Need advice in buying a PC!

[Speedlance]

Hey guys

I've been thinking about spending a "ton" of money to get me a proper PC for once, as the last few years I've settled with some cheap once, which I've upgrade 1 and 1 part on over time, but I have never been able to play new games at they're full potential.

My current spec on this computer, which I bought last summer:

Processor: AMD Athlon II X4 620
Ram: 2gig ram, 800mhz about
Graphic card: ATI radeon HD5750 1gig
OS: Win XP PRO

The rest I don't remember, but you'll probably guess they are not super high cost the price of the PC was about €300-350 ? without screen, mouse and keyboard.

The computer I plan on buying, it costs about €2000-2500 (about 20k Norwegian Kroner, which is a lot of money. They will build it for me and test it before shipping it to me, this is all done for free, so why not.

* Cooler Master HAF X Big Tower Black
* Corsair HX 1000W PSU
* Intel Core™ i7 Hexa Processor i7-970
* ASUS SABERTOOTH X58, Socket-1366
* CoolIT Systems OEM ECO A.L.C. CPU cooler
* Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333MHz 6GB CL9
* ZOTAC GeForce GTX 580 1536MB PhysX CUDA
* Lite-On Blu-Ray Reader IHOS104-37
* Corsair SSD Force Series 2,5" 120GB
* OEM SSD 2.5" to 3.5" Bracket SATA
* Western Digital Caviar® Green™ 2TB
* Roccat Valo Gaming Keyboard
* Logitech G500 Gaming Mouse - might exclude this as I prefer mx518. oldschool ftw.
* Razer Goliathus Alpha mouse pad
* Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit

This is it how it looks when it is at default, I might put in another £450 euro on the cpu to get: Intel Core™ i7 Extreme i7-990X Six Core, 3,46Ghz, Socket 1366, 12MB, QPI: 4,8GT/sec, 130W, Boxed w/fan, but since I'm only gonna game with this comp I'm not sure it is worth the cash, although on the other hand I plan on having this computer for atleast 4-5 years before I think about using money on computer parts again.
I also would like to switch the 2 TB HDD out with a veloci raptor @ 100000 RPM, 300gig, as I have a ton of external HDD's to store things on and I delete games once I've played through them once.

Games I play:

COD: Black Ops
Wow: cata
Fallout New Vegas
Left 4 Dead 2
Dead space 2
Starcraft 2

Bottom line is that I basicly enjoy trying most new games out there as soon as they come out and I would like to finally be able to play them with graphics on full. atm I can't even run wow on full graphics,except when I'm alone in a place where there is not much details around and I'm not moving much. When I raid I get about 6-15 fps on encounters like Blood Queen Lanathel, Sindragosa or LK HC (sorry for the outdated bosses I used as an example but I have not raided in Cataclysm yet)

So guys... is this too extreme? even though I plan on having it for a long time? What do you guys recommend?

[Nellah]

Someone else will have more detail, but I'll sum it up: hex-core for games = bad optimization of resources, Sandy Bridge processors > Gulftown last-gen chips, and you might as well spend the money you save from going to a i7-2600/K on a GTX590/HD6990 if you're looking to max out games. The i7-2600K can't run WoW on max everything (drop shadows down one notch and you're golden though), but neither can the i7-990X.

[georgevonfranken]

If that computer is for gaming go with a i5 2500k and get a good motherboard, heatsink, and fan on that and overclock it.
And has Nellah said use the money you saved to get a 590 or 6990

[Speedlance]

well maxing out in all games may be taking it abit far, but running everything on very high detail is definetly my goal, like wow on ultra (don't mind having shadows abit lower) I would overclock if I knew what I was doing I don't want to raise the price on the computer for nothing.

I got a couple of other computers in mind, which costs a lot less:


* Corsair Graphite 600T Midi Tower Sort
* Chieftec Nitro Series BPS-750C 750W PSU
* Intel Core™ i5 Quad Processor i5-2500K
* MSI P67A-GD80 B3, Socket-1155
* Corsair H50 Hydro Series CPU Kjøler
* Corsair Vengeance™ DDR3 1600MHz 4GB CL9 - add like 4 gig more ram
* Gainward GeForce GTX 560Ti 1GB PhysX - could switch it out with a better card
* Lite-On Blu-Ray Reader IHOS104-37
* Corsair SSD Force Series™ F60A, 60GB
* Western Digital Caviar® Green™ 1TB
* Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit

A more AMD/ATI based computer:

* SteelSeries Siberia Full-size Headphone
* Cooler Master HAF 932 Black Limited Edt.
* Chieftec Nitro Series BPS-750C 750W PSU
* ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3, Socket-AM3
* AMD Phenom II X6 1075T
* Kingston ValueR. DDR3 1333MHz 4GB, CL9 - more ram perhaps?
* XFX Radeon HD 6950 1GB GDDR5
* XFX Radeon HD 6950 1GB GDDR5
* Lite-On Blu-Ray Reader IHOS104-37
* Corsair SSD Force Series™ F60A, 60GB
* OEM SSD 2.5" to 3.5" Bracket SATA
* Western Digital Caviar® Green™ 1TB
* Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit

[llDemonll]

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
MB: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
GPU: EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (Mail In Rebate $3
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5' Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
PSU: SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
CPUHS: Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler
CASE: SILVERSTONE Fortress Series FT02B-W Black Aluminum / Steel Computer Case
Total Price: $1530 (+30% ~ 1087€)
Configure More

Plus as SSD if you want one.

