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  1. #1

    final look before i order

    so im finaly going to order my new system. and i want any tips or opinions on it. thanks

    this system is going to be use for SWTOR, Diablo 3, SCII, and some video editing, and streaming.

    MoBo - ASRock Z68 EXTREME4 GEN3 - $185
    CPU - I5 - 2500k - $215
    Ram - G.SKILL Ripjaws X (2 x 4GB) - $45
    GPU - MSI N570 GTX Twin Frozr III - $370
    HDD - WD Caviar Black 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" - $107(already bought it cant be changed)
    SSD - Crucial M4 128GB SATA III - $215
    ODD - ASUS 24X DVD Burner - $21
    PSU - CM Silent Pro 850W SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular - $118(already bought it cant be changed)
    Case - COOLER MASTER Storm Enforcer - $80
    HeatSink - IDK


    Total - $1356 + about $20 - $50 shipping

    Total = $1400
    im not going to overclock right away so i wont need a heatsink right away, and later on ill probably OC to 4.5Ghz.

    so what u guys think?

  2. #2
    Legendary! llDemonll's Avatar
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    ASUS P8Z68-V Pro is my personal choice for Z68 motherboards, but the ASRock you have is a good board none-the-less. Good thing you picked up the HDD already, price on that is almost double/triple now.

    Only other thing I'd change is a case, just out of personal aesthetics, but that case looks to have very nice cable management, just like all the other Cooler Master cases, so I think it will be a very good case.

    If you get a heatsink, Noctua NH-D14 is my definite choice
    "I'm glad you play better than you read/post on forums." -Ninety
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  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by llDemonll View Post
    ASUS P8Z68-V Pro is my personal choice for Z68 motherboards
    may i ask what makes that one better? the reason i went with the asrock on was cause its future proof as it has pci-e 3.0.

    and thanks for the reply

  4. #4
    The Patient MalazanFan's Avatar
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    If you live near a Microcenter, you can get the i5 2500k for 180 USD and I think they still have a $60 off combo deal for Z68 Mobos too.

    That's nearly the exact same PC I'm building right now. I went with NZXT Phantom case, A70 CPU cooler, Corsair Force 3 120GB SSD, and I'm still undecided on the video card (I've seen rumors of the higher end 500 series cards going a bit cheaper in Dec). Pretty much everything else is the same though.

  5. #5
    oof, you should have searched around for better deals on a HDD... there's a seagate 1tb 7200 rpm HDD for only $55 from bestbuy.

    also, there are cheaper SSDs. the corsair force series 3 120gb SSD is only $170. I currently own the 90gb version and it does its job wonderfully. I remember a month or so ago, newegg was selling the 120gb version for $120 after MIR but meh, guess the price can't be helped now, although it is still cheaper than the crucial 128gb.

  6. #6
    Legendary! llDemonll's Avatar
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    the crucial c300 and m4 are two of the best ssd's you can buy, i would stick with that one. the western digital caviar black and samsung spinpoint f3 are two of the best mechanical drives you can buy, i wouldn't switch from the drive he has either. cheaper != better
    "I'm glad you play better than you read/post on forums." -Ninety
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  7. #7
    If you're planning on overclocking:
    MSI? FUCK NO
    Twin Frzr? NO!

    If not, go ahead.

    Worst mistake of my computer building life was when i bought MSI HD5850 twin frzr. That shit has a locked voltage table with seriously rediculous low voltages, so overclocking is nearly not possible. Its cool as hell though, 50C load tops, but still. Overclockability of that card is shit. I will NEVER NEVER EVER buy ANYTHING MSI or TwinFrzr stamped on it.

    PS: im aware that my card is ATI and yours is nVidia, but i wouldnt take my chances either way.
    Last edited by Aran; 2011-11-16 at 08:57 PM. Reason: typos

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Aran View Post
    If you're planning on overclocking:
    MSI? FUCK NO
    Twin Frzr? NO!

    If not, go ahead.

