Building my computer

gipoy

My current computer build

CPU: 3.4 GHz - i7-2600K 8M/LGA1155 (2500k not available, only 2500)

Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V PRO ATX (DDR3)

VGA: Asus ENGTX570/2DI/1280MD5 GeForce GTX 570 1.28GB DDR5 (Supports SLI)

RAM: 2X Kingston 4GB DDR3-1333 PC3-10600 ( 8GB )

Case: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1325&ID=1968 (Need your input on this one, enough space for SLI in the future? Enough cooling?)

HDD: 750GB WD7500AARS ~7200RPM S-ATAIII 64MB

PSU: Thermaltake W0356RE Litepower 700W (Enough?; suggest one from here http://pcandparts.com/must.htm if not)

CPU Cooler(For overclocking): ThermalTake CLP0564 Frio for LGA1366, LGA1156/5& LGA775 CPU Cooler

However, there are some parts I would like such as the i5-2500k instead of the 2600k for example and that is not available at pcandparts. What are other retailers in Lebanon?

Thank you

The-MMMs

PSU not enough for future SLi -

i have the armor a90 - similar to the a60 just different cosmetics mainly .. its a good case, not that big though

with the setup i have below it does OK on the space side .. that being said i have to remove my GPU every-time i wanna work with wires and it does not have the best of cable management.

In terms of aiflow and temps, it runs VERY cool.

It's a modest case considering the price - regardless, i would have opt for a full tower if my wallet allowed me to.

As for the 2500k you can gt it from the ROG store (facebook it) im pretty sure someone else who isn't lazy like me will link it instead but not hate to the guy, but he has it priced at around the same price as the 2600k, so just blow your money on the 2600k instead

Cooler is good, very solid, heard great things about it.

As for PSU it should be enough on load, that being said it's part of the lite power series from thermaltake. Then again if you've done your math right, and left around 100w head room you should be fine

Trust me, i say the extra 100$ is worth it on a full tower case - the problem also lies that it's tough to find one at a reasonable price in Lebanon.

gipoy

Where did you get your computer setup from?

Also, haven't done any math for the wattage I need, should I go for a 750W PSU instead? ( can't find a decent one on Pcandparts for a reasonable price)

The-MMMs

i made a price list from pcandparts and then went to microcity and told them if they can price-match it / beat it , i was surprised that they didn't take it as a insult. I was simply honest and said that i don't trust pcandparts shipping and rather go through the transactions here dealing and if i were to deal with defective parts it would be easier for me (if any)

the only thing they deduced in price was 10$ from the GPU at the time, and they gave me the psu for exactly 184$ with TVA (since i complained that they delayed my parts 2 days which they did) and i think that is a sweet deal since it costs like 200-something on pcandparts.

i don't wish to advise anymore on your powersupply, im not the best at PSU's, wait for Beej, Avok, or some other guys here to post - they have much more experience - that being said 700w should be enough i suppose - then again i do have predudices against Thermaltake Litepower series.

But i thought i could at least share my experience with the case. Go big. If you are serious about SLi a midtower will cover it, but i wouldn't advise it, go full tower.

Beej

Someone called my name? :D

@gipoy: I suggest you buy the case from pcandparts, also as psu get the xfx 750 o 850w. It will handle the load of any sli setup.

Also the 570 you chooe, the one @ pcandparts is reference be carefull, its not DCu counterpart. So you might have troubles with the card if you overclock or even load the gpu for prolonged time due to low number of VRMS (voltage regulator modules).

Also MMMs the i5 2500k in usa is 90$ cheaper than 2600k, ROG had it for 60$ cheaper. Now that was on the old times, trust me when i tell you the price has dropped. Probably now costs 300ish i guess. Anyway saving $s here and there can be put to better use, say better ram or a higher gpu...etc

Now gipoy, if you contact the owner of ROG : tarekelkhaledi@hotmail.com he can get you the following: i52500k any gu of your choice, if you want a 570 he can get you the asus DCu version or any other non-reference version of your choice (msi TFIII PE comes t my mind ;) ) a set of corsair rams of your choice. And finally the most importan thing is that he can get you the ASUS p8z68 pro G3, this board has pci-e 3.0 lanes ready fro future cards and ivy bridge. SO when you upgrade in the futur you dont need new rams or board or anything, sawp the cpu put the gtx 6xx series card and your all set.

Trust me this way you will save $s and save alot of headachs when upgrading. ;)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Republic-of-Gamers-Store/215692111791867

If you have any other question ask away or shoot a pm.

vegetaleb

Microcityweb is the best alternative to pcandparts, even better if you like to pickup and see the product yourself before paying, they are in Hamra near LAU lower gate

gipoy

@Beej

Hey man thanks for the reply, if you were to build a computer of your own for around $1500 for gaming, where would you get the parts from? If you have the time could you suggest a computer setup? I would like to run demanding games such as BF3 on Ultra. ROG parts seem hella expensive compared to Pcandparts, 2500k for $320, 2600k is for $329at pcandparts for example.

