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[MrCunningham]

Any atx board in the op around your price range will work with either a 3570k (the ivy equivalent of a 2500k, not a 3550) or a 2500k. That one looks fine though.

Oops, I guess the prices of the 3550 should have been the tipoff that it wasn't the ivy equivalent of the 2500K. I guess the 3550 is the equivalent to the 2500. I didn't even notice that the Ivy processors were out until I started shopping around for a new PC to replace my aging Athlon 64 X2 desktop machine.

But looking at the current prices, the 3570K is a little too pricey for me. Which makes me think that the 2500k would be the best bet right now... I think I might also go with the BIOSTAR TZ77B as well.

 

[Squall ASF]

Finally finished building my beast machine!!! Now I need to decide what version of W7 to install. If money isn't a factor, what do you guys think? Does Ultimate have far too much bloat? Will there be a large performance difference using Home Premium? Besides bitlocker being a nice feature, I might do some vmware stuff in the future, can only Ultimate handle that?

 

[Anth0ny]

Should I pick up a 6850 for $130 or bite on a 6870 for $150? Is the difference in the two cards worth the $20? My graphics card is giving me problems. I just want to play Diablo 3 and some games on Dolphin... and maybe Dark Souls when it's released.

Also, are they compatible with my system?

Current specs:

CPU: i3-2100 @ 3.10 GHz
Motherboard: ASUS P8H67-M LX
RAM: 4GB DDR3
Graphics: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family (doesn't pass the canyourunit test for Diablo 3)
Power supply: 500 Watts

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[brotkasten]

I'm a bit surprised about how small the 2600K boxed cooler is. Last time I saw an Intel boxed cooler, it was for a Pentium D and it was a mighty piece of aluminum and copper. Now the heatspreader of my RAM is taller than the boxed cooler. Funny how it goes. I also tried to OC the CPU a bit with it and it was obviously a bad idea, as the CPU almost bursted into flames under load, Ivy Bridge style. It was still fun.

I'm thinking about keeping my old water cooling gear and just change the radiator to a 2x 120 one to fit it into the PowerMac case, as that would be cheaper than getting a ND-14 or H100. problem is, the old pump is kinda big (Eheim 1046 12V) and so is the reservoir and getting a new radiator and a new laing and a fitting reservoir for that one, would cost me just as much as a H100 and more than a ND-14 and I'm not sure if that is worth it to me.

Is the ND-14 that much better than a 212 EVO?

 

[scogoth]

I'm a bit surprised about how small the 2600K boxed cooler is. Last time I saw an Intel boxed cooler, it was for a Pentium D and it was a mighty piece of aluminum and copper. Now the heatspreader of my RAM is taller than the boxed cooler. Funny how it goes. I also tried to OC the CPU a bit with it and it was obviously a bad idea, as the CPU almost bursted into flames under load, Ivy Bridge style. It was still fun.

I'm thinking about keeping my old water cooling gear and just change the radiator to a 2x 120 one to fit it into the PowerMac case, as that would be cheaper than getting a ND-14 or H100. problem is, the old pump is kinda big (Eheim 1046 12V) and so is the reservoir and getting a new radiator and a new laing and a fitting reservoir for that one, would cost me just as much as a H100 and more than a ND-14 and I'm not sure if that is worth it to me.

Is the ND-14 that much better than a 212 EVO?

Anecdotaly its about 20% better performance for 400% the cost and quieter depending on what fans you use on the 212.

Most importantly is its gorgeous and huge. All about the e-peen.

 

[MrBig]

Is the ND-14 that much better than a 212 EVO?

I would rather go for the hr-02 macho. It's quiter with its spaced out fins and doesn't cost a whole lot more than the evo, and has proportionately better temps with its huge bulk that was originally designed as a passive cooler.

 

[TheExodu5]

I'm a bit surprised about how small the 2600K boxed cooler is. Last time I saw an Intel boxed cooler, it was for a Pentium D and it was a mighty piece of aluminum and copper. Now the heatspreader of my RAM is taller than the boxed cooler. Funny how it goes. I also tried to OC the CPU a bit with it and it was obviously a bad idea, as the CPU almost bursted into flames under load, Ivy Bridge style. It was still fun.

