Sandy Advices

[Rambo911]

Hello folks,

Looking for some advices as the more i read, the more I get confused. Everything seems to look the same !

Building a Sandy Bridge 2500k with 2x4GB 1333Mhz Memory build. Will also use 23''Dell Ips in 1920x1080 along with a single Caviar Black HDD.

The part confusing me are the GPU and MB.

So... for the Motherboard i'm not someone into real hardcore overclocking, maybe using plain and simple bundled UI to O/C but nothing extreme. I'm not into SLI/Crossfire, i just need a good MB with good warranty and solid hardware at low cost (looking to pay in between 125-160max). After checking those entry level from MSI/Giga/Asus they really all look the same to me. Any advice or charts to compare em ?

The hard part ! The GPU. Again, no SLI/Cf, not looking to overclock preferably. I really don't care between ATi/Nvidia... Just looking for the best all-round performance out of the box i guess. I looked at many many reviews of Gtx460, 6850 6870 but still can't decide. I'm looking to pay around 170-220$, right now for 210$ (after MIR) will get me a XFX Radeon HD 6850 Black Edition 820MHZ from Ncix. Free games cards would also definetely help me decide.

Thanks

[MrDiaz]

If you are not going to beef up the system then going for a cheap MB but respectable brand is the way to go in my opinion.

Either the Asus P8P67 or the Gigabyte UD4!

[Bond007]

As said above if your not going to push an OC then find the cheapest asus or gigabyte board that has all of the features you need (you shouldn't have a problem with either). As for video card, you really can't go wrong with a gtx 460, hd 6850/6870. Just hold out for a sale on one or a good bundle that you are interested in, and a reputable brand. Read some reviews to find a model you want or eliminate ones you don't (only real differences is factory OC, connectors, heatsink design, noise). Can't really be more helpful than that...you are going to have a nice solid build. Enjoy.

[Rambo911]

Thanks for the replys, here's some cards i'm interrested in ! Wich one seems to be the best all-round considering price factor ? (All are 1gb and up)

XFX 5850 Black Edition 755mhz 180 $
XFX 6850 Black Edition 820 Mhz 209.99
XFX 6870 Black Edition 940 Mhz 240$
ASUS Radeon HD 6870 913 Mhz 200$
ASUS Radeon 6850 790 Mhz 170$
Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 775 Mhz 180$
Powercolor HD 6850 800mhz 190$ or 820Mhz at 200$
ASUS GTX 470 607 Mhz 1280mb 235$
EVGA GTX 460 FTW 850Mhz 230$

I'm leaning toward the 6870 at 200$ since it’s probably more powerful than any 5850’s, 460’s or 6850 out of the box.
Also, why UD4 ? Price seems pretty hight, I was thinking about the UD3P or UD3 Mb.
Thanks

[MrDiaz]

Well if you listed the 6870 as an option then it's a no brainer... get it! It is up to you which brand you choose (if it were me I would choose one with lifetime warranty, your call here).

I just listed the UD4 cause if down the road you plan on a second GPU you wouldn't have the change the board to support it. But honestly, going by the price, you could get this one

Newegg.ca - ASUS P8P67 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Intel Motherboard

[Vittra]

The Asus 6870 @ $200 is a solid choice. 3 year warranty that goes by serial # as well rather than receipt.

$40 is a pretty steep price to pay for lifetime warranty, otherwise I'd say go XFX... then again that's the black edition you have there, not the normal card.

[MrDiaz]

Originally Posted by Vittra

The Asus 6870 @ $200 is a solid choice. 3 year warranty that goes by serial # as well rather than receipt.

$40 is a pretty steep price to pay for lifetime warranty, otherwise I'd say go XFX... then again that's the black edition you have there, not the normal card.

I sort off agree with you, yet again accidents to happen. Your card might get fried and then what do you do? If you are not counting in spending $250-$400 bucks every 3 years roughly then I would say lifetime warranty is a HUGE plus. Again, this is pure individual opinion

[Vittra]

Oh I know exactly what you mean. I have an XFX 6950, but I didn't pay a premium over other cards so it was was a no brainer.

If Rambo is willing to go with a regular XFX 6870 rather than the black edition and can find it for within ~$10 of the price, then it's definitely worth it. That Black edition though... nah.

[john frodo]

Hi Rambo, I just built a pre bridge system over Christmas, AHHH! I bought a Powercolor 6870 900MKz, it available for $244 at NCIS, I got mine for $208 open box. I read all the reviews and even for the extra $40 it seemed the Frame rate was a big enough advance that it was worth the extra bucks. Also my priority was power consumption, and while at full load there is a 15 to 20 Watt difference, for the most part you get the extra performance without heat or load penalty.

[Rambo911]

Hey guys thanks for the replys.

Going 200$ 6870 Asus 905Mhz ... not willing to pay the extra 40$ to go over XFX, as stated if it was only 10$ then i'd be happy to switch over XFX for lifetime warranty and extra Mhz but 40$ difference is just too much. Anyway, i'm not harsh on hardware... never had any hardware break on my hands so far (Or maybe i'm just lucky). Altough i think that for someone else, that HD5850 Black edition at 180$ is also a very good deal.

For the Mobo i'm going Asus P8P67. It simply looks the same compared to Gigabyte UD3P and MSI C45 in term of price, etc but has a Bluetooth built in.

Sadly, i really wish it had bundled games... for a whole new computer there's alot of offers i see such as metro 2033, just cause 2, mafia 2, far cry 2 but it seems none fit in my order... : /
Asus