New Computer

[AlexRD]

I finally managed to save some money for a new computer, about three thousand and i wanted to buy a state of the art computer.

I wanted to know your opinions on which memory, motherboard, everything that i should get. Like, should i get the new generation of i7 or should i get the sixcore?
Which SSD should i get? Which RAM and how much should i buy? Which brand?
You know, that kind of stuff.



Processor: I was thinking on getting a sixcore i7 or the new generation of i7.
Memory: I was thinking OCZ, 2133 MHz GOLD or REAPER.
HD: I was thinking something like RevoDrive or whichever is the best and cheapest.
Motherboard: I was thinking EVGA Classified or Asus Rampage III
Video Card: GTX 580
DVD: I have no idea. I wanted a blu ray reader and burner.
PSU: I have no idea.
Case: I wanted an alienware case but thats a no go. Any ideas will help.



I'm also considering to have a notebook, so if you know a very good cheap notebook let me know

 

[stormy13]

Look at another ram manufacturer,

http://www.sevenforums.com/news/136970-ocz-stops-making-dram-focuses-ssds.html

For the rest of it start with the power supply before anything else with the components you're looking at. Thinking SLI down the road? If so going to need a bigger PSU than what you would need for a single card, and better to have it to begin with.

As for which CPU to go with, I would tend to go with the new i7 over the hexa-core if for no other reason than for the most part the hexa-core will cost almost as much as the quad.

 

[essenbe]

FWIW, I tend to agree with Stormy13- I would choose one of the new intel CPUS . It is hard to give advice without knowing exactly what you want to do with the new computer. If you are interested in overclocking, go with one of the 2 K versions and a P67 board. I tend to like the Cooler Master HAF cases because of very good air flow and easier cable management. Maybe start out with 8 GB of DDR3-1600 ram. Get 2 4 GB sticks to allow you to increase it later if needed. You will have to chose your own graphics cards, DVD/CD and HD. At this point I may wait on the SSD as Intel, Crucial and OCZ are going to be coming out with new versions which are supposed to be cheaper. As far as PSU, again it depends on what you are going to put into the case - but I believe you should go higher than what you think you will need. Also, I am willing to pay little extra for modular- it makes cable management so much easier.

These are just a few of my opinions, you will have to make your own choices.

 

[whs]

A few observations:

For the Sandy Bridge CPUs you also need a new P67 board. Both will still be error prone because they are brand new. I would go for something that has gone around for a while. But if you get the p67 board, make sure it is Asus. Btw: 6 way may not buy you a lot. I would prefer a higher clocked quad.

OCZ SSDs are a good choice. I have two Vertex and they are excellent. Since you are probably going to use it for the Operating system, a Revo drive is an overkill. It has faster read/write, but that is unimportant for the OS. It is the access time that counts. And a Revo is 0.1ms - just like a Vertex2. Rather buy a little bigger Vertex. BTW: Raid does not buy you anything either (the Revo is a 4x Raid)

For PSU I recommend Antec. But there are other good ones.

Remember: Your system will be old iron when you are done building it. Going overboard with leading edge components just costs you a lot of money. And components that are early in the cycle are to be avoided anyhow - too many bugs. For half the money you can build a system that works just as well - and then you have money left over to build a new one in 2 years (for half the money).

 

[essenbe]

WHS, good observations. I was thinking of trying to build with one of the new Intel CPUs but was hesitant because of the new technology. It's going to have bugs just like the first gen SSDs. But, that does not mean I won't do it anyway.
As they say, 'no guts, no glory'.

 

[bobkn]

Three thousand Euros, US Dollars, UK pounds? (May not matter, unless you can buy stuff from the US.)

In the USA, the I7-980x costs about $1k. The I7-970 is less than $900.

The highest-end Sandy Bridge CPU, the I7-2600K, costs about $330 (4 cores, plus hyperthreading). The I7-2500K is similar, but it lacks hyperthreading, and it's $225. The K CPUs (unlocked multipliers) are of interest mainly for overclocking, but the price differential over the locked ones is small. The main thing that you lose with the current Sandy Bridge CPUs is triple channel RAM; SB is dual channel. That won't arrive until later this year, in completely incompatible CPUs/motherboards.

SSD: the Revodrive is high performance, but if you want to use it for the OS (as most people do with SSDs), it requires a motherboard that can boot from PCI-E. Some (like my Asus P6T Deluxe) can't.

For the RAM, have a look here:

The Best Memory for Sandy Bridge | bit-tech.net

There's not much about brands, though. If I was buying some tomorrow, I'd probably be looking at Gskill.

I'd probably start with 8 GB (2 X 4GB). You'd need Win7 X64.

The GTX580 is a good graphics card. You may want to compare it to the ATI Radeon HD 6970.

PSU: Corsair is well regarded, but they have had some compatibility problems with Asus motherboards. eVGA recommends at least 600W (with at least 42A available at +12V) for a single GTX580. If you ever want to use two cards in SLI, nVidia has a certified list:

Build an SLI PC - Certified SLI-Ready Power Supplies

(The weakest PSUs on it for a pair of 580s are 900W.)

