Build me a gaming PC for $600-800 plz

[ManBearPig]

I bought 12gb of this for $34 since i figured it was a smoking deal. Right RAM, good idea (should i cancel?)?

Also, SHOULD I care about upgrading to ivy bridge? I'm not one to upgrade often, so if it saves me money, I would rather get a mobo only for sandy bridge and if I wanna upgrade in like 4-5+ years, make a new pc.

 

[lehtv]

If that's for socket LGA1366, then yes that's a pretty nice deal. LGA1155, 1156 and 775 and AMD platforms all use dual-channel RAM.

 

[ManBearPig]

If that's for socket LGA1366, then yes that's a pretty nice deal. LGA1155, 1156 and 775 and AMD platforms all use dual-channel RAM.

So...my build is a LGA1155, right? The third stick would create issues then/the sticks would run slower?

I was just thinking about selling one and that would make the deal even sweeter. $10-15 for a stick and then that would make the total like $15-20.

 

[lehtv]

So...my build is a LGA1155, right?

You don't know? Sandy Bridge if that's what you're getting is LGA1155.

The third stick would create issues then/the sticks would run slower?

Yes, it won't give optimal performance in 3-stick config. And LGA1366 RAM is also generally 1.65V, while Sandy Bridge should have 1.5V. 1.65V will work but it's not as good, 1.5V is the standard for DDR3 at the moment. Finally, Corsair Vengeance is also quite high profile, I would recommend low profile RAM to avoid clearance issues with CPU coolers. Here's a good 2x4GB kit for $30AR.

 

[ManBearPig]

You don't know? Sandy Bridge if that's what you're getting is LGA1155.

Haha yeah, i looked it up. I've been outta the game for a long (long) time, sorry! I figured the last i saw, everything was triple channel, didnt know about the dual channel still out.

Finally, Corsair Vengeance is also quite high profile, I would recommend low profile RAM to avoid clearance issues with CPU coolers. Here's a good 2x4GB kit for $30AR.

I was afraid of that. Maybe i'll just cancel it. While we're on the subject...what size case would i need to fit that GPU? I dont really want a gargantuan full sized tower. I build my brother one with a mid sized tower and it was reasonably sized (albeit still quite large).

 

[lehtv]

The 6950? It's 256mm long (XFX), pretty much any mid-tower will fit it. Antec 300 has a clearance of about 279mm, and that's a pretty compact case.

 

[ElFenix]

Yes, it won't give optimal performance in 3-stick config.

i thought the interleaving was smarter than that.

 

[lehtv]

i thought the interleaving was smarter than that.

What do u mean?

 

[fffblackmage]

Wouldn't the first two sticks operate under dual-channel mode while the last stick just run in single-channel mode?

And $34 for 12GB is a really awesome deal....

 

[ManBearPig]

Man I really want these but don't know how much of an issue these large hear spreaders will be space wise. Are RAM heatsinks generally an issue? I thought they'd be better since they're so huge but had the size issue in the back of my head.

Would having two sticks in dual channel mode and one in single channel mode be horrible?

 

[lehtv]

It wouldn't be horrible performance wise to have 3 sticks, just not optimal. The memory controller of SB is designed for dual-channel.

I don't see any reason to pay more for the triple-channel kit of Vengeance than the $30 AR Patriot kit, given the issues mentioned and that you don't need more than 8GB

 

[ManBearPig]

How do you guys like this PSU for $35? Would it work with my other theoretical components you suggested?

I must've overlooked the patriot, my bad! Probably a better idea.

 

[ManBearPig]

Man some guy just offered me $17 for a stick of the RAM. So I'd be getting 8gb of RAM for $17. I think I'm gonna do it.

If I use slots 2/3 or 3/4 would the benefit of dual channel still apply (i.e., is it any two slots or only 1/2 and 3/4)?

 

[lehtv]

How do you guys like this PSU for $35? Would it work with my other theoretical components you suggested?

Very nice. This might go out of stock in a matter of days. Would grab it. It has plenty of power and it's very reliable, and despite the relatively low efficiency by today's standards, it's very quiet according to the user reviews.

Man some guy just offered me $17 for a stick of the RAM. So I'd be getting 8gb of RAM for $17. I think I'm gonna do it.

What, that Vengeance? Why? You'd still be paying $4 more than for Patriot, and for that $4 you'd get

- possible cooler compatibility issues
- 1.65V instead of 1.5V, which you do not want [edit: nvm, vengeance is always 1.5v]

If I could get that RAM for free, I'd sell it on and buy low-profile 1.5V RAM.

If I use slots 2/3 or 3/4 would the benefit of dual channel still apply (i.e., is it any two slots or only 1/2 and 3/4)?

1 pairs with 3, 2 pairs with 4.

 

[ManBearPig]

- 1.65V instead of 1.5V, which you do not want

Thank you for the advice/info, I'll probably buy that PSU, helps to know about the RAM slots.

HOWEVER, Mr. lehtv, you are my only adviser and i swear i didn't make a mistake and get 1.65V RAM like you said not to...the Corsair RAM is 1.5V! I'll think about returning it/selling it, though i dunno if it will be an issue w/ the cooler (gonna research around on that).

