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[Funky Papa]

The most important part of that review:



tl;dr : wait

I very much doubt Intel will be able to top it considering how damn fast the Vertex 3 is in those benchmarks where it's allowed to shine.

 

[TheExodu5]

Same here. The only way they could is if they use half capacity modules, but I don't know if those exist or not.

 

[Cday]

Realistically, what type of overclock should I be expecting from the H70? As I mentioned before it was an impulse buy. I originally had the 212+ in my basket, but liked the way the H70 looked (lol) so I went with it.

I know it's not "true" watercooling, but what speeds do you guys think I'll see from the 2600k?

Depends, some will be able to get 5ghz some won't be able to overclock much at all. It's luck.

Why the hell does it come with a shirt. I would rather it be $10 cheaper then get a shirt.

And the box is excessively big.

560 ti box was just as big. Even more ridiculous was the box that it was shipped in was 5 times bigger and had about a mile of that brown packing paper in it.

 

[MisterNoisy]

560 ti box was just as big. Even more ridiculous was the box that it was shipped in was 5 times bigger and had about a mile of that brown packing paper in it.

No doubt - my 560s came in boxes bigger than the ones my motherboards were shipped in.

 

[Baller. PhD]

Same here. The only way they could is if they use half capacity modules, but I don't know if those exist or not.

Ok, so I've got a question. I prematurely listed my laptop on eBay to maximize the money I could get for it (it's only about 6 months old). Auction ends on Saturday, which means I need to box it up and send it out on Monday. I was originally planning on iPadding it up until I had the components finalized for my PC build, but the iPad quest isn't going so hot (damn you, Apple, and your false shortages).

So basically I need to get the ball rolling on this build. I'd been holding out for the new SSD's but I don't really have a few more weeks to wait. What should I do? The $200 C300 deal is pretty hot, but I'd feel horrible if in a few weeks I find out I could have gotten something with much better speed for just a little more money. One option I've considered is just going with two F3's in RAID 0 (with 200mb partition for OS/applications) and then adding the SSD in a few weeks. That's probably my best bet, right?

 

[Hazaro]

As for the build, the $600 is a good place to start and you can tweak it from there. For one, you may want to switch the CPU to a $100 AMD Phenom II X4 840, or a ~$100 Intel Core i3 2100T. Also, stay away from Vista. Try a Win 7 OEM disc.

The hell? Did you originally type "Vista?"

Yeah I have been meaning to upgrade the 640 to the Phenom at $110.
Might cut back another $20 or so on the other parts, see what I can't do.

SSD plot thickens! I'm still deciding which 120GB drive to buy, so I'm in the same boat as a lot of you.
*I would just wait, and use the SSD for OS.

 

[DEO3]

my WC parts came in..
EK supreme WB
EK GTX580 WB
Black Tygon 7/16 tubes
swiftech pump with new casing and top
multiport res
several barbs and fittings

still waiting on my 1200w PSU , tigerdirect keep sending me that wimpy 850w PSU

I've been interested in getting into water cooling for a long time, as no matter how much money I spend on high end heatsinks and fans, it's never quite cool enough and it's never quite quiet enough. About how much does it cost to build from scratch?

 

[Hazaro]

For a nice set-up you are looking at maybe $400 or so.

 

[-viper-]

I've been interested in getting into water cooling for a long time, as no matter how much money I spend on high end heatsinks and fans, it's never quite cool enough and it's never quite quiet enough. About how much does it cost to build from scratch?

Water cooling seems like a massive hassle. You have to constantly replace the fluid and putting it together seems like a pain. If the fluid leaks on the components then you're fucked. D:

 

[vexvegaz]

I've been interested in getting into water cooling for a long time, as no matter how much money I spend on high end heatsinks and fans, it's never quite cool enough and it's never quite quiet enough. About how much does it cost to build from scratch?

you can spend around 350 - 400 for damn good setup that can last you a few builds.

 

[TheExodu5]

I've been interested in getting into water cooling for a long time, as no matter how much money I spend on high end heatsinks and fans, it's never quite cool enough and it's never quite quiet enough. About how much does it cost to build from scratch?

What's your current cooling setup? I'd be hard pressed to believe you can't get a damned silent air setup.

 

[Lion Heart]

Yay I got my computer working again. Turns out it was the Power Supply.

