BestConfigs Poll - High-End Intel Gaming PC

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Which High-End Intel Gaming PC do you like the best?

  • iRaiden's $2000 Intel Gaming Rig

    Votes: 42 26.3%

  • SADAMS04's Intel Gaming Build

    Votes: 61 38.1%

  • Wolfram's Eyefinity Build

    Votes: 57 35.6%
  • Total voters
    160
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flong

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Quick suggestion - Substitute the Noctua NH-D14 CPU cooler for the H60. It is about equal with the H80 in cooling performance and it is quieter. Also you can use its two fans to direct air out of the case - the H60 recommends drawing outside (cool) air into the case through its radiator which will exhaust hot air into the case.
 
wolfram23

wolfram23

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rfranken

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I'd say your gfx card is a step behind the rest of your system.
You'd be better of doing some sli or crossfire.
 
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flong

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Very creative and interesting build. Few thoughts:

1. Noctua NH-D14 cools better and is the same price
2. Could save money by going to 1 TB Drives - not sure that the 3TB Seagate is the best choice. I am leery about committing that much info to one drive
3. Kingston Hyper X Extreme or Patriot Wildfire are a little faster than the M4 however the M4 is also a very good choice
4. Not sure why you went with the Sony Optiarc. Right now Asus bluray burner is $79.99 at Newegg
5. Go 1866 or 2133 RAM - it is less than $75 on Newegg
 
Nim Chimpsky

Nim Chimpsky

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1. Doesn't fit in the case. :( The Sugo's fans should make up for the small lost cooling potential.
2. I agree, but there's only one 3.5" bay and 4 SATA ports, so I picked the biggest drive. Multiple drives, unless redundant, would increase the failure rate anyway.
3. The M4 is consistently fast, while SandForce drives seem to be good at select benchmarks and especially compressed data. The M4's controller is more stable than SandForce too.
4. The case only fits slim optical drives.
5. RAM kits with that clock speed have slower and looser timings. I considered this 1600MHz C8-8-8 kit, but I wanted to keep the price down for competition.

Thanks for the input. How about these changes?

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB DDR3 1600: $69.99

Hitachi Deskstar 7K3000 2TB: $109.99

Total: $1993.91
 
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legendkiller

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Speed of the RAM doesn't matters if it involve timing(For me in my opinion and experiences) I Have Kingston Hyper X 1800 2x2GB 9-9-9-24(Genesis) on my i7-950 SaberTooth x58 and I Can lower it to 6-8-6-22 1667MHz and is faster than the 1600MHz 8-8-8-24, I Can even overclock it to a higher clock as well from 1800MHz 9-9-9-24(Stock) to 2009MHz 9-10-9-24 at 1.6v(1.59v doesn't work) and not most(None at all) RAM speed at 2000MHz is at 9-10-9-24 or lower, i seen most at 10-10-10-27(Mostly shows the 27)
 
Nim Chimpsky

Nim Chimpsky

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Any noticeable difference in actual use?
 
Nim Chimpsky

Nim Chimpsky

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Here's another build.

Corsair Carbide Series 400R: $99.99

3 x Thermalright TY-140 (1 bottom, 2 top): $14.99 each ($44.97)

Corsair Professional Series HX850: $169.99

ASUS P8P67 Deluxe: $214.99

Intel Core i5-2500K: $219.99

Thermalright Silver Arrow: $82.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB DDR3 1866: $79.99

2 x Sapphire Radeon HD 6970: $359.99 each ($719.98)

Crucial M4 128GB: $196.99

Hitachi Deskstar 7K3000 2TB: $109.99

LG 12X BD-ROM: $59.99

Akasa Flexa FP5: $9.99

Total: $2009.85
 
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flong

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I impressed - a very well-thought out build. I think I would recommend that you go to a different case like the Corsair Carbide $100 case that just came out in order that you have more room.

Also, in this day and age 4 SATA connections is not a lot. I am not a heavy user and I am using 5 in my build. I would recommend the AsRock Extreme 4 Gen 3 motherboard. It has the SLI/CF bridge to allow a wide bandwidth setup and it recently dropped to $159 - damn I paid $180 for it. It has a wealth of connections, it is quality and it is cheap. It also supports 3rd Gen PCI-E 3.0.

I agree with you the the M4 is up with the big boys now, especially after the last firmware upgrade which dramatically increased its speed. Its overall performance is still not as good as the two SSDs that I mention above. The Wildfire especially is faster - but it is more expensive.

I am not the world's expert on RAM but from what I understand the higher speed CL9 RAM outperforms the 1600 CL8 and CL7 RAM. If this is the case the 1866 and 2133 RAM are better choices because Newegg has them so cheap. I saw 1866 RAM on sale the other day on Newegg for $60.

