Offbeateel's Kampfpeuter thread (I want your input!)

[Offbeateel]

So, I've gotten sick and tired of playing Minecraft at a measly 250 FPS, and I'm now looking at building a nice shiny computer of doom.

I have a pretty good idea what I want, and a terrific knowledge base here at the MR forums, so I figure I'll run it by you guys so you can nitpick everything.

I'm linking to Newegg for info, but I'm open to buying from other stores if they have the same/similar product at a better price, or a better product Newegg doesn't offer.


CPU

I'm pretty much set on the Intel i7-2600K

I figure dropping the extra 20 on the K version will make my life much easier if/when I decide to overclock.


Motherboard

For the MoBo, I'm looking at the ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0)

I probably will not need more than two PCI-E slots. 2200 memory is a bit expensive, so the the 1866 speed is fine by me. There are plenty of SATA ports to go around, and the amount of USB 2.0 and 3.0 is pretty much in line with what I want. The UEFI BIOS replacement tech looks quite shiny, though I've heard of people having issues with it.

Performance aside, I like the aesthetics of the "thermal armor" whether or not it actually affects temperature.


Memory

For now, I've decided on a dual channel set of G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1866

I can always grab another two if I want moar memory, but 8GB seems like plenty.


GPU(s)

I've already purchased one XFX Radeon HD 6790 1GB 256-bit GDDR5, and plan to grab another to run in Crossfire. Hypothetically, I have 30 days to return the one I already bought if you folks have a better alternative.

PSU

Though my current setup would probably work fine on a 750W PSU, I'd prefer to play it safe and go for 850W or higher. I'm currently looking at this Rosewill BRONZE Series RBR1000-M 1000W

I like the modular cable design, as it lets me cut down on the amount of extraneous dangly bits I'd have to tuck behind the MoBo tray. The two 12V rails @30A should be just dandy. I'm not opposed to a single rail PSU, though.


Hard Disks/SSDs

I am planning to use a 1TB 7200RPM HDD I already possess.

In addition, I'd like to buy an SSD for my OS and a few programs I'd like to load quickly and what not. Currently, I'm looking at this Corsair Nova Series 2 CSSD 60GB

I don't really know enough about SSD's to knowledgeably compare them, so any input here would be great.


Case

There are many shiny cases out there, and I'm currently looking at about five.

• IN WIN Ironclad
  
  
• IN WIN Dragon Rider
  
  
• Antec Twelve Hundred V3
  
  
• COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue
  
  
• Thermaltake Chaser MK-I
  
  

If you'd like to recommend one I have not posted, but you think is the best thing since sliced bread, here's what I'm interested in: a full ATX or EATX case with at least 3 5.25" drive slots, 4 3.5" HDD slots (and/or a 2.5" SSD slot,) and at least 6 expansion slots. A bottom mounted PSU and a rather large side fan with a grille/window are preferred.




I'm open to your suggestions, so post forth!

 

[XCVG]

Radeon HD 6790 is a questionable choice considering your other parts, however if you are planning to run two in Crossfire it makes more sense. I've never heard of Rosewill, but 2x30A on a kilowatt PSU sounds pretty unimpressive considering my XFX 650W unit can do 53A on a single rail. Modular is nice, I wish I had a modular supply because right now I have a massive wad of cables blocking airflow to my lower fan. I'm not too sure about SSDs either, but I think the Nova is an older, inferior model. Go with a Vertex 3 or Corsair Force series. In my opinion all those cases are ugly with the possible exception of the Twelve Hundred, but it's not my computer so whatever. I put mine in a Three Hundred, but I think it would be a bit small for your rig.

EDIT: Read the description of the PSU. It actually provides two 20A rails and two 30A rails in a quad-rail configuration. Sounds a lot better now.

 

[Offbeateel]

EDIT: Read the description of the PSU. It actually provides two 20A rails and two 30A rails in a quad-rail configuration. Sounds a lot better now.

Yeah, I realize now how the way I worded that could be misleading, sorry.


As much as I'd love to run 4 6990s in Crossfire for great justice, it's not too wallet-friendly. Two 6790s give me pretty good performance for the cost.

I'll take a look at the SSDs you recommended.

 

[bic]

Rosewill power supplies are sketchy at best.