I bought one from Tigerdirect, its a 650w Ultra or something, 135 mm fan (compared to like 80mm on my old one lol), its so much more quiet its unbelievable.

Only two concerns, will 650w be enough for a next gen videocard and cpu when I eventually make the jump. I could have got a 750 watt for 10 more bucks but these cards never seem to require more than 500ish so I said meh. I wont be overclocking btw.

Also, is there anything in the bios I should adjust, or something. Upon turning it on for the first time, it asked me to reset my overclock settings (none?) before it would update the settings, so I just reset everything. I noticed my case fan didnt turn on though, I plugged it in just fine, whats up with that?

Damn feels good to have a pc again.

 

[Sanic]

I have a very noob question: how can I force games to render at a higher resolution that my monitor can support and then downsample to an appropriate resolution? It doesn't seem like this is available in the nvidia control panel so is there a 3rd party program I should use?

 

[metareferential]

Guys I have to build a new rig for a friend; we're aiming high-end, so the gpu will be a gtx580, since he's an nvidia guy. The budget really isn't a problem, but I don't want to make him spend too much since really it's not worth it, since he'll be playing at 1080p and he's no interested in overclocking.

CPU is going to be sandybridge 2600k, with 4gb or more of ram.

So gaf: what motherboard fits best? Do I need dual or triple channel ram?

Thanks.

 

[Baller. PhD]

Fuck, I think I might just get the C300. I've never used an SSD before so I'll probably be blown away no matter what. That $199 price tag is just too tempting I'm afraid...

 

[scogoth]

Guys I have to build a new rig for a friend; we're aiming high-end, so the gpu will be a gtx580, since he's an nvidia guy. The budget really isn't a problem, but I don't want to make him spend too much since really it's not worth it, since he'll be playing at 1080p and he's no interested in overclocking.

CPU is going to be sandybridge 2600k, with 4gb or more of ram.

So gaf: what motherboard fits best? Do I need dual or triple channel ram?

Thanks.

Maximus IV or sabertooth cause they look cool. 8GB 2000MHz CAS9 RAM. Dual Channel.

 

[TheExodu5]

Guys I have to build a new rig for a friend; we're aiming high-end, so the gpu will be a gtx580, since he's an nvidia guy. The budget really isn't a problem, but I don't want to make him spend too much since really it's not worth it, since he'll be playing at 1080p and he's no interested in overclocking.

CPU is going to be sandybridge 2600k, with 4gb or more of ram.

So gaf: what motherboard fits best? Do I need dual or triple channel ram?

Thanks.

If you're aiming high end, you want to overclock. It's ridiculously easy anyways.

 

[metareferential]

Maximus IV or sabertooth cause they look cool. 8GB 2000MHz CAS9 RAM. Dual Channel.

Maximum IV extreme is quite expensive, but yes it looks cool xD

And it will also perform well I'm sure.

2000mhz ram? Is it worthy? I have 1600hz on mine for some time now. Maybe that's enough?

EDIT: well, it's as cheap as slower ram.

If you're aiming high end, you want to overclock. It's ridiculously easy anyways.

Ok, let's take that into account then.

Or maybe I should have said "a little less than high-end"?

Anyways, any suggestion like the above one is welcome, enlighten me.

 

[Zeliard]

Currently considering an ASUS VW246H monitor. Anything better at a roughly similar price?

Edit: heard LED monitors are generally poor so I'm looking at the earlier LCD model

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

I noticed that when I shut off my computer, it emits this high pitch sound that's barely audible but just enough to bug me if I go near the back of the case. The sound is constantly there and doesn't go away after, say, an hour. I'm not sure if the sound is present when the computer's on but it's inaudible next to the sound of the fans. If I had to guess, it's coming from the motherboard (P8P67) but I have no clue. Any ideas?

 

[knitoe]

I noticed that when I shut off my computer, it emits this high pitch sound that's barely audible but just enough to bug me if I go near the back of the case. The sound is constantly there and doesn't go away after, say, an hour. I'm not sure if the sound is present when the computer's on but it's inaudible next to the sound of the fans. If I had to guess, it's coming from the motherboard (P8P67) but I have no clue. Any ideas?

The computer shouldn't make any sound being off. From what I have read, something like that usually comes from PSU. I'll check that first.

 

[TheExodu5]

Maximum IV extreme is quite expensive, but yes it looks cool xD

And it will also perform well I'm sure.

