Seeking advice of mobo & ram for i5-2500K

[MadTommy]

Hi, I'm planning on an upgrade to get the most out of DCS. But with so many options I'm seeking a bit of advice.

 

The one thing I'm fairly set on is Intel Core i5-2500K CPU. This seems to be the best option in regards to performance vs price. I plan to overclock it.

 

I want quality kit that can overclock well, but want good value for my money. I need a full size board..SLI support, plenty of USB ports, 2 full PCI slot.

 

I was considering these to go with it...

• Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard [GA-Z68XP-UD3P] for £129.98
  
• Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit for £64.99
  

What do you think.. any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

(Upgrading from Dual core E8400 @3.6Ghz, Gigabyte EP45-DS3R & Corsair 2x2GB 1066MHz)

(kit that wil be reused: GTX480, x-fi extreme music)

[Pilotasso]

I got I52500K for a year and it overclocks well! (could easly push to 5Ghz with even better cooling).

 

As for memory, its better to get a kit of low latency rather than high clock rates. And overclocking them yelds little benifit. Its good policy to keep costs down on this front.

For example:

8GB GSKILL RIPJAW X DDR3 1600MHZ (7-8-7-24)

Avoid timings like 9-9-9-9 or higher.

 

 

Your choice of motherboard is fine. :) My personal preferrence goes to ASUS (probably because I know them better than other brands).

All of the AUS models i would recommend are:

-ASUS P8Z68-V GEN3 (has PCI-E Gen 3)

-ASUS P8Z68-V PRO GEN3 (higher end and more expensive version, see if it gets anything extra you need).

 

 

Also I advise a good cooler, not the standard Intel one.

You can opt for Noctuas NH-D14 (check if it fits first LOL) or a much simpler and compact design like Cosairs H60 (performance compares with noctuas but much smaller) or H80 for superior performance (there ARE even better coolers, but the price... :D )

 

Personally I like hybrid systems like these H series best. It leaves things simple, ordered and easy to reach when doing maintenance inside my case, not to mention they dont recirculate hot air from other components to the cooler.

Edited March 10, 2012 by Pilotasso

[MadTommy]

Thanks for taking the time to help,

 

I do have a arctic cooler 7, might be a bit cheap, will consider replacing it. But its kept my present oc cpu cool.

 

I've been using Gigabyte for ages, hence why i went for that brand.. i know Asus are also good. I'll have a read up on your suggestions.

 

 

8GB G.Skill DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz RipjawsX Series for Sandy Bridge (8-8-8-24) is the closest to your suggestion i have found so far here in the UK...

 

Personally I like hybrid systems like these H series best. It leaves things simple, ordered and easy to reach when doing maintenance inside my case, not to mention they dont recirculate hot air from other components to the cooler.

 

Sorry what do you mean by hybrid systems?

[Pilotasso]

They are water coolers infact, but they are much less complicated, you only get one loop, from CPU to the radiator and they come ready to install as a single piece like air coolers and Installs just like them. They dont require special bays inside the case, only the normal CPU mount and an existing standard exhasut vent that usualy is located near the socket (no complex tubing or sepearte pumps, resevoirs or radiator blocks from dedicated water kits). You almost forget they have water in them. Thats why some call them hybrid.

 

Its a tehcnical abuse because all aircoolers and watter coolers all rely on the same phenomena: transfer of heat thru convection of the air. The only difference between them is that watter coolers have an extra cooling stage between the CPU and the air: water.

 

You should be good with CL8's RAM as well. Some of these quicker Ripjaws CL7´s have sold out over here too, I thought you had a better chance finding them in a bigger market over there.

Edited March 10, 2012 by Pilotasso

[asparagin]

The noctua NH D14 is very nice equipment. Quality and detail. It is a good investment, if you have the space for it as P pointed out.

About mobo: I went for Asus (see specs), but was not impressed by the manufacturing: cheap plastic, one of the heatsinks was loose.. it does a good job but poorly build. I still haven't found a mobo manufacturer that makes something qualitative (I had foxconn before). I think mobos should be robust hardware able to hold heavy coolers and GCs..

