Build for Skyrim at 2560 x 1440 - ~$3k

[Crash55]

After 5 years it is time for a new PC. Skyrim is the most graphically intense game I currently play so I am looking to get the highest frame rates I can at 2560 x 1400 with everything cranked up. I figure if I can get high frame rates in that I should be good for another 3 -5 yrs.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within a month.

Budget Range: Don't really have one but was thinking $3k

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Games, Web Surfing, Photoshop, Video Editing, CAD

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, speakers, mouse, monitor (planning to buy one of the Korean 2560x1440 IPS panels), data drive

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg though I will buy from wherever the best price is

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: None really though I have had good luck with eVGA

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Yes / Maybe - If worth it

Monitor Resolution: Primary - 2560 x 1440; Secondary - 1360 x768 TV used solely for playing videos

Additional Comments: Need an external eSATA port and would like a firewire port as well. For the primary dive at least a 256GB SSD.

 

[ddan49]

CPU: i5-3570k
CPU cooler: Hyper 212 Evo
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6
GPU: 2xGTX 680 Dual SLI
RAM: 32GB (why not?) of DDR3-1866 1.5v CAS9 RAM
SSD: 256GB OS drive for applications and games. It won't be primary, though... documents and stuff go on your traditional 7200rpm HDDs
Case: Er... not sure. Firewire is not something I'm familiar with.
PSU: PC Silencer MK II 950W Silver Rated

I think that'll cover it fine.

 

[rocknrollz]

CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115095
Cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

Mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157264

GPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130768
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130768

RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233236

SSD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148443
HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139005

PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151110

Approx. $2500 USD


EDIT: I do not see him being benefited by IB. As it is said it doesn't OC too well which he plans to do and the 2600k is great for gaming and has hyper threading for his video editing.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Ok the video editing / CAD puts you in Hyperthreading territory so that rules out anything starting w/ i5. Ivy Bridge is tempting but since we haven't seen the enthusiast boards yet, I'm kinda shy as yet. But here's an IB build for ya:

Case - $ 270 - Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133192
At $3k, ya deserve a case w/ these kind of features.
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=843&Itemid=61&limit=1&limitstart=6

Case Fan - $ 12 - Thermaltake Blue120 mm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106149

PSU - $ 190 - Corsair AX850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139015
It will do two 680's ... and gets a 9.5 jonnyguru performance rating
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=197

MoBo - $ 240 - Asus Sabertooth Z77 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821
5 year warranty, military class components.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/04/20/asus_sabertooth_z77_lga_1155_motherboard_review/7

CPU - $ 340 - Intel Core i7-3770K

Cooler - $ 90 - Phanteks PH-TC14PE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709001
Can't ask for more performance and and its even pretty
http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/phanteks_ph_tc14pe_cpu_cooler_review,14.html

TIM - $ 5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080
Tops the charts and no curing issues like AS5
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=150&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=12

RAM - $ 140 - (2 x 4GB) Muskin Blackline DDR3 1600 CAS 9 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226314
Low profile

GFX - $ 500 - Asus GTX 680 Included w/ MoBo
GFX - Later - Asus GTX 680 Same
It's the chart topper and lower cost per frame than the competition even after price drop. In Guru3D's Game test suite (Hard Reset, COD-MW2, Far Cry 2, ANNO 1404, Metro 2033, ANNO 2070, BFBC2, BF3, Crysis 2, AvP, Lost Planet 2).....

680 gets 989 fps at a cost per frame of $0.51
7970 gets 872 fps at a cost per frame of $0.55

..... ya budget was w/o monitor so ya can include the 2nd card and still say well under budget

HD - $ 90 - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 64MB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840
Seagate's factories were least affected by flood and have best deals at the moment....7200 rpm, 64 MB cache, SATA III .... none others at this price range and 1TB on single platter.

SSD - $ 250 - Mushkin Chronos Deluxe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226226
Premium 3Xnm Toshiba Toggle Mode Flash puts it in Tier 1
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-review-benchmark,3139-6.html

DVD Writer - $ 75 - Asus Model BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135252
Greta price for a great drive

Monitor - $ 645 - Asus Model VG278H 120Hz 3/ 3D Glasses http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236206
Not your desired resolution but wanted to put up a 120 Hz alternate for ya consideration. Id take the 120 Hz if gaming is highest priority, Dell UltraSharp U2711 IPS panel if Photo and video work are the priority.

OS - $ 140 - Win 7-64 Home Professional http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116992

Total $ 2,987 .... $2,342 w/o Monitor ..... $2,842 w/ 2nd GFX card and no monitor


If the Case is just too much .... here's some alternative case / PSU Combos

Antec DF-85 or 1200 V3 w/ CP-850 - Outstanding combination, runs cooler and quieter than any other combo I have ever used. The hot swap SATA drive bay on the DF rocks for video and photo enthusiasts

$160 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129087
or
$140 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129100

$120 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371024
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=142

It is completely unmatched by any ATX unit on the market I can think of.You'd have to spend twice as much as this thing costs to find the next best thing, performance wise.

