Gaming rig motherboard

thePh@r@oh · September 19th, 2009, 05:51 PM

Looking to do a gaming rig build. I want to go pretty hardcore without completely killing my bank account. So far I've only chosen video cards (dual ASUS nvidia GTX 275). What is a fairly hardcore mother board to pick up. I'm hoping to be able to put at least 8Gb of RAM preferably 12.

KarmaKiller · September 19th, 2009, 06:15 PM

Well, what CPU are you looking at? I7, I5, AM3, etc etc..

If your going "hardcore" I'm guessing probably i7 or i5. Lemme whip up a list real quick.

thePh@r@oh · September 19th, 2009, 06:21 PM

This was one I really dig on Newegg

Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55 WS SuperComputer LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

KarmaKiller · September 19th, 2009, 06:23 PM

CPU:
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Motherboard:
Newegg.com - ASRock X58 Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
(This is the first time I can think of that I've ever recommend a AsRock Motherboard, but TOMS did a review of this particular board, and it seems amazing for the price. Also, AsRock is Asus's "budget" line, so it's roughly the same quality)

RAM:
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8T-3GBHK - Desktop Memory

PSU:
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
That will handle 2x 275's/285's, pretty much whatever you want.

I'm not gonna pick out a case, that's personal preference really. For a OS I'd definitely say check into Windows 7.
For GPU's, 2x 275's are equivilant to 1xGTX 295. So if you find one of those cheaper, look into it. Or perhaps get one of those now, and you'll have another PCIe slot open for an upgrade later.

KarmaKiller · September 19th, 2009, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thePh@r@oh

This was one I really dig on Newegg

Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55 WS SuperComputer LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

Umm, I really think your barking up the wrong tree there. P55 chipset supports max 16x across one PCIe slot, or 8x/8x across 2 PCIe slots. 3x slots would drop it down to something like 8x/4x/4x, which would cripple any decent GPU you had installed.
You should really be looking at a X58/I7 setup. You'll get the most out of your money that way.

Sorry for the double post.

JLK03F150 · September 19th, 2009, 06:32 PM

Microcenter has the best deals on LGA1156 i5 & i7 if you go that route. They will not perform as well with dual cards, but will be fine if you get one dual GPU card.
Core i5 is here...

The X58, i7 LGA1366 will give you an upgrade path to i9 too.

thePh@r@oh · September 19th, 2009, 07:28 PM

So far...

Case: Watched a review on 3dgameman and fell in love with the case...
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

Ram: I needed a lot because I run photoshop as well
Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M4A1600C9 - Desktop Memory

Maybe removing this-> Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 - Desktop Memory

Video: Dual
Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 - Desktop Memory

mostly because the 295 still costs more

PSU:
Newegg.com - ENERMAX REVOLUTION85+ ERV950EWT 950W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Compatible w/Core i7 Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies

HDD: 2x in RAID 0
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3750528AS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

1x as mass storage
Newegg.com - Western Digital RE3 WD1002FBYS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

Monitor:
Newegg.com - Hanns·G HG-281DPB Black 28" 3ms Widescreen LCD HDMI Monitor 500 cd/m2 800:1 Built-in Speakers - LCD Monitors

Optical:
Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Disc Combo Model iHES208-08 LightScribe Support - Blu-Ray Drives

MoBo:
Newegg.com - ASRock X58 Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

Still looking at CPUs, mice and keyboards

KarmaKiller · September 19th, 2009, 07:43 PM

Wow.. couple things here.

1. X58 supports triple channel ram, P55 supports Dual channel ram. So make sure you pick accordingly. 2xdimm stick is dual channel, 3x dimm stick is triple.

2. Enermax makes great PSU's, but there is no reason to spend that much on that PSU. Corsair is pretty much known as the best PSU manufactures anymore, so I really don't see why you feel the need to spend $140 more for a PSU that's probably of equal build quality.

3. I have heard some not so good things about the LCD you have picked out. Mervteck (another TIMO member) is on his 2nd one of those in under 6 months. The backlight keeps dieing on his. He's kind of got me talked out of those.
However, there is this:
Newegg.com - LG W2753V-PF Black 27" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Full HD 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 400 cd/m2 50000:1 w/ Smart Package - LCD Monitors
LG is also known for their very high quality screens.

EDIT:
I'm not trying to "nit pick" or anything, I'm just trying to help.

thePh@r@oh · September 19th, 2009, 08:01 PM

What about Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model HX3X12G1600C9 G - Desktop Memory

KarmaKiller · September 19th, 2009, 08:03 PM

yes, that will work with a X58 chipset/board.