Parts don't have to be exact and some can be changed if you have no plans to SLI / Crossfire (can use the $140 MSI motherboard or P8P67-M, and a 650W PSU instead of 750W).

[georgevonfranken]

Overclocking a sandybridge cpu is easy you can look up how to do it real fast.
Demon has a good build there but id still swap out the i7 for a i5 because for gaming you wouldnt notice a difference between them

[DarkBlade6]

CPU : Core i5 2500k
Heatsink: Venomous X Black Edition
Motherboard : Gigabyte P67A-UD4
RAM: 2x4GB G.Skill Sniper 1600Mhz
PSU : Silverstone Strider Gold 850w
Case : Silverstone Raven 02
GPUS : Two MSI GTX580 Lightning
HDD : WD Caviar Black 64mb cache 1TB
SSD(Optional) : 80GB Intel 320

(You will need to buy 2x 120mm fans for the Heatsink)

Ultimate performance and look GREAT!!!

[Xuvial]

A high-end build costing $$? Ok first of all that build in first post is outdated, Sandy Bridge or GTFO.

Now, do you ever plan to SLI? SLI will change your GPU brand and PSU choice.

I decided to vow never to resort to two GPU's due to the problems that can arise in several games, this build is based on what I'm currently running (with variants)
CPU: i5 2500k
Heatsink: CM Hyper 212+ OR Scythe Mugen 2 Rev.B. There are also other good air coolers, really no need to resort to watercooling.
Mobo: Asus P8P67 PRO or Asus Sabertooth P67
RAM: 2x4gb 1600mhz, look for G.Skill, Corsair or Kingston.
PSU: 750w Gold-certified or 800w+ Bronze-certified, e.g. CM HX750, HX850, 800w Silent Pro Gold, etc. Just make sure it has damn good efficiency.
Case: CM HAF X, CM Storm Sniper, NZXT Phantom.
GPU: Asus GTX580 Direct CU II
HDD: WD Caviar Black or Samsung Spinpoint 1tb
SSD: OCZ Vertex 2 90gb/120gb or Crucial RealSSD 128gb

For SLI: Same as above, except...
PSU: 850w+ Gold-certified or 900w+ Bronze Certified, e.g. CM Silent Pro Gold 850w, HX850w or Silent Pro Gold 1000w.
GPU x 2: EVGA GTX580 x 2.

Games I play:

COD: Black Ops
Wow: cata
Fallout New Vegas
Left 4 Dead 2
Dead space 2
Starcraft 2

Mmm honestly you should really get into Crysis :P a GTX580 will slaughter those games, and if you're on a standard 60hz monitor then pushing 100+ fps is going to be rather pointless.
I decided to get a 120hz monitor to be able to feel what 120fps TRULY feels like and...I'm never going back to a 60hz again, even high-pace games like Crysis 2 Multiplayer feel sooooo smooooth.

[Speedlance]

These are PCs which is is created by those who are selling them, I thought it would be easier for me to do that so I didn't have to go through the whole process of building it myself, hence why they are either Intel/geforce or AMD/ATI etc.

@llDemonII: It didn't cross my mind (Pardon the pun) about doing SLI or Crossfire, is it hard or can a nab like me do it?

@GeorgeVonFranken: I thought about OCing, I did OC one time, but that was through AMD overdrive, my current CPU to 3.2ghz, ran stable for about 3-4 months until I formatted and didn't bother to do the whole process of waiting again. is there a just-as-easy way of OCing an intel?

@Mnm: Thank you for the suggestion, I think I will get a i5 2500, as most people I've encountered has recommended it. I couldn't find the motherboard you recommended, only Gigabyte P67A-UD3, is that one that you ment?

@Xuvial: Those games I mentioned is just the games I've stuck around with

[georgevonfranken]

For overclocking a sandybridge go to bios, ai tweaker, turbo multipler and do 43 or something. If you go to high you will have to mess with voltages thou

[llDemonll]

How many monitors do you plan on using?

[Speedlance]

@llDemonll: only 1.

[Deleted]

Looking at your current pc, it might be worth it to wait 1-2 more months, because in june (the 14th i think) AMD will launch their new line of processors. Bulldozer, which features an octocore (for bragging rights ) and also quadcores and hexacores.

And i also think around that time, Intel will launch SB-E (if thats the name, or atleast socket 2011), which will follow up the X58 platform --> the processor in your first post.

Only wait if you can, if you can't wait, just buy something (I'd prefer SB, over Bloomfield). You can't go wrong with SB

[DarkBlade6]

These are PCs which is is created by those who are selling them, I thought it would be easier for me to do that so I didn't have to go through the whole process of building it myself, hence why they are either Intel/geforce or AMD/ATI etc.

