~ $2500 Rig, What are your thoughts?
- Thread starter nyden
- Start date
Only the ridgebacks will fit under the D14, they are great sticks
. Kingston does do some memory that will fit under the D14, for example the Genesis that OC3D reviewed not long ago.
Here is a quick list of what parts I would recommend for a high end gaming setup:
CPU: Intel Core i7 2600K
Mobo: Gigabyte P67 UD7, or any Gigabyte down to the UD4 / Also look at the P8P67 Deluxe and Pro from Asus
GPU: MSI Twin Frozr III GTX 580
Ram: depends on how much you need but something from Mushkin/Kingston
PSU: Corsair HX or AX 850W
CPU cooler: NH-D14
Boot drive: Kingston V+ 100 128GB SSD
Storage: Samsung SpinPoint F3 7200rpm 1TB hard drive(s)
Case: Entirely up to you...
That should come in at a price quite a bit lower to $2500, so I would suggest getting yourself a real nice case, maybe Aluminium, but that's up to you.
Here is a quick list of what parts I would recommend for a high end gaming setup:
CPU: Intel Core i7 2600K
Mobo: Gigabyte P67 UD7, or any Gigabyte down to the UD4 / Also look at the P8P67 Deluxe and Pro from Asus
GPU: MSI Twin Frozr III GTX 580
Ram: depends on how much you need but something from Mushkin/Kingston
PSU: Corsair HX or AX 850W
CPU cooler: NH-D14
Boot drive: Kingston V+ 100 128GB SSD
Storage: Samsung SpinPoint F3 7200rpm 1TB hard drive(s)
Case: Entirely up to you...
That should come in at a price quite a bit lower to $2500, so I would suggest getting yourself a real nice case, maybe Aluminium, but that's up to you.
Aurus, your the man .. ! :]
Talking about cases .. The Silverstone Raven RV03 is now available. http://www.chiphell.com/en/case/silverstone-rv03-review/
I can't say I agree 100% with the exterior but I do like the innovative design. One concern I have is that the Noctua might not fit with how the hard drives are mounted in this case. What do you think?
I haven't really been able to find any "subtle" cases that still over the same kind of cooling performance.
I've also been looking at the Corsair Obsidian 650D (http://www.corsair.com/cases/obsidian-series/obsidian-series-650d.html). From what I've heard the cooling is not that great .. But I do like the design.
Talking about cases .. The Silverstone Raven RV03 is now available. http://www.chiphell.com/en/case/silverstone-rv03-review/
I can't say I agree 100% with the exterior but I do like the innovative design. One concern I have is that the Noctua might not fit with how the hard drives are mounted in this case. What do you think?
I haven't really been able to find any "subtle" cases that still over the same kind of cooling performance.
I've also been looking at the Corsair Obsidian 650D (http://www.corsair.com/cases/obsidian-series/obsidian-series-650d.html). From what I've heard the cooling is not that great .. But I do like the design.
Just took another look at the boards your recommended. I was wondering how the Gigabyte P67A-UD7, the Asus P8P67 Deluxe and MSI Big Bang Marshal P67 compare. The P67A-UD7 seems to be an insanely good board .. how much better get it get?
Also: What's the difference between the Corsair AX850 and HX850?
Also: What's the difference between the Corsair AX850 and HX850?
Karlos_the_n00b
New member
Here's Toms reviews of all 3 boards that your talking about:
http://www.overclock...al_p67_review/1
http://www.overclock...vision_review/1
http://www.overclock...7a-ud7_review/1
You should read them all and then go for the one you like the looks of the most but if it was my money I'd go for the P67A-UD7 as not only is it the cheapest but the only one with the performance award.
The difference between the HX and AX is that the HX is module but the AX is fully module. If you don't understand what I mean by that you should read these reviews too.
http://www.overclock..._750w_atx_psu/1
http://www.overclock...tx_psu_review/1
Also, where the HX has silver band [font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]80 PLUS Certification the AX has gold band.[/font]
[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Basicly the AX is better.[/font]
[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][/font]
[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Also when your looking for the MSI GTX 580, if you can aford to you should go for the lighting version instead of the standard version as the lighting gives you much more overclock ability. Here's the links if your not sure of the difference:[/font]
[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]http://eu.msi.com/pr...n-Frozr-II.html[/font]
http://eu.msi.com/pr...-Lightning.html
http://www.overclock...htning_review/9
Also one more thing that might help is this:
http://www.noctua.at...ts_id=34&lng=en
Its a list of memory modules that are compatable with the D-14 but bare in mind that its not a complete list.
