Rig upgrade 4 years in the making...

[merango]

Hi,

I have finally managed to get the money together for a new rig – mainly games but some video editing and converting plus some Photoshop work now and then. Its going to be a substantial spend as I’ve not upgraded in many years and feel that the quality of games these days warrant the best or near best that money can buy to last well into the next 3 years if the system is done right. That’s where your advice will help!

I have been trawling the net searching for the right components, reading reviews and generally confusing myself with what is the best setup for a games and apps rig. Many people prefer one CPU while other swear by another, Motherboards are so varied it’s hard to choose the right one.

So I have come up with a few things I want to have, a few of these are possibly OTT but I’m still missing a few blanks which I’d love some advice on.

The one area I’m stuck with is storage - Hard drives Vs. SSD. I am going to treat myself to an OCZ RevoDrive 3 PCI-e SSD 240GB (1000Mbps read / 900 Mbps write – 130,000 iops) which is more than fast enough for the next year I hope! Just not sure if this should be for my games only drive (Steam downloads) and have a pair of OCZ Vertex 3 (2nd Generation) 120GB in Raid 0 for my OS and apps.

I have a Promise NS4600 8TB box for my films, photos, music and media content so there is no need to have large 1TB or 2TB drives in the rig to store this on. This will purely be for the main games and app crunching of video conversation locally on the PC. I take regular backups to the NAS drive each month so am happy with the fact my data is backed up.

So for the rest I have a few gaps but any advice on the whole rig would be great as I’m dying to spend and get building.


Approximate Purchase Date: next 2 weeks
Budget Range: AUD $5K - $6K
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Games, Photoshop and video coding / converting
Parts Not Required: OS, 30” DELL Monitor, speakers, keyboard & mouse
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: www.techbuy.com.au
Country of Origin: Australia
Parts Preferences: Intel platform with a Mid tower / full tower case
Overclocking: Maybe (new to this but could try it)
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, not sure on gains vs price
Monitor Resolution: 2560 x 1600
Additional Comments: Ideally a quiet rig if possible

OS - Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
Case – suggestions please but I’d really prefer USB 3.0 ports only (no legacy hardware) Full tower or Mid is fine, reasonably quiet if possible
Mobo – USB 3.0 only on this also but looking at Asus RAMPAGE III Extreme http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/142828/MOTHERBOARD_INTEL_SOCKET_B_(LGA1366)/ASUS/RAMPAGE_III_EXTREME.asp
CPU – Intel i7 960 QUAD http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/135925/CPU_INTEL_SOCKET_1366_(CORE_I7)/Intel/BX80601960.asp
PSU – 1000 / 1200w to future proof – ANTEC 1200 HCP-1200 http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/163219/POWERSUPPLIES_1000W_AND_ABOVE/Antec/0-761345-10612-2.asp
Sound Card – Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/89758/SOUNDCARD_ALL/Creative/70SB088600004.asp
Blu-ray / DVD – Pioneer BDR-206BKRP http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/162742/DVDROM_BLU-RAY_WRITERS_-_INTERNAL/Pioneer/BDR-206BKRP.asp
Graphics – Nvidia GTX 580 1.5GB or 3GB ram version
RAM – 16GB (4x4GB) want something fast that will allow future proofing
Cooling / Fans / RAM cooling– suggestions please (would like a quiet PC if possible!)

So there are a few suggestions for a rig I’ve been looking at, feel free to offer alternatives in what I’ve looked at and any ideas on bits I have left blank, simply have no idea about quiet fans for cooling or CPU cooling..its been a while since I upgraded.

Budget is faily relaxed, just want to get a good rig for the next 3 years that can be upgraded such as swapping out GPU or going SLI whatever gives the best upgrade path really.

Thanks for reading my post

 

[kevinqi071197]

RAM 8GB
CPU Cooling- COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
A sound card isnt very necessary unless your doing professional sound track editing, since the built in sound in the mobo is practicaly just as good.

 

[008Rohit]

an i7 2600K would be better in my opinion.

