First timer build - i7 2600K build

w0okie

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Hello all,

I am building a PC for the first time. I would like your input before I start buying all the parts. If there are any incompatible or missing parts please let me know. I want to use this mainly for video editing/converting, data encrypting, winrar/zip and some gaming (CS source and Crysis).

Case:
Corsair Graphite Series 600T Black Steel

Processor:
i7 2600K Sandybridge

Heatsink:
CORSAIR Hydro H70 CWCH70 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler (Also ordering thermal paste)

Mobo:
ASUS P8P67 DELUXE (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

GPU:
EVGA 01G-P3-1563-A1 GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) Maximum Graphics Edition

RAM:
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

PSU:
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.2

HDD:
Primary - Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW160G3K5 2.5" 160GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Secondary - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Software:
Windows 7

All comes to around ~ $2000

Thank you in advanced for your feedback.
 
Solution
Hello W0okie,

There are a couple points I feel I need to chime in on.

■You will get better prices from directcanada.com and free shipping on orders over $50.
■The HD 6xxx series cards don't have the driver issues of generations past. The 2GB HD 6950 is the best GPU out there right now under $300.
■The Intel 320 gets my recommendation for price/performance/reliability.
■The only thing a quality high-wattage (more than needed) PSU will cost you is extra money. 750 watts will be enough for two 6950s or two 560s. I would go with the Corsair 750HX for a bit more money because it is modular, more efficient, and slightly higher quality.
■If you can afford it, I would stick with the i7-2600k. The Hyper Threading will help decrease your video...

alan0n

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If you are building a complete pc from scratch, dont forget the DVD-Rom (Although several blue-ray burners are under 100 bucks now may want to look at one of those). Other than that, it looks compatible and complete.
 
I'd also consider the 6950(2GB) over the 560....; the larger framebuffer will come in handy if/when you use 1920x1200 at high AA/AF settings)

The 2500k offers very similar performance in most apps (the 2600k's hyperthreading is not normally much of an advantage), and at almost $100 less cost. (If planning on Crysis, you could dump the $100 saved into the GTX570 or a 6970 instead.)
 

w0okie

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Feb 28, 2011
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Hi all,

Thanks for all the feedback. I don't plan on gaming intensely but I will be doing alot of multi-tasking, compressing/decompressing (winrar), data encryption and video editing/conversion. I've had horrible experiences with ATI drivers, hence I'm going with an nvidia card. I chose GTX 560 but basically, I just want a mid-range card in the sub $300 category that will be best bang for the buck.

@ alan0n,
Yes, I forgot to add a Dvd burner :D

@ mdd1963,
I have alot of friends tell me the same thing about the 2500k so I think I might just go with the 2500k.

@genghiskron,
I haven't done any price matching yet but this is from the newegg.ca prices. I live in Canada, so I can't use sites like microcenter. Including shipping and taxes, it will be over 2000 actually. (~300 for processor, ~150 for case, ~220 for mobo, ~300 for SDD, ~200 for GPU, ~150 for PSU, etc etc). If you see something out of ordinary, let me know.

My other question is, I had a hard time picking the SDD. Is that going to be compatible and is that a reasonable price ? Also, if I eventually want to go SLI at some point down the road, will that PSU be enough ? Also, I heard that getting too high wattage for a PSU can potentially damage your system ? Is that true ?
 

nd_hunter

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Hello W0okie,

There are a couple points I feel I need to chime in on.

■You will get better prices from directcanada.com and free shipping on orders over $50.
■The HD 6xxx series cards don't have the driver issues of generations past. The 2GB HD 6950 is the best GPU out there right now under $300.
■The Intel 320 gets my recommendation for price/performance/reliability.
■The only thing a quality high-wattage (more than needed) PSU will cost you is extra money. 750 watts will be enough for two 6950s or two 560s. I would go with the Corsair 750HX for a bit more money because it is modular, more efficient, and slightly higher quality.
■If you can afford it, I would stick with the i7-2600k. The Hyper Threading will help decrease your video editing/encoding and compression times. Whether it is $100 better is arguable. Here's a bench comparing the 2500k and 2600k. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=287
 
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alan0n

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May 3, 2011
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On another note if encoding/decoding is going to be your primary use you may want to hold off for the z68 boards (Due to be realeased may 8th, sales later that month) or go to a h67 board to take advantage of quicksync. Supposedly it speeds encode/decode operations up dramatically, but it isnt available on the p67 chipset.

If you go to a h67 you will lose the ability to overclock your machine, so if you go that route you may want to drop to a plain i7-2600 and lose the k series cpu. This would save you about a hundred bucks.

If you wait for the z68 boards you get both overclocking and quicksync and it would make sense to stick with the k series cpu.
 

alan0n

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I use the 1200watt psu from that same series and its quiet, tough, and stable. Very nice PSU series IMO. They are a bit pricey though, to be honest.

Compatability of your components is going to depend on your specific board, but they will have pci-e x16, ddr3 and sata II so Id say you will be fine with all the rest of your stuff fitting the new board.

As far as the SSD, thats on the low end of the SSD spectrum, but $/Gb ratio is good on it and it is still significantly faster than a HDD.

Just keep in mind that the performance of SSDs rapidly falls off the fuller they get. So try to keep it well under 50% full.
 

cmadrid

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You probably don't need watercooling, but thats up to you!

also i would change

Secondary - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

for a Samsung spinpoint f3
 

w0okie

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Can you recommend me a good SSD ? I just saw good reviews for the Intel 320 so I went with that one. A good quality SSD in on the top of my priority list.

Also cmadrid, what is the diff between that samsun spinpoint f3 and the WD hdd I chose ? Also, if I am overclocking my 2600k, wouldn't watercooling be the best solution ? If not, can you recommend me an alternative ?
 

cmadrid

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You can overclock it very well with just air cooling.. I would get a CM Hyper 212+ or something of similar performance in that price range. From what I've read the Samsung spinpoint f3 outperforms the WD hdds
 

alan0n

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I run a RevoX2 120gb MHC drive. I have heard about lots of problems with them, but mine went in easy and is absurdly fast.

I dont know if I would recomend it though, as setting it up can be a bit of a hassle if you need to flash it.