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Tharbad
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Tue Jun 26, 2012 11:37 am

Chrispy_ wrote:
Tharbad wrote:
About the RAM: It's appears that I was wrong and there are only 1333MHz 2x8GB DIMM so I'll use 4x4GB.

You have a huge budget, so get 32GB of RAM (32GB at 4x 8GB 1333MHz CL9 is fine) The VM's will definitely benefit from more RAM instead of less, slightly-faster RAM.
For gaming the bottleneck is never RAM speed, it is almost always down to the graphics card.

Can you point me to benchmarks that support this (RAM)? Anyway, I'll be able to overclock the RAM to 1600MHz, right?

And still my current server will have 4 Phenom 2 955 cores. Each of that CPU cores is like i3-2120 cores...
According to Intel HT can boost performance up to 150% (Depending on the apps). Higher GHz will also give me about 110% more performance.
Another possibility is to buy a E3-12xx v2 in 3 years but the total cost of the E3 and the i5-3570k is higher than the i7-3770k.
I can save about ~25$ if I'll take the normal 3770 but I want to get to 4GHz and I don't think that those 25$ will help me...
Back to square 1...

Chrispy_ wrote:
Tharbad wrote:
About the water cooling: The cooler is quieter than the Evo?

Don't worry about the Evo being noisy. Any graphics card you're looking at is GUARANTEED to be noisier than the Evo, so you won't ever hear it.

Watercooling can be quieter if you get large radiators and slow fans;
The one you picked is not one of these though - it is a single 120mm radiatior so it will be about the same noise as a 120mm air cooler.
Also, in addition to the fan noise is pump noise, which can make your PC sound a little bit like a small fishtank or fridge.

Then this issue is closed. I'll go with the Evo
 
Tharbad
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:04 am

Here a list of questions I still have (So you wont need to read all the topic :) ) :
1) The 2x8GB 1333MHz cost about 150$. The 2x8GB 1600MHz cost 176$. Does the 1600MHz worth the extra 25$ or should I overclock the 1333MHz?
2) Should I buy a new SSD instead of the OCZ Agility 3 128GB for the OS and my Programs?
3) Noctua fan will give me about 60 CFM each (I'll have 3) and Fractal Design fan give 40 CFM (another 2). That should be enough, Right?
4) Since the Cooler (212 Evo) cost here 52$, it might be possible that there are better coolers in the same price. Here is a list of cooler with +/- the same price tag:
* Zalman CNPS8900 Quiet - 61$
* CoolerMaster Hyper Z600 - 64$
* Scythe Ninja 3 - 65$
-
* Scythe Mine 2 - 50$
* Arctic Freezer i30 - 50$
* Scythe Ninja 3 Rev.B - 50$
* Scythe Yasya - 46$
* Scythe Mugen 3 - 51$
* Noctua NH-C12P SE14 - 54$
* Noctua NH-U12P SE2 - 58$

Thanks
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:49 am

Tharbad wrote:
1) The 2x8GB 1333MHz cost about 150$. The 2x8GB 1600MHz cost 176$. Is the 1600MHz worth the extra 25$ or should I overclock the 1333MHz?
Maybe, if <2% performance difference matters to you. No, don't overclock your RAM.

Tharbad wrote:
2) Should I buy a new SSD instead of the OCZ Agility 3 128GB for the OS and my Programs?
If you've already got this SSD, it should do fine. If you're buying a new one, the 256 GB Samsung 830 for $190 is a good deal.

Tharbad wrote:
3) Noctua fan will give me about 60 CFM each (I'll have 3) and Fractal Design fan give 40 CFM (another 2). That should be enough, Right?
What you want to do is get a couple of decent PWM-controlled fans and let Asus' SmartFan control them on the motherboard. The idea is not to have a tornado blowing through your case all of the time, but to have them speed up automatically when you need more cooling and then slow down automatically when your components are cool enough.

Tharbad wrote:
4) Since the Cooler (212 Evo) cost here 52$, it might be possible that there are better coolers in the same price. Here is a list of cooler with +/- the same price tag:
* Scythe Ninja 3 - 65$
* Arctic Freezer i30 - 50$
* Scythe Ninja 3 Rev.B - 50$
* Scythe Yasya - 46$
* Scythe Mugen 3 - 51$
* Noctua NH-U12P SE2 - 58$
These should be fine.
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Welch
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:51 am

JaE beat me to it in his first post.

Skip the 4x4 setup and go with 2 x 8GB sticks on the ram or 4x8 if you really want 32GB and have the funds.

