Looking to get a new rig, need advice.

[Gravitron]

Hey there,

 

At current I run on a core 2 duo E8400 wolfdale with a dinosaur of a geforce 6600 gt, which may about to expire, on a DFI INF P35 MoBo. ANCIENT STUFF.

 

I've somewhat lost track of the hardware advancements in the last year or two.

I'm looking to get a complete new rig, somewhere around $1-3k price point.

Ideally, I want to get a combo with a lot of oomph, I aim at Intel/Nvidia combo (don't lecture me please, I know, I know...) that can house-break Derek's battlecruiser 3000AD and possibly bring Crysis to cry like a wimp as well (or Vanguard:SOH's beta even, to those of you who were unfortunate to remember).

 

In a nut shell, not the top of the line most high-end, but definitely close to state-of-the-art that can roar like a beast and deliver.

 

So any mobo/processor/vid/cooler/whatever combo recommendations (no OCing please, I'm a wuss) would be welcomed.

Thanks!

[Cheese]

the mgb forums arent dead btw

it is just an active microcosm of the state of development this game is currently in

[Dr Brain]

I bought a computer for work about 3 months ago. I'd bought the same rig for home, 4 months before (minus some minor changes). It's the best performance computer I could assemble before the price starts to really skyrocket. The most important component is the Crucial SSD, and a motherboard that's fast enough to accept it. I also aimed for a quiet rig.

 

From Newegg:

 

* 1 x Scythe SCMG-2100 Sleeve CPU Cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142 (it's quiet)

* 1 x COOLER MASTER R4-S4S-10AK-GP 140mm Case Fan http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103078 (it's also quiet)

* 1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758 (if you're not into that stealing thing)

* 1 x Seasonic SS-850HT 850W ATX12V v2.31,EPS12V v2.92 80Plus Silver Certified, Active PFC Power Supply - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151100(ho-hum, it's a PSU. tom's hardware recommended it)

* 1 x Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 (I like this case. your mileage may vary)

* 1 x GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423 (spiffy, at least for the i7 processor series)

* 1 x Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115211 (cheapest heavy duty processor at the time. things may have changed)

* 1 x G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225 (memory. not much to say. there's probably a better choice today)

* 1 x SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185 (for all the big stuff that won't fit on the SSD, and backups)

* 1 x LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 (a CD drive. got to have one)

* 1 x Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007 (optimize heat transfer)

* 3 x Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm Case Fan http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185004 (quiet)

* 1 x XTRAC PADS X-Trac Pro Mouse Pad http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817114175 (to delineate space on the desk, more than anything)

 

From Amazon:

 

1x http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002B3YCQM (The best corded mouse in existence)

1x http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BH3Z8E (needed to fit the SSD into the case)

1x http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039SM0AS (128 GB SSD. this was the fastest bugger on the planet when I bought it)

1x http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033WSDNS (graphics card to allow 3 monitors. there are other eyefinity cards that will)

1x http://www.amazon.com/Accell-UltraAV-B087B-002B-DisplayPort-Dual-Link/dp/B002ISVI3U (display port to DVI, needed for three monitors, trust me)

1x http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RL84OY (for skype)

1x http://www.amazon.com/3Dconnexion-SpaceNavigator-Standard-Navigation-3DX-700028/dp/B000LB7G00 (only if you do CAD work)

3x http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RJUSO0 (really nice monitor. check Newegg on prices, as they go back and forth)

 

I got an el cheapo keyboard from Best Buy, and don't have a link. I needed something I could pop the keys off of to switch to Dvorak. You probably don't have the same need.

 

If you have money to burn, I suggest three of these: http://www.amazon.com/Ergotron-Desk-Mount-LCD-45-241-026/dp/B00358RIRC. They will be my next purchase.

[Avast]

I bought a computer for work about 3 months ago. I'd bought the same rig for home, 4 months before (minus some minor changes). It's the best performance computer I could assemble before the price starts to really skyrocket. The most important component is the Crucial SSD, and a motherboard that's fast enough to accept it. I also aimed for a quiet rig.

