New Build (Pure Gaming)

S

1. What is the purpose of the computer? What all applications and games are you going to run? (Stupid answers like 'gaming' or 'office work' will not work. Be exact. Which games? Which applications? Avoid the word 'et cetera.')
Ans: Crysis 2/ Skyrrim / BF3 / DIRT 3/ F12011/ Flight Simulator/ Fifa 2012

2. What is your overall budget? If you can extend a bit for a more balanced configuration, then mention this too.
Ans: INR 85k

A detailed budget for each component is as follows:

(Please note: The figures just indicate a range I am willing to spend for that component , coz its necessary to draw a line somewhere to keep up with the budget )

MBoard : 270$ (INR 15000)
GCard : 270$ (INR 15000)
Processor : 325$ (INR 18000)
RAM : 70$ (INR 4000)
HDD : 125$ (INR 7000)
Monitor : 330 $ (INR 18000)
Case : 100-110$ (INR 5000-6000)
Power Supply : 100$ (INR 5500)

Total = Close to 1550-1600$ range

(OS is additional, not included in this )

3. Planning to overclock?
Ans: Yes ,but till date zero experience with board/gcard/ram/processor OC

4. Which Operating System are you planning to use?
Ans: Windows 7 Premium

5. How much hard drive space is needed?
Ans: 2TB

6. Do you want to buy a monitor? If yes, please mention which screen size and resolution do you want. If you already have a monitor and want to reuse it, again mention the size and resolution of monitor you have.
Ans: 23"/24" (both will do) FULL HD RESOLUTION
I PLAN to have 3d vision kit purchased next year.

7. Which components you DON'T want to buy or which components you already have and plan on reusing?
Ans: From scratch

8. When are you planning to buy the system?
Ans: mid june 2012

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
Ans: I will be doing it myself

10. Where do you live? Are you buying locally? Are you open to buying stuff from online shops if you don't get locally?
Ans: Pune(Maharashtra/India) (preferably direct purchase - not so keen on online stuff)

11. Anything else which you would like to say?
Ans:

I have a approximate configuration in mind.
Thought you could optimize it with your class of knowledge and experience

Board : ASUS MAXIMUM V GENE

GCARD : MSI GTX560-Ti HAWK 1gb

Processor : Intel i7 2600k

RAM :

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B

HD

Seagate Barracuda 6.0gb/s 64mb 7200rpm 2TB

SSD :
later this year for sure

MONITOR:

Benq XL2420T

Power Supply : Cooler Master Extreme 650W

Please suggest me some good case(s) for something around 100-110 $ (INR 5000- 6000)

Please provide me with your suggestions with any modifications if for better in the same price range of these components

T

Asus P8Z68-Vpro @ 14k
intel core i5 2500k @ 13k
g-skill RipjawsX 2x4 gb ddr3 1600 mhz @ 3.2k
Sapphire HD 7870 @ 22k
WD caviar blue 2 tb SATA III @ 8K
Corsair TX650V2 @ 6.5k
Corsair carbide 400R @ 5k
APC 1.1 kva ups @ 4.5k
Samsung P2350 @ 10k

S

the_conqueror said:
Asus P8Z68-Vpro @ 14k
intel core i5 2500k @ 13k
g-skill RipjawsX 2x4 gb ddr3 1600 mhz @ 3.2k
Sapphire HD 7870 @ 22k
WD caviar blue 2 tb SATA III @ 8K
Corsair TX650V2 @ 6.5k
Corsair carbide 400R @ 5k
APC 1.1 kva ups @ 4.5k
Samsung P2350 @ 10k

thnx for your wonderful specs

Can you please clear a few doubts i have :

a] i5 2500k (well I am planning to use this rig for a good period (around 4-5 yrs from build)

so will this processor survive future performance asking levels
or in that case the i72600k is better ?

b] sapphire hd 7870
I have never used a sapphire product. how reliable is it as a brand and
performance/build quality. (is it the best ?)
And if we are looking at the range of 16k only then wat Gcard will u suggest.

c] ATI over Nvidia (which is better ? )

I have never used ATI (so cannot comment on its performance, but what i have heard is "nvidia has better software n drivers then ATI )

d] do ATI cards support nvidia 3dvision technology
( I was planning to get a 3d monitor because monitors are something you dont buy/upgrade in short term. so I thought Why not be future proof with 3d ready,hence i stated benq xl2420t in the 3dmonitor range.)

e] Samsung P2350
(It lacks a HDMI ,will it affect performance of signalling through DVI)
Is it the best 2d monitor in terms of performance .?If not please suggest something better

f] My preference for a moboard was the z68 vpro.but then i saw the z77-v and the z77v-pro
SABERTOOTH is good stuff but nothing exceptional except for the shield/armor

