SandyBridge Gaming Rig:

[Dius]

Sup guys & girls.

I've had my Dell XPS 600 for 5 years or so & its done the job, up until recently.

Am looking to buy a new rig now & would appreciate any advice on the below spec:


1/ Silverstone Temjin TJ11B-W Full Monster Tower Gaming Case - Black

2/ Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40GHz Quad Core Processor

3/ Stage 5: MAX OC OF ENTIRE SYSTEM - (CPU, RAM Graphics all OCd to maximum 24/7 Stability) **MUST SELECT AN OPERATING SYSTEM**

4/ Corsair Hydro H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler

5/ Gigabyte Z68X-UD7 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard

6/ Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600MHz C8 Memory Kit

7-a/ OcUK GeForce GTX 580 1536MB GDDR5

7-b/ OcUK GeForce GTX 580 1536MB GDDR5

8/ Intel 510 Series

9/ OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black)

10/ Asus Xonar D2X 7.1 PCI-E Sound Card

11/ Bigfoot Killer 2100 Gigabit Gaming Network Card

12/ Corsair Pro Gold AX1200W Power Supply

13/ Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit

14/ Fully Cable Managed


Thats pretty much it, PLEASE STAY OFF THE TOPIC OF THE 2500K VS 2600K everything else is negotiable.

I will be looking to upgrade further down the line to IvyBridge / watercooled GPU, etc.

so this is my starting point.

Your thoughts?

D,

 

[stulid]

Your thoughts?

If you buy this? then we need pics.

Because its ultimate.

 

[Sgt Tackleberry]

If you buy this? then we need pics.

Because its ultimate.

What this man say goes! He is the god of specing computer builds..

When/if you get this we want benchmarks

 

[mp260767]

not sure theres much point in the Gaming Network Card from previous mentions i've seen of them.

what monitor/resolution you looking to game at ?

mobo wise have a look at the asrock extreme 4/extreme 4 gen 3, seen good mentions of them.

memory wise have a look at the Corsair XMS3 8gb kit, only cos i've never really been a fan of the big heat spreaders.
is there a particular reason your getting this system with the intention of upgrading to ivybridge ?

 

[Dius]

If you buy this? then we need pics.

Because its ultimate.

Will do, looking to make purchase over the next week. . .

What this man say goes! He is the god of specing computer builds..

When/if you get this we want benchmarks

Of course. . .

not sure theres much point in the Gaming Network Card from previous mentions i've seen of them.

what monitor/resolution you looking to game at ?

mobo wise have a look at the asrock extreme 4/extreme 4 gen 3, seen good mentions of them.

memory wise have a look at the Corsair XMS3 8gb kit, only cos i've never really been a fan of the big heat spreaders.
is there a particular reason your getting this system with the intention of upgrading to ivybridge ?

Network gaming card - better to have one & not need it rather then need one & not have it. Piece of mind purchase really. . .

1st monitor is a Dell E248WFP @ 1920 x 1200
2nd is Dell 190FP @ 1280 x 1024

I'll take a look at that Mobo & memory suggestions, thanks for that fella!

As for the Ivybridge upgrade, that is not entirely on the cards.
Will take a look at specs next year & see what I think.

D,

 

[Dius]

It has arrived:

A tad BIGGER then my xps 600

Couple of changes from my original post:

1st - Mobo is a Asus Maximus IV Extreme-Z
2nd - No Bigfoot Killer 2100 Network Gaming Card / not enough room with SLI config
3rd - Win7 Home Premium 64bit

D,

 

[Sin_Chase]

That case and it's mobo orientation is a real mind-screw

The NIC is a gimmick though, better of using QoS on a router if you need to priorities traffic. Good thing you did not end up with one

 

[Dius]

That case and it's mobo orientation is a real mind-screw

The NIC is a gimmick though, better of using QoS on a router if you need to priorities traffic. Good thing you did not end up with one

Indeed, I was given the choice of the Bigfoot or 2x GTX 580. . . Needless to say SLI won hands down!

Am happy with the results, will start benchmarking some games next week. . .

 

[Sin_Chase]

Look forward to it.

Interesting to hear how much additional heat/noise the SLIed 580s make. I am always sorely tempted by SLI/Xfire but feel I would need a full custom loop in order to save my ears

 

[Jony27]

win, did you win the lottery or something?
where the hell did you get all that money?!

 

[cammy5477]

nice rig mate, did you have a lotto win?

 

[StonedPenguin]

That case and it's mobo orientation is a real mind-screw

Yes wtf? Not seen a mobo sideways like that before

Though I am very noob indeed.

 

[Tibbz2]

I envy you and your wallet in every single way.

 

[Daze]

Unreal system, ridiculously large case though lol

 

[Dius]

Look forward to it.

Interesting to hear how much additional heat/noise the SLIed 580s make. I am always sorely tempted by SLI/Xfire but feel I would need a full custom loop in order to save my ears

Well atm she is sat under my desk so when playing something like BC2 it gets pretty dame hot so might have to think about where I want / need to put her to help with airflow.

200+ FPS on max settings did make me lol though
Still wanna see what I can get out of something like X3 Terran Conflict where the polly count is God like. . .

win, did you win the lottery or something?
where the hell did you get all that money?!

Been saving for a while.

Had the choice of a new gaming rig or another motorbike for the winter coz I dont like riding my pride an joy in the wet & cold.

 

[cammy5477]

fast pc.....faster bike

 

[Fragg]

a bit of a jump from your Dell XPS 600 =P

 

[Dius]

a bit of a jump from your Dell XPS 600 =P

You can take that as an indicator of how long ive been waiting to upgrade

 

[HNR1]

The NIC is a gimmick though, better of using QoS on a router if you need to priorities traffic.

Looks at the virgin superhub it will come

as for someone asking about noise, sli or xfire i don't notice, beyers

 

[Saint1972]

I have that exact same wallpapaer in one of my rooms .
Great PC.