 

From Newegg:

 

* 1 x Scythe SCMG-2100 Sleeve CPU Cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142 (it's quiet)

* 1 x COOLER MASTER R4-S4S-10AK-GP 140mm Case Fan http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103078 (it's also quiet)

* 1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758 (if you're not into that stealing thing)

* 1 x Seasonic SS-850HT 850W ATX12V v2.31,EPS12V v2.92 80Plus Silver Certified, Active PFC Power Supply - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151100(ho-hum, it's a PSU. tom's hardware recommended it)

* 1 x Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 (I like this case. your mileage may vary)

* 1 x GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423 (spiffy, at least for the i7 processor series)

* 1 x Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115211 (cheapest heavy duty processor at the time. things may have changed)

* 1 x G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231225 (memory. not much to say. there's probably a better choice today)

* 1 x SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185 (for all the big stuff that won't fit on the SSD, and backups)

* 1 x LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 (a CD drive. got to have one)

* 1 x Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007 (optimize heat transfer)

* 3 x Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm Case Fan http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185004 (quiet)

* 1 x XTRAC PADS X-Trac Pro Mouse Pad http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817114175 (to delineate space on the desk, more than anything)

 

From Amazon:

 

1x http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002B3YCQM (The best corded mouse in existence)

1x http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BH3Z8E (needed to fit the SSD into the case)

1x http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039SM0AS (128 GB SSD. this was the fastest bugger on the planet when I bought it)

1x http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033WSDNS (graphics card to allow 3 monitors. there are other eyefinity cards that will)

1x http://www.amazon.com/Accell-UltraAV-B087B-002B-DisplayPort-Dual-Link/dp/B002ISVI3U (display port to DVI, needed for three monitors, trust me)

1x http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RL84OY (for skype)

1x http://www.amazon.com/3Dconnexion-SpaceNavigator-Standard-Navigation-3DX-700028/dp/B000LB7G00 (only if you do CAD work)

3x http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RJUSO0 (really nice monitor. check Newegg on prices, as they go back and forth)

 

I got an el cheapo keyboard from Best Buy, and don't have a link. I needed something I could pop the keys off of to switch to Dvorak. You probably don't have the same need.

 

If you have money to burn, I suggest three of these: http://www.amazon.com/Ergotron-Desk-Mount-LCD-45-241-026/dp/B00358RIRC. They will be my next purchase.

 

I7-950 or the i5-2400 are the best processors for Intel for the price. PERIOD. For the price. PERIOD. There is nothing else. If you go higher speed, you are spending too much. And some lower speed processors even cost more. THEY ARE THE BEST FOR THE PRICE PERIOD.

 

Secondly. You can get AMD Phenom II X6 1100T for 210$ which is 60$ cheaper than the 950 and exactly the same speed practically. Maybe the 950 is 1% better. Literally. So currently in the whole market the AMD X6 1100T is the best processor for the price. IN THE WHOLE MARKET, PERIOD. Don't even debate this with me. Not to mention the X6 is 6 cores. And is way better to overclock, and has its own technology which makes the 6 cores into 3 cores, 2 working together in pairs.

 

Third if you get the ASUS CROSSHAIR IV EXTREME. You will have one hell of a motherboard. Its way better than the Intel one, and about the same price probably.

 

I do recommend an SSD Hard drive. Apparently the Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH120A2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) is faster than what Dr Brain Listed. But I don't know if I believe it. His is pretty good too.

 

Sorry that case is pretty sad. Go with Thermaltake Element G or the V9 BlacX Edition with Docking Station. Superb cases, good space. Nice wire control. The fans are awesome, the case is just amazing. BY THE WAY crosshair IV is an extended motherboard. So you will need a Mid tower case that can fit extended. Of course I Modified my case to fit mine =)

 

Arctic silver is probably the best thermal compound.

 

If your going to get a graphic card, maybe try 5870, not sure if it support three monitors. It should.

 

Not sure about PC coolers, but the SpinQ had one hell of a good rating last time I checked.

 

And if you need floppy and all around jack of all trades, this is pretty good.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813998514

 

Also that ram is terrible. It's triple channel, and only 2 gigs a stick. I hate intels triple channel crap. Get 4 sticks, 4 gigs a stick, preferably 8-8-8-24 or 7-7-7-24 if you can find it. Then you will have 16 gigs of ram using all 4 slots. Some recommendations.

