Gaming PC - Your Suggestions Please

[Anirudha]

Hi Guys,

I am new to this forum. However have been gaming for quite some time now. Have decided to go for a new gaming pc and thought you guys can help me out.

Following are the specs i have decided to go for:

1. Cabinet - NZXT -LEXA S Crafted Series PC Case - Black
2. Keyboard + Mouse Combo - Microsoft - Wireless Desktop 2000
3. HDD - Seagate® Barracuda® 3.5" - SATA 3Gb/s; 500GB, 7200 rpm, 16mb Cache (model No.ST3500641AS-RK)
4. Optical Disk Drive - LG - Internal 24x Super-Multi Drive (GH24NS72)
5. Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD
6. Processor - Intel Core i5-2500 (6M Cache, 3.7GHz)
7. RAM -Corsair Vengeance 8GB (4GB x2) PC3-12800 DDR3-1600 DDR3
8. Graphics Card - ASUS GTX 560 DirectCU Graphics Card (ENGTX560 DC/2DI/1GD5)
9. PSU - Corsair Gaming Series GS600 - 80 PLUS

A few pointers:

1. I am not going to overclock. Rather I would use the money to better my config
2. I already have a 21inch LG LED monitor and hence not included
3. My budget is Rs. 55000 max and i found this config to best fit it
4. I am not going for external cooling as of now
5. Have kept my option open for SLI and hence have selected the mentioned MOBO. Also it have an onboard intel 20GB SLC SSD which i think is an excellent option
6. I am from Mumbai, India.

Please let me know your feedback on this and any suggestions to improve the config without crossing my budget.

 

[lehtv]

If you're not going to OC, don't bother with a Z68 board. I'd also recommend swapping the CPU to a newer generation unit. E.g. B75 or H77 board and i5-3450 to i5-3570.

You will be fine with a less expensive 500W unit.

These two changes should allow you to spend more on the graphics card and get a 7850 2GB.

 

[Anirudha]

If you're not going to OC, don't bother with a Z68 board. I'd also recommend swapping the CPU to a newer generation unit. E.g. B75 or H77 board and i5-3450 to i5-3570.

You will be fine with a less expensive 500W unit.

These two changes should allow you to spend more on the graphics card and get a 7850 2GB.

thanks. But i would prefer sticking to an nvidia card instead of ati. Which model would you suggest in the monies that i save?

 

[Anirudha]

thanks. But i would prefer sticking to an nvidia card instead of ati. Which model would you suggest in the monies that i save?

Can you suggest a good budget Gigabyte H77 mobo?

 

[lehtv]

Is GTX 660 out of reach for you? (Not the optimal model, would prefer Asus, MSI and EVGA) If so, GTX 560 Ti would be the option in between 560 and 660, but closer to 560 in performance.

Gigabyte H77M-D3H

 

[Ken g6]

I'd suggest a Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H mobo instead, unless you intend to use an SSD with Intel Smart Response caching. I don't believe either board supports SLI, though the H77 may support AMD Crossfire.

 

[mfenn]

Can we just merge this thread with the OP's other one that is older and has more replies?

 

[Anirudha]

sure

 

[Anirudha]

I'd suggest a Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H mobo instead, unless you intend to use an SSD with Intel Smart Response caching. I don't believe either board supports SLI, though the H77 may support AMD Crossfire.

I am planning for SSD so H77 will be fine

 

[Anirudha]

Hi Guys,
Post your precious inputs, following is my updated config:

1. Cabinet NZXT LEXA S Crafted Series PC Case - Black
2. Keyboard + Mouse Microsoft Wired Desktop 600 (Keyboard + Mouse)
3. HDD Seagate® Barracuda® 3.5" SATA 3Gb/s; 500GB, 7200 rpm, 16mb Cache (model No.ST3500641AS-RK)
4. Optical Disk Drive LG Internal 24x Super-Multi Drive (GH24NS72)
5. Motherboard Gigabyte GA-H77-D3H-MVP (rev 1.1)
6. Processor Intel Core i5-3570 (6M Cache, 3.4GHz)
7. RAM Corsair Vengeance 8GB (4GB x2) PC3-12800 DDR3-1600 DDR3
8. Graphics Card MSI Radeon HD 7850 Twin Frozr 2GD5-OC PCI E 3.0
9. SMPS / PSU Corsair Builder Series CX600 V2 - 80 Plus

Will wait and go for a better SSD in a couple of months

Do let me know if this is good to go!:thumbsup:

 

[lehtv]

Where are you buying these from? Can't find that HDD on flipkart. If you can find the ST500DM002 that would be a better pick, though ST1000DM003 is better cost per gigabyte.

Can't find that mobo either. How's it priced compared to the Gigabyte B75 board Ken suggested? I think you would be fine with the B75 board.

