Berek
Regular
I'm waiting for Sandy Bridge to come out next week for a new build and had questions regarding compatibility with current hardware. To note, I'm looking at a decent build but nothing crazy expensive...:
1) For Sandy Bridge, can I buy any DDR3 memory now, and if so, what's the best CAS and MHz I should look for, especially if I want to do a bit of overclocking (but nothing beyond air-fan).
I'm looking at the Gigabyte H67MA-UD2H mobo currently, though I'll consider ATX if things don't fit, especially with my ATI 6950 video card.
2) Is 8GB enough to run a major game (Metro 2033 for example), Photoshop CS5 (large 600MB PSD editing), bunch of Firefox tabs (30+), and misc. smaller programs in the background?
Or should I take the plunge and just get 16GB and be done with it, considering prices seem low at the moment? I know 16GB is overkill, but it's either that or 8.
3) I was thinking of purchasing the Coolermaster Hyper 212, which looks to be compatible with SB, but I'm also considering a mATX mobo... is this a good cooler and will it fit in Mid-Tower mATX offerings?
4) I'm waiting for Intel's 25nm SSDs, as I'm tired of the system crawling when copying a bunch of files between drives. Disregarding cost, is it a good time to buy one (looking at the 300GB) for an OS/System/Major Games drive purpose?
The rest of the components I already have, including a Antec Earthwatts EA500 500W, though I could swap that out for a spare OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W. I also have 4xHDs, 1xDVD+RW, and a couple of external USB peripherals that add a bit to the power envelope.
I'll be building a home system and looking at Sandy Bridge in particular for work as well. Thanks for any advice!
1) For Sandy Bridge, can I buy any DDR3 memory now, and if so, what's the best CAS and MHz I should look for, especially if I want to do a bit of overclocking (but nothing beyond air-fan).
I'm looking at the Gigabyte H67MA-UD2H mobo currently, though I'll consider ATX if things don't fit, especially with my ATI 6950 video card.
2) Is 8GB enough to run a major game (Metro 2033 for example), Photoshop CS5 (large 600MB PSD editing), bunch of Firefox tabs (30+), and misc. smaller programs in the background?
Or should I take the plunge and just get 16GB and be done with it, considering prices seem low at the moment? I know 16GB is overkill, but it's either that or 8.
3) I was thinking of purchasing the Coolermaster Hyper 212, which looks to be compatible with SB, but I'm also considering a mATX mobo... is this a good cooler and will it fit in Mid-Tower mATX offerings?
4) I'm waiting for Intel's 25nm SSDs, as I'm tired of the system crawling when copying a bunch of files between drives. Disregarding cost, is it a good time to buy one (looking at the 300GB) for an OS/System/Major Games drive purpose?
The rest of the components I already have, including a Antec Earthwatts EA500 500W, though I could swap that out for a spare OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W. I also have 4xHDs, 1xDVD+RW, and a couple of external USB peripherals that add a bit to the power envelope.
I'll be building a home system and looking at Sandy Bridge in particular for work as well. Thanks for any advice!
