i5 2500k Build - Best parts for it?

[Lonewolf5460]

I consider a thousand dollar rig a middle range computer not high end at all. When I built my computer a year and a half ago I sunk about 1500 -1600 once all was said and done which is still mid range. I spent well over a 130 on a good mouse and keyboard. I know quality I will spend $ where it is justified that 20-30 us dollar difference could be used on a video card, more ram or a higher quality power supply. Spending the cash on a ssd 40- 64 gig ssd is good enough the price performance is not there on the 150 dollar plus ones meant fore real high end builds.

I just built a 3400 dollar rig for a client the budget for the SSDs and hard drives was 600-700 bucks alone, he got a 30 inch IPS monitor worth as much as that whole set up he is planning that is high end.

[raandomer]

I consider a thousand dollar rig a middle range computer not high end at all. When I built my computer a year and a half ago I sunk about 1500 -1600 once all was said and done which is still mid range. I spent well over a 130 on a good mouse and keyboard. I know quality I will spend $ where it is justified that 20-30 us dollar difference could be used on a video card, more ram or a higher quality power supply. Spending the cash on a ssd 40- 64 gig ssd is good enough the price performance is not there on the 150 dollar plus ones meant fore real high end builds.

I just built a 3400 dollar rig for a client the budget for the SSDs and hard drives was 600-700 bucks alone, he got a 30 inch IPS monitor worth as much as that whole set up he is planning that is high end.

ummmm nice to hear that, you spent 130 on io, congrats. i'm guessing its the u3011? unless he's doing some sort of professional photography work that 10bit panel is wasted.
and that post doesnt help op in the slightest, you do know there is a performance hit when you go from a 64gb to a 32gb, its not just space.

now back ontopic, doesnt matter which one you get really. If your paranoid might as well get the one on the vendor list, a personally never really look at the vendor list and have yet to run into any problems i couldnt resolve. Freedom Kira mentioned something about the sabertooth being slightly anal about ram so might as well go with the vengence. The only problem i can see is the higher heatspread limiting your hsf choice.

[Lonewolf5460]

On the newer SSDs no there is not a performance hit the read and writes are the same on the newer ones check out the new corsair drives the read and writes are the same for the 40 gig and 120 gig models. They just use lower density chips now but all the channels are still populated so the read writes are the same IOPs may be different though.

I also agree looking back my statement did not help the OP that was a little argument that spilled over from another thread. Also he was doing photography work well he was starting and just wanted the best.

http://www.storagereview.com/corsair_force_f40_review_40gb

Here is relevant review on them

[kitamesume]

water cooling, nuff said, compact and makes you OC like a madman on drugs.(ok i`m stretching it waaaay too far this time)

if you`d look at his option, that 1000$ fund was just for the core of the PC to begin with. and you`d call an i5 2500k + HD6970(later to be XCF) a mid-end gaming pc? i sure hope i misread that.

the i7 2600k + quad GTX580 is an Extreme-end gaming pc. while as i7 2600K + dual cards falls into high-end. what i consider mid-end is 600-900 with a cheap quad+dual GTX 560 Ti or HD6950(unlocked) and low-end at about 400-599 with a cheap quad+ single GTX 560 Ti or HD6950, budget end(which is my favorite) falls into 250-399 range consisting of a cheap dual+single GT240/GTS450 or HD6670/HD6790.

[Lonewolf5460]

water cooling, nuff said, compact and makes you OC like a madman on drugs.(ok i`m stretching it waaaay too far this time)

if you`d look at his option, that 1000$ PC was just for the core of the PC to begin with. and you`d call an i5 2500k + HD6970(later to be XCF) a mid-end gaming pc? i sure hope i misread that.

Well yah what you can get for a grand these days are amazing an i2500k and an Hd6970 will eat any game on the market at a reasonable resolution like 1680 x 1050, but still a thousand on the tower is still mid range to me. High end is needing enough graphics power to run beyond 1080p at 60 fps, that term is reserved for computers running 2560 x 1440 and 2560 x 1600 monitors. Now high end is starting to slide to multi-monitor and 3d gaming which seems like extreme overkill but that is high end.

[Osmo]

I ain't gona lie I'm feeling a bit paranoid about the vendors list. I got the list up. And I'm spoilt for choice. I just want a corsair and I wish there was one but there's loads. Which IS the best one or which ONES are good? Damn I'm lazy. But I just want to build my pc ((

Well yah what you can get for a grand these days are amazing an i2500k and an Hd6970 will eat any game on the market at a reasonable, but still a thousand on the tower is still mid range to me. High end is needing enough graphics power to run beyond 1080p at 60 fps, that term is reserved for computers running 2560 x 1440 and 2560 x 1600 monitors. Now high end is starting to slide to muti monitor and 3d gaming which seems like extreme overkill with eyefinity and the like but that is high end.