I'm thinking about keeping my old water cooling gear and just change the radiator to a 2x 120 one to fit it into the PowerMac case, as that would be cheaper than getting a ND-14 or H100. problem is, the old pump is kinda big (Eheim 1046 12V) and so is the reservoir and getting a new radiator and a new laing and a fitting reservoir for that one, would cost me just as much as a H100 and more than a ND-14 and I'm not sure if that is worth it to me.

Is the ND-14 that much better than a 212 EVO?

The ND-14 will not really outperform the 212 Evo in terms of cooling performance by all that much. It will be quieter, though only noticeably so if the rest of your rig is equally quiet. If you're not going for extreme silence, it's not really worth the extra cost.

 

[MrCunningham]

I think I might also go with the BIOSTAR TZ77B as well.

OK, one more question before I commit to buying this set up.

Does anybody here know how well this board (MSI H77MA-G43 LGA) compares to the BIOSTAR TZ77B? :

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130648

It's pretty identical to the TZ77B, but minus two PCI slots. Also it has free shipping and is a little cheaper. I haven't bought an MSI product in over a decade. How are their build quality?

 

[Hazaro]

Anyone want to sell me their old 2600K?

OK, one more question before I commit to buying this set up.

Does anybody here know how well this board (MSI H77MA-G43 LGA) compares to the BIOSTAR TZ77B? :

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130648

It's pretty identical to the TZ77B, but minus two PCI slots. Also it has free shipping and is a little cheaper. I haven't bought an MSI product in over a decade. How are their build quality?

Will do you fine.

Should I pick up a 6850 for $130 or bite on a 6870 for $150? Is the difference in the two cards worth the $20? My graphics card is giving me problems. I just want to play Diablo 3 and some games on Dolphin... and maybe Dark Souls when it's released.

Also, are they compatible with my system?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

6870. Yes.

 

[Shady859]

complete this generation PC noob wanting to get back in... I've built a pc but it was probably 8 years ago. My 4 year old $400 lappy maxes out on WoW lol.

I NEED to play Diablo 3 and Arma II - DayZ zombie mod...

Don't wanna go nuts or anything on the build, just something that would run these good and be able to handle Battlefield as well. How much am i talking?

How would that $540 standard build in the OP handle these? Any up/down suggestions? I'm in the US, prefer Newegg as I see it's 6 months no interest using Paypal pay later.

 

[MrBig]

Just snagged a 3570k on newegg for $230. ~%10 increase in price for ~%5 increase in performance; I guess I'm okay with that.

Not worried about temps as long as I can keep it stable at a decent OC.

 

[Sethos]

Finally placed the order on the last of my parts, should be here in the upcoming week. Then Friday, I'm on a months vacation where I'll get building. feelsgoodman.jpg

 

[Fallout-NL]

In the good old days the Athlon 64 3200+ at 2.2 Ghz smoked an Intel at 3.2 Ghz. Nothings changed. Architecture, efficiency, cache size, fsb speed, all of that together is what makes one cpu better than another.

That said, I recently bought a 2500k myself and the 3570 doesn't give me any buyers remorse. It's not a chip that I look at and wish that I had that one instead of the one I have now. I'm sure the chip that will do that to me is right around the corner though. It always is. : D

3570K has had some tweaks, so it's about 5% faster at the same speed (more efficiency at processing). Besides running 15W less at load, that's about all it's benefits. 25 euro is a lot, so go for 2500K, or go with Ivy and run it undervolted to save you on idle costs to sort of try to make up the cost difference.

Easy rule: Under 1k = 2500K, Over 1k = 3570K

My build will probably push past a 1000 euro actually, so perhaps I'll just go for the 3570. Fucking prices over here are murder.

 

[Leckan]

Is it true that you cannot change motherboard if you have the OEM version of Windows?