(noticed hardly any diff in the z77 v and z77-vpro ,so was planning to get z77-v till i saw maximum V gene)

which 1 will prove to be the best for long term ? please advice

I am a newbie to the technical aspects of gaming :lol:

PLEASE help

I5 2500K @ 12k
Asrock Z77 Extreme 4 @ 10k
8 GB RAM Gskill ripjaws @ 3k
1 TB HDD @ 5K
ASUS DVD ROM @ 1k
CORSAIR CARBIDE 400R @ 4.5K
ASUS GTX 680 @ 32K
RAZER GAME COMBO @ 4K
ALTEC LANSING BXR1221 @ 1.2K
SEASONIC 800W @ 6.3K
Samsung P2350 @ 10k
total 90k

Or Skip the GTX 680 and buy GTX 670 @ 26K

@Sandeep:
Why did you use such stupid font colors.

T

sandeep3010 said:
thnx for your wonderful specs

Can you please clear a few doubts i have :

a] i5 2500k (well I am planning to use this rig for a good period (around 4-5 yrs from build)

so will this processor survive future performance asking levels
or in that case the i72600k is better ?

b] sapphire hd 7870
I have never used a sapphire product. how reliable is it as a brand and
performance/build quality. (is it the best ?)
And if we are looking at the range of 16k only then wat Gcard will u suggest.

c] ATI over Nvidia (which is better ? )

I have never used ATI (so cannot comment on its performance, but what i have heard is "nvidia has better software n drivers then ATI )

d] do ATI cards support nvidia 3dvision technology
( I was planning to get a 3d monitor because monitors are something you dont buy/upgrade in short term. so I thought Why not be future proof with 3d ready,hence i stated benq xl2420t in the 3dmonitor range.)

e] Samsung P2350
(It lacks a HDMI ,will it affect performance of signalling through DVI)
Is it the best 2d monitor in terms of performance .?If not please suggest something better

f] My preference for a moboard was the z68 vpro.but then i saw the z77-v and the z77v-pro
SABERTOOTH is good stuff but nothing exceptional except for the shield/armor

(noticed hardly any diff in the z77 v and z77-vpro ,so was planning to get z77-v till i saw maximum V gene)

which 1 will prove to be the best for long term ? please advice

I am a newbie to the technical aspects of gaming PLEASE help

God knows whether i5 2500k would survive for 4-5 years or not. But it is more than enough for gaming for 2 years AT LEAST.
Spending on i7 2600k instead of i5 2500k would not give you significant increase in gaming performance, but spending on a better gpu with i5 will give significant increase when compared to i7 2600k+ some cheaper gpu. At high resolutions, gpu plays an important part.
If you want to stick to i7 2600k then either increase your budget or get a Sapphire HD 7850 for 15.8k.
AMD and Sapphire can be trusted, they are good brands. Sapphire isn't the best but one of the best. Right now nvidia has no Kepler(their latest gpu) in 15k -20k range. That is why we are suggesting AMD 7XXX series here because it easily outperforms the older nvidia series(Fermi).
If you want a nvidia card, then you'd have to wait for few months for the release of their mid range cards(most probably they'll outperform the amd 7xxx).
I have no experince with 3d gaming so I can't tell you about that. Maximus v gene is a uATX so the layout is a bit cramped. I'd suggest you to get the P8Z68v-pro for 14k. It will overclock the i5 like anything.
Samsung p2350 is a good monitor with a response time of 2 ms. If you have any other good monitor in mind then you can go for that. Just check the online reviews before choosing. According to me, going for a 3d monitor now doesn't make sense. Though it might make sense after a year or two, when we have large amount of 3d content to play around with.

My suggestion:

Intel Core I7-2600K @17k
Asus P8Z68-Vpro @15k
CoolerMaster Hyper212 EVO @2.1K (even if you do not overclock, you will need this cooler)
G.Skill RipjawsX 2X 4GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM @3.2k
WD caviar blue 1TB @5.2K
Corsair TX650V2 @ 6.5k
Corsair carbide 400R @5k
APC 1.1 kva ups @ 4.5k
Dell ST2320L @10.4K

Total: 68.9K

Do not buy graphics card at this moment. Wait for the release of low end kepler which will bring the price of GTX670 down to ~21K at some point of time. Then buy graphics card.
About 3D, if you use ATI, you have to use 3rd party drivers.

