Budget 41-50k Need a New config

K

KrocK

Disciple
I bought my rig about 3-4 years back
I need to upgrade now since my config is falling short.
I dont have a budget but Its more like whatever gives me the best performance within a reasonable value. I have also not been able to come across precise details w.r.t Haswell which did keep me in splits for a while, but there is no way my current setup is helping me right now.Hence an upgrade is required,a little urgently.
Purpose: video editing,encoding,Audio processing, and Gaming.

At that time all this seemed good enough and left enough scope for future additions, but now it can even run most of the betas i get.
I am open to online ordering.I am also open to buy some parts at a later stage in case there a price cut/stabilization on the verge of happening. Ofcourse the Mobo+Ram+CPU thing are the highest on the priority list.
I had also decided on making a trip to Mumbai to buy all the items, but it all depends on what input I receive from you guys.
I dont know anything about the shops and where to buy from, all i know are the sites of these shops like primeabgb, smc etc (there used to be a lynx..)
Also I have a friend who is coming from the UK(also one from the US but not sure), would UK offer a considerably better deal ?
Any help, guidance, info,your personal experience would be highly appreciated !

Q: What is your budget?
40K-50K

Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
1.CPU : Phenom II X2 500 B.E
2.Mobo: Biostar TA790GX 128m
3.RAM: Kinsgton 2gb ddr2 800mhz
4. HDD: 1.5tb(mechanical drives)
5.PSU: VIP 750W PSU ( I know, I made a huge mistake here)
6.Cabinet: NZXT Tempest
7.Monitor: Benq 23.6" LCD

(please mention the rest in above format)

Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
Monitor
Cabinet
HDDs
(please mention the rest in above format)

Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.
1.CPU (ivybridge,preferably an i7)
2.Motherboard
3.RAM ( I've read that faster ram like 2133 and so on would help encoding)
4.PSU
5.GPU
6.SSD
7.An awesome Keyboard to type and play ( currently zeroed in on Razer Blackwidow Ultimate because of the cherrymx blue switches, Please let me know about a better alternative)
8.GPU - Whatever gives me the best bang for buck in India in the current state of the dollar/rupee thing.(chance of getting something from UK , and a remote chance of US)
(please mention the rest in above format)

Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
It all depends on what you guys suggest, I need a complete system be it parts or all together.

Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
Mumbai,Pune
Open to online purchase

Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
Depends , I've never bought second hand hardware stuff before. If its a reliable place , I wouldnt mind.

Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
Gaming
Browsing
Desktop Processing
HTPC
Download rig, 24x7 operation
Watching HD movies
Coding-Linux
Audio+Video Processing , Encoding , Streaming(vv.imp)

Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
I have been out of touch of the commercial happenings of India, But will be most interested to learn from user experience.

Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
DOTA 2
CS:GO
All the latest games that I get Beta access to.

Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
1080p

Q: Are you looking to overclock?
Yes, If it gives me a considerably performance benefit.

Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
Windows 7 64 bit
Linux - Ubuntu etc.
 
@KrocK
Since you are a new member some posts are sent for mod approval before being visible to all. Usually mods take a max of 24 hrs to approve. If you want urgent approval you are free to PM the section Mod/ Global Mod. I have merged your first and the template post and edited some duplicate content for easy readability.

Deleted all other posts that were advising about the template/ about moderation approval as it will be much easier to read.
@Rahul25755
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@KrocK try to go for this setup --

Intel Core i7 2600 ~16000/-
Intel DH67-BL ~6500/-
Corsair Vengeance OR G.Skill RIPJAWS 4GB x2 ~3500/-
Corsair TX V2 650W ~5600/-
AMD HD 7850 2GB ~15000/-
APC BR1100VA-IN ~4600/-

For over-clockable RIG you will have to invest in these components --

Intel Core i7 2600k ~17500/-
ASUS P8Z77-M PRO ~9500/-
[rest components same-same]

Hope this helps, Cheerio!!