2000mhz ram? Is it worthy? I have 1600hz on mine for some time now. Maybe that's enough?

EDIT: well, it's as cheap as slower ram.



Ok, let's take that into account then.

Or maybe I should have said "a little less than high-end"?

Anyways, any suggestion like the above one is welcome, enlighten me.

The case you'll have to pick yourself. I like the HAF 922, Fractal Define R3, Cooler Master CM 690, Corsair 650D, Silverstone FT02, to name a few.

PSU: Corsair 750TX
Motherboard: Asus P8P67
CPU: Intel 2500K/2600K (2600K will give no real benefit in gaming, FYI)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212+ (or Noctua DH-14 if more concerned with noise)
Memory: 8GB DDR3 (speed doesn't matter much 1600MHz is fine)
GPU: Asus DirectCu II GTX 580 (triple slot version)
SSD: 120GB Intel 320
HDD: 2x 1TB Samsung F3 in RAID 0

That's a rough build for you.

If he wants to make it a little more boutique, go with a Corsair AX850 as the PSU, and the 650D or FT02 as the case.

 

[scogoth]

Maximum IV extreme is quite expensive, but yes it looks cool xD

And it will also perform well I'm sure.

2000mhz ram? Is it worthy? I have 1600hz on mine for some time now. Maybe that's enough?

EDIT: well, it's as cheap as slower ram.



Ok, let's take that into account then.

Or maybe I should have said "a little less than high-end"?

Anyways, any suggestion like the above one is welcome, enlighten me.

Well thats for a dream build.

 

[knitoe]

Maximum IV extreme is quite expensive, but yes it looks cool xD

And it will also perform well I'm sure.

2000mhz ram? Is it worthy? I have 1600hz on mine for some time now. Maybe that's enough?

EDIT: well, it's as cheap as slower ram.

If it's the same price, get the faster ram, but with Sandy bridge, you won't notice much of a difference other than in benchmarks. In old days, if you want to o/c, you would increase the bus (BLK) which leads to the need for faster ram. Now, with Sandy bridge, you won't want to o/c the BLK, and thus, don't need faster ram.

Also, Sandy bridge do not support 2000mhz. The closest are 1866mhz or 2133.

Ok, let's take that into account then.

Or maybe I should have said "a little less than high-end"?

Anyways, any suggestion like the above one is welcome, enlighten me.

Overclocking a 2600K@4.5Ghz is as simple as just changing CPU multiplier to 45. You might need to increase CPU voltage by tiny amount, but that's it.

 

[metareferential]

The case you'll have to pick yourself. I like the HAF 922, Fractal Define R3, Cooler Master CM 690, Corsair 650D, Silverstone FT02, to name a few.

PSU: Corsair 750TX
Motherboard: Asus P8P67
CPU: Intel 2500K/2600K (2600K will give no real benefit in gaming, FYI)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212+ (or Noctua DH-14 if more concerned with noise)
Memory: 8GB DDR3 (speed doesn't matter much 1600MHz is fine)
GPU: Asus DirectCu II GTX 580 (triple slot version)
SSD: 120GB Intel 320
HDD: 2x 1TB Samsung F3 in RAID 0

That's a rough build for you.

Thanks a lot; gpu is the same I was thinking about, good to hear it, same with the motherboard (it's the standard bundle at novatech right now with a 2600k).

If said cpu won't give any benefit in gaming, I guess we can save some money here and go with a 2500k.

It's a good build, and cpu cooler aside, which I didn't consider at first (I guess it will come in handy when overclocking, maybe it's not really mandatory right now), it's very similar to what I had in mind, and fits within budget limits very well.

It makes me want to upgrade mine as well, even though I don't need it right now xD

 

[Baller. PhD]

I just pulled the trigger on all my components (sans SSD). DAMN I'm excited. It's been so long since I've had a real desktop.

Here's what I ended up getting. Prices include all applicable tax and shipping.

$99.99 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black
$162.99 - Corsair AX850
$189.99 - Asus P8P67 Pro
$303.09 - Intel Core i7-2600K
$78.82 - Noctua NH-D14
$74.99 - G.Skill RipjawsX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600
$129.98 - 2x Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 RPM
$349.99 - Asus GTX570 DirectCU II
$24.63 - Asus Xonar DG 5.1
$54.11 - Logitech Speaker System Z523
$69.99 - LG UH10LS20 Bluray/DVD-RW
$32.42 - Windows 7 Professional Upgrade (Student Edition)

Total Price: $1,570.99

Yeah buddy! All I need now is the SSD, but I think my raided Spinpoint F3's will do just for the next month or so while I figure out which to get.

