Final Build

[compute]

Hi, I'll be playing FIFA 12, COD 4, COD: MW3, Battlefield 3. I want to play these games with full settings, and minimal FPS loss. I'll also be watching blu-ray/hd movies and I will be streaming movies to the tv. I'll also have a lot of programs open at once... programs such as MYOB and other accounting programs (excel etc) I won't just have accounting programs open, I will overclock later on...

Budget $2000.00 AUD. I won't be upgradeing any parts for 4-5 years... So when a new graphics card or processor comes out I won't upgrade...

I don't want two drives, either a SSD or HDD
Hard Drive: Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB HD103SJ $59.00
or
SSD: Crucial M4 SSD 128GB - $239.00

I was also thinking about the GTX 560 TI instead of the GTX570.

Will this build bottleneck? what about the PSU?


Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Motherboard B3 - $212.00
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K - $227.00
CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper-212+ (Universal) - $32.00
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 HD - $369.00 - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1177&products_id=17320
Memory: G.SKILL DDR3 8GB (2X4GB) PC-12800/1600 F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM - $75.90 - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=16934
SSD: Crucial M4 SSD 128GB - $239.00
Optical Driver: Lite-On IHAS324 24x DVDRW - $29.00
Power Supply: Corsair HX-650 Power Supply - $138.00
Monitor: ASUS VE248H 24in Widescreen LED Monitor - $215.00
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Keyboard - $149.00
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder-V2 Infrared Gaming Mouse - $57.00
Mouse Pad: Razer Goliathus Fragged Standard MouseMat Refresh - Control Version - $15.00
Speakers: Logitech Z523 2.1 Speaker System - $86.00
Case: CoolerMaster CM 690 II Advanced with Window - $125.00
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit with SP1 OEM - $95.00

Total: $2063.90

Thanks

 

[pro-gamer]

everything is fine nothing will be bottleneck even you can tri sli gtx 570 without any bottleneck and without any doubt so you are fine at all..

 

[striker410]

You've done a pretty good job! I am impressed.

However, I would make a couple changes.
-get a better PSU! There are more options for the price. look for a 750w.
-get a 6950 or 6970 instead of GTX 570. Or, dual 6870's.
-try to get a better deal on a monitor. That one seems a bit pricey.
-get an ASRock gen3 mobo. Those are cheaper, and have the same featureset as the Asus board for the most part.

Oh, and you should get both HDD and SSD. This is a pricier build, spoil yourself!

 

[pro-gamer]

You've done a pretty good job! I am impressed.

However, I would make a couple changes.
-get a better PSU! There are more options for the price. look for a 750w.
-get a 6950 or 6970 instead of GTX 570. Or, dual 6870's.
-try to get a better deal on a monitor. That one seems a bit pricey.
-get an ASRock gen3 mobo. Those are cheaper, and have the same featureset as the Asus board for the most part.

Oh, and you should get both HDD and SSD. This is a pricier build, spoil yourself!

his selected component also best for gamming there is no need to change anything

 

[striker410]

his selected component also best for gamming there is no need to change anything

That didn't make sense... And if you were saying no improvements could be made, you need to check your logic.

 

[compute]

Why doesn't EVGA have the KR version? only the AR version http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=012-P3-1571-AR&family=GeForce 500 Series Family&sw=
How am I supposed to upgrade the utilities and stuff, I know to update the driver from nvidia

You've done a pretty good job! I am impressed.

However, I would make a couple changes.
-get a better PSU! There are more options for the price. look for a 750w.

Why do you recommend a higher PSU?
Corsair HX-750 Power Supply - $189.00 - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12110

-get a 6950 or 6970 instead of GTX 570. Or, dual 6870's.

I don't know how or what to do with dual video cards or how much power they will take up
I like Nvidia more 😉

-try to get a better deal on a monitor. That one seems a bit pricey.

Could you suggest me a monitor http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=558

-get an ASRock gen3 mobo. Those are cheaper, and have the same featureset as the Asus board for the most part.

I don't really feel safe going with ASRock, I've read a lot of complaints, not that I haven't read complaints about ASUS but I feel safer with them, :\

Oh, and you should get both HDD and SSD. This is a pricier build, spoil yourself!

I don't really wan't two drives because I don't won't to go in the registry and change any paths for C: drive etc also I don't see the point in having two drives because I won't have much space taking up most I've calculated from previous years and what I believe I will use up is 80-90GB

 

[pro-gamer]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/293?vs=306

gtx 570 better alot than 6950 then why are you suggesting to for 6950 or dual just wasting money and corsair hx-650 can handle gtx 570 fine even when it overclocked
and asus z68 vpro is best for overclocking.

 

[compute]

lets don't forget I won't purchase any new components for 4-5 years...