Surely there must be some way to circumvent this?

 

[Peterthumpa]

Hey you love the color White Just like me. White Ram and White HSF too? WoW.

I just bought my White case, 2 days ago.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811553005

Was about to go with the Corsair 500R.

Yep, White just rocks. You case is great too!

That white is stunning! What ram is that?

It really is! The RAM is a pair of Corsair Vengeance:
http://www.corsair.com/memory-by-pr...hannel-ddr3-memory-kit-cml8gx3m2a1600c9w.html

 

[jonremedy]

Is it true that you cannot change motherboard if you have the OEM version of Windows?

Surely there must be some way to circumvent this?

I have the OEM version of Windows 7 Professional, and I just swapped out my GPU, CPU, Motherboard and RAM, formatted my SSD and activated Windows successfully. I wasn't sure it was gonna work but it did for me...

 

[Kryor]

Hey PC-GAF, I'm going to study abroad in France for two years (I'm brazilian), I'm looking for a laptop to use at university. I'll be using it for playind Diablo 3, Dota 2 and Starcraft 2 mostly, but I would like to max them at full HD.

I'll also watch movies in it.

Here's the form from the OP:

What country will you be buying this in?
Brazil or France

What size notebook do you prefer?
Desktop Replacement (17-inch + screen)

Would you consider a refurbished laptop?
No

What are the primary tasks you need this notebook for?
Web Surfing, Video Chat and Conference, Movie Streaming and Viewing, Graphic Intense 3D Gaming

Where will you be using this laptop?
Will be used different places and Will stay on desk

Will you be buying online or in store?
online or in store

Which OS do you prefer?
Windows 7

List the screen resolutions that interest you:
Max Resolution (1920 x 1080)

Do you prefer a glossy or matte screen?
Matte

Is the laptops design important to you?
Yes

How long do you want this laptop to last?
2 years

How much storage capacity do you need?
640 GB

Are you interested in SSD for storage?
No

Do you want a built-in optical drive, what type?
No

 

[MrBig]

Hey PC-GAF, I'm going to study abroad in France for two years (I'm brazilian), I'm looking for a laptop to use at university. I'll be using it for playind Diablo 3, Dota 2 and Starcraft 2 mostly, but I would like to max them at full HD.

Laptop-GAF is this way, but I'd say you can get AMD's Piledriver/Trinity APU or an Intel Ivy Bridge laptop instead of a laptop with a discrete GPU with those games.

 

[bomb]

Got the following:
HAF X Case
Asus P8Z77-V LE Z77 LGA1155 R
Corsair 850Watt
16 GB Corsair Vengeance
i7-3770K
Corsair Force GT 480GB
Zalman CPU Fan

Waiting to come in stock:
GTX680 or 690

 

[suaveric]

I just posted this on the tech support thread in the OT, but this thread seems a lot more active and I assume some of you guys have dealt with a similar problem:

My graphics card bit it last week so I decided to just build a new computer. One thing I didn't really take in to account was buying a new copy of Windows. What I have for my old computer is a legit Upgrade version of Windows 7.

I've done some looking around the the net and it seems like I should be able to transfer my activation key over to my new computer. I've also found some weird (and apparently legal) ways of installing this upgrade version of 7 without having an old version of Windows installed though changing the registry.

My question is, will I be able to do both? By messing with the registry stuff once I've installed the upgrade version, it looks like the last step is activating it with my key, but I know that will not work without calling Microsoft and having them ok it. Is that going to work?

Is there some other, more simple way around this that I can't see? Thanks.

 

[Edvardelis]

Dialed my OC back to 4.4 Ghz. After an hour of Prime95 temperatures didn't pass 87C.

Voltage is still at 1.3 V, I'm going to fiddle with it later.

Is there some other, more simple way around this that I can't see? Thanks.

Unfortunately not. I've done the install with an upgrade license, but it was my work laptop and I was going from a 32 bit Windows 7 install to a 64 bit install.

