Manosteel00's i5 Build - Feedback needed!

[manosteel00]

Approximate Purchase Date: Mid-June

Budget Range: No set budget, though ballpark 1000-1500 would be nice.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Parts Not Required: I have a HP 24zrw IPS monitor that I will be gaming at 1920x1080 on.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg

Country of Origin: US

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I would like a quite, professional looking PC that will last me 6 years.



Here's my build that I'm considering:


Case: Corsair 800D - $280
Why I like it: I'm going for a more "polished" and professional look, similar to what you would see on a Mac Pro desktop. I really don't like flashing LED lights everywhere and want a quiet, nice looking case. I like the cable management and room. Is there a better alternative?

Windows 7 Home Premium - $100

Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 WS REVOLUTION - $260
Why I like it: I plan to overclock but don't know enough to do it manually in the BIOS. I like the mobo layout and the BIOS interface to allow for easy OC'ing.

Processor: Intel i5-2500k - $100
Why I like it: I get special pricing through Intel for work and the 2500k seems like a smart move. I can pick up the i7 for $75 more but I don't think I'll ever see a real advantage.

System Drive: Crucial 256GB M4 SSD - Free
Why I like it: I got it at work for free. Offers fast performance and I would put the OS, applications, and games on this drive.

Storage Drive: Redundant SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM - $130
Why I like it: It's cheap and would store music, pictures, and other items. I want some type of backup strategy for any disk failure, so my second drive would mirror my primary storage drive. Is this a good or bad idea?

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 - $100
Should I look into Corsair Dominator 1600mhz RAM instead?

Power Supply: CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-850HX 850W - $160
Why I like it: I want something that can handle SLI and think this should do. I want something quiet as well! Please let me know if I should go higher.

CPU Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro H70 - $100
Why I like it: I like the look of it, will hopefully make the system more quiet. I've never done water cooling before so I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but looks like a simple setup.

GPU: Two GTX 560 ti's in SLI - $250
Why I like it: After running ATI I want to try out nvidia. I get special pricing on these as well so it's a pretty good deal. Please let me know if I should reconsider.

Optical: SAMSUNG SH-B123L/RSBP Blu-Ray DVD-RW - $65



Build Approximately $1600

 

[manosteel00]

Any feedback guys? I tried to be as detailed as possible!

 

[Why_Me]

A solid 750w psu will easily push two o/c 560's and leave you plenty of juice to spare for cpu o/c, extra fans, drives, etc...

Anyways here's a twist on that build of yours that saves you some money yet no loss in performance.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Enforcer-Interior-SGC-1000-KWN1/dp/B004WK3KKQ/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1306786833&sr=1-7 $89.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Storm Enforcer USB 3.0 Mid Tower ATX Case with Window and Black Interior (SGC-1000-KWN1)

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-120mm-Case-R4-L2R-20CR-GP/dp/B0026ZPFBG/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_b $9.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Cooler Master 120mm Red LED Case Fan - (R4-L2R-20CR-GP)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021 $109.99 - $99.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

http://www.amazon.com/ASRock-P67-Extreme4-B3-Motherboard/dp/B004QTHYZK/ref=sr_1_6?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1306786691&sr=1-6 $159.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASRock P67 Extreme4 B3 Intel P67 ATX DDR3 2133 Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.644259 $296.98 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_2?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1306787062&sr=1-2 $59.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Samsung Desktop Class Spinpoint F3 1 TB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 32 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare-OEM Drives, HD103SJ

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565 $249.99 (Before $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) FREE SHIPPING
MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.madshrimps.be/articles/article/1000116#axzz1EqpvWFEN <---Review on that Asrock motherboard after the latest bios update

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1098/pg2/asrock-extreme4-p67-and-fatal1ty-professional-p67-vs-x58-with-core-i7-950-review-asrock-p67-extreme4.html <---Review on that Asrock motherboard after the latest bios update

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4080/welcome-to-sandy-bridge-with-the-asrock-p67-extreme4 <--- Review before the latest bios...and it still smoked the Asus and Gigabyte boards in it's class

http://www.asrock.com/news/events/201102ex/warranty.html <---- Asrock two year warranty

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=P67%20Extreme4 <----- ASRock P67 Extreme4 Motherboard

 

[genghiskron]

gotta say im pretty jealous of that 256gb SSD. Why_Me's build looks perfect for your needs.

As far as cases, the 800D is great, but as you may have noticed, expensive. Here are some well made, similarly styled (plain black) alternatives at different price points:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139006&Tpk=650d
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&cm_re=antec_300-_-11-129-042-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112154
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112304
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163161&cm_re=silverstone_fortress-_-11-163-161-_-Product

 

[manosteel00]

Thanks for the help guys! After a lot of thought and research, here's what I'm looking at:

Case: Corsair 650D - $200

Windows 7 Home Premium - $100

Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 - $190
Why I like it: SSD Caching, etc. A little scared of first rev but it should be good. I might be asking for trouble here, though.

