New Gaming Rig(for ToR)

Candy Kush

First off hello everyone:cool:
As the title says i'm building a new rig for SWToR and these are the components i have on my list as of now

Antec DF35 Dark Fleet Mid Tower Case
Asus P8Z68-V LX S1155 Intel Z68 DDR3 ATX
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz LGA1155 6MB
Asus GeForce GTX 550 Ti 900MHz 1GB PCI-Express HDMI
OCZ Technology 750W ZT Series Fully-Modular Power Supply
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL9 XMP
Seagate 320GB Barracuda SATA-600 7200RPM 8MB 3.5" Hard Drive
Sony 24x DVD-RW/RAM SATA Silver Bare Drive

I'm also considering getting an SSD for OS and SW
ATM without the extras i'm looking at 850E which is within my budget as i'm waiting until the end of march or early april to start the build(hoping Bioware sort out the issues with ToR by then)
Anyway if anyone sees any improvement(s) that can be made or anywhere i can save a few E i'd really appreciate some views/input
Thanks CK

AlmightyCushion

If you plan on putting SW:TOR on the SSD you may need a 120GB, I've heard SW:TOR takes nearly 50GBs. If that's true, there is no way in hell you'd fit that and windows on a 60GB. If it was me I'd be getting a better graphics card, at least a 560Ti.

TeddyTedson

What are some good sites for building a new pc?
I've been on dabs.ie which seems decent enough. It's a long time though since I've kept up to date on PCs.

Eboggles

Candy Kush wrote: »

First off hello everyone:cool:
As the title says i'm building a new rig for SWToR and these are the components i have on my list as of now

Antec DF35 Dark Fleet Mid Tower Case
Asus P8Z68-V LX S1155 Intel Z68 DDR3 ATX
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz LGA1155 6MB
Asus GeForce GTX 550 Ti 900MHz 1GB PCI-Express HDMI
OCZ Technology 750W ZT Series Fully-Modular Power Supply
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL9 XMP
Seagate 320GB Barracuda SATA-600 7200RPM 8MB 3.5" Hard Drive
Sony 24x DVD-RW/RAM SATA Silver Bare Drive

I'm also considering getting an SSD for OS and SW
ATM without the extras i'm looking at 850E which is within my budget as i'm waiting until the end of march or early april to start the build(hoping Bioware sort out the issues with ToR by then)
Anyway if anyone sees any improvement(s) that can be made or anywhere i can save a few E i'd really appreciate some views/input
Thanks CK

The build for the most part looks grand, but personally I'd change a few things.

Total build cost: €761.73 + €30 shipping
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155 €197.91
ASRock P67 Pro3 (B3), Sockel 1155, ATX €85.67
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9 €31.84
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W €40.45
Cooler Master HAF 912 schwarz, ohne Netzteil €75.76
Sapphire HD6870 1G GDDR5 PCI-E DL-DVI-I+SL-DVI-D / HDMI / DP €146.89
LiteOn iHAS124-19 schwarz SATA €17.22
Crucial M4 64GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5") €92.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200 320GB SATA 6GB's €73.00

I have an SSD in there, a much better graphics card and a psu that will fulill your needs (750 watts is MUCHOS overkill for a 550ti, and SLI would be a waste for just ToR) The HAF 912 is a better case, but if you want you could go for the DF35. The motherboard s grand aswell, if you wanted to spend the last of your budget you could get an aftermarket cpu cooler, or a bigger hard drive. A 6870 would easily perform in ToR, but if you wanted a bit more GPU power, this is the next step up. BTW,corsair vengeance, dominator etc. RAM is overpriced and has ridiculous heat spreaders.

Serephucus

Something like this would be better:

Item|Price
Total build cost: €794.89 + €30 shipping
Intel Core i5-2500K Tray, LGA1155|€192.49
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus, alle Sockel|€26.90
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€51.48
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€31.84
Seagate Barracuda 7200 500GB SATA 6GB's|€75.00
Samsung SH-222AB bare schwarz SATA|€15.03
ASRock Z68M/USB3, Sockel 1155, mATX|€86.69
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€31.51
Powercolor HD6970 2048MB Dual-DVI|€283.95


Nothing your other setup doesn't give you. Bigger hard drive, far superior graphics card (though I'd wait to see what else the 7000 series brings), and a proper CPU cooler.