[MadTommy]

I have found some Ripjaws CL7.. on dabs.com.

 

I think i'm gonna stick to Gigabyte, they have always done me well. i wont touch Foxcomm.. had a nightmare with one of their boards & they wouldn't RMA it.

 

Anyone think it is worth getting more than 8 GB Ram? That seems plenty to me, probably more than needed. I have no interest in RAM drives or similar, i have an SSD.

 

I'll do some digging into cooling solutions..thanks for your advise.

[Pilotasso]

OK, have fun building doent forget to post results cheers!

[emenance]

I got I52500K for a year and it overclocks well! (could easly push to 5Ghz with even better cooling).

 

As for memory, its better to get a kit of low latency rather than high clock rates. And overclocking them yelds little benifit. Its good policy to keep costs down on this front.

For example:

8GB GSKILL RIPJAW X DDR3 1600MHZ (7-8-7-24)

Avoid timings like 9-9-9-9 or higher.

 

 

Your choice of motherboard is fine. :) My personal preferrence goes to ASUS (probably because I know them better than other brands).

All of the AUS models i would recommend are:

-ASUS P8Z68-V GEN3 (has PCI-E Gen 3)

-ASUS P8Z68-V PRO GEN3 (higher end and more expensive version, see if it gets anything extra you need).

 

 

Also I advise a good cooler, not the standard Intel one.

You can opt for Noctuas NH-D14 (check if it fits first LOL) or a much simpler and compact design like Cosairs H60 (performance compares with noctuas but much smaller) or H80 for superior performance (there ARE even better coolers, but the price... :D )

 

Personally I like hybrid systems like these H series best. It leaves things simple, ordered and easy to reach when doing maintenance inside my case, not to mention they dont recirculate hot air from other components to the cooler.

 

That is some good advice. I went with the zalman 9500 and it works fine for the 2500k . Cheap too.

 

The memory I kept at the 1.5 voltage for the sake of the cpu. So went with the corsairs. No regrets.

I didnt like the UD3 Its proven one but stacked up against to Gen 3 boards, its not worth it. The p8z68 is the best option unless you want to spend over $300 bucks for a mb.

[spikenet]

Anyone think it is worth getting more than 8 GB Ram? That seems plenty to me, probably more than needed. I have no interest in RAM drives or similar, i have an SSD.

 

I'll do some digging into cooling solutions..thanks for your advise.

 

If 16GB is not much more then why not.. but yes, its enough at this point in time for most things.

 

Cooling is definitely a critical part of the chain. I'd suggest one of the top air-coolers.

 

FWIW I use a ASROCK Z68 gen3. Great board, nice and cheap and no fancy crap I'll never use included. (they are made by ASUS)

 

cheers

[spikenet]

16G of ram is excessive , I currently use 8G and I run a lot of VM's at the

same time and it is fine , I suppose if you or are you doing alot of video /photo editing you might need more

 

yeah your right. I got 16gb as it was so rediculously cheap. I ran a ramdisk for VM and temp files but ended up having issues with some software installs that didnt like the ramdisk for temp files. I still run a pagefile on it. It is lightning fast.

 

I do lots of photo editing but 8GB would be fine for that.

[MadTommy]

Hey lads.. due to an expensive few months.. my upgrade went on hold. Should have the spare cash this month, so...here is my present shopping basket.

• Gigabyte SKT-1155 Z68XP-UD3P (Rev 1.0) - £117.21
  
• 8GB G.Skill DDR3 PC3-10666 RipjawsX (7-7-7-21) Dual Channel kit - £43.00
  
• Intel Sandybridge i5-2500K - £157.18
  
• Total: £317.39
  

I'm looking for a little advice on RAM.. and cooler for overclocking.

 

On the RAM front what do you make of my choice?.. TBH my eyes glaze over looking at all the choice & options, so many variables. So I would appreciate some reassurance that i'm getting the best for my money.

 

Regarding overclocking & cooling, I have an "Arctic freezer 7 pro" that has served me well, good cooler. But quite cheap. The ones suggested above retail at about £60, do you think they are necessary?