P.S. -- all prices are indicative estimates, thanks to the hopeless fluctuations the market is in the prices are all loco.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
1.What is the overall consensus regarding Ivy Bridge vs SB (3770 vs 3770k vs 2600k vs 3570k)
In almost all benchmarks the 3570 seems surprisingly close to 3770k and for about 120$ less ,thats awesome, thoughts?
2.Is PrimeAgbg the best place to buy stuff from? Or are there specifc e-tailers,shops in mumbai that are reliable and might offer better deals?
3.ASUS P8Z77-V Pro - Hows this?
Lets say I was to wait out a bit for the GPU hence freeing up the budget a bit, is it still a negligible performance gain? (Ivy Bridge vs Sandy)
I want this PC to last quite a bit longer than my last one and I feel that Desktop CPUs are probably reaching a ceiling and there are hints(so far) that Haswell would probably end up being focused on power savings,chip size and a much much better intel igp.
Whats the general consensus in the community about that?
 
1.Gskill 2133 - How is this? And is there a place which can offer this to me at a lower price?
2.I think I am almost 99% sure on going for a i7 3770k ; Mostly because I need all the cores I can get and since the diff between SB and IB i7s is quite less (about 3K) , going for IB i7 makes sense in the long term, What do you guys think?
For the Procc, is Systembuilder offering the lowest price in the entire market? and are they reliable?
3.Motherboards have confused me heavily, I spent the whole day going through so much literature and so many threads that my brain is a little fried.. The more I read the more I get comfortable with buying into supposedly bullshit gimmicks..Please help!!
@ALPHA17
ASUS P8Z77-M PRO ~9500/-
Click to expand...
Where can I get it at that price?
I've sent emails to most of the dealers (since some of them asked me to) , but none have replied so far..
 
Last edited by a moderator:
KrocK said:
1.Gskill 2133 - How is this? And is there a place which can offer this to me at a lower price?

2.I think I am almost 99% sure on going for a i7 3770k ; Mostly because I need all the cores I can get and since the diff between SB and IB i7s is quite less (about 3K) , going for IB i7 makes sense in the long term, What do you guys think?

For the Procc, is Systembuilder offering the lowest price in the entire market? and are they reliable?

3.Motherboards have confused me heavily, I spent the whole day going through so much literature and so many threads that my brain is a little fried.. The more I read the more I get comfortable with buying into supposedly bullshit gimmicks..Please help!!
@ALPHA17
Click to expand...

Here are the answers to your queries --

1) Instead of blowing away so much money on 2133MHz RAM, get extra 1600MHz RAM modules, if you get around over-clocking the CPU you can try pushing the RAM as well.

Techextreme proprietors are offering good rates for G.Skill RAM on this deal thread, do look into it.

2) Good decision, if budget is a serious constraint go for the Core i7 2600k, performance will be similar across the board.

3) Sorry I confused the price listing for the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 and the ASUS P8Z77-M PRO. The former is available for ~9500/- [add shipping] from Prime ABGB and the latter is priced ~12000/-.

For motherboards here is a simple way to understand --
  • If you are going to over-clock you will need the Z77 chipset, the H77 is locked and even if you manage to over-clock the solution will be highly unstable.
  • The Z77 is a successor to the Z68 and P67 motherboards that Intel fielded for its Sandy-Bridge offering, new features of the cchipset are -- native support for USB 3.0, PCIe 3.0 and support for both family of processors, fabricated on a 22nm process the chipset runs cooler and more efficiently compared to the older Cougar-Point chipsets [P67 / Z68]; it purportedly over-clocks better too. -- @cyberwarfare your views solicited.
  • Apart from this there are certain features in Z77 that are shared by the older chipsets as well, that are -- UEFI BIOS, native SATA III, support for over-clocking as well as IGP on compatible CPU die.

Never dealt with Systembuilder but they have quite decent reputation here; talk to @saifbukhari he bought a Core i7 3770k from them [recently] he can guide you best.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well i'd suggest you to go for 1600MHZ ram as there is a little difference between 2133 and 1600mhz,Also you'll save 3k over it.As for i7 3770K you can go for it,It's good for long term.Here's the link to the motherboard-Asus P8Z77-M Intel Z77 Chipset Motherboard,Asus P8Z77-M PRO is 12.5k the non pro version is for 9.7k.If you're really going for above 4ghz overclocking then i'd suggest that you go for P8Z77M-PRO or P8Z77-V PRO-15k.
KrocK said:
1.Gskill 2133 - How is this? And is there a place which can offer this to me at a lower price?
2.I think I am almost 99% sure on going for a i7 3770k ; Mostly because I need all the cores I can get and since the diff between SB and IB i7s is quite less (about 3K) , going for IB i7 makes sense in the long term, What do you guys think?
For the Procc, is Systembuilder offering the lowest price in the entire market? and are they reliable?
3.Motherboards have confused me heavily, I spent the whole day going through so much literature and so many threads that my brain is a little fried.. The more I read the more I get comfortable with buying into supposedly bullshit gimmicks..Please help!!
ALPHA17

Where can I get it at that price?
I've sent emails to most of the dealers (since some of them asked me to) , but none have replied so far..
Click to expand...
 
