CPU: i5-2500k (overclocked to 4.8ghz)
MOBO: Asus P8Z68-V PRO
GPU: PNY Liquid Cooled GTX580
RAM: 16gb (4x4) G.Skill DDR3-1600
STORAGE: Corsair F3 180gb + Corsair F240 + 2TB Hitachi 64mb 7200rpm HDD
Optical: LG 24x DVDRW
PSU: 900W Rocketfish
CASE: Antec 300 (modded)
OS: Windows 7 x64 Premium
MISC: Corsair H100 CPU Cooling

Approximate cost= $1800

My goal building this was to get 5ghz which sadly I failed (sort of). It requires some very high voltages (~1.5v, which is the very maximum for Sandy Bridge cpus) for my to run 5ghz with any stability, not the sort of 24/7 overclock I can live with. So I settled for 1.4v @ 4.8ghz.

I had seen over at overclock.net, another forum member had modified his Antec 300 to hold a H100 by removing the 3.5" drive cages. I decided to give this a go as well, popping the rivets was pretty easy and here is the result-



I also knew that with all my expansion room limited to 3 5.25" bay's that I would have to make some important storage decisions because adding anything later (other than an external harddrive) will be a real pain. I'm quiet proud of my storage choices, really not a single part of it is 'slow'. The Corsair F3 180gb is partitioned into 2 parts - a ~ 103gb boot drive and a 64gb partition for SRT (Intel's Smart Response Technology, cache for the 2tb hdd). This might seem pointless or overkill but I like the idea that it will automatically and intelligently swap the most commonly used files without me micromanaging it.The F240 will be storage for my favorite games.

Now after putting it all together, I regret being cheap on my choice of case. Modding the Antec 300 was fun (and cheap) but it was never great for cable management to begin with. With all my storage devices crammed into the 5.25 bays, it became quite a mess in the upper half of the case. I managed to secure the cables away from all the fans, but it looks like crap. I'm glad I don't have a side window.
Pic:



After spending forever trying to get a stable 5ghz at less than deadly voltages, I gave up and settled on 4.8ghz @ 1.4v. So then finally I got around to overclocking the GTX580. Standard GTX580's run at 772mhz and the PNY Liquid Cooled one comes standard at 847mhz. With a small voltage bump, I overclocked that to 950mhz. I was dreaming about 1ghz, but I'm less disappointed about this than the cpu overclock.

Some benchmarks:

3dmark11: P7649
3dmark Vantage: P28445
3dmark06: 33198
SuperPI 1M: 7s

I almost made it 2yrs since my last computer build, hopefully I can get 2 more years out of this one. (I'll probably add a 2nd gtx580 when they are available for <$200).

Link to the previous computer bragging thread for comparison: http://forums.massassi.net/vb3/showthread.php?56016-Shameless-Bragging-about-my-New-PC

so this has become my new 'hey i'm building a pc' thread. I'll just copypasta that ****.

oh hey is there a ~$1200-1400 beginner's version

Aw, I would have got a much cheaper PSU and sprung for the 2600, yo. Also, there was no reason to get the K-series. You can save ~$10-15 by getting the model without the K. The ONLY difference is a slower onboard Intel GPU, which obviously makes no difference here.

It should be easy for you to build something crazy fast and hit your target budget. Granted I got a lot of good deals and reused my Case & Win7 OS, but my graphics card cost a lot more than most people would spend on theirs and I invested nearly the same amount in SSD's.

The difference with the (K) series doesnt have to do with integrated graphics. The (K) series have unlocked multipliers. You can't get much overclock out of a non-K processor. I would have been stuck at 3.7ghz. And that PSU is very inexpensive, you really can't even get it new anymore but it's the cheapest PSU I could find that's certified to handle GTX580 SLI.

Ah, NewEgg lies on specs then, cause the only difference it listed was the Intel GPU. Not that I'd care anyway, I find overclocking to that level to not be even remotely worth the effort or cost.

Also, SLI is a waste of money

Actually you might be right about the integrated graphics. I found the same information repeated on Intel's website. About the SLI thing, If you were running some triple monitor setup at insane resolution then SLI or Crossfire is pretty much required, but for me. It probably is a waste of money. And yet I'll probably still do it.

Does this mean you're giving away more computers soon?

Can't say yet still waiting on some things to pan out. But the computer I was using previously (the i7-920) won't be given away here, I have found another home for it.

Going SLI/Crossfire in an Antec 300 is a pain. I know, I've got two 5870s stuffed into mine. I actually get benefit from it though (on games that support it at least) since I'm driving a 30" LCD with it. My next computer will be in a bigger case though.

Yep that's the exact setup I was running before.

That's one hell of a PC, Tris. I hope to build a new one some time next year. I'll have to ask for your input.

By the way. My brothers are very happy to have a working computer again.

I got 2GB of RAM the other day. Does that count for anything?