 

[Shambles]

Laptop-GAF is this way, but I'd say you can get AMD's Piledriver/Trinity APU or an Intel Ivy Bridge laptop instead of a laptop with a discrete GPU with those games.

While they IGPs have come along way they're still certainly no replacement for people who want to do a decent amount of gaming. Especially Intels iGP isn't even passable for casual gaming. People aren't looking to play games on low settings with mediocore framerates. AMDs IGP is a step ahead of Intels but even still that is a tough sell for anyone looking for more than casual gaming. Switchable graphics have also come a long way in the past two years, most system will now switch between the two GPUs on the fly giving you both maximum performance and battery life when you're not utilizing them. You can also get decently priced laptops with a fairly decent GPU in them for well under $1000 from laptops like the Y470/570.

I just posted this on the tech support thread in the OT, but this thread seems a lot more active and I assume some of you guys have dealt with a similar problem:

My graphics card bit it last week so I decided to just build a new computer. One thing I didn't really take in to account was buying a new copy of Windows. What I have for my old computer is a legit Upgrade version of Windows 7.

I've done some looking around the the net and it seems like I should be able to transfer my activation key over to my new computer. I've also found some weird (and apparently legal) ways of installing this upgrade version of 7 without having an old version of Windows installed though changing the registry.

My question is, will I be able to do both? By messing with the registry stuff once I've installed the upgrade version, it looks like the last step is activating it with my key, but I know that will not work without calling Microsoft and having them ok it. Is that going to work?

Is there some other, more simple way around this that I can't see? Thanks.

The double upgrade way works fine and will probably be the easiest way for you. Typically when you call microsoft to change the activation of a windows licence you just talk to a machine. You just type some serial numbers on the phone, you don't have to talk to a call centre to india anymore.

 

[Slayer-33]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130759 GTX 480

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150549 HD 6950 $220 post promo $190 post rebate!



Jesus what?!

Or wait go for the newer cards out now?


Temptation all over this biach.. I guess I'll stick to the 78xx + segment

 

[Cetra]

Just pulled the trigger on my rebuild.

Current Specs:

Q6600 OC'd to 3.1Ghz
Zalman Heatsink
8GB Corsair Dominator DDR2 800
EVGA 560i MB
EVGA GTX470​

Specs as of this coming Wednesday.

i5 2500K
Corsair A70 Heatsink
8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600
ASUS Z68 MB
Keeping the EVGA GTX470 for now.​

Can't wait for Wednesday.

 

[JonCha]

1-2 days before 670 launches :lol

Not necessary, but CX series is really not that great. If possible purchase an Antec unit around that price. VP450 if you can find it.

Trying to.

Intel CPU with Intel motherboard. Can you fit in a 2500K?
500GB is fine.
You need to buy a DVD drive, but you can also load a windows 7 to an bootable usb and install that way.

Thanks Hazaro. With that in mind, here's what I'm most likely going to go with:

Right, so here's my preliminary build:

CPU: Intel i5 2400 3.1GHz
Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM B3 Revision
RAM: G.Skill Ares 1600 2x4GB
Graphics: GTX460 1GB/HD6850 1GB (whichever's cheaper)
Storage: Samsung F3 500GB
Power supply: Antec VP450 450W. Can I get away with 430W?
Case: BitFenix Shinobi
Optical drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST
Mouse: Logitech G500
Keyboard: Filco Majestouch-2, Tenkeyless

Only questions now are that some reviews are saying the ASUS motherboard has compatibility issues: is that true? Secondly, do I need a heatsink and Sound Card? Reviews are again conflicting; some say stock heatsink is fine.

 

[Mattdaddy]

Would I get more bang for my buck with gaming results by upgrading my Phenom II X4 955 to an i7 2600k... OR upgrading my 560ti to a 670 or 680. I know GPU has more effect on gaming, but that Phenom is getting kinda old and I dont want to bottleneck a high end GPU.

Also... for gaming will an i7 be that much better than an i5? Can I save some $$$ by buying an i5 and get the same results? I dont do any video editing or anything, strictly a gaming pc.