ALPHA17 thanks for linking me once again KrocK here are my views
1)z77 over z68/p67 platform any day as they run cooler, clock memory better (and the cpu but only on ln2 so not important for you) and have many more features for not much more than the last gen boards. the UEFI bios is also much more mature.
2)if your motherboard budget is 15k, i would suggest the maximus v gene over anything else. the quality of components is simply much better than other boards in the same price range, even by asus itself. ROG branding makes a huge diff in such matters. I have once myself and i simply love the board. the only reason i would look somewhere else is if i absolutely needed 3 or more pcie slots
3)get a 2600k over a 3770k. you will save money which can be put to better use elsewhere. IVB offers only a 5-7% increase over SB and a similar power saving, but is a hot hot chip and does not clock as well. most SB chips do 4.8 easy on high end air. you will be lucky to do 4.5 on water on IVB.

cheers and kind regards
Moksh
edit- i stay in mumabi too. if you need help with assembling or stuff like that your most welcome to pm me :)
 
@ALPHA17 @Jakob
Thanks a lot,
I am now up to speed with the platform in general.
1. I wanted to know how the asus z77 sabertooth is? since my place get very dusty and hot( the tempest with one fan on the top dead doesn't, help my case ) ,
Also what about the MSI z77-GD65(this one had some good stuff written about it in an anandtech review) , Gigabyte and Biostar, Asrock motherboards ? I've got many responses for Asrock motherboards (one said that he couldnt boot it with 32gb ram) ; Asrock in general came up really fast in the USB transfer Benchmarks due to the Xfast ( seems Asrock's implementation is better that Asus and the rest>?)
I've personally owned Biostar 790gx for a little over 3 years now, it hasnt given me any sort of problems so far..
2. These motherboards seem to have incorporated certain Audio tech , Some have wifi and bluetooth? Also whats the difference between DTS ConnectII / X-fi / THX Pro ? Are these just certifications or is the sound quality really good?
@Ram : I am convinced with you guys , Since the price difference between the 2133 and 1600 doesnt justify the meager performance gains.
Honestly I am not much of an overclocker, Although I had a lot of fun with my previous system (unlocking the phenom2 ) but it turned out to give me way too many bsod errors, So I've stayed away from that.That apart, my place gets extremely hot in summer(thank god its over) and is a dust magnet.

@PSU :
1.Corsair : v2 tx650/750/hx650 ?
Please remember I have no intention of setting up a Dual GPU setup.
@cyberwarfare
Thanks a lot,
What about the Sabertooth ?
The reason I am a little more inclined towards the 3770k is the small price difference between the two(~22.5(systembuilder) vs ~19.8), and since I am waiting out a little for GPU , the 4000 IGP just might help me a little in the while.
Like I said I am not much of an overclocker. I do it initially for fun and to push the system as far as it can go, but until and unless I am sure to get a radical difference in performance, I'd prefer not doing much.
I am still open to waiting a little time, If a non-hot variety/stepping of Ivy Bridge is in the works or about to be released..
 
Last edited by a moderator:
KrocK said:
Also what about the MSI z77-GD65(this one had some good stuff written about it in an anandtech review) , Gigabyte and Biostar, Asrock motherboards ? I've got many responses for Asrock motherboards (one said that he couldnt boot it with 32gb ram)

2. These motherboards seem to have incorporated certain Audio tech , Some have wifi and bluetooth? Also whats the difference between DTS ConnectII / X-fi / THX Pro ? Are these just certifications or is the sound quality really good?

1.Corsair : v2 tx650/750/hx650?
Click to expand...

I will not recommend MSi motherboards they are not really in the league of ASUS and GIGABYTE, ASRock and MSi are examples of Tier II manufacturers. ASRock has been widely acclaimed as the best over-clockers for the Z77 platform.

If in doubt go for the ASUS P8-Z77-V ~16500/- OR
ASUS MAXIMUS GENE-Z V OR
SABERTOOTH Z77 [as you noted for its superior reliability]
Here is flipkart listing for these motherboards, in the local market these will have atleast ~1000/- quid difference and you can always bargain a little.