For the CPU Heatsink, one recommended by other Gerbils for its quietness is the Noctua NH-U12P SE ($64.38) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002N2 ... YXEL822RF0

CPU - I'm not sure what everyone else take is on the Ivybridge stuff, but since your slapping a real video card in this system, the GPU in the IvyBridge is going to go to waste and its a lot hotter/more expensive for not enough performance over SandyBridge. The whole cooling fiasco with IvyBridge would have me skipping over it in waiting for Haswell IMO.

Do you really need to or want to Overclock for a specific reason?

As for the VMWare, you should benefit from the higher thread count of the i7, so I'd stick in that range.. perhaps the tried and true i7-2600k. There have been a lot of really good deals on them lately in combination with motherboards all over the net. What sort of VMWare stuff are you doing, just a single virtual box for software compatibility with your old machine or what? If your just going to be loading machines 1 by 1, then 16GB would probably do you more than fine. I'm currently running an i5-2500k with 16GB (2x8) and when running a few VM boxes I rarely ever come anywhere near close to using all of the RAM. But if your going to try running 4-5 at the same time then 32GB might be a good idea. Although 4-5 machines in VMWare player isn't recommended at all from a performance stand point (ESXi anyone :P?)
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Thebolt
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Wed Jun 27, 2012 8:17 am

Don't have time to read the full thread so this may have already been suggested:

Consider buying a single high end GPU now that will support all four monitors and run current games well. In a couple of years upgrade the GPU while leaving the rest of the system untouched. This should allow you to get better use of the system over its life while keeping cost the same over time.

That way you don't have to worry about crossfire issues and will same money on electricity/power supply.
 
Tharbad
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Wed Jun 27, 2012 8:36 am

JustAnEngineer wrote:
Tharbad wrote:
1) The 2x8GB 1333MHz cost about 150$. The 2x8GB 1600MHz cost 176$. Is the 1600MHz worth the extra 25$ or should I overclock the 1333MHz?
Maybe, if <2% performance difference matters to you. No, don't overclock your RAM.

Then 1333MHz it is.

JustAnEngineer wrote:
Tharbad wrote:
2) Should I buy a new SSD instead of the OCZ Agility 3 128GB for the OS and my Programs?
If you've already got this SSD, it should do fine. If you're buying a new one, the 256 GB Samsung 830 for $190 is a good deal.

Local prices of the 240-256GB is 300$ - 512$
Near 300$ I have the following: Crucial M4, OCZ Agility, Sandisk Extreme and Micron C400. Worth the price?

JustAnEngineer wrote:
Tharbad wrote:
3) Noctua fan will give me about 60 CFM each (I'll have 3) and Fractal Design fan give 40 CFM (another 2). That should be enough, Right?
What you want to do is get a couple of decent PWM-controlled fans and let Asus' SmartFan control them on the motherboard. The idea is not to have a tornado blowing through your case all of the time, but to have them speed up automatically when you need more cooling and then slow down automatically when your components are cool enough.

The only Asus board at my price range is the Asus P8Z77-V LX. It's second is PCIe x16 is x4 2.0 and not x8 3.0 like in Gigabyte board. Does it matter?

JustAnEngineer wrote:
Tharbad wrote:
4) Since the Cooler (212 Evo) cost here 52$, it might be possible that there are better coolers in the same price. Here is a list of cooler with +/- the same price tag:
* Scythe Ninja 3 - 65$
* Arctic Freezer i30 - 50$
* Scythe Ninja 3 Rev.B - 50$
* Scythe Yasya - 46$
* Scythe Mugen 3 - 51$
* Noctua NH-U12P SE2 - 58$
These should be fine.

Could you be more specific?

Welch wrote:
JaE beat me to it in his first post.

For the CPU Heatsink, one recommended by other Gerbils for its quietness is the Noctua NH-U12P SE ($64.38) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002N2 ... YXEL822RF0

It actually cost less here :)

Welch wrote:
CPU - I'm not sure what everyone else take is on the Ivybridge stuff, but since your slapping a real video card in this system, the GPU in the IvyBridge is going to go to waste and its a lot hotter/more expensive for not enough performance over SandyBridge. The whole cooling fiasco with IvyBridge would have me skipping over it in waiting for Haswell IMO.

The problem is I'm waiting too much time for the perfect CPU. Originally I was waiting for AMD APU, then FX and I've been thinking on the SB-E too. Can't wait any longer! Another major problem is that I'm a student, So I want to be able to do something with the system after I buy it. So it's either this summer or the next...