Lone wolf I like what you did with the 40GB but I'm gona go with the 64 gb or 80 gb. Also can I run 1080p at 60fps with my setup? And what are the benefits of running it higher then that?

[kitamesume]

go pick what ever 2x4gb(dual 4gb sticks) is in that thing that supports 4dimm slots.

Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 8GB 1600MHz CL8 DDR3 Vengeance Memory Two Module Kit [£84.29] looks good, vendor list showed it supports 4dimms

yea your current want to buy will be able to play at 1920x1080p 60fps flat out with a little jitter to 40fps. to get your self onto overkill mode and play at 1920x1080p at 100+fps with no jitter at all, you`d need two HD6970 for that. and for a 2560x1440 you`d need a quad card for that... meh...

difference of 1920x1080p to a 2560x1440p is only seen on monitors of size at 40inches and above. mainly because rarely monitors at below 30inches support more than 1080p, and the difference between 1080p vs 1440p @ below 40inches is almost ignorable, at above, you`d see 1080p getting pixelated.

Edit:
adding a relist on the current items:

CPU: i5-2500k (bought)

Motherboard: Asus - SABERTOOTH P67 (bought)

RAM: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 8GB 1600MHz CL8 DDR3 Vengeance Memory Two Module Kit [£84.29] -VS- Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB 1600MHz CL9 DDR3 Vengeance Memory Two Module Kit [£70.09]

GPU: Asus 2GB ATi Radeon 6970(later to be XCF)

Memory: 64GB SSD Boot Drive. 500GB x2 Spinpoint F3 Slave Drive Raid.

PSU: Corsair TX750 V2 PSU

CASE: Undecided.

[raandomer]

Well yah what you can get for a grand these days are amazing an i2500k and an Hd6970 will eat any game on the market at a reasonable resolution like 1680 x 1050, but still a thousand on the tower is still mid range to me. High end is needing enough graphics power to run beyond 1080p at 60 fps, that term is reserved for computers running 2560 x 1440 and 2560 x 1600 monitors. Now high end is starting to slide to multi-monitor and 3d gaming which seems like extreme overkill but that is high end.

wtf, high end is usually at 1920, and the 6970 has more than enough juice for ANY game at 1920.
Once you start going into 2560 its not high end anymore, you've hit enthusiast (or professional) level. Hell take a look at the pricing between the monitors that are 1920 vs 2560, a u2311 is ~300, a 2711 is bloody 1k

and back ontrack, tbo when i was testing the sabertooth i had no problems with an elcheapo gskill 8gb kit, so i'm not too sure with how picky the sabertooth is with ram. I would take a stab and say any ram kit that runs at 1.65v would probably do the trick.

[Lonewolf5460]

I ain't gona lie I'm feeling a bit paranoid about the vendors list. I got the list up. And I'm spoilt for choice. I just want a corsair and I wish there was one but there's loads. Which IS the best one or which ONES are good? Damn I'm lazy. But I just want to build my pc ((

Well yah what you can get for a grand these days are amazing an i2500k and an Hd6970 will eat any game on the market at a reasonable, but still a thousand on the tower is still mid range to me. High end is needing enough graphics power to run beyond 1080p at 60 fps, that term is reserved for computers running 2560 x 1440 and 2560 x 1600 monitors. Now high end is starting to slide to muti monitor and 3d gaming which seems like extreme overkill with eyefinity and the like but that is high end.

Lone wolf I like what you did with the 40GB but I'm gona go with the 64 gb or 80 gb. Also can I run 1080p at 60fps with my setup? And what are the benefits of running it higher then that?

No bigge it was a recommendation better to be safe than sorry only you know your computer needs.

As kitamesume says your going to need either two if those hd6970s or a hd6990. The HD 6990 is basically 2 6970s in one board but 2 6970s should be a little faster since they had to under-clock to the chips a bit to make it work in one card. And it is slighly cheaper to go with two 6970s.

Edit
Just checked some benchmarks you wont be at 60 fps but the 6970 can run anything on the market right now well over 30 fps @ 1080p.
One 6970 will do the trick you can add another later on when you feel like you need it.

I personally recommend for a monitor the new Samsungs that are 27inch and 1080p you can find them for about 300 in the states. I do not know how much that would cost you or if you already have a 1080 monitor.

Also there really is not a major benefits besides bragging rights anything over upper mid range is just because you can. If you balance you components right you will enjoy your computer no matter what. Because if you can run all settings on high setting in a game at 1680 x 1050 your getting all the eye candy that a guy on a 2560 x 1600 rig sees. Either way so balance is key in any build on any budget.

