Gaming PC Build

[Beahminator]

Hello guys, I have a gaming PC build that I would like to get comments on, this is my first ever post here as well as my first build so don't be too harsh! Anywho, here we go:

CASE- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196 (COOLER MASTER Storm Scout)

CD/DVD BURNER- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 (LITE-ON Black 24X)

PSU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371026 (Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W)

GPU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102914 (SAPPHIRE 100312SR Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5)

CPU- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 (Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz [3.7GHz Turbo Boost])

HARD DRIVE- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001U3S5S0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=A1BVYXEL822RF0 (SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3)

MOBO- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229 (ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67)

RAM- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426 (G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3)

OS - Windows 7 64

COOLER- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G1YPH0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A2EUTVCJXLAJ4K (COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus)

Currently, including rebates I can get this for just over $1,100 how did I do? I would greatly appreciate feedback, thanks.
-Beahm

Edit: I'm running on a 1920x1080 monitor,
Edit 2: UPDATED thanks to mjmj, geo, and k11's help

 

[mjmjpfaff]

hard drive is 60$ free shipping on amazon. 212 plus is 29.51$ free shipping on amazon. with the money you save invest in the new tx750 and this case 90$ free shipping- http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B004WK3KKQ/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1305686248&sr=1-1&condition=new . the rest looks good. even though your build will be slightly over 1100 it is a better investment. also look into the 6950 1gb gives better framerates with one card and 2. try this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102921&cm_re=6950_1gb-_-14-102-921-_-Product

 

[geofelt]

Looks reasonable to me.

One exception is the 1.65v ram.
Sandy bridge wants 1.5v ram, but can tolerate up to 1.65v. I don't like pushing it without reason. It turns out that sandy bridge is mostly insensitive to ram speeds, and timings. Fancy heat spreaders are for marketing.
This kit will do just as well:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231422

Nothing wrong with the motherboard, but you might research one with the Z68 chipset.
If you will not be getting a largish SSD, the Z68 can use a small SSD to cache the large hard drive.
Use the Intel 320 40gb drive, it will cost you about $100.

 

[Beahminator]

hard drive is 60$ free shipping on amazon. 212 plus is 29.51$ free shipping on amazon. with the money you save invest in the new tx750 and this case 90$ free shipping- http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B004WK3KKQ/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1305686248&sr=1-1&condition=new . the rest looks good. even though your build will be slightly over 1100 it is a better investment. also look into the 6950 1gb gives better framerates with one card and 2. try this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102921&cm_re=6950_1gb-_-14-102-921-_-Product

Thanks man I really appreciate the advice! I do get rather confused with the GPU war with the Radeon vs GTX. So you're saying the regular 6950 is better than an OC'd 560? Hmm alright I will certainly look into that thanks again
-Beahm

 

[mjmjpfaff]

hey u can oc a 6950 too.

 

[Beahminator]

Looks reasonable to me.

One exception is the 1.65v ram.
Sandy bridge wants 1.5v ram, but can tolerate up to 1.65v. I don't like pushing it without reason. It turns out that sandy bridge is mostly insensitive to ram speeds, and timings. Fancy heat spreaders are for marketing.
This kit will do just as well:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231422

Nothing wrong with the motherboard, but you might research one with the Z68 chipset.
If you will not be getting a largish SSD, the Z68 can use a small SSD to cache the large hard drive.
Use the Intel 320 40gb drive, it will cost you about $100.

Ahh good catch, many thanks. I will do just that! I was thinking about the Z68, a little on the fence about it.

 

[Beahminator]

hey u can oc a 6950 too.

Very true, OCing scares and confuses the hell out of me though, to be honest. I haven't tried fooling around with it before

 

[geofelt]

Very true, OCing scares and confuses the hell out of me though, to be honest. I haven't tried fooling around with it before

A "K" cpu is intended to be overclocked, that is why you will buy it. A simple OC to 4.0 is easy, and all you need. Don't sweat it.

Graphics is another matter to my mind. They run hot enough already, and the vendors have binned them already so they can sell them at their maximum OC, or near to it.
I leave graphics OC alone.

The graphics card market is very competitive. At a given price point, there is parity. If you play a certain game exclusively, then it might make sense to seek out the best card for your game. Otherwise do not anguish over differences.

I do have one rule, get a card with a dual slot direct exhaust cooler. Other types might get the heat off of the gpu die, but then they just dump it back into the case, heating up both the graphics air and the cpu air. Not good.
Here is a direct exhaust type, not perfect, but good:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604

Here is an example of a non exhaust cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162074

 

[k1114]

I had just posted something similar in another thread. This z68 is the cheapest 1155 mobo with x8x8, weird huh?

■LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
■COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
■Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
■SAPPHIRE 100312-1GSR Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
■CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power ...
■GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
■Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit English 1-Pack - OEM
■Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
■G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
■Patriot X-Porter 2GB Flash Drive (USB2.0 Portable) Model PSF2GUSB
■Patriot X-Porter 2GB Flash Drive (USB2.0 Portable) Model PSF2GUSB
TOTAL: $996.54 Shipping Included. Before MIR.
Add heatsink for 30 so total is ~1020. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B002G1YPH0/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1305678749&sr=8-1&condition=new So you could bump up to a 2gb 6950 that could unlock to a 6970, making the total ~1050. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102914

 

[mjmjpfaff]

why leave the graphics alone i oc'ed my evga 560 ti form 850mhz to 920mhz easy i use it on bad company 2 and see a 10fps difference oh and it hasnt crashed yet. also i am pissed that i didnt wait for the 6950 1gb so dont follow my mistake. also i dont think you will benefit from the z68 since on average they are 20$ more and only have 2 questionable "advancements"

 

[Beahminator]

Thanks so much guys, updated the info

 

[k1114]

I forgot to add the psu promo for $10 off. EMCKEJC29. I'd advise the corsair, as it's only $5 for more efficiency which will easily save you more money in the long run.

And if you did not notice the z68 is cheaper than the p67. The ripjaws non x series is currently 20% off plus the combo which is another -$23. It's exactly the same as the x series with different heatsinks. There's also a combo with the x series ram with the i5 if for some reason you want to waste money.