Advice on new computer design

[Jatone]

Hey everyone, buying a new gaming comp ASAP and just wanted to get some expert advice before i do.
This is my planned build:

CPU: Intel i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4P LGA 1156 P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH 4GB (2x2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1333 Memory

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB SATA 3Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200 RPM

VGA: Gigabyte GV-R585D5-1GD-B 1GB HDDR5 256-Bit ATI Radeon HD5850 Video Card

DVDRW: Pioneer DVR-218 Internal DVD/CD Writer

PSU: Corsair HX650W 650 Watts Power Supply

Case: Thermaltake V9 Mid Tower

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

Questions
Any problems with this build?
Is this a balanced build? Would it still be ballanced when I add a second HD5850?
Im not going to overclock. Do I still need a cooling device?
Will the PSU, Motherboard, etc. support a 2nd HD5850 in Crossfire later on?
Do I need a Full Tower or will the Mid Tower be fine?
And lastly, I have never overclocked and dont know how, am I a fool not to learn and do so or will this build be decent anyways?
Thanks so much for any replys =D

 

[deadlockedworld]

Questions
Any problems with this build?
Is this a balanced build? Would it still be ballanced when I add a second HD5850?
Im not going to overclock. Do I still need a cooling device?
Will the PSU, Motherboard, etc. support a 2nd HD5850 in Crossfire later on?
Do I need a Full Tower or will the Mid Tower be fine?
And lastly, I have never overclocked and dont know how, am I a fool not to learn and do so or will this build be decent anyways?
Thanks so much for any replys =D

Hey Jatone,

--Yes it is balanced, and yes it will continue to be. Gaming builds typically have much more $ into graphics than processors.
--The stock cooler that comes with the CPU will be fine if you dont plan to overclock.
--PSU can easily support crossfire and is an excellent choice
--As long as you graphics cards fit in the tower, thats all that should matter. Bigger will give you better ventilation however.
--You dont need to overclock in a build this powerful. Personally, I would wait until it starts to get older and overclock to prolong usefulness of the aging system.

Someone else needs to jump in here on the Mobo--I know the second slot will be limited to 8x, but I dont know how much that would hamper twin 5850s or if it will really matter.

 

[deadlockedworld]

Just looked at the case--with the multiple fan setup im sure it will be fine for your build even if you crossfire/overclock.

 

[4trees]

The gigabyte board is a good one especially if you aren't doing extreme overclocking. You will find pros and cons on any mobo but they are all pretty similar. The perks of the gigabyte board is the layout of the BIOS imo, but some people think the opposite. Its all opinions.

Crossfire on an 1156 socket is going to take a minor hit due to 8x on the second graphics card added (rather than 1st 16x 2nd 16x on the 1366 socket) but its minor compared to the gain of having 2 video cards running. So no the crossfire loss won't be a big problem but not optimal. 5-10% performance loss compared to both pci-e slots at 16x.

You might want to add some more ram depending on the games you plan on playing, 6gb would be nice.

You don't need an aftermarket cooler until you overclock. And you can always upgrade to a nice cooler on a later date when you start to experiment with overclocking later on. A decent air cooler can be purchased for $35-80.

Since you are considering overclocking in the future and therefore you may get an aftermarket cooler (which can be big like 6" tall) having a full tower would offer more options with less headaches on what will fit without hitting the case walls. So I would suggest getting a full case. Antec 1200 or HAF 932 are 2 practical choices with good reviews.

I think you should start to overclock at some point. You can cheaply add years to the effectiveness of you system, gain pride and confidence in the workings of your silicon beauty, achieve the speed of an exteme chip that costs $1000, and appreciate the performance gains in your gaming/software. Modest overclocks of 15-25% are quite easily achieved for most any chip.

 

[Niklas_13]

+2 to the other posters

- the ram part 4 gigs is all you need for gaming ( you might want 8 gigs if you get into photoshop work etc ) but the s1156 would be best with 4 or 8 gigs NOT 6 gigs

Do to its a dual channel mobo

Also if you might OC @ a latter time, you might want to look into DDR3 1600

 

[4trees]

+2 to the other posters

- the ram part 4 gigs is all you need for gaming ( you might want 8 gigs if you get into photoshop work etc ) but the s1156 would be best with 4 or 8 gigs NOT 6 gigs

Do to its a dual channel mobo

Also if you might OC @ a latter time, you might want to look into DDR3 1600

Thanks for the correction on the ram. Ive been thinking of only x58 and triple channel lately.

 

[Niklas_13]

np