As for the VGA, what do you mean it's reference? Which one would you go for instead?

Thank you; waiting for your reply.

xterm

gipoy,

Much have been already discussed here and here especially towards the end where members have suggested different parts albeit after the purchase was made.

gipoy

xterm wrotegipoy,

Much have been already discussed here and here especially towards the end where members have suggested different parts albeit after the purchase was made.

That takes into account $2500 though, I have 1500, $1600max available to me. :/

xterm

gipoy wroteThat takes into account $2500 though, I have 1500, $1600max available to me. :/

No no, navigate towards the end, most discussions are part specific.

Beej

@ gipoy Check you PM. Also if 1500-1600$ is your budget its better for us to give you the full detailed specs of your choice. Ill see what i can do later this evening ;).

gipoy

xterm wrote
gipoy wroteThat takes into account $2500 though, I have 1500, $1600max available to me. :/
No no, navigate towards the end, most discussions are part specific.

How did you get Triple Channel RAM in your build when ur CPU is made for dual channel?

AvoK95

gipoy wroteCPU: 3.4 GHz - i7-2600K 8M/LGA1155 (2500k not available, only 2500)

The 2500k has only a few dollars difference at ROG Store so it's not worth the downgrade. Even though the 2500k has better gaming performance it's just not worth downgrading for just a few dollars for a maximum of 4 FPS.

gipoy wroteAsus ENGTX570/2DI/1280MD5 GeForce GTX 570 1.28GB DDR5 (Supports SLI)

I really don't recommend you to get this card because Asus had a few overheating problems on their first 5xx series card which don't use the Direct CU II fan, so I'd encourage you to get a Direct CU II cooler version of the card.
I also think you should directly go with the GTX580 because not all games support SLI and even if they do they won't perform as well as one GTX 580 card.By going with one GTX580 your system will be very future proof (up to 6-7 years even)
If you get a GTX570 it will loose performance to newer games too fast and by going with SLI it still wouldn't be worth the money.
2x GTX 570 = 400*2 = 800$
1x GTX 580 (which is a lot faster then a GTX 570) = 599$ (Direct CUII version)

gipoy wroteCase: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.a … mp;ID=1968 (Need your input on this one, enough space for SLI in the future? Enough cooling?)

The case seems decent and yes it can support future SLI (Even though I don't recommend it)

gipoy wrotePSU: Thermaltake W0356RE Litepower 700W

Amp*Volt = Real wattage
The LightPower series are low in amperage which implies that it won't last the whole 700W without failing. Furthermore a 700W PSU is not enough for a decent SLI.
When looking for a PSU always check the specs (12V Rail(s)) if it has 64A rail it means 64*12 = 768Watts.
I recommend you to get more then 850W since you will be overclocking and possibly even have SLI setup in the future.
I recommend you to get the XFX P1-850S-NLB9 850W PSU
As you can see this PSU has 70A on the 12V rail which mean (70*12) it can handle a maximum of 840W of pure power, meaning you can overclock the heck out of your system without worrying about power usage.

Feel free to inbox me if you got any questions.

gipoy

@Avok95, Pcandparts don't have the DCUII card; what do?

Also, hopefully I can get Cooler Master RC-942-KKN1 HAF-X Case.

AvoK95

You can get the card from ROG store

gipoy

The Asus GTX 570 is good though, if not, the gigabyte one should be fine. More than fine, they're both amazing, I don't see why I need to change. I won't be overclocking the VGA more than likely.

AvoK95

gipoy wroteThe Asus GTX 570 is good though, if not, the gigabyte one should be fine. More than fine, they're both amazing, I don't see why I need to change. I won't be overclocking the VGA more than likely.

In that case, get the Gigabyte GV-N570SO-13I GeForce GTX 570 1.28GB DDR5 Dual , it's an amazing cards and runs cool

yasamoka

Akh I'm itching to post! Free time, where are you??

The price of the Core i7 2600K at pcandparts is $330 WITHOUT VAT! ROG Store's price of the 2500K is $300 TTC. Do the maths when comparing, please! 330*1.1 + 2 = $365. And we didn't even take into account anything else (warranty, customer support).

Even if you're not overclocking the VGA, overclocking the GFX card does not increase heat output much. Overvolting does. You don't need to overvolt, to OC. You may want to, but you ruin power efficiency, shorten lifespan, and increase heat exponentially, for a minor increase for an already powerful card all by its own. However, small overvolts are harmless.

