New Gaming PC Build -In The Works-

Discussion in 'General Hardware' started by mf2385, Dec 30, 2012.

  1. mf2385

    mf2385 Banned

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    GPU:
    EVGA GTX 690
    I could switch to an i5 3570K and get the GTX 660 Ti's with the SSD and AX 860 power supply or stick with i7 3770K get the GTX 660's with SSD and AX 760.

    Basically choices are:

    #1 i5 3570K w/ GTX 660 Ti's in SLi with 128GB SSD and Corsair AX 860.
    #2 i7 3770K w/ GTX 660's in SLi with 128GB SSD and Corsair AX 760.
    #3 i7 3770K w/ GTX 660 Ti's in SLi without 128GB SSD and Corsair AX 860.
     
  2. Icanium

    Icanium Ancient Guru

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    GPU:
    ASUS 4090TUF
    Can,can, and more can do, you can also stick to your current system and save all your morey. I suggest if you getting 16 gb ram, get 2x8 GBs instead of 4x4 GBs.
    If you dont think the SSD is worth the money then do not go SSD. Do not buy SSD because others think you need one.
     
  3. killer_939

    killer_939 Guest

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    GPU:
    Radeon 7950 @ 1100/1500
    Unless you play just play CoD or Crysis an SSD can help games a real lot in my experience. It can remove stutter when loading large worlds, it can make it less painful in games that have a loading screen every 2 min, it will increase fps in open world games while they are loading new areas as you move through the world etc.
     
  4. mf2385

    mf2385 Banned

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    So which option is the most viable? Maybe I will get an SSD though, it helps a but mire then I remember I guess.
     

  5. mf2385

    mf2385 Banned

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    I don't have a current system. Lol, that was a premade computer I had for a couple days and broke was defective.
     
  6. LogiTekkers

    LogiTekkers Guest

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    GPU:
    ASUS GTX 980 STRIX SLi
    Any of those options would mean you have a beastier set up than 90% of the computers out there. Personally I would go with option #1.
     
  7. mf2385

    mf2385 Banned

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    My question is forget about simple computer tasks, for gaming would it make sense to invest in an SSD that really won't make much of a difference at all? I don't think it's necessary and I have the experience of owning a good Corsair Force GS 180GB as my boot/games drive and really didn't make me say "wow, I couldn't live without this thing". I'd rather get the better i7 3770K, with the AX 860 and GTX 660 Ti in SLi, then the i5 3570K and an SSD. I can always get an SSD at a later time and clone my drive with Clonezilla if I can get one on a sale later on or something like I did last time.
     
  8. clawhamer

    clawhamer Ancient Guru

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    I’d only recommend investing in a games SSD after you’re happy with all the other gaming components (GPU, CPU and RAM)... but I’m not sure you’ll ever be there.

    However, it still makes no since to me to build a modern rig and have the OS\Programs running from an HDD.
     
  9. mf2385

    mf2385 Banned

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    Lol I was there with my last rig man, I just don't have my old one anymore. Sold it because I had to. I was definitely there and happy with my last one. i5 2500K @ 4.5GHz, H80, GTX 670 TOP, Z68X MB, TX750, etc.

    Now that I have the opportunity to build a good PC again might as well go all out a bit more.
     
  10. yasamoka

    yasamoka Ancient Guru

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    GPU:
    Zotac RTX 3090
    Graphics cards

    Here is some advice concerning the graphics cards:

    First of all, the GTX660Ti has either 2GB or 3GB of VRAM. Since the card has a 192-bit wide (3 x 64-bit) memory bus, this means that with the 2GB versions, 512MB are connected to each of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd 64-bit memory controllers. The last 512MB are connected to the first 64-bit memory controller. Now, Nvidia have some algorithm in place to prevent (reduce?) slowdowns from happening on that last 512MB, but the point is that this is a crazy hardware limit. Without anything in place, you get a third of your memory bandwidth on that last 512MB. For me, I'm not entirely comfortable with how the card handles anything that requires high amounts of RAM in excess of 1.5GB. Currently, we don't have much indication, as the card runs out of steam anyways in such scenarios (triple screen).

    Add to that the fact that this card has a good chunk lower bandwidth than the GTX670/680 (192.2GB/s) THEN the Radeon 7950/7970/7970 GHz (240, 264.4, 288GB/s), with the 670/680 using a 256-bit bus and the 7950/7970 using a 384-bit bus.

    This card is clearly a card for the budget-conscious. I mean, it has an excellent GPU, as it has the same architecture as the 670/680 (GK104), but the memory bandwidth is somewhat low.

    With multi-card, things are not as simple as simply doubling FPS. You get increased power draw, heat, noise, etc... and you need proper case airflow. You're going to be breaking 60FPS with current gen titles easily @1080p, and you're going to be rendering above 60FPS.