 

This is my Arctic freezer 7 pro..

 

Ideally i'd like to be pushing towards 4.5Ghz... not sure if that is reasonable with this cooler. I do have a Cooler Master CM 690 case that is well cooled and i keep it clear of dust etc. it has 5 120mm fans in it.

 

Thanks for any advice. (As soon a my juicy cheque from the tax man arrives, that has been promised this month, I'll be going shopping!, Nothing like paying too much tax!) :hehe:

Edited June 11, 2012 by MadTommy

[MadTommy]

Does your artic freezer have the correct mount for your new mobo ?

 

I'm pretty sure it does, but not 100% certain.

[asparagin]

dude...

 

[MadTommy]

Eh?

 

Not sure what your point is.. looks like a micro mobo with a monster cooler....you've lost me.

[Hamblue]

Corsair also has a couple of great sealed water systems that are priced decent.

I run the H-60 and the case is much cooler.

http://www.corsair.com/hydro-series-h60-cpu-cooler.html

The radiator sits on the rear fan and dumps the cpu heat directly outside.

They also have a larger H80 and H100.

All are great for overclocking

[MadTommy]

Yeah the H-60/80 does look tempting..

 

Think i'm gonna switch to the ivy bridge chip, after further research it would seem to make sense. Very little in it, but low power usage is the main factor for me.

[asparagin]

Eh?

Not sure what your point is.. looks like a micro mobo with a monster cooler....you've lost me.

 

NH-D14 is worth all the money. Really quality by design and silent.

[Pilotasso]

The advantage of the H series is that those systems are much more compact than a comparable air cooler. Lots of room to work inside the case not to mention better airflow.

 

I went from a TUNIQ 120 to an H60, its 1/3 of the size of the fromer.

[MadTommy]

Decided to go for the lastest cpu & chipset. If i'm gonna upgrade i might as well get the version that should last the longest. My present mobo & cpu has lasted over 4 years.. i hope this does the same.

• Asus P8Z77-V Motherboard
  
• Intel 3rd Generation Core i5-3570K CPU
  
• 8GB G.Skill DDR3 PC3-10666 RipjawsX Series for Sandy Bridge (7-7-7-21)
  
• Corsair CWCH60 Water Cooler
  

 

Still awaiting 'cheque in the post'.. so any feedback would be appreciated. Cheers.

 

EDIT: I pulled the trigger today.. ordered the above but swapped the RAM due to a 3-5 week wait for the above version. Got this instead. Corsair CMZ8GX3M2X1600C7R Vengeance Red Memory 8GB 1600MHz CL7 DDR3

 

With my superclocked GTX 480 and SSD this rig should be a beast. Gonna aim for 4.5Ghz overclock. Looking forward to this build.

Edited June 22, 2012 by MadTommy

[Skoop]

I went with the ivy too instead of the sandy. They seemed even, in the end I reasoned that if I already had a 2500k then forget Ivy. But I going from a 920 i7, so might as well get the latest greatest. Waiting for my parts to show up and get to building.

[MadTommy]

This really is a awesome combination... automatically overclocked via Asus 'auto tuning' to 4.5Ghz, with the combination of Asus Fan Xpert2 and the H60 everything is running amazingly cool, CPU often under 30° C under load... gob smacked at the performance, ease of overclocking, temps & stability. Not one crash, lockup or blue screen. Lovin it. :)

 

Thanks for your help.

 

• Asus P8Z77-V Motherboard
  
• Intel Core i5-3570K
  
• Corsair CWCH60 Water Cooler
  
• Corsair CMZ8GX3M2X1600C7R Vengeance Red Memory 8GB 1600MHz CL7 DDR3
  

 

Edited July 1, 2012 by MadTommy

[Ramstein]

good thread, sorry for bringing back to life.. but it ain't real old..

 

it's time to upgrade.. my old computer cannot handle DCS any longer..

 

in a few weeks I need to shop and like the Asus motherboard...

 

need a new I-5 cpu. The wife gets my old computer which will be fine for her,,

 

:joystick:

[emenance]

see sig , solid proven 1 year old winner.