Gaming PC - Could use some advice :)

[ronikh]

Hello guys,

I am going to buy a new gaming PC tomorrow and i wanted to see what you guys think and if any parts needs to be changed.

Here are my specs:
(I already have HDDs+SSD)


Core i5 2500K 3.3Ghz, s1155, 6MB, GPU Core, Tray | Zalman CNPS9900 MAX LED

ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe s1155 Core i3/i5/i7, Intel Z68, DDR3 1600, 3xPCI-E
OR
P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 s1155 Core i3/i5/i7, Intel Z68, DDR3 1600, 3xPCI-E
OR
P8Z68 Deluxe/GEN3 s1155 Core i3/i5/i7, Intel Z68, DDR3 1600, 3xPCI-E



DDR3 1600Mhz 4x4GB G.Skill RipJaw Z Edition Quad Channel CL9-9-9-24
OR
DDR3 1600Mhz 4x4GB G.Skill SNIPER Edition Dual Channel CL9-9-9-24
OR
DDR3 1600Mhz 4x4GB Corsair Vengeance LP Blue Dual Channel CL9-9-9-24


ASUS - AMD HD 6970 DCII 2GB GDDR5 DX11 2xDVI 4xDP PCI-E

Thermaltake Level 10 GT Full Tower Series Black Case

Corsair AX 850W Gold Active PFC 12cm Fan Modular



I'd like to hear your advises.
Thank you for your time

 

[Darkleoco]

Looks like a good build however I would certainly go with the Dual channel RAM rather than Quad channel

 

[ronikh]

Hey man and thanks for the reply.

Could you please advise which motherboard to buy? and should i go with 2600k?

thanks

 

[John Doe]

PSU is overkill for one card. As you can see, Guru3D's CF setup peaked to 473W from the wall while running FurMark

http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6950-crossfirex-review/14

with their OC'ed i7 Nehalem setup on CCFL's and such. So 750W would be more than sufficient even for CF.

The AX750 would do, but this one's better. Both the AX and the PCP&C Silencer are made by SeaSonic. The tweaked S12D platform used on the Silencer regulates and cools better. It's cheaper as well.

PC Power and Cooling Silencer 760W High Performanc...

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4441/pc-power-cooling-silencer-760w-910w/7

 

[Darkleoco]

Unless you need the hyperthreading for video editing or other multi-threaded applications then no I would not go with a 2600K and as for the motherboard I don't have any experience with Z68 boards but I would definitely go with one of the GEN3 boards, preferably whichever is the more feature-packed model.

 

[ronikh]

Thank you guys, You have been veryyyyyyyyyyyyy helpfull.

 

[johnspack]

People really need to stop saying i7 is not useful for gaming. I have examined probably close to 100 games now, many since like 2007 are multi-threaded, and the ones that can only use a max of 4 threads, windows can still use the other 4, giving the game full use of the 4 threads it's using. I haven't seen one instance where my i7 was slower than any i5 in any game. If I was this guy, I'd get a 2600k, and call it a day.

 

[Darkleoco]

People really need to stop saying i7 is not useful for gaming. I have examined probably close to 100 games now, many since like 2007 are multi-threaded, and the ones that can only use a max of 4 threads, windows can still use the other 4, giving the game full use of the 4 threads it's using. I haven't seen one instance where my i7 was slower than any i5 in any game. If I was this guy, I'd get a 2600k, and call it a day.

Who was saying anything about an i7 not being useful for gaming, let alone slower than an i5?? I own a 2600K myself and it is a great processor, my comment pertaining to the 2500K was simply saying that you do not in any way "need" a 2600K for an amazing gaming computer and when the difference in price is nearly $ 100 that can be very significant.

 

[John Doe]

Who was saying anything about an i7 not being useful for gaming, let alone slower than an i5?? I own a 2600K myself and it is a great processor, my comment pertaining to the 2500K was simply saying that you do not in any way "need" a 2600K for an amazing gaming computer and when the difference in price is nearly $ 100 that can be very significant.

Agreed, $100 isn't worth it for a miniscule difference. His CPU cooler is underperforming for it's price (it cools VRM/chipset great though), and the case is overpriced but I let those slip through since he chose them to his liking.

