2012 Gaming Rig - 1.700Eur budget

So here is what i just ordered! :D

Intel Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz box
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB
Asus GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU II Top 2GB DDR5 256-bit
Corsair Vengeance Blue LP 8GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Kit Rev. A
Corsair TX850M
CM Storm Trooper
+ i get a 6 pack of Heineken!

Thank you all for your input, I really appreciate the interest.

P.S. I'm now having second thoughts about the GPU, feel that a MSI Radeon HD7970 OC 3GB DDR5 384-bit would have been better - not sure though! :D I have a VERY hard time making up my mind :(
 
Oh yes, very much so!

As the 7970 and 670 are so close in specs the benchmark test are not very helpful, one game works better on the 7970 another works better on the 670.

The 7970 however has 3GB and more is better, although i might be wrong. The 670 has only 2GB but faster speeds. The 7970's generally are better looking because they have those covers that optimize exhaust to the back of the case - might be effective but my case will have excellent air flow and cleaning the dust out of a 670 seem much easier, and looks more aggressive i think.

I'm still not sure if i made a good decision with the GPU. I'm sure i would have said the same if I had gone with the 7970. I HATE MY BRAIN!:lol:

I will keep you guys posted on the build, pics, etc.
 
Just dont worry. They're both very good gpus, and if you're only running on 1 monitor you'll be maxing out FPS anyway so that's no concern.
As for the RAM, it only really makes a difference for running multiple screens or massive resolutions. 2gb is absolutely fine for gaming on 1 monitor
 
Yes, that's another thing.

I like the idea that I would one day play a driving simulator on a 3 screen setup - a friend of mine has such a setup. But to be honest i don't think I will ever buy another 2x 27" screens just to play one type of game of which i'm sure i will eventually get bored of... just like my friend did! :)

He is now using his 3rd screen to efficiently catch dust on the high-gloss plastic :lol:
 
The 670 will be fine anyway, and it can overclock very well so will actually outperform the 7970.
The RAM will not be an issue though, dont worry, you made a good choice :)
 
Thanks for the reassurance!

I was just thinking now, will the NH-D14 fit over the Vengeance Blue LP i choose? They seem to be standard height so i'm guessing there will be no problem.

I'm sure the day will come when i will want to OC the CPU so i'm assuming the D14 is the way to go.
 
Yes it'll be fine. LP is low profile btw, and the NH-D14 is even fine with a bit of a heatspreader too.
And get into overclocking right away. It's so so easy on the Ivybridge chips. Easy 20% boost in performance
 
Aha!
In fact i was hoping i wouldn't need to OC right away but from what you are saying i guess I should just add the D14 to the order now?

P.S. If you have better things to do, don't mind me! Although your promt feedback is very much appreciated.
 
Hahahaha, finished school, nothing to do for the next few months, and cant even go out today cause I've got a delivery coming :) I'm happy to help.

And I would yes, remember not to get the 2011 version! You never really NEED to overclock, but when on Ivybridge you can increase the clock speed from 3.4ghz to 4.2/4.3 without even increasing the voltages it seems ludicrous not to.

Also, the D14 is so quiet
 
Hello again. As mentioned I've returned with pics of the build process, a bit late but still :)

Let me know you have any remarks.

Thanks again for all of you for your help!

The stuff:
001.JPG


The layout
002.JPG

003.JPG


The nightmare
004.JPG

005.JPG


The mess i always make
006.JPG


The end result
007.JPG

008.JPG
 
Thanks :) It was really fun, very nice to work with a case like the Storm Trooper, compared to my old Antec Nine Hundred - 0 cable management option.

Things I've learned from this build:
- you cannot access the CPU slot after you install the mounts for the D14
- very difficult to access the RAM slots but not impossible, after the D14 is installed
- cross flow for the HDD cage is great for cable management but not for air flow/dust filtering. At least one cage/fan should push air inside the case.
- the Noctua NF-S12B seems to have at a lot less power than an Antec TriCool, but its dead silent.
- for cable management purposes the D14 should not be powered from the motherboard.

Questions.
1. I noticed that my RAM appears to be running at 667mHz. Any suggestions?
2. Is it OK to not power the CPU cooler from the motherboard? I'm guessing it's not a problem but it seems strange to me.
 
1) Go into your BIOS and make sure that XMP is enabled. Stuff like CPU-Z show you half the speed that your memory is rated for (I did read why this is, I just can't remember). Note that in my sig my memory is shown as 1066.8 MH - it's rated at 2133MHz.
2) Yup, absolutely fine. This forum is pro-molex :)
 
Last edited:
Josh Weston said:
1) Go into your BIOS and make sure that XMP is enabled. Stuff like CPU-Z show you half the speed that your memory is rated for (I did read why this is, I just can't remember). Note that in my sig my memory is shown as 1066.8 MH - it's rated at 2133MHz.
2) Yup, absolutely fine. This forum is pro-molex :)
Click to expand...

Just to refresh, its because memory operates on both the up and down of the clock, so 1200 MHz is actually 2400 MTs (Mega transfers). Memory companies advertise this as 2400 MHz just to make it seem faster I guess, plus it's the industry standard at this point, but those ratings are technically incorrect. CPU-Z shows you the actual clock speed.
 
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