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mATX - Gamer rig build

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Hi Guys and Girls,
I am building a new smaller gaming rig for my small apartment. I got the small stuff covered here is a list of my decided and undecided things.

Decided:
GFX: POV GTX 460 Beast
Case: Fractal mATX
HDD: 80 GB SSD + 1 TB storage
Sound card: Auzentech + External DAC/AMP for audio reviews
CPU Cooler: Noctua N12 something something

Undecided:
RAM: Undecided
CPU: Undecided
PSU: Undecided
Mobo: Undecided

So basically I was thinking of getting a Gigabyte P55m-UD2 or UD4 if it is worth the extra $50 (approx price diff in denmark). For CPU something along the i5-760. I am wondering whether it is worth going for a Sandybridge setup which is obviously more expensive, any thoughts appreciated!

I plan on OCing everything but nothing extreme please keep that in mind when you recommend :)

RAM wise I am totally lost been ages since I last did a build and I am absolutely clueless. Any help, hints and pointers are very welcome!

My budget is limited so I am looking for good price performance components generally, but I will pay if it is a reasonable performance increase.

I am way jetlagged from CES so spelling errors and odd sentences might occur sorry about that!! :)

Cheers,
Frederik Skovgaard
TechPowerUp.com
 
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System Name Aluminum Mallard
Processor Ryzen 1900x
Motherboard AsRock Phantom 6
Cooling AIO
Memory 8GB
Video Card(s) ASUS Strix 1080Ti
Storage SSD
Display(s) Benq Zowie
Case Cosmos 1000
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply Corsair CX750
Software Win10 Home
Benchmark Scores 31 FPS in Dalaran.
My mATX setup consists of:

NZXT Vulcan
Core i7 940
ASUS Rampage III Gene
Noctua NH-C14 CPU Cooler
ASUS HD5870; going to migrate my 5970 to it soon
Corsair Dominator DDR3 C8D; 3 x 2 GB

Everything runs well, the CPU stays cool. My only problem was I had to remove the upper case fan to fit the CPU cooler in the case.
 
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The Gene is overkill for my needs an i5 based rig is what I have the money for. Noctua cooler added.
 
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Processor 13700KF Undervolted @ 5.6/ 5.5, 4.8Ghz Ring 200W PL1
Motherboard MSI 690-I PRO
Cooling Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 w/ Arctic P12 Fans
Memory 48 GB DDR5 7600 MHZ CL36
Video Card(s) RTX 4090 FE
Storage 2x 2TB WDC SN850, 1TB Samsung 960 prr
Display(s) Alienware 32" 4k 240hz OLED
Case SLIGER S620
Audio Device(s) Yes
Power Supply Corsair SF750
Mouse Xlite V2
Keyboard RoyalAxe
Software Windows 11
Benchmark Scores They're pretty good, nothing crazy.
i have the UD2 and its one of the best, most stable boards I have ever used can easily push my 750 over 4.4Ghz (if the chip could even handle it).

The easytune software is also exceptional for fan control - allows you to tune your fan curve.
 

cdawall

where the hell are my stars
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Memory 4x16GB G.Skill 3600
Video Card(s) (2) EVGA SC BLACK 1080Ti's
Storage 2x Samsung SM951 512GB, Samsung PM961 512GB
Display(s) Dell UP2414Q 3840X2160@60hz
Case Caselabs Mercury S5+pedestal
Audio Device(s) Fischer HA-02->Fischer FA-002W High edition/FA-003/Jubilate/FA-011 depending on my mood
Power Supply Seasonic Prime 1200w
Mouse Thermaltake Theron, Steam controller
Keyboard Keychron K8
Software W10P
why not amd

MSI 890GXM-G65 $129.99
Phenom 1055t X6 $179.99
G.Skill ripjaws 1600 7-8-7 $64.99
Corsair TX650 $79.99 AMIR


should beat the i7 in alot of things and that mobo can run sli with the right drivers

also here is a TPU review on the 1055T and in most benchmarks the 1055T does very well and can clock to 4ghz...
 
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Processor i6 6600K
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Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB)
Video Card(s) ASUS Strix GTX 970
Storage Mushkin Enhanced Reactor 1TB SSD
Display(s) QNIX 27 Inch 1440p
Case Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply Cooler Master V750
Software Win 10 64-bit
P55 and i5 750 is definately a good way to go. But now you might want to consider a P67 board and i5 2500k.

Although it's still very new and there are things about Sandy Bridge that people don't like, it is definately more bang for the buck.
 

Smety

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Video Card(s) EVGA GeForce GTX 580 Superclocked 1536MB
Storage Intel 40GB X25-V SSD (Boot) | WD 1TB Caviar Black HD (Data)
Display(s) Samsung PX2370 23" LED
Case Fractal Design Arc Midi
Audio Device(s) SupremeFX X-Fi 2
Power Supply Fractal Design Netwon R2 800W 80 Plus
Software Windows 7 Ultimate
Random question: Does anyone know where I can get any of the Fractal cases in the US? I love them but the only ones I can find are the R3 series and I really wanted either the Arc Midi or the one the OP is getting/has.
 
