Hoping for some feedback on a new build!

Hello everyone,

I'm currently trying to decide how to build my new pc, designed exclusively for gaming, with ultra settings in mind. I live in France, so I apologize in advance for my bad English, and for any components i refer to by their European name.

I'm looking for the best quality/price ratio, I'm a student, so relatively poor =p (pasta for 3 months in order to upgrade my computer ^^)

Thanks for all the help and advice! Here's what I have so far:

Proc: Intel Core I7 2700k

PSU: Corsair AX - 1200w

Ventirad: Noctua NH-D14 (proc cooling)

Graphics card: MSI N580GTX Twin Frozr II/OC

Memory: Corsair DDR3 Kit 2 x 4 Go Dominator GT - PC16000 - 2000 MHz - CAS 9

Hard drive for OS and games: Crucial M4 128Go SATA revision 3.0
Hard drive for storage: reusing my old velociraptor 10.000 rpm, since I have 4 1TB externals for real storage.

Case and Motherboard: Now here's where I'm still hesitating. I was dead set on the Antec twelve hundred v3, but then opted for the Asus Maximus IV extreme-z mobo, which is eATX format, and not supported by the case.
So I'm pretty much stuck here, wondering if the Maximus IV extreme-z is really necessary, or if the P8Z68 deluxe more than enough (intense OC'ing in mind). If the Maximus IV extreme-z is really better, then I need a full-tower eATX case with very good air cooling =p

Getting a blu-ray player/burner as well, and reusing my two dvd players/burners from my old computer.

Oh, and is a sound card really necessary? I have a 5.1 surround sound system, and usually plug in my headphones when gaming, so will the mobo support that, or do I need to buy an extra card?

Is there anything missing? wrong? Am I dumping too much money in useless upgrades? Is this the best "bang for my buck"? I'll take any comments and help you can give me

Thanks again!

 

If you are looking for Bang for buck then I would consider a Bulldozer FX-8 Eight Core 8150 Black Edition 3.60Ghz processor. They arent out yet but you can pre-order in the UK. They are £50 cheaper than the 2700K and the turbo clock will go to 4.2GHz. If I was looking at the i2700 I would go with the Asrock Fatal1ty Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard **B3 REVISION**.

Your PSU is overkill unless you plan to use SLI/Crossfire at any point in the future. You could save a few pennies there.

Lastly you may want to consider an SSD for your primary dirve.

Hope this helps

 

Hello, and thanks for your reply

1) I think I'm dead set on the 2700k, as it performs extremely well, and I don't need the 8 cores for gaming. I think the 2700k oc'ed (a lot) will still outshine AMD.

2) Definitely planning of SLI'ing my 580 at some point in the future, which is why I chose a 1200w PSU =p

3) I did choose an SSD drive as primary: the Crucial M4 128go SATA revision 3.0

 

Az there are no benchmarks out for bulldozer im inclined to agree you may get better performance. was chucking bulldozer in as a cheap option.

sorry about the ssd. has been a long day and i saw the sata and assumed it a disk drive nott ssd

 

No problem!! Any input is good Thanks for helping out.

Is there anything else you see? What about the motherboard? Big performance difference betwen the extreme-z and the p8x68?

And a good eATX compatible full tower case? =p

 

Welcome aboard and your English is perfect.:-D This post is taking into account that you'd actually like to have a pizza once in a while.

i7 2700K: Spend $55 more for only a 100MHz boost? which might get you 4.7GHz unless you're a lucky one to get one of the fasterr chips, luck of the draw really? It won't make a difference in the long run except on benchmarks. Stick with the 2600K. I realize that the 2700 has an 8MB cache and I'm not sure how much that would help.

Corsair AX 1200W PSU: I love my Corsairs but I feel 1200W is overkill for one video card with a draw of 400W, good if you're going to eventually add an identical second card in SLI. A 850W is enough for a single card.

Noctua NH-D14: I like the closed loop water coolers better than the huge air coolers just because they're huge. I have a CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ cooling my 2600K @ 4.6GHz and a steady 70C with one fan. I have Corsair H-50 on my i7 930 with one fan and it's been a solid performer these last 3 years. Just giving you options as $90 is quite a bit of money for an air cooler though it is a good and quiet cooler.

MSI N580GTX Twin Frozr II/OC: This is a good card but you asked for 'best bang for buck' and that is the GTX560Ti. Of course, any decision that is made for your video card(s) will determine your choice of PSU.

ASUS Maximus-z is nice but is overkill IMO and the P8Z68 would be good.

Memory is fine and Antec make good cases but if you won't need an eATX MOBO then perhaps get the 900. Oh, x64 W7 of course. I think that's it. I hope I gave you some options to look at and of course that means more research. Good luck and have fun!

Edit: I see Tueur got in ahead of me. Oh well.

 

The more input the better. And as you are running Sandy Bridge you are beeter placed than me to advise. Your OC is pretty impressive!

Take a look at the Asrock Motherboard i mentioned below. It is standard ATX so will fit in ATX case. I will give a thumbs up to the Antec 900. I have the original 900 which is pretty awsome. The new mark 3 900 looks amazing. Its not quite as big as the 1200 but has everything. The Asrock board is £100 cheaper than yours so you could get some water cooling thrown in with that and the saving you could get with the 560 GPU

 

Not really, I just got one of the %50 of CPU'S that could go there to 4.6GHz, %2 of them can actually go to 5GHz, it's somewhere on the eVGA forums and I can't find it ATM. I was thinking that would be the same % yield for the 2700K.

The unlocked processor is the key as you don't have to fool around with FSB or memory speed as that can get hairy!:eek These are the easiest Intels so far to OC, and least expensive. BTW, I don't OC to the bleeding edge, ya I could probably get to 4.8 but I want a stable machine, first and foremost to fold with!

