Building a Gaming Rig

Beaker · Post by **Beaker** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 3:41 pm

Great plug, LD! Definitely interested to see what they come up with, I'm sorely in need of an upgrade.

Post by **Redeye** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:16 pm

The plan for a new computer... any advice would be appreciated.

Intel Core i7 2600K Quad Core Unlocked Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Sandy Bridge 8MB

ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe Z68 LGA1155 ATX 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI SLI CrossFireX USB3.0 SATA3 Motherboard

Corsair XMS3 CMP8GX3M2A1600C9 Dominator DHX+ 8GB DDR3 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL 9-9-9-24 Memory Kit

Western Digital RE4 1TB SATA3 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM

Corsair Force 3 Series 120GB 2.5IN SATA3 6GB/S Solid State Disk Flash Drive SSD Sandforce SF-2200

Coolermaster Silent Pro 1000W Modular Power Supply SLI ATX12V 24PIN Active PFC PCI-E 135mm Fan

Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI Titanium FATAL1TY Champion PCI-E 1X 24BIT Sound Card *IR-$31*

LG GH24LS70 24X SATA Lightscribe Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW Optical Drive Black OEM

Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced ATX Mid Tower Case Black 4X5.25 1X3.5EXT 6X3.5INT *No PSU*

Logitech G510 Gaming Keyboard USB LCD Customizable Backlighting Integrated Audio 18 G *IR-$15*

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Edition 64BIT DVD OEM

I'm still unsure which video card to buy. EVGA 560 or 570? There is several versions of each at NCIX where I will purchase.
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php? ... d=108#eVGA
Which version is best for what we do?

Single card or SLI is another question. If I go for the 560 I will SLI 2 of them. If I go for the 570 it will be a single card. Which would be better?

Rhino · Post by **Rhino** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:35 pm

I'd really suggest using a full size ATX case. I know even with my mid size ATX case the video cards are almost long enough to hit the drive bays. I know for a fact that most of the video cards now are longer, thus you might have an issue, not to mention the cramped wiring which doesn't allow for good air flow.

As far as video cards, I've been using this list when trying to decide what to get (I'm looking at building a new rig too.)

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/bes ... 935-7.html

This is also a good review on the 560/560Ti

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gef ... ,2944.html

Hope this helps.

Tailhook · Post by **Tailhook** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:26 pm

Redeye wrote:Corsair XMS3 CMP8GX3M2A1600C9 Dominator DHX+ 8GB DDR3 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL 9-9-9-24 Memory Kit

No, either one of these. Faster and Cheaper.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.as ... 6820233147
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.as ... 6820233185

Mmm that's some sexy RAM.

Redeye wrote:Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI Titanium FATAL1TY Champion PCI-E 1X 24BIT Sound Card *IR-$31*

Sound cards are pointless, a waste of space, and a waste of money at this point in time. Integrated sound is so advanced and high quality now that there's no point in having a sound card unless you're still running Windows 98. I have always used integrated and don't see why people buy sound cards when there is little difference (it's just sound).

Redeye wrote:LG GH24LS70 24X SATA Lightscribe Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW Optical Drive Black OEM

I actually just bought this and love it. It also matches my ASUS DVD drive perfectly.

Redeye wrote:Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced ATX Mid Tower Case Black 4X5.25 1X3.5EXT 6X3.5INT *No PSU*

Great looking case but I also suggest what Rhino said. Most newer video cards are rather long and if you plan to go SLI or Crossfire, than you may begin to have some space problems. If you are looking for a full-sized case with great airflow while maintaining a pretty look, I suggest looking into NZXT because I am yet to see a case from them that I don't like.

Also noticed that case has a SATA connection for an HDD on the top? That's a little weird but interesting. I guess full-sized HDD's are the new jump drives now.

Redeye wrote:I'm still unsure which video card to buy.

If you want more for less, then I recommend going ATI/AMD because NVIDIA is still trying to catch up to AMD's latest chipsets.

For the price you intend to spend on an NVIDIA, I recommend checking out XFX's AMD selections on Newegg.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductLis ... 1&name=XFX

XFX is nothing but awesome when it comes to quality, performance, support, and price.

Post by **Lawndart** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:35 pm

I'd personally get a Thermaltake case. Just preference... (Love my V9 BlacX with dual external SATA docks).

I'd skip the SSD for now, since your P8Z68 mobo has the new SRT technology, essentially making it boot like a SSD but without the hassle of splitting your files on separate drives/partitions. You can always add an SSD later if you feel the Z68 isn't zippy enough for you.

I'd get two GTX 560s over a single GTX 570. In order to determine which 560 to buy, look at the specs for all of the EVGA cards (or whichever brand you prefer) and pick the model that has the fastest clockspeed for both core-, memory-, and the highest number of stream processors (within the 1GB memory "family" which should be more than sufficient). Something between 750-850MHz core clockspeed, close to 4,000MHz effective memory clockspeed and ~384 stream processor cores would be my rule of thumb for the 560 lineup. (The 570s may actually be "slower" (clockspeed) but most likely have ~512 steaming processors).

