Help a fellow Escapist build a gaming PC!

[Bobzer77]

if your looking for staying power for some time then you got it buddy. but all and all youv got a pretty decent rig going there to be honest. the only thing that might be really worrying is the cost(american gammer here so im not sure how much 982,80 ? traslates into $)

$1391

That P.C will last him a long long time.

I've had my current pc for 5 years and the only thing I've done is updated the gfx card and get more ram.

Still runs most things on high/max.

 

[Barret268]

Since you ask it has been my experience that a good motherboard + good graphics card make up for most of the gaming for the PC (motherboard so it handles everything, and graphics often make up for the CPU).

Here is the build I'm drooling over and just can't wait till I get the money for it (couple of years probably.)

Cooler Master Dominator II 692 Advanced (how is it different from the 690? i have no idea...)
Gigabyte X58A-UD3R (last i checked i couldn't see any big difference between this and an UD-5 or UD-7, I may have missed something)
Intel Core i7-950
Kingston 4GB (6x2GB) 1333MHz (never enough RAM )
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 590 3GB DDR5 (or wait for a version with better cooling because the standard will surely overheat after some time.) OR...
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 570 OC 1280MB DDR5 (3 fans on your graphics card, if this overheats then i know nothing)

That's my suggestion, what do you think? Probably all wrong but if you don't overclock this should be fine. And remember, there is no such thing as "overkill" when it comes to PC gaming.

 

[Nerdstar]

if your looking for staying power for some time then you got it buddy. but all and all youv got a pretty decent rig going there to be honest. the only thing that might be really worrying is the cost(american gammer here so im not sure how much 982,80 ? traslates into $)

$1391

That P.C will last him a long long time.

I've had my current pc for 5 years and the only thing I've done is updated the gfx card and get more ram.

Still runs most things on high/max.

AH! thanks now i know, but yeah thats what i said, but now that i know the price that seems a bit more resonable than i first thought (price wise) iv got something a bit simmler (highend grapics card, 1 TB hard drive,etc,etc) for just a wee bit cheper that that (around $1200 i belive not sure on the eact price its been a bit)and my baby runs like a chap with everything i throw at it.

 

[ryo02]

Ive considered putting together a gaming rig but Im not a pc gamer the mouse keyboard setup really does not feel right to me.

also Id have absolutely no idea what to do when selecting parts and putting them together its all just random names and numbers T_T.

 

[number2301]

Since you ask it has been my experience that a good motherboard + good graphics card make up for most of the gaming for the PC (motherboard so it handles everything, and graphics often make up for the CPU).

Here is the build I'm drooling over and just can't wait till I get the money for it (couple of years probably.)

Cooler Master Dominator II 692 Advanced (how is it different from the 690? i have no idea...)
Gigabyte X58A-UD3R (last i checked i couldn't see any big difference between this and an UD-5 or UD-7, I may have missed something)
Intel Core i7-950
Kingston 4GB (6x2GB) 1333MHz (never enough RAM )
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 590 3GB DDR5 (or wait for a version with better cooling because the standard will surely overheat after some time.) OR...
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 570 OC 1280MB DDR5 (3 fans on your graphics card, if this overheats then i know nothing)

That's my suggestion, what do you think? Probably all wrong but if you don't overclock this should be fine. And remember, there is no such thing as "overkill" when it comes to PC gaming.

That i7 is a bit out of date now, look at the Sandy Bridge stuff (i5 2500k, i7 2600k).

 

[Wolfram23]

Thanks all, guys. You're being REALLY helpful and kind.
I thought that mobo by Asrock was a good one, open to SLI and with eSata... I'll check alternatives.

The real question standing is: is it a good moment in time to buy a new PC?
Or should I wait a little longer for incoming new hardware platforms?

Asrock is fine, it's Asus' low end brand. But certainly I would say spend a little more on a good motherboard. Right now I'd recommend a Gigabyte Z68 board. Not even much more than the P67.

As for waiting, there's no point. Maybe hardcore benchmarking record holders need the best of the best, newest hardware, but an i5 2500k is a fantastic CPU that you can probably use for a solid 5-10 years! I mean sure there will be better out by then, but it's doubtful that it will limit your gaming needs especially if you take it up to 4.5ghz.

