51-70k Gaming Rig for racing games

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GODMODE09

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Q: What is your budget?
50K to 70K [but I think this would exceed 80K :( ]

Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)

Brand new system




Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
all are new and will be buying

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.

CPU - Intel i-5 3570
Motherboard - ASRock Z77 Extreme4 Motherboard
GPU - HD 7850 2GB or HD 7870 2GB Ghz edition [ there is a 5k difference between and I have'nt actually decided which 1 to buy yet ]
RAM - 2x4GB @1600Mhz Gskill RAM
Monitor - Dell U2412M [separate budget]
SMPS - Seasonic 760W Modular Power Supply (SS-760KM)
120GB (or) 256GB Crucial M4 SSD [is it true that 120GB will be faster than 256GB ? ]
HDD = None . All my data is stored in an external 500G WD HDD and I don't need a HDD right now.. Maybe one when I need it and the prices come down.
Razer Lycosa Keyboard
Case Cossair carbide 300R [doubtful if this is the best for me]
Coolermaster hyper 212 evo cooler [doubtful if I'll need this]

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
Yes, will upgrade the following within 6 months

Maybe add a 2nd card to play using 3 monitors in eyefinity with my steering wheels and seats




Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
Chennai [prolly richie street or zap computers]
Open to online purchase [if I can find the same cheaper]

Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
No

Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware

Play poker for a good 12hrs/day
Gaming for 2hrs/day
Browsing
Download 24x7 operation (pretty much)
Watching HD movies and other normal stuff.
Either way it will be running atleast 15-18hrs everyday
Also I have 10-12hrs power cut and use a APC 1000UX model.

Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
Nope.

Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
Online poker
Racing - All games at the highest settings using Logitech G27 and playseats. (I don't play any other games other than car games ever )

Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
Gaming - 1920x1200 or 1920x1080
Desktop - 1920x1200 24-inch Dell U2412M monitor

I have'nt bought the monitor yet and have a separate budget for it. Planning on buying U2412M as I really need the 16:10 ratio for playing online poker . [I'm a pro player]

Q: Are you looking to overclock?
Maybe in the future when I really need it. I would have to find someone else to do it as I have'nt even touched the hardware inside before.

Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
Windows 8 [preferably]
I'm using Vista premium in my laptop and I think Win8 will be better than win7.

Ok this is what is in my mind right now.Right now , I'm using a 6yr old pathetic Vostro laptop which can't run any racing games after NFS MW. I saw the 3-monitor set-up on youtube with logitech steering wheels and playseats and I really liked it. However I think to play using 3 monitors I have to crossfire another HD7870 ?
When I 1st started looking my budget was to spend less than 60K. But now it looks like this will exceed 80K. I really don't know if it's worth spending the extra cash. I have'nt tried playing in that set-up before.
If I settle for just 1 monitor set-up for gaming and 2 monitors to play poker, I guess I would have to spend around 60K.. But if I go for a processor to overclock in the future, HD7870 instead of 7850 and a PSU to power 2 cards in crossfire and other appropriate components, it comes to 80K.

I need some advice on this.

PS: As I will be playing using steering wheels, I want the game to look as realistic as possible...

Thanks in advance.
 
@GODMODE09 this is what I suggest --

Intel Core i5 3550 ~13500/- (do not think about over-clocking as something I will do later if someone else does it for me, either you learn the ropes OR just don't do it)
GIGABYTE H77-D3H ~7000/-
Corsair Vengeance 4GB x2 1600MHz ~3200/-
AMD HD7870 2GB GHz edition ~19000/- (from flipkart.com, so street prices should be lower)
Crucial M4 OR OCZ Vertex4 128GB x2 ~14500/- (if you are worried about the speed best is you get 2 smaller SSD's and configure them in RAID 0, buy these from onlyssd.com and the warranty woes shall also end)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 1TB ~4500/- (go for a data dump drive, you never know when you will run out of space)
Corsair TX v2750W ~6800/- (more than enough power for reserve in the future with the current configuration)
Corsair Carbide 400R ~5000/- (OR a member is selling his Graphite 600T ~7000/- in the member's market, give it a look)
MICROSOFT Sidewinder X4 ~2000/- OR LOGITECH G105 ~2600/- (both these keyboards should serve you longer than a Lycosa, which I own)
(No need of an extra cooler in-case you ain't over-clocking)

Hope this helps. Cheerio!
 