Oh man, it is on.

 

[scogoth]

I just pulled the trigger on all my components (sans SSD). DAMN I'm excited. It's been so long since I've had a real desktop.

Here's what I ended up getting. Prices include all applicable tax and shipping.

$99.99 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black
$162.99 - Corsair AX850
$189.99 - Asus P8P67 Pro
$303.09 - Intel Core i7-2600K
$78.82 - Noctua NH-D14
$74.99 - G.Skill RipjawsX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600
$129.98 - 2x Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 RPM
$349.99 - Asus GTX570 DirectCU II
$24.63 - Asus Xonar DG 5.1
$54.11 - Logitech Speaker System Z523
$69.99 - LG UH10LS20 Bluray/DVD-RW
$32.42 - Windows 7 Professional Upgrade (Student Edition)

Total Price: $1,570.99

Yeah buddy! All I need now is the SSD, but I think my raided Spinpoint F3's will do just for the next month or so while I figure out which to get.

Oh man, it is on.

Pics when its done. Some PC porn.

 

[Nekrono]

Alright guys, i am in need of some advice.

I'm about to buy a i5 2500k and a motherboard as the final upgrades to my gaming system, the motherboard I will be buying now and the processor a few weeks after.

I'd like to know what is the best motherboard i could get with a budget of around $150, Multi-GPU isn't really important as most likely all I'll ever have is a single card, two if anything but i don't really think so.

So far I've been looking at this ASUS P8P67 which I like a lot, especially the Bios feature with these ASUS boards, seems pretty sleek. Also it's going for ~$160 which is pretty acceptable to my budget.

I'd like to know if there are better boards for around that price and what people think of this ASUS board too.

One thing to note is that I will be overclocking the processor eventually when I get my hands on the Noctua NH-D14.

 

[TheExodu5]

I'm liking that build Baller.

I kind of regret not going with a RAID 0 HDD setup for my games. Not that it's really necessary, but I hadn't even considered it, and it would have been kind of nice. Once I'm in need of more drive space, I'll probably make the switch.

I think the toughest thing in your build is going to be making the PC even quieter than it is when you get it. It's always tough to find that one fan that's just a little louder than the rest, and finding out how much you can slow it down.

 

[Smokey]

Maximum IV extreme is quite expensive, but yes it looks cool xD

And it will also perform well I'm sure.

2000mhz ram? Is it worthy? I have 1600hz on mine for some time now. Maybe that's enough?

EDIT: well, it's as cheap as slower ram.



Ok, let's take that into account then.

Or maybe I should have said "a little less than high-end"?

Anyways, any suggestion like the above one is welcome, enlighten me.

I'm doing a high-end build as well. I just got my case in today so I'll start there, a Silverstone FT02 "mid-size" tower.

Silverstone FT02

I just got done messing around with it a few minutes ago. This is a damn nice case. It's very solid, offers great cooling, and plenty of room inside. It is $240 so might be a little pricey for you depending on how much you want to spend on your case, but IMO if you're going high end you might as well get a quality case to go along with your high end components. Doesn't have to be the FT02, I'm just speaking in general.

It's far from mid-size though, it's basically a full tower case even though it's not advertised as such.

I just pulled the trigger on all my components (sans SSD). DAMN I'm excited. It's been so long since I've had a real desktop.

Here's what I ended up getting. Prices include all applicable tax and shipping.

$99.99 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black
$162.99 - Corsair AX850
$189.99 - Asus P8P67 Pro
$303.09 - Intel Core i7-2600K
$78.82 - Noctua NH-D14
$74.99 - G.Skill RipjawsX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600
$129.98 - 2x Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 RPM
$349.99 - Asus GTX570 DirectCU II
$24.63 - Asus Xonar DG 5.1
$54.11 - Logitech Speaker System Z523
$69.99 - LG UH10LS20 Bluray/DVD-RW
$32.42 - Windows 7 Professional Upgrade (Student Edition)

Total Price: $1,570.99

Yeah buddy! All I need now is the SSD, but I think my raided Spinpoint F3's will do just for the next month or so while I figure out which to get.

Oh man, it is on.