    The problem is microstutter. If you do not break 60FPS, or get 99% GPU usage per GPU at less than 60FPS, you will face microstutter. To explain it simply, you feel a lower-than-reported FPS, for example, 50FPS would feel like 35-40FPS (just an example!), with the worst case scenario being that you would feel the FPS as being half the reported FPS (40 feels like 20), which is equivalent to a single card result anyways.

    The problem is more pronounced on Crossfire, as Nvidia's drivers seem to reduce microstuttering somewhat, but it is still there.

    My take on this is, either SLI / Crossfire high-end cards or just go with a single card. Only SLI / CF when it is absolutely necessary, in the following scenarios:
    1) You want 60FPS on a 60Hz monitor / (up to) 120FPS on a 120Hz monitor (don't know how microstutter is @120Hz refresh rate)
    2) You are running multi-monitor setups or 3D, or both (3D requires double the processing power)
    3) You got budget cards for a pretty good price and they OC like champs, such as the Radeon 7850s, which when OCed to the max, approach stock 7950 levels of performance. CF 7950s would be what you're getting essentially. And you still gotta know what you're doing so that you can reach those high OCs and can keep the FPS above 60 so you don't face microstutter.

    If you want Nvidia, I recommend you consider getting a single 670/680 and saving up for a 2nd card in the future if you want that multi-gpu performance you are looking for. More VRAM, more memory bandwidth, more GPU power, etc...

    I seriously recommend you consider AMD's range as well. 7950/70s OC like mad, and OC 670/680s vs OC 7950/7970s, the Radeons take the win for the most part. Nvidia's drivers seem to be somewhat less of a hassle in some cases, but AMD's drivers are catching up, and Nvidia's drivers are falling slowly. It's a tough gen for both companies, and both are doing their best, it seems.

    I am running 2 7970s in Crossfire, if that matters.

    If you want to discuss multi-GPU setups more, I'd recommend you do so before jumping for a multi-GPU setup.

    Cheers.
     

  11. mf2385

    mf2385 Banned

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    Thanks for all the information man and maybe you can help me pick a better setup, here's what I have right now. I have my own Operating system and deciding against SSD right now for the time being. Maybe I can go with an AMD/CFX setup? FX-8350/7950 CFX instead? Let me know.

    Case - Cooler Master HAF 932 Advance Full Tower Case - ATX, Black, SuperSpeed USB 3.0 (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4146085&sku=C283-1187)

    CPU - Intel Core i7-3770K Processor - Quad Core, 8MB L3 Cache, 3.50GHz (3.90GHz Max Turbo), Socket H2 (LGA1155), 77W, Fan, Unlocked, Retail (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2372989&sku=I69-3770K)

    MB - GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H Intel 7 Series Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA1155), Intel Z77 Express, 1600MHz DDR3, SATA III (6Gb/s), RAID, 7.1-CH Audio, Gigabit LAN, USB 3.0, PCIe 3.0, SLI/CrossFireX (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2276158&sku=G452-2364)

    DVD Drive - Samsung Internal 24X DVD Burner -Tray, SATA, 1.5MB Buffer Memory, 16x DVD-R Read, 48x CD-R Write (OEM)(1.6 lbs) (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...203-8592 OEM)

    Heatsink/Fan - Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler - 140x140x25mm, i5, i7, 775, AM2 (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5592441&sku=N126-1024)

    HD - Seagate Barracuda 2TB Serial ATA Hard Drive - 2TB, 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA 6Gb/s (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=744345&sku=TSD-2000AS4)

    RAM - Corsair Vengeance Desktop Memory Kit - 16GB (4x 4GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, 9-9-9-24 CAS Latency, Intel XMP Ready, Unbuffered (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=154017&sku=C13-5724)

    Power Supply - Corsair AX860 860W Power Supply - 80+ Platinum, Zero RPM, Modular (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7413649&sku=C13-2586)

    Video Cards - 2X MSI R7950 OC Radeon HD 7950 Video Card - 3GB, GDDR5, PCI Express 3.0(x16), DVI, HDMI, Mini Display Port, CrossFire X Ready, Eyefinity Ready, Factory Overclocked in XFIRE (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1927007&CatId=3585)

    Sound Card - Onboard (For the time being)

    Headset - TBA

    $1763
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2013
  12. yasamoka

    yasamoka Ancient Guru

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    GPU:
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    I don't know much about the AMD CPU and mobo platform at the time being, but I can't recommend against Intel CPUs in general and the Core i7 3770K in specific (as long as you de-lid it and change the cheapo thermal paste Intel used instead of solder -.-).

