# First Rig Been Stressing For Months..



## Mesima (May 19, 2013)

Hey all,

I'm new to the forums but have been reading reviews here for a hot minute. I'm trying to put together a build with a 2-3 monitor setup and Crossfire'd 7970's mainly to be used for gaming, streaming via twitch, and everyday use.

Every time I think I got the components I want and get ready to pull the trigger I back out due to uncertainty. I know Haswell is around the corner but I could really careless about it. I had originally set myself a $3000 budget ($4000 being the absolute maximum) for the build including all the peripherals one would need.

I've created this monster:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

*CPU:* Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor  ($499.99 @ Microcenter) 
*CPU Cooler:* Swiftech H220 55.0 CFM  Liquid CPU Cooler  ($149.99 @ NCIX US) 
*Thermal Compound:* Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste  ($5.98 @ Outlet PC) 
*Motherboard:* Asus P9X79 PRO ATX  LGA2011 Motherboard  ($303.98 @ SuperBiiz) 
*Memory:* G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($153.98 @ Newegg) 
*Storage:* Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($229.99 @ NCIX US) 
*Storage:* Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($94.98 @ Outlet PC) 
*Video Card:* Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire)  ($491.90 @ Newegg) 
*Video Card:* Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire)  ($491.90 @ Newegg) 
*Case:* NZXT Phantom 630 (Matte Black) ATX Full Tower Case  ($149.99 @ Microcenter) 
*Optical Drive:* Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer  ($17.98 @ Outlet PC) 
*Operating System:* Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($89.94 @ Outlet PC) 
*Monitor:* Dell U2412M 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($309.01 @ Amazon) 
*Monitor:* Dell U2412M 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($309.01 @ Amazon) 
*Monitor:* Dell U2412M 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($309.01 @ Amazon) 
*Keyboard:* Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($131.98 @ Newegg) 
*Mouse:* Logitech G600 MMO Gaming Mouse Wired Laser Mouse  ($66.98 @ SuperBiiz) 
*Other:* Logitech C920 HD Pro Webcam ($84.99)
*Other:* Rosewill 100 Black able Tie ($3.69)
*Other:* Cooler Master V850  ($189.99)
*Total:* $4085.26
_(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)_
_(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-19 05:22 EDT-0400)_

and now I'm trying to reign this beast in around my original price point. I opt'd for three 24" monitors (IPS) instead of two 27" (IPS) monitors since everything I've read stated a 23" is the "sweet spot" for gaming. I'm honestly considering dropping back down to a 3770k since I can't reason with myself as to why I would actually need a 3930k.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated since I'm sitting on the cash and trying to get the best bang for the buck.

(Ideally I'd like to keep the Swiftech H220 for my CPU cooler).


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## de.das.dude (May 19, 2013)

some things are a bit overkill. but if you have the money, hell yeah! 

just one thing.. the mouse G600, make sure you have used it personally. mice choosing can be a PITA. here is what everyone thinks.


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## Aquinus (May 19, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> some things are a bit overkill. but if you have the money, hell yeah!
> 
> just one thing.. the mouse G600, make sure you have used it personally. mice choosing can be a PITA. here is what everyone thinks.
> 
> http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/9814/11738101511128670658171.jpg



Someone else has posted this before and it started a huge fight. This image is bullshit and it doesn't tell how people like mice that other people might not, but rather it tells how this one condescending idiot feels about them all. I have a G500 (2nd one) and a G5 and according to them it is crap but quite frankly it works just fine. Considering that the G5 and G500 feel exactly the same, I don't see how one can be crap and the other can't. This picture has also changed since the last time it was posted. Before it was much more condescending in the sense that it called people stupid for choosing a mouse that they might like.

All in all, take this with a grain of salt. I don't think people can tell others how good a mouse is because everyone uses mice and keyboards differently.


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## HammerON (May 19, 2013)

Really don't care about your mouse selection. The rest of your system looks good. I personally would ditch the three monitors and get a 30" monitor.


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## Aquinus (May 19, 2013)

HammerON said:


> Really don't care about your mouse selection. The rest of your system looks good. I personally would ditch the three monitors and get a 30" monitor.



