New computer build.

wildest_jjk

wildest_jjk

wildest_jjk

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Hey guys, this is the final updated version of parts for my gaming build and is what I have chosen. The components I purchased are:

1 x MSI ATI Radeon HD 6870 Twin FrozR II OC 1048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card with FREE Shogun 2
1 x Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz Socket 1155 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor
1 x MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 (socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) ** B3 REVISION ** with FREE Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler
1 x OCZ 60GB Vertex 2E SSD 2.5" SATA-II Read = 285MB/s, Write = 275MB/s 50,000 IOPS
1 x G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM)
1 x XFX Pro 650W Core Edition Power Supply
1 x Coolermaster CM 690 II LITE Version
1 x Samsung SH-B123L/BSBP 12x BluRay ROM / 16x DVD±RW Lightscribe SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM) [SH-B123L/BSBP ]

I am still undecided on the monitors but want to spend no more than a maximum of £220 for each monitor.

Many thanks!
 
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Mobo : good.
CPU : good.
RAM : I wouldn't bother and get XMS3 for £66.
heatsink : OK-ish. Better heatsinks for a little more (Gelid Tranquillo, A50, Hyper 212+).
SSD : OCZ Agility 3 only £2 more.
Case : Upgrade to at least a CM 430 / Antec 100. Better still, a HAF912 or a CM 690 II.
PSU : Get a Antec High Current Gamer 620W or XFX 550W, or a better XFX / Corsair 650W PSU.
monitor : TN panel. Dunno about this one, but doesn't look that different from the rest of the flock.
GPU : I prefer cool and quiet over felt melting performance, so my choice would be the 6950. Not keen on unlocking GPUs, so I'd take the Twin Frozr III 2GB. Motherboards Xfire, so you'll need 650W for XFire (the Antec 620W looks a bit short but should still do it with careful overclocking).
 
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Hello thanks for the response. Is there much difference spec wise between the RAM? For the GPU you mentioned Xfire. I am only having one graphics card for the dual monitors, is that what you mean? Or do you mean something else?

Also does anybody have any suggestions for my dual monitors?

Thanks guys.
 
wildest_jjk said:
Hello thanks for the response. Is there much difference spec wise between the RAM?
Click to expand...

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/memory/2011/01/11/the-best-memory-for-sandy-bridge/1

For the GPU you mentioned Xfire. I am only having one graphics card for the dual monitors, is that what you mean? Or do you mean something else?
Click to expand...

Something else. XFire is using two graphics card at a time. You might as well forget it :) Most useful when your graphics card can't cut it any more. Right now, not a concern with any £200 GPUs. The 480 is faster, the 6950 2GB has a bit more RAM (moot point right now, even on dual monitors), runs cooler and quieter. Running 2 6950's, you will need a 650-750W PSU. Running two 480GTX, you will need 850-1000W PSU (Antec High Current Gamer 900W springs to mind). But SLI / XFire is overkill right now. One card, either 480GTX, 580GTX, 6950 2GB, the Antec HighCurrent Gamer 620W for £50 will cope.

NVIDIA also gives you the option of 3D vision. You will need a 3D enabled screen (120Hz), and Nvidia 3D vision setup (£100). But you need a very powerful card, as you basically render twice the amount of frames (1/2 your frame rate). The GeForce 480 can do that better than ATI, who hasn't got a decent 3D setup yet.

Also does anybody have any suggestions for my dual monitors?
Click to expand...
Not sure myself, there are plenty on offers, and for £150 a piece, you could get a 24'' set.

Do change the cooler to something better. I'd go Hyper 212+ (cheapest and good performance), Gelid Tranquillo (quietest and good performance), or A50 (best performance). In any case, you should be good to overclock to 4.2-4.4GHz with that mobo and any of these, which is generally a good milestone. Good as you usually need only a dab of voltage increment for the CPU, so no stress and no extra heat.
 
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If you do go NVidia, I would keep the 3D option in mind, and get the LG monitor 23'' on offer for £150. Then another non-3D monitor, maybe a 24''. That way, you can add the 3D vision if that suits you later. It's still a decent screen.

 
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Hello again. Many thanks for all your help it is much appreciated. I have updated a few of my components in line with what you have said. The shopping basket was very helpful! However I am still struggling with the GPU/monitors. Now I will be perfectly honest I am not really fussed about the 3D side of things. So if this is the case would you say the 6950? Of course this affects the monitors as well if I was to get the 6950.

Thanks!
 
I personally prefer the 6950. Go with one of the 2GB model. Comparing to a GTX 480, it's a bit like a M5 versus a Corvette :) More sophistication versus brute force.

The problem is, I don't know much about each of monitors, but the Iiyama 24'' look good. Also depends on the connectors you need (HDMI, DVI, VGA), and how much desk space you have (24'' take a lot of room). Of course you can mix and match. There is quite a significant perceived size difference between a 22'' and a 24''. LG / Samsung / Iiyama, they are usually pretty good.

I have two Dell IPS (22'' and 24'') but that's over your budget. For TN panels, I just don't know.
 