    I'd always recommend one of two things: a high-end air cooling solution, or a full DIY water loop. The ones in between, all-in-one water solutions, such as the H80i, I don't recommend them. Why? Well, the pump is supposedly noisy (it's small and should be high pitch), MTBF for pump isn't that high (2 years last time I checked), it isn't much quieter than a high-end air heatsink if any, it may even be noisier for the same heat dissipation. All in all, it looks cleaner, yes, but it's not as effective of a solution as a high-end air cooler, even at the same price range. Plus that H80i is a single rad, only the dual rads usually compete with the high-end heatsinks. Noctua NH-D14, Thermalright Silver Arrow (didn't check for newer models though), Phanteks, Prolimatechs, Thermaltake Frio Extreme, all good stuff.

    Power supply: Corsair PSUs are simply epic (using an HX850 here), though try to spring for the digital one (the "i" versions), they give you excellent monitoring and control features with the software they provide.

    Graphics cards: as I said before, I recommend looking at AMD's solutions. If you are going for a setup where you CANNOT guarantee 60FPS @100% GPU scaling (99% GPU usage per GPU), then do NOT go for AMD cards, at least not now (till they reduce microstutter like Nvidia did). If you want and can guarantee 60FPS (you should only worry about 100% scaling, as you don't get microstutter if the GPU usage is lower than max), then go for AMD cards by all means. To give an example, the toughest game to run, and one that scales 90%+, is Metro 2033. I get 60FPS+ in almost all parts of the game, except in the start where I'm looking at the top window in the gas chamber and light is intense (walk around after you kill the beasts, then walk back, and look), I get 33FPS in there! (925 or 1000MHz 7970s). Feels much less than 33FPS, but that's because it's closer to that 30FPS mark anyways. Other than that, there's a part where Hunter comes, it goes to like 50FPS, outside when fighting the beasts in the first level it dips to like 55FPS, and that's all. You could OC for those few frames extra. I'm running Metro 2033 DX11, 4xAA, DOF and Tessellation ON, card slaughterer.

    AMD cards perform better in Metro than their equivalent Nvidia cards, too. This game seems to be memory bandwidth intensive as well as being GPU intensive.

    You get 3GB of VRAM, cheaper prices mostly, better performance scaling with OC, and higher performance at higher resolutions (particularly eyefinity). You'll find a small yet somewhat comprehensive review of 680s SLI vs 7950 CFX, you'll be surprised by the results :D

    Hard Drives: Well, I'd always recommend Western Digital. I guess Seagate is good as well. Personal preference really. Used a Seagate 1TB for 3 years before it silently died. They all don't last much anyways, not with the lead-free solder being used on their PCBs :( Your choice, mate.

    Soundcard: take your time to decide that. You could spend huge sums of money on a proper sound setup, and it will be rewarding. Or you could start small, and build up. For now, take the time to research options from Creative, Asus, Auzentech, etc... and external DACs.

    Headsets: with soundcard.

    Case: HAF932, nuff said. But do take a look at the Cosmos 2. Quite the beast. Saw one personally and fiddled around with it, jaw-dropping...

    RAM: Corsairs, good enough, no complaints whatsoever.
     
  13. mf2385

    mf2385 Banned

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    GPU:
    EVGA GTX 690
    Updated with AMD-FX 8350 Buildw/ CFX 7970s:

    Case - Cooler Master HAF 932 Advance Full Tower Case - ATX, Black, SuperSpeed USB 3.0 (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4146085&sku=C283-1187)

    CPU - Intel Core i7-3770K Processor - Quad Core, 8MB L3 Cache, 3.50GHz (3.90GHz Max Turbo), Socket H2 (LGA1155), 77W, Fan, Unlocked, Retail (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1937447&sku=YYI1-LL1987)

    MB - GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H Intel 7 Series Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA1155), Intel Z77 Express, 1600MHz DDR3, SATA III (6Gb/s), RAID, 7.1-CH Audio, Gigabit LAN, USB 3.0, PCIe 3.0, SLI/CrossFireX (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2276158&sku=G452-2364)

    DVD Drive - Samsung Internal 24X DVD Burner -Tray, SATA, 1.5MB Buffer Memory, 16x DVD-R Read, 48x CD-R Write (OEM)(1.6 lbs) (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...203-8592 OEM)

    Heatsink/Fan - Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler - 140x140x25mm, i5, i7, 775, AM2 (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5592441&sku=N126-1024)

    HD - Toshiba 1TB Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200 RPM, SATA, 3.5" (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3303660&sku=T24-9901)

    RAM - Corsair Vengeance Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB (2x 4GB), PC3-15000, DDR3-1866MHz, 240-pin DIMM, 9-10-9-24 CAS Latency, 1.5V, XMP Ready (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1164738&sku=C13-5745)

    Power Supply - Corsair AX860 860W Power Supply - 80+ Platinum, Zero RPM, Modular (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7413649&sku=C13-2586)

    Video Cards - 2X XFX Double D HD 7950 3GB DDR5 2xMiniDP HDMI PCIe (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1937447&sku=YYI1-LL1987)

    Sound Card - Onboard (For the time being)

    Headset - TBA

    $1766
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2013
  14. yasamoka

    yasamoka Ancient Guru

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    GPU:
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    MSI Twin Frozr 7950s are cheaper and have better cooling. Go for those.

