High-end gaming system

[Steen]

1. Use: Gaming, want good performance in high end games.

2. Budget: Want value for money, probably not spending more than 500$ more than whats in the current build. (danish prices vs US is a bit messed up)

3. Country: Denmark

4. Brands: No brands

5. Recycling parts: no reuse

7. Overclicking: default speeds as long as possible, might end up OCing near the end of its life.

8. Res 2560 x 1440 (if i end up buying the screen in the build)

9. Buildtime: within a month


I would probably buy another videocard and run sli in the near future, but it is a bit hard on my wallet to get all this and another 580 at the same time. So will probably start out with one and get the other one by christmas.

I got a case, but if I'm going to sell my old PC, its probably better to sell it as a complete system, rather than old parts. And in case of a sell, i need a new one.

Any feedback would is welcome.


Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($22.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth P67 (REV 3.0) ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($208.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX T1 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: OCZ Vertex 3 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB Video Card ($474.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($175.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell U2711 27.0" Monitor ($864.98 @ NCIX US)
Total: $2157.40
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-10-25 15:58 EDT-0400)



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edit: build is now:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright HR-02 Macho (no link)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme7 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($274.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video card: Gainward GTX 580 "Phantom" (3 GB) (no link)
SSD : Crucial M4 64 GB (no link)
Power Supply: Corsair 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($175.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell U2711 27.0" Monitor ($864.98 @ NCIX US)

//Steen

 

[lehtv]

CPU good
Cooler good but could be better on your budget, e.g. HR-02 Macho, Scythe Mugen 3, or a Noctua
Mobo I'd get a Z68 board instead, Asus P8Z68-V LE or Asus P8Z68-V (for CF/SLI).
RAM Needs to be 1.5V. 1600MHz provides little advantage (1-3&#37 over 1333MHz, but can be worth it if the difference in cost is minute. E.g. Corsair XMS3, Corsair Vengeance Low-profile, G.Skill Value, G.Skill Ripjaws, G.Skill Sniper.
SSD Crucial M4 would be better, the Sandforce controllers are not held in high regard reliability-wise (though I haven't had any problems with my Vertex 2). 64GB is enough for OS+programs.
HDD Should probably include one in the build ;P. Hitachi 7K1000.D or Samsung F3 1TB or WD Caviar Black 750GB/1TB.
GPU If playing on 2560x1440, I'd rather go 6950 2GB Crossfire or GTX 570 SLI, but if on 1080p, a single GTX 570 is certainly fast enough. Sell and upgrade to GTX600 series if needed.
PSU 650W would be fine for a single GPU. The AX850 is quite expensive, the HX series are very good modular units. TX650 V2 is a good non-modular unit. 750W would be plenty for 6950 crossfire (TX650 doesn't have 4 pcie connectors, but if they sell XFX 650 in Denmark that'd be a good choice). 850W for 570 SLI, though a 750W corsair would handle it fine too.
Case Didn't see you list one. HAF 922, Corsair 400R, Corsair 500R, Fractal R3, Silverstone Raven, among others.
Monitor Ooooh..

 

[T_Yamamoto]

CPU good
Cooler good but could be better on your budget, e.g. HR-02 Macho, Scythe Mugen 3, or a Noctua
Mobo I'd get a Z68 board instead, Asus P8Z68-V LE or Asus P8Z68-V (for CF/SLI).
RAM Needs to be 1.5V. 1600MHz provides little advantage (1-3%) over 1333MHz, but can be worth it if the difference in cost is minute. E.g. Corsair XMS3, Corsair Vengeance Low-profile, G.Skill Value, G.Skill Ripjaws, G.Skill Sniper.
SSD Crucial M4 would be better, the Sandforce controllers are not held in high regard reliability-wise (though I haven't had any problems with my Vertex 2). 64GB is enough for OS+programs.
HDD Should probably include one in the build ;P. Hitachi 7K1000.D or Samsung F3 1TB or WD Caviar Black 750GB/1TB.
GPU If playing on 2560x1440, I'd rather go 6950 2GB Crossfire or GTX 570 SLI, but if on 1080p, a single GTX 570 is certainly fast enough. Sell and upgrade to GTX600 series if needed.
PSU 650W would be fine for a single GPU. The AX850 is quite expensive, the HX series are very good modular units. TX650 V2 is a good non-modular unit. 750W would be plenty for 6950 crossfire (TX650 doesn't have 4 pcie connectors, but if they sell XFX 650 in Denmark that'd be a good choice). 850W for 570 SLI, though a 750W corsair would handle it fine too.
Case Didn't see you list one. HAF 922, Corsair 400R, Corsair 500R, Fractal R3, Silverstone Raven, among others.
Monitor Ooooh..

good stuff!