@llDemonII: It didn't cross my mind (Pardon the pun) about doing SLI or Crossfire, is it hard or can a nab like me do it?

@GeorgeVonFranken: I thought about OCing, I did OC one time, but that was through AMD overdrive, my current CPU to 3.2ghz, ran stable for about 3-4 months until I formatted and didn't bother to do the whole process of waiting again. is there a just-as-easy way of OCing an intel?

@Mnm: Thank you for the suggestion, I think I will get a i5 2500, as most people I've encountered has recommended it. I couldn't find the motherboard you recommended, only Gigabyte P67A-UD3, is that one that you ment?

@Xuvial: Those games I mentioned is just the games I've stuck around with

No I really meant P67A-UD4 , Look http://www.directcanada.com/products...cture=GIGABYTE
I suggested the UD4 because the UD3 doesnt support SLI!

By the way, make sure to get a i5 2500K because you cant Overclock with a regular i5 2500

[llDemonll]

You don't need SLI and you don't need anything higher than a GTX 570 or a 6970. You are only going to be running one monitor, anything higher than either of those is a waste of money

[Speedlance]

You don't need SLI and you don't need anything higher than a GTX 570 or a 6970. You are only going to be running one monitor, anything higher than either of those is a waste of money

Ok, I might do that, saving abit of money

@MnM: This is the one I've chosen: Intel Core™ i5 Quad Processor i5-2500K 3,3GHz, Socket LGA1155, 6MB, Boxed , is that the one you can OC? Pretty sick tbh to only cost 1600 NOK (about 200€)

About the MB: I only found U3 and U5 of those, but is U3 good enough since I don't plan on doing anything with SLI/CF yet?

I put together a few pieces, I think they are all compatible with eachother, but perhaps you guess you check it out and tell me if something isn't and if you got a better alternative:

Cooler Master HAF X Big Tower Sort Vifter: 1x 230mm Front, 1x 200mm Top, 1x 230mm Side, 1x 140mm Behind, Red LEDs
Corsair AX 850W PSU ATX 12V V2.31, 80 Plus Gold, Modular, 4x 6+2-pin PCIe, 12x SATA
Corsair H70 Hydro Series CPU Cooler Socket 775/1155/1156/1366, AM2/AM2+/AM3, 1600~2000 RPM, 120mm Vifte
Corsair SSD Force Series™ F120, 120GB SATA2, 2,5", 285MB/275MB/s read/write, incl 2,5" to 3,5" bracket
Crucial DDR3 BallistiX 1600MHz 4GB CL8 Kit w/2x 2GB BallistiX modules, CL8-8-8-24, 1.65V - 2x of these
Gigabyte GA-PH67A-UD3, Socket-1155 ATX, H67, DDR3, 2xPCIe(2.0)x16, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.0
Intel Core™ i5 Quad Processor i5-2500K 3,3GHz, Socket LGA1155, 6MB, Boxed
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Norwegian, Full, DVD
MSI GeForce GTX 580 1536MB PhysX PCI-Express 2.0, "Lightning", GDDR5, 2xDVI, native-HDMI,, DisplayPort,, 832MHz
OEM SSD 2.5" to 3.5" Bracket SATA SSD 2.5" to 3.5" (Bracket and screws)

[Xuvial]

Very nice build! But what on earth is this:

OEM SSD 2.5" to 3.5" Bracket SATA SSD 2.5" to 3.5"

And swap the Gigabyte UD3 with an Asus P8P67 PRO or Sabertooth P67. Asus + UEFI = overclock in 30 seconds.

[Speedlance]

afaik I need it to be able to fit an SSD into the case.

And both of those Motherboards you listed was sold out and have a pretty solid wait time until they get it back, any other recommendations?

Edit: I found it anyway, the one that was sold out was: Asus P8P67 M PRO.

[Wikko]

As far as I know SSD can be put basically on the floor of the case since it has no moving parts so it doesnt vibrate or anything. No idea if they heat up or anything tho.

[sizzlinsauce]

Wait?... 2000-2500 pounds? they are charging you 3200-4100 USD ( 20,000 krone = 3.8k USD) worth for that? welcome to ripoff town. and it only has 1 gpu? they could build 2 of those for that price rofl. if you're gonna spend €2000-2500 buy an I7 2600k, 2 6990's a 480GB SSD a nice closed loop watercooler and a big ass screen.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233154 x2 128gbx2 SSD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146068 phantom case VERY NICE GPU cooling.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128499 4 way Mobo @ 8x 8x 8x 8x
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115070 i7 2600k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139014 1200W corsair PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145284 8gb dominator GT ram. the good stuff
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835181013 corsair closed loop watercooler for cpu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236102 24" monitor w/speakers 10,000,000:1 2ms response.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136322 veloci 10k rpm 300gb HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116986 win7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-927-_-Product 6990 x2

all of this comes to your $3800 price exact with 70$ on the side for shipping. doesn't this sound a lot better than your last gen computer with half as much as this ?

you can drop the 6990's for 3x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125365 and grab your mouse and keyboard.