UPDATE: While making this build, I changed my mind from wanting a 1-monitor build, to wanting a 3-monitor build. Nevertheless, I am listing both builds here.
Criteria for builds:
* Fairly cheap,
* No 3D gaming,
* No bling,
* Small box,
* Possibility for water cooling (not required)
3-monitor build: (think I'm dubbing it "the killer toaster")
Rig:
Motherboard:
Asus Maximus IV GENE-Z
(microATX, supports two graphics card on x8/x8 PCIe 2.0 lanes)
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/Maximus_IV_GENEZ/#specifications
CPU:
Intel® Core™ i5-2500K
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=52210
Memory:
2x Kingston HyperX blu 4GB
8GB RAM total
http://www.kingston.com/hyperx/products/blu.asp
Graphics:
XFX Radeon HD 6950 XXX (1GB) HD-695X-ZDDC
http://xfxforce.com/en-gb/products/graphiccards/hd%206000series/6950Standard.aspx
Storage:
Crucial RealSSD C300 128 GB
(I have more external storage)
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT128M4SSD2
Upgrades:
Upgrade 1:
AMD 7xxx card.
Upgrade 2:
AMD 7xxx card, CrossFire
Accessories:
Monitor:
3x ASUS VW224T (black)
(5040x1050 resolution)
http://www.asus.com/Display/LCD_Monitors/VW224T/
Case:
Lian-Li PC-V352.
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=516&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=63&g=f
1-monitor build:
Rig:
Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3
(microATX; technically supports two graphics card on x8/x8, but they won't both fit)
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3854#sp
CPU:
Intel® Core™ i5-2500K
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=52210
Memory:
2x Kingston HyperX blu 4GB
8GB RAM total
http://www.kingston.com/hyperx/products/blu.asp
Graphics:
XFX Radeon HD 6950 XXX (1GB) HD-695X-ZDDC
http://xfxforce.com/en-gb/products/graphiccards/hd%206000series/6950Standard.aspx
Storage:
Crucial RealSSD C300 128 GB
(I have more external storage)
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT128M4SSD2
Upgrades:
Upgrade 1:
AMD 7xxx card.
Accessories:
Monitor:
ViewSonic VX2739WM
(1920x1080 (HD))
http://www.viewsonic.com/products/vx2739wm.htm
Case:
Lian-Li PC-V352.
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=516&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=63&g=f
***
Follow-up on http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/313658-31-help-build-1500-gaming .
Hi folks,
I am assembling a gaming rig.
I would really appreciate some feedback on this build. I also have lots of questions at the end which I am very curious about.
I have not been following up on hardware developments over the last 5 years. I found the following review enlightening:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/p67-gaming-3-way-sli-three-card-crossfire,2910-17.html
Based on this review (which says x58 isn't really that great at gaming), I came up with the [builds listed above].
Questions:
*) Motherboard:
The NF200 chip. Does NVidia only cooperate with NVidia, and should I therefore go for an NVidia graphics card?
Eventually I will have 2 graphics cards in this rig. Is this chip only useful if you plan on having 3 or 4? If so, then maybe I should downgrade the motherboard.
Answer: P67/Z68 motherboards are only capable of delivering full bandwidth to one PCIe x16 slot. Were you to use i.e. two PCIe x16 slots, the bandwidth to "the" PCIe x16 slot is split between the two slots, making them function in effect as PCIe x8 slots. While the NF200 chip helps increase bandwidth, this bandwidth is not utilized in a 2-graphic-card CrossFire/SLI mode at 1920x1080 resolution. At least not with the cards on the market today. Also, the NF200 chip adds a tiny delay to data being transferred from the CPU to the graphics card.
*) Graphics:
I will buy a second HD 6950 later, and CrossFire them. Is there a bottleneck in my system which severely reduces the benefit of an extra card?
I will activate the dormant shaders on the HD 6950 later, as per http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/159 . Is this a bad idea?