 

[striker410]

Well, the reason I suggest a higher PSU is because there's better PSU's available.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15355

Well, right now AMD has better bang-for-buck than NVidia. And if you look, the 6870's WAY outperform the 570, while barely sipping more power. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/301?vs=306

ASRock is made by Asus. I've never had a problem with an ASRock board.

This monitor looks just fine: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=558_1212&products_id=16621

You really need 2 drives. One is the OS/games, and one is storage. When you install an app you just tell it to install to the SSD or the HDD. With only 120GB of space you will be VERY limited.

 

[geofelt]

I like your list, at least for now.

But, I doubt that you will not want to upgrade the graphics card for 4-5 years.
The 2500K will probably be good enough, even when ivy bridge comes out.

If 128gb will hold everything, then that is absolutely the way to go.
If, over time, you need more space for overflow, then it is not hard to add a conventional hard drive.

Normally 8gb of ram is very good.
But, if you are a heavy multitasker, then consider 16gb. Ram is cheap today, and there is no downside to lots of ram.

If your primary use is gaming, get the best graphics card you can afford. In this case, the GTX570 is a good pick. It may not run everything at highest specs, but you should be well satisfied. A GTX580 gives you marginally more headroom, but you get diminishing returns for your dollar.

For what it is worth, a quality 600w psu is sufficient to run a GTX580. 700w for a GTX590.
My short list of quality psu's would include Corsair, Seasonic, XFX, Antec, and PC P&C.
You might be able to save a bit there.
Of the brands available to you, I might pick the Antec high current gamer 620w for $105:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_226&products_id=15134

Since you will not be doing sli, why not consider a m-atx motherboard and case?
They are cheaper, and the money saved could go elsewhere.

If you love the case, get it. Cases are a personal thing.
Any case with two 120mm intake fans or equivalent will give you adequate cooling.
I use a Silverstone TJ-08E m-atx case and a GTX580.
It has plenty of cooling with an included 180mm fan, and it is quiet:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_1290_608&products_id=17904

 

[pro-gamer]

so that's what i told him that don't change any thing everything is fine

 

[compute]

I like your list, at least for now.
But, I doubt that you will not want to upgrade the graphics card for 4-5 years.
The 2500K will probably be good enough, even when ivy bridge comes out.

Probably be good enough?

If 128gb will hold everything, then that is absolutely the way to go.
If, over time, you need more space for overflow, then it is not hard to add a conventional hard drive.

So I wouldn't have to do anything like this? http://www.overclock.net/ssd/664738-how-setup-ssd-boot-drive-secondary.html
Just select which drive I want to install the software...
Like for example if i put music in the HDD won't it automatically go on the C: SSD drive.?

If your primary use is gaming, get the best graphics card you can afford. In this case, the GTX570 is a good pick. It may not run everything at highest specs, but you should be well satisfied. A GTX580 gives you marginally more headroom, but you get diminishing returns for your dollar.

What "striker410" linked me to http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/301?vs=306 looks pretty conviencing but what would be better in the long term...

Since you will not be doing sli, why not consider a m-atx motherboard and case?
They are cheaper, and the money saved could go elsewhere.

I don't really like m-atx boards I was going to go with th pz68 -m pro but i like bigger boards and I also really like the case 😀

 

[geofelt]

Probably be good enough?


So I wouldn't have to do anything like this? http://www.overclock.net/ssd/664738-how-setup-ssd-boot-drive-secondary.html
Just select which drive I want to install the software...
Like for example if i put music in the HDD won't it automatically go on the C: SSD drive.?


What "striker410" linked me to http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/301?vs=306 looks pretty conviencing but what would be better in the long term...


I don't really like m-atx boards I was going to go with th pz68 -m pro but i like bigger boards and I also really like the case 😀

I say probably because currently a 2500K can drive even triple GTX580 cards very well, particularly when overclocked a bit.

What takes lots of space is typically video's, not so much music.
Regardless, whenever you download stuff, you will get a choice on which drive to send it to. Just put the big non critical stuff on a larger hard drive.
Some games can be very big, so you may have to do some judgement there on where to install it.

I am not a fan of cf/sli when a single good card can do the job. Benchmarks of dual cards look very good, but they do not account for microstuttering which can cause more annoyance than a lower average fps. You might want to read this article:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html

A micro-atx motherboard will fit in a full case, it is a subset of the full moounting pattern.
It will have only 4 expansion slots vs. 7. How many do you intend to use?
The main drawback is that for a dual card sli setup, there is no breathing space between the cards.

 

[compute]

I say probably because currently a 2500K can drive even triple GTX580 cards very well, particularly when overclocked a bit.

What takes lots of space is typically video's, not so much music.
Regardless, whenever you download stuff, you will get a choice on which drive to send it to. Just put the big non critical stuff on a larger hard drive.
Some games can be very big, so you may have to do some judgement there on where to install it.

