New build time.

[Hado]

Hi gang!

Way, way back in 2008 I made a post here requesting help with a new pc build. The suggestions and tips were fantastic and that build has lasted quite some time, but I feel it's starting to show its age.

I have a budget of around $850-$875 USD (incl. shipping), and will most likely be reusing my current computer case (Coolermaster Centurion 590) along with my cd/dvd drive, and I've already purchased some new memory (G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB, DDR3 1600)

I'm looking to build something that'll again last me a couple years. I'll be using it for gaming/photoshop/general interwebs browsing.
Here's what I have in mind:

CPU: Intel i5 2500k (with plans to OC)
CPU FAN: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212+
MOBO: MSI P67A-G45 (B3)
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-650TX
HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
GPU: Cannot decide... leaning towards a 6950 2GB
MEM: already purchased.

MOBO: I'm still undecided. P67 or Z68? The GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD looks mighty tempting. With so many mobos to choose from I'm really not sure where to go, but I'd like to have the option to go CF/SLI if needed.

GPU: Absolutely no idea. I'm running a 24" 1080P display, and have no plans for a multi-monitor gaming setup. I'm leaning towards a Radeon 6950 2GB, but unsure as to which make/model to choose. Open to suggestions. Have no problem going Nvidia. I'm just looking for something that'll run upcoming games like BF3, Red Orchestra 2, and SWtOR better than my current 8800GT.

CPU FAN: Will the CM Hyper 12+ fit in my case? (CM 590)

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Hado.

 

[Jamborhgini313]

mobo:
ASRock Z68 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6...

GPU:
6950 or gtx 560 ti

PSU:
XFX Core Edition PRO850W (P1-850S-NLB9) 850W ATX12...

everything else looks pretty good. goodluck with build

 

[trt740]

One of the mods here, Paul, recommended this board to me and I must say after researching it this boards is a beast and is not a budget board. However, you will get it at a budget price. It has 10 +2 power phase and nothing is near it in that price range for 129.00 and it is better than the one you have picked out. BIOSTAR TP67XE (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s ...

BIOSTAR TP67XE (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67

http://www.biostar-usa.com/app/en-us/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=510

 

[Pestilence]

Since your in the states EVGA has B stock Deals

http://www.evga.com/products/prodlist.asp?switch=20

GTX 460 2 Win = GTX 460's in SLI essentially - 249.99
GTX 480 - 219.99
GTX 470 - 159.99 - Thats a fucking steal
GTX 460 2GB - 149.99
GTX 285 2GB - 109.99
GTX 560 Ti - 179.99
GTX 580 - 369.99

 

[Senupe]

Counting in the thing you want, here are my recommendations:
*Mobo: Due to the fact the iSSD board is tempting but very expensive i won't recommend it cause are only 20GB, it will barely fit your Operating System (the real size of the SSD is 18,62Gb due to the windows 1024 based kernel size).
The Z68 is a bit better option cause it can handle overclock, take advantage of your integrated graphics when dedicated are not in use and have a little bit more SATA III ports allowing you fast speed.
*GPU: Counting on your monitor settings (1920*1080) the Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti has really no compretition in it's preformance/price point, and 1Gb of dedicated RAM is just perfect for the 1080p setup (benchmarks here and here)if you have the extra $25 bucks, invest on the 6950
*Heatsink: The Hyper 212+ will fit in your case, but with a marginal space (2cm of the top) so, you should be carefull when installing it on the motherboard. I added Rosewill fan for push/pull config on the Hyper 212+ to improve the temps when you close the side panel of the case cause only 1 exiting exaust fan.
*HDD: Everybody loves the Samsung Spinpoint F3, but it uses only SATA II interface, and your SATA III ports can bennefit more from a SATA III HDD.
*PSU: For no multi-monitor support, i'm guessing you'll no need multi-graphics cards, so i just added a 650Watt power supply cause is afforfable and will let you overclock the CPU and the graphics card.
I hope my recommendations to help

Grand Total: $841,29

 

[tilldeath]