They are just certifications, you will need to have audio peripherals on tap to exploit them to the maximum. Please note that the ASUS high end motherboards come with a dedicated PCIe x1 sound card [generally from their XONAR line-up].

In the SMPS race go for the Corsair HX650W ~7000/- OR Corsair TX V2 650W, the former has the advantage of having a longer warranty cover [7 years vis-á-vis 5 years with the TX V2], full modular cables and better efficiency rating @50° C. Buying either SMPS you will not go wrong and you will have plenty of upgrade leverage.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!!
 
1. Something that supports the ivy bridge case(difficulty to do probably, but massive difference in temps) : y£•¶’ƒ‚̃q[ƒgƒVƒ“ƒNƒOƒ‰ƒtƒBƒbƒNzy”ÔŠO•ÒzCore i7-3770K‚ÌuŠkŠ„‚èv‚Å”M—A‘—‚̃{ƒgƒ‹ƒlƒbƒN‚ðŠm‚©‚ß‚é
2. Delta's page showed i7 2600k at ~17.9k and Systembuilder's revised price for 3770k is 22.5K ,
3. how about Antec's Earthwatts?, Its a 80+Platinum rated psu, I can seem to find a price but listed at around 119$ on newegg
 
KrocK said:
1. Something that supports the ivy bridge case(difficulty to do probably, but massive difference in temps) : y£•¶’ƒ‚̃q[ƒgƒVƒ“ƒNƒOƒ‰ƒtƒBƒbƒNzy”ÔŠO•ÒzCore i7-3770K‚ÌuŠkŠ„‚èv‚Å”M—A‘—‚̃{ƒgƒ‹ƒlƒbƒN‚ðŠm‚©‚ß‚é

2. Delta's page showed i7 2600k at ~17.9k and Systembuilder's revised price for 3770k is 22.5K ,

3. how about Antec's Earthwatts?, Its a 80+Platinum rated psu, I can seem to find a price but listed at around 119$ on newegg
Click to expand...

1) Cannot translate that page, error in network connection it seems. Will check it once I reach home.

2) Delta page prices are reliable as well as the Rupee has taken a hammering against the $ so the prices are higher, earlier during late-2011 we were getting the Core i7 2600k for ~16500/- and lowest I had seen was ~16000/-. On the other hand thanks to the great demand for Ivy-Bridge chips outside India the supply to us is strictly curtailed and the pieces available most places are the locked variants hence the higher price [again Rupee vs. $ has been a big-factor].

3) Antec Earthwatts are good SMPS but I have no idea how their after sales is in India so avoid, stick to known names like Cooler Master, Corsair maximum you can stray towards the Seasonic SMPS because the other brands available simply do not have the clout to justify a pan-India network and very often people have been left at the end of the day with a bitter taste in their mouth.
 
if you really want the extra 2 years warranty and want a server grade motherboard then yes the sabertooth would be a great board. however the kit on it is less compared to boards of similar and in come cases even lesser value. if you are not very inclined towards overclocking then why get a z77+k series combo in the first place??
the money saved from not getting those could be better put to use in other places. an ssd for example would give you much more perceivable differences than an overclocked processor or a z77 based motherboard.
 
@ALPHA17 and @ALL
So far :
1.Procc : i7 3770k - 22500(systembuilder)
2.PSU: HX650 - 7000(primabgb)
3.UPS: APC BR1100VA-IN ~4600/- ( primeabgb= 5100)
4.Motherboard : Still confused , I mean Asrock seems to be cheap and able to do the job(and they are practically the same company) , Whats so good about Asus that there is a price premium on it?
Also for some odd reason Asus has used ALC892 for audio on all their boards except the Deluxe and Premium, Whereas everyone else has used ALC898.. :S
Following is the price list primeabgb has given me :

Asus P8Z 77 M MB = 10000/-
Asus P8Z 77 M Pro MB = 12200/-
Asus P8Z 77 V LX MB = 10850/-
Asus P8Z 77 V MB = 15500/-
Asus P8Z 77 V Pro MB = 16800/-
Asus P8Z 77 V DLX MB = 21500/-
Asus Sabertooth z77 MB = 18450/-
Asus Maximus V Gene = 15500/-
Asrock Z 77 Pro 4 MB = 8600/-
Asrock Z 77 Extreem 4 MB = 10300/-
Asrock Z 77 Fatality MB = 17300/-
Asrock Z 77 Extreem 6 MB = 13500/-
Gigabyte Z77 PD3 MB = 7200/-
Gigabyte Z 77 MD3H MB = 7500/-
Giagbyte Z 77 MX D3H MB = 8200/-
Gigtabyte Z 77 X UD5H MB = 16900/-

