$1000 Gaming PC. Overlock and SLI.

[aadamszc]

Hey,

A little under 4 years ago you helped me build my last PC. It was a e6750/8800gt and it worked great. It is still running like a champ, but I've decided it is time to upgrade. Not exactly upgrade, I'm bringing nothing over from the old computer.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within a week.


Budget Range: Around $1000-$1200.


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing the internet.


Parts Not Required: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers.


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com.


Country of Origin: United States of America.


Parts Preferences: None.


Overclocking: Yes.


SLI or Crossfire: Yes, but I don't plan to SLI right now.


Monitor Resolution: Two 1600x900 monitors, but I may change one of them out for a 1920x1080.


Additional Comments: I require a copy of Windows 7 in the budget. Not much else matters.


Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.59 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock P67 Extreme 4 (B3) ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($158.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1079.99
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

I have some reservations about certain things like the motherboard and whether or not it supports SLI. Other than that, any advice is appreciated. If you can, please give it a quick once-over and see if anything sticks out at you.

Thanks,
-Adam

 

[wintermint]

You can save quite a bit on tax if you purchase more from amazon:
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200RPM $60
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-Cache-Desktop-HD103SJ/dp/B001U3S5S0

Kingston 8GB DDR3 1600mhz $49 w/ free World of Tanks
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104266

The rest looks good. If you want.. the gigabyte z68 can be had for $115 with free shipping. BUT you want to overclock and gigabyte needs some serious work on their bios.. I haven't bought a new board but I saw some complaints still about their old bios. The gigabyte board is an m-atx with 3 pcie slots at x16,x8,4 if you're interested anyway. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128495

 

[aadamszc]

I've decided to just go ahead and get the ASRock P67 Extreme 4 (B3) ATX LGA1155 Motherboard. I'll just pay the extra and skip the hassle.

As for the ram, I was lead to believe that 1.65v ram was a bit out of the safe range.

 

[Zero_]

Check the $1000 build in my sig. Comes with a GTX570.

 

[Why_Me]

I've decided to just go ahead and get the ASRock P67 Extreme 4 (B3) ATX LGA1155 Motherboard. I'll just pay the extra and skip the hassle.

As for the ram, I was lead to believe that 1.65v ram was a bit out of the safe range.

And you are correct. All the board manufactures recommend low voltage RAM (1.5v) or less for these boards.

Also that 2500K combo's with a lot of 1.5v RAM on newegg, so browse it for combo's.

Here's an example of a combo deal...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.694804 $261.98 - $15.00 Mail In Rebates FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory with heatshield Model PSD38G1600KH

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Can't support the MoBo choice w/ the chinsy 2 year warranty.

This EVGA 900 Mhz versions are just $5 more than your selected 850:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130651

This EVGA 900 MHz version is $15 cheaper than your 850 MHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130685

GSkill made its mind share / market share originally by offering prices lower than anyone else. Been a long time since that's been the case. Rather then your $60 Gskill's I'd jump on the Mushkin Radioactives at $48

$54 Crucial http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148421
$54 Mushkin http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226099
$48 Mushkin http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226219

For just about the identical price, I'd jump on the Antec Illusion ($2 more). I do at least a dozen builds a year with that case.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

I never pay tax at newegg. You only pay tax if you live in California, New Jersey, or Tennessee

http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/FAQDetail.aspx?Module=2&cm_sp=FAQ-_-Payment-_-388&Menu=sn_388#sn_388

As to potential damage due to voltages, good reading here:

http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/overclocking/39184-p67-sandy-bridge-overclocking-guide-beginners.html#post110904

Below are some snippets of information that I suspect will become frequently asked questions, and will be updated regularly:

Sandy Bridge has only been around for a short time, but sadly, there is an incredible amount of confusion regarding certain aspects of voltage adjustment. The information below, comes directly from Asus, Gigabyte, Corsair and Intel PMO (Platform Memory Operations), and to the best of my knowledge is 100% correct at the time of writing this. Of course, if any new information comes to light, I will update this section.