Edit: ninja'd by Eboggles. Very similar build to mine, but he trimmed the GPU and subbed in an SSD instead.

Candy Kush

Cheers for the replies folks
I'm looking at prices on the 120GB SSD's but tbh its not a major part of the build and a better GPU is a win

I'm sticking with the Asus board but the G-Skill look interesting.
Also i wouldn't rule out sli a bit later on so the PSU is staying as well(building for Tor but won't be the only game i will want to play)
I'm not going to be OCing for a bit either so cooler isn't a must just yet.
Anyway got some nice food for thought there so tyvm

Keep the ideas coming peeps pls

AlmightyCushion

If I were you I'd stick with a 60GB SSD and install SW:TOR on the hard drive. Stick with a better GPU instead of going with a weaker one and crossfiring at a later stage. Crossfire isn't worth it in my opinion, way too much noise and performance can vary wildly.

Eboggles

Candy Kush wrote: »

Cheers for the replies folks
I'm looking at prices on the 120GB SSD's but tbh its not a major part of the build and a better GPU is a win

I'm sticking with the Asus board but the G-Skill look interesting.
Also i wouldn't rule out sli a bit later on so the PSU is staying as well(building for Tor but won't be the only game i will want to play)
I'm not going to be OCing for a bit either so cooler isn't a must just yet.
Anyway got some nice food for thought there so tyvm

Keep the ideas coming peeps pls

You should probably drop your PSU down still, though. You could have two 6950s (560ti equivalent) on a 600 watt PSU, the highest end graphics cards (7970 etc) can easily run on a 550 watt, It'd save on your ESB. The extra funds could go to towards a better GPU (6950/6970) which would make your system much better, and more future-proof.
Any reason for that ASUS board? You could drop down to the other board for a €10 discount, which could be added to the GPU kitty. Or, to save a good bit, drop the case to what Serephecus said, that would free up enough for a better GPU, or even a CPU cooler, It'd make your system quieter, and you'd be able to overclock, giving the system a longer lifespan (again, future-proofing).
Maybe go for a 560 ti 448 core?

Candy Kush

Eboggles wrote: »

You should probably drop your PSU down still, though. You could have two 6950s (560ti equivalent) on a 600 watt PSU, the highest end graphics cards (7970 etc) can easily run on a 550 watt, It'd save on your ESB. The extra funds could go to towards a better GPU (6950/6970) which would make your system much better, and more future-proof.
Any reason for that ASUS board? You could drop down to the other board for a €10 discount, which could be added to the GPU kitty. Or, to save a good bit, drop the case to what Serephecus said, that would free up enough for a better GPU, or even a CPU cooler, It'd make your system quieter, and you'd be able to overclock, giving the system a longer lifespan (again, future-proofing).
Maybe go for a 560 ti 448 core?

True i could get away with a 600W psu but if i want to add more hd's and bigger gpu's arn't i better off sticking with the 750W
The reason for the DF case is the hot swap ssd port,i'm thinking security wise for when i'm not here the,wife and daughter have a habit of downloading pure crap on this pc could you imagine what they would do to a gaming rig :eek:
It would be possible to wait a few extra weeks and get the 560ti 448.....mmmmm more to consider
Oh and the board its just because i've read that the Asrock's and Gigabyte's have a few issues(Can't remember right now..short term memory is non existent)

Eboggles

Candy Kush wrote: »

Eboggles wrote: »

You should probably drop your PSU down still, though. You could have two 6950s (560ti equivalent) on a 600 watt PSU, the highest end graphics cards (7970 etc) can easily run on a 550 watt, It'd save on your ESB. The extra funds could go to towards a better GPU (6950/6970) which would make your system much better, and more future-proof.
Any reason for that ASUS board? You could drop down to the other board for a €10 discount, which could be added to the GPU kitty. Or, to save a good bit, drop the case to what Serephecus said, that would free up enough for a better GPU, or even a CPU cooler, It'd make your system quieter, and you'd be able to overclock, giving the system a longer lifespan (again, future-proofing).
Maybe go for a 560 ti 448 core?

