Need a new rig? Time to look in this thread then ;)

[ket]

Its been a while since I have made a list of recommended configurations for a new PC build so I figured I would make a new one.

Balanced configuration:

Balancing a system so its good at everything is much easier than many people think, its just about knowing what components to buy. Theres often a lot of "hidden potential" in custom built systems that can be unlocked.

Mainboard: Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 | P67 Extreme4 Gen3 | Z68 Extreme4 | P67 Extreme4

All of the above mainboards represent excellent vaule for money, are highly overclockable and rock solid reliable. Which board you choose to go for very much depends on if you feel PCI Express Gen 3 technology is important to you, and if Virtu technology is useful to you or not. If neither of these technologies are of importance to you then the P67 Extreme4 is a excellent choice, otherwise I would recommend that you get a Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 for PCI-E 3.0 capability via a UEFI update and Ivy Bridge CPU. Ivy Bridge will not be available for about 6 months though.

CPU: Intel i5 2500K Quad Core

When looking for a balanced system getting a CPU you don't plan to upgrade anytime soon is important, but choosing the right one can be tricky. The intel i5 2500K is a fully multiplier unlocked CPU which allows for easy overclocking and the CPU is also a beast of a chip, especially once it is OC'd. Better yet its easy to OC these CPUs to 4.5GHz+.

RAM: G-Skill F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL | F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM | F3-12800CL7D-8GBXH

All of these kits consist of two modules, each of which are 4GB for a total of 8GB. The kits are CAS Latency 9, 8, and 7 respectively. All of these kits are excellent and the only major difference is how well each kit will overclock. The CL9 (cheapest) kit will quite likely max out around 2000MHz so should be capable of 1866MHz comfortably with CL8 timings with about 1.6v. The CL8 kit will possibly reach 2133MHz and handle 1866MHz with perhaps CL7 timings, and the CL7 kit will very likely reach in excess of 2400MHz on the right system. Unlike cheap generic memory these kits are built with a thicker PCB for added reliability and they also look absolutely beautiful

Graphics: GTX 460 1GB (not the crappy SE versions) | GTX560 1GB | GTX560 Ti 2GB | GTX480 (if you can find them)

Currently, these graphics cards represent the best value for money, once overclocked they are considerable beasts. I would recommend some ATI cards but unfortunately ATI have suffered from rather poor drivers for some time so I'm trying to stay away from anything that could cause unwanted system problems such as BSODs caused by display drivers.

HDD: Any Western Digital Caviar Black drive

HDDs are currently expensive due to flooding, but around April next year prices for HDDs should be back to normal pricing.

PSU: Corsair HX 850w

PSUs are plentiful, and while there are many out there one of the crucial 3 aspects that should never be compromised on is a quality PSU. It also rarely makes sence to buy a PSU thats merely "enough" as future upgrades will always require more power so in the long run its cheaper and more convenient to buy a PSU that will provide plenty of power for years to come right off the bat.

Ultimate Configuration:

When money is no object you want the best, but what is the best? Theres a lot of harware out there and it can be hard to know what will really give you wnat you want but here is a list of components that will certainly make a formiddable system.

Mainboard: Asrock Z68 Extreme7 Gen3
CPU: I5 2500K | I7 2600K | I7 2700K
RAM: G-Skill F3-12800CL7D-8GBXH
Graphics: GTX 580
Sound: Xonar DX 7.1 PCI-E
HDD: Crucial C300 SSD + Western Digital Cavial Black
PSU: Corsair HX 1050w+

Some might wonder why all the boards I recommend are Asrock, the answer is simple; I'm currently involved with Asrock in making these boards perfect (that means no UEFI or driver bugs) thats why I recommend them because I have tested and can vouch for their quality and reliability. IT should also be noted any Asrock Gen3 board is legit Gen3 and not fudged like some other manufacturers have done *cough* Gigabyte and with a simple UEFI update the Gen3 boards will be capable of supporting Ivy Bridge CPUs upon release.

The Frankenstein:

Ok, so you have money for a system but you can't stretch to a ultimate build, heres the ideal configuration for you;

Mainboard: Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3
CPU: I7 2600K
RAM: F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM
Graphics: GTX 560 Ti or GTX 570 (non reference so you aren't stuck with the sub-standard VRM design)
Sound: Xonar DX 7.1 PCI-E
HDD: WD Caviar Black
PSU: Corsair 850w HX

There we have it readers. You now know how to buy quality hardware

[rockingmtranch]

That's awesome. I'm currently flat ass broke so I'm wondering how long this post is basically good for? If, one year from now, I'm in the market, would I be able to use this config? And thanks for posting btw.

[ket]

All of these components will still be good to excellent in a year. In a year just be sure to at least pick up the Z68 Extreme4 Gen3, this will give you PCI-E 3.0 and Ivy Bridge support making the system considerably future-proof. If I had to build a powerful and future-proof system in a year it would look a lot like this;

Z68 Extreme4 Gen3
I7 2600K (no doubt prices will drop when Ivy Bridge is released)
G-Skill F3-12800CL7D-8GBXH
GTX570 (non reference, avoids the crap VRM design that way)
1TB Western Digital Caviar Black
Corsair 850w HX

If you have the funds, a Xonar DX 7.1 PCI-E sound card as well, you really don't notice the quality difference until you go from onboard audio to a quality sound card. Night and day difference assuming you have good speakers.

[rockingmtranch]

Very cool. Thanks.