A good 30", not a 1080p display but rather a 1440p display. I agree. 

Also with a budget like that, I would seriously consider dropping the two 7970s and opting for a Titan, but that's just me. I'm sure both will work fine but multi-gpu setups have their problems.


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## HammerON (May 19, 2013)

Actually I am thinking of 2560x1600.


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## Aquinus (May 19, 2013)

HammerON said:


> Actually I am thinking of 2560x1600.



I wouldn't limit myself. There are a lot more 1440 displays than 2560x1600 displays. As long as it's not 1080p, I think it will be good.


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## Norton (May 19, 2013)

I would suggest looking for a 2x8GB memory kit rather than 4x4GB .... allows you to expand in the future much easier,

and

Going for a SeaSonic X-Gold Series psu (750w or larger) they are great psu's and frequently go on sale at significant discounts. I got a 750w X-Gold for $99 a couple of months ago


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## uuuaaaaaa (May 19, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> some things are a bit overkill. but if you have the money, hell yeah!
> 
> just one thing.. the mouse G600, make sure you have used it personally. mice choosing can be a PITA. here is what everyone thinks.
> 
> http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/9814/11738101511128670658171.jpg



Well, there is a more recent list which i attached.

As a quake player i have tried a lot of mice. I recon that most of the people wont notice problems with the majority of the mice they try, because most of the games don't require extreme mouse movement (i can easily move the mouse @ 3m/s while playing). Nevertheless i can say i have experience a lot of tracking issues and weird glitches on more recent laser mice. 

A big factor when choosing a mouse is the weight. Heavy mice will cause wrist problems in the long run. A mouse about 80grams is ideal. If you are into FPS gaming i would recommend a zowie AM or FK (they are almost the same) or a zowie EC1/2 evo depending on your grip style and hand size. People might argue that these mice have low dpi (max dpi = 2300) etc. In reality you don't need more than 450dpi (some people prefer ~800dpi) for 1920*1080 fps gaming. Most of the companies regarding gaming peripherals will feed you eye candy and marketing gimmicks (ex: 16million color leds, 9000 dpi integrated cpu and memory).

EDIT- Forgot this link: Ramla777 - YouTube


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## Frizz (May 19, 2013)

Solid, I'd take a look at getting a Corsair or Seasonic PSU though as Norton mentioned, great PSUs. I've owned a CM 1000w Silent Pro Gold before and it wasn't a very good experience, fan started to sound like a lawn mower after a month or two and had really annoying buzzing noises. Though it's more than likely just my bad luck.


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## radrok (May 19, 2013)

I'd recommend you an u3014 and a Titan.

A single GPU is much better and you could easily include it in the H220 loop, maybe you could add another radiator.

Another way would be to wait for the GTX 780, which is a slightly cut down Titan and SLI two of them.
SLI works almost flawlessly compared to CFX, the latter is completely broken atm.


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## Mesima (May 19, 2013)

Aquinus said:


> A good 30", not a 1080p display but rather a 1440p display. I agree.
> 
> Also with a budget like that, I would seriously consider dropping the two 7970s and opting for a Titan, but that's just me. I'm sure both will work fine but multi-gpu setups have their problems.



I've actually been considering getting a Titan..I might just do that.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As for ditching 3 monitors that's probably not going to happen. I plan to game on the main monitor, music/movie/chat on the 2nd, and random guides/websites/etc on the 3rd vs a single 30" display.

Thank you all for the responses


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## Aquinus (May 19, 2013)

uuuaaaaaa said:


> Well, there is a more recent list which i attached.



Like I said the last time this exact image was posted: I trust nothing that refers to the best as "god tier" and the worst as "shit tier".

The attitude of the image makes me feel that the person had more of a stick up his ass as opposed to actually wanting to make a list of decent mice. Also, a mouse isn't necessarily shit just because some arrogant guy on the web didn't like it.

--

Also, I would recommend a mechanical switch keyboard if you're going to be spending 130 dollars on it.