True i could get away with a 600W psu but if i want to add more hd's and bigger gpu's arn't i better off sticking with the 750W
The reason for the DF case is the hot swap ssd port,i'm thinking security wise for when i'm not here the,wife and daughter have a habit of downloading pure crap on this pc could you imagine what they would do to a gaming rig :eek:
It would be possible to wait a few extra weeks and get the 560ti 448.....mmmmm more to consider
Oh and the board its just because i've read that the Asrock's and Gigabyte's have a few issues(Can't remember right now..short term memory is non existent)

Yeah cool, for a build with a 560ti 448 core and two 2tb hdd (example) and SSD a 550 would be perfect, although if you wanted to sli, you'd need 650 watts minimum. I take your point on the case though, I always thought it looked snazzy .

The Asrock board is great, I have it aswell (come to think of it I've got a lot of that build in my system) and no issues whatsoever.

Serephucus

Candy Kush wrote: »

True i could get away with a 600W psu but if i want to add more hd's and bigger gpu's arn't i better off sticking with the 750W

Actually, no. Have a look at my specs. - Five hard drives, fare more power hungry CPU (by about 100W), more hungry GPU as well, and a pump. - I bought the 700W PSU because it was just as cheap as the 600W unit at the time. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to run my rig (which draws more power than the one specced for you by quite a margin) on a 600W PSU.

Candy Kush wrote: »

Oh and the board its just because i've read that the Asrock's and Gigabyte's have a few issues(Can't remember right now..short term memory is non existent)

Actually, ASRock have by far the most solid 1155 boards of any of them. Gigabyte's do have issues so I would have steered you clear of them if you had posted one. I haven't heard anything either way really about ASUS boards, but I know the ASrock ones are rock solid. Almost everyone here has one. :P

Candy Kush

Great I'm happy to go with a 600W as i'll be using 1 GPU,cheer's ppl a bit more to put towards a decent card.
I'm gonna stick with the Asus board tho I don't really want an mATX board and i like the ability to use 32Gb of ram(I know i'll never need it but it's there if i want it)besides I don't think a tenner is a saving:D
However a cooler sounds like a step in the right direction but I'm confused tbh on the link there for the Coolermaster Hyper it doesn't say anything about soc 1155 compatiblity what gives there??

AlmightyCushion

If it works with socket 1156 it will work with 1155.

Candy Kush

Ahh ok that makes sense actually.
I think i will go with a 6870 for one simple reason.
I have a 1Gb hd4550 in this pc with a 1.8Ghz core2 duo and i was able to play SW:ToR all through the betas at around 20fps so if a 4 series can make up for that cpu what will a 6 series do with a 2500K.
Any more suggestions ppl,any extras i should look into?

nesf

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

If you plan on putting SW:TOR on the SSD you may need a 120GB, I've heard SW:TOR takes nearly 50GBs. If that's true, there is no way in hell you'd fit that and windows on a 60GB. If it was me I'd be getting a better graphics card, at least a 560Ti.

It takes up 19.5GB. I've it on my SSD right here.

Candy Kush

nesf wrote: »

It takes up 19.5GB. I've it on my SSD right here.

So an OS and ToR will fit on a 60GB?
Can anyone tell me if this would get in the way of anything in my case
http://www.dabs.ie/products/arctic-cooling-freezer-7-pro-rev-2-cpu-cooler-73WG.html

I'll post a revised list later for more advise:)

AlmightyCushion

nesf wrote: »

It takes up 19.5GB. I've it on my SSD right here.

That's still pretty hefty but not that bad. I got the 50GB figure from a friend who has crappy broadband and was trying to get his hands on the install files to save him having to download the whole thing. He said he got them from a friend and it was over 46GB. I guess the amount it actually installs is much less.