    Other than that, I think it's fine.

    Wait for other knowledgeable gurus to post about the motherboard, PSU, etc...it's better.
     
  15. mf2385

    mf2385 Banned

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    I managed to get 7970's in CFX with the build within my budget, just went down to 8GB DDR3 1866 mhz which works for me for a gaming rig. The Gigabyte motherboard looks good, I like the bios used in Gigabyte motherboards too and used to them.
     

  16. yasamoka

    yasamoka Ancient Guru

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    GPU:
    Zotac RTX 3090
    Those XFXs are voltage locked. so are new Gigabyte 7970s. Avoid if you want to overvolt your graphics cards.

    Are you sure that CPU will not bottleneck with 2 7970s?
     
  17. mf2385

    mf2385 Banned

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    What if I get that build with SLi GTX 670's instead of 7970's with the FX-8350? I know the 670's are powerful cards, but what do we think? Maybe switch out the FX-8350 with an i5 3570K?
     
  18. yasamoka

    yasamoka Ancient Guru

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    Weigh the pros and cons of 670s SLI vs 7970s CFX. I'd go for 7970s (I did) for many reasons, but they are not all gaming related. But even for gaming I'd recommend them over the 670/680s.

    I think an Intel build would be better.
     
  19. mf2385

    mf2385 Banned

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    OK so you're saying go with the 7970's and an Intel Motherboard/CPU then.

    I would do that too but even the i5 3570K with a necessary motherboard is a little bit more expensive then I want to spend. Hmm.. I can afford an FX-8350/7970 CFX setup, or i7 3770K/7950 CFX setup.
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2013
  20. mf2385

    mf2385 Banned

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    GPU:
    EVGA GTX 690
    Case - Cooler Master HAF 932 Advance Full Tower Case - ATX, Black, SuperSpeed USB 3.0 (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4146085&sku=C283-1187)

    CPU - Intel Core i7-3770K Processor - Quad Core, 8MB L3 Cache, 3.50GHz (3.90GHz Max Turbo), Socket H2 (LGA1155), 77W, Fan, Unlocked, Retail (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1937447&sku=YYI1-LL1987)

    MB - GIGABYTE Z77X-UD5H WiFi Intel 7 Series Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA1155), Intel Z77, 1600MHz DDR3, SATA III (6Gb/s), RAID, 8-Ch Audio, 2x Gigabit LAN, USB 3.0, PCIe 3.0, CrossFireX/SLI, Bluetooth (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2276152&sku=G452-2361)

    DVD Drive - Samsung Internal 24X DVD Burner -Tray, SATA, 1.5MB Buffer Memory, 16x DVD-R Read, 48x CD-R Write (OEM)(1.6 lbs) (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...203-8592 OEM)

    Heatsink/Fan - Corsair Hydro Series H80i Extreme Liquid/Water CPU Cooler - 1 x 120mm Fan, Multi-socket Support, built-in Corsair Link (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7413646&sku=C13-2181)

    HD (Storage) - Toshiba 1TB Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200 RPM, SATA, 3.5" (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3303660&sku=T24-9901)

    HD (Boot/Games) - OCZ 240GB Vertex 3 Max IOPS 2.5" Solid State Drive - 240GB, SATA III 6Gbps

    RAM - Patriot Viper 3 16GB Memory Module Quad Kit - DDR3, 4 x 4GB, 1600MHz, UDIMM (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3473450&sku=P33-6307)

    Power Supply - Corsair Enthusiast Series TX850 V2 Power Supply - 850 Watts, ATX, 140mm Fan, 80 Plus Bronze, SLI Ready, Active PFC CP-9020043-NA (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7195039&sku=C13-2804)

    Video Cards - 2X EVGA GeForce GTX 660 FTW Signature 2 02G-P4-2663-KR Video Card - 2GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 3.0(x16), 1x Dual-link DVI-D, 1x Dual-link DVI-I, 1x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI, DirectX 11, SLI Ready, Dual-Slot (SLI)

    Sound Card - Onboard (For the time being)

    Headset - TBA

    $1762
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2013

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