Still running 32bit XP so :downs:

I guess that puts you ahead of most smart phones.

SLI isn't really a waste of money if you use it to boost an older graphics card. I bought the 8800gts around the time it came out, then bought another 8800gts about 2-3 years later for 40 bucks. Was able to play all the latest games on the highest settings without blowing dough on a new high-end gfx card, and could for another year or two.

Or you could have saved that $40 and gotten a far better video card that would have lasted longer, and supported DX11.

You'd need several times that to get a better card.

I think you and I both know the way he puts it and how it actually is, are two very different things. 8800GTS, even in SLI, would get circles ran around it today, and would actually support more (important) DX11 features.

I never compared my SLI setup to cards out today. I bought my 8800gts in 2007. Bought my second one for $40 late 2008/early 2009 (DX11 came out officially in late 2009 with Win7, so I gave no ****s). Best card out at the time was a GTX280. Benchmark scores for 8800GTS SLI and GTX280 were the same. Can you buy a GTX280 for $40? I think not.

My point was that I could get the same level of performance over the course of 3-4 years for a cheaper price by buying a high-end card, then buying the same one a couple years later (outdated at this point) and using SLI/CF, instead of buying a high-end card twice.

My point was that this is a fat load of bull****. The last card I could find in Newegg's system was still $110 when it was deactivated in mid 2009.

Oh, and DX11 was just an example of what you lose out on. Those 8800GTS's? Not capable of h264 video decoding at all.

Bought it on eBay since no retailer was carrying it at the time. Tried to be civil with you but you never fail to look like an ******, both physically and in words.

Also, don't really give a **** about whether or not the 8800s can handle h264 video decoding. I can still play h264 videos just fine with the i7-920. Please, don't make me feel more contempt towards you than I already feel, or else I might really hurt your feelings :(.

Haha. You are terrible at insulting people.

Oh, that's always a solid idea, buying cheap crap off of eBay! Well that's a solid business plan, let me just get behind that! And gee, no retailer carrying the card? I just can't imagine why that would be!



Yeah, you're right, who would ever care about some feature found in every single card since the GT series. It's not like it reduces CPU usage by an obnoxious margin, results in smoother playback, frees up the CPU to do other things, and wraps it up in a nice package of far, far less power usage.

I guess getting called out hurts your feelings?

I think you guys are being really stubborn about this SLI/Crossfire debate. There are pros and cons, not every situation is the same. EVGA.com and Geeks.com both carry refurbished 8800gts (320mb version) for $40, if you were looking for a more reliable retailer.

I'm coming from 2x5870's. In some way's that crossfire pairing out performs my current overclocked gtx580 probably by 10%. In many other ways I prefer the single GPU setup I have now. I could have keep that configuration and just upgraded the motherboard/cpu/ram, if I was on a budget that probably would have been the way to go. I guess as I get older I'm moving away from smart price/performance decisions and leaning towards a pure performance based decisions. I don't know if I will SLI for certain. In a year's time I'll look at the new flagships GPU offering from both camps and make a decision. But I like having the SLI/Crossfire option.

Because it's old you ****ing manchild.



Movies run just fine with an 8800 and an i7. Can't be any smoother. Also, I guess I should be worried about your other ****ty reasons because I'm running a CFD simulation in the background while watching movies 24/7 because I have no life just like you. Come on, lay off the crack.

Why the hell are you sperging out about SLI, seriously find something better to waste your time arguing about.
You're wrong too, SLI is a waste. HTH.

You still really suck at insulting people.

people getting butthurt over how people spend their money/build computers itt

You didn't spend your money the way I did, so clearly you're an idiot and should go DIAF!

Cute how you ignored the other 4 reasons I gave just to pass on an "insult". Of course I would have no life for perhaps wanting to save energy, not listen to my CPU fan spin up like a jet, and maybe actually use my CPU for other purposes while I watch videos! But I guess running Folding@Home while watching a movie makes me a guy with no life, eh?



You'd think that was what this was about, but it ain't, really. I couldn't care less if people want to blow money on SLI, just don't spread BS about the numbers.

I'm going to settle this argument right here you're both being retarded for arguing over something that doesn't matter over the internet. Ragna's the bigger retard but I could have some bias from his posting history and my desire to be standing there laughing as he dies in a fire. CM is still retarded for letting himself get pulled into an argument with ragna.

Who says I got pulled in?

RAGNA ANGARY

... A hammer?

What the hell did you need a hammer for?

... Oh. rivets I guess... still.

ragna, your retard.

Yep, I don't own any fancy tools. Had to hammer them out.

Breaking News: This ****-fest has caused the guys at HardOCP to change their website to HardONS.

I thought I was the only one who felt this.

I have an 8600GT. Is that considered slow nowadays? Huh.

An 8600GT is waaay behind these days for anything more then web browsing, even integrated Intel is faster.