You also asked about RAID 0. That's what I did, two Seagate 7200.12 500gb HDDs in RAID 0. Works great but honestly you're not going to see a huge difference over a single HDD because it's only sequential reads/writes that improve, whereas random I/O is what truely matters. BTW, Spinpoint F3 is a great HDD. I'd have recommended that or a Western Digital Black Caviar.


Ideally, just save up a bit and get an SSD. Once I got one it was like... wow! I didn't know a PC could be that quick. I put a few games that I currently play on it and loading times drop so much. It's really great. I have an 80gb drive with Win 7 and lots of programs plus a couple games including Fallout New Vegas, with 20gb available... then I have around 450gbs of media and the rest of my games on my HDDs. Works great.

Oh, and you asked about ATI and 120hz. As far as the hz go, it won't matter which brand you use. 120hz is equal to 120 frames per second, so really what you need is a powerful GPU that can push that sort of framerate. Either brand has GPUs that can do that (depending on the game). If you're thinking of 3D though, then ATI definitely falls flat there compared to Nvidia.

Anyway, even if you make no changes to your build, it's quite good and will last a good long while, and definitely allows some upgrades too.

The ONLY thing I might advise waiting for is next years GPUs, which will be using a process shrink so they should be a LOT faster, and more efficient. However, you do need a GPU and a 570 is a beast.

 

[MrTub]

Idd, What I've read the new generation gpus from ati will start selling this summer.

 

[Ezahn]

Thanks all, you're being really helpful and encouraging. You guys rock!

What about this as cpu cooler? CPU Arctic Cooling Alpine 11 PRO Rev2 Socket Intel

 

[Ezahn]

Beginning to near a final build...

EK00001963 Assemblaggio e Test PC ? 35,00 ? 35,00 0,00%
EK00005604 Alimentatore PC Modulare Corsair Professional Series HX750 750W 80Plus SLI-Ready ? 110,50 ? 110,50 0,00%
EK00006411 Hard Disk Interno Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200rpm 32MB SATA2 HD103SJ ? 43,70 ? 43,70 0,00%
EK00007193 Dissipatore CPU Arctic Cooling Alpine 11 PRO Rev2 Socket Intel ? 7,30 ? 7,30 0,00%
EK00013950 Masterizzatore Interno Sony AD-5260S 24x DVD/CD SATA Bulk Nero ? 17,70 ? 17,70 0,00%
EK00014999 Case Midi Fractal Design R3 ATX Titanium Grey ? 83,10 ? 83,10 0,00%
EK00015045 SSD Crucial RealSSD C300 64GB 2.5" Lettura 355MB/s Scrittura 75MB/s Sata3 CTFDDAA064MAG-1G1 ? 92,20 ? 92,20 0,00%
EK00015102 .RAM DDR3 G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL 1600MHz 8GB (2x4GB) CL9 ? 73,00 ? 73,00 0,00%
EK00015302 CPU Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz Socket 1155 95W con GPU Sandy Bridge Boxed BX80623I52500K ? 166,20 ? 166,20 0,00%
EK00015529 VGA Gainward GeForce GTX 570 "Phantom" Core 750MHz Memory GDDR5 3800MHz 1280MB 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort ? 279,70 ? 279,70 0,00%
EK00017156 Scheda Madre Asrock P67 Extreme4 rev.B3 Socket 1155 Intel P67 DDR3 SATA3 USB3 ATX ? 119,50 ? 119,50 0,00%

TOTALE IVA COMPRESA : 1.027,90 ?

 

[Wolfram23]

I see you added an SSD. Definitely a good choice, but 64GB will be cutting it pretty tight if you decide to throw a game on there.

I also would not bother with that heat sink. It's basically stock, any improvements would be minimal. If you want an effective and low cost heat sink, the Hyper 212 Plus is still one of the best at only around $30.

Also it looks to me like you're paying way too much for the PSU. You might consider the 750TX instead of the HX. The only difference is it's not modular so you will have to tie all the cables up but otherwise it's the same thing, and cheaper. I saw it just the other day for around $80 or $90. But, if you want modular then go for it.

Other than that I like where it's at, although that case is very plain IMO. But then, I did buy a flashy Antec 900 II... so... who am I to say.