 

I want to thank you all for your input, it was extremely helpful

The price difference between the 2600k and the 2700k is actually lower than that, I found a store near me that is doing some sort of "sale" on the 2700k, lowering it slightly.. It' only roughly 30$ more than the 2600k, which is why I'm going for it, even though the difference would be minimal. I'm also hoping that the percentage of them able to OC over 4.6Ghz is higher in the 2700k line than with the 2600k (not sure if I'm making sense =p )

1200w being overkill.. Well I'm definitely going to SLI the gtx580 down the road, and might go for watercooling eventually.. the PSU is one of the only components you can really "future proof", and the price isn't too extravagant, which is why I headed in that direction =p

I hesitated a lot concerning cooling. You're right, watercooling does look better (and makes for a MUCH sexier case =p ), but to be perfectly honest, I have NO experience with this, and am kind of scared to try it out on such an expensive system.. The Noctua air cooler is the best I found, and I've read reviews of 2500k's and 2600k's being OC'ed to 4.6-4.7Ghz with this, in a good case.

For the GPU, I was, again, in a "future-proofing" logic. Now, don't get me wrong, I HATE the term, and I think future proofing is a stupid approach to building a computer, since no matter what you buy, it'll be obsolete in 6 months.. But since I'm thinking of SLI'ing the gtx580 down the road, (not enough money for two currently =p ), I'd rather have the best performing card possible and add a second one later..

Still on the subject of the GPU.. Is the twin frozr II/oc a very good gtx580? I liked the OC on it, as well as the REAL difference in temperature it has with other 580's.. It's not just a marketing gimmick.. I've been an EVGA fan for ever, but I decided to try something else.. Are there any better versions out there in the same price range? (I could spend a little more on the GPU, but don't want the 590..). I know there's the lightning extreme version, but I don't really need the 3Go.. I'm pretty sure it's fairly useless, as I don't plan on going tri-monitor (or not soon, anyways), and a gtx580 should be more than enough for my 24" monitor and 46" TV.. And since I'm SLI'ing it eventually anyways...

Now on to the motherboard.. That's kind of the hard part.. I've read countless reviews, but I just can't make up my mind: what, oh, what are the REAL differences between the "stock" z68 and the ROG maximus extreme-z card? Will I see any real benefits?

As for memory.. do you actually see any improvements in going to a higher frequency than 1600Mhz? Would the mobo be compatible with my choice of 2000Mhz?

And lastly for the case.. if I go for the stock z68, then my choice is dead set on the antec twelve hundred.. but if I go for the Maximus ROG card, then I need a eATX compatible case.. which the twelve hundred isn't.. I need one with beautiful cooling, a decently sexy look (somewhat important ^^), I'd like a window on the side, and, another important factor: DUST FILTERS ON THE FANS! Cooling and the filters are the most important aspects.

Anyways, thanks for reading my wall of text, and I hope you understand my concerns and questions

 

So here's the final listing, tell me what you guys think =p

SSD drive: Crucial M4 128Go

Proc: I7 2700k

Mobo: Asus Maximus IV Extreme-z

Case: Haf X

PSU: Corsair AX - 850w (hope it'll be enough to SLI the 580's)

Proc cooler: Noctua NH-D14

Graphic card: Msi's 580gtx Lightning (not the extreme version)

Memory: Still not sure here, but from what I gathered, choose a 1600Mhz from a good brand at 1.5V with the lowest possible timings..

What do you think?

 

I like the haf X case but I think the 850W PSU is too wimpy for SLI'ing a pair of GTX 580's, like I said above they take 400W each and then there's the rest of your machine to take into account, do the math.

You also don't need a gold PSU either as I find the Corsair 80+ bronze series to be very good at a much more affordable price. I have a TX750W bronze powering my i7 930 sig rig 24/7 for the last 3 years with CPU and GPU'S OC'd to the max and it doesn't even break a sweat.

 

Ok, so I'm back to the 1200w equivalent =p

What about the memory? And will I need to change the fans on the Haf X, or is the cooling amazing even when stock?

 

I don't have the haf X but I do have the CM Sniper which is somewhat lower down on the totem pole but with 3x200mm fans(one front intake and two outs on top and a 120mm side fan intake) plus the CPU HS/F radiator which blows out, it ain't too far behind.

I don't know how hot your upper GPU will get by installing the second GPU right next to it in slot #2. I know these cards run cooler than mine though I had heat issues with my 260 on top and the 470 in slot #2 on my eVGA X58 tri-SLI mobo, it just got too hot. I solved this by putting my 470 in slot #3 and it works just fine now.

My other option was to get a GPU waterblock plus all the rest of the water cooling paraphernalia which was too costly for me. Just the waterblock was some $180.:eek I also don't know if the SLI bridge would work if you installed the GPU's in slots one and three.

Go to the MSI forums and ask the experts there. I can't help you more than that. You've got some homework to do there.

As to RAM, it was suggested to me that I should get 2133's replacing the 1600's I already got for an %8 increase in productivity with my 2600K but I'm folding , not playing games so again, you need an expert. Maybe Mimsy can help you here as she's the RAM and gaming guru here.

 

This was my first though. especially if you plan to OC at all.

 

The information you have been given by two of our most respected PC builders is first rate.
I come late to the thread but i have built a gaming PC for someone with the Asrock Z68 Extream4 Mobo and an i7-2600K, He is over the moon with it and tells me it is lightning fast with no lag on the games at all.
The specs for your rig are superb and should run really well the only thing you need to watch is the heat generated but that can always be remedied after the build if necessary.