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## radrok (May 19, 2013)

Aquinus said:


> Like I said the last time this exact image was posted: I trust nothing that refers to the best as "god tier" and the worst as "shit tier".
> 
> The attitude of the image makes me feel that the person had more of a stick up his ass as opposed to actually wanting to make a list of decent mice. Also, a mouse isn't necessarily shit just because some arrogant guy on the web didn't like it.
> 
> ...



More than attutude that's the way most people communicate on /v/ you don't have to take it personal.
Some information given there is valuable even though I agree that the way it's given is a bit harsh.


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## Mesima (May 19, 2013)

Aquinus said:


> Like I said the last time this exact image was posted: I trust nothing that refers to the best as "god tier" and the worst as "shit tier".
> 
> The attitude of the image makes me feel that the person had more of a stick up his ass as opposed to actually wanting to make a list of decent mice. Also, a mouse isn't necessarily shit just because some arrogant guy on the web didn't like it.
> 
> ...



Any in particular you'd recommend? The G710 has Cherry MX Brown switches which are pretty nice from what I've been reading


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## uuuaaaaaa (May 19, 2013)

Mesima said:


> Any in particular you'd recommend? The G710 has Cherry MX Brown switches which are pretty nice from what I've been reading



For gaming I would recommend something that has cherry mx reds or mx blacks. I have been using a steelseries 7G (mx blacks) for a very long time and I can say that this is a beast of a keyboard,very well built, will easily last you a decade. Mx reds like the blacks are linear but require less force to actuate.

have a read on this page and decide which switch is better for you:

http://www.daskeyboard.com/blog/?page_id=1458&ModPagespeed=noscript#comparison


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## 20mmrain (May 19, 2013)

HammerON said:


> Really don't care about your mouse selection. The rest of your system looks good. I personally would ditch the three monitors and get a 30" monitor.



I would agree with this comment. 3 monitors can be finicky one large monitor IMO would be the way to go

I would also keep the i7 3930K Why? Well if you are going top of the line with the rest of your system.... why not finish it off with the best CPU if you can afford it. I have owned both the i7 3770k and the i7 3930k... and I am really happy that I made the switch to the latter of the two. No regrets! Plus now owning both I can tell you that the x79 setup defiantly feels more like an enthusiast setup opposed to the Z77 setup.

For reasons like:
More BIOS Overclock settings
More PCIe lanes (No PLX chip)
More memory
No Onboard video chip
CPU that doesn't run at higher temps unless you remove your IHS
and more.


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## Mesima (May 19, 2013)

uuuaaaaaa said:


> For gaming I would recommend something that has cherry mx reds or mx blacks. I have been using a steelseries 7G (mx blacks) for a very long time and I can say that this is a beast of a keyboard,very well built, will easily last you a decade. Mx reds like the blacks are linear but require less force to actuate.
> 
> have a read on this page and decide which switch is better for you:
> 
> http://www.daskeyboard.com/blog/?page_id=1458&ModPagespeed=noscript#comparison



Thanks!



20mmrain said:


> I would agree with this comment. 3 monitors can be finicky one large monitor IMO would be the way to go



As I said before I want 3 monitors for various purposes like a movie/music on one when I'm farming/grinding/whatever in a game, the 2nd would be the main monitor I game on, the 3rd would be for surfing, pulling up forums/faqs/having chat up/etc. That's the only reason I want a multi-monitor display vs a solo monitor. I'll probably end up changing my mind and snagging a 30" with as much self-debating I do


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## okidna (May 19, 2013)

Norton said:


> Going for a SeaSonic X-Gold Series psu (750w or larger) they are great psu's and frequently go on sale at significant discounts. I got a 750w X-Gold for $99 a couple of months ago



Just FYI, Cooler Master V series are based on Seasonic X series (their newest KM3 platform).


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## Fourstaff (May 19, 2013)

Why do we need 6 cores for Gaming? Knock the budget down to $2000 and you will still end up with a monster. spend the other $2000 on upgrades in the future


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## 20mmrain (May 19, 2013)

Fourstaff said:


> Why do we need 6 cores for Gaming? Knock the budget down to $2000 and you will still end up with a monster. spend the other $2000 on upgrades in the future



You don't need six cores for gaming only.... But if you have the money and you want the best why knock the budget down and settle for less?

