Need advice on this config

[cosmos]

Hi all,

I have finally decided to upgrade my system to something more futuristic and better suited for recent games. Please advice whether this config will last atleast for 3 yrs:

Core i5 i750 2.66GHz
MSI P55-GD80
Corsair TW3X4G-1600C9DHX 4GB Kit
Coolermaster Hyper N620
Sapphire HD5850 1GB GDDR5
Zebronics Antibiotic
Corsair VX550W

Cabinet - I already have zebronics antibiotic, so im not upgrading that.
Hard disk - I have WD 1TB Caviar Green and Seagate 250gb internal and Maxtor 320gb external. So i am also not upgrading these as well

I am also thinking of going for a 2nd HD5850 two months down the line.
Will the corsair 550 watts be able to handle the load?

Thanks,
Cosmos

 

[asingh]

1. Very difficult to predict if it will last 3 years down the line. We as consumers hardly know about:

New game releases
New Dx versions
New OS versions
New fabrication process
New technology

Basically how fast technology and software requirements will move. But nevertheless, you will have a Dx11 GPU, with the almost latest CPU/chipset. If not three years, it should last just fine till end of 2011. Hardly many Dx11 games out to harness the full power.

The VX550 will not support Xfire. Get TX650 or a 750W.

And please, do not put all that expensive stuff in a Zebronics cabinet. Yuck..!

 

[Sid_gamer]

I agree with asigh ...Don't put all those parts in a Zebronics cabinet, instead why don't you go for a good cabinet from Cooler Master ; like CM690...It'll last long, it's sturdy, and has a lot of space with a good amount of airflow...

 

[cosmos]

hmmm...Thnx for the quick reply guys... Digit forum rocks
The CM690 looks great...If i get that, can i skip the CPU cooling "Coolermaster Hyper N620". If yes, then i think i can upgrade the cabinet after 1month or so. Little tight on budget now and also i have to get my antibiotic cabinet exchanged then

Also i was just checking on the GD80 motherboard. Does it support Sata 3 or usb 3.0?

Thanks,
Cosmos

---------- Post added at 12:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:10 PM ----------

The VX550 will not support Xfire. Get TX650 or a 750W.

N ya...The VX550 watts has support for crossfire.
*www.corsair.com/products/vx/default.aspx
Do u mean to say it wont be able to support HD5850 because that card i saw uses two power cables (courtesy of youtube )

Cheers,
Cosmos

 

[asingh]

^^
Will you ever OC..? If yes, (your board says so), you would need an OEM HSF. Else use stock HSF.

---------- Post added at 12:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:21 PM ----------

hmmm...Thnx for the quick reply guys... Digit forum rocks
The CM690 looks great...If i get that, can i skip the CPU cooling "Coolermaster Hyper N620". If yes, then i think i can upgrade the cabinet after 1month or so. Little tight on budget now and also i have to get my antibiotic cabinet exchanged then

Also i was just checking on the GD80 motherboard. Does it support Sata 3 or usb 3.0?

Thanks,
Cosmos

---------- Post added at 12:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:10 PM ----------



N ya...The VX550 watts has support for crossfire.
*www.corsair.com/products/vx/default.aspx
Do u mean to say it wont be able to support HD5850 because that card i saw uses two power cables (courtesy of youtube )

Cheers,
Cosmos

It is not about a 'SLI' logo appearing on the merchandise page. It is about how much power the unit can push out. If going Cross fire for sure you will cross 550W or be near it. So better to go with 650W. People usually use 750W. Regarding PCI.E 6+2 power connectors, they can be fabricated using molex converters.

 

[cosmos]

Hmm...Thanks asigh for the tip (nice display pic btw)
Think i will go for the 650w now and if needed upgrade to the 750w later wen i go crossfire. Budget constraints. Alas dey dont make good graphics card with low power supply. Dat wud make it a real deal

N yes, I will overclock the board and not with OC genie but manually. It's no fun if the system automates it for u; isn't it!!
Also the GD80 has a large heat sink pipe so think i will currently go with cabinet and fans deal nw. If the stupid pc gets too heated den may be i will go for the cooling system.

Now the main concern is to get my old cabinet and motherboard replaced for the new deal. Think i have to look here in bangalore during the weekend.

Cheers,
Cosmos

---------- Post added at 01:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:43 PM ----------

Guys one more small question...If i go 4 i7 config, can u plz suggest a suitable motherboard for Intel Core i7- 920 within 15k?

Cheers,
Cosmos

 

[asingh]

1. The 650W will do fine for Xfire too.
2. OC via the BIOS. Once you install the board chipset drivers am sure that OC genie crap will be slip streamed. Uninstall it immediate.
3. MSI and Gigabyte have good i7 boards. You can see Lynx-india.com for relative rates.