 

[merango]

Thanks guys. will have a look at the options, sound on board I guess has come along way since 5 years ago so I could drop the card and use the onboard. How much of a difference is the i7 2600K than the i7 960 in terms of speed, or can the 2600K be clocked to give the same level of speed?

Cheers

 

[008Rohit]

Thanks guys. will have a look at the options, sound on board I guess has come along way since 5 years ago so I could drop the card and use the onboard. How much of a difference is the i7 2600K than the i7 960 in terms of speed, or can the 2600K be clocked to give the same level of speed?

Cheers

Any Sandy Bridge processor is better than their successors. (ClarkDale) Just the clock speed doesn't matter all. My i3 2100 3.1Ghz can beat any AMD Quad or Hexa cores 3.7Ghz in a single task easily.
The 2600K is much more superior than the 970 or whatever 9**.
The LGA1156 socket is dead, too.

 

[chillin15]

Hi,

I have finally managed to get the money together for a new rig – mainly games but some video editing and converting plus some Photoshop work now and then. Its going to be a substantial spend as I’ve not upgraded in many years and feel that the quality of games these days warrant the best or near best that money can buy to last well into the next 3 years if the system is done right. That’s where your advice will help!

I have been trawling the net searching for the right components, reading reviews and generally confusing myself with what is the best setup for a games and apps rig. Many people prefer one CPU while other swear by another, Motherboards are so varied it’s hard to choose the right one.

So I have come up with a few things I want to have, a few of these are possibly OTT but I’m still missing a few blanks which I’d love some advice on.

The one area I’m stuck with is storage - Hard drives Vs. SSD. I am going to treat myself to an OCZ RevoDrive 3 PCI-e SSD 240GB (1000Mbps read / 900 Mbps write – 130,000 iops) which is more than fast enough for the next year I hope! Just not sure if this should be for my games only drive (Steam downloads) and have a pair of OCZ Vertex 3 (2nd Generation) 120GB in Raid 0 for my OS and apps.

I have a Promise NS4600 8TB box for my films, photos, music and media content so there is no need to have large 1TB or 2TB drives in the rig to store this on. This will purely be for the main games and app crunching of video conversation locally on the PC. I take regular backups to the NAS drive each month so am happy with the fact my data is backed up.

So for the rest I have a few gaps but any advice on the whole rig would be great as I’m dying to spend and get building.


Approximate Purchase Date: next 2 weeks
Budget Range: AUD $5K - $6K
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Games, Photoshop and video coding / converting
Parts Not Required: OS, 30” DELL Monitor, speakers, keyboard & mouse
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: www.techbuy.com.au
Country of Origin: Australia
Parts Preferences: Intel platform with a Mid tower / full tower case
Overclocking: Maybe (new to this but could try it)
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, not sure on gains vs price
Monitor Resolution: 2560 x 1600
Additional Comments: Ideally a quiet rig if possible

OS - Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
Case – suggestions please but I’d really prefer USB 3.0 ports only (no legacy hardware) Full tower or Mid is fine, reasonably quiet if possible
Mobo – USB 3.0 only on this also but looking at Asus RAMPAGE III Extreme http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/142828/MOTHERBOARD_INTEL_SOCKET_B_(LGA1366)/ASUS/RAMPAGE_III_EXTREME.asp
CPU – Intel i7 960 QUAD http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/135925/CPU_INTEL_SOCKET_1366_(CORE_I7)/Intel/BX80601960.asp
PSU – 1000 / 1200w to future proof – ANTEC 1200 HCP-1200 http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/163219/POWERSUPPLIES_1000W_AND_ABOVE/Antec/0-761345-10612-2.asp
Sound Card – Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/89758/SOUNDCARD_ALL/Creative/70SB088600004.asp
Blu-ray / DVD – Pioneer BDR-206BKRP http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/162742/DVDROM_BLU-RAY_WRITERS_-_INTERNAL/Pioneer/BDR-206BKRP.asp
Graphics – Nvidia GTX 580 1.5GB or 3GB ram version
RAM – 16GB (4x4GB) want something fast that will allow future proofing
Cooling / Fans / RAM cooling– suggestions please (would like a quiet PC if possible!)

