[Wesker]

A friend was looking to spend ~$2,000 on a build, and so we compiled this list of components. Gaming/multimedia is the priority, Skyrim, being the main purpose. AFAIK, they haven't released the system requirements for that yet, but I figured I would ask the experts to see if this seemed like a solid build which would serve well playing Skyrim and new games to be released this holiday season (Max Payne, Arkham City, etc)

Thanks, and as usual, +1 to helpful responses.

Onto the list:

ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0)
EVGA GTX 560 Fermi DS (x2)
Corsair Pro Series 1200 Watt PSU
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz Processor
Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) 120GB SSD
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Memory
Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB (x2)
LG Blu-Ray Disk Drive
Cooler Master Gladiator 600

Let me know if additional information is necessary, thanks again guys and gals!

Wesker

 

[sccr64472]

Spend less on the motherboard and more on the video card. Also, does he really need the i2600k or would the i2500k save him some money and be plenty for him?

 

[Wesker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sccr64472;14136386
Spend less on the motherboard and more on the video card. Also, does he really need the i2600k or would the i2500k save him some money and be plenty for him?

He is taking some 3D design courses in school and believed that the Hyperthreading would be beneficial in using CAD programs.

As for the MOBO/GPU price ratio, is the Sabertooth a waste of money? And what cards would better serve a rig like this?

Thanks!

 

[sccr64472]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wesker;14136407
He is taking some 3D design courses in school and believed that the Hyperthreading would be beneficial in using CAD programs.

As for the MOBO/GPU price ratio, is the Sabertooth a waste of money? And what cards would better serve a rig like this?

Thanks!

I didn't see that you were buying two, so I thought you were spending more on the motherboard then you were on a video card. Even still, I'd at least bump the video cards up to the 560ti. If you need to save some money to do that, take a look at this...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131705R

 

[postama]

Looks like a good build, although if you want it for gaming I would make a couple of changes.

First off: 2500k would be enough for most design work as well, but I can understand why you want a 2600k so thats fine.

I think the motherboard is good, although ugly.

Big changes are the graphics cards, get the 560Ti not just the plain 560. This will give you plenty of power to play any games at full settings.

Also, that PSU is overkill, a 1000 Watt would still be more than enough.

 

[Wesker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sccr64472;14136478
I didn't see that you were buying two, so I thought you were spending more on the motherboard then you were on a video card. Even still, I'd at least bump the video cards up to the 560ti. If you need to save some money to do that, take a look at this...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131705R

Noted, I will bump it up to the EVGA GTX 560 Ti's.
Quote:

Originally Posted by postama;14136489
Looks like a good build, although if you want it for gaming I would make a couple of changes.

First off: 2500k would be enough for most design work as well, but I can understand why you want a 2600k so thats fine.

I think the motherboard is good, although ugly.

Big changes are the graphics cards, get the 560Ti not just the plain 560. This will give you plenty of power to play any games at full settings.

Also, that PSU is overkill, a 1000 Watt would still be more than enough.

As far as a PSU goes, is this going to work? I was mainly wondering if perhaps the Gold Certification and extra watts on the 1200W would be good for running an SLI setup.

Thanks, +1 for you too, sir.

 

[cloudbyday]

I would almost get a 580gtx than 2 560's. If you want a dual GPU solution, I would go Crossfire seeing as they scale better.

What about doing 2 Samsung f4 2TB?

 

[JSDempsey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wesker;14136556
Noted, I will bump it up to the EVGA GTX 560 Ti's.

As far as a PSU goes, is this going to work? I was mainly wondering if perhaps the Gold Certification and extra watts on the 1200W would be good for running an SLI setup.

Thanks, +1 for you too, sir.

It's a good unit but it's overkill. The 850W version would be all you need plus some.

 

[Greensystemsgo]

really, instead of getting two video cards now, should get one better one, that way you can sli later, and a 750w psu would still be a tad to much, but you can usually get a good deal.

rest of the build looks good though!

 

[postama]

I love this list: http://www.overclock.net/power-supplies/183810-faq-recommended-power-supplies.html

for power supplies. The HX1000 is a good unit, but not a *great* unit, while the list will show several great units. The better the PSU, the better the voltage ripple, etc. which means easier overclocking. If you are not planning on overclocking too much, the HX1000 is still a good unit.

I use a Corsair AX850 for my build and it is more than enough, so definitely 1000 will be fine for any future upgrades, and 1200 is just too much.

Edit: I tend to agree actually with getting one great card instead of two good ones. Leaves more room for upgrading in the future, less potential problems, etc. Only downfall is you can't do surround, which it doesnt seem he was going to anyway.

 

[Wesker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cloudbyday;14136580
I would almost get a 580gtx than 2 560's. If you want a dual GPU solution, I would go Crossfire seeing as they scale better.