ShadowHearth

just to keep in mind: mmorpgs are always having updates. so if its now 10gb in a few months it will be 14gb, then 18gb etc.

for example wow folder is 35gb now.... :eek:

nesf

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

That's still pretty hefty but not that bad. I got the 50GB figure from a friend who has crappy broadband and was trying to get his hands on the install files to save him having to download the whole thing. He said he got them from a friend and it was over 46GB. I guess the amount it actually installs is much less.

Um, it's a 20GB download. I've no idea what he was doing or trying to do.

nesf

Candy Kush wrote: »

So an OS and ToR will fit on a 60GB?

Yes but you'll only have 15-20GB to spare for anything else to go on there.

AlmightyCushion

nesf wrote: »

Um, it's a 20GB download. I've no idea what he was doing or trying to do.

Maybe there were some updates released pushing up the size or something like that. He had the collector's edition as well so maybe that has some extra content. I didn't see it for myself, I was only chatting to him over the phone about it.

Candy Kush

nesf wrote: »

Yes but you'll only have 15-20GB to spare for anything else to go on there.

That's most excellent the only other thing i might put on there is Rift and its just over 10Gb

nesf

Candy Kush wrote: »

That's most excellent the only other thing i might put on there is Rift and its just over 10Gb

Both will need updating and will grow over time. I'd go with a bigger SSD to play it safe.

ShadowHearth

19.4gb for my folder. new patch soon so i guess it will push it to 21gb.


so it looks like okay to live with swtor and windows on 60gb.

i am living with bf3 (18gb) and windows on 60gb ssd and i still got 24gb left over.

nesf

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Maybe there were some updates released pushing up the size or something like that. He had the collector's edition as well so maybe that has some extra content. I didn't see it for myself, I was only chatting to him over the phone about it.

Nah, the updates were small. 19.5 is the final install with all the updates to date. Maybe he ripped everything off the discs rather than just the install files for the game?

Edit: Though I'm confused how he managed 50GB though, unless he grabbed the entire Origin Games folder and BF3 was in there too (that'd head towards 50GB).

Candy Kush

Heres the new list,got it down a few euro:D



Total build cost: €792.39 (inc delivery €0.31)
Asus P8Z68-V LX S1155 Intel Z68 DDR3 ATX €94.14
Antec DF35 Dark Fleet Mid Tower Case €88.48
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz LGA1155 6MB €214.47
OCZ Technology StealthXstream II 600W Power Supply €60.67
Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 XMS3 1600Mhz DIMM CL9 1.65V €42.02
Samsung 22x DVD-RW SATA Black €16.43
Seagate 500GB Barracuda SATA-600 7200RPM 16MB 3.5" Hard Drive €98.24
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 CPU Cooler €18.36
XFX ATI Radeon 6870 900MHz 1GB PCI-Express HDMI €159.27

Serephucus

€50 cheaper from HWVS:

Item|Price
Total build cost: €718.94 + €30 shipping
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€33.65
Seagate Barracuda 7200 500GB SATA 6GB's|€75.00
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€53.01
ASUS P8Z68-V LX, Sockel 1155, ATX, DDR3|€95.87
Antec Dark Fleet DF35, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€88.73
Intel Core i5-2500K Tray, LGA1155|€195.56
Samsung SH-222AB bare schwarz SATA|€15.58
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 - Pro PWM Rev.2|€14.65
Sapphire HD6870 1G GDDR5 PCI-E DL-DVI-I+SL-DVI-D / HDMI / DP|€146.89


The only things I changed were the RAM and the PSU, the RAM because it makes absolutely no difference what sort you get - you won't notice any difference at all in performance.

The PSU because those StealthXtreme ones really aren't that great, and a PSU is not something you want to cheap out on. You could also run that whole build of a 450W very easily, by the way.

Candy Kush

Serephucus wrote: »

The only things I changed were the RAM and the PSU, the RAM because it makes absolutely no difference what sort you get - you won't notice any difference at all in performance.

The PSU because those StealthXtreme ones really aren't that great, and a PSU is not something you want to cheap out on. You could also run that whole build of a 450W very easily, by the way.

