High end Gaming,video/music editing/encoding rig

[saumitra.max]

Hi, can you suggest a good combo ?

1. What is the purpose of the computer? (Note: If you are planning to say multimedia, you will have to be more specific as all types of systems are capable of doing that)
A:High end Gaming,video/music editing/encoding

2. Are you open to alternate ideas/products giving similar better performance but offering more VFM/ sellers? If not- why?
A:Yes

3. What is your MAX budget?
A:50 - 55 k

4. Planning to overclock?
A:yes

5. Which OS are you planning to use?
A:Windows 7 x64

6. How much hard drive space is needed?
A: Already have a spare 320 gb HDD.

7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen you want? If you already want have one and want to use it, mention its resolution and size.
A:Have one. LG E2360 - 23" - 1920 x 1080 , 60 Hz

8. How would you rate your hardware knowledge from the count of 1-10? (1 being the lowest, 5 being you are somewhat in sync with the current performers and 10 being the highest)
A: 8

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
A:Yes, built one before.

10. When are you planning to buy the system?
A: December 2011

11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?
A:Yes: 3 years

12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.
A: Yes: Mouse, Keyboard, Display, Speakers, hard disk

13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
A: Ghaziabad.

14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
A: ->
1)Planning on MSI/EVGA 570 GTX
2) Processor - 2500k
3)NZXT guardian 921. if not then please suggest a good looking cabinet.
4)8 gb Gskill/corsair
5)Prefer MSI motherboard.
6)Overclocking over 4 Ghz.

 

[Cilus]

Hi Saumitra, welcome to TDF family. Here is my suggestion for you:-

Intel Core i5 2500K @ 11K
MSI Z68A-GD55 @ 10K
Gskill Ripjaw 1600 MHz 4GB X 1 DDR3 @ 1.5K
LIAN LI Lancool PC-K57 with Front USB 3.0 @ 4.5K
logitech G400 gaming Mouse @ 1.4K
Razer Goliathus Small Fragged Mouse PAD @ 0.5K
SeaSonic SS-850AT 850W 80+ BRONZE Certified Power Supply @ 6.2K
Steel Series Keyboard Merc Black @ 1.7K
Asus Black 24X SATA DVD R/W @ 1.1K
HIS H697F2G2M HD 6970 2GB @ 19.6K


Total 57.5K. I left the CPU cooler for now to provide you a powerful rig enough to stand for 3 years. If you want it then my suggestion Corsair A70 Air cooler @ 3.4K. Get cheaper PSU like Corsair GS 700 80+ PSU around 5K although that is still enough to run your config. And reason for suggestion AMD 6970 over GTX 570...HD 6970 is better and future proof due to its 2 GB frame buffer.
You can also postpone the purchase of Gfx card until Jan, 2012 as AMD is gonna release their HD 7000 series cards on that time which as per expectation, will provide far better performance.

 

[S_V]

@saumitra.max

Like Clius said it's the Best Config you can get..

Also Consider buying Corsair Carbide 400R cabinet for that Price if not interested in LIAN LI...

 

[dashing.sujay]

@Cilus- Won't be Tx650 V2 better than GS700 ? Especially when the OP is going to overclock and Tx650 V2 can handle the OcN stress far better than GS series? (Correct me if I'm wrong)

 

[MyGeekTips]

My Suggestion:

Intel Core i5 2500K @ 11K
MSI Z68A-GD55 @ 10K
Thermalright Silver Arrow @ 3.6K
Gskill Ripjaw 1600 MHz 4GB X 2 DDR3 @ 3K
Corsair Carbide 400R @ 4.7K
Glacialtech GlacialPower GP-AX950AA Power Supply Unit @ 6K
Asus Black 24X SATA DVD R/W @ 1.1K
MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III/OC 2GB @ 16K

Total: 55.4K

The Above graphics card is a oced card it beats stock 6950 & 570 it also has a lot ocing potential. No need to buy 6950 or 570 for 2-5 fps increase.

Nobody Seen OP said he already have mouse & keyboard.

 

[Cilus]

dashing.sujay, GS700 does provide higher current to the 12V rail and for a single GPU setup, even considering all the overclocking OP can do, GS700 is still enough for it. GS700 provides 56A of current to its 12V rail whereas TX650 V2 provides 53A.