I also agree that you should get 2x4GB sticks of memory and the fastest you can. Personally, unless you can find some 4GB sticks that can run at the 2133MHz that these motherboards support, than I would go for these http://www.mushkin.c...ack/996953.aspx If you go with the black Gigabyte board then I would probably get these anyway
Last thing, cases. The Raven looks like it takes after the F[font="Verdana, sans-serif, FreeSans"]ortress in its design and the [/font][font="Verdana, sans-serif, FreeSans"]Fortress is one of the best cases these is for airflow so I would expect the Raven to take after this and would therefore be what I'd choose. You could also get a really good black and gold theme going.[/font]
[font="Verdana, sans-serif, FreeSans"] [/font]
[font="Verdana, sans-serif, FreeSans"]Hope this all helps.[/font]
http://www.overclock...al_p67_review/1
http://www.overclock...vision_review/1
http://www.overclock...7a-ud7_review/1
You should read them all and then go for the one you like the looks of the most but if it was my money I'd go for the P67A-UD7 as not only is it the cheapest but the only one with the performance award.
The difference between the HX and AX is that the HX is module but the AX is fully module. If you don't understand what I mean by that you should read these reviews too.
http://www.overclock..._750w_atx_psu/1
http://www.overclock...tx_psu_review/1
Also, where the HX has silver band [font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]80 PLUS Certification the AX has gold band.[/font]
[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Basicly the AX is better.[/font]
[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][/font]
[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Also when your looking for the MSI GTX 580, if you can aford to you should go for the lighting version instead of the standard version as the lighting gives you much more overclock ability. Here's the links if your not sure of the difference:[/font]
[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]http://eu.msi.com/pr...n-Frozr-II.html[/font]
http://eu.msi.com/pr...-Lightning.html
http://www.overclock...htning_review/9
Also one more thing that might help is this:
http://www.noctua.at...ts_id=34&lng=en
Its a list of memory modules that are compatable with the D-14 but bare in mind that its not a complete list.
I also agree that you should get 2x4GB sticks of memory and the fastest you can. Personally, unless you can find some 4GB sticks that can run at the 2133MHz that these motherboards support, than I would go for these http://www.mushkin.c...ack/996953.aspx If you go with the black Gigabyte board then I would probably get these anyway
Last thing, cases. The Raven looks like it takes after the F[font="Verdana, sans-serif, FreeSans"]ortress in its design and the [/font][font="Verdana, sans-serif, FreeSans"]Fortress is one of the best cases these is for airflow so I would expect the Raven to take after this and would therefore be what I'd choose. You could also get a really good black and gold theme going.[/font]
[font="Verdana, sans-serif, FreeSans"] [/font]
[font="Verdana, sans-serif, FreeSans"]Hope this all helps.[/font]
Realistically all of them will perform pretty similar, when you are overclocking on air or even on water. Imho the Big Bang Marshal has the wrong chipset on it, it should have been X58, but that's just my opinion. It comes down to other features, and maybe looks. You will be able to get good clocks out of any of them. But remember the MSI Big Bang Marhsal is not standard ATX formfactor. The AX series is fully modular, which means every cable is detachable from the PSU itself. Even the 24 pin is modular. The HX series is modular, but the 24 pin ATX and the 8pin EPS connectors are not detachable. But you will need them any way so it is not a problem. The other difference between those two is that the AX850 is 80+ Gold certified, whereas the HX850 is 80+ silver certified. Oh and if you are going to get the UD7 for a motherboard the AX 850 will fit into your colour scheme better
But anyways, either one is fine.
Sorry about not being able to reply earlier.
When it comes to RAM Mushkin and Kingston both provide great performance. I would still go for Mushkin though, not only due to the short heatsinks, but they have great performance and overclock quite nicely so at the end of the day their performance is pretty much identical, but Mushkin is cheaper where I live, which is why I would recommend it. But choose whichever is cheaper for you, but I'm fairly sure the Ridgebacks outperform the older HyperX modules and is on par with the new Genesis. If you're going with 4GB kits, Mushkin also has some pretty good 2x4GB kits and if you're lucky with the silicon lottery you can get ones like TTLs. Corsair Vengeance is another good 2x4GB set. but if you were going to use those you'll either need to take off the heatsinks (voiding warranty) or get a smaller cooler, a good one is the Thermalright Archon, but I'm not 100% with it's compatibility with Vengeance RAM.
The future of 1366 and 1155, I personally wouldn't think about it too much, because 90% of the time when a new CPU is released that uses the same socket there aren't any new features really, just an increased factory clock. I doubt Intel will release 6 core CPUs for 1155, they'll be saving those for Ivy Bridge the replacement for 1366. So I wouldn't worry too much about the future of your socket type unless you're going AMD.