Corsair 500R w/ HX850 - PSU get higher rating from jonnyguru than the AX version does and the case is both functional and attractive.


$165 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011
$125 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006519&isNodeId=1&Description=500R&x=0&y=0

 

[ddan49]

Okay. I'll hit a few things.
1) IB hasn't really been released yet. I know people are saying it's running hot, but I'd wait and see what happens when it's actually released.
2) JackNaylorPE is right about hyperthreading. I forgot about that. i7 is probably best.

Other than that, I know more about gaming builds than video editing, so I'm done with this thread since I can't help you more than these guys can

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I do not see him being benefited by IB. As it is said it doesn't OC too well which he plans to do and the 2600k is great for gaming and has hyper threading for his video editing.

I was perplexed on which way to go as you saw in my intro......but to me the 2600k is a dead CPU. AT $310 for the 2600k and $340 for the 2700k, can't see scrimping for a measly $30. My gut feeling is IB gonna be a yawner .... minor performance increase but I woulda expected its lower power to make OC'ing an easier chore.....I guess we'll know shortly. Since its supposed to be same price as 3770k, it's a simple substitution.

But I'm always wary about "Revision A" hardware ...... Glad that itch held me back from buying P67 boards before B3

 

[rocknrollz]

2700k, forgot about that.

I still don't think IB is worth going for. Haswell will be a better wait of time.

 

[Crash55]

Thanks for replies

What is this IB that you are talking about?

I haven't paid attention to anything to do with CPUs for several years. I do remember reading something about Windows 8 that only certain CPUs will support all features. I believe it was i7's.

As for monitors, The lowest resolution I would look at is 1920 x 1200. I am currently running an old 1600x1200 CRT and I don't want to lose the vertical resolution. The Korean monitors use the same panels as the 27" Apple Cinema displays. They are like a stripped down u2711 without the AG coating

 

[serialkiller]

hello op

IB means ive bridge aka preseder of sandy bridge or 3rd gen core i series or i3 i5 i7.

 

[ddan49]

IB is Ivy Bridge... the next generation of Intel processors that's coming out April 23rd. Right now the processors are Sandy Bridge (or SB). I really, really, really wouldn't get Windows 8... just don't get it. Win7 is great.

So 1920x1200, and no 1080p?

 

[Crash55]

OK. So the 3770k would be better than a 3930K? I thought the 2 extra cores and quad channel memory might buy me something.


1920x1200 is above 1080p. I am think I am going to get a 2560x1440 monitor so 1440p.

 

[ddan49]

Oh, I forgot about the title of this thread. I was just double-checking that you wanted higher than 1080p, the standard (many new members don't know that 1200 is higher than 1080p, since 1080p is marketed as "HD").

 

[Crash55]

I may be a new member but I have been visiting Tom's for years and built my first PC in 1994.

 

[ddan49]

I didn't mean to offend you. I was just saying that many new members don't know much about tech. I can tell you know enough about hardware, though.

 

[Crash55]

No offense taken. Tone can be so hard in postings.

I can see how lots of people think 1080p is great, especially if they are coming from consoles. I know many people who think in terms simply of diagonal siz eand don't understand that resolution matters.

I want the highest resolution I can reasonably achieve with the physical space I have. I thought of going with three monitors but I don't know if they would fit nor if it would actually be worth the cost

 

[ddan49]

I don't really like having three monitors. It means I can't see everything at the same time, and it requires me to turn my head (yes, I'm that lazy.... no, I just mean that it doesn't really give you an edge). That's why I have my one, trusty, six year old, 1680x1050 monitor! 😛

 

[UVB076]

Human eye is only 72 fps /:

 

[Crash55]

I have two at work and I like it but I think I will probably stay with just one big one for now at home. It is just whether I gamble on the $400 Korean one or go for a Dell u2711 or u3011. $400 compared to $1000 or $1300 is really tempting

I like having the TV as second monitor at home as I can play movies on it while still working on the PC.

 

[ddan49]

So is there no way to return the Korean one? I dunno... it's not made in China, right?

 

[Crash55]

Yeah no way to return the Korean one if you don't like it. There are several threads on overclock.net about them. Well technically you could return it but you will take $100 hit for shipping.