I am not a fan of cf/sli when a single good card can do the job. Benchmarks of dual cards look very good, but they do not account for microstuttering which can cause more annoyance than a lower average fps. You might want to read this article:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html

A micro-atx motherboard will fit in a full case, it is a subset of the full moounting pattern.
It will have only 4 expansion slots vs. 7. How many do you intend to use?
The main drawback is that for a dual card sli setup, there is no breathing space between the cards.

20gb for win7
20gb for bf3
10gb for cod:mw3
12gb for fifa 12
15gb my stuff
roughly

i believe in what your saying about cf/sli

Expansion slots: Only one i believe for the video card

I will post up another final build tomorrow when i get back from work... and then i'll start ordering
I put in everyones ideas in and lets see what pops up

 

[geofelt]

20gb for win7
20gb for bf3
10gb for cod:mw3
12gb for fifa 12
15gb my stuff
roughly

i believe in what your saying about cf/sli

Expansion slots: Only one i believe for the video card

I will post up another final build tomorrow when i get back from work... and then i'll start ordering
I put in everyones ideas in and lets see what pops up

For what it is worth, I have an Intel 510 120gb drive.
It has 111gb of allocatable space(the rest is for spare space allocated by intel)
I am using 81gb for windows, some photo files, and half a dozen games.
I like dealing with only a single "C" drive.
If, or when I run out of space, I will replace the 120gb drive with a larger one.
Once you have a SSD, you will never go back.

 

[compute]

For what it is worth, I have an Intel 510 120gb drive.

So you have a 120gb SSD, is it still fast, like boot times and opening programs?

It has 111gb of allocatable space(the rest is for spare space allocated by intel)
I am using 81gb for windows, some photo files, and half a dozen games.

I don't understand this so your SSD is partitioned for 111gb of free space? yet you still have 81gb of free space for windows :S



ASRock Motherboards: Apparantly there website doesn't have the latest software :S thats why i don't want to go with them

 

[geofelt]

It is very fast, both for boot and for opening programs.

That said, I don't boot very much.
So, the 8gb keeps most of what I use in ram. loading my game is only a second or two.

I sleep to the S3 state which only takes a second or two to sleep or wake.

All hard drives drives never have the advertised number of gb available.
The Intel 120gb drive actually has 111gb available to me.
Of that 111gb, I have used 81gb, leaving me 30gb available for more files.

I recently builr a pc for my son, using an ASROCK H61 motherboard. I was impressed with what you got for your money.
I had no problems. I think they are a good outfit. It is a spinoff from ASUS which was originally intended to be a budget line.
I think the ASROCK people decided they cood give better value, and have done so.

 

[compute]

About the graphics card i read it gets really hot... (should i add a 120/140mm fan on the side to blow on it?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-130-613&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2

I was looking at this card also http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127582

Any ideas?

Also i need a different monitor the asus on listed below has ghosting problems any ideas for a monitor without ghosting problems and 2ms under $200 aud or a little over?

Is this a good monitor? http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=558_1253&products_id=17718 or http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16708
whats the difference between 24 inch and 23.6 inch? 23.6 can do standard 4:3 and 16:9?
I think they both have ghosting... I don't mind a little bit but not full on ghosting

Also should i do any changes to the SSD when i install everything like optimization? if so any good tutorials and is it worth it and is it safe?

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Motherboard B3 - $212.00
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K - $227.00
CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper-212+ (Universal) - $32.00
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 HD - $369.00 - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.ph [...] s_id=17320
Memory: G.SKILL DDR3 8GB (2X4GB) PC-12800/1600 F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM - $75.90 - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.ph [...] s_id=16934
Hard Drive: Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB HD103SJ - $59.00
SSD: Crucial M4 SSD 128GB - $239.00
Optical Driver: Lite-On IHAS324 24x DVDRW - $24.00
Power Supply: Seasonic X-650 80Plus Gold 650W - $189.00
Monitor: ASUS VE248H 24in Widescreen LED Monitor - $215.00
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Keyboard - $149.00
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder-V2 Infrared Gaming Mouse - $57.00
Mouse Pad: Razer Goliathus Fragged Standard MouseMat Refresh - Control Version - $15.00
Speakers: Logitech Z523 2.1 Speaker System - $86.00
Case: CoolerMaster CM 690 II Advanced with Window - $125.00
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit with SP1 OEM - $95.00

Total: $2168.90

 

[geofelt]

I think side fans sometimes disrupt the natural low/front intake to high/rear outflow.
With good intake flow, the graphics card and cpu will get adequate cool air.
You can always add a side fan later.

