Gaming Desktop advice

[akazzz]

Hello :)

I'm in need of some veterans advice for a budget gaming desktop.

Budget: €1000-1200
Main Purpose: Gaming
Goal: Good price/performance system that will at least go strong for the next 3 years
Things to know?
Plan to run on 1920 x 1080
I may overclock it in the future but not much.

I'm open to all suggestions. Whether the parts I chose are good,reliable or whether there are better brands or parts out there.

So here's the specs :-

Case: NZXT Phantom
Processor: Intel Core i5 2500K 3.30GHz
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO or ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z or Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3
System Memory: 4 gb x 2 Corsair Vengeance or G.Skills RipJawsX
HD: 1TB Samsung SpinPoint F3 SATA-II 3.5"
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Video Card: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB or ATI Radeon 6950 or GTX 580<- Thinking of SLI/xfire in the future.
Power Supply: Recommendations?
Cooling: Noctua Nh-d14 or CM Hyper 212 or Corsair A70

I'm worried whether these parts are compatible or not.

Thanks.

[mdk777]

Two quick.

Memory is cheap...get 8 GB.

Use a 120 GB SSD for OS boot drive. Alternately, Z68 has ability to use SSD cache, but I think it is limited to a smaller size.

:D

ps. can't say if that will bust your budget without knowing your shopping sources. ;)

[Original Sin]

Your budget should suffice for a GTX 580, @ 1080p anything above that is a waste and essentially pointless.
A maximus Gene-Z offers just about the best price/performance ratio for a gaming rig at the moment.. don't go Maximus unless you want 5Ghz+ for daily use.
As MDK posted, you want an SSD.
On coolers, the 212+ is trash compared to the NH-D14, the A70 is also weaker and a offers very little for the money.

Where are you buying from?

[Hondacity]

I'd go for aircooling, these water cooling solutions are ok but the waterpumps I think aren't that reliable.

and yeah ssd for bootdrive...good reliable ones from crucial c400

for psu, any silver-gold 850w(for future sli), seasonic/antec/corsairs [we got reps from these companies here in the forum so you have free added value service here lol]

the 570s are alot cheaper than 580s, I'd go with those.

you can max out most games with the 570 and the latest drivers..

[akazzz]

This website www1.hardwareversand.de/
I'm also looking at ebuyer.com, novatech.co.uk and aria.co.uk <- but these 3 websites deal in Pounds instead of EUROs

What are the differences between the maximus gene-Z and maximus extreme?
Is Maximus gene-Z price/performance better than the Asus P8z68 or the Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3?

Any other motherboard that you think are better than these 3 above in terms of price/performance?

In terms of price/performance, 212+ is $40 cheaper to the Nh-d14. Is it worth that $40?

Any specific power supply that are good? or I should just pick one with a good brand name with 80 PLUS?

My graphic card is decided then. gtx570 it is. 6950 not any good compared to the gtx570?

Sorry for the boatloads of questions. I just wanna make sure about getting a good deal for my $ >.<

[Original Sin]

What are the differences between the maximus gene-Z and maximus extreme?
Is Maximus gene-Z price/performance better than the Asus P8z68 or the Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3?
There are many differences, first and foremost a huge size difference;)
VRM wise the Maximus Extreme-Z is the best SandyB board on the market, and a total waste for a gaming rig;)
In terms of price/performance, 212+ is $40 cheaper to the Nh-d14. Is it worth that $40?
Yes, but there are other excellent solutions available, look below.


Since you're buying from Germany I suggest mindfactory.de, and the following..

CPU - 2500K @ 187€ (http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p688677_Intel-Core-i5-2500K-4x-3-30GHz-So-1155-BOX.html)
MoBo - Asus Gene-Z @ 143€ (http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p739665_Asus-Maximus-IV-GENE-Z-S1155-Z68-micro-ATX.html) or AsRock Z68 Extreme4 @ 152€ (http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p754460_ASRock-Z68-Extreme4-Gen3-1155-ATX-VGA-OnBoard.html)
CPU cooler - Scythe Mugen3 @ 33€ (http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p745330_Scythe-Mugen-3-AMD-und-Intel--SCMG-3000-.html) or TR HR-02 Macho @ 34€ (http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p749923_Thermalright-HR-02-Macho-AMD-und-Intel.html)
RAM - G.Skill RipjawsX 8Gb/1600Mhz @ 43€ (http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p688886_8GB-G-Skill-RipjawsX-DDR3-1600-DIMM-CL9-Dual-Kit.html)
SSD - Samsung 830 128Gb @ 182€ (http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p768333_128GB-Samsung-SSD-830-Series-MZ-7PC128D-EU-2-5Zoll--6-4cm--SATA-6Gb-s-MLC-Toggle.html)
VGA - Asus GTX 580 Matrix @ 450€ (http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p743440_1536MB-Asus-GeForce-GTX-580-ROG-Matrix-Aktiv-PCIe-2-0-x16--Retail-.html) or Gigabyte 570 SOC @ 345€ (http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p741123_1280MB-Gigabyte-GeForce-GTX-570-Super-Overclock-Series-Aktiv-PCIe-2-0-x16--Retail-.html) or Sapphire Toxic 6950 @ 280€ (http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p754665_2048MB-Sapphire-Radeon-HD-6950-Toxic-Aktiv-PCIe-2-1-x16--Full-Retail-.html)
PSU - TT Toughpower XT 575W @ 70€ (http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p648873_575W-Thermaltake-ToughPower-XT-80--Bronze-Modular.html) or Antec TPN 550W @ 75€ (http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p606281_550W-Antec-Truepower-New-TP-550-80--Bronze-Modular.html)or Super Flower GG 600W @ 100€ (http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p643262_600W-Super-Flower-Golden-Green-80--Gold-Modular.html)

