After my latest computer died I decided to take the plunge and build myself a new one. If you tech guru's could give me your advice on this build I'd really appreciate it! I plan on adding additional parts/swapping in the future so if some of the parts don't make sense (heatsink, semi-lack-luster gpu) sort of bear that in mind. For now I'm just looking to play SC2, maybe a bit of Skyrim and D3 on release at High+ with a consistent 60+ fps.
Case: Flipping a coin! HDD: Samsung 500GB Ram: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) GPU: GTX 460 (Fermi) Mobo: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 CPU: i5-2500k Sandy Bridge Heatsink: Noctua NH-D14 PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W (What I'm mostly iffy about. Going to be the first part I replace yady ya.. Anything that isn't listed (DvD Drive, Monitor etc) I have covered already
i'm pretty sure the more seasoned tech support guys here would tell you that in short that OCZ PSUs are trash.
you want brands like Antec, Seasonic, XFX, etc. favour a PSU that's reliable and has a lower power rating. your build mostly likely won't draw anywhere near 600W.
On April 09 2012 06:43 ballasdontcry wrote: i'm pretty sure the more seasoned tech support guys here would tell you that in short that OCZ PSUs are trash
Yea I figured as much. Going to go shop around some more for an alternative..
GTX 550 Ti sucks even if its a placeholder for a flagship. Get GTX 460 or Radeon HD6850 instead or even a shitty GTX 560 SE.
OCZ ModXStream Pro is old, there are probably better options available at around the same price... Seasonic M12II, Rosewill Hive, Antec High Current Gamer M, Antec Truepower New, OCZ ZT, etc...
If you're thinking long-term investment, you should allocate your budget differently (eg. spend much less on the motherboard) so you have a good case and power supply as well with the good Noctua NH-D14.
Unless you need the computer now, wait till Ivy bridge comes out; or unless you want to go AMD maybe u can build one now. OCZ PSUs are fine but I prefer Silverstones. I would consider the Asrock Z68 if you want to try some hardcore overclocking. They are beast boards. Also if you wait the 600 series Nvidia cards should drop in price by the time ivy bridge comes out.
Case: Antec 900...rather Lian Li HDD: Hitachi Deskstar Ram: Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 8gb ( about 40€ in EU ) ( I know CPU FSB is 1333...but if your ram could handle 1600Mhz it´s nothing wrong with it) GPU: GTX 560 TI Mobo: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 or any Z68 board your happy with... CPU: i5-2500k Sandy Bridge nice pick...if this is the 200$ Quad ....i keep getting confused by intel names Heatsink: Scythe Mugen or Boxed CPU cooler PSU: Any Enermax, Tagan, Seasonic arround 550-600 Watts, save 100-150 $ for it it is fucking important.
On April 09 2012 07:10 plgElwood wrote: Case: Antec 900...rather Lian Li HDD: Hitachi Deskstar Ram: Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600 8gb ( about 40€ in EU ) ( I know CPU FSB is 1333...but if your ram could handle 1600Mhz it´s nothing wrong with it) GPU: GTX 560 TI Mobo: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 or any Z68 board your happy with... CPU: i5-2500k Sandy Bridge nice pick...if this is the 200$ Quad ....i keep getting confused by intel names Heatsink: Scythe Mugen or Boxed CPU cooler PSU: Any Enermax, Tagan, Seasonic arround 550-600 Watts, save 100-150 $ for it it is fucking important.
i think you're recommending parts on personal preference more than best performance/$. whatever i guess.
I decided to swap out the OCZ for a Rosewill Hive 550W. Thoughts on it? I know I'll for sure need a replacement when I get the planned GPU(s), but I had that in mind anyways. I also swapped the GTX550 with the 460 (thanks for the tips).
@Skyr What would you recommend for a different case? I picked the Antec 900 just because it's roomy with solid air flow. Would buying a cheaper motherboard for a better power supply be a better option?