Counting in the thing you want, here are my recommendations:
*Mobo: Due to the fact the iSSD board is tempting but very expensive i won't recommend it cause are only 20GB, it will barely fit your Operating System (the real size of the SSD is 18,62Gb due to the windows 1024 based kernel size).
The Z68 is a bit better option cause it can handle overclock, take advantage of your integrated graphics when dedicated are not in use and have a little bit more SATA III ports allowing you fast speed.
*GPU: Counting on your monitor settings (1920*1080) the Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti has really no compretition in it's preformance/price point, and 1Gb of dedicated RAM is just perfect for the 1080p setup (benchmarks here and here)if you have the extra $25 bucks, invest on the 6950
*Heatsink: The Hyper 212+ will fit in your case, but with a marginal space (2cm of the top) so, you should be carefull when installing it on the motherboard. I added Rosewill fan for push/pull config on the Hyper 212+ to improve the temps when you close the side panel of the case cause only 1 exiting exaust fan.
*HDD: Everybody loves the Samsung Spinpoint F3, but it uses only SATA II interface, and your SATA III ports can bennefit more from a SATA III HDD.
*PSU: For no multi-monitor support, i'm guessing you'll no need multi-graphics cards, so i just added a 650Watt power supply cause is afforfable and will let you overclock the CPU and the graphics card.
I hope my recommendations to help
http://img.techpowerup.org/110723/Random pieces.jpg
Grand Total: $841,29

this ^ /thread

 

[Hotobu]

mobo:
ASRock Z68 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6...



PSU:
XFX Core Edition PRO850W (P1-850S-NLB9) 850W ATX12...



Whoa whoa no. 850W is WAAAAAAAAAY more than the OP needs. I just looked at the op's current specs. Truthfully he doesn't even need a new one. 450 is plenty to run the setup he wants and the model he's got is at least 80plus.

To the OP: The only reason to upgrade is if you want to crossfire which even then 650 is more than enough. Judging by your budget you wont be doing that anyway so there's no need fora new PSU. The increase in efficiency from 80 plus to bronze isn't enough to justify buying something you don't need.

Counting in the thing you want, here are my recommendations:
*Mobo: Due to the fact the iSSD board is tempting but very expensive i won't recommend it cause are only 20GB, it will barely fit your Operating System (the real size of the SSD is 18,62Gb due to the windows 1024 based kernel size).
The Z68 is a bit better option cause it can handle overclock, take advantage of your integrated graphics when dedicated are not in use and have a little bit more SATA III ports allowing you fast speed.
*GPU: Counting on your monitor settings (1920*1080) the Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti has really no compretition in it's preformance/price point, and 1Gb of dedicated RAM is just perfect for the 1080p setup (benchmarks here and here)if you have the extra $25 bucks, invest on the 6950
*Heatsink: The Hyper 212+ will fit in your case, but with a marginal space (2cm of the top) so, you should be carefull when installing it on the motherboard. I added Rosewill fan for push/pull config on the Hyper 212+ to improve the temps when you close the side panel of the case cause only 1 exiting exaust fan.
*HDD: Everybody loves the Samsung Spinpoint F3, but it uses only SATA II interface, and your SATA III ports can bennefit more from a SATA III HDD.
*PSU: For no multi-monitor support, i'm guessing you'll no need multi-graphics cards, so i just added a 650Watt power supply cause is afforfable and will let you overclock the CPU and the graphics card.
I hope my recommendations to help
http://img.techpowerup.org/110723/Random pieces.jpg
Grand Total: $841,29

I also disagree with some of this. First of all the 6950 > 560. There's no contest. 2GB isn't a big deal now, but seeing as the OP held on to his last computer for 3 years, and plans to keep this one for 2+ 2GB could definitely start to mean something in the coming months when textures start to become more demanding. If he's already talked himself into spending this much money for a card (and takes my advice not to buy a new PSU) then there's no reason to downgrade.

As for the HDD there is no HDD on the market, and probably never will be that needs a SATAIII interface. This is just a marketing ploy. 7200 RPMs drives don't even come close to maxing out SATA I.

edit: I also see that you live in MI. There's a Microcenter in the Detroit/Madison Heights area. If that's close to you you should be the processor from there. Microcenter sells that processor for $180, but you have to go to the store to pick it up (they want you to buy other stuff while you're there).

