Please help with upgrading my PC

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2NE1

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Hey guys, I need a little help upgrading my PC that is primarily used for gaming. I still don't know a whole lot about doing it.
I have a pre-built Dell XPS 8300 that's about 4 years old now that came with an Intel i7 2600.

When the stock HDD that came with the PC died I've since added these.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2v8Z7

So using those parts I'm thinking of buying this case along with this Mobo, CPU cooler, RAM and LED lights so this is what I would have all together.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2v9vi

Is this a good setup? Is that a good choice of RAM and motherboard? I know the i7 2600 is old and is a sandy bridge so a newer motherboard would not work as I understand it. Also I hear it's still a really good CPU and that I shouldn't need to upgrade it quite yet. I'm going for a white case with blue insides look. Can I go any cheaper than this? For surround sound gaming and music with headphones can I use the motherboard audio out or do I need to buy a souncard? Any opinions appreciated. :)



 
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ramalpan
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ramalpan

ramalpan

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You build looks solid except for a few things.

First and formost, don't use MSI boards. They aren't as good as Asus, Asrock, or Gigabyte.
Instead of the MSI board you listed, you should use a
Asrock extreme 4 z77 or an Asus p8 z77

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837

HDD:
The WD caviar black is a good HDD, but you can save yourself $20 by getting a seagate barracuda 1TB. It pretty good and is quieter. Also assuming that you will use the SSD as a boot drive and the HDD as storage, the HDD should last you a while.
(I know that the seagate drives that dell included were not very good. Mine got some weird parameter problem, but they've gotten a lot better)


SSD: The samsung 830 is good, but why not use a 128 gb 840 evo? Its newer and cheaper

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-EVO-Series-2-5-Inch-MZ-7TE120BW/dp/B00E3W15P0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1388794820&sr=8-2&keywords=samsung+840+evo




GPU: are you using a GTX 680 or a HD 7850?


RAM:
You could save yourself some money and use gskill ripjaw X ram since its on sale right now
http://www.amazon.com/G-Skill-PC3-12800-RipjawsX-9-9-9-24-F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL/dp/B004I763AW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1388794915&sr=8-2&keywords=g+skill+ripjaw+8gb

Sound: Most Mobos have decent built in sound, so a sound card really isn't necessary unless you absolutely want the highest quality sound possible.

CPU: I used to have a dell xps 8000, and the i5 processor with that was really good. Most games are reliant on your GPU than your CPU. Also most games don't use more than 2 cores. I think your processor is good enough to last you a while.
 
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2NE1

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Ok so that Asus P8Z77 sounds good.
I already have the WD black HDD and I bought the Samsung 830 SSD on sale last year for around $130 I believe.
I'm using a 7850 specifically an MSI Twin Frozr OC. I think I'll pay the little extra and stick with the blue colored RAM. Is that RAM compatible with that motherboard?
I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 598's so that's why I was wondering if I should use the motherboard sound or if it's worth it to spend more money on something like the Creative Sound Blaster Z.

 
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ramalpan

ramalpan

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It doesn't really matter what RAM you use. Its all really the same (as long as you use 1600 mhz ram) so i just figured you could save a few bucks, but no matter.
I have an Asus z87-a board and the onboard audio is really good. You don't really need a sound card, its an unnecessary expense and takes up space in the case. You would probably be better off getting a wireless card or something.
Your GPU seems pretty good.

Other than that I think you're good to go!
 
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