DVD (Bluray): anything but Lite-On.

Case: Cooler Master HAF 932. (If you can tolerate a full tower.)

 

[Cr00zng]

The soon to be released SSD drive maybe cheaper, as essenbe stated, in addition they will be faster as well. OCZ showed off their SATA III SSD drive recently at read speed of 550MB/s; that will make my six month old Crucial C300 SATA III SSD drive with 350MB/s look so old...

 

[AlexRD]

Its actually three thousand dollars, and in order to answer all other questions i first must know whats dual, or triple channel?

I know its very stupid to not know this, but its always something i skipped to learn.
My guess would be that its like how many slots you use?

Dual Channel 2x2gb
Triple Channel 3x3gb


If so, what are the differences?

 

[whs]

Core i7 Dual Channel vs Triple Channel Memory Test - Ninjalane.com

 

[stormy13]

The main thing that you lose with the current Sandy Bridge CPUs is triple channel RAM; SB is dual channel.

I wouldn't get too hung up that little detail,

Core i5 2500K and Core i7 2600K review

Synthetics - Intel Sandy Bridge 2600K & 2500K Processors Review | [H]ard|OCP

 

[AlexRD]

I can't use 6gb of memory if i use the new processors?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I can't use 6gb of memory if i use the new processors?

Dual channel is typically used in multiples of 2, beginning with 2:

2 or 4 or 8 or 16.

Triple channel is typically used in multiples of 2, beginning with 3:

3 or 6 or 12.

 

[AlexRD]

Any other suggestions?

 

[whs]

Maybe you want to post what you finally decided on. Then we can have another look before you go on the shopping spree. And again my advice: Stay away from components that are just a few days old. I made that mistake a couple of times in the past and I had a hell of a time.

 

[essenbe]

One thing I did notice in your specs is that you chose the K model CPU and the P67 board. That tells me you intend to overclock it. If that is true, I might be looking at an aftermarket CPU cooler.

 

[AlexRD]

Processor: Sandy Bridge 2600k
Memory: I was thinking OCZ, 2133 MHz GOLD or REAPER.
HD: OCZ Vertex 2 or Crucial RealSSD Sata III
Motherboard: I was thinking EVGA Classified or Asus Rampage III
Video Card: GTX 580

I first must know

1)What is the difference between x58 and p67 and which one better suits my needs?

2) Is corsair a good memory ram brand? i wanted a good set of memory for my computer.

3) Also for the SSD part, which one is very good and also cheap?
And also, is SATA 3 really worth it?

4) What are the requirements for the Sandry Bridge one? Does it need the p67 or is it just like the 900 series but improved?


Thanks,
Alex.

 

[whs]

1. I think you need the P67 board - and go with Asus ( ASUS P8P67 and P8P67 Deluxe Intel Sandy Bridge Motherboard Review - Introducing the ASUS P867 Series Motherboards Featuring Sandy Bridge - Legit Reviews )

2. Corsair RAM is OK but I would go with OCZ or Crucial

3. The OCZ Vertex is fine (I have two). But the Crucials SSDs look promising too.

4. I have Sata3 on one system. It is faster, but it cannot be faster than the disk. It comes with the P67 anyhow.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

If you want a Sandy Bridge processor, your chipset choices are P67 and H67. X58 is used on another platform (socket 1366??).

The K models are intended for overclocking. If you don't intend to overclock, the 2600 will save you a few bucks.

If you insisted on socket 1366 and X58, you would have to spend considerably more money on a processor/motherboard combination to equal the performance of the 2600K--and even then, the advantage would be dubious and highly dependent on your intended use. For the vast majority of people, the 2600K is a better choice.

Use a motherboard with the H67 chipset if you want to use the integrated graphics. If you use a P67 motherboard, you MUST buy a separate video card.

Crucial and Corsair are both good memory brands, but you better pay attention to the voltage requirements. The standard advice on a Sandy Bridge processor is to stay with RAM rated at 1.5 volts. You can't just go out and buy DDR3 240 pin RAM and expect it to work. The Crucial configurator is a good thing to look at.

SATA 3 is not a huge deal, but most or all Sandy Bridge motherboards will have it anyway.

Not all Sandy Bridge motherboards have eSATA and you may want it. I think it's faster than USB 3.0.

Decide if you want an ATX motherboard or micro ATX. Not many people need a full ATX board anymore. If you plan to use only 1 video card and don't need a PCI slot, it's tough to recommend full ATX.

 

[AlexRD]

What do you guys think of the Asu Maximus IV Extreme?

 

[whs]

What do you guys think of the Asu Maximus IV Extreme?

Too much money. You can get an Asus board and the CPU for that money. See post #259 in this thread: http://www.sevenforums.com/chillout-room/75383-best-deals-day-26.html