So there are a few suggestions for a rig I’ve been looking at, feel free to offer alternatives in what I’ve looked at and any ideas on bits I have left blank, simply have no idea about quiet fans for cooling or CPU cooling..its been a while since I upgraded.

Budget is faily relaxed, just want to get a good rig for the next 3 years that can be upgraded such as swapping out GPU or going SLI whatever gives the best upgrade path really.

Thanks for reading my post

I saw a few quiets in there and I knew I had to respond. I hope you don't mind but I will link you to newegg merchandise even though your preferred website is techbuy because techbuy isn't working for me currently.

Processor:i5 2500k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

unless you do A LOT of video editing then opt for the i7 2600k

Case: Only 3 TRUE silent cases in the market (<30db with decent cooling):

Antec p183 v3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129174

pros: build quality, separation of chambers for psu and mobo, can fit any length video card if you take out the middle chamber
cons: dated, need to keep fans on low/med to keep it silent or you can replace all the fans with silent fans

fractal define r3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352002

pros: tooless design, more air into the chambers, nice padding all around
cons: no usb3 front port but fractal coming out with one in a bit

silverstone ft02
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163162

pros: best cooling in a mid sized tower
cons: might need to get use to the 90 degree rotation

sound card: dont need a sound card - onboard audio works great nowadays

graphics card:
MSI lighting GTX 580
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127589

OR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121429
that will happen sli'ing though but who needs to really sli with a 580?

The asus design takes up 3 slots but offers the best cooling on any gpu. It is also the quietest out of all the 580s.

CPU Cooler: Noctua U12P
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608014

Or thermalright silver arrow
http://www.amazon.com/THERMALRIGHT-SILVER-ARROW-DUAL14CM-HEATSINK/dp/B003XRAKLQ

Fans for your case: Nexus or Noctua fans are really silent.

 

[chillin15]

Also, there will be people recommending hyper 212+ as a cooler and the reason why they do that is because it has great cooling performance but that stock fan is garbage in terms of noise:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1046-page10.html

If you want to get the hypermaster and replace that fan with a nexus 120, that would make it much quieter.

 

[merango]

Thanks Guys, I am getting the list down to the last few bits. Any comments on the SSD and PCI-e Revodrive...overkill for a treat?

 

[chillin15]

6,000 in AUD is a lot of money...Make your cpu happy with the Thermalright SA, Noctua Nh-D14 or at least a Prolimatech Megahalems

 

[merango]

i7 2600 it is just seen the specs against the i7 960...think I'll be ordering this week ;-)

 

[merango]

Ok, thanks to all for the advice, I've manage to agree on the following system:

Case - Silverstone Fortress FT02B
CPU - i7 2600K
Mobo - Asus P8P67 Pro (rev 3)
GPU - MSI GTX 580 3GB
SDD - 2 x OCZ Vertex 3.(2nd gen) 120GB RAID 0
Storage - OCZ RevoDrive 3 PCI-E 240GB
Heatsink - Noctua NH-D14
Thermal compound - Arctic Silver 5

Regarding fans for the case still looking but like the Noctua ones and anything quiet!

RAM is still an issue as I know nothing about the timings they show so will have to look around. Are Corsair any good?

 

[merango]

Forgot PSU:

OCZ 1000W ZX Series PSU

RAM Options are:

G.SKILL Ripjaws-X 16GB (4GB x 4) PC3 12800 (DDR3-1600) XH 7-8-7-24 1.6V
Corsair 12GB (3 x 4GB) PC3-16000 2000MHz DDR3 RAM - 9-10-9-27 - Dominator GT


Also forgot to ask what is the difference between the i7 2600 and i7 2600K?

 

[Randomacts]

2600 can never be overclocked


2600k can be overclocked very easily

 

[ElysianWhip]

2600 can never be overclocked


2600k can be overclocked very easily

^+1

Please make sure you buy the 2600k not the 2600. Your buying a hardcore system, and you already have a fan selected so you should be overclocking this sucker.

