Redo on my original build concept including SLI and a diff Mo'Bo, please help!

[drewpnutz]

Hi again guys, This post is in reference to my previous build idea, which is here:

http://www.techist.com/forums/f76/b...ughts-my-specs-250015/index2.html#post1934823

So after my previous post, i've done some thinking. I find myself wanting to buy a next gen pc on the cusp of new technology (PCIe 3.0, ivy bridge & new gfx card generation) and i'm now reconsidering.

My original build had an ASROCK Z68 pro Gen 3 that included the PCIe 3.0 ports. With this advantage over other Z68 boards I was interested in where PCIe 3.0 would take me. Having the capabilities of upgrading my board to pcie 3.0 would be worth the extra $60 but I was just turned off by the online return policies on Motherboards from newegg and i'd prefer to buy locally from fry's electronics because of a better and easier return policy.

Does anyone have any insight on purchasing mo'bos online and the return policies that accompany them?

Unfortunately I find myself unable to wait for these new products to hit shelves or for the price point on the current products to go down. I've decided to can the PCIe 3.0 and just build a pc that will still be a good build, just not top of the line anymore in 4-6 mos. I've decided on a ASUS P8Z68-V Mo'Bo (my first choice would've been GB, but they only had one mo'bo there and it was the display mo'bo),

I was also schooled on SLI a bit when I went into the store to talk to the gentleman. I'm a n00b when it comes to SLI, but he made it pretty simple to understand, I can have one gfx card processing phsyX and one rendering since i'm looking at the GTX series gfx. This seems like a great option and it looks like most people here are utilizing this function.

I currently have a GTS 250 on my Q6600 build that i'm selling, I did some research and found that the GTS 250 and GTX 580 (which is what I want to purchase) drivers aren't compatible, which sucks!! (according to this link here = gtx 580 with a gts 250 - NVIDIA Forums )

Do you think it would be worth it to get a 470 and utilize my gts 250, since it's stated in the previous link that they are compatible? or go all out and get a 470 to do phsyx and also get a 580 to do rendering?? Have you had any success with SLI with these series of GFX cards?

Also, when I was in Fry's, I showed the gentleman, who seemed to be very knowledgeable on gaming pcs, my build concept. He thought everything looked good, but told me that I would want to get 16GB of RAM (4x4GB) instead of the 8GB. I was told differently in my thread and also in my research in this matter, that 8GB is really only necessary for PC gaming. His reasoning is because, it would be better for performance if I were to ever upgrade my RAM in the future, in that, i'd want to get the exact same RAM and it may not be available in the future. Can anyone comment on that??

Anyway, enough n00b babble, here's my new specs, please leave your thoughts or questions, I appreciate the help, Thanks!

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New Build


Online(newegg)
Case&PSU: Corsair 500R/Corsair TX750 = $214.98
SSD: Mushkin enhanced chronos deluxe 240GB Sata III=$484.99
HDD: WD 1TB 7200 RPM Sata 6GB/s=$79.99
RAM: G. Skill ripjaw 8GB = $69.99
In-store (frys)
Cpu Cooling: Corsair H100 = $109.99
Mo'Bo: Asus p8Z68-V Pro 1155 = $199.99
CPU: Intel i7 2600K = $314.99
GFX: Evga gtx 580 SLI w/Evga gtx 470 (physx)= $159.99 + $499.99

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[Prophet]

i never suggest waiting for the next generation to come, because you wait and wait and wait and you get the newest, most expensive hardware. Then 2 months later they release refined versions of said hardware which will continue for at least 6 months. Then they release a new revision of the same technology then 8-10months later another generation is released. Its the frustrating part of computer technology. just buy what you want and dont look back. Just make sure to buy an EVGA card so you can step it up I didnt know you could run a 470 with a 580, thats a good idea. You should check some benchmarks! DDr3 ram is pretty cheap now, you can get a 16gb kit for under 150$ Usually a good idea to stick with the same ram, so thats why he probably recommended getting all 16gb now. But that will be a very powerful build!

**edit** If those benchmarks are impressive let me know so I can steal your idea

 

[Roark]

From what I've read there isn't a whole lot of benefit from running a dedicated PhysX card anymore.
If you're worried about GPU performance and you're willing to drop the cash on a 470+580, why not just SLi two 570s?

I'm going to assume the gentleman you showed your build to is the one you'll be buying from and hes trying to milk you for more cash.
16GB is overkill plain and simple, you can game just fine on 4GB still.
By the time you need to upgrade from 8GB you'll probably be ready to rebuild altogether, and who knows what RAM we'll be using then.

Thats just my take on it though.
There is nothing wrong with having 16GB of RAM, or a dedicated PhysX card.

 

[Prophet]

I looked into this a little more, the guy was misleading you. Using a dedicated graphics card for physx is not SLI. SLI can only be configured with two similar cards. Using a dedicated card for physx will actually kill your frame rate unless the game supports physx. BF3 will not support physx and I cant find a single upcoming game that will. So this seems like a dead end.

if you want to SLI, go with Roark's suggestion. Or just SLI two 580's! or better yet, two 590's!