 

[vickybat]

Hmm...Thanks asigh for the tip (nice display pic btw)
Think i will go for the 650w now and if needed upgrade to the 750w later wen i go crossfire. Budget constraints. Alas dey dont make good graphics card with low power supply. Dat wud make it a real deal

N yes, I will overclock the board and not with OC genie but manually. It's no fun if the system automates it for u; isn't it!!
Also the GD80 has a large heat sink pipe so think i will currently go with cabinet and fans deal nw. If the stupid pc gets too heated den may be i will go for the cooling system.

Now the main concern is to get my old cabinet and motherboard replaced for the new deal. Think i have to look here in bangalore during the weekend.

Cheers,
Cosmos

---------- Post added at 01:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:43 PM ----------

Guys one more small question...If i go 4 i7 config, can u plz suggest a suitable motherboard for Intel Core i7- 920 within 15k?

Cheers,
Cosmos

hi buddy

At your budget you should consider the i7 rig. If you want to crossfire then ditch the p55 platform & go for a x58 board.

The p55 pci-express slots can work in 16 lanes total via the pci-e controller in the processor.When you crossfire both cards share 16lanes i.e 8 lanes for each card. In other words they don't perform at their full potential.

The x58 has 32 lanes so each card gets 16 so this the the platform to go for multigpu scenario.

The best for you is to go for an x58 board from msi OR gigabyte and pair it with a core i7 920 or 940 depending on your budget.

The msi x58 pro is around 10k and is the most vfm.

Regarding future proofing, the lga 1366 socket that the x58 comes with has support for future intel hexacore processors so you can upgrade down the line.

Finally for psu go for a 650w plus psu from corsair.The tx 750 is the one to grab though the 650 can power two 5850's easily.
You can look at their modular psu's dubbed the hx series.Try out the hx620 or the recently released hx 850 which comes with a mind numbing 7 year warranty but at a hefty price tag of 10k.

Rest you decide....

 

[asingh]

x16 x16(X58) vs x8 x8 (P55) will be a maximum 10-12% difference in performance. Both the DMI or QPI will richly saturate the PCI.Ex16 lanes.

If he moves to X58, his budget goes up considerably compared to P55. But yes, via the X58 route, better future proof.

 

[comp@ddict]

MY SUGGESTION:-

Core i5 i750 @ 9.8k
MSI P55 CD-53 @ 7.5k
Corsair 4GB DDR3 1600MHz C9 Titanium @ 5.8k
Corsair TX750W @ 7.3k (for 2nd HD5850)

But the 2nd HD5850 will be SERIOUSLY bottlenecked by the processor as well as the x8+x8 PCIe links on this platform. AFAIK, even a 3.8GHz Core i7 i9xx gets bottlenecked by a HD5870, HD5850 is like HD5970 performance.

 

[cosmos]

Confusion confusion

Hmmm i was thinkin of getting this rig of i5 during dis weeknd....But listening to all ur conversations im getting 2nd thoughts about i7....
If i go 4 i7 config then i might have to wait till month end (salary time ).Which also means long wait...sighhhhh

Think for a more solid gaming platform, i will go 4 a i7 config...Whooping price increase and i also had to get a new camera lens for my DSLR. Will be better if i switch my job...all problems solved

However,any ideas how dis below config will be:
Core i7 i920 D0 2.66GHz
Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P or DFI DK X58-T3eH6 or msi x58 pro (Don't have much idea in this area)
Corsair TR3X1G-1333 XMS3 C9 3GB Kit
Cooler Master CM690
Sapphire HD5850 1GB GDDR5
Corsair TX750W

Thanks,
Cosmos

 

[vickybat]

^^ Yeah the above config is great and just stick with Msi x58 pro because its the cheapest and is equally featurerich.

The dfi lanparty is a great feature rich board and comes with a custom cpu cooler but is expensive.Same goes for gigabyte sans the custom cooler.

So i say go ahead with the above system if price no bar & there are absolutely no CONS except price.

comp@ddict's config is also pretty solid and will save you some cash but for that second 5850, go for the i7.

 

[asingh]

^^
We forgot to throw in 6 GB of RAM, and an OEM HSF. This guy is going to OC 100%. See all that arsenal..!

---------- Post added at 12:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 AM ----------

Also if you are going for i5, which has x8 x8 PCI.Ex16 auto arrangement for dual GPU. Do not worry about this. Maximum you will see a 10-12% drop in performance. And that too if you game HD.