- Sandy Bridge does not demand only 1.5v modules, it will be perfectly happy with 1.65v modules too. If someone tries to tell you that you must have 1.5v modules, then they are either trying to sell them to you, or they have been reading misinformation, or both! Another point to consider here, is that in your BIOS, if you head to the memory voltage setting, and enter 1.5v, the text will remain white/grey, if you enter 1.65v, it will turn yellow, and it isn't until 1.73v that it turns red, so at the moment, I'd rest assured that 1.65v modules are OK to use, and I have had this confirmed by Asus, Gigabyte and Corsair so far, as soon as I hear from anyone else, I will update this again.
- Sandy Bridge does not require there to be a maximum of 0.5v between the VDIMM value and the VCCIO and VCCSA values when 1.65v voltage modules are used.
- BCLK Overclocking will not murder your CPU or motherboard. There is absolutely no evidence to support the rumours that adjusting the BCLK upwards on a locked or unlocked CPU will kill/damage it. What will happen, is that the system will become unstable, and you will lose control of things like your hard drive or graphics card, resulting in instability, corruption or the inability to start up properly. As with any overclocking induced instability, simply reduce the overclock and you will find that normality resumes - If you have suffered a SATA problem, then you may have to run your Windows repair console to get the boot loader back.

 

[aadamszc]

To be honest, the video card and ram were mostly just placeholders. I didn't intend on getting those exact ones. When I get ready to hit the buy button, I'll be sure to have the best of each.

As for the motherboard, what would you suggest? I've been looking around for a relatively cheap(~$150) range motherboard with SLI and a decent ability to overclock, but am having a bit of a hard time. Every single board I look at has some great and horrible reviews.

I think I first need to make the decision on whether or not I was a z68(for SSD caching) or a P67.

 

[Why_Me]

To be honest, the video card and ram were mostly just placeholders. I didn't intend on getting those exact ones. When I get ready to hit the buy button, I'll be sure to have the best of each.

As for the motherboard, what would you suggest? I've been looking around for a relatively cheap(~$150) range motherboard with SLI and a decent ability to overclock, but am having a bit of a hard time. Every single board I look at has some great and horrible reviews.

I think I first need to make the decision on whether or not I was a z68(for SSD caching) or a P67.

For a $150 - $160 board it's hard to beat that Asrock P67 extreme4. That board has it hands down for that price range imo.

But this board down below (ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3) is a nice alternative to that P67 board and it's due out on the shelves before the end of this month. It's the board I plan on getting for my next build. I'm guessing it will come in somewhere around $150 - $160 by looking at the price of the new Asrock Z68 Asrock extreme4 GEN3 on newegg. That board came out on newegg a few days ago and it's selling for $190 atm. This board right down below...it's the "little brother" to that Z68 extreme4 GEN3.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z68%20Extreme3%20Gen3
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?273907-**Official**-Asrock-Z68-Gen3-Extreme7-amp-Extreme4-thread <----- More on that board here with pics

http://www.asrock.com/mb/index.asp?s=1155 <----- All the boards on there that say "GEN3" next to their name

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157264 <----- This new GEN3 board just hit new egg a few days ago

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157263 <---- and this new GEN3 board just hit newegg a few days ago

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265 <----- this GEN3 board hit newegg last week

 

[mjmjpfaff]

This EVGA 900 MHz version is $15 cheaper than your 850 MHz

uhhh thats a gtx 560 that is why it is 15$ cheaper

 

[Why_Me]

gtx 560ti > gtx 560

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-560-amp-edition-gtx-560-directcu-ii-top,2944.html <----- review benchmarks of the 560 vs 560ti

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600094002%20600107147&IsNodeId=1&name=GeForce%20GTX%20560%20Ti%20%28Fermi%29 <----- gtx 560 ti's on newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600094002%20600158457&IsNodeId=1&name=GeForce%20GTX%20560%20%28Fermi%29 <----- gtx 560's on newegg

 

[genghiskron]

this is another excellent mobo option (additional $6 off w/ promo code ASUS729, which brings it to $159 after combo savings):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.719145

some other combos that may interest you:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.694806 wait they raised the price on this ram 🙁 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.717976

 

[Wisecracker]

The Radeon HD6870s have dropped to the $150 range after rebate.

Here's one: XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB

Near perfect Crossfire scaling -- or easy to sell when new cards come out.

You should also be looking at the Asus Sabertooth 990FX AM3+ or the Giga-byte GA-990FXA UD3 AM3+ with a Phenom 955BE.

Thems good eatin'. The GB 990FX works best for me with the 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s, but the Asus Sabertooth 990FX has a 5-year warranty.


Edit: I fergit ...

Win7-64 is $80 through tomorrow with code EMCKBJJ24.

 

[Why_Me]

The Radeon HD6870s have dropped to the $150 range after rebate.

Here's one: XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB

Near perfect Crossfire scaling -- or easy to sell when new cards come out.

You should also be looking at the Asus Sabertooth 990FX AM3+ or the Giga-byte GA-990FXA UD3 AM3+ with a Phenom 955BE.

Thems good eatin'. The GB 990FX works best for me with the 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s, but the Asus Sabertooth 990FX has a 5-year warranty.