If Vengeance is the best cost per gigabyte kit of 2x4 1600 you can find, make sure you get the version without the tall fins for maximum CPU cooler compatibility. Even though you're not OC'ing you may at some point want to swap the cooler.

The CX600 is overkill for this build, your rig uses less than 200W at full system load. Even a CX430 would be perfectly fine

 

[Anirudha]

Where are you buying these from? Can't find that HDD on flipkart. If you can find the ST500DM002 that would be a better pick, though ST1000DM003 is better cost per gigabyte.

Can't find that mobo either. How's it priced compared to the Gigabyte B75 board Ken suggested? I think you would be fine with the B75 board.

If Vengeance is the best cost per gigabyte kit of 2x4 1600 you can find, make sure you get the version without the tall fins for maximum CPU cooler compatibility. Even though you're not OC'ing you may at some point want to swap the cooler.

The CX600 is overkill for this build, your rig uses less than 200W at full system load. Even a CX430 would be perfectly fine

Hi Lehtv,

Thanks again for your views.... to address your queries...

1. Chk out Gigabyte GA-H77-D3H-MVP (rev 1.1) on bitfang.com. I think its the best fit considering the fact that i need a msata for SSD, Intel Rapid Start and Lucid Virtu MVP for a better gaming experience. Other Gigabyte H77 or B75 mobos dont offer these features. You may correct me. You may also want to chk out the mobo on Gigabyte india website

2. I am planning to either source the HDD from primeabgb Lamington road (www.primeabgb.com) or would prefer getting it sourced through a good retailer cum assembler in Mulund (where i stay). Prime abgb has quite nice rates. My HDD would cost approx. Rs. 3750 whereas ST500DM002 is priced higher. I am also banking on a exchange price for my existing rig which will reduce the total cost to some extent.

3. I didnt understand the Vengeance tall fins bit... can you please share a link for the model you would recommend. I am getting the vengeance 1600 DDR3 for Rs. 3500 for 4x2

4. Also can you please explain why i might need to replace the cooler in the future? The cabinet nzxt lexa s has 4 fans so its nicely ventilated. Would i still require a replacement even though i would not be OC'ing?

5. I take your point on the PSU bit. However, the ATI site recommends a min 500W PSU for 7850 (http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/7850/Pages/radeon-7850.aspx#2). Also need to provide for some additional power requirements in the future. Hence have opted for a 600. Your views please.

Really appreciate your help so far....

 

[Anirudha]

Hi Lehtv,

Thanks again for your views.... to address your queries...

1. Chk out Gigabyte GA-H77-D3H-MVP (rev 1.1) on bitfang.com. I think its the best fit considering the fact that i need a msata for SSD, Intel Rapid Start and Lucid Virtu MVP for a better gaming experience. Other Gigabyte H77 or B75 mobos dont offer these features. You may correct me. You may also want to chk out the mobo on Gigabyte india website

2. I am planning to either source the HDD from primeabgb Lamington road (www.primeabgb.com) or would prefer getting it sourced through a good retailer cum assembler in Mulund (where i stay). Prime abgb has quite nice rates. My HDD would cost approx. Rs. 3750 whereas ST500DM002 is priced higher. I am also banking on a exchange price for my existing rig which will reduce the total cost to some extent.

3. I didnt understand the Vengeance tall fins bit... can you please share a link for the model you would recommend. I am getting the vengeance 1600 DDR3 for Rs. 3500 for 4x2

4. Also can you please explain why i might need to replace the cooler in the future? The cabinet nzxt lexa s has 4 fans so its nicely ventilated. Would i still require a replacement even though i would not be OC'ing?

5. I take your point on the PSU bit. However, the ATI site recommends a min 500W PSU for 7850 (http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/7850/Pages/radeon-7850.aspx#2). Also need to provide for some additional power requirements in the future. Hence have opted for a 600. Your views please.

Really appreciate your help so far....

EDIT: GA-H77-D3H-MVP has Lucid Virtu which B75 doesnt have. Rest both H77 and B75 are almost identical.

 

[lehtv]

1. You don't need mSATA for SSD unless you buy an mSATA SSD... Why not go with a regular SSD to save on the motherboard? Lucid Virtu won't improve your gaming experience one bit. What do you need it for? Also I'm confused why you need Rapid Start? You're not building a notebook so you don't need to save battery life. Just use normal sleep mode. Considering that none of these features are really needed I think you'd be better off saving on the motherboard.

2. OK

3. tall fins, no fins

4. I didn't mean you would require a replacement. But you never know, maybe your cooler breaks and you need to replace it or you want quieter operation or you're not happy with the temperatures despite not overclocking. Don't think too much about this, just get the low profile RAM because it's the same cost and doesn't have any downsides.