[kitamesume]

heck no, dont even consider getting a single X2 GPU its seriously hideous, overheats more than a dual HD6970, slower than a dual HD6970 and has more issues than you could ever imagine.

[Lonewolf5460]

Totally agree I just like giving him his options it wont overheat in a full tower but it will sound like a jet though. Thats why I was saying balance is key you got to take in account idle load and max load of your components so you can pick a power supply to fit the bill and be in its efficiency range. Same thing with thermals you have to take into account the size of your case and the components having enough breathing room.

Anyways Ill will edit this post with a relevant review on the graphics cards in your price range.

This one has a simple breakdown for your price range.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-game-performance-radeon-hd-6670,2935-4.html

Here is a good break down of their performance on a per game basis

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4061/amds-radeon-hd-6970-radeon-hd-6950

[kitamesume]

those charts... ati 6xxx fanboyism, if they considered pure price/performance they would've considered 5870 and 5950 on those charts.

[Lonewolf5460]

True but I think they were breaking down AMDs portfolio and improvements from the previous gen, instead of a true comparison between Nvidia - AMD. I know he was looking at the HD series already so I figured it did not matter.

[Osmo]

I personally recommend for a monitor the new Samsungs that are 27inch and 1080p you can find them for about 300 in the states. I do not know how much that would cost you or if you already have a 1080 monitor.

Also there really is not a major benefits besides bragging rights anything over upper mid range is just because you can. If you balance you components right you will enjoy your computer no matter what. Because if you can run all settings on high setting in a game at 1680 x 1050 your getting all the eye candy that a guy on a 2560 x 1600 rig sees. Either way so balance is key in any build on any budget.

In terms of monitor you were discussing something high-end for your client? would like that.

But I will get a 26-27inch Samsung, LCD/LED. 100Hz/200Hz. Full 1080p.

Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 8GB 1600MHz CL8 DDR3 Vengeance Memory Two Module Kit [£84.29] looks good, vendor list showed it supports 4dimms

Want to buy this but it ain't coming up on the vendors list?

[kitamesume]

it didnt come out but its the nearest.

Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 8GB 1600MHz CL8 DDR3 Vengeance Memory Two Module Kit [£84.29] the vendor list is stupid enough to not include 2x4gb kits.

[raandomer]

In terms of monitor you were discussing something high-end for your client? would like that.

But I will get a 26-27inch Samsung, LCD/LED. 100Hz/200Hz. Full 1080p.

Be careful when your getting a 27" thats only at 1080p. Depending on how sensitive your eyes are or how far back you sit from your monitor you might find the pixel density isnt high enough. I myself find that 1080p on a 24" isnt suitable for me so I went with a 23" instead. And for my 27" i went with a 2560x1440 monitor (u2711), so remember that size doesnt equal higher quality.

now onto your ram problem, if your really paranoid just grab something from the list. tbo 4gb is probably enough for most people in most situations. To test that I ran using 4gb for a week and i didnt feel much of a difference(word processing, movies, gaming, general non-professional usage). The only reason to get 8gb kits is cause they're dirt cheap right now so why not

[Lonewolf5460]

I dont think the pixel density is all that low but I sit about 3 feet away tops. Saw one in the store yesterday I looked very nice and bright even compared to a 24in the density did not bother me. I do like high density monitors though i saw a 1080p 21in Acer and it did look really sharp it is all preference I guess but I can see why you would want a higher density.

Actually here is a similar one to the high density model I saw in the store it is pretty cheap when I think about how great it looked led back lit too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009299

[kitamesume]

i got a 21"5 monitor with 1920x1080p res, it was quite good for 180$, AOC e2240vw was the model number. i use it for watching movies, sucks when i play 420p on it(had to force blur+noise reduce to make it look clean), but makes me wow when i play 1080p movies.

[Osmo]

Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 8GB 1600MHz CL8 DDR3 Vengeance Memory Two Module Kit [£84.29][/url] the vendor list is stupid enough to not include 2x4gb kits.

I'll buy this one then when I get home.

Next item. GPU.

[Osmo]

CPU: i5-2500k ✔

Motherboard: Asus - SABERTOOTH P67 ✔

RAM: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 8GB 1600MHz CL8 DDR3 Vengeance Memory Two Module Kit [£84.29] ✔

GPU: Asus 2GB ATi Radeon 6970 ✔

Memory: 80-120GB SSD Boot Drive. 500GB x2 Spinpoint F3 Slave Drive Raid.

PSU: Corsair TX750 V2 PSU

Disk Drive: Samsung?

CASE: Undecided.


Next is the hardrive. To raid or not the raid?