About motherboard: As you are going with 2nd gen i7 processor, buying Z77 motherboard at a higher price makes no sense as 2nd i5/i7 gen processors can't utilize the extra features like PCI-E3.0 present in Z77 boards. Thus making it work like Z68 boards.
Asus is way better & reliable than AsRock boards. At your budget (i.e. 85K) I would suggest you to strictly avoid AsRock boards.

IMP:
Do not try to compare prices of all the components in dollar & in money. You just can't.

S

@ d6bmg
Totally Right about the mobo part
As for the graphics aspect if OP goes with an ivy processor he can utilize the PCIe 3.0 taking into account that ivy+z77 are now similarly priced (compared to i7-2600K + z68)..However a little less frames (5-10 avg as I have read) than 2600K sometimes
Waiting some time for a low end kepler is a good choice..so if OP goes for Ivy, then HD4000 will let you play latest game in lower settings for the time being

My Suggestion--
1. Intel Core i5-3570K Processor 3.40 GHz - 16.5K..Primeabgb
2. Asus P8Z77-V PRO - 16K..Primeabgb
3. G.Skill RipjawsX 2X 4GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM - 3.2k...Theitdepot
4. Corsair carbide 400R - 4.5K...Theitdepot
5. Corsair Gaming Series Gold 800W (CMPSU-800G) - 6.7K...Theitdepot
6. WD Caviar Green WD20EARX 2TB SATA 6.0Gb - 7K..Primeabgb
7. Coolermaster TPC 812 CPU Cooler - 4.7K...Primeabgb

TOTAL - ~59K (excluding Monitor and GPU)

So you are left with 26K for Monitor and GPU , but I would hope you increase your budget and get a better graphics card than a 3D monitor (Personally 3D is more gimmicky)
Or else HD 7870 is a good card in that price bracket but you still need to increase in order for a monitor

yeah asus is good but if anything happen to your mb or have to rma it goodluck to you if can get it back resolved

dfcols71 said:
yeah asus is good but if anything happen to your mb or have to rma it goodluck to you if can get it back resolved

Couldn't agree more. Rashi is the deal breaker here. Would rather opt for Asrock instead of dealing with Rashi clowns.

dfcols71 said:
yeah asus is good but if anything happen to your mb or have to rma it goodluck to you if can get it back resolved

They are not as bad as you think.
Till this point of time, I've dealt with the so called 'worst Rashi in India' i.e. kolkata, at least 10-15 times and never had any issue with the replacement warranty.
Just don't show your 'attitude' there, and tell them everything with some sort of respect and they will listen to your word with dignity.

As far as I can remember what happened with a fellow member nicked 'Extremegamer' was perfectly right for him. He behaved very badly, and got the result.

P.S. Generally asus boards do not go kaput.

sabya said:
@ d6bmg
Totally Right about the mobo part
As for the graphics aspect if OP goes with an ivy processor he can utilize the PCIe 3.0 taking into account that ivy+z77 are now similarly priced (compared to i7-2600K + z68)..However a little less frames (5-10 avg as I have read) than 2600K sometimes
Waiting some time for a low end kepler is a good choice..so if OP goes for Ivy, then HD4000 will let you play latest game in lower settings for the time being

My Suggestion--
1. Intel Core i5-3570K Processor 3.40 GHz - 16.5K..Primeabgb
2. Asus P8Z77-V PRO - 16K..Primeabgb
3. G.Skill RipjawsX 2X 4GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM - 3.2k...Theitdepot
4. Corsair carbide 400R - 4.5K...Theitdepot
5. Corsair Gaming Series Gold 800W (CMPSU-800G) - 6.7K...Theitdepot
6. WD Caviar Green WD20EARX 2TB SATA 6.0Gb - 7K..Primeabgb
7. Coolermaster TPC 812 CPU Cooler - 4.7K...Primeabgb

TOTAL - ~59K (excluding Monitor and GPU)

So you are left with 26K for Monitor and GPU , but I would hope you increase your budget and get a better graphics card than a 3D monitor (Personally 3D is more gimmicky)
Or else HD 7870 is a good card in that price bracket but you still need to increase in order for a monitor

HD3000 was so called cr@p, and so would be HD4000.
About i5-3570K & i7-3770K, if you look at the reviews, their first few batch of production have heating problem & can't go beyond 4.8GHz (sometimes 4.9GHz) mark even with LN2. This virtually means, we can't go beyond 4.5GHz mark even with H100 or D14.

So, I can't consider i5-3570K as an upgrade over 2500K. Same point of thinking goes with i7-3770K & i7-2600K.