Also, Z68 only offers an onboard SSD along with onboard video. You already have it so go P67. Both are the same so both (Cougar Point chipset) will support Ivy.

 

[jagjitnatt]

Who was saying anything about an i7 not being useful for gaming, let alone slower than an i5?? I own a 2600K myself and it is a great processor, my comment pertaining to the 2500K was simply saying that you do not in any way "need" a 2600K for an amazing gaming computer and when the difference in price is nearly $ 100 that can be very significant.

Exactly. I too own a 2600K, but when it comes to gaming the performance difference is less than 5% and cost difference 50%. I don't see the logic to opt for 2600K solely for gaming purposes.

 

[Darkleoco]

Exactly. I too own a 2600K, but when it comes to gaming the performance difference is less than 5% and cost difference 50%. I don't see the logic to opt for 2600K solely for gaming purposes.

Those exact reasons are why everyone recommends a 2500K if you are going to be solely gaming, a spare $100 can go a long way on other components rather than wasting it on 2600K if it happens to be unneeded.

 

[John Doe]

Exactly. I too own a 2600K, but when it comes to gaming the performance difference is less than 5% and cost difference 50%. I don't see the logic to opt for 2600K solely for gaming purposes.

Yes. If you're going for "the" absolute best (say Triple GPU) might as well get the 2700k since their new batch have been OC'ing to 5-5.4 according to reviews and what I've read so far, which should give it bit of a run for it's money (than to buy 2500k and not be able to do over 4.2-4.5).

http://www.eteknix.com/reviews/processors/intel-core-i7-2700k-flagship-showdown-review/

http://www.eteknix.com/reviews/processors/intel-core-i7-2700k-flagship-showdown-review/3/

 

[Darkleoco]

Yes. If you're going for "the" absolute best (say Triple GPU) might as well get the 2700k since their new batch have been OC'ing to 5-5.4 according to reviews and what I've read so far, which should give it bit of a run for it's money (than to buy 2500k and not be able to do over 4.2-4.5).

http://www.eteknix.com/reviews/processors/intel-core-i7-2700k-flagship-showdown-review/

http://www.eteknix.com/reviews/processors/intel-core-i7-2700k-flagship-showdown-review/3/

What is the "absolute best" is not what is being disputed here simply that a 2500K more than does the job for any gaming whatsoever in a single card/crossfire setup, of course if you are going to be running 3 GPU's then logically you would likely be getting an i7 anyway but in a normal situation where you simply need a good gaming processor it is not practical to spend the extra $100 for only a marginal increase in performance in gaming, if for example someone wanted to do gaming/editing work then obviously an i7 would be recommended over an i5 but that is not the case here.

 

[John Doe]

What is the "absolute best" is not what is being disputed here simply that a 2500K more than does the job for any gaming whatsoever in a single card/crossfire setup, of course if you are going to be running 3 GPU's then logically you would likely be getting an i7 anyway but in a normal situation where you simply need a good gaming processor it is not practical to spend the extra $100 for only a marginal increase in performance in gaming, if for example someone wanted to do gaming/editing work then obviously an i7 would be recommended over an i5 but that is not the case here.

You didn't get it. It obviously isn't, in this case have a read up on the comments above (especially mine). Unless you "want" the absolute best, what's over the 2500k is a waste. BUT, 2500k's have a weaker batch so if you get one, you might not be able to do over 4.2-4.5. That's why you should shoot for the 2700k to do over 5 Ghz on a triple GPU setup (for example).

And yes, you should spend the extra on a stronger GPU instead. I think you should have pointed that out on his case or cooler. Those two alone surprass the money wasted on a 2600k over 2500.

 

[Darkleoco]

You didn't get it. It obviously isn't, in this case have a read up on the comments above (especially mine) or search for my comments on the SB-E gaming performance thread. Unless you "want" the absolute best, what's over the 2500k is a waste. BUT, 2500k's have a weaker batch so if you get one, you might not be able to do over 4.2-4.5. That's why you should shoot for the 2700k to do over 5 Ghz on a triple GPU setup [for (example)].

And yes, you should spend the extra on a stronger GPU instead. I think you should have pointed that out on his case or cooler. Those two alone surprass the money wasted on a 2600k over 2500.

