Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl
November 2011 update:
The Gaming Rig page will be updated with some exciting new features very soon.
Here’s a list of my personally trusted quality components for building an awesome gaming rig.
Last update: July 25th, 2011
1. Added Dustin home as a choice for Norwegians.
2. Changed the graphics card for Norway (Komplett.no) to the Gainward GeForce GTX 570 as the ZOTAC card was discontinued there.
3. Added footnotes. Only one footnote so far (see the CPU section), but I will add more soon. The footnotes contain additional information about – and explanation of – the choices of hardware in the setup. Footnote text is shown when you hover over it with the mouse pointer.
Please note that I have not included a DVD/BR player/burner, monitor, or peripherals such as the keyboard, mouse, headset or speakers, as this is much more a matter of personal taste (- let me know if you still want recommendations on those).
These components are definitely not just random picks, they are actually selected because they offer an optimal performance boost combined with stability, at a very good price/performance ratio.
I have also taken into account the noise factor (which is very important to me), the ease of installation, and there’s ample room for overclocking.
US: Load the pre-configured rig on Newegg
Norway: Load the pre-configured rig on Komplett or Dustin home
Note: Optional components must be added manually! Use the Buy links
| Motherboard: | Newegg | Komplett | Dustin home |
|---|---|---|---|
 ASUS P8Z68-V PRO, Socket-1155, Intel Z68(SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0, ATX form factor) |
Buy | Buy | Buy |
| CPU (processor): | |||
 Intel Core™ i5 Quad Processor i5-2500K{{1}}[[1]]Why not Core i7? Benchmark tests have shown the Core i5 actually performs better in games, while the Core i7 processors perform better for processing video and image editing with effects.Most games are not optimized for more than one to two cores, so clock speed matters more because of this reason. Depending on all kinds of settings, a Core i7 2600K can be 1-7 fps slower in games than a Core i5 2500K.So, if you’re only going to be gaming, or don’t really feel the need to spend more of your hard-earned cash just to cut your rendering time in Adobe Premiere Pro by a few %, go for the Core i5 and spend it on something else, like a new mousepad or larger SSD perhaps?[[1]](3,3GHz, Socket LGA1155, 6MB, Boxed) |
Buy | Buy | Buy |
| RAM (memory): | |||
 Newegg/Komplett: Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333MHz 8GB CL9(Kit w/4x 2GB XMS3 modules, CL9-9-9-24, for Core i5 and i7, 1.5V) Dustin home: Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1600MHZ 8GB CL9 (Kit w/2x 4GB XMS3 modules for Core i5 and i7, 1.5V) |
Buy | Buy | Buy |
| Power Supply (PSU): | |||
 Corsair HX 650W PSU(ATX 12V V2.2, 80 Plus Bronze, Modular, 4x 8 (6+2)-pin PCI-Express power, 9x SATA) |
Buy | Buy | Buy |
| Hard Drive #1 (System drive): | |||
 Corsair SSD Force Series™ 3 120GB(SATA3.0, 550MB/510MB/s read/write, SandForce® SF-2281, 2,5″) |
Buy | Buy | Buy |
| Video Card (Graphics Card): | |||
 Newegg: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 570 1280MB AMP!(PCI-Express 2.0, GDDR5, 2xDVI, native-mini HDMI, 780MHz) Komplett: Gainward GeForce GTX 570 1280MB PhysX (PCI-Express 2.0, GDDR5, 2xDVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, 732MHz) Dustin home: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 570 1280MB (+ Game) (PCI-Express 2.0, GDDR5, 2xDVI, native-mini HDMI, 732MHz) |
Buy | Buy | Buy |
| Chassis: | |||
 Fractal Design Define R3 (Black Pearl)(Noise isolated and easy to set up. Also available in Titanium Grey and Arctic White) |
Buy | Buy | Buy |
| Optional: Hard Drive #2 (Storage drive): | |||
 Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB(7200RPM, SATA 3.0 Gbps, 3,5″, 32MB Cache, 8.9ms) |
Buy | Buy | Buy |
| Optional: CPU Cooler: | |||
 Noctua NH-U12P SE2 CPU Cooler(1300 RPM, 92.3 m³/h, 19.8 dBA, 2x 120mm fans) |
Buy | Buy | Buy |