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@siddhart beam- Thanks, but I prefer a new one. Why are you selling it? U don't like it ??

@ALPHA17 - The motherboard u suggest is Micro ATX.. A friend of mine who has been gaming for years told me to buy a normal ATX baord because in micro atx the parts will be very close which will cause heat issues.. If this is tru, I prefer a mornal ATX.
About SSD , I'm not going to RAID (just now found out what it means.. Will go for a 256GB if there will be no speed difference between 128GB .. SSD is fast enough for me..
About HDD.. not at the moment.. WIll add later,, By laptop has a 140GB HDD which is half empty. and I also have a 500GB external drive .. will save cash on HDD.
About case : I prefer new .. I looked at NZXT craft series and really like those cases.. How is Guardian 921 RB ? It looks cool and shows even temperatures.. However I don't know if it has USB 3.0 ports in the front/side as I think USB 3.0 is the future.
Keyboard : Looks like MS SidewinderX4 is not up for sale anymore.. no stick anywhere... Lycosa is 3500INR on ebay... why u don't like it?

Also I can add another HD7870 or better in xfire later right? without having to upgrade PSU or any other part? Cooler is not even even then? My room is not air conditioned and it's really hot.

Thank you
 
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GODMODE09 said:
The motherboard u suggest is Micro ATX
About SSD , I'm not going to RAID (just now found out what it means.. Will go for a 256GB if there will be no speed difference between 128GB .. SSD is fast enough for me..
About HDD.. not at the moment.. WIll add later,, By laptop has a 140GB HDD which is half empty. and I also have a 500GB external drive .. will save cash on HDD.
About case : I prefer new .. I looked at NZXT craft series and really like those cases.. How is Guardian 921 RB ? It looks cool and shows even temperatures.. However I don't know if it has USB 3.0 ports in the front/side as I think USB 3.0 is the future.
Keyboard : Looks like MS SidewinderX4 is not up for sale anymore.. no stick anywhere... Lycosa is 3500INR on ebay... why u don't like it?

Also I can add another HD7870 or better in xfire later right? without having to upgrade PSU or any other part? Cooler is not even even then? My room is not air conditioned and it's really hot.
Click to expand...

This is not µATX -- GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1155 - GA-H77-D3H (rev. 1.1).
ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm
Click to expand...

The Guardian 921 RB does not have front USB 3.0 ports and its airflow is also not as good as the Corsair cabinets. Suggest you go for the Corsair Carbide 400R over the same.

Your call on the SSD. I think 2 smaller disks might be cheaper than a single 256GB SSD that is why I stated so.

Go for the LOGITECH G105 then, instead of the Sidewinder X4. Why I dislike the Razer Lycosa, following reasons --
  • Expensive ~3500/-;
  • Poor build quality, especially dust prone and a finger-print magnet;
  • Poor warranty and after sales system in India;
  • Keys stop responding from time to time.
and the list can go on. It is simply not worth it with the competition against it.

You can add another HD7870 2GB in CrossFire whenever you wish, but the PCIe channels might get downgraded too 8 PCIe per channel, instead of full 16 channel(s). Do read up on this.

If you feel that your processor is becoming toasty add a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO but for now no need.

Hope this helps. Cheerio!
 
GODMODE09 said:
About the PCIe channels .. I have no idea what ur saying.. Sorry I'm a noob.. what are u suggesting ?
Click to expand...

PCIe channels --> PCI Express - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

I am saying in the event of CrossFireX the PCIe x16.0 slots will get downgraded too PCIe x8.0 bandwidth to share between the card in the two different slots.

So read up about this before purchasing any motherboard (whether the channels are downgraded --> PCIe 8.0 / 8.0 OR PCIe 16.0 / 4.0 OR stay PCIe 16.0 / 16.0). Cheerio!
 
ALPHA17 said:
PCIe channels --> PCI Express - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

I am saying in the event of CrossFireX the PCIe x16.0 slots will get downgraded too PCIe x8.0 bandwidth to share between the card in the two different slots.