 

[mfenn]

I agree with lehtv. For gaming at 2560x1440, 6950 2GB CFX is going to be higher performance than a GTX 580 for not much more cost. Grab this:
- 6950 2GB
- ASRock Z68 Extreme3
- Antec EA-750 (inexpensive, 4 PCIe power connectors, all 750W can theoretically be on the 12V)

 

[Steen]

Thank you for your input.

I'm a bit worried about switching to crossfire over sli because it seems that microstutter is worse running CF.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995-5.html

 

[pandemonium]

It really depends on the game for the variance of microstutter to rear its ugly head. This comparison and breakdown from techreport paints a poor picture for the 560 Ti SLI in Bulletstorm versus the HD6950 2GB CF:

The best way to reduce microstutter while achieving multi-GPU performance is to go with Trifire. That's what I plan on doing when my mobo/CPU need updating since my current only supports dual GPU setups. Of course, the price premium raises regardless for this solution, but if you want flawless framerates you'll have to pay for it - be it a monster single GPU or three lesser GPUs, with a mobo and PSU to support. The main thing is to keep your framerates above your screen's refresh rate with v-sync enabled and you're golden - microstuttered or not.

 

[lehtv]

The main thing is to keep your framerates above your screen's refresh rate with v-sync enabled and you're golden - microstuttered or not.

This. Microstuttering is invisible once you reach near 60 minimum framerate.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Ok. I guess I'll chime in on my usual recommendation and that's input devices. Thanks to all the other GH posters for letting me have this little bit of my 2 cents

Input devices are best used in FPS gaming. They can be used in MMOs etc. but I would guess they are best suited for fast paced gaming like arena shooters: like Unreal Tournament for example. I'd say the first and best thing, IMO, to get out of the 3 I usually recommend starts with a 120Hz pc monitor. Not a 120Hz tv monitor. If juking and dodging are a big factor in the game(s) you play a good mechanical keyboard and 1000Hz polling mouse are also very important.

If you consider what I said, I'll plug in more-specific recommendations

 

[mnewsham]

snip

bagged me an epic lurker

 

[Steen]

Ok, so i revised the build.

will reuse storage and maybe case.

Decided to go with 1 big card, and maybe go sli at a later point, rather than using crossfire in smaller cards.


CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright HR-02 Macho (no link)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme7 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($274.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video card: Gainward GTX 580 "Phantom" (3 GB) (no link)
SSD : Crucial M4 64 GB (no link)
Power Supply: Corsair 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($175.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell U2711 27.0" Monitor ($864.98 @ NCIX US)

 

[Anomaly1964]

I got the Sabertooth purely for aesthetics too...

 

[lehtv]

Make sure the case you pick can fit the HR-02 macho. The sink itself is 162mm high but the fan extends a few unspecified mm above that.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

800$ for a pc monitor? and to game? i hope color is the major importance of playing your game.. maybe like simon says,

 

[lehtv]

2560x1440 IPS is pretty damn nice. Compared to a 1080p monitor, that's 33% more pixels. Cost 2x or 3x more than a normal 27" TN panel... Kinda much compared to the cost of the PC itself

EDIT: Yeah and I agree, the GTX 580 is not a great choice. mfenn suggested 6950 crossfire, go with that, it'll handle that resolution much better than GTX 580 3GB, in fact it is not too far from 580 3GB SLI. And costs less than one 580 3GB.

 

[mnewsham]

Ok, so i revised the build.

will reuse storage and maybe case.

Decided to go with 1 big card, and maybe go sli at a later point, rather than using crossfire in smaller cards.


CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright HR-02 Macho (no link)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme7 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($274.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video card: Gainward GTX 580 "Phantom" (3 GB) (no link)
SSD : Crucial M4 64 GB (no link)
Power Supply: Corsair 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($175.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell U2711 27.0" Monitor ($864.98 @ NCIX US)

The GTX 570 would be much cheaper and almost as good, i would recommend (if you are sure you are going to SLI) you go with that.