With the motherboard choice, MSI Big Bang Marshal is the king of the hill atm, it overclocks better than the Gigabyte and the ASUS, but you'll need a case like the RV03 or HAF X to use it. The UD7 while it is a good board is too pricey imho and Gigabyte did mess up the PCIe arrangement, which is the spacing of the two PCIe 16x, since P67 by default only supports 8x SLI, but the spacing that Gigabyte chose means the top card has less breathing space and you aren't able to use triple slot coolers, but the MSI lets you have those, which is why I recommend it. Also the Big Bang overclocks better.
Difference between Corsair AX850 and the HX850 is that the AX850 is fully modular, which makes cable management a breeze, but since the HX850 is semi-modular, so only the essential cables are fixed there shouldn't be much difference when it comes to cable management. The big difference between the two is the efficiency. The AX850 is 80+ Gold (87%+ efficency), while the HX850 is 80+ Silver (85%+ efficiency), although I've heard it was borderline gold, having past the Gold tests in the lab, but when used in real world temps, it's only silver.
When it comes to RAM Mushkin and Kingston both provide great performance. I would still go for Mushkin though, not only due to the short heatsinks, but they have great performance and overclock quite nicely so at the end of the day their performance is pretty much identical, but Mushkin is cheaper where I live, which is why I would recommend it. But choose whichever is cheaper for you, but I'm fairly sure the Ridgebacks outperform the older HyperX modules and is on par with the new Genesis. If you're going with 4GB kits, Mushkin also has some pretty good 2x4GB kits and if you're lucky with the silicon lottery you can get ones like TTLs. Corsair Vengeance is another good 2x4GB set. but if you were going to use those you'll either need to take off the heatsinks (voiding warranty) or get a smaller cooler, a good one is the Thermalright Archon, but I'm not 100% with it's compatibility with Vengeance RAM.
The future of 1366 and 1155, I personally wouldn't think about it too much, because 90% of the time when a new CPU is released that uses the same socket there aren't any new features really, just an increased factory clock. I doubt Intel will release 6 core CPUs for 1155, they'll be saving those for Ivy Bridge the replacement for 1366. So I wouldn't worry too much about the future of your socket type unless you're going AMD.
With the motherboard choice, MSI Big Bang Marshal is the king of the hill atm, it overclocks better than the Gigabyte and the ASUS, but you'll need a case like the RV03 or HAF X to use it. The UD7 while it is a good board is too pricey imho and Gigabyte did mess up the PCIe arrangement, which is the spacing of the two PCIe 16x, since P67 by default only supports 8x SLI, but the spacing that Gigabyte chose means the top card has less breathing space and you aren't able to use triple slot coolers, but the MSI lets you have those, which is why I recommend it. Also the Big Bang overclocks better.
Difference between Corsair AX850 and the HX850 is that the AX850 is fully modular, which makes cable management a breeze, but since the HX850 is semi-modular, so only the essential cables are fixed there shouldn't be much difference when it comes to cable management. The big difference between the two is the efficiency. The AX850 is 80+ Gold (87%+ efficency), while the HX850 is 80+ Silver (85%+ efficiency), although I've heard it was borderline gold, having past the Gold tests in the lab, but when used in real world temps, it's only silver.
Karlos_the_n00b
New member
Whilst its upsetting that I can't run two Gainwood Phantoms on the Gigabyte [font=Verdana, sans-serif, FreeSans]P67A-UD7[/font] I believe the slots are actually arranged like that to allow you to be able to run two cards at x16 or a tri-card setup with one card running at x16 and two cards running at x8. They could have done it better though like ASUS.
It doesn't make any difference here because Nyden has already said that he's not really interested in running more than one card but I just wanted to explain why the boards slots are arranged like that.
Thanks guys. I really, really appreciate the feedback - and I mean really. ;]
To summarize, I think here is what I'm looking at:
CPU:
Intel Core i7 2600K
CPU Cooler:
Noctua NH-D14
Mobo:
MSI Big Bang Marshal P67
GPU:
MSI GTX580 Lightning Twin Frozr III
Ram:
8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-16000 10-10-10-27 Mushkin Ridgeback
PSU:
Corsair AX850
Boot Drive:
Kingston V+ 100 128GB SSD - Does raid 0 make sense here?
Storage:
2x WD VelociRaptor 600GB - raid 0
1x WD Caviar Black 2TB
Sound Card:
Auzentech X-Fi Forte 7.1
Case:
... I'm not a 100% set on the Silverstone Raven RV03. What I'm really looking for is a case with a sleek, subtle design. Good cooling performance, yet still somewhat quiet. I mean the HAF X is nice and all but not exactly subtle .. and it's huge. I realize if I want a smaller case I may have to settle for a smaller motherboard. Now that I think about it all that may be to much to ask of one case. But I don't mind spending up to $250.