So read up about this before purchasing any motherboard (whether the channels are downgraded --> PCIe 8.0 / 8.0 OR PCIe 16.0 / 4.0 OR stay PCIe 16.0 / 16.0). Cheerio!
Click to expand...

ur saying there is a possibility I could xfire PCI 16 and PCI 8 in the future or I can't do that if they downgrade the ports?
If they downgrade and I can't xfire 16 with 8 pin.. I can xfire two 8 pins or two 16 pin cards in the future in this mother board right?

PS: what do u think about cossair 300r and 400r?
 
GODMODE09 said:
ur saying there is a possibility I could xfire PCI 16 and PCI 8 in the future or I can't do that if they downgrade the ports?
If they downgrade and I can't xfire 16 with 8 pin.. I can xfire two 8 pins or two 16 pin cards in the future in this mother board right?

PS: what do u think about cossair 300r and 400r?
Click to expand...

Some motherboards in dual GPU setups downgrade PCIe 16.0 bandwidth into --> PCIe 8.0 / 8.0 because of lack of sufficient lanes. So read if this motherboard will do that. Although gaming performance will not be hit.

Corsair Carbide 400R is what I would recommend you. Cheerio!
 
About the mother board:

GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1155 - GA-H77-D3H (rev. 1.1)

I think ur right .. It says :

"1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16)
(The PCIEX16 slot conforms to PCI Express 3.0 standard.)
* For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot.
* Whether PCI Express 3.0 is supported depends on CPU and graphics card compatibility. "

If there won't be any performance reduction when bandwith is shared then it's ok I guess...

Also in the memory column, I read this :

"4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory
* Due to a Windows 32-bit operating system limitation, when more than 4 GB of physical memory is installed, the actual memory size displayed will be less than the size of the physical memory installed."

Does this mean I can't install Windows 8 64-bit ?? I will use only 64-bit operating system .

And about the PSU , Is it ok if it's not modular ??
 
I can connect upto 3 monitors in this right? For eyefinity.. Every part will support it ? ( I know I have to add another card in xfire to get good framerates), am asking just in general , anything I have to do apart from that.. because for work I'll be using a 22-inch LED and the new to be bought 240inch Dell U2412M.
 
GODMODE09 said:
and the new to be bought 240inch Dell U2412M.
Click to expand...

WOW..... I just, just wud luuuv to have this monitor.... Like having a mini Theatre at my place :yahoo:

That apart... ALPHA17 has suggested a great RIG for you. If you really wish for 256GB SSD ...then do not go for a single unit, rather take 128 x 2. No need for RAID. I am using a single 128GB OCZ Vertex 4 and ..... there's still 62GB free space..... [of which Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit took up 41GB !!!]. I have installed 70% of my softwares on this single SSD....and the rest on a normal HDD.

In fact go for a single SSD now....and the remaining money add it towards a better GPU or the crossfire that you wish.

Cheers
 
terence_fdes said:
WOW..... I just, just wud luuuv to have this monitor.... Like having a mini Theatre at my place :yahoo:

That apart... ALPHA17 has suggested a great RIG for you. If you really wish for 256GB SSD ...then do not go for a single unit, rather take 128 x 2. No need for RAID. I am using a single 128GB OCZ Vertex 4 and ..... there's still 62GB free space..... [of which Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit took up 41GB !!!]. I have installed 70% of my softwares on this single SSD....and the rest on a normal HDD.

In fact go for a single SSD now....and the remaining money add it towards a better GPU or the crossfire that you wish.

Cheers
Click to expand...

LOL. I wish too :D But unfortunately it's a typo .. :D

About having 2 SSDs.. 1 128GB costs 8K here (crucial m4) and the same 256GB costs 13,900.. so I'm saving 2,100.
Can u tell me why it's better to have 2 instead of 1? Is it because read/write speeds will be a bit slower in 256GB because of more stored data/bigger storage space ?
Let me ask you this : If I have 70GB stored data .. will it make any difference between 128 and 256GB ??

I really need a SSD for storing my poker database which is ~20GB and could get bigger over time... and I did'nt want to fill up close to 100GB in the 128GB SSD , considering all games comes to ~10GB these days...
I'm definitely not going for RAID.. This is a budget performance RIG.

PS : Most people suggest to buy 2 instead of one when it comes to SSD but I can't find the reason..