I also want to have the PCIe 3. I think that in 2 year the PCIe extra performance will matter. Which leaves me the SB-E vs IB. The only SB-E with a reasonable price is the 3820. But then I'll need a more powerful PSU, which make this build more expensive (CPU + MB prices are the same) and gives me less performance.

Welch wrote:
Do you really need to or want to Overclock for a specific reason?

Just want to get more performance.

Welch wrote:
As for the VMWare, you should benefit from the higher thread count of the i7, so I'd stick in that range.. perhaps the tried and true i7-2600k. There have been a lot of really good deals on them lately in combination with motherboards all over the net. What sort of VMWare stuff are you doing, just a single virtual box for software compatibility with your old machine or what? If your just going to be loading machines 1 by 1, then 16GB would probably do you more than fine. I'm currently running an i5-2500k with 16GB (2x8) and when running a few VM boxes I rarely ever come anywhere near close to using all of the RAM. But if your going to try running 4-5 at the same time then 32GB might be a good idea. Although 4-5 machines in VMWare player isn't recommended at all from a performance stand point (ESXi anyone :P?)


ESXi will run my old computer...
According to what you write, 16GB will be enough right now.

Thebolt wrote:
Don't have time to read the full thread so this may have already been suggested:

Consider buying a single high end GPU now that will support all four monitors and run current games well. In a couple of years upgrade the GPU while leaving the rest of the system untouched. This should allow you to get better use of the system over its life while keeping cost the same over time.

That way you don't have to worry about crossfire issues and will same money on electricity/power supply.

Good idea.
Please define High End GPU? is the 7950 enough?
I have no problem with nVidia but the GTX 670 cost more than the 7950.
 
Welch
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:22 am

Most of the "higher end" video cards support 4-5 connections. If you get the Eyeinfinity series of cards they have 5 or 6 connections of the same type (for instance, HDMI or DisplayPort). Dual cards just to run multiple monitors is a VERY old thing as at least dual monitor has been supported for a very long time.

Glad to hear you can get the Noctua even cheaper, always a bonus :)

What country are you from, noticed you were converting to USD. If ordering from Newegg of NCIX is an option, those 240 or 256 SSDs can be had for well under the $200 mark now. The M4 was going for 169.99 with Mail in rebate IIRC.

The RAM.... if you are planning to OC the processor, make sure you buy ram that will not require you to overclock it to stay synced with the CPU. That never seems to end well unless you buy ram that's meant to be OCed, I still wouldn't do it.

As for the CPU thing, I don't see why you would have to wait. The i7-2600k would serve you well for some time IMHO. I don't really put too much stock in the whole "OMG The Next PCI-E Version!" There still isn't a card that would saturate PCI-E 2.0 right now, that's not to say it wont in the future, I just don't think its likely to happen in the lifetime of the system you'd be building. If we were having this conversation 2 years in the future, I'd bet cards still weren't utilizing 2.0 but a few generations later one might just barely go over its bandwidth.

I mean you can throw more cash at the system but just like that RAM difference from 1600 to 1333 there is a point where its just not worth it. Its like when people buy all of the aftermarket parts for say.... a 5.0 Mustang that they use to get to work. They gain 25HP but they paid a few thousand dollars to do it. In the end, the vehicle is still getting them from Point A to Point B very fast. The difference in practically non-existent.
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
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DPete27
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:46 am

We STILL don't know where you live, so many people are quoting US prices only to get shot down by you saying that it costs 1.5x more where you are. Just tell us already.

If you've already got a 120GB Agility 3 and aren't running into space issues, there's no point in upgrading IMO. Prices will only get cheaper as time goes on.

The Hyper 212 EVO and Noctua NH-U12P are on par with eachother. The Noctua might be a bit quieter and the Cooler Master might be a bit cooler. If they both cost the same, flip a coin.

I just think this thread is starting to go in circles. At some point you're going to have to read over all these posts one more time and make a decision for yourself. I don't see any bad advice and you're never going to get everyone here to agree on one specific list of parts.
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integer
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Wed Jun 27, 2012 10:30 am

DPete27 wrote:
We STILL don't know where you live, so many people are quoting US prices only to get shot down by you saying that it costs 1.5x more where you are. Just tell us already.

Two years ago, it was the Middle East. Not sure which country though.
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Tharbad
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Wed Jun 27, 2012 1:06 pm

Welch wrote:
Most of the "higher end" video cards support 4-5 connections. If you get the Eyeinfinity series of cards they have 5 or 6 connections of the same type (for instance, HDMI or DisplayPort). Dual cards just to run multiple monitors is a VERY old thing as at least dual monitor has been supported for a very long time.

