[New Build] $1500~ Gaming System - Feedback please!

[iseekwisdom]

Hey guys, first time posting, but a constant lurker. Seeking your feedback on this system. Feel free to tear it apart if it sucks.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within the month .

BUDGET RANGE: ~$1,500. I need something that is future proof enough to last 2 years or so without major overhauls. Perhaps one or two upgrades a year.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (FFXIV, SC2, GW2, Diablo3, all the good stuff coming), intertubes, some photo editing.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED:KB/Mouse

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg but am open to suggestions.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: i7-950 just because of the huge price drop. Solid brands (ASUS, Gigabyte, etc)

OVERCLOCKING: When I feel brave.

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: SLI.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Thinking about going 24' inch.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Been a while since I built my own system, would like to get back into it and seems like no better time than now. All recommendations are helpful. If you can suggest a replacement part at a better price with same or better performance, please tell me. Thanks guys!

[CPU] Intel i7-950 - $298

[MB] ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $199.99

[RAM] CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D - $189.99

[Video] EVGA 01G-P3-1373-AR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked EE 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $249

Will buy a second after a month or two after total purchase.

[HD] Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $139.99

I would like a small fast drive that I can take full advantage of. I have a large backup/media server so I don't have a need to load everything on one system, would prefer to swap games/software around as needed.

[Case] Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $64.99

[PSU] KINGWIN Mach 1 ABT-1000MA1S 1000W ATX / BTX SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power ... - $159.99

[CD] ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM - $18.99

[Monitor] LG W2453V-PF Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Full HD 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor - $219.99

[Cooling] ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - $45.99
ZALMAN ZM-CS4A Socket 1366 Clip Support Kit for CNPS9500/9700 - $8.99

Total price is around ~$1500.

 

[dndhatcher]

The Zalman CNPS9700 is outdated. Try these cheaper/better coolers:
Kingwin 1264 (clone of xigmatek 1264)
Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer
Scythe Mugen 2 (SCMG-2100)
Xigmatek Dark Knight
Xigmatek Balder


10K drives are now a silly purchase. Their seek times are outclassed by SSDs and their throughput is beaten by cheap 500GB platter 7200RPM drives.

90GB OCZ Vertex 2 SSD for $169 (after 20MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227601

Maybe add a Samsung F3 500GB HDD ($55) for installing infrequently used apps.


Corsair is good quality RAM, but is overpriced. You should be able to get better timing (cas6 or cas7) Geil, Gskill or Mushkin 6GB kits for $150.

 

[iseekwisdom]

Thanks for the feedback .

I've been on the border with SSDs for a while. Most of what I've read says SSD don't really make a difference in real time testing on games except for loading times and usually the cost difference doesn't justify it, but I'll definitely look into it now if 10k drives are irrelevant now. Or maybe just get a Spinpoint F3 like you said as a primary drive.

 

[dndhatcher]

You dont get an SSD for gaming performance. It makes boot, load, switch times fast. It makes your entire system more responsive. I dont see anyone posting that they bought an SSD and feel it was a waste of money. I do see alot of people post they bought an SSD and it was the best upgrade ever.

I am waiting for the sales that happen between thanksgiving and new years and plan to get good 90-120GB SSDs (OCZ Vertex 2, OCZ Agility 2, Gskill Pheonix, Corsair Force, Crucial C300) in the $150-$200 range.



A 1KW PSU is huge overkill for a pair of 460s. Something like these 750W PSUs would make more sense.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151101
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371022
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207003

 

[iseekwisdom]

Would 750W PSU be enough say a year or year and half down when I want to upgrade the video card to something more powerful? Or would it be a moot point by then and I'm better off buying a new PSU?

 

[dndhatcher]

You are going to upgrade a pair of 460s with what in 2 years? Not likely. Maybe in 4 years when you buy your next PC a new reasonably priced graphics card might beat a pair of 460s. Look at what a pair of last gen 4870s does right now, it still takes over $500 to buy a graphics card that can beat it.