About PCI-E3.0, I've said it several times, its a marketing gimmick. Even HD7950 or GTX690 have shown negligible amount of improvement while running in PCI-E3.0 over PCI-E2.0. Nowadays, most of the cards available in the market, can't even utilize the power of PCI-E2.0 and this is a fact.
This implies to, practically, we need to wait at least next 2-3 years to get graphics card which can utilize PCI-E3.0

what about the mikeyaxe incident ,in general i dont really think it the fault of rashi after all asus has the final say in those matters, and its not just in india all over the world asus policy is the same in regards to mobos-agree to your point some asus boards are extremely good quality,but having said this does not give asus the right to say they can do wrong

S

dfcols71 said:
what about the mikeyaxe incident ,in general i dont really think it the fault of rashi after all asus has the final say in those matters, and its not just in india all over the world asus policy is the same in regards to mobos-agree to your point some asus boards are extremely good quality,but having said this does not give asus the right to say they can do wrong

hey i was planning to get a asus z77-v

as I feel a ROG MAXIMUM V GENE Is not practical in my case as I will not be using cooling features it provides for (dry ice,liquid nitrogen ) n plus it is a micro atx board

So I thought its better to go for a Full ATX , more spaced out board which will serve my purpose better

The question I have is:

ASUS z77-v is it a good gaming board n will it serve to be top performing for 3-4 yrs atleast.

If no, please suggest some other board

I see a lot of people using ASROCK

(personally I have never used products of this one,so cannot comment)

ASROCK vs ASUS

WHICH 1 better

specify specific model for the buy

OT: Its not about Asus, its about Rashi.
I mean to say they are not that bad as everyone think, and also not bad enough to choose Asrock/Biostar boards over Asus.

sandeep3010 said:
d] do ATI cards support nvidia 3dvision technology
( I was planning to get a 3d monitor because monitors are something you dont buy/upgrade in short term. so I thought Why not be future proof with 3d ready,hence i stated benq xl2420t in the 3dmonitor range.)

ATi Cards Officially do not support Nvidia 3dkit you need a Nvidia Graphics card supporting 3Dvision for it you need these :

Nvidia 3Dvision kit
3Dvision Ready monitor
Compatible Nvidia Graphics Card
PC with Vista/7

3D Vision System Requirements

There are Monitor available from brands like ViewSonic, LG which do support both AMD and Nvidia 3D. Price will be within 20K fro 23" displays.

S

*www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/N...TX670DC2T2GD5/

Guys I was planning to get the mentioned version of the GTX 670 by ASUS

Please advice , if this is a good buy

If not, suggest another with specific model details

T

At what price are you getting the gtx 670 ? AFAIK , GTX 670 is available for around 24k. You might need to sacrifice a 3d monitor if you go for that. Regarding the mobo, asus is surely a better brand than asrock. I'd suggest you to go for Asus P8Z68 V-PRO (14k) rather than P8Z77V.

sandeep3010 said:
*www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/N...TX670DC2T2GD5/

Guys I was planning to get the mentioned version of the GTX 670 by ASUS

Please advice , if this is a good buy

If not, suggest another with specific model details

It is a good buy. Price should be ~24K.

S

Well
as far now

we have decided on

BOARD : ASUS P8Z77-V

*www.asus.com/Motherboards/Int...t_1155/P8Z77V/

GPU : Asus GTX 670 DCUII TOP

*www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/N...TX670DC2T2GD5/

RAM : not decided . Please advice

PROCESSOR : intel i5 2500k or i5 3570k . Please advice

HDD : was planning to get a Seagate Barracuda 6.0gb/s 64mb 7200rpm 2TB

( Any other specific for gaming in the same price range , please advice)

SSD : Later this year for sure

Keyboard & Mouse : Please suggest ( Nothing expensive max around Rs 5000 for a combo set)

Monitor : NO 3D STUFF ! Please suggest a regular 2-D gaming monitor 23-24inches

Case : CORSAIR CARBIDE 400R

*www.corsair.com/pc-cases/carb...ower-case.html

(Is the size of this case suitable for ASUS P8Z77-V and considering there is a GTX 670 in there ?)

Also please suggest an alternative , just in-case this model is unavailable in Indian markets.

Power Supply : Please suggest one accordingly considering

there s a GTX 670 in
( Future REGULAR OC - (NO LIQUID COOLING STUFF )
couple of fans with present purchase
and future potential buy for cpu cooler for cpu OC)

S

I have accumulated the following data for my rig with various options.