 

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=24_311_312_612&item_id=035790

 

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233147&cm_re=8_gig_ram-_-20-233-147-_-Product

 

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227613&cm_re=8_gig_ram-_-20-227-613-_-Product

This one is 2000 even faster, but its 2000 at a 9-9-9-24 standard speed. But the speed doesn't matter as much as the class its in.

A 1600 at 9-9-9-24 will be faster than a 1300 at 8-8-8-24.

Edited March 22, 2011 by Avast

[Gravitron]

I think I'll go with i7-2600k and GTX570.

Problem is where I stuff all the cooling in that tiny tower.

Damn thing will probably melt itself down on the first time I press the button to turn the power on.

[Avast]

I think I'll go with i7-2600k and GTX570.

Problem is where I stuff all the cooling in that tiny tower.

Damn thing will probably melt itself down on the first time I press the button to turn the power on.

 

Yep thats a good one i7-2600, another great one for the price. For a higher end price. I was staying low though. I missed it.

Actually its twice as fast as the i7 950, and only 100$ more good find.

Edited March 22, 2011 by Avast

[»SD>Big]

gravitron, you don't need any special cooling if you are not overclocking. the provided fans and heatsinks with the cpu, case, gfx card etc are more than fine for stock speeds.

 

if you want to make crysis cry, any modern high end card will do it. the cry engine has been around for a while!

 

EDIT: make sure to change your ram clock speeds in the BIOS, i dont know your level of computer building but that's probably the main thing people forget. and you might want to read up on running your SSD on IDE or AHCI, there are varying schools of thought on which is better

Edited March 22, 2011 by SD>Big

[Gravitron]

You forget that I live in Israel. Room temperatures here can go 30'c in the summer. And HDs that don't get sufficiently cooled and stabilized at 35-40 tend to develop defects much faster. Not to mention the GPU might piss itself.

 

I might grab another WD1001FALS and RAID it with my current for improved performances.

Edited March 22, 2011 by Ori Klein

[spidernl]

You're willing to spend $1000 to $3000 on a PC yet you don't expect top of the line? Either prices are ridiculously high in your country for some reason, or your definition of top of the line is a little off, because you can get easily get an i7(-965 EE), dual GTX580 and some of the other useless parts you need in a computer while staying below $3000 total. That's assuming $3000 is a price you'd actually be willing to pay, of course.

 

Just a little amazement here.

[Gravitron]

Well, I was wrong. It seems that I am going for top of the line.

Funny, prices seem a lot cheaper for top of the line than they seemed to be 5-10 years ago. Back then a top of the line PC could've easily breached $4k even.

Hell, my current system had a price tag of like $1k-1.5k or so and it was barely middle ground. Now it seems you can get a fairly powerful system for $1-2k easily.

Go rapid economic depression and even more rapidly technological advancements?

 

Of course, the Israeli Shekel back then was like 4 per $1 US and now it's only 3.5 after the great second stock market crash, so there's also that...

 

 

 

So it seems I'm going to wrap up a nice $3k package that'll bomb the subs out of the water in whatever game I'm playing.

Nothing like being a subject of envy, eh? Well, I suppose that after years of playing on sub-systems it's about time I'll play high in the clouds with decent FPS and all the GFX options turned on to the maximum.

Edited March 22, 2011 by Ori Klein

[Gravitron]

Code: CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Box

MoBo: Intel BLKDH67CLB3 Cold Lake

RAM: Samsung DDR3 4096MB 1333Mhz CL 9-9-9-27

GPU: Galaxy nVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1536MB DDR5 PCIe

Cooling: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus

Case: CoolerMaster CM 690 II

PSU: Chieftec Turbo Modular 700W

 

OS/D: Intel SSD Solid State Disk X25-M 2.5" 120GB SATA2

HD: Westren Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 3.5" 1000GB SATA3 64MB

DVD: Sony Optiarc AD-7260S X24 SATA DVD

 

Price Tag: $2217 USD Going to compare prices around, but it sounds solid.

[spidernl]

Sounds good. Good choice to get a 580 rather than a 570 .

