New PC

[Plakman]

Hi there i'm planning on upgrading my pc for the upcomming battlefield 3 game and i was wondering if it's a good choice for what i have so far.
And since i noticed there are some ppl here who know a lot from these things it's a good idea to have a second opinion ^^

i don't know that much about memory but this one was the best in price.
next in line was the dominator memory but it was more expensive.
i hope this vengeance memory can be used without much settings to set up.
except for them frequenties 9-9-9-24 that is

Posted links after the most important parts to english sites as mine were dutch.

Processor : 270: INTEL Core™ i7-2600K 32nm ( 3.4Ghz ) 8MB   : [url]http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=52214[/url]
Screen    : 199: SAMSUNG XL2370 LED Zwart 23 inch           : [url]http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/samsung-syncmaster-xl2370/4507-3174_7-33683882.html?tag=mncolBtm;rnav[/url] 
Speakers  :  60: LOGITECH Z523 2.1                          : [url]http://www.logitech.com/en-us/speakers-audio/home-pc-speakers/devices/5861#section=specs[/url]
Mobo      : 153: ASUS P8P67 PRO B3                          : [url]http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8P67M_PRO/#specifications[/url]
Memory    : 103: 8GB Kit 1600Mhz DDR3 CORSAIR Vengeance     : [url]http://www.corsair.com/memory/vengeance/vengeance-8gb-dual-channel-ddr3-memory-kit-cmz8gx3m2a1600c8.html[/url]
VGA       : 430: MSI N580GTX                                : [url]http://www.msi.com/product/vga/N580GTX-Twin-Frozr-II-OC.html#?div=Specification[/url]
DVD       :  18: SAMSUNG SH-S223C                           : [url]http://www.alternate.nl/html/product/DVD-reWriters_Serial-ATA/Samsung/SH-S223C/375675/?tn=HARDWARE&l1=DVD+%2F+Blu-ray&l2=DVD-branders[/url]
SSD       : 200: 120GB CORSAIR Force Series SSD             : [url]http://www.corsair.com/solid-state-drives/force-series/cssd-f120gb2-brkt.html[/url]
HDD       :  47: 1000GB 32MB SATA600 7200rpm Western Digital: [url]http://www.alternate.nl/html/product/Harddisks_3,5_inch_SATA/Western_Digital/WD10EARS/382621/?tn=HARDWARE&l1=Harddisks&l2=Serial-ATA[/url]
Power     :  72: CORSAIR TX750W                             : [url]http://www.alternate.nl/html/product/Voedingen_meer_dan_600_Watt/OCZ/StealthXStream_2_700W/461121/?tn=HARDWARE&l1=Voedingen&l2=meer+dan+600+Watt[/url]

let me know what you would change please

thanks in advance

 

[Z Power]

Where do you live exactly Plak? There are some region specific sites you might be able to find stuff cheaper.

Alright, here I go,

1. For the Processor, you really don't need 2600K for gaming, 2500K is just fine. You could Overclock it to 2600 levels with ease in the Bios, its pretty self explanatory. Only thing 2600K has is Hyper Threading, which will be useful if you do Video editing or run lots of programs at once. But for gaming, 2500K is fantastic. Also, K at the end means it can be overclocked, so remember to get those.

2. The monitor seems to have decent reviews, so i think it would be fine. But do check out other monitors and their reviews to get the best deal.

3. The speakers you choose are really expensive, so if you aren't much of an Audiophile, try these Logitech S-220™.

4. Your motherboard it fine, but if you don't mind the old Keyboard only Bios, then i'd recommend Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD4-B3 (rev. 1.1), cheaper.

5. For memory, you really don't need the best there is. G.SKILL Ripjaws X are not only cheaper, but they work wonderfully. Their Reviews are great.

6. As for the Graphic card, its really your call. But if you don't mind spending a little more money, i say get EVGA for more Warranty and the best quality.