What about doing 2 Samsung f4 2TB?

Neither him, or I have purchased a Samsung drive before. Stupid question, but are they comparable to WD in quality?
Quote:

Originally Posted by JSDempsey;14136600
It's a good unit but it's overkill. The 850W version would be all you need plus some.

Roger that, will scale down.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Greensystemsgo;14136647
really, instead of getting two video cards now, should get one better one, that way you can sli later, and a 750w psu would still be a tad to much, but you can usually get a good deal.

rest of the build looks good though!

So, a GTX580 would be recommmended over the two 560s?
Quote:

Originally Posted by postama;14136665
I love this list: http://www.overclock.net/power-supplies/183810-faq-recommended-power-supplies.html

for power supplies. The HX1000 is a good unit, but not a *great* unit, while the list will show several great units. The better the PSU, the better the voltage ripple, etc. which means easier overclocking. If you are not planning on overclocking too much, the HX1000 is still a good unit.

I use a Corsair AX850 for my build and it is more than enough, so definitely 1000 will be fine for any future upgrades, and 1200 is just too much.

Edit: I tend to agree actually with getting one great card instead of two good ones. Leaves more room for upgrading in the future, less potential problems, etc. Only downfall is you can't do surround, which it doesnt seem he was going to anyway.

Apologies for the stupidity, but what exactly is "surround"?

 

[Wesker]

Update: After talking with my pal, he managed to source an additional $500, so the budget is now $2,500.

Accordingly, we came up with this. What do you guys think?

Also, +1's are going out now. Thanks!

 

[dinkledork]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wesker;14136710
Apologies for the stupidity, but what exactly is "surround"?

Surround is when you have 3 monitors positioned side by side. It comes in two flavors: 3D (heavily marketed by Nvidia) and 2D.

Edit: Also if you do intend to use surround you will need a video card with more memory: GTX 570 2.5GB (more cost effective) or GTX 580 3GB (if you are just dying to blow money on something

)

 

[cloudbyday]

Thats way too much on the PSU... get a 750w.

The Samsung F4 is comparable to WD in the fact of there quality of both product and customer service.

Save some money on PSU and HDD.

 

[N3Xus]

Get a Corsair HX850W or XFX 850W XXX. Also, downgrade mobo to Asus P8P67 Pro and upgrade GPU's to a single GTX 580.

 

[Wyldefang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wesker;14137847
Update: After talking with my pal, he managed to source an additional $500, so the budget is now $2,500.

Accordingly, we came up with this. What do you guys think?

Also, +1's are going out now. Thanks!

If you are using the stock CPU cooler that case should be fine but I'm not sure it will fit a big Noctua style cooler. Best add a H70/H80 to that build.

 

[Wesker]

@dinkledork: Duly noted. I think he's sticking with just dual monitors.

@cloudbyday & N3Xus: 750W or 850W will be good for the new build? See link in last post. Also, N3Xus, is the Sabertooth really just a gimmicky overpriced Pro?

@Wyldefang: I take it Noctuas are top of the line, and some kind of after-market cooler is necessary for something like this? Apologies, I've never gotten into high-performance coolers.

Thanks!

 

[Wyldefang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wesker;14138079
@dinkledork: Duly noted. I think he's sticking with just dual monitors.

@cloudbyday & N3Xus: 750W or 850W will be good for the new build? See link in last post. Also, N3Xus, is the Sabertooth really just a gimmicky overpriced Pro?

@Wyldefang: I take it Noctuas are top of the line, and some kind of after-market cooler is necessary for something like this? Apologies, I've never gotten into high-performance coolers.

Thanks!

If he's going to be overclocking that CPU he will want a aftermarket cooler. Stock OEM coolers can't deal with the heat that a overclocked chip can deal out. Noctua's are some of the best air coolers on the market, but they are really big and require a good air ventilated case. The H70/H80 are high performance entry level water cooling all-in-one setups. Real easy to install and the do as good of a job as the Noctua's while only taking up a fraction of the space. Really good for tight spaced mid-tower cases.

Also I've been told by one of the resident PSU guru's on OCN that the HX850, though over a year old, is still one of the top PSU's you can get on the market. I'm going to pick it up for my setup and you should get it for his. It will easily handle two 580's and a overclocked CPU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

 

[dinkledork]

Actually I have seen my 1.2GB GTX 470 run out of memory at 1080p, so if your friend is gaming with two monitors you may want to and go for the extra-memory versions.

Also, 850W is plenty, as long it is a good quality one (Antec and Corsair come to mind).

 

[Wesker]

@Wyldefang: H80 Added, thanks!

@dinkledork: So these would not be satisfactory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130658 ?