 

[Ken g6]

I guess everyone's been so surprised by the GPU that nobody's mentioned:

Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme7 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($274.99 @ Newegg)

What's this got that the Extreme3 Gen3 ain't got for half the price?

- PCIe 3.0: Won't work on Sandy Bridge OR with current GPUs.
- 2x PCIe x16 speed - probably doesn't matter that much when SLIing - plus, signals have to travel very different paths which would make me concerned about micro-stuttering.
- 3 PCIe x16 slots: 2 are so close together you can't tri-sli
- More SATA3 ports - do you really need six SSDs, or 10 HDDs, since regular HDDs don't benefit from SATA3 over SATA2.
- USB 3.0 front connectors and Firewire. Do you need these? There are some Asus boards with USB 3.0 front connectors for less.

 

[lehtv]

Haha you're right, I just automatically read that as Asrock Extreme3.

OP you shouldn't spend more than $200 max on a board, and you can get a good SLI board for $150 with 3yr warranty. Or the Asrock Extreme3.

 

[Steen]

Only reason to go with the 3GB RAM GPU is that bf3 seems to max out the ram on the gfxcard hard.
Going sli / CF wont give me more ram.
=/

ill change mb into Extreme3 Gen3.

I also decided to sell my old build for a low cost just to get rid of it all. So ill need a new case.
Its hard to find something that both looks good, got good airflow and are rather silent.

 

[mfenn]

Check out the Fractal Design R3 for the case (it has been out for a while, dunno what is up with Newegg's lack of pics).

As for the other issues, you're still better off with 6950 2GB CFX for BF3. I highly recommend that you listen to Johan Andersson's Frostbite 2 engine deep dive before spending (read, wasting) a ton of money on a 3GB graphics card. Short version: they targeted 1.5GB as the max for ultra settings.

Also, the PSU and RAM are too expensive for what they are:
- XFX Core 750W $70 AR
- G.Skill DDR3 1333 8GB $35

 

[mnewsham]

Check out the Fractal Design R3 for the case (it has been out for a while, dunno what is up with Newegg's lack of pics).

As for the other issues, you're still better off with 6950 2GB CFX for BF3. I highly recommend that you listen to Johan Andersson's Frostbite 2 engine deep dive before spending (read, wasting) a ton of money on a 3GB graphics card. Short version: they targeted 1.5GB as the max for ultra settings.

Also, the PSU and RAM are too expensive for what they are:
- XFX Core 750W $70 AR
- G.Skill DDR3 1333 8GB $35

Yes the 2GB 6950 makes a lot of sense compared to the 3GB GTX 580.

 

[lehtv]

Not 100% sure if the Hr-02 macho fits in the R3. A safe bet would be Graphite 600T or CM Storm Sniper, for instance. (I emailed Corsair about the cooler clearance for 400R and 500R, still no answer).

I highly recommend that you listen to Johan Andersson's Frostbite 2 engine deep dive before spending (read, wasting) a ton of money on a 3GB graphics card. Short version: they targeted 1.5GB as the max for ultra settings.

Was that on 1080p? May well use 2GB on ultra on 2560x1440 if so :/

 

[Steen]

Thanks for all the tips, Im gonna go with the corsair 600T case. Looks decent and has all the stuff i want.

Still really cant decide on GPUs could go:


2 x Club 3D Radeon HD6950 (2 GB) (cheapest)

2 x MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III Power Edition/OC (2 GB) (middle)

2 x Gainward GeForce GTX 570 Phantom (1.25 GB) (highest cost)

the MB is also now a ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3

 

[mnewsham]

I would go with the first option, you get the most bang for buck and you get the extra vRAM (good for higher resolutions).

 

[Steen]

Still worried about micro-stutter.

I get more frames running sli/crossfire, but it doesnt really matter if it stutters compared to 1 GPU.

 

[mnewsham]

Still worried about micro-stutter.

I get more frames running sli/crossfire, but it doesnt really matter if it stutters compared to 1 GPU.

Microstutter (in my own experiences) is usually found in the 45fps and below area. For most people it isnt even a problem (75% chance you wont notice it) If you are playing a game and getting 60fps you shouldnt have much of a problem at all. And if you cant get 60fps with two 6950's then just turn down the eye candy a bit