (still socket 1155, 4 cores, 8 threads) as the only change is the i7s have hyperthreading. As no game currently uses more than 4 threads, the hyperthreading gives no performance increase. The 3930k uses socket 2011, which the motherboards generally costs more for. It has a few advantages in quad-channel memory and up to six cores (12 threads), but this make very little difference to gaming performance, as there is almost no combination that will bottleneck a 3570k.

As far as the Sabertooth goes, it gives very little advantages beyond slightly better OCing ability. The TUF is pretty much bling, and makes no difference to performance.

Dropping the OS and optical drive will give you about an extra $105. What monitor do you have. As the 7970 Ghz Edition is currently the most powerful single-GPU card on sale (and you have two of them), you need a decent monitor to take full advantage of them. It may also be a good idea to get a 256GB SSD.

EDIT: The main features nVidia has that AMD does not are:
PhysX - Very few games use it, 600 series is crippled at it (and most other GPGPU activities).
Adaptive VSync - Actually useful, but if you have enough GPU power you can just use normal VSync.
NV3D - Closed 3D ecosystem, generally easier to set up but not all monitors work. AMD has HD3D which works with pretty much any 3D screen but can be more difficult.
I can't think of anything else. AMD on the other hand often has better performance for the same price, and scales better than Kepler. Also more overclockable

 

[wayneluu91]

Best answer selected by wayneluu91.

 

[wayneluu91]

@someone Somewhere: ok this settles my decision. I will probably think about a new monitor since the one I have now is just HP2311x. Thank you a lot for all the information. THank everyone else also.