Thanks
 
About the monitor, I think 27-inch monitor is better.. How about the latest korean monitors? Shimian 27-inch 2560x1440 displays?
If I buy one of them , can I still play all the latest racing games @ ultra settings using just one of those monitors operating @ 2560x1440 . I have one HD 7850 2GB graphic card in my rig now. Looks like there are lot of makes in that too.. Would be really helpful if someone can point out the best model for me ..

Thanks in advance :)
 
NFS MW2 recommended config says , I need a HD 6950 /GTX 560. If I buy the 27-inch 2560x1440 monitor, will I be able to play it at that resolution smoothly ??

Also if I buy a HD 7850 now, can I xfire it with HD7870 / 79xx series later or should it be another 7850 only ?
 
GODMODE09 said:
NFS MW2 recommended config says , I need a HD 6950 /GTX 560. If I buy the 27-inch 2560x1440 monitor, will I be able to play it at that resolution smoothly ??

Also if I buy a HD 7850 now, can I xfire it with HD7870 / 79xx series later or should it be another 7850 only ?
Click to expand...

If you get a HD7850 now you can CrossFire it with another HD7850 / HD7870 although with the stronger card scaling can go for a toss. Suggest that you stick with either a single HD7950 3GB now OR CrossFire HD7870's.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!
 
@ALPHA17 - I'm finalizing the config : I just want to make sure the below config will allow me to do the following in the future :

Play latest racing games @ 2560x1440 resolution with steering wheels . I'm 90% sure, I'll add another HD7870 in a year when the prices come down .

Final Config :


intel i-5 3550 = 13k
Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H 32GB DDR3 Intel Motherboard = 7.6K
HD 7870 = 20000
Cossair Carbide 400r = 4800
G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) PC RAM = 4000
Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W Power Supply (CMPSU-750TXV2) = 7.1K
128 GB Crucial M4 SSD = 8K
WD 500GB@7200rpm HDD = 3.2K (deicided to add one since latest NFS is 20GB)
CD/DVD Drive = 1200
wifi adapter = 1500 Can u help me pick a good one that will be perfect for my rig please ?
Microsoft Sidewinder X4 = 2.5K
Razer Vespua = 1K

TOTAL = 71,400 I'm pretty sure the street prices will be <70K.

+ 27-inch Korean monitor = 20-25K

Is there anything my PC can't do apart from playing using 3 monitors in eyefinity and over-clocking the processor ?

Thank you very much :)
 
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GODMODE09 said:
Play latest racing games @ 2560x1440 resolution with steering wheels . I'm 90% sure, I'll add another HD7870 in a year when the prices come down .

Final Config :

Cossair Carbide 400r = 4800
G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) PC RAM (F3-12800CL10S-8GBXL) = 4000
Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W Power Supply (CMPSU-750TXV2) = 7.1K
128 GB Crucial M4 SSD = 8K
WD 500GB@7200rpm HDD = 3.2K (deicided to add one since latest NFS is 20GB)
CD/DVD Drive = 1200
wifi adapter = 1500 Can u help me pick a good one that will be perfect for my rig please ?
Microsoft Sidewinder X4 = 2.5K
Razer Vespua = 1K

Is there anything my PC can't do apart from playing using 3 monitors in eyefinity and over-clocking the processor ?
Click to expand...

Which mouse are you adding to the RIG?

Also instead of 1 x8GB module go for a 2 x4GB RAM kit.

About the Wi-Fi adapter you can have a look at the following -- USB adapter : Buy in India @ Flipkart.com, I am assuming you only need a receiver.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!
 
ALPHA17 said:
Which mouse are you adding to the RIG?

Also instead of 1 x8GB module go for a 2 x4GB RAM kit.

About the Wi-Fi adapter you can have a look at the following -- USB adapter : Buy in India @ Flipkart.com, I am assuming you only need a receiver.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!
Click to expand...

I have a razer Death adder black already.
Yes, I'll be buying 2 x 4GB RAMs.

About wifi adapter, What is the difference between these USB ones and the internal ones that comes with 3 antennas?

Edimax EW-7728In Wireless PCI Card N300 3 Antenna - BILL + 3YR WAR | eBay

Also will there be a difference in the game I play when I install it in SSD and HDD ? Apart from the loading time ? Also the loading time will be ~30-60 secs in a 7200rpm HDD right ? I don't want to load all the games in the SSD because I'm buying a 120GB and apart from OS and work data I'll have ~80GB and 4-5 games will fill that up.
 
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