New gaming PC

[Sevada]

Hey guys, for the past 2~3 weeks I have been reading/watching hardware reviews trying to figure out which components I should get for my new PC. I got on LinusTechTips on YouTube and he referred to HardwareCanucks as a good source for reviews for computer components. I decided to come here for me information. To be honest, I am even more confused now and really need help.

The PC I am trying to build will be used for normal, every-day tasks such as internet, office, skype etc. but I also want to be able to play the latest games (including Battlefield 3 which will be out in a few months). Running nVidia surround and 3D would be nice, too. In other words graphical performance is most important.

So here are some of the components I have picked. I am having a hard time getting the rest which are empty.

- Case: Fractal Design Define XL
- Motherboard:
- CPU: Intel Core i7 2600K
- CPU cooler: Corsair H70
- GPU: 2x EVGA GTX 570
- Memory:
- PSU:
- HDD: WD 750GB (I think it's more than I will need)
- SSD:
- Monitors: 3 of them (LED or LCD?)
- OS: Windows 7 Ultimate (would you recommend Ultimate for every-day task and gaming?)

I will also need: a mouse, a keyboard, a Blue Ray player/writer, and 3D glasses although I don't want to spend too much on these.

My budget is MAX $3,500USD ($3,355CAD) and should include all of the above.

So, guys, any suggestions?

[xbasiickz]

Mobo: Asus P8P67 Pro (Fanboy :P)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB
PSU: 750 Watts
SSD: No idea, SSD's are not linked with me lol

[_dangtx_]

dont bother with 570's, go straight for 580's

how about a nice sabertooth for mobo? :)

hr-02 for cooler

psu....hmm....seasonic made/badged 850 watts or better.

and so on..

gl and welcome aboard!

[xbasiickz]

oh forgot the asus sabertooth :/
It's good though, but I prefer the P8P67 :P

[john90009]

which one would be better the sabertooth cause of warrantee or the asus - i see alot of bios problems with like the asus stuff but its kinda with every motherboard i guess are they hit or miss or do some people not know how to instal them right?

[_dangtx_]

well its still the same co lol soo...

with the sabertooth,once you get a good one youre good,sometimes you get a turd but warranty is good.

no questions asked upon boot,no mem ok to press? go with giga.
ud4p though.

[NI3]

Originally Posted by john90009

which one would be better the sabertooth cause of warrantee or the asus - i see alot of bios problems with like the asus stuff but its kinda with every motherboard i guess are they hit or miss or do some people not know how to instal them right?

Though I have not used a sandy bridge board from asus, I have used a 775, 1556, and AM3/+ boards from asus, and they have all worked quite well. I have flashed a few times (I only flash when needed, a bios is not like a driver fix, meaning you dont always need to update) and I have never ran into problems.

[Luay79]

LIAN LI PC-9F $140
or budget Antec 300 Illusion, Corsair Graphite, HAFX, NZXT Phantom. At least two 120 mm intake fans must deliver air to the graphics cards and GPU cooler before the air exits the graphics card and rear-panel exhaust. A single 180 mm fan would also work, but with SLI, anything smaller would not.
ASRock Z68 Extreme4 $199
Intel Core i5-2500K $220
G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB $95
For memory 4 GB is enough but since 4GB sticks are out it's ok to get 8. Stick to 1600hz CAS9 such as Kingston or G.Skill. They are the most reliable kits that don't have a stretched heatsink that might block any CPU cooler.
Noctua NH-D14 $93
Water cooling is a bit extreme for the extra efficient sandy bridge. Performance and temperatures are excellent already.
ASUS ENGTX580 DCII $470 with rebate_____x2=$940
or MSI Twin Frozr III which is a bit hotter and louder. If you can find a 3GB model close to $500 such as Zotac or EVGA get it but they are hared to find. These 3GB models were made specifically for NV Surround and 3D.
SeaSonic X Series X-850 $218 You can go cheaper with Corsair HX or XFX or Antec
OCZ Vertex 3 120G $225 with rebate or a smaller 64GB such as Crucial M4 for $120
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB $90
LG Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 10X BD-ROM $100
steelseries 6Gv2 Keyboard $109
steelseries Xai Mouse $107 and a nice mouse pad for $10
For mouse and Keyboard, if you are a serious gamer and you want to focus on performance then the Steelseries Xai mouse and 6G v.2 keyboard are the best out there but quite expensive. The good budget choices would be razer deathadder mouse and Lycossa Keyboard. Both would save you $100
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium $190
Thats $2,726 without the monitors, and without price matching.

ASUS ProArt Series PA246Q $495 x3 = $1485 :) The best monitor out there is the Asus 24" Pro Art IPS but it's not 3D and it's $495. Three of those would add another $711 to your budget.
Acer, Viewsonic, Sony and Samsung will release 3d monitors soon.The already available BenQ XL2410T is LED-based, 120Hz, the LG Flatron D2342P is also LED-based. The LG Flatron W2363D-PF and Asus VG236H ($350x3)+3d kit $150= $1200 are probably the best choices out now and the Acer GD235HZ is affordable. The reality is I really wouldn't buy any of them as I'm not impressed with 3D yet.
I think the monitors are or should be your biggest investment in this rig. In a year or two, you'll want to upgrade the graphics but not the displays. As for graphics, newer cards are going to come out this fall, the same time Battle Field 3 comes out so why don't you keep the build on hold until then and see what changes in the market? Or buy everything as it is but the graphics card and monitor, and settle for a GTX560ti and one monitor and upgrade later to the newer cards and extra monitors.

Sorry for the long post and good luck with this build!

[Mayoo]

I think it is oblivious but just in case.

Win 7 Home Premium if and only if your are going 64bits. 32bits version only allows 4Gb of memory, 64bits allows for 16Gb.

Memory Limits for Windows Releases (Windows)

[ccbrooks]

I have a MSI 570 GTX i need to get rid of!!!! MSI change the chip lay out and I can’t water cool the one I have. So now I am looking for a new (old chip set) MSI 570 GTX