Again, I compliment your build.
 
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flong

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Another great build. I would recommend the Corsair HX 850 PSU. It is more efficient over the 25%-60% capacity range (nearly 92% efficient), it is modular, it has a longer 7-year warranty, it is much more powerful (it put out over 1100 W and remained stable in one professional review) and it is about the same price.

Also the Noctua NH-D14 outperforms the Silver Arrow in overclocking and it has a superior mounting system (I own it). I am not overclocked but my 2600K CPU rarely goes above 35C. Under really heavy use it my go to 39C which is phenomenal. It also helps cool the GPU and mobo because it exhausts so much hot air out of the case.
 
Nim Chimpsky

Nim Chimpsky

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That sounds like an awesome power supply. I wonder why they aren't marketing it as 80 Plus Gold. Maybe that would decrease sales of the AX850. :lol:

You're right according to this review, but this review found the Silver Arrow slightly more efficient, and much better at acoustics. It's also a few dollars cheaper and uses PWM.
 
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flong

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Yeah that is a plus that the Silver Arrow has PWM, but I doubt that you would need it. The whole point of PWM is to be quiet while it is running under heavy load. I own the D-14 and on high fan it is barely audible. It is silent if you go to the lower RPM setting with the included connector (it sets the fan RPMs lower). I don't need to turn down the cooling because I can barely hear the Noctua's fans. Thus in a sense you don't need the PWM function.

I doubt that the Silver Arrow has better acoustics. Frosty Tech shows it to be 4 DB quieter (which is significant) but I am not sure it would make much real-life difference. Frosty Tech also lists the cooling of the D-14 as better but both are good. But.... I have not heard the Silver Arrow and so I may be wrong. You can hear the Noctua, when it is on high fan but not that much. It depends on your case's silence capabilities but my case fans are a lot louder than the D-14 (I have the Corsair 650D).

The Corsair HX 850 operates at almost platinum levels up to 50% - 60% capacity, however it drops down to silver at demand rises past that point. It actually is more efficient than the gold rated AX 850 over all ranges except the high demand range. Read Johnny Guru's review here: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=153

Johnny Guru actually rates the HX 850 higher than the AX 850. It is one of the top rated PSUs ever. I could have bought the AX 850 but it just wasn't as good as the HX 850 in several reviews. One reviewer says the Corsair brought a bazooka to a knife fight, ha, ha. Plus it has the 7-year warranty and Corsair's legendary customer service.

 
Nim Chimpsky

Nim Chimpsky

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I use all PWM fans in my CM 690 II Advanced, which was great until I put in my 6950... Ah well, still silent at idle.

XBitLabs thought the Silver Arrow was significantly quieter, and that the quality of the noise was better ("it doesn't rattle, crackle or whistle").

If you think he liked that PSU, read his review of SeaSonic's X650. In fact, since AnandTech's Furmark test pulled a maximum of 600W from a pair of 6970s, it looks like the X650 would be fine for this build. Allows for better RAM and a lower price.
 
Nim Chimpsky

Nim Chimpsky

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HardOCP tested the 6990/6970 TriFire setup and was able to max out the most demanding games at 5760 x 1200 with AA, something a pair of GTX 580s can't do at playable rates.

The i5-2500K has about the same performance in games as an i7-2600K because so few games take advantage of hyper-threading. The NH-D14 will overclock the 2500K too. The $95 savings allowed me to include a faster SSD and faster RAM.


Antec Three Hundred Illusion: $44.99

Corsair Professional Series HX850: $169.99 ($159.99 after rebate)

ASRock P67 Extreme4 Gen3: $154.99

Intel Core i5-2500K: $219.99

Noctua NH-D14: $85.87

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB DDR3 1600 C8-8-8-24: $55.99

Sapphire Radeon HD 6970 (top slot): $349.99 ($329.99 after rebate)

PowerColor AX6990 (bottom slot): $709.99

Patriot Wildfire 120GB: $254.99 ($214.99 after rebate)

LG CD/DVD Burner: $17.99

Total: $2,004.78 after rebates
 
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flong

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OK - I think different about spec'ing PSUs than many posters on Tom's Hardware and so fair warning. Here are some points:

1. It is doubtful a 650W PSU will run an SLI 580 rig. Even if it does it will be at its max capacity which will increase heat in your case significantly, move it to high fan which will be VERY noisy, it will run at its lowest efficiency - probably around 82%-84%. It will also tend to be more unstable risking your components
2. If you spec your PSU to use 50%-60% capacity then you will be around 91-92% efficiency, your PSU will rarely if ever go to high fan so it will be much quieter (the fan may not even come on with some really good PSUs), it will run very cool, it will be much more efficient at promoting a stable overclock.
3. For an SLI / CF setup I recommend a minimum of 850W and preferably the Corsair AX1200. Why such overkill with the 1200? Because it runs at low current usage more efficiently than the 850W PSUs and therefore will be more efficient overall.
4. The AX 1200 will probably never even turn on the fan and will never heat up. It will thus be silent. It might turn on low fan, but it will still be silent.
5. You can get the AX 1200 for $250 or less if you look for sales. It doesn't really cost that much when you consider how important the PSU is to the system (for a $2000+ build)
6. It has a 7-year warranty and so it will power several builds.
7. There is not a lot of change with PSUs or improvements and with the AX 1200 you are over 90% efficient nearly ALL of the time and so there is not much room for improvement. Thus the AX1200 will not go out of date like many components will
8. The AX1200 has been the highest rated 1000W or more PSU on the market for several years now. It is tried and true and it is fairly cheap compared to other PSUs in this category.

The advantages will last for years and the cost difference is about $75 - it provides huge benefits for a meager investment. Remember that Corsair's warranty is good for 7 years.

Because this unit is so efficient at low capacity (200W- 400W) it will actually run a single GPU card build like mine as efficiently as a 750W or 850W PSU. No other 1200W PSU can make that statment (Antec's is pretty good also but it is not modular).

There will probably be a poster that will skim my reasoning and make the same brain dead statment that a 1200W PSU is a "waste" for a two 580 GPU SLI system. Don't pay attention, they are not thinking for themselves but are going with the standard spec your PSU 200W over capacity thinking. I simply don't agree with this non-thinking reasoning.

If we were talking about a $120 - $150 difference in pricing then OK, the cost difference starts to become significant but we are not. There is about a $75 difference from 850W PSUs that are comparable. PLEASE don't post that some cheapo bronze rated PSU is comparable in quality to the AX1200 (or even the HX 850). It just shows that those posters have not taken the time to read reviews and cannot think for themselves.

I own the HX 850 for my single 6950 GPU, 2600K build PSU and I have never heard the fan. I am not sure it has ever turned on, thus I run quiet and cool. My system will draw 300W - 400W. My efficiency will always be over 90% and will push 92% with high usage. I have first-hand proof that this idea of spec'ing your PSU to 50% capacity is a brilliant success.

I have had several computers with low capacity PSUs and it is the exact opposite. They are noisy, hot, unstable and can cause regular BSOD problems. Forget about overclocking and protecting your components from unstable voltage.
 
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flong

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I don't really trust X-Bit or Bit-Tech.net as much as some other sites. I own the Noctua NH-D14 and it has superb ballbearing fans which reek of Lexus quality. When you turn them by hand they move brilliantly and effortlessly. I can say with some authority that the D-14 does NOT have any semblance of a rattle, crackle or whistle. Frankly Xbit is either brain-dead in their review or they got a bad unit. It is really a just a silly thing for them to imply. Read some other reviews of the D-14 - you will find it universally praised as superb and many times called the best all around air cooler on the market.

The D-14 is recommended on websites like Silent PC and they are freaking fanatics about quiet builds. I own it and it is very quiet. YES you can hear it but not much. You have to be right up by the case.

The fans on my Corsair 650D case unfortunately are not the same quality as the Noctua fans and are MUCH more noisy. In fact, I run my case fans at high fan and they drown out any noise from the D-14. This is forgivable because any case that moves a lot of air is not going to be silent and though the case is not silent, it is not annoyingly loud.If I run the case fans at low fan you still cannot hear the D-14. I have absurdly low temperatures in my case for all of my components (only the GPU gets over 40C). My CPU runs at 35C - 38C under load. The Silverstone cases move a lot of air also and so they are not silent - but they cool better than almost any other case on the market.

BTW, my XFX 6950 card is very quiet also but I have not pushed it with extreme gaming. I cannot hear the card in my case (remember I don't game).
 
Nim Chimpsky

Nim Chimpsky

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I hear the same sorts of things about the Silver Arrow: best air cooler, quality, etc. So I don't think there's a big enough difference to recommend the D14 over the Silver Arrow when the latter is slightly cheaper and has better-looking and more functional fans. I actually use the TY-140 PWM fans that come with it on a Venomous X, and they are smooth and silent. But I put the D14 in my above TriFire build anyway.

My 6950 only made a difference because my case was completely silent before, thanks to those TY-140s and a few Scythe Slipstream 120mm PWM fans. Now you can hear a little whoosh when I max out Deus Ex at 5760 x 1080.
 
Nim Chimpsky

Nim Chimpsky

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I don't really know where this post came from. Maybe continuing an earlier conversation you had with someone else?

