Official "System Builders" Thread

[Wesley]

System Builders Guide: August R8500 to R11,000

So here we are, another month and another episode in the System Builders guide. I hope these are as useful to you as they are to me, because keeping track of how much people expect to pay or charge for technology these days helps me figure out how much something is actually worth from a price/performance standpoint. Today we're theoretically shopping around for a new tower in the R8500 and R11,000 ranges and I'm hoping that there's a few bargains to be found here. At this price point, its the starting line for performance-focused buyers who don't necessarily have to consider the price of hardware, only that it gives them the performance they're paying for. Lets see what's in store for you, then.

Linky

[Ranger_Dan]

Hey Wesley, great write-up as always, I look forward to your system builder guides :) A quick question, I noticed all components are from Rebel-tech, is this because they offer the best prices? Or are you constrained to use them as a result of sponsorship etc? I'm looking to build me a new system next year, probably using one of your guides as, well, a guide lol and if they are the most competitive it would be valuable to know when shopping around.
Thanks!

[Wesley]

I use Rebeltech as a reference because, between them and Ikonicit.co.za, they have the largest selection of components that are regularly in stock. This used to be Take2 and Prophecy years ago, but both those players have become overpriced (Takealot) or obscure and forgotten (Prophecy). Its difficult referencing things from price engines because its a lot of work to keep track of - Tom's Hardware has two guys that only do their Builder's guides in between doing the weekly deals because keeping up with price engines is time-consuming.

While Rebeltech might be the most comprehensive, they're not always the cheapest retailer, so it pays to take my list and check around for the best prices before you make your purchase. If you're lucky, you might even have a friend with an account at a distributor, and could source parts that way. My guides are just reference for the rest of us, but you can always just buy everything from one place. Makes things easier when you try to remember what part came from where.

[Ranger_Dan]

Awesome, thanks. I guess, as you mentioned, it helps to know what people expect to pay for a certain level of performance. Appreciate the input!

[.exe]

Thank you for the guide, it'll be useful to me since I'm planning a few upgrades in the near future. I'll read it when I get in tonight.

Are Prophecy really obscure and forgotten? I'm just asking because I've bought quite a bit from them in the last two years or so, and it's usually between them, Sybaritic and Landmark as to where I get my stuff.
That said, I've recently registered at Rebeltech and Titan-Ice as well. The more the merrier I guess.

[Wesley]

Are Prophecy really obscure and forgotten?

I find that they list everything under the sun, but its always out of stock no matter what day you go in. Their beta section is also a terrible idea, since they sometimes leave entries for stock in there and don't move them over, or its the wrong price, or its similarly listed as out of stock.

Takealot is a mess though. God, trying to find anything not component-related is a tough mission because its not properly sorted! You have to search for everything to find peripherals like mice and keyboards or software. When Take2 was bought out I announced that I wasn't going to use them anymore because I knew how crap things would get. And they're even worse with stock listings - sometimes entire pages are filled with entries for hardware they don't have stock of.

[.exe]

Jeez, that Gigabyte board is sweet. I had no idea it was that good an overclocker, and that's not a lot of money for a high-end board at all. Man, I wish I hadn't read that article. (Joke.)

Just a quick question, if you don't mind: How does one tell if a board overclocks well, or when it's the bottleneck when overclocking? I ask because I could not get my 2500k up to 5ghz without using enormous voltage, and even then it wasn't stable, and I'm not sure whether it was because of the chip or the board. (My board is a Gigabyte P-67 UD3)
(I'm not a hardcore overclocker...more of a casual, now-and-then kind of guy, so sorry for pestering you with what must seem like idiotic questions.)

[Wesley]

If Neo ever checks out this part of the thread he'll be able to answer more intimately, but it's actually a luck of the draw thing. Every single Core i5 2500K is able to break the 4Ghz barrier but 5Ghz is dependent on the quality of the chip you have as well as power delivery and motherboard design.

If you take the various versions of the P67-UD3 and compare them (the UD3, the UD3R and the UD3P), you'll see why your chip requires so much voltage. Around the socket area are a few black chips arranged in a L-shape - those are Voltage Regulation Modules (VRMs) that sit underneath heatsinks attached to the board. VRMs are responsible for regulating power delivery and voltages to the CPU and the more you have, the more stable your overclocks are, provided your CPU isn't a faulty one.

It benefits not only overclocking, but over-and-undervolting too. Having more stable power delivery keeps the chip operating in conditions closer to what Intel has in their own labs so that everything works. So if your board has a better VRM setup, the better chance your 5Ghz overclock will end up being stable. If you can't get it up to 5Ghz, maybe settle for 4.5Ghz on air cooling.

