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05-16-2011, 10:33 AM
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#1 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 6
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Need Hardware Advice
Hey guys,
I'm new to the site although I've been building my own computers for quite some time now. I've been preoccupied with other things and I've been pretty much outside of the hardware loop. Can anyone give me their recommendations on what components I should use for a ~$2000 gaming rig? This may have to include the monitor. I'm going to see how much the monitor will cost and I'll go from there. Basically, going to need: Case GPU CPU Mobo PSU After-market cooling (air - not too much into OC'ing) HDD Memory CD/DVD Optical Drives Monitor You know... the usual... If you guys can give me any advice that would be great! I'm off to research the merits of a GTX580 over GTX570 now. |
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05-16-2011, 10:44 AM
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#2 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Newfoundland
Posts: 245
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Case: Pretty much a personal preference kind of thing. I really like the Cooler Master designs.
GPU: 570 and the 580 would both be great. Go for EVGA if you want a nvidia card. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-595-_-Product CPU: i7-2600k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115070 Mobo: Asus P67 board. Really up to you depending on what your needs are. If you want SLI or Crossfire go for the PRO, WS, or Sabertooth. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...rder=BESTMATCH PSU: Corsair TX650 or TX750 depending on the GPU you choose or if you want SLI/Crossfire in the future. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-006-_-Product After-market cooling (air - not too much into OC'ing): Cooler Master Hyper 212+ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-065-_-Product HDD: WD Caviar Black 6.0 gb/s 64 mb cache http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-533-_-Product Memory: Corsair XMS3 DDR3 2x4 gb 1333 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-315-_-Product CD/DVD Optical Drives: Whatever is on sale at the time. Monitor: Pretty much look through the ones on sale. Asus is a great brand. I went for this one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236059 Last edited by Sourtop; 05-16-2011 at 10:52 AM. |
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05-16-2011, 10:53 AM
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#3 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 6
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Think it's a good idea to make the system expandable to an SLI for upgrade in a year's time or so? Or will it prove to be an expensive bottleneck?
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05-16-2011, 11:00 AM
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#4 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 6
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Also, I remember in a build that I made a year ago that (at the time) a 3x2GB ram configuration was more stable than others. Is this still the case?
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05-16-2011, 11:07 AM
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#5 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Newfoundland
Posts: 245
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From what I've gathered SLI/Crossfire investment is a slightly cheaper alternative to buying a better single card.
If you buy a single card now (GTX 570 for example) and later on down the road you want to upgrade you might end up dishing out another $400 on a top of the line GPU while you could just buy another GTX 570 for a lower price than what you paid originally (Prices seem to drop pretty quickly as newer cards are released). It might not perform as well as that single top tier card, but at least you can save a few dollars and still play the most recent games. For example, I bought a GTX 460 1 GB and if I wanted to upgrade later on I could buy another one for about half the price of upgrading to a single GTX 480 and those two 460's in SLI would perform better too. I haven't read anything comparing SLI 460's to any 500 series cards, but I'm sure someone has made a comparison. Conclusion : Amazing SLI Scaling: Do Two GeForce GTX 460s Beat One GTX 480? Not sure about the ram question, but if you want the new Intel processors you need a motherboard with a 1155 slot and as far as I know all the Asus boards are dual channel so you have to buy ram in pairs. Last edited by Sourtop; 05-16-2011 at 11:09 AM. |
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05-16-2011, 11:23 AM
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#6 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 6
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What mid-range SLI card would you recommend? the 400 series?
Also, is it just me, or is ram just that cheap nowadays? $90 for ram seems like a far cry (hah) from what I'm used to - about $250. |
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05-16-2011, 11:42 AM
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#7 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 6
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Seems to me that the components you recommended sourtop are mid-high range. I can push them up a bit more. Seems as though the monitor will only cost $200 so I can throw in some higher quality ram, maybe V8 heatsink?
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05-16-2011, 11:46 AM
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#8 |
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Member (3 bit)
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 6
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Thoughts on a 27'' viewsonic for $300 CAD?
Buy the Viewsonic VX2739wm 27 Widescreen 1ms LCD Monitor at TigerDirect.ca |
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05-16-2011, 12:02 PM
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#9 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Newfoundland
Posts: 245
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You should stay away from Tigerdirect (Poor customer service) and go for Newegg. NCIX is also great if you live in Canada.
As for tossing some more money at parts: MOBO: If you want high-end go for the Asus P67 WS, Sabertooth, or Maximus. You might be paying extra for features you don't really care about though. The WS is probably your best bet if you want two cards. I've seen reviews where the x16 on both cards give little performance increase over the x8 on both cards. CPU: I7-2600k is a great CPU that's easy to overclock. It actually overclocks itself automatically, but you can do it manually if you desire. RAM: Overclocking ram gives little to no performance increase so just go for some reliable and stable ram like the XMS. You could get some other type if you want though. PSU: If you have the extra cash to throw at the build you could get a 1000W Corsair PSU that will last you a good while and let you SLI/Crossfire whatever cards you might desire in the future. Assuming you want two cards of course. GPU: GTX 570 or 580 if you want high-end. I bought a GTX 460 1 GB because I only wanted to be able to play Starcraft 2 on ultra settings which that card does flawlessly. HDD: Stick with the WD Caviar Black. If you want you could always invest in an Intel SSD, but you're probably better off waiting for prices to drop like I am. Cooler: The Hyper 212+ is a great cooler, but if you want to spend more you should check this out: Top 5 Intel & AMD Heatsinks on Frostytech. Drive: Invest in a Blu-Ray drive. I went for a LG that was on sale. Monitor: I don't know enough about what to look for to give you a really meaningful recommendation. I bought an Asus because its a good brand, it was 23'' and it was on sale. Look at bigger monitors with higher resolutions if you want. Remember you also need to throw $100 at an OS and another bit towards a case. Last edited by Sourtop; 05-16-2011 at 12:06 PM. |
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