7. DVD rom's fine.

8. Your SSD seems fine as well, but do check around for better performance and price.

9. Your HDD seems to have quite a few complaints. My suggestion would be to get "SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" (Sorry, couldn't find the link on the Samsung website.) You don't need to get SATA 6.0Gb/s, its physically not possible for a Mechanical drive to attain that speed. SSD work better in 6.0Gb/s though.

9. You power supply is a really good choice, but do note you might not be able to go SLI later on with it. So if you plan on adding another 580, choose atleast 850 watts. I suggest Cooler Master Silent Pro M850 Series Modular 850W 80 PLUS for that.

And thats that. Researching to make a build for myself seems to have made me memorize most of the components.

So hope that helps. And have fun with the Beast.

 

[Plakman]

Awesome, thanks Z Power ^^

As for the processor i think i'll stick to the i7 as i convert blu-rays often
and it's taking ages atm with what i got now.

About those speakers you might be right ... i play with headphones mostly anyways
and now i think of it... my neighbours might not like them either xD

I don't really know about that memory stuff... i'm kinda afraid to buy the wrong ones like i did before =p
they just didn't work i get confused with ssdim
The store i use (www.alternate.nl) only has 1333 mhz 8gb kit of gskill.
i don't know if 1333-1600 mhz is a big diffrence but it's only 10 euros cheaper for the g.skill at slower speeds.
on alternate it seems the vengeance 2x4gb kit is the cheapest over adata, kingston, patriot...
only geIl is cheaper. (in the 1600 section)

For the motherboard i prefer to stay with asus as i've always used their mobos

The graphics card i stick to this one for only 1 reason and that's the hdmi connection
http://www.alternate.nl/html/produc...kaarten&l2=PCIe+kaarten+NVIDIA&l3=GeForce+GTX
or this one:
http://www.alternate.nl/html/produc...kaarten&l2=PCIe+kaarten+NVIDIA&l3=GeForce+GTX

Going sli isn't an option for me as i don't like to waste another 400 euros on a new gfx card.
Till now i had a great time with my 6800gt from asus but now it's time for it to retire ^^
1 card is enough ^^ i don't need 3 screens to play a game =p

And i'll just follow your advice on the hdd as it indeed has some nice comments on the site alternate
http://www.alternate.nl/html/produc...58022/?tn=HARDWARE&l1=Harddisks&l2=Serial-ATA

Thanks for the effort ^^
now i go search for some reviews bout 2500k as i'm starting to doubt about them 2 ^^
it is 80 euros after all that the 2500k is cheaper.

 

[Z Power]

Awesome, thanks Z Power ^^

As for the processor i think i'll stick to the i7 as i convert blu-rays often
and it's taking ages atm with what i got now.

About those speakers you might be right ... i play with headphones mostly anyways
and now i think of it... my neighbours might not like them either xD

I don't really know about that memory stuff... i'm kinda afraid to buy the wrong ones like i did before =p
they just didn't work i get confused with ssdim
The store i use (www.alternate.nl) only has 1333 mhz 8gb kit of gskill.
i don't know if 1333-1600 mhz is a big diffrence but it's only 10 euros cheaper for the g.skill at slower speeds.
on alternate it seems the vengeance 2x4gb kit is the cheapest over adata, kingston, patriot...
only geIl is cheaper. (in the 1600 section)

For the motherboard i prefer to stay with asus as i've always used their mobos

The graphics card i stick to this one for only 1 reason and that's the hdmi connection
http://www.alternate.nl/html/produc...kaarten&l2=PCIe+kaarten+NVIDIA&l3=GeForce+GTX
or this one:
http://www.alternate.nl/html/produc...kaarten&l2=PCIe+kaarten+NVIDIA&l3=GeForce+GTX

Going sli isn't an option for me as i don't like to waste another 400 euros on a new gfx card.
Till now i had a great time with my 6800gt from asus but now it's time for it to retire ^^
1 card is enough ^^ i don't need 3 screens to play a game =p

And i'll just follow your advice on the hdd as it indeed has some nice comments on the site alternate
http://www.alternate.nl/html/produc...58022/?tn=HARDWARE&l1=Harddisks&l2=Serial-ATA

Thanks for the effort ^^
now i go search for some reviews bout 2500k as i'm starting to doubt about them 2 ^^
it is 80 euros after all that the 2500k is cheaper.