Edit: I fergit ...

Win7-64 is $80 through tomorrow with code EMCKBJJ24.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/88?vs=288 <----- AMD Phenom II X4 955 vs Intel Core i5 2500K

It gets a lot worse for that AMD when those two are over clocked...like way worse.

 

[jackspeed]

on a 1k build the i5 is the way to go. Do u have a microcenter near you I think they still have their deal with the i5 2500k and mobo, its like 40 off the processor and another 20-30 off the mobo. but here is my crack at it


mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229 150
cpu +psu http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.707924 327
HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185 60
ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426 50
case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147107 100
gpu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102949 240
or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150523 240(30 mail in rebate)
windows 7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 95
Total 1022 btw prices on partspicker are off power supply is off by $10 then that price is after rebate the gpu is after reabates as well.

 

[Wisecracker]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/88?vs=288 <----- AMD Phenom II X4 955 vs Intel Core i5 2500K

It gets a lot worse for that AMD when those two are over clocked...like way worse.

You must not be looking at the same gaming benchmarks that I am looking at

If the OP were so inclined, he could Crossfire the HD6870s with the PhII 955BE and from a price standpoint within his budget, slobber-knock any single video card running with a 2500k.

Repeat after me: It's the video subsystem ... It's the video subsystem ...

 

[mjmjpfaff]

You must not be looking at the same gaming benchmarks that I am looking at

If the OP were so inclined, he could Crossfire the HD6870s with the PhII 955BE and from a price standpoint within his budget, slobber-knock any single video card running with a 2500k.

Repeat after me: It's the video subsystem ... It's the video subsystem ...

well maybe you want a faster system overall, that is where a single card 2500k would "slobber-knock" the 955 system

 

[Why_Me]

well maybe you want a faster system overall, that is where a single card 2500k would "slobber-knock" the 955 system

Actually with the OP's budget of... $1,200 tops, it would be easy to build a 2500K build with dual 6870's, dual 560's, and even dual 560ti's. Any of those builds would mop the floor with the AMD build.

 

[aadamszc]

My real budget limit is closer to $1100, but I could extend to $1200 if needed.

I think I'm going to stick with the 2500k, but the PSU I'm a bit more open about. My plan was to get a single card right now, but have the option to crossfire/SLI down the road. Maybe even within the end of the 2011 year.

 

[Why_Me]

My real budget limit is closer to $1100, but I could extend to $1200 if needed.

I think I'm going to stick with the 2500k, but the PSU I'm a bit more open about. My plan was to get a single card right now, but have the option to crossfire/SLI down the road. Maybe even within the end of the 2011 year.

Here's a mock build....

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Tower-Case-RC-912-KKN1/dp/B003ZM7YTA $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid Tower ATX Case (RC-912-KKN1)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049 $94.99 - $69.99 after mail-in rebate FREE SHIPPING
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229 $149.99 + $8.50 Shipping
ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.694804 $261.98 - $15.00 Mail In Rebates FREE SHIPPING
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory with heatshield Model PSD38G1600KH

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0 $28.06 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-Cache-Desktop-HD103SJ/dp/B001U3S5S0 $59.38 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Samsung 1 TB Spinpoint 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.5 inch Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive HD103SJ

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118039 $19.99 FREE SHIPPING
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 $94.99 FREE SHIPPING
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

*** Three decent deals on a vid card...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127594 $239.99 - $219.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

or...

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Superclocked-PCI-Express-Graphics-01G-P3-1567-KR/dp/B004XUCCRM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top $239.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti DS Superclocked 1024 MB GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card 01G-P3-1567-KR

or...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604 $239.99 - $214.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Total: $1,009.36 *not including shipping and mail in rebates

***Options to that build...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.707972 $149.98 - $10.00 Mail In Rebates FREE SHIPPING
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z68%20Extreme3%20Gen3
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3

***Fans for that case to help airflow/cooling/temps

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Computer-Cooling-R4-LUS-07AR-GP/dp/B002LE8BJA/ref=pd_cp_e_3 $14.11 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master Computer Case Cooling R4-LUS-07AR-GP Red LED Case Fan

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-120mm-Case-R4-L2R-20CR-GP/dp/B0026ZPFBG/ref=pd_cp_e_3 $9.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master 120mm Red LED Case Fan - (R4-L2R-20CR-GP)

 

[jackspeed]

all the links for the psu are $10 more I see 110 before rebate and according to toms hardwares best gpu in august. the 6950 is better than the 560ti. so he could crossfire 6950s eventually. If mail in rebate matters http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150523
or
2 fan version if it doesn't
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102949
they are the same price as the 560ti