Turnip's First Build

ErrorNullTurnipErrorNullTurnip Illinois Icrontian
edited May 2011 in Hardware
Hardware experts of Icrontic, I need your advice! I'm looking into building my first machine and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or suggestions for parts.

I'm designing this for gaming and would like to make it somewhat future-proof as well. For starters, I'd like to get a good Motherboard/CPU/RAM/Power supply working but later upgrade the video cards. I'd like to eventually do 2-way Crossfire as well as add a SSD.

I've decided to go with an Intel CPU as they are the most powerful right now. I'm thinking of using a 2500K to overclock up around 4 GHz. However, I'm wondering if I'll run into serious performance problems with Crossfire since I can only do x8 and not x16 on both channels. Would it be better to get a 900 series instead for this reason? Also, what kind of memory limits are there for the 2500K? I've heard 24 GB is not possible.

Not sure about what Motherboard to get yet. I'll need something with at least 2 PCI x16 slots for video cards and 2 SATA III's for SSDs.

Looking at either a Noctua NH-D14 or a Thermalright Silver Arrow for air cooling and a 1 KW power supply. Still undecided on RAM, thinking 4 GB for now. Any preferences for RAM manufacturers?

Your thoughts?

Comments

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    These are your options:

    1) Buy 2500K now, get 8x/8x CrossFire. Dual channel DDR3. This platform will be outdated by two more within 2011.

    2) Buy Intel 900 Series now, get 16x/16x CrossFire. Triple channel DDR3. This platform is already outdated (2500K), and will be outdated a second and third time within 2011.

    3) Wait for AMD Bulldozer, get 16x/16x CrossFire. DDR3 channels unknown. This platform may or may not be outdated once within 2011.

    4) Wait for Intel Sandy Bridge-E in the fall, get 16x/16x CrossFire. Quad channel DDR3. This platform will not be outdated in 2011.
  • ErrorNullTurnipErrorNullTurnip Illinois Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Thrax wrote:
    4) Wait for Intel Sandy Bridge-E in the fall, get 16x/16x CrossFire. Quad channel DDR3. This platform will not be outdated in 2011.

    Oooh! Very tempting... I hadn't heard about this. I may end up waiting...
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Good plan. You'll also have cheaper SSDs and newer video cards then as well.
  • ErrorNullTurnipErrorNullTurnip Illinois Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Right. The only problem is that there will always be cooler stuff the longer I wait.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Certainly, but there are times when seems better to wait. Buy now and watch your hardware get usurped by two more platforms this year, or buy in five months and take home the gold for an indeterminate amount of time in the future.

    If you really want to buy now, though, I can point you in the right direction.
  • ErrorNullTurnipErrorNullTurnip Illinois Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    I'll wait until it's released later this year. Plan on some nagging then.
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