So you and Thebolt agree that I should not use CrossFire. Instead I should buy 1 GPU (7950) now and 1 in 2-3 years. Right?

Can I use the following config?
mini DP to DP cable (4$) + DP to DVI Active cable (30$) + DVI cable extension (I have few).
That 14$ less then mini DP to DVI Active cable...

Welch wrote:
What country are you from, noticed you were converting to USD. If ordering from Newegg of NCIX is an option, those 240 or 256 SSDs can be had for well under the $200 mark now. The M4 was going for 169.99 with Mail in rebate IIRC.


I really like my privacy. As Integer has written - Somewhere in the Middle East (Which usually means that you have some opinion about things that go in this area and therefore I would to stay anonymous). And no, it's not Iran - there is no real internet in this country.
US shops usually don't ship here but some European do (Amazon ships only books). The problem is with local taxes, shipping fees and that most of the item I've ordered recently got here broken. So I don't care about ordering fans and cables but shipping back (for warranty) a broken GPU will cost me more than buying it locally.

Welch wrote:
The RAM.... if you are planning to OC the processor, make sure you buy ram that will not require you to overclock it to stay synced with the CPU. That never seems to end well unless you buy ram that's meant to be OCed, I still wouldn't do it.

What?! How do I check that? I didn't know that the CPU and the RAM need to be OCed both. I thought that if I don't intend to touch the CPU Memory Controller then there is no need to OC the memory.

Welch wrote:
As for the CPU thing, I don't see why you would have to wait. The i7-2600k would serve you well for some time IMHO. I don't really put too much stock in the whole "OMG The Next PCI-E Version!" There still isn't a card that would saturate PCI-E 2.0 right now, that's not to say it wont in the future, I just don't think its likely to happen in the lifetime of the system you'd be building. If we were having this conversation 2 years in the future, I'd bet cards still weren't utilizing 2.0 but a few generations later one might just barely go over its bandwidth.

I've Checked it now and there is no big diff between 2.0 and 3 currently. But the i7-2600k cost only 14$ less then the 3770k... The i7-2700k is 10$ less...

Welch wrote:
I mean you can throw more cash at the system but just like that RAM difference from 1600 to 1333 there is a point where its just not worth it. Its like when people buy all of the aftermarket parts for say.... a 5.0 Mustang that they use to get to work. They gain 25HP but they paid a few thousand dollars to do it. In the end, the vehicle is still getting them from Point A to Point B very fast. The difference in practically non-existent.

Then 2x8GB 1333MHz it is.

DPete27 wrote:
If you've already got a 120GB Agility 3 and aren't running into space issues, there's no point in upgrading IMO. Prices will only get cheaper as time goes on.

OK.

DPete27 wrote:
The Hyper 212 EVO and Noctua NH-U12P are on par with eachother. The Noctua might be a bit quieter and the Cooler Master might be a bit cooler. If they both cost the same, flip a coin.

OK

DPete27 wrote:
I just think this thread is starting to go in circles. At some point you're going to have to read over all these posts one more time and make a decision for yourself. I don't see any bad advice and you're never going to get everyone here to agree on one specific list of parts.

I know but I want to hear your opinions.
 
Chrispy_
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:44 pm

Faster RAM is a total waste. Pay 50% more, get 1% more performance in any real-world tests.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sand ... est-ddr3/6

Eyefinity rules:
  • Each DP output is a guaranteed output that can be used with eyefinity.
  • If there is HDMI or DVI-D they can be used too
  • If there is HDMI and DVI-D, then only one of them can be used with eyefinity - they share the same clockgen.
  • If you use any converters to change a DP output to a DVI for your screen, it has to be an ACTIVE one. Passive DP > DVI converters aren't supported.
Most cards will have 2x DP, an HDMI and a DVI, meaning only 3-screens off one card without using a DP hub.

+1 for the Noctua. They use much higher quality fans than Cooler Master, reflected in the fact that the Noctua is around double the cost of the EVO in most countries for good reason.

If you want performance, get a 2600K. It will overclock far more comfortably than the 3770K. At stock speeds, IVB is slightly cooler than SNB, but IVB gets really hot when overclocked and SNB doesn't.
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JustAnEngineer
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:48 pm

Chrispy_ wrote:
Most cards will have 2x DP, an HDMI and a DVI, meaning only 3-screens off one card without using a DP hub.
Not so.