5. AMD recommends 500W because it takes into account the fact that there are a lot of poor quality units out there that aren't capable of anywhere near 500W in reality. That's just the labeled power. The important point is that you get a PSU that can deliver around 200W more clean power than your system uses at maximum load and has the necessary connectors for your rig. CX430 can deliver around 400W of clean power and, so it does have enough of a safety margin for your rig. It's fine to get the CX500 though so you have room to play around with, e.g. install a graphics card that requires two PCIe power connectors.
Another point is that AMD's recommendation takes into account differences in the power consumption of different systems and recommends based on some safe average. Many people are using processors that consume twice as much power as your processor which basically is the difference between 430-500W. Overall not only is the graphics card low power, your system is overall quite low power.

 

[Anirudha]

1. You don't need mSATA for SSD unless you buy an mSATA SSD... Why not go with a regular SSD to save on the motherboard? Lucid Virtu won't improve your gaming experience one bit. What do you need it for? Also I'm confused why you need Rapid Start? You're not building a notebook so you don't need to save battery life. Just use normal sleep mode. Considering that none of these features are really needed I think you'd be better off saving on the motherboard.

2. OK

3. tall fins, no fins

4. I didn't mean you would require a replacement. But you never know, maybe your cooler breaks and you need to replace it or you want quieter operation or you're not happy with the temperatures despite not overclocking. Don't think too much about this, just get the low profile RAM because it's the same cost and doesn't have any downsides.

5. AMD recommends 500W because it takes into account the fact that there are a lot of poor quality units out there that aren't capable of anywhere near 500W in reality. That's just the labeled power. The important point is that you get a PSU that can deliver around 200W more clean power than your system uses at maximum load and has the necessary connectors for your rig. CX430 can deliver around 400W of clean power and, so it does have enough of a safety margin for your rig. It's fine to get the CX500 though so you have room to play around with, e.g. install a graphics card that requires two PCIe power connectors.
Another point is that AMD's recommendation takes into account differences in the power consumption of different systems and recommends based on some safe average. Many people are using processors that consume twice as much power as your processor which basically is the difference between 430-500W. Overall not only is the graphics card low power, your system is overall quite low power.

thanks... those are great insights especially the PSU, msata and Rapid start bit.
But then:

1. Unable to find an ATX form factor B75 gigabyte mobo without msata and rapid start!

2. Will go for a 500W PSU as you suggested

3. Somehow not convinced about the redundancy of Lucid Virtu. Did some fact finding and was convinced about its usefulness (http://www.lucidlogix.com/technology-virtual-graphics.html). Need some guidance here please

 

[Anirudha]

thanks... those are great insights especially the PSU, msata and Rapid start bit.
But then:

1. Unable to find an ATX form factor B75 gigabyte mobo without msata and rapid start!

2. Will go for a 500W PSU as you suggested

3. Somehow not convinced about the redundancy of Lucid Virtu. Did some fact finding and was convinced about its usefulness (http://www.lucidlogix.com/technology-virtual-graphics.html). Need some guidance here please

One more query: Do i need on board graphics if i am using a discrete GPU?

 

[Anirudha]

One more query: Do i need on board graphics if i am using a discrete GPU?

This is a link to Asus B75 ATX mobo P8B75-V which is the only ATX in this chipset by Asus. Others are uATX. http://in.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8B75V/#specifications

will i be able to use an SSD on this mobo? if yes, then this mobo should be fine for me. Particualarly as it does not mention Intel Smart Response Technology

 

[lehtv]

3. Somehow not convinced about the redundancy of Lucid Virtu. Did some fact finding and was convinced about its usefulness (http://www.lucidlogix.com/technology...-graphics.html). Need some guidance here please

Lucid Virtu is basically a GPU virtualization technology that allows you to switch between graphics processors on the fly using the same display and having the cable connected only on one display output. So you can use the integrated graphics and your discrete graphics side by side, using whichever is best for each application. For your purposes (gaming rig), you don't need the integrated graphics at all. Lucid Virtu basically makes sense in laptops where turning the discrete GPU off allows you to save power when not gaming, and in desktops that use Intel's QuickSync for video transcoding but nevertheless need discrete graphics for other tasks.

Then there's Virtu MVP which allows you to combine integrated and discrete graphics for a potential increase in framerate and the possibility to use a feature called virtual vsync. However, the increases in performance aren't always there and the technology isn't without flaws (this article is from April, I don't know if it has improved). It is easiest and least hassle free to just turn off the iGPU and use your discrete graphics for gaming and with regular vertical sync (or NVIDIA adaptive Vsync).

One more query: Do i need on board graphics if i am using a discrete GPU?