Answer: No comment on bandwidth. On shaders: The latest HD 6950 do not have this "feature", so trying to update the BIOS with one that expects more shaders / with the HD 6970 BIOS can be dangerous.
*) CPU:
Should I get more GHz?
Should I get more L2 cache? (*very* expensive)
Should I go for AMD instead?
Answer: Extreme GHz pointless. Extreme cache pointless. Extreme #threads pointless. An Intel Core i5 will do (benchmarks linked below). No comment on AMD vs. Intel.
*) Memory:
CL9; is this normal/good? I seem to remember this number being lower many years ago.
Would you go for 32GB RAM? Is 16GB already overkill?
Answer: On CL9: Find CL7 RAM. On 16/32GB RAM: You shouldn't need more than 8GB.
*) Overclocking:
Can I squeeze some more performance out of it? If not, what is the weak link?
Answer: No comment.
*) Drives:
Is it rewarding to go for more than 2 SSDs in RAID 0 (diminishing returns and all)? If so, I need a different motherboard / an external RAID controller.
Answer: Apparently not; performance increase only noticeable with non-SSD drives.
*) Bottlenecks:
Are any components (CPU, RAM, busses) too fast/slow compared to the others?
How about when I add a graphics card?
Answer: No comment.
*) Cooling:
I want to experiment with watercooling when I purchase my second graphics card. I would appreciate a link to a watercooling howto made by people who know what they are doing.
Answer: Strong opinions for and against (mostly against). You lose the warranty of your graphics card if you remove the cooler to place a water-cooled cooling block on it.
*) Cabinet:
I originally considered the Lian-Li Armorsuit pc p80, but I find it somewhat large. If you know a no-nonsense cabinet (I am a fan of Lian-Li), or even a microATX motherboard which can house this build, I would much appreciate a link.
Answer: No comment.
*) PSU:
Feel free to recommend one, which can power 2 grapics cards.
Answer: PSU 750-850W Seasonic, Corsair, Antec, XFX.
Thanks!
Willard.
EDIT: Reordered the questions to make them digestible, summarized answers.
Criteria for builds:
* Fairly cheap,
* No 3D gaming,
* No bling,
* Small box,
* Possibility for water cooling (not required)
3-monitor build: (think I'm dubbing it "the killer toaster")
Rig:
Motherboard:
Asus Maximus IV GENE-Z
(microATX, supports two graphics card on x8/x8 PCIe 2.0 lanes)
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/Maximus_IV_GENEZ/#specifications
CPU:
Intel® Core™ i5-2500K
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=52210
Memory:
2x Kingston HyperX blu 4GB
8GB RAM total
http://www.kingston.com/hyperx/products/blu.asp
Graphics:
XFX Radeon HD 6950 XXX (1GB) HD-695X-ZDDC
http://xfxforce.com/en-gb/products/graphiccards/hd%206000series/6950Standard.aspx
Storage:
Crucial RealSSD C300 128 GB
(I have more external storage)
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT128M4SSD2
Upgrades:
Upgrade 1:
AMD 7xxx card.
Upgrade 2:
AMD 7xxx card, CrossFire
Accessories:
Monitor:
3x ASUS VW224T (black)
(5040x1050 resolution)
http://www.asus.com/Display/LCD_Monitors/VW224T/
Case:
Lian-Li PC-V352.
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=516&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=63&g=f
1-monitor build:
Rig:
Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3
(microATX; technically supports two graphics card on x8/x8, but they won't both fit)
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3854#sp
CPU:
Intel® Core™ i5-2500K
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=52210
Memory:
2x Kingston HyperX blu 4GB
8GB RAM total
http://www.kingston.com/hyperx/products/blu.asp
Graphics:
XFX Radeon HD 6950 XXX (1GB) HD-695X-ZDDC
http://xfxforce.com/en-gb/products/graphiccards/hd%206000series/6950Standard.aspx
Storage:
Crucial RealSSD C300 128 GB
(I have more external storage)
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT128M4SSD2
Upgrades:
Upgrade 1:
AMD 7xxx card.