 

[Weaver]

Depends on what you're trying to play, what are your future plans, and what would be ideal in other areas.

Other than that, yes, this is a slight overkill. A terabyte harddrive? Unless your friend is planning on stashing a massive porn collection, it really isn't that necessary. Try going with two smaller drives instead, one for your partition and system files, the other for program instances and media.

I wouldn't say a Terabyte is overkill. I have 5 TB on my PC and it's reasonably full. If I installed every game I own on steam it would probably take up about 1-1.5 TB of space.

I also record Let's Plays which take up TONS of room as FRAPS cannot record compressed.

 

[Ezahn]

Yeah, Hyper 212 should be a great heatsink but still... my shop does not have it in stock, and since I'm planning to have them build my pc for me I'd rather choose one that they have in stock. What about this? CPU DeepCool Theta 400 Socket Intel

Good advice about the PSU... thinking about it.

SSD wise yeah, I'm running pretty tight on space. They are just soooo damn costly!

I'm thinking about going for a cheaper starting base leaving space for future upgrades.
For example I'll have a 2500k (who knows? I might overclock one day!) and a SLI ready mobo such as the Asrock I choose (Z68 is tempting but still costly I see! and what are the real advantages?)... but I could have only a single hard drive (1 TB F3 for example) planning to add SSD when they get cheaper, and a non modular PSU...

The case is plain but getting good reviews. In the start I chose a CM 690 II... should I shell more and go for a full tower like the HAF 932?

Thanks again!

 

[MrTub]

Yeah, Hyper 212 should be a great heatsink but still... my shop does not have it in stock, and since I'm planning to have them build my pc for me I'd rather choose one that they have in stock. What about this? CPU DeepCool Theta 400 Socket Intel

Good advice about the PSU... thinking about it.

SSD wise yeah, I'm running pretty tight on space. They are just soooo damn costly!

I'm thinking about going for a cheaper starting base leaving space for future upgrades.
For example I'll have a 2500k (who knows? I might overclock one day!) and a SLI ready mobo such as the Asrock I choose (Z68 is tempting but still costly I see! and what are the real advantages?)... but I could have only a single hard drive (1 TB F3 for example) planning to add SSD when they get cheaper, and a non modular PSU...

The case is plain but getting good reviews. In the start I chose a CM 690 II... should I shell more and go for a full tower like the HAF 932?

Thanks again!

Z68 advantage is that it got SSD caching which will help you a lot if you have a small ssd.

http://www.anandtech.com/Show/Index/4329?cPage=2&all=False&sort=0&page=4&slug=intel-z68-chipset-smart-response-technology-ssd-caching-review

And with that chassi, be prepared that it wont be quiet.

 

[UltimateImperative]

The HAF 932 is v. loud, but with its fan at high it will provide enough airflow to cool a dual-GPU configuration. Dual-GPU in a Define R3 (or its cousin the P183) is a bit marginal; you'd want to add extra fans if you add a second card.

 

[Ezahn]

OMG thanks that's a lot of data to digest...

Is triple channel better than dual channel? 8 gb dual vs 6 gb triple?
1000w PSU... wow. ^^
And Sandy being worse than previous architecture... now that's interesting, I'll search something about it.

 

[Ezahn]

....and here it comes a cheaper alternative! :-D

 

[Ezahn]

...oh right, that chipset does not support triple channel, so... ^^ sorry!

 

[MrTub]

Hahahaha. Omg the only cpu that in 1366 socket that can outperform SB is i7 990x so you might want to read up a bit more before giving advice.

And saying Amd is cheaper then nvidia is wrong cause that completely depends on where you live. Considering in Sweden nvidia is cheaper then amd.

The fact that you are saying ivy bridge will be dominating is wrong considering Ivy bridge will just replace SB and ivy bridge will be replaced by SB-E

 

[MrTub]

OMG thanks that's a lot of data to digest...

Is triple channel better than dual channel? 8 gb dual vs 6 gb triple?
1000w PSU... wow. ^^
And Sandy being worse than previous architecture... now that's interesting, I'll search something about it.

You need triple channel for 1366 socket otherwise you should always go dual channel.

1000w psu is overkill but I rather play safe then sorry and if you are buying high end stuff and using sli/cf and overclocking your stuff then you might need it.