Most of the Radeon HD7850/7870 cards currently available (like this $235 +fs -15MIR XFX FX-785A-CNFC) have:
1 dual-link DVI
1 single-link DVI and 1 HDMI (only one of these can be in use at a time)
2 mini-DisplayPort 1.2
That adds up to a maximum of 4 monitors (unless you are eventually able to daisy-chain DisplayPort to get up to six).

You'll see this confirmed on the XFX product page:
http://xfxforce.com/en-us/Products/Grap ... -CNFC.aspx
XFX wrote:
Up to 4 Displays


Most of the Radeon HD7950/7970 cards have:
1 dual-link DVI
1 HDMI
2 mini-DisplayPort 1.2
This also adds up to a maximum of 4 monitors (unless you are eventually able to daisy-chain DisplayPort to get up to six).

You can see this confirmed on page 12 of the Sapphire manual downloadable here:
http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentatio ... d=1&leg=0#
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End User
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Wed Jun 27, 2012 8:47 pm

I'm happy with my [email protected]. I'm running a H100 (medium setting) in a case that is geared for sound suppression rather than airflow (Obsidian 550D). Average CPU idle temp is 33.5°C. Full load average temp is 75.5°C. Ambient temp is 27°C.

Cinebench R11.5 hits 9.15 in multi core and 1.92 for single core. LuxMark V2.0 hits 333 (Mode=CPU only/Scene=Room).

I went with an ASUS Z77 board to take advantage of the ASUS SSD Caching II technology. I've got a big HD that is being cached to a 240GB SSD.
 
Welch
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:21 am

End User wrote:
I'm happy with my [email protected]. I'm running a H100 (medium setting) in a case that is geared for sound suppression rather than airflow (Obsidian 550D). Average CPU idle temp is 33.5°C. Full load average temp is 75.5°C. Ambient temp is 27°C.

Cinebench R11.5 hits 9.15 in multi core and 1.92 for single core. LuxMark V2.0 hits 333 (Mode=CPU only/Scene=Room).

I went with an ASUS Z77 board to take advantage of the ASUS SSD Caching II technology. I've got a big HD that is being cached to a 240GB SSD.


If a case is in the cards, I'll have to give my thumbs up to the Obsidian 550D. Just built a small business server in this case a few hours ago. Was pretty impressed with the quality difference in the Obsidian vs even the Graphite series which I always considered to be high quality. I still feel like the fans in these cases should be swapped out for the new Corsair fans as they make a slight bit of noise, nothing obnoxious or anything, but its definitely the bearings I'm hearing, not the swoosh swoosh of air. I've also wanted to try out the H100, but I was seeing a few things referring to an earlier issue with them leaking? I'd imagine that has been resolved by now.

@Tharbad, I stand corrected. I've not OCed my 2500k yet :oops: . I was able to pickup on Corsair 1600 dimms for cheaper than 1333 kits with the same latencies, so I did it. Otherwise OCing a SB is multiplier based, so it wont effect the RAM speeds. I'm stuck in the olden days where OCing meant screwing with the FSB which OC the ram at the same time. So if my FSB was 333 and I was shooting for 400, then having PC-3200 RAM meant I could hit 400 FSB without any ram overclock :P. So yea... Doesn't work that way anymore. If you look around you're bound to find a RAM deal that will net you some 1600 for the same or cheaper than 1333, the prices are so close last time I bought. I generally shoot for the fastest RAM frequency that the memory controller can handle without an OC to it.

As for where your from, no worries. I'd like to think that I speak for all of us when I say that we don't care what country your from or the ignorant/horrible misconceptions that sometimes are attributed to "The Middle East". With that said, I still respect your choice of anonymity and just want to help you with your purchases. Thanks for letting us know roughly where your at so that we can better help figure out what is realistic for ordering to you and whats not.
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

1600x | Strix B350-F | CM 240 Lite | 16GB 3200 | RX 580 8GB | 970 EVO | Corsair 400R | Seasonic X 850 | Corsair M95 / K90 | Sennheiser PC37x
 
Chrispy_
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:58 am

JustAnEngineer wrote:
Not so.
Most of the Radeon HD7850/7870 cards currently available <snip>

Sloooowwww down :)

Everyone's talking about a 7950 and not the 7800-series; This thread is about "strong computer for games" with a graphics card that will be hopefully usable in four years on the latest titles.

I've yet to see a 7950 or 7970 with the twin DVI outputs you mention, and I've struggled with this myself on a 6850, falling prey to the passive DP adapter issue and the DVI/HDMI shared port issue.
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DPete27
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 8:43 am

End User wrote:
I went with an ASUS Z77 board to take advantage of the ASUS SSD Caching II technology. I've got a big HD that is being cached to a 240GB SSD.