Edit - Phenom is at stock speed. Im too stupid to overclock and would probably explode something.

 

[Slayer-33]

i5 imo man

 

[MrBig]

While they IGPs have come along way they're still certainly no replacement for people who want to do a decent amount of gaming. Especially Intels iGP isn't even passable for casual gaming. People aren't looking to play games on low settings with mediocore framerates. AMDs IGP is a step ahead of Intels but even still that is a tough sell for anyone looking for more than casual gaming. Switchable graphics have also come a long way in the past two years, most system will now switch between the two GPUs on the fly giving you both maximum performance and battery life when you're not utilizing them. You can also get decently priced laptops with a fairly decent GPU in them for well under $1000 from laptops like the Y470/570.

Both AMDs and Intels current iGPU offerings perform more than adequately for less demanding games like D3 and SC2.
Why spend more money than you have to?

 

[Mattdaddy]

i5 imo man

Yeah those new nvidia cards look super sexy, but I'm worried that 955 might start to hold me back.

 

[scogoth]

Both AMDs and Intels current iGPU offerings perform more than adequately for less demanding games like D3 and SC2.
Why spend more money than you have to?

Cause 30fps at 1366x768 isn't considered adequate for most gamers.

 

[Slayer-33]

Yeah those new nvidia cards look super sexy, but I'm worried that 955 might start to hold me back.

I'm on an X6 1055 @ 3.2GHz atm from 2.8 on stock, I'm sure you can OC yours a bit fine, I thinking of ordering an EVO 212 and bumping it to 3.4GHz + new card

 

[MrBig]

e: nvm

 

[Fallout-NL]

Cause 30fps at 1366x768 isn't considered adequate for most gamers.

No, but it's pretty impressive for something that's baked into the CPU.

 

[Sh1ner]

Updated my purchase:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/7P8U

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.34 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£75.98 @ Dabs)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£70.00 @ Maplin Electronics)
Hard Drive: OCZ Agility 3 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£79.34 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £395.80
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-06 17:30 BST+0100)

Was going to grab a different a cheaper motherboard but its out of stock.
Buying SSD from Amazon as its cheaper than scan when including delivery charges.
Going to compare prices with out retailers that PCPartPicker does not include on the UK site. If I don't find any cheaper I will bite the bullet tonight.

edit:
had to add a SATA dvd writer as IDE is definitely extinct. My new motherboard won't take it. So installing windows on my SSD would have been impossible. :|
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer (£13.08 @ Amazon UK)
New Total: £408.88 Over the 400 Mark ouch.

 

[Karmum]

Just out of curiosity, am I crazy or am I reading this AMD 8 core processor for $71.50? It looks like they sell all of their CPUs for that price...

Something must be up...i7's for that amount?

 

[scogoth]

Just out of curiosity, am I crazy or am I reading this AMD 8 core processor for $71.50? It looks like they sell all of their CPUs for that price...

Something must be up...i7's for that amount?

I'm calling something fishy. Intel sells there SKUs for i7s at like $200 a cpu so nobody is going to sell it for $71 unless it was hot.

 

[abunai]

Updated my purchase:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/7P8U

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.34 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£75.98 @ Dabs)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£70.00 @ Maplin Electronics)
Hard Drive: OCZ Agility 3 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£79.34 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £395.80
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-06 17:30 BST+0100)

Was going to grab a different a cheaper motherboard but its out of stock.
Buying SSD from Amazon as its cheaper than scan when including delivery charges.
Going to compare prices with out retailers that PCPartPicker does not include on the UK site. If I don't find any cheaper I will bite the bullet tonight.

edit:
had to add a SATA dvd writer as IDE is definitely extinct. My new motherboard won't take it. So installing windows on my SSD would have been impossible. :|
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer (£13.08 @ Amazon UK)
New Total: £408.88 Over the 400 Mark ouch.

