Help me decide on new components..?

[Playap0wnr]

Hi all,

So I've decided to make the large (and probably good) jump from AMD to Ivy Bridge. With this upgrade of course comes a new motherboard, but I'd also like to upgrade my RAM, video card, and well....almost everything. I figure I'll list what my current system is then what I'd like to upgrade and some thoughts.
Currently....

AMD PII 555
Biostar A770E3
NZXT M59 Mid-tower case (keep)
Cooler Master Hyper 212+ (keep)
Seasonic X650 Gold power supply (keep)
HIS Radeon 4670 graphics card
4gb (2x2) G. skill Ripjaws 1333 RAM (might keep)
1x 160gb boot / storage hard drive
2x 80gb storage drives ( in raid 0)

I'd like to try to upgrade to a Z77 motherboard (probably ASUS), a GTX 670/680, 8/16 gigs of ram, and a boot SSD/ 1terabyte or so hard drive config. I'm interested in gaming, YouTube, internet, etc. Nothing too intensive....

Maybe some starter questions?

1. Should I go with a z77 motherboard for IB? If so, which brand/ board?

2. GTX 670 or 680 and what card?

3. 8 or 16 gigs of ram? Speed?

4. A recommended SSD or hard drive?

Sorry the post is so long, I just had a lot to say...

[OS-Wiz]

Yes, ASUS Z77 mobo for sure, but we need to know if you'll be going SLI down the road? Also, if you do go SLI you'll most likely need a bigger PSU. If you tend to do long gaming sessions a full tower case, like the Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced (great cooling/airflow), would be a good upgrade.

GTX 670 is best bang for the bucks -- prefer EVGA.

8GB memory is really all you need unless you need a RAMDisk capability. Mem should be at least DDR3 1600. I prefer Corsair or G.Skill.

SSD would be Samsung 830 series (no Sandforce, they are still having problems, the jury is still out on the V4 controller).

HDD would be Western Digital (WD).

So, tell us if SLI is in your future and we can make a mobo and PSU recommendation.

[hostage67]

I went with a Gigabyte board (g1.sniper3) but there are many cheaper alternatives to that specific board both by gigabyte and asus along with other manufacturers, but asus and gigabyte are the two I prefer to use.

1. Definitely go with Z77 for IB, some functionality is restricted to the z77 chipset, so you won't get full functionality out of your processor without it.
2. I went with the GTX 670 SC 4gb model. Main reason I didn't go with the 680 is simply availability is still crap for them. The 670 SC performs almost as well as the 680 and will cost less, so really the 670 is a pretty good buy at that point.
3. 16gb's, Ram is so cheap now for 1600mhz that there really isn't any reason not to get 16gb's. and no point really in getting much faster ram than 1600mhz right now either.
4. Crucial M4, one of the top drives and can be found on sale regularly for less than $100 for a 128gb model now. 830 is also a nice SSD but I haven't seen it on sale very often.

[DC]

What's your budget?

The 670 is starting to go for around $370 after rebates - so the prices are coming down. However so are the AMD/ATi prices - I picked up a 7950 for $300 AR.

Also Nvidia just recently flooded the market with their remaining 560/570 (yes 448 chips included) for around $150 or so AR - so there's some very powerful graphical cards out there now that are getting cheaper by the day.

As far as SSD - 830/M4 are great - and they BOTH are on sale regularly - the 830 was $99 for a 128 gig last week at NewEgg - so shop about and you'll find great deals. As OS said - Sandforce just isn't the way to go.

OS also hit my personal preference on mechanical storage - I like WD too - get a Black Label 2T and you'll be cruising.

The parts you're keeping are great - though keep in mind that Ivy gets hot real quick when you hit the OC wall, so the Hyper will do a great job so long as you're not aiming for the sky with your OC.

[Playap0wnr]

@OS-Wiz - I'll most likely want to go SLI, but not very soon (maybe a year). Thanks for the recommendations, I'll definitely check them out.

@hostage67 - seems like I'll want a 670, but wasn't there some problem with the SC version like you have? I think someone else was having trouble in this forum...

Anyway, if anyone else has something they'd like to share I'm all ears.

Additional Comment:

@DC - Wow I must've been writing out my reply as you posted yours. It would be awesome to get a good 670 or 680 for as little as possible since I'm only 16 and I don't have a huge source of income. I think I'll go with the M4 or 830 as an SSD too...also what does AR mean? You said it a couple times in your post.

[OS-Wiz]

Originally Posted by Playap0wnr

@OS-Wiz - I'll most likely want to go SLI, but not very soon (maybe a year). Thanks for the recommendations, I'll definitely check them out.

ASUS P8Z77-V
$190 shipped
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131820

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge
$230 shipped
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116504

G.SKILL Ripjaws X DDR3 1600 CAS 7
$80 shipped
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231536

EVGA 02G-P4-2670-KR GeForce GTX 670
$400 shipped
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130782

SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128B/WW 2.5" 128GB SATA III
$130 shipped
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147163

[DC]

Originally Posted by Playap0wnr

@OS-Wiz - I'll most likely want to go SLI, but not very soon (maybe a year). Thanks for the recommendations, I'll definitely check them out.