So far it looks like there are only a few DOA's and if I use a credit card via PayPal to buy it I should be able to use the cc to make sure I get a full refund in that case

 

[Crash55]

uvb076, the human eye doesn't see in terms of distinct frame rates. How high of a frame rate one needs for a smooth image depends upon how fast the items being viewed are moving

 

[ddan49]

^That. Basically, I think 60fps is enough for ANYONE. However, at the resolution you're working at, you're not anyone. I'm pretty sure shelling out for a 70fps monitor isn't worth it, though... aren't they like way more expensive?

 

[Why_Me]

Look and learn boys because your all about to get lesson from the master. 😛 @ the OP. This build allows you to add another one of those gtx 680's in SLI.


http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Gaming-CC-9011012-WW/dp/B005E983JW/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335052126&sr=1-6 $116.16 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011012-WW

http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/carbide-series-pc-case/carbide-series-500r-mid-tower-case.html <----- Another look at that case

This psu down below is manufactured by Seasonic for XFX as are all XFX psu's and the mid and upper tier Corsair psu's.

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-ATX-850-Power-Supply/dp/B0050751YS/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335052215&sr=1-1 $122.75 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
XFX PRO850W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80 Plus Silver Certified 850 Watt Active PFC Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131822 $339.99
ASUS P8Z77 WS LGA 1155 Intel Z77 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard 4 (x16/x16/0/0 or x16/x8/x8/0 or x8/x8/x8/x8)

or this board which is due out in a month or less...

http://www.asrock.com/microsite/intelz77/Z77-Extreme9.html $300+
ASRock Z77 Extreme9

http://www.asrock.com/news/index.asp?cat=News&ID=439 <----- another look at that board

ASRock Z77 Extreme9 is a very powerful, future-proofed, highly overclockable machine and has the most overclockable configurations. For memory aspect, Z77 Extreme9 mobo breaks the memory overclocking barrier and pushes it up to DDR3 3000+ (OC) MHz! Moreover, this board is unprecedentedly equipped with PLX PEX 8747 bridge which is able to run dual VGA cards (2-Way SLI / CrossFireX) at PCIe Gen3 x16 / x16 mode or four VGA cards (4-Way SLI / CrossFireX) at PCIe Gen3 x8 / x8 / x8 / x8 mode. In addition, ASRock Z77 Extreme9 comes with an exclusive 2T2R Dual Band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n + BT v4.0 module that offers support for WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity standards and Bluetooth v4.0. It supports Dual Band frequency 2.4 / 5 GHz as well. The board even bundles with an exclusive Wi-SB Box (with 2 antennas) that offers superior WiFi and Bluetooth signal quality and 2 front USB 3.0 ports.

http://www.guru3d.com/news/intel-ivy-bridge-gets-prelaunch-price-cut/ $313
Intel Ivy Bridge i7 3770K 3.5Ghz

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=pd_cp_e_0 $34.29 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

Add this fan down below to that CM 212 EVO cpu h/s for a "push-pull effect" to bring cpu temps down even more.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-BladeMaster-Silent-R4-BMBS-20PK-R0/dp/B0030DL37I/ref=pd_sim_e_15 $11.06 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master BladeMaster 120mm PWM High Air Flow Silent Case Fan R4-BMBS-20PK-R0

Photo shop, CAD, Video editing...then don't short yourself in the RAM dept. This set allows you to add another set later on for a total of 32GB.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231558 $114.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C10D-16GAO

A nice sized HD to store all those files....

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-ST2000DM001-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal/dp/B005T3GRN2/ref=sr_1_2?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335053790&sr=1-2 $119.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seagate ST2000DM001 Barracuda 7200RPM 2 TB SATA 6 GB/s NCQ 64 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive

Jack Naylor had it right with the SSD. Mushkin for speed, price and quality.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226226 $249.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe MKNSSDCR240GB-DX 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-24xDVD-RW-Serial-Internal-DRW-24B1ST/dp/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_b $17.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600315498&IsNodeId=1&name=GeForce%20GTX%20600%20series $500
GeForce GTX 680 2GB

Total: $1,940.21 Not including O/S, monitor, shipping & rebates


***optional 32GB set of RAM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231559 $239.99
G.SKILL Ares Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C10Q-32GAO

 

[Why_Me]

^That. Basically, I think 60fps is enough for ANYONE. However, at the resolution you're working at, you're not anyone. I'm pretty sure shelling out for a 70fps monitor isn't worth it, though... aren't they like way more expensive?

Forget the "human eye only see's etc, etc..

It's all about smoothness in game play. 70fps refresh rate? Try 120hz ftw!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007617%2050001077%20600060968%20600030956%20600255030&IsNodeId=1&name=120Hz <----- SAMSUNG 2ms Full HD LED BackLight LCD 120Hz 3D Monitor starting @ $300

 

[UVB076]

The eye can literally only see 72 fps. There is no advantage to 120hz.