No rhyming was intended 



> As I said before I want 3 monitors for various purposes like a movie/music on one when I'm farming/grinding/whatever in a game, the 2nd would be the main monitor I game on, the 3rd would be for surfing, pulling up forums/faqs/having chat up/etc. That's the only reason I want a multi-monitor display vs a solo monitor. I'll probably end up changing my mind and snagging a 30" with as much self-debating I do



This would be another good reason for 6 cores. If you will be multi-tasking during gaming you could use the extra cores.


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## Mindweaver (May 19, 2013)

If you can afford to do it then get a titan over 2 cards.. I liked my cf 5850 toxics when CF worked, but when it didn't you just drop down to one card.


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## Aquinus (May 19, 2013)

Mesima said:


> Any in particular you'd recommend? The G710 has Cherry MX Brown switches which are pretty nice from what I've been reading



I personally like my blues on the Rosewill RK-9100, but I do a whole lot more typing on my keyboard than I do gaming. It feels okay gaming too, but I might not want to use it if I were playing FPS games all day, which I almost never play anymore aside from TF2 if I'm in the mood. It sounds like browns are a good balance where reds and blacks are best if you game a lot of don't type nearly as much as you game. The vast majority of the time I spend on my computer is spent typing, so that's what I got. The blues go down like butter. It's a little easy to hit the wrong key since keys go down fairly easily but you don't fatigue your fingers nearly as quickly over long periods of time. Some people also don't like the clicking of the keys. I personally don't mind it.

Either way the real thing to take away is that it depends on preference and preference seems to be, more or less, a general consensus where blues are best for typing and blacks are best for gaming and they progressively get better at one and less at the other in the order of blue, brown, red, black.

It's just an observation. People may disagree with me but it seems to be a trend that I've noticed.

Also, I've been pretty happy with my 3820. If you don't need 6 cores, it's not a bad option if you want to wait and see what IVB-E churns out. It will overclock pretty well too.


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## Mesima (May 19, 2013)

Mindweaver said:


> If you can afford to do it then get a titan over 2 cards.. I liked my cf 5850 toxics when CF worked, but when it didn't you just drop down to one card.



Is CF really in that bad of a state? I thought CF had improved a lot over the years


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## Aquinus (May 19, 2013)

Mesima said:


> Is CF really in that bad of a state? I thought CF had improved a lot over the years



Improved, yes. It still is inferior to the IQ of a single GPU imho. I think Titan will give you the best IQ. Dual 7970s might give you "better performance", but it might not look better. I went with CFX because I already had one 6870 and a second was a cheap upgrade option. If I were to upgrade I would go with one good GPU, for me it was only a cost saving measure so I can wait to see what the next generation of GPUs turns out.


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## Mesima (May 19, 2013)

Aquinus said:


> Improved, yes. It still is inferior to the IQ of a single GPU imho. I think Titan will give you the best IQ. Dual 7970s might give you "better performance", but it might not look better. I went with CFX because I already had one 6870 and a second was a cheap upgrade option. If I were to upgrade I would go with one good GPU, for me it was only a cost saving measure so I can wait to see what the next generation of GPUs turns out.



That makes sense. Adding a Titan to my build would also decrease the over power requirement so I could drop down to a 650-750W PSU and save a little bit of cash in that department. Oh lawdy the decisions the decisions lol.


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## Fourstaff (May 19, 2013)

20mmrain said:


> You don't need six cores for gaming only.... But if you have the money and you want the best why knock the budget down and settle for less?
> 
> No rhyming was intended
> 
> This would be another good reason for 6 cores. If you will be multi-tasking during gaming you could use the extra cores.



Sure if op uses the rig for demanding tasks rather than MMOs. I appreciate build for purpose and price /performance more than absolute brute force, while most of the thread participants prefer brute force. An alternative viewpoint, and something which will not kill the wallet. No use if op's wallet is like a bottomless pit though

I find the lg IPS 2xx monitors pretty decent (stand a bit wobbly), if you are thinking of having a single arm mounting the three monitors you might want to consider those.