 

[chillin15]

Ok, thanks to all for the advice, I've manage to agree on the following system:

Case - Silverstone Fortress FT02B
CPU - i7 2600K
Mobo - Asus P8P67 Pro (rev 3)
GPU - MSI GTX 580 3GB
SDD - 2 x OCZ Vertex 3.(2nd gen) 120GB RAID 0
Storage - OCZ RevoDrive 3 PCI-E 240GB
Heatsink - Noctua NH-D14
Thermal compound - Arctic Silver 5

Regarding fans for the case still looking but like the Noctua ones and anything quiet!

RAM is still an issue as I know nothing about the timings they show so will have to look around. Are Corsair any good?

Nice, That is a nice build...

timings don't matter as much as ram speed. For the price and performance, get 8gb (2x4gb) of ram at 1600mhz. Gskill and Corsair are great choices. Make sure the heat spreaders on the ram are not too high as your D14 will not like that

As for timings, anything below 9s are good to go.

As for fans, noctua leads the industry in quiet fans as their design and oil bearings produce very little noise. Other quiet fans are the nexus 120s. There might be other "quiet" fans out there but usually they falsely claim they are quiet and make up dba and cfm numbers.

 

[merango]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions so far..

Arrived:

Case - Silverstone FT02B (USB 3.0)
CPU - Intel 2600K
Mobo - ASUS P8P67 PRO
OCZ - 2 x Vertex 3 (120GB each)
OCZ - RevoDrive 3 240GB

Still to ship - on order:

Noctua NT-H1 Pro Grade Thermal compound
Noctua NF-S12B Case fan 120mm FLX 1200rpm
Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler with 140mm & 120mm fans
MSI Gefore GTX580 3072GB GDDR5 772Mhz, 4008Mhz
Antec 1200W HCP 1200

Still to decide:

RAM (16GB - 4 x 4GB) - also what cooling solutuion that will fit artound the CPU cooler!!
SATA- III Cables - what is a good brand for the Sata 6Gbps Drives

Just cant decide on the right size and speed of RAM...trying to get around CL 8's across the board but the coolers are massive!

Any advice? Cheers

 

[chillin15]

Timings don't matter that much. Ram speed and amount matter the most. I would get 1600mhz and CL timings at 9 or 8 would be fine. The g skill ripjaws usually do not have any interference with large coolers.

The mobo should come with sata cables

 

[merango]

Thanks Chillin..

Just checked the Mobo box and 2 SATA-III cables so all good. Should have looked first! But for future reference, any brand to recommend?

With the RAM, was worried that it would need the FAN cooler that sits on top of a lot of the high performance ram, but hope that the case cooling I have will be enough.

http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/174585/MEMORY_MEMORY_DDR-3_RAM/G.Skill/F3-17066CL7D-4GBPIS.asp

http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/163471/MEMORY_MEMORY_DDR-3_RAM/G.Skill/F3-17000CL9Q-16GBXLD.asp

 

[chillin15]

Thanks Chillin..

Just checked the Mobo box and 2 SATA-III cables so all good. Should have looked first! But for future reference, any brand to recommend?

With the RAM, was worried that it would need the FAN cooler that sits on top of a lot of the high performance ram, but hope that the case cooling I have will be enough.

http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/174585/MEMORY_MEMORY_DDR-3_RAM/G.Skill/F3-17066CL7D-4GBPIS.asp

http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/163471/MEMORY_MEMORY_DDR-3_RAM/G.Skill/F3-17000CL9Q-16GBXLD.asp

Since you are using an intel i7 processor, I would stick with ram with 1.5v. see this thread:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/264113-29-intel-2600k

I am not saying it won't work, I'm just saying to be safe, I would stick with 1.5v. Also, your mobo allows for those higher ram speeds by overclocking so you will need to play around with the voltages and timings to reach those higher speeds.

Go to
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131703 -

and clock on details, you will see

Memory Standard
DDR3 2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066