You could install Windows with a USB pen drive? link

The parts look good, but I'd lean towards a z77 board just for future proofing. However, if the z68's are currently cheaper (they were about the same price when i last looked, don't have time atm) then why not. I'd prefer a Crucial M4 SSD in terms of stability, I've read poor things about OCZ agility 3's lifetime. And 16GB ram, really?

 

[scogoth]

No, but it's pretty impressive for something that's baked into the CPU.

Not really because the min fps will be in the 15 range so it would be extremely frustrating have your fps drop that low everytime something intensive happens.

iGPUs are just not adequate for any modern games. They are ok for 2-3 year old games.

 

[Karmum]

I'm calling something fishy. Intel sells there SKUs for i7s at like $200 a cpu so nobody is going to sell it for $71 unless it was hot.

I was going to consider buying one of them just for the hell of it and sell it back for a huge net gain but uh...I'm iffy on buying a CPU for $71 when it's being sold everywhere else for $1000.

 

[scogoth]

I was going to consider buying one of them just for the hell of it and sell it back for a huge net gain but uh...I'm iffy on buying a CPU for $71 when it's being sold everywhere else for $1000.

I wouldn't submit any of my info to them. Maybe you can try it with a pre paid credit card but just be prepared to lose $71. Or worse its a defective unit and destroys a $300 motherboard.

 

[Hanzou]

Cause 30fps at 1366x768 isn't considered adequate for most gamers.

Its funny because PS3's and 360's have difficulty doing this a lot of the time.

 

[Karmum]

I wouldn't submit any of my info to them. Maybe you can try it with a pre paid credit card but just be prepared to lose $71. Or worse its a defective unit and destroys a $300 motherboard.

Not even going to order it and see what happens. It was still interesting to browse, anyway. The way they brand their CPUs is just a cause for concern alone:

"INetwork Productsel Core i7 Mobile ProConsumer ElectroniComputer"

Wait, what?

 

[scogoth]

Its funny because PS3's and 360's have difficulty doing this a lot of the time.

Yes but they cost $200? Whereas a $500 laptop with iGPU barely passes them

 

[Sh1ner]

You could install Windows with a USB pen drive? link

The parts look good, but I'd lean towards a z77 board just for future proofing. However, if the z68's are currently cheaper (they were about the same price when i last looked, don't have time atm) then why not. I'd prefer a Crucial M4 SSD in terms of stability, I've read poor things about OCZ agility 3's lifetime. And 16GB ram, really?

Dropping Ram to 8gb. Looking at XMS3 for £40 as they are also lower profile then the vengeance just in case. Which gives me more leg room I guess on SSD or Motherboard. Bah I am annoyed at myself for putting down 16GB ram and not noticing that I am not really going to need all of that yet even if I do 3D art or 2D. My skills are not good enough to demand GB any time soon.

edit:
Updated Build. Thanks for your input. Clearing that extra Ram does make much more sense:

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/7PmK/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/7PmK/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.34 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G43 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£75.99 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£38.03 @ Ebuyer)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£88.94 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer (£13.08 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £383.38

I currently have an MSI motherboard, not too fond of it. I was hoping to go ASUS this time. My current MSI board is 6 years old though. Anyone confirm they have improved in that time?
Its the only Z77 Mainboard out there at a comparable price to the previous Asus Z68 board I was looking at.

Also I would like to know if you guys thing I need low profile Ram for this mainboard? I don't think I do which means instead of grabbing the XMS3 ram I can get the Corsair Vengeance ram that clocks to 1866 for an extra £2.

Edit: Passing on the USB idea as all my USB sticks have gone missing curiously I had not noticed. Optical isn't really my medium but I am screwing myself over with back comparability without one unfortunately.

Edit 2: I also noticed for an extra £5 I can upgrade to Intel Core i5-3570K. :| Damn me and my thirsty nature for more POWER.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Got on the ivy bridge bandwagon...

Asus p8Z77-v
16 gig g.skill 1600
212 evo
I7 3770k

Keeping my corsair case, power supply, and the 7970

Upgrading from an i7 930

 

[Slayer-33]

Got on the ivy bridge bandwagon...

