Need advice for first time homebuild

[nluevano]

Approximate Purchase Date: 3 month span

Budget Range: 2,000 max

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg, amazon, tigerdirect


Country of Origin: United States


Parts Preferences: Intel processors and NVIDIA graphics


Overclocking: I would like to and will be researching more.


SLI or Crossfire: I'm open to SLI as I need more performance for gaming


Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

I know more about software and have a degree in Information Systems so this is new territory for me. I have done some research and have decided to choose the parts below. Let me know what I should change or what may work better for high end gaming.

Case
NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Steel / Plastic Enthusiast ATX Full Tower Computer Case...this is a maybe

Processor
ntel Core i7-2600K BX80623I72600K Unlocked Processor - Quad Core, 8MB L3 Cache, 3.40 GHz, Socket H2 (LGA1155)

Motherboard
SUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX SLI ready

RAM
I'm not sure what brand I should get but I want 8-12 GB

Graphics Card
NVIDIA GEForce 570???

Memory - Hard Disk
I think I'm going SSD so let me know a good brand and then an external hardrive.

DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
I don't really care for blu-ray so am willing to just get DVD/CD combo

Power Supply
Corsair 750W PRO SERIES (HX750) 80+ MODULAR PSU but not sure

Processor Cooling
???

Sound Card
???

Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit

 

[gkay09]

^ Nice parts,...
Some suggestions

RAM - IMO 8GB would be the max if mainly gaming(actually even 4GB would do, but 8GB is pretty cheap)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460

Cooling -
If going with RAMs with tall heatspreaders, it might cause clearance issues with after-market CPU coolers, so IMO you can check out the Corsair H50/ Antec Kuhler H2O and such,...

PSU - 750W would suffice for GTX 570 SLI, but better to go with 800-850W so that you have some headroom left,...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207017

Mobo - Check the new Z68 chipsets - SSD caching and other nice features,...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-z68-express-smart-response-technology-ssd-caching,2938.html
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128494

SSD -
Crucial M4 64GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441
Or OCZ Agility 3
$10 off with promo code HARDOCPX525B, ends 5/31
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227725

 

[mfarrukh]

Nice choice for processor and motherboard.
Go with 8GB because it'll do everything you want from it.
Check out G-Skill SNIPER
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231460&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=64ck1zi2plpn


Get an SSD for Windows and/or Games. and for data, get something like WD Cavoir Black or Samsung Spinpoint.
For SSD, have a look at these benchmarks. It'll help

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/SSD/66

If you intend to use one GTX 570, then stay with 750W PSU. Otherwise, I'll recommend above 800W.

For cooling, check out Corsair H50.
or as stated by the above commenter Antec's H20


Regards...

 

[nluevano]

One other question I would have then is should I get the Antec Kuhler 620 or 920?? I'm guessing the 620 is enough but like I said before I'm a newbie and I decided I would go with the G-Skill 8GB in case that matters. I also want to know if it is worth my money to do two GTX 570s so let me know what you think. I'll put a list of the parts I chose later.

 

[nluevano]

Best answer selected by nluevano.

 

[gkay09]

^ The 620 should suffice for a good overclock,...
As for the graphics card, if you are not getting Nvidia for Physx or CUDA, then IMO the 6950/ 6970 Crossfire would provide better performance for the money,...

 

[jsc]

Because this is your first build, look at the following threads while you are waiting for your parts.
Build it yourself:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/274745-13-step-step-guide-building

And although this primarily a troubleshooting thread, the first part contains a checklist that will catch most noob mistakes:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-read-posting-boot-problems

 

[gkay09]

^+1 Those threads are very helpful,...

 

[nluevano]

Yes those threads are great for me, especially for my first time build. I'm taking my time so I'll read over the articles first so I can feel I'm making a more informed decision thanks again for everyone's help I really appreciate it! I may be back with more questions if any arise

 

[nluevano]

I've actually went ahead and made a purchase way ahead of schedule and it goes as follows:

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL (missed the sale on the sniper by like 5 mins...a little upsetting)

HSF: CORSAIR CWCH50-1 High Performance CPU Cooler

HDD: Western Digital My Book Essential 1TB Black External Hard Drive WDBACW0010HBK-NESN

SSD: Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850 V2 850W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power

GPU: EVGA SuperClocked 012-P3-1572-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support (Eventually 2)

DVD: Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM (didn't need anything special)

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0 and Black Interior

Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

The total came to around $1,600 with rebates and including a 23'' LED Monitor which I couldn't resist. Thanks again to everyone for your help and the threads I really appreciate and I'm definitely reading over as many of them as I can before my order arrives!