5.Gskill F3 12800CL10S – 8GBXL RAM = 3700/-
6.Razer Blackwidow ultimate : 5700

The person at primabgb has told me that once I confirm I'd get a better price, Can you guys give me a realistic idea about the prices so I bargain accordingly. OR any other place where I'd get it cheaper. @cyberwarfare
I'd love to be able to play with my setup provided I have time, I used to love doing that but nowadays I donot find enough time.
So given the time , I will overclock.
But its not like the phenomII days where I could actually get loads of advantage by unlock 2 additional cores and which was fairly simple..
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@ALPHA17
I think it was Mccaan , I haven't dealt with any of the shops from Mumbai before .

I am yet to get prices from Primeabgb since I've heard the prices are less when you physically go to the shops and ask.
So far almost all components have turned out to be cheaper than what I was told via email.
ITwares refused to give quotes for the motherboards I listed, he said that I can't give you a price for so many motherboards ( 3 from asus, 2 from asrock and one from gigabyte) :/
And then he says he cant give me prices separately for procc and mobo but can only give them as a combo.

Edit : 12.5k for the Gene
12.3k for i5 3550
5.5k for the blackwidow ultimate
These prices standout the most (all from Mccan ) .
The PSU and the UPS are almost consistent across several shops (HX650 = 7k to 6.9k and UPS = 5.1 to 5.2k)

1.Also I was thinking of buying a good portable hard disk, is it a right time to buy one , like market wise or would it better from the US?
2.I am still in splits about the motherboard, this Gene's price really makes it mouthwatering (since I can buy a separate router with the money saved) , All this while I had a little thing for the Asus V-Pro, It just seems to have an answer for every possible scenario.. ;
3.What difference do the Phases make ? The Asus V has 8+4 phases and the V-pro has 12+4 (Thats the only difference I could find) ; It sounds something serious so I've been inclined towards the v-pro.
Is it worth the 2k-2.3k difference ?
4.No one is giving me Asrock prices :S , Are they not good enough?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
KrocK said:
Edit : 12.5k for the Gene
12.3k for i5 3550
5.5k for the blackwidow ultimate


1.Also I was thinking of buying a good portable hard disk, is it a right time to buy one , like market wise or would it better from the US?
2.I am still in splits about the motherboard, this Gene's price really makes it mouthwatering (since I can buy a separate router with the money saved) , All this while I had a little thing for the Asus V-Pro, It just seems to have an answer for every possible scenario.. ;
3.What difference do the Phases make ? The Asus V has 8+4 phases and the V-pro has 12+4 (Thats the only difference I could find) ; It sounds something serious so I've been inclined towards the v-pro.
Is it worth the 2k-2.3k difference ?
4.No one is giving me Asrock prices :S , Are they not good enough?
Click to expand...

Why are you going for a Z77 based motherboard + a locked processor [Core i5 3550] you cannot over-clock with this combo.

Instead of going for the Razer Black Widow Ultimate try to purchase the Corsair Vengeance K60 ~6500/-; a much better piece of kit as well as Corsair's after sales is impeccable.

1) If you buy a hard-drive from the US and it crashes, you will not be able to claim a replacement in India. So I advise you buy one in India itself.

2) How much will you over-clock the processor, if it is going to be heavy and for prolonged periods the ASUS Gene-Z V is your answer; if not the ASUS P8Z77 V-PRO should be just as good for a lower stable over-clock for 24 x7 usage. But you will need a compatible unlocked processor and the Core i5 3550 is not unlocked.

3) Phases is the number of the MOSFET's used around the CPU and the RAM, higher number of phases means stable over-clocks and lesser wear and tear on the individual MOSFET components. For more on the same read this article --> MOSFET - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The 8+4 phase means -- 8 MOSFET supplying power to the CPU [direct] + 4 [dual purpose [for RAM and North-bridge].

4) ASRock is only available with Prime ABGB and a few other select vendors, so not everyone has its prices on hand. Even the after sales is in a grey area.

Hope this answers your query, Cheerio!!
 
Back
Top