His case is hardly as much of a concern to me as the CPU choice for several reasons, he has not stated whether he intends to upgrade in the future, he has not listed the amount of HDD/SSD he has already, and what features he specifically needs out of his case so I did not say anything about it. As for the CPU cooler that is again up to what he specifically wants to do, whether or not he is going to do any significant overclocking and whether or not his ambient temperatures are normally high enough to require a bit more cooling under load.

 

[John Doe]

His case is hardly as much of a concern to me as the CPU choice for several reasons, he has not stated whether he intends to upgrade in the future, he has not listed the amount of HDD/SSD he has already, and what features he specifically needs out of his case so I did not say anything about it. As for the CPU cooler that is again up to what he specifically wants to do, whether or not he is going to do any significant overclocking and whether or not his ambient temperatures are normally high enough to require a bit more cooling under load.

The Zalman isn't worth it. That old flower design has been beaten to death or so. He's better off with a NH-D14 or Silver Arrow, both of which eat up the Zalman (by at least 5 degrees) around the same price range.

He also should get a P67 BTW now that Ivy is going to be supported on both. Z68 has no advantage to make up for the extra.

 

[ronikh]

His case is hardly as much of a concern to me as the CPU choice for several reasons, he has not stated whether he intends to upgrade in the future, he has not listed the amount of HDD/SSD he has already, and what features he specifically needs out of his case so I did not say anything about it. As for the CPU cooler that is again up to what he specifically wants to do, whether or not he is going to do any significant overclocking and whether or not his ambient temperatures are normally high enough to require a bit more cooling under load.

You didn't get it. It obviously isn't, in this case have a read up on the comments above (especially mine). Unless you "want" the absolute best, what's over the 2500k is a waste. BUT, 2500k's have a weaker batch so if you get one, you might not be able to do over 4.2-4.5. That's why you should shoot for the 2700k to do over 5 Ghz on a triple GPU setup (for example).

And yes, you should spend the extra on a stronger GPU instead. I think you should have pointed that out on his case or cooler. Those two alone surprass the money wasted on a 2600k over 2500.

The Zalman isn't worth it. That old flower design has been beaten to death or so. He's better off with a NH-D14 or Silver Arrow, both of which eat up the Zalman (by at least 5 degrees) around the same price range.

He also should get a P67 BTW now that Ivy is going to be supported on both. Z68 has no advantage to make up for the extra.

Thanks all for the replies.

@Darkleoco

Yes i would like to upgrade in the future of course.
I currently have OCZ Vertex 3 2.5'' 120GB SSD SATA III , and 2 X Hitachi DeskStar 2TB 7200RPM 64MB Sata III .

@John Doe

Sadly, we still do not have the 2700k over here
I'd like to OC, and if i get you right, the 2600K is the right choice for OC'ing.
I have changed the Zalman with a Noctua NH-D14.

---------

About the motherboard and GPU.
Which GPU would you recommend? and which Brand? ( Sapphire or ASUS)

Which board out of those should i buy:

ASUS P8P67 B3 s1155 Core i3/i5/i7
ASUS P8P67 Deluxe B3 s1155 Core i3/i5/i7
GIGABYTE P67A-UD4-B3 OR P67A-UD5-B3 OR P67A-UD7-B3


Thank you guys again

 

[John Doe]

Which board out of those should i buy:

ASUS P8P67 B3 s1155 Core i3/i5/i7
ASUS P8P67 Deluxe B3 s1155 Core i3/i5/i7
GIGABYTE P67A-UD4-B3 OR P67A-UD5-B3 OR P67A-UD7-B3

The plain P67 only has a single PCI-E slot while the rest have more. Personally, I'd shoot for the UD7 over those since it's one of the best Sandy boards. It'd OC higher than the rest would do. It's a bit overpriced and not "that" worth it though.

 

[ronikh]

A big thank you to all of you guys. I appreciate the help.

 

[bezant]

Guys I am running an i5-2500K at 5Ghz with 1.41 voltage. Could go much much higher, but don't want to go to 1.5v. It is NOT true that the 2700k can overclock higher than the 2500K.