The rest of your list looks spot on!!!

Beaker · Post by **Beaker** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:40 pm

Lawndart wrote:I'd personally get a Thermaltake case.

If we're repping brands, I'm a fan of Antec's cases... their full tower 1200 is pretty excellent. They get great airflow.

Post by **Lawndart** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:48 pm

Tailhook, he's ordering from the store he linked in Canada (not Newegg) so some of the deals may not be the same there.

You don't need a dedicated sound card, but it's nice to have. Tailhook is right, but at the same time I couldn't be happier with my X-Fi. It's just a little more sound, especially if you have home theater speakers or want more settings. I can tell a big difference, but for the average gamer it's not really a "must have" by any stretch.

Oh, Redeye... If you're going for broke I'd add a G700 Logitech wireless mouse as well - best I've ever had. The G930 Logitech wireless headset is also great!

Tailhook · Post by **Tailhook** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:56 pm

Lawndart wrote:Tailhook, he's ordering from the store he linked in Canada (not Newegg) so some of the deals may not be the same there.

Hehe, changed the links from .com to .ca and what do ya know, same product with ~$2 differences. Now he can shop in Canada.

Beaker · Post by **Beaker** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 5:43 pm

Actually between TigerDirect and NCIX you can often find better deals than Newegg has, and that's saying something.

Post by **Lawndart** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 5:52 pm

Forgot to mention this while talking about sound cards; the G930 headset has its own processor and shows up as a separate sound device. Something that might be worth while considering whether to get a dedicated sound card or not since it's not utilizing your other sound card(s).

Post by **Redeye** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 10:41 pm

Wow... thanks to everyone for the great information.

I like the Thermaltake V9 BlacX case but it's not full size.
Dumped the sound card.

Got to figure out the rest tonight.

Post by **Lawndart** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 11:16 pm

FWIW, the Thermaltake V9 BlacX fits the GTX 460/560 perfectly without any cramped wiring between the drive bays. Now, a longer card like the GTX 580/590 might be a little trickier to fit because of what Rhino said earlier.

There are many good cases out there nowadays. I like NZXT, Antec and just read a review of the Corsair 650D with very high marks. Might be worth looking at? Reason I went for the Thermaltake V9 BlacX was the feature set and pricetag, though.

Post by **Redeye** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:10 pm

Tailhook got me thinking...

XFX Radeon HD 6870 Black Edition 940MHZ 1GB 4.6GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI HDMI 2x Mini DP PCI-E Video Card $190.02
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=56598 ... acture=XFX

OR

MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti Hawk OC 950MHZ 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI Mini-HDMI DX11 PCI-E Video Card $272.85
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=60642 ... FMicroStar

Both cards have similar overall performance looking at the Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart.
I would buy 2 cards for a SLI/Crossfire setup.
Q: Any problems with these cards in FC2?

If there are no problems I'm leaning towards Tailhook and now thinking in going with the Radeon more for less card.

Post by **Redeye** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 7:15 pm

Updated 2011/06/29

Intel Core i7 2600K Quad Core Unlocked Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.4GHZ Sandy Bridge 8MB

ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe Z68 LGA1155 ATX 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI SLI CrossFireX USB3.0 SATA3 Motherboard

MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti Hawk OC 950MHZ 1GB GDDR5 Dual DVI Mini-HDMI DX11 PCI-E Video Card

Corsair XMS3 CMP8GX3M2A1600C9 Dominator DHX+ 8GB DDR3 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL 9-9-9-24 Memory Kit

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5IN Dual Proc Hard Drive OEM

Corsair Force 3 Series 120GB 2.5IN SATA3 6GB/S Solid State Disk Flash Drive SSD Sandforce SF-2200

Coolermaster Silent Pro 1000W Modular Power Supply SLI ATX12V 24PIN Active PFC PCI-E 135mm Fan

LG GH24LS70 24X SATA Lightscribe Internal DVD Writer Burner DVDRW Optical Drive Black OEM

Thermaltake V9 BlacX Edition ATX 3X5.25IN 2X3.5IN EXT 5X3.5IN INT USB3.0 Mid Tower Computer Case

Logitech G510 Gaming Keyboard USB LCD Customizable Backlighting Integrated Audio 18 G

Logitech Wireless Gaming Headset G930

Logitech G700 Wireless Gaming Mouse

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Edition 64BIT DVD OEM

Post by **Lawndart** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:05 pm

Awesome picks! As mentioned in discussion, I'd consider a CPU fan/heatsink as well, although the stock cooler should be just fine as the Sandy Bridge processors run cool.