I was/am in the same boat as you, I have an E8400, 9800GX2 (dual-gpu) and decided that the CPU was really holding me back in games as nearly all games use quad-cores nowadays.I'm starting with CPU/Mobo/Memory:Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop ProcessorGIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel MotherboardG.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2x4GB) 240-Pin DDR3-1600 SDRAM MemoryThen after that I'll decide if I need to upgrade my 9800GX2, it still runs great, but feel like it's CPU-bound, also it's only DX10, so if I decide to upgrade I'll most likely upgrade to the Radeon HD 6950
4/15/2011 12:40:52 PM
just built this new rig for about $1500; system kicks serious butt in everything i have thrown at it thus far. i can run Crysis 1 and 2 on highest settings with AA turned on without the slightest lag or stutter. CPU: Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz Quad-CoreMotherboard: GIGABYTE G1.SniperGFX Card: MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OCRAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)HDD: 2x Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB 10000 RPM (Running RAID0) 1x Western Digital Caviar Green 1TBOptical: LG Black Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD BurnerPSU: CORSAIR HX Series 850WCase: COOLER MASTER HAF 922CPU Cooler: Corsair H50 High Performance Liquid CPU CoolerOS: Windows 7 Home Premium
4/15/2011 1:31:00 PM
^^ How much did that build cost you?
4/19/2011 9:55:28 AM
CPU & Motherboard - $354Memory - $75 on saleSo something like $430The increase is about 30W or so, so I'm presuming I'll keep my PSU until I need to upgrade my graphics.
4/19/2011 10:46:10 AM
Question:I only have 2 gigs of memory. I was looking at upgrading that substantially. My mobo takes DDR2 and has 4 slots. With how much cheaper DDR3 is, would it be smarter to go ahead and replace the mobo and buy new DDR3 memory? I see slickdeals constantly on DDR3.
4/26/2011 1:56:18 PM
IMO, for the amount of money and work involved to replace the motherboard and buy new RAM simply for DDR3, i'd just up the DDR2 and save yourself the trouble. check out ebay for DDR2 auctions/sales, may end up finding something decent. btw, what CPU do you have? is it compatible with DDR3?
4/26/2011 2:09:02 PM
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal HDDHIS H687F1G2M Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 COOLER MASTER Silent Pro M700 RS-700-AMBA-D3 700W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) ASUS P8P67 DELUXE (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel MotherboardIntel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core CORSAIR CWCH50-1 High Performance CPU CoolerPioneer Black Blu-ray Burner SATA BDR-206DBKSCrucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal(SSD)I am real excited about getting a SSD drive, I just hope it is an easy setup with a SSD and a HDD in combo. I have heard reviews that the Marvell chipset on the Intel motherboards play hell with a SSD or just SATA 3 in general, but I think there is a way around it. I am usually an AMD guy, but I wanted to give the Intel chips a run seeing that the rest of the office are running them as well.
4/26/2011 4:18:06 PM
Go with the 6950 and overclock to 6970http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/159It's $50 more AR or so...And the Core i5-2500K has the unlocked multiplier, the i5-2500 does not. Just thought I'd mention it if you wanted to OC it a bit, the Intel chips are notorious for 20% OC on air on stock voltages.[Edited on April 26, 2011 at 4:21 PM. Reason : ,]
4/26/2011 4:19:08 PM
I would not try to deal with the Marvell controller. I've heard they're often slower than SATAII. Plus I don't think they support TRIM yet. I could be wrong though.
4/26/2011 4:32:19 PM
Got this machine set up about a week ago... and liking it so far. I had to order it through NC State, so I was limited in the options I could get, but I still like it. Couldn't get the absolute top-end of anything.... but it'll do.Dell Optiplex 980 TowerIntel Quad-core i7-870, 2.93 GHz8 GB Memory, DDR3, 1333 MHz2 x 1 TB 7200 rpm hard drives, 3.0 Gb/s, RAID 01GB NVIDIA GeForce GT330P2211H - Flat Panel Monitor, 22 inch (1920x1080)OS: Red Hat EL 6Now I just need to learn how to modify my codes for multi-core processing
4/26/2011 4:39:18 PM
Awesome, thank you for the recommendations! I was torn on the video card too, I will go ahead and change that up.Do you just not install the Marvelll driver? Is that something you can disable?
