Please scrutinize my build

[davidwj]

Just wondering if there was any advice on this build. Computer is for Photoshop and other media intensive software.

BUILD DETAILS:

- Intel Core i7-2600K Unlocked Processor - Quad Core, 8MB L3 Cache, 3.40 GHz, Socket H2 (LGA1155)

- ASUS Sabertooth P67 B3 TUF Edition Motherboard - ATX, Socket H2 (LGA 1155), Intel P67 Express, 1866MHz DDR3, SATA 6.0 Gb/s, RAID, 8-Channel Audio, Gigabit LAN, SLI/CrossFireX Ready, USB 3.0

- Raid 0 using 4 WD Black Hard Drives - 1TB, 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA 6Gbs

- 16GB Corsair Vengeance Memory - (4x 4GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, 9-9-9-24 CAS Latency, Intel XMP Ready, Unbuffered

- Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2 Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 Power Supply - 750 Watts, ATX, 140mm Fan, 80 Plus Bronze, SLI Ready, Active PFC

- XFX Radeon HD6950 PCIE 2.1 2GB DDR5 Dual Mini DP HDMI Dual DVI 800MHz

- Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

 

[boiler1990]

What is your budget? Are we working with some sort of limit?

I'd switch out the WD Blacks for Samsung F3s. They're faster, cheaper, and more reliable. You better get them quick before they disappear since Samsung sold their HDD division to Seagate.

The RAM is ok, but depending on what you're paying for them you most likely could get better. I'd personally get a DDR3-1600 kit that has a lower latency (8, or even better 7).

You could EASILY spend less on a motherboard. The Sabertooth is built more for gamers and is very expensive. I'd recommend getting a less expensive board because you don't need things like SLI/Crossfire capabilities and such.

Good case, but check to make sure the 6950 will fit properly.I'd also recommend the Cooler Master HAF 912/922.

 

[davidwj]

Thanks for the reply, I will go back and do some adjustments. My budget is around $1600.

 

[davidwj]

Also it looks like the Samsungs are SATA 3.0Gb/s compared to WD SATA 6.0Gb/s. Does that not matter much?

 

[boiler1990]

I think the Asus P8P67 will work well for you. It's somewhere around $150 too, depending on which model you get.

 

[Silvune]

Also it looks like the Samsungs are SATA 3.0Gb/s compared to WD SATA 6.0Gb/s. Does that not matter much?

No, it doesn't matter at all for mechanical harddrives and won't any time soon. SATA 6Gbps is only important for SSDs.

 

[boiler1990]

^+1
WD is managing to sell the 6Gbps Blacks simply because the average consumer thinks it makes a difference. The problem is that the platters can't physical read or write data quickly enough to take advantage of the bandwidth increase.