    Worst mistake of my computer building life was when i bought MSI HD5850 twin frzr. That shit has a locked voltage table with seriously rediculous low voltages, so overclocking is nearly not possible. Its cool as hell though, 50C load tops, but still. Overclockability of that card is shit. I will NEVER NEVER EVER buy ANYHTING MSI or TwinFrzr stamped on it.
    really? i was under the impression that TwinFrzr was one of be best cooler GPU out there on the market right now. not sure about the OC part

  9. #9
    The Patient MalazanFan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aran View Post
    If you're planning on overclocking:
    MSI? FUCK NO
    Twin Frzr? NO!

    If not, go ahead.

    Worst mistake of my computer building life was when i bought MSI HD5850 twin frzr. That shit has a locked voltage table with seriously rediculous low voltages, so overclocking is nearly not possible. Its cool as hell though, 50C load tops, but still. Overclockability of that card is shit. I will NEVER NEVER EVER buy ANYTHING MSI or TwinFrzr stamped on it.

    PS: im aware that my card is ATI and yours is nVidia, but i wouldnt take my chances either way.
    I have no experience with this card or really with overclocking in general, but a quick google search makes me think that it's possible to OC the card you have.

    http://tech.icrontic.com/article/ove...adeon-hd-5850/

    That's just one guide I found for OC'ing a 5850.

    I've only heard good things about MSI Twin Frozr's. Currently looking at a 6970 or a 580 if it drops in price.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by pyrotemplar View Post
    really? i was under the impression that TwinFrzr was one of be best cooler GPU out there on the market right now. not sure about the OC part
    Cooler? Yes, very much so. Overclock? Not really.

  11. #11
    Epic! Idrinkwhiterussians's Avatar
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    Actually, over-clocking the twinfrozr series seems quite easy from what people have said on here. I would say due to MSI's afterburner program.


    OT: The build looks quite good, and grats for getting that HDD at $107! They are easily 200 now.


    Edit: Mind you, the Twin Frozr III cards (hawk?) are already OCd.
    Quote Originally Posted by Cyanotical View Post
    anyone want doughnuts? i hear there is a great shop in Vancouver

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by MalazanFan View Post
    I have no experience with this card or really with overclocking in general, but a quick google search makes me think that it's possible to OC the card you have.

    http://tech.icrontic.com/article/ove...adeon-hd-5850/

    That's just one guide I found for OC'ing a 5850.

    I've only heard good things about MSI Twin Frozr's. Currently looking at a 6970 or a 580 if it drops in price.
    5850 itself is an awesome overclocker. MSI's one isnt. Refference card( i.e. ATI card like Asus f.ex.) overclocks fine due to "unlocked" voltage tables, and those tables have many more voltage steps. MSI 5850 on the other hand, has a physically "reduced" voltage controller, and it has only 4 settings: "0.9500", "1.0380", "1.000" and "1.0880" which is the highest voltage possible on a MSI HD5850 Twin Frzr. As you can see here: http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1...kedvoltage.jpg

    Edit: Dont think that the moment you install MSI Afterburner, you can overlock the core to 1Ghz right off the bat. You cant. I am using Afterburner myself (newest build) and the moment i set it to 1.1000 or 1.1500, OVP kicks inn and i get black screen and fan on full and have to hardreset the computer.

    Anyway, this is not a ATI vs nVidia thread, im just saying, stay away from MSI (stock or TwinFrozr) if ure planning on overclocking. MSI Afterburner does not always work.

    Edit: attached screenshot example (removed IMG tags cos the image is big)
    http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/2124/msilolvolt.jpg
    Last edited by Aran; 2011-11-16 at 09:55 PM.

  13. #13
    Aran thanks for the info but to be honest i wont be OCing the Video card much, so im going to stay with the with its

  14. #14
    The Patient MalazanFan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aran View Post
    5850 itself is an awesome overclocker. MSI's one isnt. Refference card( i.e. ATI card like Asus f.ex.) overclocks fine due to "unlocked" voltage tables, and those tables have many more voltage steps. MSI 5850 on the other hand, has a physically "reduced" voltage controller, and it has only 4 settings: "0.9500", "1.0380", "1.000" and "1.0880" which is the highest voltage possible on a MSI HD5850 Twin Frzr. As you can see here: http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1...kedvoltage.jpg

    Edit: Dont think that the moment you install MSI Afterburner, you can overlock the core to 1Ghz right off the bat. You cant. I am using Afterburner myself (newest build) and the moment i set it to 1.1000 or 1.1500, OVP kicks inn and i get black screen and fan on full and have to hardreset the computer.