4/26/2011 6:06:33 PM
If you play more 'Nvidia' games (w/ PhysX support), the 560 Ti is a great card too for a little less than the 6950
4/26/2011 7:10:06 PM
^^I know x58 doesn't natively support Sata III but P67 does. Here are the storage specs for that board:
4/26/2011 7:12:36 PM
The Marvell controller is included to add HyperDuo support, essentially uses one SSD as cache and safely stores all the data on one HDD. So you'd theoretically achieve 80% the speed of SSD while keeping the large data storage size of an HDD.
4/26/2011 8:11:53 PM
So why don't you just get an SSD and a HDD? HDD's are so cheap now.-oh makes sense. Guess you can get a smaller SSD and stores your apps/games on a HDD. [Edited on April 26, 2011 at 8:24 PM. Reason : s]
4/26/2011 8:13:50 PM
That sounds good, put the SSD on the 6gb/s port and maybe see if I can get the Marvell to work on my WD HDD.But yea I definitely need the HDD for all the storage and try to keep the SSD as clean as I can.Thanks so much for this!
4/26/2011 9:08:58 PM
bought these RAM sticks yesterday because I was in a hurry; wasn't paying attention as my mobo only supports ddr2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314any recommendation on a replacement mobo? just needs to support these new sticks + LGA775 socket (trying to replace as little as possible.. definitely hadn't planned on dealing with this; if i RMA the sticks i lose $20 off the bat). tried looking at some stuff at Newegg but the only mobo's that would work had 3 stars or lessrunning a Intel E4500 Core 2 Duo (2.2ghz): http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=30781[Edited on April 26, 2011 at 11:06 PM. Reason : ]
4/26/2011 11:05:22 PM
Chipsets that support 775 & DDR3:Low-end MicroATX - G41 (includes integrated gfx)Mid-range ATX - P43High-end ATX - X48(just make sure it's 775 & DDR3, as some of the boards are DDR2 only)I'd recommend almost anything Gigabyte, ASUS.... but if you can find the ASRock version this is probably the only board that will support the DDR3-1600, the rest max out at 1333, which is fine, your memory will just auto-adjust to the lower speed.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157174[Edited on April 27, 2011 at 11:08 AM. Reason : .]
4/27/2011 11:07:46 AM
thanks Prospero. i found the ASRock P43DE3 @ Amazon, but the estimated ship time was 1-3 months i know i'm looking for an old socket but i'm still a little surprised how difficult a good mobo for this combo is to find. may end up having to go for a new mobo/cpu...
4/27/2011 8:18:46 PM
my new setup:http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=17913054.0Ghz without flinching. 5.7Ghz... coming up next???[Edited on April 28, 2011 at 12:58 AM. Reason : .]
4/28/2011 12:56:00 AM
damnz, The new OCZ Vertex 3's are killer SSD's. 485MB/s read and 285MB/s write... I mean you practically need the 6gb/s sata's for them. Can't wait to pick up an SSD later in the year.
4/28/2011 4:10:12 PM
Yeah I'm not going to pick up one of those until i get an actual Intel SataIII interface. Not going to waste it on a Marvell controller unless they improve them.
4/28/2011 4:12:59 PM
My computer is almost 3.5 years old, it's going to be so fun to upgrade it/buy another; this thread is fantastic. But only after I buy a new car.
4/28/2011 5:13:43 PM
4/29/2011 11:24:59 AM
^^heehee
4/29/2011 11:32:57 AM
yea, i just invested in cpu/mobo/memory/psu, waiting to get an SSD & new graphics right before Battlefield 3 comes out My latest upgrades:Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop ProcessorGIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel MotherboardG.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3-1600 SDRAM MemorySeaSonic X Series X650 Gold (SS-650KM Active PFC F3) 650W 80 PLUS GOLD Modular Power SupplyTook about 1:30 to completely disassemble, clean the fans/filters, clean the 9800GX2, rewire and install all the new equipment. Booted up first try and with two clicks, overclocked to 4.0Ghz My Enermax Liberty 500W was still cranking away great after 4+years, but knowing caps lose their efficiency I upgraded b/c the Seasonic was on sale for $99 and couldn't pass that up for an 80 Plus GOLD PSU AND Modular (w/ 5-year warranty no less!)[Edited on April 29, 2011 at 12:10 PM. Reason : .]
4/29/2011 11:54:13 AM
Aight guys I need some advice. I was waiting for the sandy bridge to come out so I could get a deal on a good cpu and motherboard. I have been watching slickdeals for a couple of months and havnt seen a thing. I am about to get out of school for the summer and want to go ahead and build a new computer. What is the best bang for your buck cpu now adays? I am currently running a core 2 duo e6750 so I just want some more horsepower. Thanks in advance.