S_V, even I like the look of Corsair Carbide 400R but while suggesting, I forgot the name.

MyGeekTips, OP asked for a system to stay for 3 Years and if you look at HD 6950 or 560 Ti, they have already started to show their limitations in some highly demanding games. So GTX 570 or HD 6970 standard is highly recommended here. However, my opinion is too wait for the release of HD 7000 series as OP is gonna invest around 20K for the GPU.

And if OP has already mouse and keyboard then I think my config is coming within his budget.

 

[d6bmg]

Intel Core i5 2500K @ 11K
MSI Z68A-GD55 @ 10K
Noctua D14 @ 5K
Gskill Ripjaw 1600 MHz 4GB X 2 DDR3 @ 3K
Corsair Carbide 400R @ 4.7K
Glacialtech GlacialPower GP-AX950AA Power Supply Unit @ 6K
Asus Black 24X SATA DVD R/W @ 1.1K
MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III/OC 2GB @ 16K

Total: 56.8K

Modified the cooler for extreme OC'ing.
That is one of the best air coolers out there in the market.
Otherwise, perfect.

 

[saumitra.max]

Hi Saumitra, welcome to TDF family. Here is my suggestion for you:-

Intel Core i5 2500K @ 11K
MSI Z68A-GD55 @ 10K
Gskill Ripjaw 1600 MHz 4GB X 1 DDR3 @ 1.5K
LIAN LI Lancool PC-K57 with Front USB 3.0 @ 4.5K
logitech G400 gaming Mouse @ 1.4K
Razer Goliathus Small Fragged Mouse PAD @ 0.5K
SeaSonic SS-850AT 850W 80+ BRONZE Certified Power Supply @ 6.2K
Steel Series Keyboard Merc Black @ 1.7K
Asus Black 24X SATA DVD R/W @ 1.1K
HIS H697F2G2M HD 6970 2GB @ 19.6K


Total 57.5K. I left the CPU cooler for now to provide you a powerful rig enough to stand for 3 years. If you want it then my suggestion Corsair A70 Air cooler @ 3.4K. Get cheaper PSU like Corsair GS 700 80+ PSU around 5K although that is still enough to run your config. And reason for suggestion AMD 6970 over GTX 570...HD 6970 is better and future proof due to its 2 GB frame buffer.
You can also postpone the purchase of Gfx card until Jan, 2012 as AMD is gonna release their HD 7000 series cards on that time which as per expectation, will provide far better performance.

I was preferring Nvidia as I see they haven't upgraded their cards for a long time, while amd is continuously proving upgrades and new cards.
BTW, i have to buy it in dec end, and the AMD 7xxx series will be pricey, so, what should i go for, I was eyeing MSI 570 twin frozr II/III.

Any sugestions for this ?
Plus can you suggest another combo for downsizing the price to 40 - 45 k?

 

[Anorion]

editing rig - dual monitors, fire-wire card depending on camera you are using, and at least two DVD RW drives

and the razer mice are more comfy for long hours of slow work, they fit the fingers better lol compared to the bulky form of the logitechs, and in my exp the buttons on the razers outlasted the buttons on the logitechs... but this is individual choice

 

[dashing.sujay]

dashing.sujay, GS700 does provide higher current to the 12V rail and for a single GPU setup, even considering all the overclocking OP can do, GS700 is still enough for it. GS700 provides 56A of current to its 12V rail whereas TX650 V2 provides 53A.

Does that concludes that GS700 is better than Tx650 V2 ? I thought Tx series is way better than GS.

 

[macho84]

Its true for gpu hungry which ever provide more amps is good to go. Also we need to check the usage 650 and 700 not a big deal but the difference in amps is a big deal 56 vs 65 amps. See to that if you are ocing then amps will raise in no time inspite of the other consumption this will certainly increase the load on the PSU.

 

[Extreme Gamer]

The OP wants to encode. I suggest a BD (FX 8120/50)setup instead.

 

[saumitra.max]

Guys, can you suggest which card will be better ?

MSI Twinfrozr GTX 570 or EVGA %&) GTX ?

Also, you all are suggesting to go for AMD, while they still have to release the 7xxx series in Jan.
So, m really confused on the GPU.
I wanted AMD at first, but considering the announcement of another series, m now looking towards Nvidia.