@sly Yea I need a computer pretty much asap lol. Anything to get me off this craptop..
Also, my budget is $1100US tops currently. I was going to wait a few months and get every part that I want, but instead I'll just get it part by part and sell the replacements to a buddy of mine.
It's pretty much a solid build; the motherboard, CPU and RAM combo is an attractive deal. Once you're ready to swap parts as you mentioned, go for a GTX 580 that will complement this build nicely. I'll leave the discussion about what PSU you should have to the number crunchers Personally I like a substantial amount of headroom just in case I will upgrade and so I would pick a 750W or 850W PSU for this.
On April 09 2012 07:45 Frumpysnoo wrote: I decided to swap out the OCZ for a Rosewill Hive 550W. Thoughts on it? I know I'll for sure need a replacement when I get the planned GPU(s), but I had that in mind anyways. I also swapped the GTX550 with the 460 (thanks for the tips).
@Skyr What would you recommend for a different case? I picked the Antec 900 just because it's roomy with solid air flow. Would buying a cheaper motherboard for a better power supply be a better option?
@sly Yea I need a computer pretty much asap lol. Anything to get me off this craptop..
Also, my budget is $1100US tops currently. I was going to wait a few months and get every part that I want, but instead I'll just get it part by part and sell the replacements to a buddy of mine.
As far as cheap modular power supplies go, Rosewill Hive is frequently the best option. It's pretty much a modular OCZ ZS, which is decent enough and a step up in quality from the cheapest stuff we will recommend. OCZ ModXStream Pro is a more dated, lower-end design. Antec BP550 Plus is okay too if you want, but maybe worse than the Hive.
Antec 900 is way outdated, is missing a lot of modern conveniences, and like most gamer cases, doesn't particularly direct the airflow that well. It has a lot more airflow than airflow that does useful things. Sure, it cools a few or maybe even several degrees better than some cheaper alternatives, but that's not really worthwhile, especially considering the thing is a dust magnet and requires extra maintenance to maintain that slight lead.
SLI for upgrades is really not worth the trouble in terms of setting it up and dealing with poor support in some games, especially new releases. Furthermore, you need to pay extra for the build on the power supply, motherboard, and maybe even the case.
For now, I think SLI makes even less sense, in context of what games the OP is playing. I'm pretty sure you can get good framerates on ultra with Skyrim, and for sure SC2 and D3 with a single GPU.
On April 09 2012 09:43 Alryk wrote: For now, I think SLI makes even less sense, in context of what games the OP is playing. I'm pretty sure you can get good framerates on ultra with Skyrim, and for sure SC2 and D3 with a single GPU.
I'll be getting a 580 later and eventually another. Not something I'll be doing next week or anything, but rather quite a few months down the line (SLI that is).
All I have left to choose is pretty much a case! I'm just worried that a Cooler Master Haf 912 or an Antec 300 (what I'm considering over the Antec 900) won't leave much breathing room when I do end up getting that 580. It takes 10.5" I believe, and I know the 300 support only 11".
On April 09 2012 09:43 Alryk wrote: For now, I think SLI makes even less sense, in context of what games the OP is playing. I'm pretty sure you can get good framerates on ultra with Skyrim, and for sure SC2 and D3 with a single GPU.
Skyrim, if you use the high res texture pack and max AA/AF, it would take flagship or SLI midrange. But if you're not worried about AA/AF (and most people really don't need the AA or AF all that high), then yeah, single 560Ti should do just fine.
@OP: Do NOT use an Antec 900 for SLI flagship. It's bad enough for SLI 460s, I used to have one, and heat was horrendous. Honestly, if you're planning to go SLI down the line for sure, or even a flagship card with a heavy OC, I'd invest in something like a SilverStone RV02 or RV03.
Case is a CRITICAL investment for multi-GPU, because you either need excellent airflow or a well-planned custom loop to manage the heat.