I didn't suggest 580 SLI or "some cheapo bronze rated PSU."

650W is fine for 6970 CrossFire; concerning noise, I don't think a SeaSonic PSU will ever be louder than a pair of 6970s. This particular model went fanless even in Jonnyguru's hotbox. That said, I updated the post with the HX850 anyway because it didn't go too far over-budget.

There's more reason to go over 850W for my above TriFire build, but PSU fan noise is even less of a concern there, and $75 makes more of a difference in a build that is already $44 over budget
 
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flong

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You are very thoughtful in the points that you make - it is refreshing. So many posters do not think for themselves but merely parrot others.

You may think I am crazy but I still think that the AX1200 is the better real-world choice for an SLI or "tri-fire" build. Really the PSU is the foundation for every component.

The problems of gaming builds is that they often ignore the aesthetics of having a quiet and cool PC. Now with the components we have available, it is not necessary to make this sacrifice anymore. I think that issues like PSU fan noise are important and they should be considered. PSUs that are pushed to high fan are VERY annoying and can ruin a good build.

It is fascinating how well the Seasonic 650W did - to go fanless is impressive. Still, I think it is small for a CF setup. But then I think spec'ing the PSU for 50% capacity is the best approach and many people do not agree with me. Heck, my Corsair HX 750 went to high fan and heated up running an I-7 920 with a single ATI 5850 GPU. It was annoyingly loud on high fan and it was one of the highest rated 750W PSUs in existence.

I get what you say about the Silver Arrow. Yes they are nearly equal which makes sense because they are nearly identical. I do think that the D-14 performs better with high overclocks. I almost bought the Silver Arrow because of the PWM function. What sold me on the D-14 was the whole milling of the Silver Arrow CPU plate because they don't set flat. It just seemed to be something that should have already been done by the manufacturer. I do think the D-14 is ugly though - but beautiful in its performance.

I get the 2009 budget, but the current build winner went over budget too ha, ha. So you are in good company.
 
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flong

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Forgot to say, you make a great point about the 6970 noise. I don't own one but I think I am spoiled by my 6950 which runs very quietly up to about 50% fan which is what I keep it at. Left to its own it would run at 30% and the GPU temp up to 59C which I thought was a bit high.
 
Nim Chimpsky

Nim Chimpsky

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Thanks! Back at ya. :)


Too true. Some people just strap on the headphones and blast because their builds are so noisy. Realistically, I bet the only way to do a quiet 6990/6970 TriFire build is with water cooling, which would invalidate it for this price range.


I didn't know it wasn't flat. That was one of the reasons I went with my Venomous X. It just seems like a good idea, and I don't want to lap it myself.
 
Nim Chimpsky

Nim Chimpsky

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Alright, here's my updated Ultimate $2000 build, now with a 1000W 80 Plus Gold PSU.

HardOCP tested the 6990/6970 TriFire setup and was able to max out the most demanding games at 5760 x 1200 with AA, something a pair of GTX 580s can't do at playable rates.

Antec Three Hundred Illusion: $44.99

OCZ ZX Series 1000W: $199.99 ($169.99 after rebate)

ASRock P67 Extreme3 Gen3: $124.99

Intel Core i5-2500K: $219.99

Noctua NH-D14: $85.87

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB 1866MHz C9-10-9-28: $79.99

Sapphire Radeon HD 6970 (top slot): $349.99 ($329.99 after rebate)

PowerColor AX6990 (bottom slot): $709.99

Patriot Wildfire 120GB: $254.99 ($214.99 after rebate)

LG CD/DVD Burner: $17.99

Total: $2,074.78 ($1,984.78 after rebates)
 
Nim Chimpsky

Nim Chimpsky

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This build makes no sacrifices. It has a motherboard that's great at overclocking, plenty of power, dual overclocked GTX 580s, a 128GB SSD, a 1TB HDD, fast low latency RAM, and it should be nearly silent.

Silverstone Temjin Series TJ08B-E: $99

Scythe Gentle Typhoon 1450RPM: $15.95

Corsair Professional Series HX850: $163.99 ($143.99 after rebate)

ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z: $169.99

Intel Core i5-2500K: $219.99

Thermalright Silver Arrow: $82.99

Akasa PWM Splitter Cable: $5.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB 1600MHz C8-8-8-24 (2 x 4GB): $55.99

2 x EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 580: $474.99 each ($949.98)

Crucial M4 128GB: $196.99

Samsung SpinPoint F3: $59.99

Samsung CD/DVD Burner: $16.99

Total: $2010.84 ($1990.84 after rebate)
 
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flong

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Both builds are well thought out. For the first build, can you combine a 6870 and a 6990? It is an interesting combo that I have not seen before.
 
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