Graphics cards run hot, but they are designed to do so.
You might consider the following EVGA GTX570 superclocked. It is factory overclocked, so it is faster, but what I really like is that it has a more robust direct exhaust cooler.
That gets the vga heat directly out the back of your case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130614

A 1080P monitor will have a resolution of 1920 x 1080, regardless of the monitor size.
As to brands, I like the Samsung monitors. They make the panels for many, if not most of the other vendors. I think they keep the best samples for themselves.
I have yet to see a dead pixel on any of my Samsung products.

On the SSD, just specify the sata mode as AHCI in the bios, (not ide or raid). That gives you trim support.
Windows will detect that it is a ssd from the speed, and turn off defrag.
Don't bother micromanaging what goes there. You really do want fast access to the page file and other similar files.
Do not worry about write longevity. A normak destop user should last well past 10 years, long after the drive is obsolete.

 

[compute]

From these GTX570's which do you think is the best? The one you selected isn't available in aus

Price: $369.00
Vendor Code: 012-P3-1571-KR
Minimum Watts: 550
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1177&products_id=17320

Price: $389.00
Vendor Code: 012-P3-1573-KR
Minimum Watts: 550
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1177&products_id=17239

Price: $389.00
Vendor Code: GV-N570OC-13I Rev2.0
Minimum Watts: 600
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1177&products_id=17554

Price: $399.00
Vendor Code: ENGTX570-DCII-1280D5
Minimum Watts:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1177&products_id=17117

Price: $399.00
Vendor Code: N570GTXTWINFIIIPEOC
Minimum Watts:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1177&products_id=17531

 

[Milishi]

Well, the reason I suggest a higher PSU is because there's better PSU's available.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15355

Well, right now AMD has better bang-for-buck than NVidia. And if you look, the 6870's WAY outperform the 570, while barely sipping more power. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/301?vs=306

ASRock is made by Asus. I've never had a problem with an ASRock board.

This monitor looks just fine: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=558_1212&products_id=16621

You really need 2 drives. One is the OS/games, and one is storage. When you install an app you just tell it to install to the SSD or the HDD. With only 120GB of space you will be VERY limited.

Then all benchmarks I have seen are wrong. Is it even telling you what CPU is being used, etc.? If I've seen benchmarks where the Nvidia card outperforms, then certainly the 6870 doesn't out perform.

 

[striker410]

Then all benchmarks I have seen are wrong. Is it even telling you what CPU is being used, etc.? If I've seen benchmarks where the Nvidia card outperforms, then certainly the 6870 doesn't out perform.

It's a pair of 6870's in crossfire.

 

[geofelt]

From these GTX570's which do you think is the best? The one you selected isn't available in aus

Price: $369.00
Vendor Code: 012-P3-1571-KR
Minimum Watts: 550
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1177&products_id=17320

Price: $389.00
Vendor Code: 012-P3-1573-KR
Minimum Watts: 550
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1177&products_id=17239

Price: $389.00
Vendor Code: GV-N570OC-13I Rev2.0
Minimum Watts: 600
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1177&products_id=17554

Price: $399.00
Vendor Code: ENGTX570-DCII-1280D5
Minimum Watts:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1177&products_id=17117

Price: $399.00
Vendor Code: N570GTXTWINFIIIPEOC
Minimum Watts:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1177&products_id=17531

I think I would pick the first one. The second, the evga superclock is perhaps a bit faster, but it also costs a bit more.
You get fair value from either.

The coolers on the others, while good, will put pressure on your case cooling, and ultimately impact your cpu cooling.

 

[striker410]

My vote is for the TFIII. It's overclocking capabilities are off the charts, so therefore you get the most value out of all those cards!
In gaming, GPU speed is more important than CPU speed.

 

[compute]

Maybe a cheaper and reliable blu ray burner that works on win7 64bit?

Hows the monitor for gaming and general use? (what about ghosting?)
And the graphics card?

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Motherboard B3 - $212.00
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K - $227.00
CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper-212+ (Universal) - $32.00
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 HD - $369.00 - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.ph [...] s_id=17320
OR http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1177&products_id=17531 NOT sure how much watts it uses couldn't find anything on the web about it...
Memory: G.SKILL DDR3 8GB (2X4GB) PC-12800/1600 F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM - $75.90 - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.ph [...] s_id=16934
SSD: Crucial M4 SSD 128GB - $239.00
Optical Driver: Pioneer BDR-206 Blu-Ray Disc Writer - $145.00
Power Supply: Seasonic X-650 80Plus Gold 650W - $189.00
Monitor: ASUS 24" VS248H - $217.00
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Keyboard - $149.00
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder-V2 Infrared Gaming Mouse - $57.00
Mouse Pad: Razer Goliathus Fragged Standard MouseMat Refresh - Control Version - $15.00
Speakers: Logitech Z523 2.1 Speaker System - $86.00
Case: CoolerMaster CM 690 II Advanced with Window - $125.00
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit with SP1 OEM - $95.00

Total: $2291.90