    Anyway, this is not a ATI vs nVidia thread, im just saying, stay away from MSI (stock or TwinFrozr) if ure planning on overclocking. MSI Afterburner does not always work.

    Edit: attached screenshot example (removed IMG tags cos the image is big)
    http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/2124/msilolvolt.jpg
    Yup, my bad. As I said, no experience with OC really. A google of MSI 5850 oc lead me to different cards because MSI's afterburner program.

    Anyways, the only thing I'd personally change is the case. I'd go for a full tower case just because it seems like better future-proofing to me. Your case probably has the potential to be the longest lasting component of your PC. I went with the NZXT Phantom because it has plenty of space, it looks pretty cool (imo), and i saw good reviews. The FractalDesign R3 is supposedly really great as well, but I don't think noise will bother me too terribly much. I'll likely be using headphones while gaming and I don't plan on doing Folding@Home or anything like that.

  15. #15
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Aran View Post
    If you're planning on overclocking:
    MSI? FUCK NO
    Twin Frzr? NO!

    If not, go ahead.

    Worst mistake of my computer building life was when i bought MSI HD5850 twin frzr. That shit has a locked voltage table with seriously rediculous low voltages, so overclocking is nearly not possible. Its cool as hell though, 50C load tops, but still. Overclockability of that card is shit. I will NEVER NEVER EVER buy ANYTHING MSI or TwinFrzr stamped on it.

    PS: im aware that my card is ATI and yours is nVidia, but i wouldnt take my chances either way.
    You need to go into the advanced settings of MSI Afterburner and unlock the voltage. I only have a 560 Ti rather than the 570 in question, but I find that the Twin Frozr version is an incredible (and incredibly easy) overclocker.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by gnomechomski View Post
    You need to go into the advanced settings of MSI Afterburner and unlock the voltage. I only have a 560 Ti rather than the 570 in question, but I find that the Twin Frozr version is an incredible (and incredibly easy) overclocker.
    Stupid comment is stupid. Already enabled that ofc. And u did NOT watch my screenshots, cos if u did, u wouldnt suggest this

  17. #17
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Aran View Post
    Stupid comment is stupid. Already enabled that ofc. And u did NOT watch my screenshots, cos if u did, u wouldnt suggest this
    Honestly you come off as pretty aggressive in your statements, maybe it's just the way you type, maybe it's just me.

    Op your build looks good, stick with the Crucial SSD in my opinion, even if it's a few extra $. I'm with Demon on the cooler (Noctua), solid build that will do you good

  18. #18
    Deleted
    Just a quick shout to the OP, the MSI card you've chosen will be absolutely fine for overclocking. MSI's cards are no worse at overclocking than any other brand. With the cooling solutions they offer and the voltage tools Hawk/TFIII models offer I'd even say they're slightly more efficient at overclocking than a similarly clocked model from another company (bar perhaps the ASUS DirectCU series.)

    I appreciate people may have had a bad experience with a certain card, but there are a whole plethora of reasons as to why a card may not overclock well: Insufficient airflow, inefficient PSU, a faulty card that should be RMA'd, bent motherboard pins, just to name a few. While anecdotal evidence is better than no evidence, just because one card hasn't worked for somebody doesn't mean that an entire company or even a specific model of card should be written off without further investigation.

    As for the OP's build, it looks really nice. Enjoy! \o/

  19. #19
    thanks everyone for the reply's, i ordered it all yesterday and its on its why to me now,

    to Notarget and llDemonll, so i went ahead and added the heatsink to the order. thanks for the help

    cant wait to build it

    this can be close now
    Last edited by pyrotemplar; 2011-11-18 at 04:49 PM.

  20. #20
    Deleted
    Don't forget pics and specs in the gaming rig thread when you're done (if you want of course)

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