[.exe]

Very interesting, thanks. 4.5 is easy enough, and I can get 4.8 at a stretch, but that's about it, on air. (Stable I mean.)

[Toxxyc]

Install an additional fan on a separate speed controller. You'll have more cooling power so you'll probably be able to hit stability at that 4.8GHz of yours. And it's cheap, superb quality fans cost you about R100 these days.

[.exe]

Install an additional fan on a separate speed controller. You'll have more cooling power so you'll probably be able to hit stability at that 4.8GHz of yours. And it's cheap, superb quality fans cost you about R100 these days.

Well, that would be nice, but for some reason my one 4-pin header has given up the ghost, and believe it or not so has the one and only 3-pin header on my board. Friggin, sucks. lol. (And yes, the warranty expired about two months ago. Eish.) So not only do I not have any spare fans, I don't have any spare headers either.

I'm going to bypass the problem altogether by getting an H100. The cooler was in my upgrade plans last year, but the 212 which I got as an interim cooler gave such good results (for what it is) that I gave up on the H100, which is pretty pricey.
I guess I could get a Y splitter cable and run an extra fan off that, but I've long coveted that H100 and I guess this has given me the perfect excuse to finally get one.

[Toxxyc]

That's not a bad idea. The H100 is a pretty large cooling system, so first you need to ensure that it will fit your case and then you need to reconsider if you think it's worth the money. You may be able to get away, cheaper and more convenient, with a smaller watercooling system instead. Think H60 or H70, save yourself a few hundred bucks.

[.exe]

I don't think the H100 is worth the money. If I was wise, which I'm not, I'd just stick with the 212+ as it's a very decent little cooler for the money.
But I don't know if this ever happens to you, but now and then a piece of hardware comes along that for some reason just seems made for you? It's like it's screaming "buy me, buy me!" and it just feels like a perfect fit. Well, that's the H100 for me. I just fell in love with the damn contraption the minute I saw it, and for a year I've been ignoring it's desperate cries for attention.

It's not a decision based on any rationale, not at all. It's stupid. It's no better than some cheaper coolers. But damn...just something about it. I'm being a serious geek now, aren't I?

[Toxxyc]

Not really, no. You're busy making a mistake, yes, but not so much a geek. Take a second and reconsider what you can buy with that extra few bucks. Maybe you can buy that keyboard and mouse you've been looking at, but is just outside your R800/R500 price range...? ;)

[.exe]

Not really, no. You're busy making a mistake, yes, but not so much a geek. Take a second and reconsider what you can buy with that extra few bucks. Maybe you can buy that keyboard and mouse you've been looking at, but is just outside your R800/R500 price range...? ;)

Too late, she cried. The cooler has already arrived. :)

[Toxxyc]

Man. Why can't I have one as well? :<

[Wesley]

Man. Why can't I have one as well? :<

Because you gave control of your credit card to your girlfriend!

[.exe]

Lol. That probably wasn't the best idea.

[Wesley]

System Builder's Guide: August R13,000 to R18,000

Today we're back into the high-end of the desktop component market looking at options for R13,000 and R18,000. These are the commonly asked-about price points because according to NAG's recent survey, most people have in the region of R10,000 to spend on computer components every year. If you're keen for a new desktop this month, take a look inside to see what's cooking! A surprise awaits for you...

Linky

[.exe]

Thanks for the article. :)

Regarding a tri-Sli 660ti v 690 setup, I just wonder about a few things:

First, you'll need a board that supports tri-Sli, whereas a 690 requres only a board with one PCIE slot. Surely there would be a considerable price premium between the two boards, making the two setups not all that much different, from a price perspective?

Second, I wonder at what point aesthetics and prestige come into it. The 690 is a very special card, not only in terms of performance, but also it's construction, looks and packaging. I know it's not a limited edition or anything like that, but still. The 660ti's are great and all, but they're just regular cards really. The speed is fine and well, but if a buyer has that sort of means, then I'm thinking that the buying decision comes down to more than just raw performance.

Third, I haven't done the math, but I think a tri-Sli 660ti setup would have more power draw, noise and also heat output than a single 690.
But yeah, the tri-Sli setup is also flexible in that one could add a second or third card as time goes by, instead of being hit with a major expense all in one go.
Overall though, I'd still pay a bit extra for that 690, provided I'm not hit with microstutter.

...If only I had the means to make either solution a reality.