i7 2600K - which graphics card?

[AKK9]

Hi,

I just want some advice.

Here's my proposed setup, I'm not buying it immediately, I'll wait a few months but wanted to look into it early:

I'm planning to overclock the CPU to about 4.2 - 4.4, nothing too extreme (not 24/7 anyway).

Anyway, I'm not sure what to do about the GPU. I want a GTX 570, however I can't afford it right now, and probably won't be able to till the end of the year. I've seen the GTX 460 Hawk Talon Attack which looks nice so I'm thinking of getting that, then adding on another GPU (a lot later) when I can afford it.

I'm just wondering, how will two different GPU's in SLI run? Will the fact that they're different hinder their performance?

Also, how long do you think my 460 would last if it was the GPU I purchased? How does it run with new games. BC2 for example, on high at 1920 x 1080?

 

[shadow_boxer]

Well first of all what is the main use of the PC. If gaming why are you going for the 2600K over the i5 2500K? Could save yourself nearly a £100 by doing that and they'd perform the same. Secondly, I'd invest in another PSU than the one above. Thirdly, poor selection of hard drive. Also why not get the much cheaper Geil RAM?

Regarding the GTX 460 should max out most games at 1920*1080 and they overclock nicely too.

What is your total budget for the build?

Ed. Prices change so much in a few months may go up and may come down.

Remember the GTX560 is coming out next week too.

 

[Phatzy]

If you are going to buy in few months then make a new basket when it comes to buy because there maybe price drops and possibility new products around.

 

[bhavv]

GTX 560 is coming out soon, OCUK already have a section for it but with no cards currently listed.

There have already been a few cards leaked for previews so it shouldnt be too long before they are out.

I wouldnt go for a GTX 460 right now, wait for the 560 and either buy that, or pick up a second hand GTX 460 for cheap when people start flooding the MM with them.

 

[AKK9]

Well first of all what is the main use of the PC. If gaming why are you going for the 2600K over the i5 2500K? Could save yourself nearly a £100 by doing that and they'd perform the same. Secondly, I'd invest in another PSU than the one above. Thirdly, poor selection of hard drive. Also why not get the much cheaper Geil RAM?

Regarding the GTX 460 should max out most games at 1920*1080 and they overclock nicely too.

What is your total budget for the build?

Ed. Prices change so much in a few months may go up and may come down.

Remember the GTX560 is coming out next week too.

The PC will be used for gaming, programming and rendering videos/3d scenes. The budget is £800, for now, however, that could go £100 lower in the next few months in which case I will go for the 2500K.

I just picked a random HDD and PSU, what would you suggest and why?

How about This RAM? A lot cheaper than the others.

If you are going to buy in few months then make a new basket when it comes to buy because there maybe price drops and possibility new products around.

Of course, I will do this but like I said I'd just like to look into it early, so I have an idea of good idea of what I'm going for.

GTX 560 is coming out soon, OCUK already have a section for it but with no cards currently listed.

There have already been a few cards leaked for previews so it shouldnt be too long before they are out.

I wouldnt go for a GTX 460 right now, wait for the 560 and either buy that, or pick up a second hand GTX 460 for cheap when people start flooding the MM with them.

I'll have to see how much the 560's are when they are out, I will definately consider it if it's close to my budget. Also, what is the MM?

 

[chaparral]

i7 2600K - which graphics card?

I'm not buying it immediately, I'll wait a few months but wanted to look into it early:

You have a few months to save up the extra needed...

So how about this one (But may take you an extra few months or years to save for it )

 

[shadow_boxer]

Ok, so for rendering/video encoding an overclocked i7 would be better. But as you say only if it'll fit within the budget.

Things to consider at the moment would be

1) Are you likely to go for Xfire/SLI - If not then a more budget end P67 board would be better. Would still allow overclocking to 4.5GHz easily.

2) Case - Prices vary quite a lot, but the one you've spec'd is good value for money. Just look at the weekend offer, the CM690 lite is nearly £20 cheaper!

3) That RAM would be fine, even for overclocking, but I'm sure its not going to stay at the <£40 mark for too much longer. They probably have too much stock of it and are trying to shift some of it.

4) Graphics card - Prices again vary wildly. I'd be looking at getting something along the lines of a GTX 560 / 1GB 6950 when they are released. Would still be overkill for 1920 x 1080 but give you a little more future proofing. GTX 460 are great cards and if they fit into the budget particularly if their prices drop once the new generation is out they could be cracking buys. Some places they are already down to as low as £125. Go for the above card in post #6 if you've got more money than sense!

5) PSU - Look at a modular PSUs from brands such as the Antec TruePower Series or Corsair. Consider whether you'll ever get a dual card setup. If so, then better invest in something with enough grunt to handle two cards.

6) HDD - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB. Can't go wrong with a 1TB Seagate Barracuda or Samsung F3. Which ever is the cheaper at the time.

 

[AKK9]

You have a few months to save up the extra needed...

So how about this one (But may take you an extra few months or years to save for it )

- pic of gainward gtx 580 -

Can't afford this. Right now overclocking a 460 is the most viable option, but I will definitely consider the 570 if it does come down in price. The 580 is too much for me.

Maybe you should just give me one of yours.

 

[kmufc77]

OP i have a Antec modular 650w PSU which shadow boxer has recommended,they can get very loud when on full load.

The fan on the psu is a (PWM) FAN,so when the load increases the fan speed increases.

