PC upgrade questions 1100 budget

dutcher

I will also going add a second graphics to my PC and currently have the Zotac 760 2GB. I was wondering do I have buy the same card again or could I go with the Zotac 760 4GB for an extra 38 euro. Is there any point doing this?

I currently have my 8320 running at 4.2ghz stable hitting 66 degrees on the stock cooler using Prime95. Can anyone recommend a good cooler. Im open to water cooling.

Could someone also recommend an Ssd for my PC? I also need a 3TB hard drives for media.

I would also like a new case as I don't know how the Merc Alpha would handle SLI.

Can anyone recommend a Dell catleap to me as well please.

Also what's the cheapest you could build a HTPC for to run XBMC? Preferably with small Ssd and will be using main PC as media server

Thanks in advance for the help guys

Luck100

dutcher wrote: »

I will also going add a second graphics to my PC and currently have the Zotac 760 2GB. I was wondering do I have buy the same card again or could I go with the Zotac 760 4GB for an extra 38 euro. Is there any point doing this?

No, no value in getting 4GB for your second graphics card. When you use them in SLI it will only use as much memory as the lesser card. See this thread for more info on SLI.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=87578633

dutcher

Thanks, I'll go with the 4GB I think as could grab another one when prices go down in case games need more for 1440p in the future. As long as it currently works and only an extra 30

Forgot to mention my motherboard is extreme3ud3 and system power is bequiet 700watt. Built it from looking at threads on this forum

Luck100

Ok, well 30 euro not that much. As far as I know 4 GB doesn't seem to add any performance for the 760, it just doesn't have the memory bandwidth to use it effectively. I run 2 x 670s with 2GB at 1440p, no trouble getting well over 60 fps with ultra settings in Crysis 2 Maximum Edition.

BloodBath

What board do you have? I've heard those cpus don't report temps properly either. 66 load sounds low for an overclocked high heat cpu on the stock cooler in a case with poor enough ventilation.

For a cpu cooler I'd go with a Thermalright Macho HR-02. No point spending big money on a cooler for an 8320. Might as well replace it with an i7 if you were going to do that.

For an ssd a 120gb Samsung evo should be all you need.

A seagate barracuda should do for a 3tb storage drive.

I'd go for one of the Nanoxia deep silence line for the case.

I'd stick with a 2tb 760 or sell your old 760 and grab a couple of 280x's.

A 700w psu is pushing it for that though. An overclocked 8320 alone can use around 200w of power. High end cards will also use 200w+. You will be pushing it near it's limits and it won't be efficient. I'd replace the 8320 with a xeon e3 1230v3 if possible or a 4770k.

dutcher

Thanks for the reply. It's a gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3, AMD 990X, AM3+, ATX .

I think I will be keeping the processor for a good while. It's very good with Battlefield 4 and want to see how it fares against the next generation games to see how it performs. I never had any issues with it in games.

I will go with the SSD you recommended, Case and cooler. Is there that much difference between two 280x and two 760s at 1440P. I think the majority of the budget will be going on the 1440P screen and a new card.

BloodBath

Ah I forgot about the screen. They are pricey unless you get a korean one and then it's a risk with those. Although they are half the price

Where are you ordering from? HWVS I take it?

You should be fine with 2 x 2gb 760's tbh. The board should net you a decent overclock with that cooler as well. Add 2x 140mm Nanoxia deep silence fans to the order as well. It comes with 3 already but you will want to add another intake to the bottom or side and an exhaust to the top. You have 3 hot parts competing for air. The more airflow the better.

dutcher

Yea Hardwareversand I think I will order from. Thanks for the advice so far. Here is the current basket.

Item|Price
Seagate Barracuda 7200 3000GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€109.19
Samsung SSD 840 EVO Basic 120GB SATA 6Gb/s|€89.99
Nanoxia Deep Silence Two Anthracite, ohne Netzteil|€81.89
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 760, 2GB DDR5|€216.28
Thermalright HR-02 Macho Rev.A (BW)|€39.61
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€555.95

So all I need now is the catleap if you could recommend one and a small media server PC. Thanks in advance. I dont mind paying extra for the catleap from hardwareversand.

BloodBath

I wouldn't have a clue about 1440p screens to be honest. Only a bit about the Korean ones.

I've always been fond of the Crossover 27q led-p but there are lot's of others. You want to find the best seller as well.

Everyone was buying the Qnix as the price is good and it can be overclocked to a higher refresh rate but it has questionable build quality. The crossover has a full metal construction and a reasonably good stand. There's probably loads of new ones though. Haven't looked at it in a while. Do your research before you order anyway.

You should add at least 2 of these to your order. They are great fans and a total bargain for that price. You would pay €20+ for fans like these in most places.

http://www.hardwareversand.de/140mm/77564/Nanoxia+Deep+Silence+140+-+1100.article

Luck100

Good in-depth monitor reviews here:
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/

Unfortunately they've only looked at one or two of the Korean off-brand models. From what I can tell, it's something of a lottery with those. I haven't seen or used any myself.

I have the Dell 2713HM 1440p, very happy with that. Great colors, excellent stand, no funny coating, reasonably quick, and it has a couple of side usb ports. It's also one of the cheaper name-brand 1440p monitors.