I suggest getting two HDDs in mirror. Data safety and speed is just that nice.

 

That's coming from someone with 8x500GB in RAID as 4x2 mirrors, of course.

[Gravitron]

Ops, it's x2 RAM sticks so it's 8GB. Forgot to mention.

Anyway, closed the deal, new rig should be here in a week or two.

Edited March 22, 2011 by Ori Klein

[Dr Brain]

gravitron, you don't need any special cooling if you are not overclocking. the provided fans and heatsinks with the cpu, case, gfx card etc are more than fine for stock speeds.

 

This is true for temperature, but it doesn't take into account the noise factor. Personally, I don't like my computers to sound like jet engines.

[spidernl]

gravitron, you don't need any special cooling if you are not overclocking. the provided fans and heatsinks with the cpu, case, gfx card etc are more than fine for stock speeds.

 

This is true for temperature, but it doesn't take into account the noise factor. Personally, I don't like my computers to sound like jet engines.

 

I always thought people liked those few seconds during startup where all fans are at 100%. Makes you feel powerful, no?

[Avast]

Top of the line is really 6000$ or more.

 

At least in Canada, the prices in the states are a lot cheaper. Intels highest chip alone is 1400$. And their best motherboard is 300-400$ probably more. I have bad memory.

 

Anyway 3000$ is top of the line economically. You won't need anything better for the next 8 years if you spend 3000$ and it will definitely be kick ass.

[spidernl]

Anyway 3000$ is top of the line economically. You won't need anything better for the next 8 years if you spend 3000$ and it will definitely be kick ass.

 

8 years? I wish. If you want to run games maxed on a decent resolution, 2-3 years is about the limit.

[Avast]

Well my old PC could play all games for 4 years. Basically until Direct x11 came out. Even then most directx11 Games had an option to use a lower directx.

 

But now its 6 years later, and my old PC is obsolete even though its fast and can do a lot and still play a wide selection of decent games.

 

Now I have my new computer since 2009, and it's 2.5 years later. Still using 5870 graphic card. I suspect in another 3 years 5870 will be able to play most things maxed out.

Even if it can't my computer is just really fast. Nothing would need an upgrade except the graphic card.

Edited March 23, 2011 by Avast

[Samapico]

Whether you spend 1000$ or 3000$, it will be good for the same time... Choosing all the over-the-top components will only give you a minor boost of performance. The performance/cost upgrade ratio is very poor when you reach that point (i.e. 180$ video card vs 350$ video card... you'll play anything you want on max settings with both)

[Dr Brain]

I just read through the list of components you finalized, and I think it's a mistake to pay that much and not include a SSD.

[Gravitron]

I just read through the list of components you finalized, and I think it's a mistake to pay that much and not include a SSD.

 

It's time for them glasses, Doc.

OS/D: Intel SSD Solid State Disk X25-M 2.5" 120GB SATA2

[Samapico]

My advice is:

 

If you're not in a hurry, be patient... sites like Newegg have some crazy deals once in a while. Power supplies, video cards and motherboards often get ~50% rebates on their Shell Shocker bi-daily thing.

[Avast]

Um

 

Intel SSD Solid State Disk X25-M 2.5" 120GB SATA2

 

Why?

 

I'm pretty sure I posted an Intel SSD which is 120gig and twice as fast, for 50$ more. Just spend the extra 50$

 

 

Case: CoolerMaster CM 690 II This case has nothing on Thermaltakes cases..

 

Can't find your Mobo on any sites,

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131642&cm_re=rampage-_-13-131-642-_-Product

Rampage ftw! But mobos are all pretty much the same I guess.

 

RAM: Samsung DDR3 4096MB 1333Mhz CL 9-9-9-27

Um this ram is terrible isn't it? Unless I am mistaken?

I thought the higher the timing numbers the worse it is.

9-9-9-27? its not even 24..

And 1333 instead of 1600?

Edited March 24, 2011 by Avast

[Dr Brain]

Ah good, I guess I missed it.

[»SD>Big]

120 gig drives usualy yield a significant speed difference over lesser 80/64gb drives. check out the stats! i regret getting a 64gb ssd and may sell it and get a 120 gig