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## radrok (May 19, 2013)

Mesima said:


> As I said before I want 3 monitors for various purposes like a movie/music on one when I'm farming/grinding/whatever in a game, the 2nd would be the main monitor I game on, the 3rd would be for surfing, pulling up forums/faqs/having chat up/etc. That's the only reason I want a multi-monitor display vs a solo monitor. I'll probably end up changing my mind and snagging a 30" with as much self-debating I do



Then I honestly recommend you to trim your build somewhere and pick up a 30 and a smaller 24 monitor to have closer.

I used a 3x24 setup but if you are not going to play surround then 30 for the main activity and a couple of 24 for additional activities (maybe even in portrait mode) are your best option.

Titan would be the smartest choice over CFX, you'll end up having the second card disabled most of the time.




Fourstaff said:


> I appreciate build for purpose and price /performance more than absolute brute force



I do agree, no reason to grab an hexa core if there is no use for those additional cores. It's a waste.


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## Jetster (May 19, 2013)

lol, someone actually changed that mouse tier poster. Its a little different than the last time I saw it. 

Anyway if your goin to spend that kind of money might as well get some Dominator Platinum memory.


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## Mesima (May 19, 2013)

Fourstaff said:


> Sure if op uses the rig for demanding tasks rather than MMOs. I appreciate build for purpose and price /performance more than absolute brute force, while most of the thread participants prefer brute force. An alternative viewpoint, and something which will not kill the wallet. No use if op's wallet is like a bottomless pit though
> 
> I find the lg IPS 2xx monitors pretty decent (stand a bit wobbly), if you are thinking of having a single arm mounting the three monitors you might want to consider those.



My wallet isn't endless although I wish it was . You bring up a good point though. The only reason I'm 'dumping' so much into this rig is its a belated birthday present/first deployment present to myself . 

I was looking at those LG IPS and have heard great things about them! Never even though about a single arm mount for all three monitors. I'll have to take a gander at those as well.

Thank you all so much for the conversation and viewpoints it's been much more help then I've received anywhere else, well I can't say that but it's been much more in depth to say the least and I really appreciate it!


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## MT Alex (May 19, 2013)

radrok said:


> I used a 3x24 setup but if you are not going to play surround then 30 for the main activity and a couple of 24 for additional activities (maybe even in portrait mode) are your best option.



I think so too, and was going to suggest the same.  A portrait mode 24" would be a dream for surfing along side a 1440p.


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## Mesima (May 19, 2013)

radrok said:


> Then I honestly recommend you to trim your build somewhere and pick up a 30 and a smaller 24 monitor to have closer.
> 
> I used a 3x24 setup but if you are not going to play surround then 30 for the main activity and a couple of 24 for additional activities (maybe even in portrait mode) are your best option.
> 
> ...



So, you're saying drop the 3930k and 2011 mobo for a 3770k (3570k?) and a z77 mobo? Essentially and then snag a 30" monitor and a possible 24"?


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## radrok (May 19, 2013)

Exactly.

I only recommend Intel hexas to who really needs them, they are generally useless to who does not run specific software.

To be honest it would even be worse because X79 comes with a higher power consumption level than a IVY/SB system, just compare the CPUs wattages, I recall the 3770K being something like 77w.


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## FreedomEclipse (May 19, 2013)

I miss my 2500k


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## Aquinus (May 19, 2013)

radrok said:


> To be honest it would even be worse because X79 comes with a higher power consumption level than a IVY/SB system, just compare the CPUs wattages, I recall the 3770K being something like 77w.



The 3820 doesn't use that much more power than say the 2600k despite the difference in TDP. The 3770k will use less mainly because it's a die shrink. We should see the benefits of 22nm on skt2011 with IVB-E. I personally would stay stick with skt2011 if IVB-E sounds interesting and just get a 3820. You won't notice too much of a difference in performance between the 3770k for gaming and you'll still have all the features, bells, and whistles that come with skt2011 CPUs while holding on to the possibility of upgrading when IVB-E comes around.