 

[Hado]

MOBO: Thanks very much for the responses so far. The new mobo suggestions are definitely something I'll look in to. I've been out of the loop as far as hardware goes, so I'll have to read up on all of these. Cheers.

The only reason I was considering the GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD was for the Intel SRT tech coupled with a "cheap" SSD in one package and not for OS install. If you guys feel the price is not worth the performance it'll deliver then I'll skip it all together.

GPU: Not sure I'd go for any of the b-stock items from evga. Price wise they're all very tempting, but the limited 90 day warranty worries me. I'm sure that if something were to go awry, it'll do so within the 90 days. But just in case it goes belly up after that I'd hate to be out of $200+ . I'm still leaning towards a 6950 2GB, but undecided as to which make/model. (but GTX570s and 6970s might be within grasp maybe?) Hotobu is right, I'm looking for a little oomph to last me a couple of years.

PSU: Surprised to hear that my current PSU would be enough to run the new rig. Unfortunately I'll be gutting my current rig and passing it off to the kids so I'll have to spring for a new power supply. Would the 650W Corsair be enough for say....two 6950s if I were go go that route later on down the road?

MICROCENTER: As it turns out, I do have a microcenter relatively close to where I live. Just need to decide if the savings would be worth the hassle and gas to get there.
Any penny saved though could be used to beef up another component, so I might consider it. 2500k w/ tax would then be a little over $190.

 

[Hotobu]

650 is definitely enough for crossfire 6950s

The 6950s are 200W cards and you've got a 95W CPU. This even gives you a bit of OC room. The only way you'd need to step up to 750 is if you want to hardcore OC everything and add in like 6+ HDs and a bunch of fans.

 

[Hado]

Would it be worth it to keep my 8800GT as a dedicated physx card?
(And pass along an old X1600 to the kids )

Looking at some of the deals available at Microcenter, it looks like I can score a 2500k + Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 for $307.38 (with tax, after some $40 off cpu+mobo combo). Yay or nay?

 

[Syuzeren]

I wouldnt recommend the P67a-G45 for crossfire or massive overclocking. It is meant to be a low end board for the p67 chipset. I have it and i can tell you something, if you wan't crossfire with 6950's, you need to get angled sata cables, because the sata ports are upwards instead of sideways and will be blocked by the 6950.

If you only use 1 hardrive and 1 optical drive this isn't a problem, since the 2 sata6Gb/s aint blocked when crossfired. If you use more then 2 sata ports then you need angled cables.

 

[Zen_]

99% sure a Hyper 212 will fit in your case with room to spare.

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Tu...
BIOSTAR TP67XE (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s ...
HIS IceQ X Turbo H695QNT2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 25...
Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W Continuous Power ATX12V v2...
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cac...
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatp...
Scythe Kama FLEX PWM 120 SA1225FDB12H-P 120mm Case...

That's what I would get

 

[Hado]

Picked up a couple things...

Newegg had the Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-620 on sale the other day for $69.99 (+$20 rebate). Review here on TPU was good, so I went for it.

Also picked up a Coolermaster Hyper 212+, and the Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB HDD.

MOBO, CPU & GPU to go.

90% sure of going with the Sapphire 6950 Dirt 3 Edition. Seems to be a solid performer, with good cooling/room for OC.

Definitely considering the Biostar MOBO. Never would have been my first choice, but it's growing on me.

Cheers for the help so far.

 

[Hayder_Master]

Ohh you register in TPU since 2005 that's nice.

Ok here is everything you choose is wise choosing, just keep stick with 6950 2g cuz you need the 2G at 1080P, also pick the gigabyte motherboard you find cuz it's have internal SSD which is awesome and give you impressive speed with performance on Z68 chipsets, also Z68 system is an improving over P67.

 

[JrRacinFan]

I say don't bother with the Gigabyte, go the P67 and an SSD instead:

Kingston SSDNow V100 Series SV100S2/64GZ 2.5" 64GB...
BIOSTAR TP67XE (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s ...