The $17-19 I'd be paying makes it a pretty sweet deal for 8gb of RAM though.

 

[ManBearPig]

Oh yeah, I found an Antec 300 for $30 AR locally, should I buy it? Additionally, what cooler would you recommend? I saw a rec for the Hyper 212+, any others to consider?

 

[lehtv]

That 300 is a steal. :thumbsup:

Mr. lehtv, you are my only adviser and i swear i didn't make a mistake and get 1.65V RAM like you said not to...the Corsair RAM is 1.5V!

My bad, I just assumed triple-kits would be 1.65V but then as you mentioned the above, I remembered Vengeance has always been 1.5V. Sry

As long as you stick with the stock cooler you won't have to worry about compatibility.

 

[Skott]

$30 for a Antec 300 is a great price. Make sure it will fit your GPU and if so make sure it will fit the Hyper 212 which IIRC it does. If I'm not mistaken you plan to OC so get at least one 120mm fan for the front of the case, preferably two. Scythe makes some good ones that are not loud, pushes good air, and resonable in cost. It's what I would do anyway.

 

[ElFenix]

What do u mean?

iirc, the memory controller interleaves the banks even if differing amounts of memory are in each bank. so the lower addresses will be interleaved to the extent possible and then the 3rd stick won't be. and then it uses the lower addresses first. that would leave performance between a 2 ch 2 stick setup the same as a 2 ch 3 stick setup the same until the 3rd stick is in use.

i could be wrong.


would be nice to see some actual tests of this. no one thinks to do that.

 

[ManBearPig]

Bought the 300, got the RAM earlier today (may get a different kind depending on what cooler you guys suggest). Whats left is:

mobo---??
CPU---i5-2500K
GPU---2GB 6950
cooler---?? (is it necessary? prob. yes)
HDD---(want SSD but i was told not to, i could even do a small one; are only traditional HDDs expensive now or SSDs too?)??
PSU---(maybe the antec I mentioned above)??

Edit: Got different RAM, shorter than the Corsair RAM...will return that. I bought this.

 

[mfenn]

iirc, the memory controller interleaves the banks even if differing amounts of memory are in each bank. so the lower addresses will be interleaved to the extent possible and then the 3rd stick won't be. and then it uses the lower addresses first. that would leave performance between a 2 ch 2 stick setup the same as a 2 ch 3 stick setup the same until the 3rd stick is in use.

i could be wrong.


would be nice to see some actual tests of this. no one thinks to do that.

You are correct about the way it lays out the physical addresses. However, the CPU has no say whatsoever in what physical memory addresses are used first, that's the operating system's call. The OS does not allocate memory sequentially from low addresses to high-addresses, and any given block of virtual memory can be spread all over the physical address space. Given that most threads access memory in a pretty sequential fashion, you're pretty much going to end up with the "slow" addresses bottlenecking the faster ones.

 

[mfenn]

Bought the 300, got the RAM earlier today (may get a different kind depending on what cooler you guys suggest). Whats left is:

mobo---??
CPU---i5-2500K
GPU---2GB 6950
cooler---?? (is it necessary? prob. yes)
HDD---(want SSD but i was told not to, i could even do a small one; are only traditional HDDs expensive now or SSDs too?)??
PSU---(maybe the antec I mentioned above)??

Edit: Got different RAM, shorter than the Corsair RAM...will return that. I bought this.

By my count, you are at around $550 counting the components you have picked out and or bought. That leaves $250 for the mobo, HDD, and cooler.

I'd recommend:
ASRock Z68 Pro3 $100
Hyper 212+ $26
7K1000.D 750GB $110

That's $236, so you're not going to be able to fit in an SSD unless you're willing to go with a 64GB and use it as your only storage.

 

[ManBearPig]

Thanks man! Seems like that's the mobo everyone chooses. If I don't need ivy bridge compatibility, is there a better/cheaper alternative? Also...I wouldn't mind a small SSD. I could always get a big HDD later/upgrade my SSD. How much would the OS itself take up? Are games huge now?

I've heard multiple recommendations for that cooler, so I'll get that. Is there a psu you'd recommend above that cheap antec (I don't wanna have too little power)?

Any brand reccs for the GPU?

 

[mfenn]

Thanks man! Seems like that's the mobo everyone chooses. If I don't need ivy bridge compatibility, is there a better/cheaper alternative?

No, that is the lowest I would go if you want to OC.

Also...I wouldn't mind a small SSD. I could always get a big HDD later/upgrade my SSD. How much would the OS itself take up? Are games huge now?

Yes, games are pretty big. SW:TOR is about 20GB or so. If you are sure that 64GB is enough space, get the Crucial M4 64GB.

Is there a psu you'd recommend above that cheap antec (I don't wanna have too little power)?

No there is not. Inexpensive does not mean cheap and you'll never go above 620W on a single-GPU system.

Any brand reccs for the GPU?

I'd get this Sapphire.

 

[ManBearPig]

Holy fuck, I remember games MAX being 3-4gb! I probably wouldn't be playing too many games at once, maybe one or two so it could work depending on how large the OS is.

Any ideas when Windows 8 will be out? I can get 7 really cheap but if 8 is gonna be out soon I'll wait.