Asus p8Z77-v
16 gig g.skill 1600
212 evo
I7 3770k

Keeping my corsair case, power supply, and the 7970

Upgrading from an i7 930

What corsair do you have

 

[mkenyon]

Wasn't comfortable with the 690 in the V700 and the CPU cooling options in there.

While I'm waiting for the V750 to come in stock so I can get to cutting it, ordered the 3820, G1 Assassin 2 Motherboard, AX850 w/ white cables, 4 sticks of the Vengeance Low Profile, and a Crucial M4 128. Gonna stick it in the 600T for the time being to help with cooling for decent OC runs on the 690.

With it all in there, up and running, I won't be tempted to cut corners with properly finishing the V750. Need to wait for the 690 EK Waterblock anyway.

Dropping Ram to 8gb. Looking at XMS3 for £40 as they are also lower profile then the vengeance just in case. Which gives me more leg room I guess on SSD or Motherboard. Bah I am annoyed at myself for putting down 16GB ram and not noticing that I am not really going to need all of that yet even if I do 3D art or 2D. My skills are not good enough to demand GB any time soon.

edit:
Updated Build. Thanks for your input. Clearing that extra Ram does make much more sense:

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/7PmK/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/7PmK/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.34 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G43 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£75.99 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£38.03 @ Ebuyer)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£88.94 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer (£13.08 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £383.38

I currently have an MSI motherboard, not too fond of it. I was hoping to go ASUS this time. My current MSI board is 6 years old though. Anyone confirm they have improved in that time?
Its the only Z77 Mainboard out there at a comparable price to the previous Asus Z68 board I was looking at.

Also I would like to know if you guys thing I need low profile Ram for this mainboard? I don't think I do which means instead of grabbing the XMS3 ram I can get the Corsair Vengeance ram that clocks to 1866 for an extra £2.

Edit: Passing on the USB idea as all my USB sticks have gone missing curiously I had not noticed. Optical isn't really my medium but I am screwing myself over with back comparability without one unfortunately.

Edit 2: I also noticed for an extra £5 I can upgrade to Intel Core i5-3570K. :| Damn me and my thirsty nature for more POWER.

1) Get the Vengeance Low Profile or Gksill Ares listed in the OP. Low profile is always a better decision. The XMS you have listed runs at 1.65V which can cause some issues, but it might not too. Either way, the OP stuff is what you want.

2) MSI has certainly come around. For X79 and Z68/P67, ASUS and ASRock has the least widespread issues. Z77 is a bit too young to say for certain on this round.

3) 3570K isn't worth it over the 2500K except in a few rare instances.

 

[Doc Holliday]

What corsair do you have

Carbide 500r black

 

[jackpottest]

Just realized I am getting an ASUS 560 ti (830/1660MHz), when there is an ASUS 560 ti TOP (900/1800MHz) for the exact same price.

Should I bother going to the trouble of switching to the TOP? Order hasn't gone through yet, had to move some money around. heh

 

[abracadaver]

Hey guys I want to get back into PC gaming. My last PC was a 2600+ with a radeon 9800 pro. As you can tell that was a long time ago. I wasnt informed at all about PC parts but I have spend a lot of time this weekend to educate me a bit.

This is what I came up with:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3550, 4x 3.30GHz, boxed 195€
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 OC, 2GB GDDR5, DVI, HDMI, 2x mini DisplayPort, lite retail 235€
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Low Profile schwarz DIMM Kit 8GB PC3-12800U CL9-9-9-24 (DDR3-1600) 45€
Mainboard: MSI Z77A-G43, Z77 (dual PC3-12800U DDR3) 95€
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1000GB, SATA 6Gb/s 105€
Optical drive: LiteOn iHOS104 schwarz, SATA, bulk 45€
Power Supply: Cougar A450 450W ATX 2.3 50€
Tower: Xigmatek Midgard II 65€

Total: 835€


Is there anything wrong with it or am I good to go and order ?

I want to play Max Payne 3, Arma 2 and Battlefield 3 in 1080p with it. I hope thats doable