I'd lose the SSD for a fast, high capacity traditional hard drive. 7200 RPM 1 TB+ drives are pretty fast these days.

 

[Offbeateel]

How about XFX PRO850W XXX Edition instead of that Rosewill?

I already have a 1TB 7200 RPM drive, I just want the speed of the SSD to improve boot time and access speed for a few programs. If it's not particularly worth it, I won't do it.

 

[Mako321]

Get a GOOD Corsair or a Seasonic PSU rated at at least 750w.
That Mobo? Drop it. Sorry, but it's just going to cause you problems in the long run as you're actually supposed to add small fans(I forget the size, but they're not included) to keep the thing at regular temps.(Not sure how much hotter the thing got, but it's gimmicky and I wouldn't waste the extra money on aesthetics while underbuying on a PSU)
Video card wise, I would recommend looking for a card with a good aftermarket cooler/nonreference PCB, especially if you're looking into overclocking. MSI is probably your first choice if you look into it, with Gigabyte's Windforce cards second to them.
Also, BY GOD DON'T UNDERBUY ON SSDs INTEL HAS SOME OF THE ONLY SSDs ON THE MARKET THAT'LL LAST MORE THAN A FEW MONTHS BEFORE PERFORMANCE DIES. That and Vertex 3s/all new Sandforce drives have HUGE corruption issues(Last I heard).

As much as I'd love to run 4 6990s in Crossfire for great justice, it's not too wallet-friendly. Two 6790s give me pretty good performance for the cost.

Fun fact, you can only run 2 6990s in CF

 

[XCVG]

The XFX power supply should do fine, they are actually made by Seasonic. I own a Core Series 650W. I've only heard good things about Sandforce SSDs, but I haven't done that much research on the issue. You should. I don't see why you would need a videocard with nonreference PCB and cooler. I suppose if you are overclocking like Mako said, but you didn't say you were. Not sure about the mobo, again I'll defer to Mako.

Sandy Bridge is nice. I love my new rig.

 

[Mako321]

The lifetime of a Sandforce SSD is substantially shorter than Intel SSDs.
Also, even though Seasonic MAKES XFX's PSUs, they're not rebrands and are lower quality, even though they're pretty reputable.

 

[J.D]

Go Nvidia for the video card (preferably the GTX460, maybe the GTX580 if you've got the cash), Intel for the SSD, and the Antec 1200 for the case.

 

[Mako321]

Go Nvidia for the video card (preferably the GTX460, maybe the GTX520 if you've got the cash), Intel for the SSD, and the Antec 1200 for the case.

lolwat
GTX460 and GT520?

 

[J.D]

Go Nvidia for the video card (preferably the GTX460, maybe the GTX520 if you've got the cash), Intel for the SSD, and the Antec 1200 for the case.

lolwat
GTX460 and GT520?

Ah, I meant the GTX580. And I'm not talking about SLI'ing either

On another note, it seems like I've became the bic of page breaking now.

 

[Mako321]

Last I checked, the 6970 beat the 580 with a slight edge, along with having a big advangage in CF over 2 SLI'd 580s.

 

[J.D]

Yeah but *Can'tSayThisOnTV* AMD.

 

[Offbeateel]

Thanks for the information, brosephs. Let me give you a little background into some of my decisions, so they might make more sense.

• I actually prefer Nvidia over AMD. The only reason I'm going for a Radeon card is bitcoin mining.
  
• I plan to add a 50mm fan to the mobo fan slot, but from what I've read, it doesn't have heat issues either way. Also, 5yr warranty.

I'll look into Intel SSD's. Capacity is a non-issue: I only want the OS and a few other things on it.

I'l also look into Corsair and Seasonic PSU's.

The video card I bought (check the linky in the OP) has a good cooler on it. Also, what is a Ref/Nonref PCB, and what is the difference between the two?

Fun fact, you can only run 2 6990s in CF

The more you know, I guess. I was trying to say "ZOMFG performance is nice, but ZOMFG cost is not."

 

[Mako321]

Basically, it's when card manufacturers don't change anything about the PCB layout/heatsink/fan design and sells of what is just the reference/preproduction card with a different sticker slapped on it.
See:

Asus also makes nonreference cards though, such as:

Nonreference basically means better cooling and possible factory overclocks.