Accessories:
Monitor:
ViewSonic VX2739WM
(1920x1080 (HD))
http://www.viewsonic.com/products/vx2739wm.htm
Case:
Lian-Li PC-V352.
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=516&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=63&g=f
***
Follow-up on http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/313658-31-help-build-1500-gaming .
Hi folks,
I am assembling a gaming rig.
I would really appreciate some feedback on this build. I also have lots of questions at the end which I am very curious about.
I have not been following up on hardware developments over the last 5 years. I found the following review enlightening:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/p67-gaming-3-way-sli-three-card-crossfire,2910-17.html
Based on this review (which says x58 isn't really that great at gaming), I came up with the [builds listed above].
Questions:
*) Motherboard:
The NF200 chip. Does NVidia only cooperate with NVidia, and should I therefore go for an NVidia graphics card?
Eventually I will have 2 graphics cards in this rig. Is this chip only useful if you plan on having 3 or 4? If so, then maybe I should downgrade the motherboard.
Answer: P67/Z68 motherboards are only capable of delivering full bandwidth to one PCIe x16 slot. Were you to use i.e. two PCIe x16 slots, the bandwidth to "the" PCIe x16 slot is split between the two slots, making them function in effect as PCIe x8 slots. While the NF200 chip helps increase bandwidth, this bandwidth is not utilized in a 2-graphic-card CrossFire/SLI mode at 1920x1080 resolution. At least not with the cards on the market today. Also, the NF200 chip adds a tiny delay to data being transferred from the CPU to the graphics card.
*) Graphics:
I will buy a second HD 6950 later, and CrossFire them. Is there a bottleneck in my system which severely reduces the benefit of an extra card?
I will activate the dormant shaders on the HD 6950 later, as per http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/159 . Is this a bad idea?
Answer: No comment on bandwidth. On shaders: The latest HD 6950 do not have this "feature", so trying to update the BIOS with one that expects more shaders / with the HD 6970 BIOS can be dangerous.
*) CPU:
Should I get more GHz?
Should I get more L2 cache? (*very* expensive)
Should I go for AMD instead?
Answer: Extreme GHz pointless. Extreme cache pointless. Extreme #threads pointless. An Intel Core i5 will do (benchmarks linked below). No comment on AMD vs. Intel.
*) Memory:
CL9; is this normal/good? I seem to remember this number being lower many years ago.
Would you go for 32GB RAM? Is 16GB already overkill?
Answer: On CL9: Find CL7 RAM. On 16/32GB RAM: You shouldn't need more than 8GB.
*) Overclocking:
Can I squeeze some more performance out of it? If not, what is the weak link?
Answer: No comment.
*) Drives:
Is it rewarding to go for more than 2 SSDs in RAID 0 (diminishing returns and all)? If so, I need a different motherboard / an external RAID controller.
Answer: Apparently not; performance increase only noticeable with non-SSD drives.
*) Bottlenecks:
Are any components (CPU, RAM, busses) too fast/slow compared to the others?
How about when I add a graphics card?
Answer: No comment.
*) Cooling:
I want to experiment with watercooling when I purchase my second graphics card. I would appreciate a link to a watercooling howto made by people who know what they are doing.
Answer: Strong opinions for and against (mostly against). You lose the warranty of your graphics card if you remove the cooler to place a water-cooled cooling block on it.
*) Cabinet:
I originally considered the Lian-Li Armorsuit pc p80, but I find it somewhat large. If you know a no-nonsense cabinet (I am a fan of Lian-Li), or even a microATX motherboard which can house this build, I would much appreciate a link.
Answer: No comment.
*) PSU:
Feel free to recommend one, which can power 2 grapics cards.
Answer: PSU 750-850W Seasonic, Corsair, Antec, XFX.
Thanks!
Willard.
EDIT: Reordered the questions to make them digestible, summarized answers.