Good stuff. I've been thinking of adding a Blu-ray player into my machine instead of standard DVD Drive. That $70 price is pretty tempting. Also where did you get the AX850 for $160?

 

[scogoth]

Alright guys, i am in need of some advice.

I'm about to buy a i5 2500k and a motherboard as the final upgrades to my gaming system, the motherboard I will be buying now and the processor a few weeks after.

I'd like to know what is the best motherboard i could get with a budget of around $150, Multi-GPU isn't really important as most likely all I'll ever have is a single card, two if anything but i don't really think so.

So far I've been looking at this ASUS P8P67 which I like a lot, especially the Bios feature with these ASUS boards, seems pretty sleek. Also it's going for ~$160 which is pretty acceptable to my budget.

I'd like to know if there are better boards for around that price and what people think of this ASUS board too.

One thing to note is that I will be overclocking the processor eventually when I get my hands on the Noctua NH-D14.

ASUS is a great brand wouldn't, hesitate a moment on the P8P67.

 

[bigace33]

I just pulled the trigger on all my components (sans SSD). DAMN I'm excited. It's been so long since I've had a real desktop.

Here's what I ended up getting. Prices include all applicable tax and shipping.

$99.99 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black
$162.99 - Corsair AX850
$189.99 - Asus P8P67 Pro
$303.09 - Intel Core i7-2600K
$78.82 - Noctua NH-D14
$74.99 - G.Skill RipjawsX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600
$129.98 - 2x Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 RPM
$349.99 - Asus GTX570 DirectCU II
$24.63 - Asus Xonar DG 5.1
$54.11 - Logitech Speaker System Z523
$69.99 - LG UH10LS20 Bluray/DVD-RW
$32.42 - Windows 7 Professional Upgrade (Student Edition)

Total Price: $1,570.99

Yeah buddy! All I need now is the SSD, but I think my raided Spinpoint F3's will do just for the next month or so while I figure out which to get.

Oh man, it is on.

Man that's a nice price. My prebuild costs nearly that much and it isn't half as capable That GPU costs as much as a PS3 though. Wow

 

[LiK]

just bought RAM for my new gaming PC. one component done, lol....

 

[TheExodu5]

$99.99 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black
$189.99 - Asus P8P67 Pro
$349.99 - Asus GTX570 DirectCU II

Can you try fitting that GTX 570 into the second PCI-E slot (3 slots down from the first) and see if it fits? I'm curious. I wasn't sure if the R3 could fit two triple slot GPUs or not. It seemed like it could (with most P67 boards), but I wasn't 100% sure.

 

[Smokey]

Looking around it looks like more companies are starting to offer a 3GB GTX 580. Zotac just announced theirs, and EVGA is supposed to be showing their 3GB card this month as well.

 

[Baller. PhD]

That $70 price is pretty tempting. Also where did you get the AX850 for $160?

With a firmware flash, it's also the fastest available drive for ripping bluray movies (based on what I could find), which is why I got it. As for the AX850 I just ordered from Newegg with $20 MIR.

Can you try fitting that GTX 570 into the second PCI-E slot (3 slots down from the first) and see if it fits? I'm curious. I wasn't sure if the R3 could fit two triple slot GPUs or not. It seemed like it could (with most P67 boards), but I wasn't 100% sure.

I'll give it a go when the goods arrive.

Man that's a nice price. My prebuild costs nearly that much and it isn't half as capable That GPU costs as much as a PS3 though. Wow

Gotta look out for deals. I spent the last week getting advise and putting that build together. The components are coming from Newegg, Microcenter in-store pick up, and a couple smaller online retailers I found with Google. I don't fear the smaller establishments since they use PayPal for check out.

Super pumped.

 

[Smokey]

With a firmware flash, it's also the fastest available drive for ripping bluray movies (based on what I could find), which is why I got it. As for the AX850 I just ordered from Newegg with $20 MIR.

FUUUUUU

I didn't notice the $20 MIR at Newegg otherwise I would've gotten it there over Amazon! Ah oh well.

 

[Baller. PhD]

FUUUUUU

I didn't notice the $20 MIR at Newegg otherwise I would've gotten it there over Amazon! Ah oh well.

Yeah I was actually planning on getting the AX750 but with the MIR the 850 was actually cheaper.

 

[Hawk269]

I'm liking that build Baller.

I kind of regret not going with a RAID 0 HDD setup for my games. Not that it's really necessary, but I hadn't even considered it, and it would have been kind of nice. Once I'm in need of more drive space, I'll probably make the switch.