No but most B75 and H77 boards have the display outputs to support the use of the iGPU of your i5. It's good to have that option for backup or for a secondary monitor.

will i be able to use an SSD on this mobo? if yes, then this mobo should be fine for me. Particualarly as it does not mention Intel Smart Response Technology

You will be able to use the SSD at full speed on any B75 or H77 board. But the B75 chipset lacks Intel SRT, also known as SSD caching. All H77 boards have SRT. Are you planning to cache an SSD?

 

[Anirudha]

Lucid Virtu is basically a GPU virtualization technology that allows you to switch between graphics processors on the fly using the same display and having the cable connected only on one display output. So you can use the integrated graphics and your discrete graphics side by side, using whichever is best for each application. For your purposes (gaming rig), you don't need the integrated graphics at all. Lucid Virtu basically makes sense in laptops where turning the discrete GPU off allows you to save power when not gaming, and in desktops that use Intel's QuickSync for video transcoding but nevertheless need discrete graphics for other tasks.

Then there's Virtu MVP which allows you to combine integrated and discrete graphics for a potential increase in framerate and the possibility to use a feature called virtual vsync. However, the increases in performance aren't always there and the technology isn't without flaws (this article is from April, I don't know if it has improved). It is simplest and easiest to just use your discrete graphics for gaming and with regular vertical sync (or NVIDIA adaptive Vsync).

No but most B75 and H77 boards have the display outputs to support the use of the iGPU on your i5

You will be able to use the SSD at full speed on any B75 or H77 board. But the B75 chipset lacks Intel SRT, also known as SSD caching. All H77 boards have SRT. Are you planning to cache an SSD?

yes i primarily plan to use SSD only for caching to enable faster performance..... so i guess a 64gb SSD would be just fine... what do you think?

 

[lehtv]

An SSD not used for caching will actually enable better performance for files located on the SSD. The benefit of caching is that it can speed up the performance of a much larger hard disk, achieving SSD-like performance for a fraction of the cost of an SSD the size of the hard disk being cached.

SRT is limited to a 64GB partition, so it's rather pointless to buy a bigger SSD for caching. Personally, I like a separate but larger SSD that I can use as a normal drive instead of a cache drive.

 

[Anirudha]

An SSD not used for caching will actually enable better performance for files located on the SSD. The benefit of caching is that it can speed up the performance of a much larger hard disk, achieving SSD-like performance for a fraction of the cost of an SSD the size of the hard disk being cached.

SRT is limited to a 64GB partition, so it's rather pointless to buy a bigger SSD for caching. Personally, I like a separate but larger SSD that I can use as a normal drive instead of a cache drive.

hmmm... now i m in a confused state of mind on the virtu mvp and ssd bit.... but anyways it has been a great learning experience interacting with you. I guess i would like to do some thinking and research and post my views tomorrow to get your views again on this and make improvements on my config accordingly!

 

[Anirudha]

:

hmmm... now i m in a confused state of mind on the virtu mvp and ssd bit.... but anyways it has been a great learning experience interacting with you. I guess i would like to do some thinking and research and post my views tomorrow to get your views again on this and make improvements on my config accordingly!

Going for a non Virtu Mvp mobo - GA-H77-DS3H (rev. 1.1)
(http://www.gigabyte.in/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4318#ov)

Will decide on SSD front tomorrow!:thumbsup:

 

[mfenn]

:

Going for a non Virtu Mvp mobo - GA-H77-DS3H (rev. 1.1)
(http://www.gigabyte.in/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4318#ov)

Will decide on SSD front tomorrow!:thumbsup:

The critical point to understand here is that all these features that we're talking about (Lucid MVP, SRT, etc. etc.) are optional software. If you buy a motherboard with those features, you are not locked into using them.

Thus it makes no sense to specifically look for motherboards that have or don't have Lucid MVP, SRT, etc. You should simply buy the best-priced board regardless of whether or not it has those features.

 

[Anirudha]

The critical point to understand here is that all these features that we're talking about (Lucid MVP, SRT, etc. etc.) are optional software. If you buy a motherboard with those features, you are not locked into using them.

Thus it makes no sense to specifically look for motherboards that have or don't have Lucid MVP, SRT, etc. You should simply buy the best-priced board regardless of whether or not it has those features.

I agree with you. Do you suggest a better mobo than GA-H77-DS3H (rev. 1.1) in the same price (Rs. 8000)? I prefer Gigabyte or Asus

 

[mfenn]

I agree with you. Do you suggest a better mobo than GA-H77-DS3H (rev. 1.1) in the same price (Rs. 8000)? I prefer Gigabyte or Asus

Given your requirements, I would be looking at B75 boards like the GA-B75M-D3H for Rs. 4500. That'll free up a good chunk of your budget to improve the GPU or SSD.