Gigabyte GTX570 costs $430 * 1.1 + 2 = $475 at pcandparts. You can get the Asus GTX 570 DirectCUII for $500 TTC from ROG store with warranty FROM ASUS and better board design, MUCH better cooling, quieter cooling. It's triple slot design though, so make sure you factor that into your decision if you plan to go SLI later. You need to make sure there is spacing (choose the proper motherboard and you will get spacing), and decide now whether you need SLI. If you decide months later, a new card will be out, and it will probably wipe out your SLI configuration in performance, stability, reliability, power consumption, heat, spacing,etc... But then again you could upgrade to SLI. Moral: don't delay SLI decisions.

Case? You will have the Cooler Master HAF-X, HAF-932, HAF-922, HAF-912, Antec budget chassis (nice performer though), from ROG store, at best prices you will be able to find in Lebanon. Do note that pcandparts does not have the HAF series in stock. It's been months now.

Cooling? You will have Frio, Noctua NH-D14, Antec Kuhler 920 water cooling kit, Corsair H100, all @ ROG store. Knock yourself out. Yes yes, good prices too, of course.

Power supply: The XFX is excellent. You can calculate the power you need by considering the max power consumption for the parts, factor in overclocking, overvolting, then divide by 0.7 for maximum reliability and lifespan of the PSU. You will get what you need. Please do not use an online PSU calculator. They are not accurate at all.

Guys, Litepower PSUs are not for gaming rigs! They are for office PCs, and low-end budget rigs. We cannot skimp on the PSU at all. This is the beating heart of the system.

Again, Antec, Corsair, and Cooler Master PSUs will be available.

Again, I want to revisit graphics. If you're itching to go for the GTX 580, for $220 more dollars, I don't recommend it. Here's why. By the time you need that extra bit of performance that the GTX 580 offers, Nvidia will have released a $200 budget card (let's call it GTX660) that will definitely be more powerful than a single GTX 580. Look what happened when the GTX 460 got released. It was faster than the GTX280, and comes with better features. DX11 for example. GTX 6xx series may come with improved tessellation performance, or AA performance, for example. Don't get stuck with a previous-gen, expensive, power hungry GPU when you skip into the next generation.

Good luck!

EDIT: Sorry if my post implies any rudeness, no offence to anyone. My brains are absolutely fried right now, barely able to knock this info out, post quality is low. Will be sure to post later.

gipoy

I'm only gonna be OCing the CPU

The way I see it is that I'm gonna be buying some parts from pcandparts and some from ROG.

If the 2500k is at 320$ at ROG store and the 2600k is at 361(after VAT) at pcandparts, in my opinion, 2600k would be a better option.

As for the PSU, I'm going with an 800w XFX if not 850w.

I'm gonna get an HAFX case.

yasamoka wroteGigabyte GTX570 costs $430 * 1.1 + 2 = $475 at pcandparts. You can get the Asus GTX 570 DirectCUII for $500 TTC from ROG store with warranty FROM ASUS and better board design, MUCH better cooling, quieter cooling. It's triple slot design though, so make sure you factor that into your decision if you plan to go SLI later. You need to make sure there is spacing (choose the proper motherboard and you will get spacing), and decide now whether you need SLI. If you decide months later, a new card will be out, and it will probably wipe out your SLI configuration in performance, stability, reliability, power consumption, heat, spacing,etc... But then again you could upgrade to SLI. Moral: don't delay SLI decisions.

I love the selection that ROG has but the prices are ridiculous, I asked about the GTX570 yesterday and he said it costs 530-540$. For real!?

If I were to get a 570 from pcandparts, I'm getting the Asus one, all reviews about it are excellent, it costs 409$ after VAT. Also, I can't SLI right away, it would exceed the budget by a lot.

AvoK95 wrote
gipoy wroteThe Asus GTX 570 is good though, if not, the gigabyte one should be fine. More than fine, they're both amazing, I don't see why I need to change. I won't be overclocking the VGA more than likely.
In that case, get the Gigabyte GV-N570SO-13I GeForce GTX 570 1.28GB DDR5 Dual , it's an amazing cards and runs cool

I read reviews about the Asus 570 and they all seem good, cooling is good, little to no noise at all and excellent performance, I don't see the need to buy a Gigabyte for extra fans or whatever when I'm not overclocking it.

yasamoka

Asus GTX 570...don't forget that silence, with reference designs, never comes with cooling performance...yes it can be quiet at 70-80C, but in comparison the DirectCUII is quiet at much less.

And yes probably now you're not overclocking, but believe me you will want to. As long as you're not running games @ higher than your refresh rate, and become addicted to performance, and FPS (well you're getting a GTX 570), then you will want to overclock. Trust me on this.