Trust me, even 2500k will be overkill for those conversions. But if you have the extra money, I don't see why you shouldn't get the 2600k.

Now what about the case? Do you have an older one you will use?

 

[Plakman]

Oh yes i have an antec case.
A maxi tower ... you know ...
it's bigger then let's say the antec threehundred
i also think it's bigger then the antec 900 to.
less cooling but lot's of room compare to the threehundred lol
got easy to swap bays for the hard drives.

the case is like hmm 8 years old now.
friggin heavy to but it's a good one if i fill up all the cooling spaces ^^
still need to replace it's current coolers as they make lots of noise xD

 

[Avenger]

For cooling, just put a couple of ice packs in there. That'll cool it down nicely.

 

[Plakman]

you know ice kinda vaporates to right?
i'm not going to test that lol

 

[hleV]

Also, K at the end means it can be overclocked, so remember to get those.

Why? Without K you can turbo it up to 3.7 GHz. What for would you need more, especially in his case? It's even fine at its stock frequency IMO.

 

[Z Power]

Why? Without K you can turbo it up to 3.7 GHz. What for would you need more, especially in his case? It's even fine at its stock frequency IMO.

The Sandy Bridges are built for overclocking. They can be made to go to 4.5 Ghz with ease. People have even gone up tp 5 Ghz. The ones without k have a limiter to this. So the ones with k have more bang for the buck.

 

[Plakman]

but euhm you can just get that 2600k from the box and install it right?
without any bios settings? like plug and play?

my first oc memory was a pain in the ass lol.
i didn't know you had to set the timings correctly first.

 

[Z Power]

but euhm you can just get that 2600k from the box and install it right?
without any bios settings? like plug and play?

my first oc memory was a pain in the ass lol.
i didn't know you had to set the timings correctly first.

Yeah, its just plug and play. But with the Sandy Bridges, all you have to do is set the multipliers in the Bios, and it will do the rest. It is very newbie friendly, but do give the manual a read before trying it, just in case.

Here's a good guide to overclock the Sandy Bridges ----> http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/265056-29-2600k-2500k-overclocking-guide

 

[Rocky]

Hey Plakman,

Your setup is very VERY similar to one I bought about a month ago, here are my thoughts.

Do you overclock? The difference between the 2600 and the 2600K is the ability to oc, I personally don't do it so I went with the 2600 which is a set clock speed, and about $80 cheaper (in AUSD$).

The motherboard is also really similar, I got the same model, but not the "pro" version. The base model for that motherboard has about 5 different "pro" or "extended" some crap feature that you will likely never use. If you're looking to cut corners on price, try and see if you can compare what the extra bonus features are and if you'll ever use them. For example, the most extreme version of that motherboard has bluetooth something, I have no idea what you'd be bluetoothing to and why.

For RAM, I got the exact same memory, Corsair Vengeance, but I got 16gb of it (which is ridiculously over the top, don't do that). If you're happy with 8gb (you should be) then it's a good buy

I bought the 560GTX cause it was cheaper and sufficient, the 580 is obviously better. I don't personally like MSI as a brand though, I'd go with ASUS if I were you, but that's personal opinion.

The rest of your setup I dont' know enough about to comment, but I'd give it a thumbs up.

 

[Plakman]

Thanks for your oppinion Rocky

No i do not oc as i'd like to have my system for like a year or 5 lol

About the mobo... i'll check it =p
might be cheaper.