Believe me when you read this. I am a cross fire user. Bottle necking is just an euphemism. It is dependent on the game and the settings you are using. The current i5/i7's and their respective chipsets saturate the lanes just fine. Do not let this be a deciding factor for x8 x8 vs. full x16 x16. I pull off of 42 average on Warhead all maxed out on 1920 x 1080, with my system. And of course you will OC your processor, which will further enhance the data feed to the GPU.

 

[cosmos]

@vickybat : Thnx 4 ur input
I will go for MSI X58 Pro-E then as i am really getting tight in my budget nw!!

Can you please suggest any Corsair 3GB @1600MHz...the one i am opting 4 runs @1333MHz. I looked in the corsair website but couldn't find anything cheap within 7k there!

Leaving that rest everything is final i think. Now waiting for month end.

Cheers,
Cosmos

---------- Post added at 01:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:10 AM ----------

^^
We forgot to throw in 6 GB of RAM, and an OEM HSF. This guy is going to OC 100%. See all that arsenal..!

---------- Post added at 12:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 AM ----------

Also if you are going for i5, which has x8 x8 PCI.Ex16 auto arrangement for dual GPU. Do not worry about this. Maximum you will see a 10-12% drop in performance. And that too if you game HD.

Believe me when you read this. I am a cross fire user. Bottle necking is just an euphemism. It is dependent on the game and the settings you are using. The current i5/i7's and their respective chipsets saturate the lanes just fine. Do not let this be a deciding factor for x8 x8 vs. full x16 x16. I pull off of 42 average on Warhead all maxed out on 1920 x 1080, with my system. And of course you will OC your processor, which will further enhance the data feed to the GPU.

Nice point there asigh
I saw lot of reviews on that and i am definitely taking the point into consideration that a LGA 1156 or LGA 1366 socket will increase the performance max by 10-12%. But just like my previous processor and gaming rig ( i currently have 9600gt SLI) i just want to go big this time.

N d point about Overclocking, yup dats definitely going to get in. I will ask u guys later 4 input on that
I will get 3gb ram now and go get 3gb later...Budget constraints as I have to get a new lens for my DSLR camera. After 3 months max i will upgrade to 6gb ram and a 2nd 5850.

Cheers,
Cosmos

 

[asingh]

Be carefull, about RAM. Some months down the line, you might not find RAM of the same density/speed/latencies, or they might be horrendously expensive.

NO, LGA 1156 or LGA 1366 socket will not increase the performance by 10-12%. You will see a difference of 10-12% performance with x8 x8 vs. x16 x16 for multi-GPU.

 

[hellgate]

Core i5 i750 2.66GHz
MSI P55-GD80
Corsair TW3X4G-1600C9DHX 4GB Kit
Coolermaster Hyper N620
Sapphire HD5850 1GB GDDR5
Zebronics Antibiotic
Corsair VX550W

The config that u've chosen is good.
I'm currently using that same mobo & its gr8.Dont use OC Genie to OC. For some reason it doesnt work.
Do upgrade the PSU if u plan to CF.atleast get a TX750.

For the cabby, better get a CM 690 b4 u CF, as of now ur current cabby will just do the job, but better buy it for better air flow.

Currently using a similar config, its running well, just purchased for benching purposes, planning to sell it & move to LGA1366.

 

[cosmos]

NO, LGA 1156 or LGA 1366 socket will not increase the performance by 10-12%. You will see a difference of 10-12% performance with x8 x8 vs. x16 x16 for multi-GPU.

Ooops!! I meant x8/x8 slot only...Dont know y i wrote that 1156/1366....Doing a lot of R&D made me slip der i think....

Cheers,
Cosmos

 

[Sid_gamer]

I also suggest that u go for a Core i7 rig coz it's worth the buck...I recently upgraded to an i7 rig, though i've got a hole in my pocket by doing that anyways.....MSI X58 Pro is a good value for money board, so stick to that...as far as the DFI LANParty and Gigabyte boards are concerned, they will increase your budget several folds....And for the RAM, u should take the whole of 6gb now itself coz if u take 3Gb now and the other 3gb later there might be an availability problem or cost increment of the RAM u want.....HD5850 is a good option to consider, so go with that....
A 650W PSU from Corsair should be enough to do the job; but as u will OC later u may need some watts later on , so a 750W PSU will be a pretty good choice...

 

[asingh]

^^
He should be able to OC plus run Xfire on 650W.

Though what is the price difference between the 650w and 750W Corsair.

 

[hellgate]

a TX650 costs bout 6.2k & TX750 7.3k
so its better to spend 1.1k more now than later selling the TX650W to get TX750.