I don't know. What do you guys think?
To summarize, I think here is what I'm looking at:
CPU:
Intel Core i7 2600K
CPU Cooler:
Noctua NH-D14
Mobo:
MSI Big Bang Marshal P67
GPU:
MSI GTX580 Lightning Twin Frozr III
Ram:
8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-16000 10-10-10-27 Mushkin Ridgeback
PSU:
Corsair AX850
Boot Drive:
Kingston V+ 100 128GB SSD - Does raid 0 make sense here?
Storage:
2x WD VelociRaptor 600GB - raid 0
1x WD Caviar Black 2TB
Sound Card:
Auzentech X-Fi Forte 7.1
Case:
... I'm not a 100% set on the Silverstone Raven RV03. What I'm really looking for is a case with a sleek, subtle design. Good cooling performance, yet still somewhat quiet. I mean the HAF X is nice and all but not exactly subtle .. and it's huge. I realize if I want a smaller case I may have to settle for a smaller motherboard. Now that I think about it all that may be to much to ask of one case. But I don't mind spending up to $250.
I don't know. What do you guys think?
Grizzly
New member
So long as it's the V+ 100 I learnt earlier today it's fine to have them in RAID 0 because it has its own 'garbage control' as it's called to make up for the loss of TRIM in any case
It's pointless having that extra 2TB drive unless you're using it for backup
Case, don't know what it's like for cooling but what about the Fractal R3 or Fractal XL? They're quiet, good quality, subtle.
Thanks Grizzly. Yes the additional 2TB drive would be for backup and storage. I was actually just looking the the Fractal cases. I like them a lot, but there is the USB 3.0 issue. I've also been looking at the Corsair Obsidian cases. The 800D may be a little to big, but the 650D I like a lot. What do you think?
Grizzly
New member
Heard the 650D is a good case, air cooling isn't as problematic as the 800D (hotbox).
What nyden said about the 600T also, I'd get the white windowed version myself.
Also you planning on using USB3 a lot? Personally I wouldn't choose a different case because it hasn't got USB3 at the front but that's just me.
Karlos_the_n00b
New member
Cases are something I really find difficult to recommend to others as I find its probably the most personal part of the build.
I think the best thing you can do is have a dig around all the computer sites you can think of and see what's available. When you find a case you like then just count up the slots at the back of the case and as long as it has eight then its suitable to house the big bang.
Have fun
I think the best thing you can do is have a dig around all the computer sites you can think of and see what's available. When you find a case you like then just count up the slots at the back of the case and as long as it has eight then its suitable to house the big bang.
Have fun
Yea .. you guys are probably right. Just had a look at the white 600T. I like the exterior, not a 100% set. TTL was kinda bashing it :/
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/corsair_600t_case_review/3
Also, your aright about the USB 3.0. Probably not as crucial.
However I am concerned about cooling. Definitely don't want a hotbox
.. Which leads me back to the Raven Rv03.
But then I wish it would look "better" .. or more like the 650D .. may just put as many fans as possible in that.
I also looked into the Fractal Design cases, but form what I'm reading they seem to run kind of hot. Probably because of the sound dampening material .. I guess you just can't have everything ;]
Been looking for a while now. We'll see what else I can find.
Maybe I should think about a full tower case. Not a huge fan of the HAF X exterior. I wonder if there are cases with similar cooling performance but a more subtle look. Like I said, not to concerned about the price tag.
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/corsair_600t_case_review/3
Also, your aright about the USB 3.0. Probably not as crucial.
However I am concerned about cooling. Definitely don't want a hotbox
But then I wish it would look "better" .. or more like the 650D .. may just put as many fans as possible in that.
I also looked into the Fractal Design cases, but form what I'm reading they seem to run kind of hot. Probably because of the sound dampening material .. I guess you just can't have everything ;]
Been looking for a while now. We'll see what else I can find.
Maybe I should think about a full tower case. Not a huge fan of the HAF X exterior. I wonder if there are cases with similar cooling performance but a more subtle look. Like I said, not to concerned about the price tag.
Grizzly
New member
In which case you may want to take a look at some Lian Li cases as well, see if any of them take your fancy.
I was looking at the Lian Li PC-V1020 today. Apparently the cooling is quite good. It would be interesting to know the cooling performance compares to the Obsidian 650D.
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2011/01/06/lian-li-pc-v1020-review/1
Then again I might just go with the Raven RV03 .. aahhh choices .. choices .. !!
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2011/01/06/lian-li-pc-v1020-review/1
Then again I might just go with the Raven RV03 .. aahhh choices .. choices .. !!
Grizzly
New member
Entirely down to you now, in my opinion they're all good choices.