They are solid performers though

 

[shadow_boxer]

IF I was buying everything TODAY and IF it all HAD to be bought from OCUK hint hint, for a single card setup

Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor £194.99
(£162.49) £194.99
(£162.49)
MSI ATI Radeon HD 5850 Twin FrozR II 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £129.98
(£108.32) £129.98
(£108.32)
Foxconn P67A-S Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) £99.98
(£83.32) £99.98
(£83.32)
XFX Pro 650W Core Edition Power Supply £66.37
(£55.31) £66.37
(£55.31)
Coolermaster CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case - Black £53.99
(£44.99) £53.99
(£44.99)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000528AS) £40.99
(£34.16) £40.99
(£34.16)
GeIL 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz VALUE PLUS Dual Channel (GVP34GB1600C9DC) £33.98
(£28.32) £33.98
(£28.32)
Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £26.53
(£22.11) £26.53
(£22.11)
Sony Optiarc AD-5260S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.98
(£12.48) £14.98
(£12.48)
Sub Total : £551.50
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £11.25
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £112.55
Total : £675.30

Motherboard allows for Crossfire x8/x8 so could add in a second 5850 later if I wanted, then would consider getting the 750W XFX PSU.

5850 v 1GB GTX460

 

[kmufc77]

^Very good spec for the money

 

[AKK9]

Ok, so for rendering/video encoding an overclocked i7 would be better. But as you say only if it'll fit within the budget.

Things to consider at the moment would be

1) Are you likely to go for Xfire/SLI - If not then a more budget end P67 board would be better. Would still allow overclocking to 4.5GHz easily.

2) Case - Prices vary quite a lot, but the one you've spec'd is good value for money. Just look at the weekend offer, the CM690 lite is nearly £20 cheaper!

3) That RAM would be fine, even for overclocking, but I'm sure its not going to stay at the <£40 mark for too much longer. They probably have too much stock of it and are trying to shift some of it.

4) Graphics card - Prices again vary wildly. I'd be looking at getting something along the lines of a GTX 560 / 1GB 6950 when they are released. Would still be overkill for 1920 x 1080 but give you a little more future proofing. GTX 460 are great cards and if they fit into the budget particularly if their prices drop once the new generation is out they could be cracking buys. Some places they are already down to as low as £125. Go for the above card in post #6 if you've got more money than sense!

5) PSU - Look at a modular PSUs from brands such as the Antec TruePower Series or Corsair. Consider whether you'll ever get a dual card setup. If so, then better invest in something with enough grunt to handle two cards.

6) HDD - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB. Can't go wrong with a 1TB Seagate Barracuda or Samsung F3. Which ever is the cheaper at the time.

1) I do want to go SLI eventually. The 2600K/2500K overclocked will last a long time which is why I'm eager to pick up a 570. This way, when the time comes to upgrade (most likely only the GPU will need an upgrade) I can just add another 570. What effect would adding a 570 to a 460 have? Would I encounter any incompatibility/performance issues that would not occur with two 570s or two 460's?

2) I've seen it but I wasn't even sure about the case I chose. There doesn't seem to be any USB 3.0 ports on it, is there some way I could replace the 2.0 ports for 3.0 ports? Also, what is the purpose of the SSD adapter? I'll get an SSD to add to it later (but that is not part of this budget) but I didn't know you need an adapter for it.

3) Would you say it's worth picking up this RAM now then? I'm a bit wary of buying parts now if they could be a lot cheaper in 4 or 5 months.

4) I'll have to keep checking on GPU's over the next few months then but a 560 sounds good.

5) What PSU would I need for say 2 570s or 2 560s?

6) Will go for that then, much better for a good price.

EDIT:

IF I was buying everything TODAY and IF it all HAD to be bought from OCUK hint hint, for a single card setup

- your basket -

That is sooo tempting, but I would like to go SLI or CrossFire. How well do 5850's overclock and scale with SLI?

 

[shadow_boxer]

1) Agreed either of the two CPU's would be fantastic upgrade and last a long time to come. You won't be able to pair a GTX 570 with a GTX 460, unless you have the 460 as a dedicated PhysX but that's pretty mad and overkill. Look at getting an SLI board that does x8/x8.

2) SSD adapter I presume allow you to fit a 2.5" SSD into a standard 3.5" HDD bay. Regarding USB 3 I'm not sure whether you can change them from USB 2.0 but I do remember hearing about it somewhere. Not many cases have front panel USB 3.0 but remember all the P67 boards will have a USB 3.0 header or two on the back of the motherboard I/O shield so it really doesn't matter.

3) Can't say on the RAM whether price will go up or down. Gut feeling says it'll probably stablize around the £40 mark. I'd probably just wait and get it when you need it. Plenty of offers come round for today only from various retailers.

4) Wait for GTX 560 reviews. Hopefully it'll come in at around the same price the 1GB GTX 460 did (£180) for reference design. Hopefully too, they'll overclock and scale just as well as the 460s did. One card will be enough to max 95% of games. Next year get yourself another if you really need it.

5) Don't know for the 560s obviously. According to this power consumption is 410W as max load and recommends a 750W PSU as about the minimum.

 

[AKK9]

Thanks for all the help shadow, I think you've given me some VERY useful information. I'll be back in a few months when I'm about to buy my PC but I'm glad a posted. Appreciate it.

Thanks to everyone for posting here.