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Location
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System Name Vulcan
Processor i6 6600K
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Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB)
Video Card(s) ASUS Strix GTX 970
Storage Mushkin Enhanced Reactor 1TB SSD
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Case Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply Cooler Master V750
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why not amd

MSI 890GXM-G65 $129.99
Phenom 1055t X6 $179.99
G.Skill ripjaws 1600 7-8-7 $64.99
Corsair TX650 $79.99 AMIR


should beat the i7 in alot of things and that mobo can run sli with the right drivers

also here is a TPU review on the 1055T and in most benchmarks the 1055T does very well and can clock to 4ghz...

A similar Sandy Bridge setup would be

ASUS P8P67-M PRO $150
i5 2500k $225
G. Skill 4GB $70
same psu

This is $70 more. So the fun part is deciding if which is the best bang for the buck. :)

But at this point, I might wait to see what Bulldozer is like. Seems like there always something new just around the corner these days. :confused:
 

cdawall

where the hell are my stars
Joined
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Messages
27,680 (4.29/day)
Location
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System Name All the cores
Processor 2990WX
Motherboard Asrock X399M
Cooling CPU-XSPC RayStorm Neo, 2x240mm+360mm, D5PWM+140mL, GPU-2x360mm, 2xbyski, D4+D5+100mL
Memory 4x16GB G.Skill 3600
Video Card(s) (2) EVGA SC BLACK 1080Ti's
Storage 2x Samsung SM951 512GB, Samsung PM961 512GB
Display(s) Dell UP2414Q 3840X2160@60hz
Case Caselabs Mercury S5+pedestal
Audio Device(s) Fischer HA-02->Fischer FA-002W High edition/FA-003/Jubilate/FA-011 depending on my mood
Power Supply Seasonic Prime 1200w
Mouse Thermaltake Theron, Steam controller
Keyboard Keychron K8
Software W10P
A similar Sandy Bridge setup would be

ASUS P8P67-M PRO $150
i5 2500k $225
G. Skill 4GB $70
same psu

This is $70 more. So the fun part is deciding if which is the best bang for the buck. :)

But at this point, I might wait to see what Bulldozer is like. Seems like there always something new just around the corner these days. :confused:

good call but how does i5 compare like i said before the 1055t is known to compare well to the i7 750 at stock clocks and overclocked how much better would a sandybridge be?
 

Smety

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Video Card(s) EVGA GeForce GTX 580 Superclocked 1536MB
Storage Intel 40GB X25-V SSD (Boot) | WD 1TB Caviar Black HD (Data)
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Case Fractal Design Arc Midi
Audio Device(s) SupremeFX X-Fi 2
Power Supply Fractal Design Netwon R2 800W 80 Plus
Software Windows 7 Ultimate
@smety ncix.com ?

Unfortunately, the only cases by Fractal they carry are the "Define R3" series :/

Thanks though :)
 
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According to the charts on tomshardware.com the i5 is way better at games compared to the 1055t at stock speeds. With the 1055t OCed it is almost as good as the i5 for games.

The 1055t OCed is on par with i7 CPUs when it comes to multithreaded applications at stock speeds which is nice. Since I plan on using it for gaming I think the i5 route is the best way to go.
 

cdawall

where the hell are my stars
Joined
Jul 23, 2006
Messages
27,680 (4.29/day)
Location
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System Name All the cores
Processor 2990WX
Motherboard Asrock X399M
Cooling CPU-XSPC RayStorm Neo, 2x240mm+360mm, D5PWM+140mL, GPU-2x360mm, 2xbyski, D4+D5+100mL
Memory 4x16GB G.Skill 3600
Video Card(s) (2) EVGA SC BLACK 1080Ti's
Storage 2x Samsung SM951 512GB, Samsung PM961 512GB
Display(s) Dell UP2414Q 3840X2160@60hz
Case Caselabs Mercury S5+pedestal
Audio Device(s) Fischer HA-02->Fischer FA-002W High edition/FA-003/Jubilate/FA-011 depending on my mood
Power Supply Seasonic Prime 1200w
Mouse Thermaltake Theron, Steam controller
Keyboard Keychron K8
Software W10P
According to the charts on tomshardware.com the i5 is way better at games compared to the 1055t at stock speeds. With the 1055t OCed it is almost as good as the i5 for games.

The 1055t OCed is on par with i7 CPUs when it comes to multithreaded applications at stock speeds which is nice. Since I plan on using it for gaming I think the i5 route is the best way to go.

what kind of games the ones that the i5 kicks the 1055's ass in are the ones that are not multithreaded
 
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NZXT Crafted Series Vulcan Black Steel / Plastic G...

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache L...

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CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready...

GIGABYTE GA-H55M-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI USB ...

Any of the Gigabyte mb's do well in this platform...

 
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Video Card(s) ASUS Strix GTX 970
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