Any suggestions ?

 

[Jripper]

Isn't BD way too power hungry? An x6 would do better I guess in that respect.

 

[Extreme Gamer]

Jripper, BD is only power hungry if you OC to very high levels.

OP get a GTX 570 with 2.5GB VRAM if you can.

 

[Cilus]

I was preferring Nvidia as I see they haven't upgraded their cards for a long time, while amd is continuously proving upgrades and new cards.
BTW, i have to buy it in dec end, and the AMD 7xxx series will be pricey, so, what should i go for, I was eyeing MSI 570 twin frozr II/III.

So you conclude that AMD cards are worse since they are updating their cards line up quicker than Nvidia......And if this is the case I really doubt Your computer knowledge is 8....No offense buddy. Everybody can have their own brand preference, but Updating the lineup quicker than their competitors making them worse logic of yours need to be revised with proper knowledge....dig some reviews of HD 6970 and GTX 570.
Does it never occurs to you than AMD is updating their lineup more quicker than Nvidia because their R&D department is providing latest technical advancement more quicker than Nvidia.

ANd regarding GTX 570....Most of the reference models of it does have lower quality VRM design, resulted very limited overclocking. A lot of reports of frying the cards while Oceing have been reported. So unless the cards are having custom VRM design like MSI Twin Frozer III, I won't put money of them. But these custom models are also pretty costly.

Extreme Gamer, 2500K is a overall better performer if you bring Gaming and Video editing both under the umbrella. 2500K does provide very good editing performance, slightly lower than BD FX8150 but does provide far better gaming experience. Also it cheaper too.
2ndly BD does have higher power consumption than Sandy-bridge counterparts even with the stock speed.

 

[saumitra.max]

I didn't say that AMD cards are worse since they keep on upgrading.
If they are upgrading in Jan, then its no point for me buying a 6xxx series that time.
I already said I was buying AMD 6950 in the first place, and then overclocking.
And if suppose in the 7xxx series, AMD comes up with the replacement of Nvidia's stereoscopic 3D and PhysX, then it'll be a no-go for the 6xxx series.

 

[MyGeekTips]

Modified the cooler for extreme OC'ing.
That is one of the best air coolers out there in the market.
Otherwise, perfect.

Silver Arrow is 2 Degree Celsius Cooler Than Noctua NH-D14 @ i5 2500K overclocked to 5ghz. It's say all.

 

[$$Lionking$$]

AMD Dual Processor boards are priced way out of whack else you could have gone that way...

 

[Cilus]

I didn't say that AMD cards are worse since they keep on upgrading.
If they are upgrading in Jan, then its no point for me buying a 6xxx series that time.
I already said I was buying AMD 6950 in the first place, and then overclocking.
And if suppose in the 7xxx series, AMD comes up with the replacement of Nvidia's stereoscopic 3D and PhysX, then it'll be a no-go for the 6xxx series.

Look, lets AMD update their lineup..But lets consider HD 6970 and GTX 570. I think now we can say 6970 is a overall better product than 570...due to its higher performance over 570 in most of the cases, offer better Antialisaing performance, has better Crossfire scaling than 570 SLI (6970 CF scaling is almost same as GTX 580 SLI), offers 2 GB Frame Buffer which comes really handy in Multi-Monitor and 3D settings, has less power consumption and high overclocking potential and does not have VRM issues. So what product you are going for? No matter AMD updates their cards or not, HD 6970 will be better than GTX 570; isn't it?

And regarding your 3D, all the AMD cards now support 3D with 3rd party drivers and with some specific Displays. But they are available in India and the 3rd party drivers in most of the cases come with the Display free of cost. I know they are not mature enough compared to Nvidia Stereoscopic 3D but it is not like that that problem will be soved with HD 7000 cards. The problems lie within the Drivers, not with the Hardware. So if some fixes will surface, it will be for all their 3D capabled hardware, not for only 7000 series. Another advantage of AMD in Multi-Monitor setup is you can go for a AMD Eye Finity with a single AMD card whereas in case of Nvidia Stereo Vision, you need SLI or a Dual GPU card like GTX 590, or GTX 560 X2.

So make your decision based on the performance of the sorlisted cards within your budget; not anything else.