The 3820 will also cost less than the 3770k which would make up for the extra cost of the X79 motherboard, or at least part of it depending on the board.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/core_i7_3820_processor_review,7.html
http://www.techspot.com/review/492-intel-core-i7-3820/page8.html
http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph5276/43306.png


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## Fourstaff (May 19, 2013)

Aquinus said:


> The 3820 doesn't use that much more power than say the 2600k despite the difference in TDP. The 3770k will use less mainly because it's a die shrink. We should see the benefits of 22nm on skt2011 with IVB-E. I personally would stay stick with skt2011 if IVB-E sounds interesting and just get a 3820. You won't notice too much of a difference in performance between the 3770k for gaming and you'll still have all the features, bells, and whistles that come with skt2011 CPUs while holding on to the possibility of upgrading when IVB-E comes around.
> 
> The 3820 will also cost less than the 3770k which would make up for the extra cost of the X79 motherboard, or at least part of it depending on the board.
> 
> ...



And upgrade to IVB-E for a 5% performance increase? 

You wouldn't notice the performance difference between 3820 and 3770 so why not stick with the cheaper option? Get 2011 only if you need either: more ram, more cores, or more pcie lanes. Op needs none of those, ergo 2011 is wasted on him.


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## Mesima (May 19, 2013)

Okay! This is what my build is starting to look like after all this talk !

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

*CPU:* Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($189.99 @ Microcenter) 
*CPU Cooler:* Swiftech H220 55.0 CFM  Liquid CPU Cooler  ($149.99 @ NCIX US) 
*Motherboard:* ASRock Z77 Extreme9 ATX  LGA1155 Motherboard  ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
*Memory:* Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($66.99 @ Best Buy) 
*Storage:* Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($229.99 @ NCIX US) 
*Storage:* Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($94.98 @ Outlet PC) 
*Video Card:* EVGA GeForce GTX Titan 6GB Video Card  ($1099.99 @ NCIX US) 
*Case:* NZXT Phantom 630 (Matte Black) ATX Full Tower Case  ($149.99 @ Microcenter) 
*Power Supply:* SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  ($127.97 @ Newegg) 
*Optical Drive:* Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer  ($17.98 @ Outlet PC) 
*Operating System:* Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($89.94 @ Outlet PC) 
*Monitor:* Dell U3011 60Hz 30.0" Monitor  ($1088.98 @ Amazon) 
*Monitor:* Dell U2412M 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($309.01 @ Amazon) 
*Total:* $3915.79
_(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)_
_(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-19 13:39 EDT-0400)_

Still checking out different mice and keyboards (hell I may just keep rocking my G500). The only part that may be getting switched out is the 3570k for a 3770k.


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## Aquinus (May 19, 2013)

Fourstaff said:


> And upgrade to IVB-E for a 5% performance increase?
> 
> You wouldn't notice the performance difference between 3820 and 3770 so why not stick with the cheaper option? Get 2011 only if you need either: more ram, more cores, or more pcie lanes. Op needs none of those, ergo 2011 is wasted on him.



I say go 2011 because if you look in the right places the price won't be any more expensive than buy an IVB rig off Newegg. There is currently a FS thread up with a 3820 and a RIVE for sale for 500 USD. You can't tell me that isn't a good deal.

Either way going skt2011 will give you more options for upgrading in the future and games are only going to become more multi-threaded, not less, and at the very worst, will stay the same. He might not need more ram yet, he might not need more PCI-E lanes yet, and he might not need more cores yet, but eventually he might and if a good deal exists it is worth going after even more so with a budget like that.

I'm not saying the 3770k is a bad option, I'm just advocating for SB-E if you can get parts for the right price. Personally I think SB-E has been a pretty fun platform to work with.

Edit: Here it is!
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183631
3820 + RIVE for 500 USD. Might want confirmation considering the lack of posts or heat.


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## FreedomEclipse (May 19, 2013)

Aquinus said:


> I say go 2011 because if you look in the right places the price won't be any more expensive



not to mention Quad Channel Memory and less clearance issues when it comes to mounting tower coolers.

And when you get bored of gaming and encoding your media you can always put it to good use as a folder or cruncher where it will do a power of good (pun intended)

Im not saying it will cure cancer - at least not immediately but you will be joining the rest of the world in making it happen sooner by dedicating a little of that processing power to science.


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