NOrmally i stick to asus to but i read a lot of bad reviews about this asus version.
It uses 3 pci slots and makes more noise then then msi version.
Msi only uses 2 slots.
The reason i stick to the 580 is for the screen.
playing at hd resolutions needs more power ^^

 

[Quagmire]

I think you may be better off saving some money if we consider two things:

1) You won't be OCing your CPU
2) A GTX 570 is sufficient enough for 1920x1080

Although OCing isn't really that hard at all for Sandy Bridge, but you'd want to get a better HSF rather then using the stock Intel HSF should you ever decide to OC. If you are intent on never doing it, then its best to just get the vanilla 2600 rather than the K variant.

With the money you'd save on both or either, you could get yourself say a better PSU if you wanted, something like the HX750W or even the HX850W if you ever wanted to runn SLI/Crossfire (The TX750W isn't bad, but most people prefer modular PSUs these days - And the HX range is the same but modular). The advantage to the 850W PSU is obviously being able to run SLI/Crossfire or to keep for the next system upgrade and not worry about your PSU not being able to power future hardware if say for example they required more power.

You also mention that you have an older case - I'd definately recommend something newer than what you say you have now - You'd defaintely need it for the cooling to be sufficent as hardware today is hotter than when your case was manufactured and not designed around the ideas that are in cases today for not only cooling hardware, but the cases functionality (IE: Cable management, Hot swap bays, Front USB3/E-SATA/Front Audio ports etc)

Edit: According to this chart, Frame rates seem more than adequate on the 570 for 1920x1080 and if BC2's engine is anything to go by, then it should indicate performance for BF3 as the engines will be similar enough - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-590-dual-gf110-radeon-hd-6990,2898-9.html

 

[Z Power]

I think you may be better off saving some money if we consider two things:

1) You won't be OCing your CPU
2) A GTX 570 is sufficient enough for 1920x1080

Although OCing isn't really that hard at all for Sandy Bridge, but you'd want to get a better HSF rather then using the stock Intel HSF should you ever decide to OC. If you are intent on never doing it, then its best to just get the vanilla 2600 rather than the K variant.

With the money you'd save on both or either, you could get yourself say a better PSU if you wanted, something like the HX750W or even the HX850W if you ever wanted to runn SLI/Crossfire (The TX750W isn't bad, but most people prefer modular PSUs these days - And the HX range is the same but modular). The advantage to the 850W PSU is obviously being able to run SLI/Crossfire or to keep for the next system upgrade and not worry about your PSU not being able to power future hardware if say for example they required more power.

You also mention that you have an older case - I'd definately recommend something newer than what you say you have now - You'd defaintely need it for the cooling to be sufficent as hardware today is hotter than when your case was manufactured and not designed around the ideas that are in cases today for not only cooling hardware, but the cases functionality (IE: Cable management, Hot swap bays, Front USB3/E-SATA/Front Audio ports etc)

Edit: According to this chart, Frame rates seem more than adequate on the 570 for 1920x1080 and if BC2's engine is anything to go by, then it should indicate performance for BF3 as the engines will be similar enough - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-590-dual-gf110-radeon-hd-6990,2898-9.html

He doesn't want to do Sli, so his PSU should be fine. I agree about getting 2600 though, getting k would be a waste if you aren't overclocking. The rest basically depends on how much money he has. Knock the $70~$80 of the cpu and get a better case.

 

[Avenger]

In some countries, like mine, the K version is actually no more expensive than the non-K version. If there's no price difference, why not get the K?

 

[Rocky]

That's assuming there's no price difference. When I was shopping it was between $70-100 difference (depending where you shop) which is what I (and the others) was basing my judgement on. Sure if the price is the same then it makes sense to go with K, even if you don't OC, the option is always there.

 

[Plakman]

The memory i have in my current pc is the 2x 2gb dominator series from corsair. but if i put them into dual channel my pc freezes at startup.
I tried setting the timings in the bios and set it to 2.10v and to 1066mhz.
still crashes but this is the info on the package.
Even if i let the mobo pick this stuff itself it crashes.
tried channels a1-b1 a2-b2 but both crash also.
PUtting in 1 memory module seems to make it work just fine but then again it's on the slow side.

that aside i'd take this motherboard
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8P67_PRO/#MSL

And this memory:
http://www.alternate.nl/html/produc...sair/8_GB_DDR3-1600_Kit/494847/?baseId=691985

BUT this memory isn't listed in the QVL (qualified vendor list)
at asus site the link of the mobo.
and the 4x2gb that is in that qvl is made for the lynfield processors.
and i took the i7-2600 wich is a sandy bridge?