Man thats awesome cheers for that
Hhhmmmm a 450W hows this one
http://www.dabs.ie/products/antec-450w-basiq-vp450p-atx-psu-7TD7.html?refs=368650000&src=3
theres not much info about connections on it tho

Serephucus

The one thing Dabs isn't great on is mid-range PSUs. The Basiq has only one 6-pin, and the 6870 needs two.

I'd stick with the ZS I specced, I think.

Eboggles

I'd throw in this cooler as well, instead of the older 7.

Candy Kush

Will I be alright for overclocking with just a 450W psu or will i stick with the 550W?

L

nesf wrote: »

It takes up 19.5GB. I've it on my SSD right here.

Ditto, even the bloated beta version maxed out around 25-30gb. The retail version shouldn't break 20gb for the foreseeable future.

brenm2

Serephucus wrote: »

€50 cheaper from HWVS:

Item|Price
Total build cost: €718.94 + €30 shipping
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€33.65
Seagate Barracuda 7200 500GB SATA 6GB's|€75.00
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€53.01
ASUS P8Z68-V LX, Sockel 1155, ATX, DDR3|€95.87
Antec Dark Fleet DF35, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€88.73
Intel Core i5-2500K Tray, LGA1155|€195.56
Samsung SH-222AB bare schwarz SATA|€15.58
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 - Pro PWM Rev.2|€14.65
Sapphire HD6870 1G GDDR5 PCI-E DL-DVI-I+SL-DVI-D / HDMI / DP|€146.89

The only things I changed were the RAM and the PSU, the RAM because it makes absolutely no difference what sort you get - you won't notice any difference at all in performance.

The PSU because those StealthXtreme ones really aren't that great, and a PSU is not something you want to cheap out on. You could also run that whole build of a 450W very easily, by the way.

I bought this rig based on the above posts. Paid for it by bank transfer on Wednesday at around 6pm. Hardwareversand contacted me on thursday at aroulnd noon to say they had received the cash and then they shipped it at 2pm. Can't wait.

brenm2

Hi, as i already stated i bought the components listed in the above post. Somehow i managed to order a 450W psu instead of the 550W one above.
The first thing i noticed is that graphics card states on the box that it needs a "500W or greater" PSU with two 6pin 75W power connectors.

My 450W psu has 1 connector marked "PCI express" and another 1 marked "SLI ready". Are they the two connectors i need, or do i need a new PSU?
Thanks for any replies.

ShadowHearth

brenm2 wrote: »

Hi, as i already stated i bought the components listed in the above post. Somehow i managed to order a 450W psu instead of the 550W one above.
The first thing i noticed is that graphics card states on the box that it needs a "500W or greater" PSU with two 6pin 75W power connectors.

My 450W psu has 1 connector marked "PCI express" and another 1 marked "SLI ready". Are they the two connectors i need, or do i need a new PSU?
Thanks for any replies.

are they both indentical 6 pins?

450w power supply should be more then enough. i have 6870 running in old rig with dells 375w. 1x6pin and 2xmolex converted in to 6pin

Monotype

Assuming that it's the Superflower Amazon 450W that you ordered, it comes with a 6 pin and 6+2 pin PCI-E connectors. 450W is enough for this system (with a good quality PSU like the amazon). They overestimate the requirements with the graphics cards because there's a lot of PSUs around that are of poor quality and they don't know what the rest of the system is.

ShadowHearth wrote: »

i have 6870 running in old rig with dells 375w. 1x6pin and 2xmolex converted in to 6pin

But you wouldn't be doing any mad overclocking on a Dell.

ShadowHearth

Monotype wrote: »

But you wouldn't be doing any mad overclocking on a Dell.

true that!

brenm2

thanks guys,
yes it is a superflower 450W with the connections as you described.
do i just need to connect the 1 marked pci-express or both connections.
BTW theres no hurry as the bloody case hasn't arrived yet. i've just been staring at the components since they arrived yesterday.:mad:

Monotype

If there's two power connectors on the card, connect two.

If it's two 6-pin connectors that you need -
Connect the 6-pin PCI-E cable from the PSU and the 6+2 pin PCI-E cable (8 pin connector but you can separate the additional 2 pins.