@hostage67 - seems like I'll want a 670, but wasn't there some problem with the SC version like you have? I think someone else was having trouble in this forum...

Anyway, if anyone else has something they'd like to share I'm all ears.

Additional Comment:

@DC - Wow I must've been writing out my reply as you posted yours. It would be awesome to get a good 670 or 680 for as little as possible since I'm only 16 and I don't have a huge source of income. I think I'll go with the M4 or 830 as an SSD too...also what does AR mean? You said it a couple times in your post.

No worries mate - AR = After Rebate.

There's a PNY 670 going for $370 AR on Amazon here.

Also - if you want to save a few $'s this could be an alternative Motherboard for you.

If you have a Microcenter - they do a $50 discount on the CPU if you buy the Motherboard there - so it's quite a good deal.

[Playap0wnr]

Originally Posted by OS-Wiz

G.SKILL Ripjaws X DDR3 1600 CAS 7
$80 shipped
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231536

Why is CAS 7 bolded? Sorry I'm not good with RAM timings, CAS (obviously), etc

Additional Comment:

@DC - oh ok. AR makes sense now. And yes, I do have a micro center near me. They love those CPU + motherboard deals don't they? I see them all the time

[OS-Wiz]

The lower the CAS number the faster the memory.

CAS = Column Address Strobe (CAS) latency, or CL, is the delay time between the moment a memory controller tells the memory module to access a particular memory column on a RAM memory module, and the moment the data from given array location is available on the module's output pins. In general, the lower the CAS latency, the better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAS_latency

[hostage67]

Originally Posted by Playap0wnr

@hostage67 - seems like I'll want a 670, but wasn't there some problem with the SC version like you have? I think someone else was having trouble in this forum...

Yes, there was a specific batch number that they offered a recall for. That batch has been pulled from retailers and they are offering a free upgrade to the FTW edition for those people that currently have the bad cards. As for the rest there are a few minor driver issues, but they aren't really major issues and should be resolved in future updates. I actually just installed a new driver last night but haven't bothered to check the driver issues to see if they're resolved yet.

I do have a thread up in the Nvidia section with the driver issues listed, and there is a thread in there as well in regards to the recall.

Short response is, EVGA has always had great customer service and if you run into any issues they will take care of you. So don't worry too much about the one bad batch, most likely you won't run into any issues since it's already been pulled, but if you do EVGA will take care of you.

[Stridulent]

Originally Posted by OS-Wiz

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge
$230 shipped
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116504

Worth noting that MicroCenter has this for $189.99. They are in store only though. But if you are near one or have a store local that will price match them, it is a steal. I just picked it up yesterday at Fry's with a price match to MicroCenter.

[Witchdoctor]

Agreed, if you can get to a MC or a Fry's it would be ideal.

I just did a build for a friend and it turned out to be really fast.

Assuming this is a gamer

CPU - $ 180.18

http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0354589

Board - $ 95.38

http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0387325

StIX - 45.99 free ship

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...odeId=1&name=9

Card - $ 437.86

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ce%20GTX%20670

Total - 759.41

Ivy is nice but for gaming with ambient cooling the 2500K is still king

with soldered IHS ambient Sandy will out run Ivy, sub ambient would be a different.

with a half decent cooling solution set between 4.3 to 4.5, sit back and enjoy the ride

Ops missed the SSD

You have to like the

SSD - $ 119.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227791

New total 879.40

[Playap0wnr]

So it turns out that a friend of my mom's, who works for Intel, heard about my interest in computers and got me 2 i5-3550S's, one 2600, an Intel DH61AG mini-itx board, and an Intel DB75EN motherboard. Any thoughts on what processor to use with each motherboard and any next step??s I'm sort of lost on what to do now...

[DC]

Wow - nice friend.

Well first step would be to unload any of the CPU's that you don't want because that'll finance the rest of your build!

I think the first question you need to ask yourself is "Do I want to Overclock"?

[Playap0wnr]

Considering all of the CPUs have locked multipliers, probably not since any overclock would be minimal compared to me with an unlocked multiplier. Which CPU would you recommend using..the 3550S or the 2600? It seems like the 2600 would win, but the 3550S is still IB. Also, which one would give better performance in games? And one last thing..should I consider selling everything I just got and getting a 3770k and annother motherboard from ASUS or Asrock? I don't want to offend the guy by doing it, but I'm on the fence about it.

[OS-Wiz]

Well, Gamers need fast women, fast CPUs, and fast vidcards, LOL!

Can you sell all that stuff without them finding out?

Are you an overclocker?

[Playap0wnr]

I can probably get away with selling it since the only other person that would know would be my mom. It's probably a good idea since I'll need a new motherboard, CPU, video card, and RAM after everytihng is said and done. And yeah, I'm an overclocker. I might not know all the ins and outs of overclocking, but I know how to for the most part and every little bit helps.

[DC]

Then you'll have to unload all that gear!

[Playap0wnr]

Yeah. Somehow.

[leekirlew]

just like to point out my ivy runs 4.5ghz on an 212 evo no problems and ivy @ 4.5 > sandy @ 4.5 albeit not by much (3 - 7%)