First upgrade to gaming rig in 6 years!

[Pabz0r545]

No the MSRP for the Ivy bridge chips aren't all that much higher then the Sandy bridge from what I've seen. 10%?

I would highly advise looking at the i5 quad cores if you rig is just for gaming. As I mentioned above the i7 offers no benefit for gaming and can save you roughly 100 USD or CAD.

Sorry I can't help you with the cpu cooler fitting in the case. I have no clue.

I would go with version 1 but swap out your cpu.

[Bond007]

Originally Posted by Pabz0r545

No the MSRP for the Ivy bridge chips aren't all that much higher then the Sandy bridge from what I've seen. 10%?

I would highly advise looking at the i5 quad cores if you rig is just for gaming. As I mentioned above the i7 offers no benefit for gaming and can save you roughly 100 USD or CAD.

Agreed...if its just for gaming you can easily save the cash and go for an i5 (forgot to mention that in my first post). Ivy bridge is a sandy bridge replacement and should be at pretty much the same price as current processors (the i5 3570k will be the 2500k replacement and the 3770k will be the 2600k/2700k replacement).

[Linus]

GPU is too low end for such an expensive system.... Should make some sacrifices somewhere else (cheaper mobo, cheaper PSU, cheaper CPU, etc) to get up to at least a 570, especially if this is a gaming rig and you're going to go another 6 years without upgrading it...

[[nK]Sharp]

Can even get a 580 for a decent price in the bst with people wanting to go to a 680.

Could save more money by also checking on ncix for their weekly specials which usually have an i5 bundle .

[Duck2h]

I've taken everybody's very helpful advice. So i will be using the I5 2500K CPU, as well as changing a few cheaper priced fans, RAM and 3.5" Hard Drive.

With these RAM's, can i just buy the exact same model again, if i ever decided to upgrade to 16gb? I am not 100% sure whether i can just "add-on" RAM sticks, or have to do a complete replacement.

Since I would like to use the Corsair H100, i will have a spare 200mm Corsair fan which comes standard with the 600T case. Is there any way I can perhaps add that to the 200mm front intake fan (i.e. stack them to each other to increase air flow intake)?

Here is my current updated gaming build:

As of 31/03/2012
Intel Core i5 2500K
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Gen3 Motherboard
Corsair AX850 Gold Power Supply
MSI GeForce GTX 580 Twin Frozr II Overclocked
Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3
Intel 520 Series 120GB SSD
Western Digital Green 2TB WD20EARX
Corsair Graphite 600T Special Edition White Case
Corsair Hydro Series H100 CPU Cooler
Scythe 120mm Gentle Typhoon 1850RPM Fan X3
TOTAL $1,986.00

[neo678123]

Originally Posted by Duck2h

HI guys,

I live in Australia, the computer parts prices are slightly higher than North America, which is a shame.

Dandelioneater, thank you for the advice, i will definitely think about it.

The main reason why i got the H100, is primarily because i thought that it would help to cool my CPU down more, when the ambient temperature in my room is high (which is the case).

With the new IVy bridge CPU, won't the price be crazily high ($1000+)?

One thing, i have not considered yet, does the Noctua fit with the ASUS motherboard in the Corsair Case?

Thank you for all the advice :)

3770k should have the same price as the 2600k

[Luay79]

I'm biased to air-cooling when it comes to Sandy Bridge or any future platform that is as or more efficient.

Most people here say (and they are mostly right) that you should not wait and just buy what is available now. However Ivy Bridge and GTX 600 Series are coming out as we speak. I would wait for them.

As for the Graphite and the Noctua fan, in my opinion, the side window should be replaced with the mesh and the fan installed on it. I would not put a video card in that case without a side fan. 120mm is not my ideal size so keep an eye on your temperatures because SLI might require 2 or more side fans.

Power Supplies: The price between AX and HX is so small there's no reason not to go for the AX. However there are much cheaper silver rated models than the HX. There are also models better then the AX, like the Seasonic 850 Gold $200 and 860 Platinum $220.

Memory: The most undervalued and the best PC part of this year, The Samsung MV-3V4G3D/US. It is 30nm which is one generation ahead of the rest of the pack. cheapest, Overclocks the best and has the lowest voltage.

SSD: I'm not as enthusiastic for a (Best of Class) SSD as I am for a video card or PSU. The Mushkin Enhanced Chronos and OCZ Agility 3 are cheaper. The difference in performance from brand to brand for SSD is minimal and almost non-existent compared to the difference between an SSD and an HDD. If you actually add $40 more and chose the cheaper models, you can double your storage to 240GB.

[Duck2h]

I think i will heed everyone's advice and wait over the next few weeks to see if the intel's new chips are coming out.

Will I need to change my motherboard setup to the new lines, or can I still use the Z68?

Unfortunately where i am in Australia, we do not have the Mushkin SSD's. For me to upgrade to a 240gb SSD, i would need to invest another $100 or so.

With PSU, how does Seasonic compare? I was always under the impression that Corsair is at the top tier of reliable and good PSU units. Also the Seasonic 860 platinum is $40 more expensive than the Corsair AX850 down here.