I think the toughest thing in your build is going to be making the PC even quieter than it is when you get it. It's always tough to find that one fan that's just a little louder than the rest, and finding out how much you can slow it down.

Raid 0 is the one where it writes to both HDD's and splits the files correct? When I asked about doing Raid 0 I was informed by many here that it is worthless pretty much, but I was not sure and stuck with the 1 Samsung. Thing is that I had ordered 2 of them and the other is sitting in it's packaging. Should I Raid 0 them or not? Anyone can she more light on what the best use of a 2nd HDD?

 

[TheExodu5]

Raid 0 is the one where it writes to both HDD's and splits the files correct? When I asked about doing Raid 0 I was informed by many here that it is worthless pretty much, but I was not sure and stuck with the 1 Samsung. Thing is that I had ordered 2 of them and the other is sitting in it's packaging. Should I Raid 0 them or not? Anyone can she more light on what the best use of a 2nd HDD?

Well Raid 0 would be just to improve game loading times for me. I don't expect it would have much more noticeable impact than that. The big downside to it is that your data is not as safe. If one drive dies, you lose it all. Basically, you're doubling your chance for mechanical failure.

People probably mostly say it's not worth it in contrast to buying an SSD.

 

[Naked Snake]

From the research I've done, Raid 0 does make substantial improvement in read/write speeds from the HDDs (up to 80% faster with only 2 drives IIRC when reading from outer edge of the platters), performance depends on the drives. I found several benchmarks for the exact HDDs that I have (500GB 7200.12 Seagate) that showed consistent conclusions so I ended up putting the two drives in Raid 0.

Keep in mind that if one of the drives fails for whatever reason, you lose all your data on the entire volume (both drives). So effectively you're doubling failure risk rate. You should be keeping backups of any important files anyway.

Edit: Beaten like a bitch.

 

[FreakinSyco]

Just wanted to say thanks to all the posters in this thread.

I'm posting from my new machine. All the parts (except for the new monitor) came today from NewEgg. Installation went smoothly, I only had to reseat the RAM once. I'm installing Steam and some other games tonight. Should get some playtime tomorrow.

My build:

ASUS P8P67
Intel i5-2500k
Corsair Dominator 2x4GB DDR3 1600
Sapphire Radeon 6950 2GB
Corsair 650TX PSU
Antec 300 Case
Samsung F3 1TB

I screwed up and ordered an IDE DVD burner, but I have another computer and after a little reading, managed to install Win7 from a USB drive. I might return this DVD drive and not get a replacement.

 

[Baller. PhD]

I might return this DVD drive and not get a replacement.

I gave serious consideration to getting a USB drive, but in the end went with internal for the speed. Literally the only thing I will use it for is ripping my bluray collection.

Nice build btw. New PC day is the best day.

 

[nismogrendel]

Posted this yesterday morning, never got any replies. More info below the quote.

I'm building a new machine, going to put in the order on thursday. I'm set for mobo/ram/OS. Still deciding between 2500k and 2600k.

I need some help picking out a video card(s). Reading the buildapc section of reddit, it seems most people suggest 2x 6950s flashed to 6970s. For about $150 more I can buy a pair of 6970s and not have to bother with flashing them.

I will be playing games at 2560x1600, toms hardware tests show 2x 6970 as pretty strong for this resolution.

The other option is to buy a beefy card like a 580gtx, and add another 580 down the road if needed (for Battlefield 3, etc).

I'm leaning towards the 6970s, it isn't too expensive and will play everything I want to play right now at the resolution/settings I want.

Good idea or not?

Your Current Specs: Intel E6600 2.5ghz / 2gb RAM DDR2 / Evga 680i / Nvidia 9800GTX

Budget: +/-$1200

Main Use: Gaming

Monitor Resolution: 2560x1600

List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Would like to run these at full settings: Batman:AA, Just Cause 2, Bad Company 2, WoW, Minecraft

Are reusing any parts?: Yes
Hard Drive: 130gb 10k Raptor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136011)
Case: Lian Li PC-V2100 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112064)
PSU: PC P&C 1000W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703007)


When will you build?: Placing order thursday 7 Apr

Will you be overclocking?: Maybe


Parts I already ordered:

MOBO: ASrock P67 Extreme (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229)
Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws 4x4GB - got a good sale on 16gb (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231429)

Parts I need to order/are unsure about:

CPU: Either 2500k or 2600k, not sure which one to go with
CPU Cooler: Leaning towards the Frio at the moment (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106150&Tpk=frio)

Video Card(s): Should I do 2x 6950 flashed to 6970, 2x 6970 or one beastmode nvidia card to run my games at 2560x1600 high/full settings?

