Need help building computer. Will this $768 config handle PS2?

Ailos · 2012-08-24, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by Lannce

Hey guys,

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to take Goku's recommendation and drop the cpu down to the 3470 / B75 mobo combo - I like that this saves me $90. The corsair 500w power supply looks fine, but I want to make sure that it is enough for my build, and POSSIBLY for future upgrades if I see an obvious need to.

I know how fast 128GB will disappear, but Planetside 2 is pretty much the only reason for me owning this rig. My company just bought me a 15" Macbook Pro, which I use for all my web design/programming. If I want to play music on this computer, I'll use the internet or plug in my external 1tb HDD.

These are my only remaining questions before I purchase this rig:
1) TitanX, do you own the Zalman case? Is it designed well?
2) Is the ZOTAC 2gb 256bit PCI 2.0 a good card for the money ($190)? I've seen similar GPU specs, but most are like $100 more. Is the $100 worth it, or should I really consider moving up to the $300-400 range. My goal is to be able to run PS2 at the highest settings, but if that is going to cost me an extra $400, I really need to justify the cost/benefit ratio of owning a better gpu.
3) Can someone take a look at the MicroATX Gigabyte B75 Mobo and talk some sense into me? I'm worried about the GPU not fitting or perhaps touching the Memory slots. The ZOTAC gpu kinda looks like a brick. Will this all fit in the Zalman case?

I'll address the points that I feel qualified to:

2) Your Ivy-Bridge GPU and MB enable PCIe 3.0x16 data rate for your graphics card. I would recommend you take advantage of that, since PS2 is meant to be and probably will be a long-running game, and taking advantage of this modern technology will add to the longevity of your rig, and delay the moment when you feel you're ready for an upgrade. This means sticking to AMD's higher 7000 series or NVidia's 600s. The NVidia 660 Ti and Radeon HD 7870 trade blows when it comes to performance, however, the 660 is $300+ while the 7870 recently dropped $40 to $260. Both of these GPUs will put you on the high side of eye candy in PS2, especially if you play at 1080p or below. Personally, I'd recommend to sticking to the 7870 if it's value you're after, but is really more of a personal preference, and I don't think you'd be disappointed with either card.

3) Although the RAM slots are pretty close to the GPU slot on that mobo layout, you don't need to worry about anything. RAM sticks themselves do not go beyond the length of the slot (unless you buy the ones with massive heat spreaders, but that's something you should avoid since you've no need to overclock the RAM). The GPUs (especially the ones I listed above) usually hang down from the PCIe slot and simply continue at the level of the slot itself. So really, you won't have any issues with stuff touching anything, but you would probably just want to put the RAM in first, then put the GPU in its place, so that you have easier access to the side clips if you find you need to reseat it.