5/3/2011 10:21:49 PM
Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge.Processors never go on sale, not sure why you'd even bother waiting. At best you might get $10 off a cpu/motherboard combo, but if you want a quality motherboard you just gotta pay it.
5/3/2011 11:02:50 PM
^ Do you have a suggestion for the best motherboard to go with it. Again I dont need anything fancy but sataIII and usb 3.0 would be nice. The most important thing for me is to just save a few bucks. Is newegg the best place for this stuff?
5/4/2011 8:10:04 AM
two posts above my previous post is what i went with. best bang/buck IMHO and yes, bought on newegg.
5/4/2011 11:14:10 AM
5/4/2011 11:34:24 AM
that's because it's an older generation and a top of the line model which are always overpriced to begin with, perfect example look at the Extreme series, they almost always drop in price 40% or more once they are outdated.processors drop in price yes, but not go on sale. the only time that happens is when a newer generation is about to be released or once it's been released. the only time i can remember a cpu on sale was the E6600, Q6600, E8400 or something like that at Microcenter and it was only like $20 off (~10%) and it sold out quick.another reason... Core i5-2500K is faster than the i7-950 and the i5 only costs $230. There's no reason anyone would pay $500 for a cpu that's not as fast as a newer generation at half the cost.[Edited on May 4, 2011 at 12:18 PM. Reason : .]
5/4/2011 12:13:33 PM
True in regard to price drops.
5/4/2011 1:03:59 PM
You obviously haven't read any reviews on the Sandy Bridge.32nm > 45nm... it's hasn't been about clock speed since the early-2000'shttp://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/In almost every single test the i5-2500K is faster than the i7-950http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=100Not to mention you can OC the i5-2500K pretty easily to 4.5Ghz-5.0Ghz on air.[Edited on May 4, 2011 at 5:35 PM. Reason : .]
5/4/2011 5:11:07 PM
It's always about clock for clock. They're not much faster, if at all, than the previous generation. 32nm is just cooler and more power efficient. The x58 enthusiast replacement chips aren't out yet.
5/4/2011 9:02:09 PM
STOCK THE I5-2500K IS FASTER! READ IT! Don't be bitter.I'm not arguing about this stupid clock-for-clock comparison, it's not a good argument at all considering the 2500K is unlocked multiplier and can reach speeds much faster than 4Ghz, lower power, faster, higher OC, less heat, less expensive.... what was your argument again... wait for X68?[Edited on May 5, 2011 at 12:12 AM. Reason : .]
5/5/2011 12:12:42 AM
5/5/2011 12:14:53 AM
So I have some new hard drives coming. What utility do you guys use to scan them to make sure you dont have any bad sectors?
5/5/2011 12:34:28 AM
After about a year of no problems my CRC failures when using WinRAR started showing up again, so I ran memtest overnight. It came up with a little over 3000 errors, but only after the 12th pass.Other than the WinRAR/CRC issue the computer runs fine - as near as I can tell.Just wanted to get an idea of how likely it was that it was the memory and not the processor cache or motherboard, since I hear reported errors could be the result of those as well, maybe even a hardware compatibility issue. I just want to make sure before I buy more memory - maybe get a different make/model as opposed to the same kind that's already in there. The only reason I want to be sure is because if it were a definite problem with the memory I would think that errors would show up well before the 12th pass... like in the first couple of passes.After I get home I'll start testing one module at a time. Memtest didn't hit anything until the 12th pass, so it will probably take a few days to do the test.[Edited on May 5, 2011 at 7:51 AM. Reason : -]
5/5/2011 7:46:40 AM
5/5/2011 9:09:15 AM
your logic is baffling. there's a reason they don't benchmark clock-for-clock.
5/5/2011 10:47:31 AM
5/5/2011 4:04:58 PM
last i checked Intel's latest SSD was still slower than the Vertex3 and they were using the Marvell chipset and not their own....
5/5/2011 5:00:50 PM
5/5/2011 5:42:41 PM
I know you're trolling but i'll respond anyways, I completely see what you're saying and comparing clock-for-clock speeds is an absolutely retarded way to compare processors for the numerous reasons I've ALREADY listed above.Please enlighten me on why anyone would benchmark clock-for-clock? It ignores so many other comparisons.
5/5/2011 6:04:31 PM
5/5/2011 6:43:01 PM
5/5/2011 6:45:47 PM
5/5/2011 7:04:49 PM
You're just repeating what I'm saying.
5/5/2011 7:08:26 PM
Happy cinco de mayo!!!!
5/5/2011 7:10:40 PM