 

[Quagmire]

The memory i have in my current pc is the 2x 2gb dominator series from corsair. but if i put them into dual channel my pc freezes at startup.
I tried setting the timings in the bios and set it to 2.10v and to 1066mhz.
still crashes but this is the info on the package.
Even if i let the mobo pick this stuff itself it crashes.
tried channels a1-b1 a2-b2 but both crash also.
PUtting in 1 memory module seems to make it work just fine but then again it's on the slow side.

that aside i'd take this motherboard
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8P67_PRO/#MSL

And this memory:
http://www.alternate.nl/html/produc...sair/8_GB_DDR3-1600_Kit/494847/?baseId=691985

BUT this memory isn't listed in the QVL (qualified vendor list)
at asus site the link of the mobo.
and the 4x2gb that is in that qvl is made for the lynfield processors.
and i took the i7-2600 wich is a sandy bridge?

Any DDR3 memory should work any DDR3 motherboard with the exception of earlier DDR3 ram modules.

If you are trying to use older ram modules - the reason for your computer locking up is simple (Well it should be, considering that manufacturers state the voltage ceilnig for ram on their mainboards) - Stickers on the mainboard DIMMS when you open the mainboard new out of the box itself and the manual state this too.

Generally, with anything Core i3/i5/i7, the max vram voltage is 1.65v (Not every kit is 1.65v though, some are 1.5-1.6v, of which XMP adjusts the ram settings to if XMP is enabled in the bios)

The ram you are using by the sounds of things is ram from the earlier days of DDR3, which IIRC uses voltages of 1.8v+ to achieve the rated speed timings. This ram is incompatible with i3/i5/i7 for this very reason - the dram voltage is too high (max of 1.65v is in Core i3/5/7 specification) - This explains why your system is crashing.

The reason that ram with 1.8v+ won't work is that the memory controller expects ram with 1.5-1.65v, which is what it was designed for. The voltage of yor current ram is too high for the memory controller to be stable.

Looks like you'll need to get some new DDR3 ram - Nearly every consumer DDR3 ram kit today is rated for anywhere between 1.5v-1.65v, which will work with your motherboard.

I hope this helps (I hope I didn't repeat myself too much, just got home from being trapped in a car park from a movie marathon, with security sorting out the mess - thats the last time I do that )

 

[nemesis2290]

1 x Case NZXT Apollo Gaming Case - Black
1 x Processor [= Quad Core =] AMD Athlon™ II X4 645 Quad-Core CPU
1 x Processor Cooling Liquid CPU Cooling System [AMD] - [Free Upgrade] Standard 120mm Fan
1 x Memory 4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair XMS3 Dominator w/DHX technology
1 x Video Card ATI Radeon HD 5770 - 1GB - Single Card
1 x Video Card Brand Major Brand Powered by ATI or NVIDIA
1 x Motherboard [CrossFire] ASUS Crosshair IV Formula -- AMD 890FX w/ 3x PCI-E 2.0 x16
1 x Power Supply 750 Watt -- Thermaltake TR2 TRX-750M
1 x Primary Hard Drive 500 GB HARD DRIVE -- 16M Cache, 7200 RPM, 3.0Gb/s - Single Drive
1 x Optical Drive 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black
1 x Sound Card Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series
1 x Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel) - 64-Bit
1 x Keyboard Thermaltake eSPORTS CHALLENGER PRO Gaming Keyboard - Black
1 x Mouse Thermaltake eSPORTS BLACK Professional Gaming Mouse

Total : $1,007.00


Think this was a good deal? I plan to upgrade the CPU later and maybe add more RAM. Had this PC since the end of february and it has done wonders for me so far...been able to max any game with relative ease