Please help me shortlist to a single selection in each component

Motherboard:
1. ASUS P8Z77-V
2. ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
GPU:

ASUS GTX 670 DirectCU II TOP
Model No: GTX670-DC2T-2GD5

Processor:

1. Intel i5 2500k
2. Intel i5 3570k
3. Intel i7 2600k

RAM:
1. G-SKILL Rip-Jaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
2. G-Skill Sniper DDR3 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) PC RAM (F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR)3. CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
4. CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8

Power Supply:
1. Corsair CMPSU-700GUK 700 Watts PSU
2. Corsair CMPSU-650TXV2UK 650 Watts PSU
3. Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2UK 750 Watts PSU
4. Seasonic 750W Power Supply (SS-750JS)
5. Seasonic 850W Power Supply (SS-850AT)

Cabinet:
1. Corsair 400R Mid Tower Cabinet
2. Cooler Master HAF 912 Advanced Mid Tower Cabinet
3. Cooler Master Enforcer Mid Tower Cabinet
4. Thermaltake Commander MS-III Mid Tower Cabinet
5. Thermaltake V4 Black Edition Mid Tower Cabinet

Hard-Disk:
1. Seagate Barracuda 2 TB HDD Internal Hard Drive (ST200DM001) 6gb/s 64mb cache 7200rpm
2. Western Digital Caviar 2TB (7200 RPM) SATA 6GB/s 64MB (WD2002FAEX)

Monitor:
1. Benq 24 inch LED - RL2450H
2. Benq 24 inch LED - GL2450HM
3. Asus 24 inch LED - ML248H
4. Viewsonic 23.6 inch LED - VX2453MH
5. Benq 24 inch LED - RL2450H
6. Dell 23 inch LED - S2330MX

Mouse:

1. SteelSeries KINZU Optical Mouse Pro Gaming Black
2. Logitech G300 Gaming Mouse
3. Logitech Optical Gaming Mouse G400
4. Razer Death Adder 3500 DPI Mouse (Black)
5. Logitech Gaming Mouse G500

Mouse Pad:

1. Razer Goliathus - Fragged Omega Mouse Pad – Speed
2. Razer Goliathus - Fragged Omega Mouse Pad Control

Keyboard:

1. Razer Arctosa Gaming Keyboard (Silver)
2. Logitech Gaming Keyboard G105

Depending upon your budget. Please mention it.

S

Cilus said:
Depending upon your budget. Please mention it.

all the mentioned components are approx in the same price range.

Mention your budget in Indian currency 1st. Price conversion for the computer hardware is not simply dollar to money conversion, they're pretty higher than that in most cases.

S

RAM:

Requirement : 8gb 1600

Please advice.
I checked out the memory support list provided for V GENE by ASUS.

A few queries related to that:

1. Only the specified models for the various brands will work at the designated speed ?
2. Which of the following variation is better :
a) single 8gb stick
b) 2*4gb KIT
c) 2*4gb separate packing

In India the following RAM models are available for purchase. But these are NOT mentioned on the MEM Support PDF provided by ASUS for MAXIMUS V GENE.

Please brief me which one of these will work at the specified speed without any issues

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Model: CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9

Corsair Vengeance DDR3 4 GB (1 x 4 GB) PC RAM (CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9)

Corsair Vengeance DDR3 8 GB PC RAM (CMZ8GX3M1A1600C10)

Corsair Vengeance DDR3 4 GB (1 x 4 GB) PC RAM (CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9)

G.Skill RipjawsX 4 GB RAM (F3-12800CL9S-4GBXL)

G.Skill Sniper 4 GB RAM (F3-12800CL9S-4GBSR)

G.Skill Ripjaws 4 GB RAM (F3-12800CL9S-4GBRL)

G.Skill RipjawsX 4 GB RAM (F3-12800CL9D-4GBXL)

G.Skill Sniper 8 GB RAM (F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR)

G.Skill RipjawsX 8 GB RAM (F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL)

T

They do not have time to test all the models. Go for a 2x4 gb kit.

S

the_conqueror said:
They do not have time to test all the models. Go for a 2x4 gb kit.

Please specify a model from the available models stated above

G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) PC RAM (F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL)

Or 2x 4GB Modules-> Model no: F3-12800CL9S-4GBXL, whichever comes cheaper.

S

Nzxt Phantom 410

OR

2. Cooler Master HAF 912 Advanced Mid Tower Cabinet

CM has more features,more price,lighter. Larger fans, 1 front e-sata port
Nzxt has better build quality ,slightly lesser features,heavier. Looks good, Good cable management.

S

Myth said:
CM has more features,more price,lighter. Larger fans, 1 front e-sata port
Nzxt has better build quality ,slightly lesser features,heavier. Looks good, Good cable management.

so what is to be bought :-D

CM

S

sumonpathak said:
CM

yeaH !!