@Tharbad: Just to clarify, Intel SSD caching has a maximum size limit of 64GB. So it looks like End User has partitioned off a 64GB chunk of the 240GB SSD, installed the OS/Programs/Games on the larger SSD partition, then used the 64GB partition to cache the "big HD" used for storage. I'm not sure how effective this is since the SSD and the "caching partition" have to share bandwidth over the same SATA connection instead of going the normal route and using seperate SSDs for the OS and caching. Anyway.. this probably doesn't apply to you.

Welch wrote:
As for where your from, no worries. I'd like to think that I speak for all of us when I say that we don't care what country your from or the ignorant/horrible misconceptions that sometimes are attributed to "The Middle East". With that said, I still respect your choice of anonymity and just want to help you with your purchases. Thanks for letting us know roughly where your at so that we can better help figure out what is realistic for ordering to you and whats not.


I completely agree. With that said, are you shopping online? If so, perhaps you could provide us with your preferred website. It seems as though we've got a general concensus on the recommended system and at this point it may just come down to which components are the cost effective. (Cooler Master vs Noctua heatsink prices being the same where you're at for example)

Chrispy_ wrote:
I've yet to see a 7950 or 7970 with the twin DVI outputs you mention

But most/all of them have dual Display ports, 1 HDMI, and 1 DVI which is at least 3 monitors. (maybe 4, depending on if JAE or you are right about multi-monitor support) Also, JAE said that 7950/7970 cards have 1 DVI, 1 HDMI, and 2 DP and this 7850 has all the ports that he stated for 7850/7870..
Main: i5-3570K, ASRock Z77 Pro4-M, MSI RX480 8G, 500GB Crucial BX100, 2 TB Samsung EcoGreen F4, 16GB 1600MHz G.Skill @1.25V, EVGA 550-G2, Silverstone PS07B
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Star Brood
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 9:10 am

I recommend the Intel Core i5 2500K with the GTX 670. Really good power consumption and amazing driver support. GeForce also has adaptive vsync which is great for games. For a power supply just get something with a bit of extra wattage for overclocking support as well as make sure that the power supply has a lot of great ratings.

99.99999999% of software will not be able to run better on a CPU with 8 threads vs one with 4 threads.
 
End User
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 10:25 am

DPete27 wrote:
End User wrote:
I went with an ASUS Z77 board to take advantage of the ASUS SSD Caching II technology. I've got a big HD that is being cached to a 240GB SSD.


@Tharbad: Just to clarify, Intel SSD caching has a maximum size limit of 64GB. So it looks like End User has partitioned off a 64GB chunk of the 240GB SSD, installed the OS/Programs/Games on the larger SSD partition, then used the 64GB partition to cache the "big HD" used for storage. I'm not sure how effective this is since the SSD and the "caching partition" have to share bandwidth over the same SATA connection instead of going the normal route and using seperate SSDs for the OS and caching. Anyway.. this probably doesn't apply to you.

ASUS SSD Caching II is separate from the Intel caching tech. My Corsair Force Series GT 240GB SSD is 100% dedicated to caching the main HD. Why did I go this route? I could have RAID'ed two 240GB drives but that would not give me enough space (and no TRIM). I was not interested in running dedicated Boot/Apps SSDs as I wanted everything on one volume. Ideally I would have gone with a 750GB or 1TB SSD but that will have to wait until my next build. ASUS SSD Caching II gives me fast boot/app launch times and allows me to stick with one big drive. I can have up to 3 SSDs caching the main HD.
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 10:29 am

Why would Sapphire include an HDMI-to-DVI adapter in the box with their Radeon HD7950 if you couldn't use it at the same time as the dual-link DVI-I port? :roll:

The rule for multiple displays with the Radeon HD78xx and HD79xx is simple. You can use up to two DVI or HDMI ports simultaneously in some combination. Monitors three and up must be connected by DisplayPort. With two mini-DisplayPort outputs, that gives you a total of up to 4 monitors (until active DisplayPort 1.2 hubs or daisy-chained DisplayPort 1.2 monitors become available).

Even my $115 Radeon HD7770 supports up to 4 monitors. 8)

Using the HDMI-to-DVI adapter is fine. Do beware of the MSI card that has two single-link DVI ports. With single-link DVI, you are limited to a maximum resolution of 1920x1200. Dual-link DVI goes to 2560x1600. Some DisplayPort monitors go up to 4096x2160.
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DPete27
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 11:54 am

End User wrote:
I was not interested in running dedicated Boot/Apps SSDs as I wanted everything on one volume.