Right thats very helpful. Loved the car comparison as well :P So for the graphics card I think I will stick with the 6950 as it is slightly cheaper as well (I think). One thing I can never really understand are the different brands of the same graphics card. Do they just have slightly different specs? I am thinking of going with this one:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-128-MS

As I believe it has been overclocked ready? And was hoping to get your opinion on the dell one I linked above? Considering you have more superior ones :P

Thanks again.
 
That one is fine, it will overclock nicely.

And there's different brands of the same card because different companies like to have a go at making money with their own variation of the card. AMD/Nvidia will make a reference card which will be fine for most people, but then the likes of MSI/ASUS will slap their own bios/cooler onto it to try make it better.
 
wildest_jjk said:
Thanks for the response is that card already overclocked though? Because I have no idea how to overclock. But I will definitely go with the 6950 now so that is sorted.
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It's pre-overclocked. 850MHz / 5200MGhz versus 810MGhz / 5000Mhz. But realistically, all cards will overclock up to that. The fact that it is factory overclocked and has a good 3d party cooler means you don't have to worry about it. I wouldn't bother with overclocking it further tbh. You gain a little, but you increase heat (noise), and it's a bit of a waste of time. You usually need to increase voltage to overclock high, and that's a strain on the components, more than frequency. Not all cards allow you to do that.

Also could you guys please tell me what you think to this monitor for my dual monitor setup?

http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/lg-w2361v-pf-lcd/4507-3174_7-33669100.html?tag=mncolBtm;rnav

Or does anyone know of any better ones? This is my last part to decide on.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Really can't say. Best to head to a local retailer, find the model number of a screen you like, or ask the monitor section. There is so much choice in that category it's difficult to say. For £150, I would try to go 24'' though. Another question is if you want glossy (more cinematic colour) or matte (less reflection) finish. And if you want HDMI, VGA, Compnents, DVI-D ect...
 
Ok thanks a lot! Unfortunately the weeklydeals have now changed and the RAM prices have been affected. Should I still buy the RAM previously suggested? This is also the same for the SSD and GPU. Lastly is the Antec 300 a better choice than the antec 100? Sorry about this about to buy now and didnt realise the weekly deals change in the morning!

Thanks
 
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Just to add there are a few different types of RAM options that I can go with after looking at the new weekly deals.

Now this was the one I was now going to buy:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-290-CS

But there are some other options too:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-062-GS
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-060-GS
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-295-CS
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-299-CS

What do you guys think? I really want the best deal, so which one would be most appropriate? If none of these any alternatives?

Thanks again. :)
 
Also I have been looking a bit further into graphics cards and I have been able to find the GTX 570 for £240. Would it be worth getting this, instead of the Radeon 6950?
 
It's up to you and your budget. The 570 is a better card in terms of performance, but the 6950 is a good card in its own rights.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/293?vs=306

As for the memory, As long as the memory is compatible with the motherboard, any will do. The board has been tested with Corsair XMS3 and RipJaws X. This day and age, you rarely have compatibility problems, except for the more exotic, extreme rams. You won't see much difference in performance, except maybe in benches and even then, it will be marginal. The lower latency will have a slight edge.

http://www.msi.com/file/test_report/TR10_2225.pdf

However the problem is with the memory heat spreaders and the CPU cooler, and if they fit underneath. The XMS3 will have no problems for sure, but the others could. The cooler's fan can cover the first memory slot, so you will have to move the other channel. Memory sticks may fit underneath, they may not, or you may have to move the modules to the second channel.

So, I'd say XMS3 to be sure, or if you are feeling lucky, some RipJawsX (cheaper, or if you want lower latency, or 'blue' sticks, the other kind :)).
 
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Right many thanks for your response. Would you say that the extra performance of the GTX 570 is worth the extra £30-40? If not I will forget it.

And I guess if that's the case I better stick to the XMS3. I was just seeing if I could get anything better such as latency wise, for a similar price. But it doesnt sound like its worth risking it!

Almost there I think, many thanks!
 
Depends. I would look at reviews and issues of that particular model. Asus make good graphics cards (overclock well and generally problem free). I like custom coolers personally, like MSI's Twin Frozr, Asus DirectCU, and Gigabyte something.

The 570 is neck and neck with a 480GTX in current benches, but is more efficient. If it's a good 570, then I'd go with that. If it's some sort of OEM, I'd pass. Also depends where you buy from, not worth the hassle with fleebay or unusual retailers.

Furthermore, if you plan on SLI / XFire later, you will need to change the PSU with two 570's. You can get a 750W now though, or just go 570 and work it out later.

my $0.02.
 
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Well its definitely out of the 480/570/6950. The 570 I was talking about is:

MSI GeForce GTX 570 1280MB GDDR5 PCIe [N570GTX-M2D12D5]

This is the link to it on OC, I think it is the same one: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-112-MS

Its off of another big site (not sure If I am aloud to say it or not). But its £240 on there. Would you class this as a good card? If not then I will just stick with the 6950 probably the Twin Frozr III one. Also SLI/Xfire is not on the agenda for a long time to come anyway.

Also there is also this:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-222-AS&tool=3

Which again is quite similar to the price of the 6950.

Thanks again, sorry about all the questions. :)
 
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