Next gaming rig purchase

espeed

In Runtime
Messages
351
Hi there, been years since i posted here, im an old old member :p Im lookin to replace my gaming system which is extrememly long in the tooth now but remarkably still plays the latest games quite well :p

Ive read a few posts and taken on board some information with a small amount of research of my own to this point, which has given me the following list of components.

CPU - Intel Core i7 3820 3.6GHz Socket 2011 Box SB
Mainboard - Asus P9X79
Ram - Gskill Rip Jaws 1600 4x4GB
GPU - GTX 680
HDD (for general storage) - Seagate Baracuda 64MB 1TB for general storage
SSD (for operating system and games) - Unsure of best brand here, new to these......
Cooling - Corsair Hydro H100
Case - Corsair Vengeance Black (over full towers, to big, need to be more mobile for lans)
PSU - Will retain my current enermax
Sound - I dunno!! been looking at the asus cards which look the business.....suggestions would be nice :)

I thought long and hard on the CPU and decided not to take an IB core based on HT not really being a requirement at this stage still. To me the SB core cpu seems a better choice and is a little cheaper...runs at a nice clock speed to and some nice head room with added cooling of the hydro H100. Ram is nice and compatible with mainboard

All up im lookin at around 1.5k US$ not including shipping to NZ (have a mate living in US you can recieve for me and send them on)

I would like the pros to pick my selections apart if required, i just need to know if im close to an optimum system for the cash...... thanks.
 
Last edited:
If you go with the X79 platform then get the 3930k, if not, stick with the 3570k and a good Z77 board. IB is faster per core and that is better for gaming. The only good thing going for the 2011 platform is the hex cores which won't grant you any extra FPS during games.

If you wait a few months, Haswell (the successor to IB) will come out. A 4570k and Z87 board will outperform both the 3820 and 3570k in terms of gaming due to it being 10% faster overall than IB. The 3820 itself is just kind of a pointless chip IMO.

As for SSD brand, Corsair, Samsung, or Intel will do. Neutron GTX, 840pro, or 520 respectfully.

Do you have a sound system or set of cans that can take advantage of a newer sound card? If you don't then stick with your current one. I go back and forth between onboard and my Xtreme Music depending on if I'm playing guitar or not.

For the money though, I would just get a 3770k, good Z77 board, and call it a day. Just make sure you get the 4GB version of the 680 like the eVGA FTW+ model.
Unless you plan on spending 500-600 on an IB-E chip this holiday season there isn't a point going with socket 2011.
 
Just what i needed thanks, ill make the change and push purchase out a little to get new core. I had the pricing wrong, it was more like 1.5k than 2k.

I have open can headphones that i use mainly but i also run the pc through an onkyo nr515 receiver to some big wharfdale tower speakers for fun. Mainly music, movies and games if im alone in the house :p So yeah that asus zonar essence stx seems like a good choice....
 
Just what i needed thanks, ill make the change and push purchase out a little to get new core. I had the pricing wrong, it was more like 1.5k than 2k.

I have open can headphones that i use mainly but i also run the pc through an onkyo nr515 receiver to some big wharfdale tower speakers for fun. Mainly music, movies and games if im alone in the house :p So yeah that asus zonar essence stx seems like a good choice....
Specs on the two don't differ a whole lot besides the headphone amp on the Asus, but the drivers for Asus sound cards can be a royal pain sometimes.

IMO money would be better spent on an external DAC/Headphone amp and then just output video/audio via HDMI to your receiver. That way you have uncompressed digital audio without the need for DACs or audio garble in the middle.

now thats trippy, you joined the same year and month as me :p
Been around since 2002 but in and out since 04. I think I started posting again in 2012.
 
ok I havent looked into external amps, can you recommend a starting point? thanks again for your help ...
 
In regards to running my sound straight from soundcard to receiver, its currently the simple output jack running off the soundcard to rca input into the receiver. Id love to make use of the coaxial or optical digital in on the receiver for this but understand i need some sort of converter box? its been a while since i looked into this. If i could finally sort this out then i guess i could skip the DAC unit altogether and simply run everything through the receiver including headphones (id need an extension cord for headphones as receiver unit sits away from the PC). Im thinking you have the answer for this? :p
 
Already answered that. HDMI out from your video card to your receiver. It sends uncompressed 7.1 audio which is the easiest way, plus you can get your movies and such to your TV that way.

Headphones will still need a good DAC. For the headphones, I still suggest the FiiO device I linked earlier. It's a headphone amp and DAC in one, and hooks up via toslink or USB.
 
ok can you go into a bit more detail as to how audio gets out through my video card? It transmits from the soundcard through the mainboard and out via video card HDMI? Does it require some of those extra functions that come with the video card drivers? Sorry Im stunned that this can work.....
 
Back
Top Bottom