 

[Aselith]

If I wanted to use an HD TV for gaming, what would be the highest response time I could use without a good bit of ghosting? Like does 5ms look ok? I've never owned an HD TV so I dunno.

 

[bojingles]

Anyone recomened the Dell U3011 for gaming?

I really want the best display I can get for new rig I am going to build was wondering if this would be worth the 1400 it will cost me.

Also would one gtx580 be good enough to run it?

 

[tafer]

Well guys, the time has come for me to upgrade my calculatornetbook (Asus Eee PC 1000HA), and I'll need all possible help to build it! (I haven't build a PC in ages, no idea what's ok and what's not).

The idea:
It will be connected to my HDTV, I can't reuse anything from my previous PCs, this means that I'll need everything new including the OS, keyboard, mouse and Blu-Ray Drive.

The machine's main purpose will be gaming, but I'll also use it for some random stuff like running virtual machines and playing movies and stuff. I intend to use it from my comfy couch, I don't know If there is some sort of consideration for it.

Budget (Without shipping or taxes): $1500

Other stuff:
I hate noisy hardware, water cooling solution?
Energy consumption is important to me, I would like to keep it as low as possible.
I can wait, specially if there is some hot new release in the horizon. (There is always one, but let's be practical about it)

This is something I found, when I was looking for ideas:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.619493

All suggestions are welcome!

 

[TheExodu5]

Posted this yesterday morning, never got any replies. More info below the quote.



Your Current Specs: Intel E6600 2.5ghz / 2gb RAM DDR2 / Evga 680i / Nvidia 9800GTX

Budget: +/-$1200

Main Use: Gaming

Monitor Resolution: 2560x1600

List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Would like to run these at full settings: Batman:AA, Just Cause 2, Bad Company 2, WoW, Minecraft

Are reusing any parts?: Yes
Hard Drive: 130gb 10k Raptor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136011)
Case: Lian Li PC-V2100 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112064)
PSU: PC P&C 1000W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703007)


When will you build?: Placing order thursday 7 Apr

Will you be overclocking?: Maybe


Parts I already ordered:

MOBO: ASrock P67 Extreme (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229)
Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws 4x4GB - got a good sale on 16gb (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231429)

Parts I need to order/are unsure about:

CPU: Either 2500k or 2600k, not sure which one to go with
CPU Cooler: Leaning towards the Frio at the moment (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106150&Tpk=frio)

Video Card(s): Should I do 2x 6950 flashed to 6970, 2x 6970 or one beastmode nvidia card to run my games at 2560x1600 high/full settings?

2500k + 2x 6950 (with unlocked shaders)

You really should consider dumping the 10k RPM drive and sticking a small SSD in there. It will be a large improvement over that drive, even.

The money saved by going with the 2500k over the 2600k should just about cover it, unless you want something a little bigger. The 2600k adds hyper threading, which will not really benefit you in games at all, but may give you a ~20% performance boost in applications that can utilize 8 cores. Not worth the extra $100 in your case.

Anyways, I'm off to bed. Hopefully someone can help out with those last few questions.

 

[Hawk269]

I never got a chance to post the specs of my new rig that I completed this past Sunday. I will also take pics of it once I get my camera working agian. This was the first computer I have ever built by myself and it was alot of fun!

System Specs:
Antec Twelve Hundred V3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
ASUS P8P67 DELUXE (REV 3.0) Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
EVGA GeForce GTX 580 x2 SLI OC 850/1700/2050
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz OC 4.5Ghz
CORSAIR Professional Series AX1200 1200W ATX12V v2.31 PSU
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" HDD x2
Windows 7 64Bit Ultimate Edition

Still in testing and tweaking phase, but so far no issues and everything has been stable. I just read a review of the Antec Self Contained water cooler, the one that looks ;ike the Corsair one and based on the reviews it is a pretty good little cooler. Does anyone have one of these and would it be worth getting one over the Hyper 212 I have?

 

[momolicious]

the HAF cases look so open that they could be noisy, are they?