First Time Build i7-950 Gaming Rig

[takiatriwo]

Hey guys,

This is my first build and I am trying to create a rig I can rely on for the next 2-3 years . My use is mainly for gaming as I am an education major and most of my college needs just rely on the basic Office software.. .so nothing that really demands too much. The games I play or will be playing are BF2, SC2, SWTOR, WOW, MW:Black Ops, and Crysis 2 ( 3d right?). I have come up with a rough idea of what I want but I want to run it by you guys as it seems there are always a few better pathways to take that the novice builder seems to miss and you guys catch.

System Usage: Heavy gaming, want max settings at 1920 and the ability to go to 3d vision when monitors/glasses drop in prices abit.
Parts not required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, headset/speakers.
Preferred sites: Newegg or Frys pickup.
Overclocking- Yes I want to do some minor overclocking

My Build:
CPU- Intel I7- 950 - 259.99 -already bought http://www.frys.com/product/5946114?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG -

MoBo-Gigabyte ud3rd - 199.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423&cm_re=gigabyte_ud3r-_-13-128-423-_-Product
or
ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - 219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131641
I am open to either one or other suggestions. These just seemed to be of good value to me.

GPU- Galaxy 470 x2 for SLI- 249.99- http://www.frys.com/product/6364811?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Memory- G.SKILL PI Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI- 149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231335&cm_re=G.skill-_-20-231-335-_-Product
Chose this because of ratings online and the fact that it is 1.5v with good timings. Honestly I dont know alot about RAM so any advise I would greatly appreciate.

HD1- Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) 146.00-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148357

HD2- Samsung 1tb = $75

PSU- Antec TruePower Quattro TPQ-850 850W ATX Continuous Power Power Supply - 129.99- Already Bought
http://www.frys.com/product/5278537?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Case- Cooler Master Storm Sniper ATX Gaming Computer Case- 119.99- Already bought.
http://www.frys.com/product/5827263?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG



Anyways I would greatly appreciate any help you guys can provide or advise. I am hoping to OC my CPU abit ( like 3.8 since that seems very safe for this processor) and maybe my GPU but I am not sure since its the reference card. Maybe some extra cooling to help out with the TEMPS that the cards can generate?

 

[takiatriwo]

Any Feedback? I am really worried about getting a quality MoBo that will have no problem sli'ing the two 470 Galaxy reference cards. I know these carsd run hot and I dont want heat getting stuck because of problems with the motherboard design and available room. Does anyone have a first hand recommendation on which MoBo I should use or if I should just step up to something abit higher.. like the ud5r or the asus variant?

 

[boiler1990]

CPU: Lucky Duck. I had to get the 930 b/c I built my PC a month ago. At least I got it for only $200

Mobo: I'd go with the Asus variant of whichever one you choose. Personally I went with EVGA, but people were screaming Asus P6 Series and Gigabyte UD series at me the whole way. Neither of the two are bad. I hear more people complain about Gigabyte's mobos vs Asus's.

GPU: I know nothing about Galaxy GPUs. People were telling me MSI and Asus the whole way with my 460. Went EVGA there too

RAM: The G.Skill RAM is great value memory, but it's not always the best. I love Patriot (own the Viper DDR2 and Viper II Sector 7 DDR3 sets), and Kingston HyperX is also another great reliable brand. I would shy away from Corsair, as I've heard there's problems with trying to set it to 1600MHz (you have to manually set RAM speed in BIOS b/c Intel "only" supports 1066).

SSD: Remember you need a SATA III compatible motherboard to get its full potential.

HDD: WD all the way! Go with the Caviar Black with the 64MB Cache (I think?).

If you're looking at overclocking, I would suggest looking at a good CPU cooler. For the price of some air coolers, you can get a closed-loop liquid CPU cooler (Corsair H70). It's rated better than most of the air coolers.

 

[joe27]

Hi, I am also looking forward to build a new i7950 comp.I am a first timer could you olease help me with the list of components you used and where didi buy it. I greatly appreciate it.