All of the above components are among(if not) the best in every category and they all offer excellent price performance ratios, pick according to what you like and afford.
If you do get the Asus Gene-Z which is a mATX board, I suggest you also go for a mATX case.

ps. you owe me a drink;)

[akazzz]

Need 2 more suggestions for my build :-

For GPU, will u suggest 6950 CF or 570 SLI? From what I heard so far,performance wise CF > SLI :confused:

MOBO: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO @ €156 or AsRock Z68 Extreme4 @ €152 or ASRock Z68 EXTREME3 GEN3 @ €111?

Thanks Original Sin. You've been a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGg help ! :beer:

[Original Sin]

Need 2 more suggestions for my build :-

For GPU, will u suggest 6950 CF or 570 SLI? From what I heard so far,performance wise CF > SLI :confused:

MOBO: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO @ €156 or AsRock Z68 Extreme4 @ €152 or ASRock Z68 EXTREME3 GEN3 @ €111?

Thanks Original Sin. You've been a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGg help ! :beer:

For a gaming rig I'd go with the Extreme3 G3.

VGA wise, if you're not playing at resolutions above 1200p a hardcore GTX 580 will work best imo(Lightning/Matrix), if you're set on dual card configurations I suggest you go for two Sapphire Toxic 6950s, they're essentially custom PCB 6970 at fantastic prices.

What PSU did you go with?

[akazzz]

Its either 850W Corsair TX850 or 750W Corsair TX750. Is that ok? 750w if I'm going 6950 CF and 850w if I'm going for the 580 and in the future adding another 580.

Is it a bit of an overkill?

[Original Sin]

Its either 850W Corsair TX850 or 750W Corsair TX750. Is that ok? 750w if I'm going 6950 CF and 850w if I'm going for the 580 and in the future adding another 580.

Is it a bit of an overkill?

Just slight, that's not an issue though..
But if you're pouring that much cash into a system you should get a better PSU than the TX ;)

[rafal_iB_PL]

If TX v2, you're good to go. I don't see the reason to buy first TX now (if you can even find one), unless it's dirt cheap.

[akazzz]

Sorry for my limited knowledge on PSUs but the only difference I know that differentiates the TX,HX and AX series are their 80 PLUS certificate.

What benefits to my system will get if I get a TX 750 over a HX or AX 750?

Yeah, the TX PSUs I'm looking at are v2 :)

[Original Sin]

Sorry for my limited knowledge on PSUs but the only difference I know that differentiates the TX,HX and AX series are their 80 PLUS certificate.

What benefits to my system will get if I get a TX 750 over a HX or AX 750?

Yeah, the TX PSUs I'm looking at are v2 :)

Apparently you're also under the impression that Corsair is the only PSU brand on the market;)

For TXv2 750W money you can get a Super Flower Golden Green Pro 750W from pretty much any shop in Germany, it's a far better PSU.

[akazzz]

Haha, I'm just sticking to the safe side cause Corsair is a well-reputable brand. Super Flower Golden sounds like a kiddish brand name that's why I avoid looking into it but now that you've brought it up again I'm going to look into it ;)

What are the specs of a PSU that I need to look at to compare 1 PSU to the other?

[rafal_iB_PL]

What benefits to my system will get if I get a TX 750 over a HX or AX 750?

None - TX is lower end than either AX or HX, most notably non modular, and also a bit less efficient.

Golden Green is in fact comparable to AX series (provided you can find it so cheap).

[Original Sin]

Haha, I'm just sticking to the safe side cause Corsair is a well-reputable brand. Super Flower Golden sounds like a kiddish brand name that's why I avoid looking into it but now that you've brought it up again I'm going to look into it ;)
You can accuse the OEMs of many things but proper names is not one of them.

What are the specs of a PSU that I need to look at to compare 1 PSU to the other?

Voltage regulation, ripple suppression, efficiency, components used(caps and fan most of all) and these are just the basics.