(Sorry, End User and I are going off on a tangent here) This solution is not recommended or very common because an SSD will always be faster than a cached hdd for programs and the OS. Not everything needs to have the speed of an SSD. For example: all movies, music, pictures, Office files, etc etc will see no advantage to being cached. It is also not difficult at all to set up your system so that the mechancial hdd is set as the default save location and the start menu shortcuts to these folders points to the hdd. But hey, whatever floats your boat.
Main: i5-3570K, ASRock Z77 Pro4-M, MSI RX480 8G, 500GB Crucial BX100, 2 TB Samsung EcoGreen F4, 16GB 1600MHz G.Skill @1.25V, EVGA 550-G2, Silverstone PS07B
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ordskiweicz
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 12:01 pm

Wow. Seems like overkill even for very good gaming. Nice to have bucks to burn. You'd be OK with less.
 
End User
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 2:17 pm

DPete27 wrote:
End User wrote:
I was not interested in running dedicated Boot/Apps SSDs as I wanted everything on one volume.


(Sorry, End User and I are going off on a tangent here) This solution is not recommended or very common because an SSD will always be faster than a cached hdd for programs and the OS. Not everything needs to have the speed of an SSD. For example: all movies, music, pictures, Office files, etc etc will see no advantage to being cached. It is also not difficult at all to set up your system so that the mechancial hdd is set as the default save location and the start menu shortcuts to these folders points to the hdd. But hey, whatever floats your boat.

All my movies, music, pictures, documents and backups are on the network. All I am interested in fast OS/game data read performance. SSD caching gets my most frequently used data onto 500MB/s storage. Is it the ideal solution? No. Is it fast? Hell ya!
 
Tharbad
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 2:35 pm

Chrispy_ wrote:
Faster RAM is a total waste. Pay 50% more, get 1% more performance in any real-world tests.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sand ... est-ddr3/6

This is a good article that I should save somewhere.

Chrispy_ wrote:
+1 for the Noctua. They use much higher quality fans than Cooler Master, reflected in the fact that the Noctua is around double the cost of the EVO in most countries for good reason.

OK. Please note that there're 2 Noctua in my list.

Chrispy_ wrote:
If you want performance, get a 2600K. It will overclock far more comfortably than the 3770K. At stock speeds, IVB is slightly cooler than SNB, but IVB gets really hot when overclocked and SNB doesn't.

How it is possible? i7-2600k i 95W TDP and 3770k is 77W TDP. What you're saying is that adding the same parameters (generally speaking) to IB will bring its TDP over SB TDP although IB has 18W less to start with.
Anyway, I don't have much experience in OC so intend OC only up to 4GHz (4.4GHz Turbo). According to the reviews I'm reading, ~4.6GHz is the max with non extreme cooling methods. This is OK for me as I intend to stay bellow.

DPete27 wrote:
Welch wrote:
As for where your from, no worries. I'd like to think that I speak for all of us when I say that we don't care what country your from or the ignorant/horrible misconceptions that sometimes are attributed to "The Middle East". With that said, I still respect your choice of anonymity and just want to help you with your purchases. Thanks for letting us know roughly where your at so that we can better help figure out what is realistic for ordering to you and whats not.


I completely agree. With that said, are you shopping online? If so, perhaps you could provide us with your preferred website. It seems as though we've got a general concensus on the recommended system and at this point it may just come down to which components are the cost effective. (Cooler Master vs Noctua heatsink prices being the same where you're at for example)

Glad to hear that!

I have two local stores with no English GUI.
I usually order from Dealextreme and eBay.
I have no problem with ordering from other shops if the support Paypal.

Please note that for item above 75$ (including shipping) I have ~20% taxes.
Another problem is the warranty as items sometimes don't make it here alive...

Assuming that the store has a good customer support in that cases:
To be cheaper than local stores (I'll assume that shipment is about 20$, I also removed the local taxes):
GPU (HD 7950) - Less than 400$
CPU (3770k) - Less than 362$
MB - this is quit complicated as I need at least 8 USB in the back of the computer. I don't care about RAID, home computers RAID doesn't have a controller with RAM so using software RAID and hardware RAID on home computers is the same - the driver or the kernel do the job. Max budget for MB is 170$.
I don't care to buy fans abroad - if they get here broken I'll survive.

Star Brood wrote:
I recommend the Intel Core i5 2500K with the GTX 670. Really good power consumption and amazing driver support. GeForce also has adaptive vsync which is great for games. For a power supply just get something with a bit of extra wattage for overclocking support as well as make sure that the power supply has a lot of great ratings.

99.99999999% of software will not be able to run better on a CPU with 8 threads vs one with 4 threads.

GTX670 give less performance than 7950 and cost more...
I need the extra threads for VMs...

End User wrote:
DPete27 wrote:
End User wrote:
I went with an ASUS Z77 board to take advantage of the ASUS SSD Caching II technology. I've got a big HD that is being cached to a 240GB SSD.


@Tharbad: Just to clarify, Intel SSD caching has a maximum size limit of 64GB. So it looks like End User has partitioned off a 64GB chunk of the 240GB SSD, installed the OS/Programs/Games on the larger SSD partition, then used the 64GB partition to cache the "big HD" used for storage. I'm not sure how effective this is since the SSD and the "caching partition" have to share bandwidth over the same SATA connection instead of going the normal route and using seperate SSDs for the OS and caching. Anyway.. this probably doesn't apply to you.

ASUS SSD Caching II is separate from the Intel caching tech. My Corsair Force Series GT 240GB SSD is 100% dedicated to caching the main HD. Why did I go this route? I could have RAID'ed two 240GB drives but that would not give me enough space (and no TRIM). I was not interested in running dedicated Boot/Apps SSDs as I wanted everything on one volume. Ideally I would have gone with a 750GB or 1TB SSD but that will have to wait until my next build. ASUS SSD Caching II gives me fast boot/app launch times and allows me to stick with one big drive. I can have up to 3 SSDs caching the main HD.


Using RAID 0 with SSD will give u less performance using 1 SSD. I guess it have something to do with SSD already using RAID. So RAID on RAID with no good controller in the middle is not good.

Anyway 64GB cache is OK for me.I usually play only one game at a time.

ordskiweicz wrote:
Wow. Seems like overkill even for very good gaming. Nice to have bucks to burn. You'd be OK with less.

If I was buying a new computer every 2 years you're right. But this computer will be turned into a VM server in 3-5 years and should survive at least 2 years after that.
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 3:49 pm

Tharbad wrote:
MB - This is quite complicated as I need at least 8 USB ports in the back of the computer.

It's not complicated:
http://www.amazon.com/Syba-Four-PCI-Exp ... 008AJM6H8/

Otherwise:
http://www.amazon.com/Uspeed-Ports-Back ... 007OQOGPI/
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shaq_mobile
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 3:54 pm

Well I'd like to point out that you might want to install DosBox ASAP. You're not likely to be able to run anything new on this system. :lol:
 
Tharbad
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:31 pm

JustAnEngineer wrote:
Tharbad wrote:
MB - This is quite complicated as I need at least 8 USB ports in the back of the computer.

It's not complicated:
http://www.amazon.com/Syba-Four-PCI-Exp ... 008AJM6H8/

Otherwise:
http://www.amazon.com/Uspeed-Ports-Back ... 007OQOGPI/


Amazon doesn't ship computer parts here. Although they ship computers to some parts of the ME, I'm not included in this parts.

shaq_mobile wrote:
Well I'd like to point out that you might want to install DosBox ASAP. You're not likely to be able to run anything new on this system. :lol:

VMs work fine for me. As well as DosBox on VMs
 
superjawes
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:39 pm

Tharbad wrote:
Amazon doesn't ship computer parts here. Although they ship computers to some parts of the ME, I'm not included in this parts.
I think the point JAE was that there are easy options for getting more USB ports.
On second thought, let's not go to TechReport. It's infested by crypto bull****.
 
Tharbad
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:52 pm

superjawes wrote:
Tharbad wrote:
Amazon doesn't ship computer parts here. Although they ship computers to some parts of the ME, I'm not included in this parts.
I think the point JAE was that there are easy options for getting more USB ports.


Point taken.
I guess it doesn't really matter what is the brand. So there is some PCI 4port USB 2.0 that is sold here for 9$.
Then 6 USB on the MB is OK.
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:14 pm

You aren't still buying PCI cards in this decade, are you? PCIe is the way to go.

Also, why muck about with slow USB 2.0 when USB 3.0 options aren't too expensive?
 
Tharbad
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Re: Strong computer for games - please review my config

Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:35 pm

JustAnEngineer wrote:
You aren't still buying PCI cards in this decade, are you? PCIe is the way to go.

Also, why muck about with slow USB 2.0 when USB 3.0 options aren't too expensive?


For some reason they don't sell 4port PCIe locally. Fortunately, eBay sell some:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PCI-e-PCI-Express-4-port-USB3-0-VLI-USB-hub-Card-adapter-/230694138429

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