Processor: Intel i5-2500k - $100
Why I like it: I get special pricing through Intel for work and the 2500k seems like a smart move.

System Drive: Crucial 256GB M4 SSD - Free
Why I like it: I got it at work for free. Offers fast performance and I would put the OS, applications, and games on this drive.

Storage Drive: Two Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB - $300
Why I like it: Planning on putting in RAID 1 for redundancy, will put movies/music on these. There are only 2 6gb/s ports on this mobo though, so could I do this? Is this ideal?

RAM: 16GB Kingston HyperX T1 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - $200
Why I like it: Memory is cheap and I usually have about 15 applications open when I work from home.

Power Supply: CORSAIR AX Series CMPSU-850AX 850W - $180
Why I like it: I want something that can handle SLI and think this should do. I want something quiet as well!

CPU Cooler: Coolermaster 212 Hyper - $40
Why I like it: Good rep.

GPU: MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr II OC GeForce GTX 570 - $350
Why I like it: After running ATI I want to try out nvidia. Seems like a nice cool card.

Optical: SAMSUNG SH-B123L/RSBP Blu-Ray DVD-RW - $65

 

[mjmjpfaff]

wait a sec. you are going to use that 256gb ssd for caching thats rediculous and a total waste of a great ssd just use it for your os and your most used applications. with that said get this mobo- http://www.amazon.com/P8P67-EVO-REV-3-0-Motherboard/dp/B004QF0VGS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1306886504&sr=1-1 . get this hddx2- http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-SATA2-5400rpm-HD204UI/dp/B0042SGDVG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1306886628&sr=1-1 there is no need for a really fast hdd if you have an ssd that can store so much or if you really want you can get 4 samsung spinpoint f3 1tb hdd's (faster than those wd's) for 240$ on amazon. 8gb is enough even with 15 applications open- http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-PC3-12800-Platforms-CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B/dp/B004QBUL1C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1306886774&sr=1-2 -90$. the hyper 212 plus is 28$ on amazon. will you ever sli/cf?

 

[manosteel00]

Hah, no...I was planning on using the 256gb for OS, caching, gaming, and applications. I hear what you're saying about the other drives as they will host video, pictures, and files.

 

[mjmjpfaff]

Hah, no...I was planning on using the 256gb for OS, caching, gaming, and applications. I hear what you're saying about the other drives as they will host video, pictures, and files.

dont use it for ssd caching!! jsut use it for your os and mos used applications. buy the p67 board i just posted so you aren't tempted to use ssd caching

 

[mjmjpfaff]

will you sli/cf?

 

[manosteel00]

Possibly but not off the bat. I do want a power supply where I don't have to worry about running out of juice though!

 

[striker410]

I agree, a 256GB SSD is way overkill for that, get a 20GB one for caching and a 80GB x2 one for apps+os+other crap. Remember, SSD's are only getting faster and cheaper. Buy only what you need on the SSD front.

 

[genghiskron]

You dont want to be using an SSD for caching since you have a 256gb SSD. Lets not confuse things. All of your most used items (os, programs, commonly used file) should go on the massive 256gb SSD. SSD caching is for people who cant afford a large SSD on which to put all of their useful files (the idea is that the SSD automatically stores SOME of the most useful files). So you probably wouldnt make much use of the z68's features.


things to note: almost every high wattage corsair PSU can be combo'd with the 650D case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.639293
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.639295

Id recommend the scythe mugen (aka scmg-2100) over the hyper 212 at $40. Its quieter and cooler. Alternatively, the hyper 212 can be purchased cheaper on amazon. Review:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/lga-1156-heatsink,2535-14.html

 

[mjmjpfaff]

stay with 2 560 ti's they are the best bang for your buck and will max out games for the next year-1&1/2 and when oc'd they give almost the performance of a gtx 570 for 100$ less. also you wont need a 850w psu just a hx/tx 750. get this gpu- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130651 get the other one at amazon because you cant get 2 m.i.r. at one store also amazon has free shipping

 

[manosteel00]

Just bought it guys!

Decided to go with the Asrock Z68 and a GTX 570. Can't wait!

 

[mjmjpfaff]

why did you go with the gtx 570 you should have gone with the 6950 because 6950 cf runs on par with the gtx 570 sli. save money and get the same performance. and why the z68 board if you wont use ssd caching with that big of an ssd i already told you using a 256gb ssd for caching is a waste of great ssd. use your ssd separately for a boot up drive which you put your o.s. on and your most used applications to shorten your waiting time. have you read a single thread i posted?

 

[striker410]

why did you go with the gtx 570 you should have gone with the 6950 because 6950 cf runs on par with the gtx 570 sli. save money and get the same performance. and why the z68 board if you wont use ssd caching with that big of an ssd i already told you using a 256gb ssd for caching is a waste of great ssd. use your ssd separately for a boot up drive which you put your o.s. on and your most used applications to shorten your waiting time. have you read a single thread i posted?

Now now, it's still going to be a fine build. Nothing can be done now, so let's not get angry at OP for not listening to advice. We all have a preconceived notion of what is correct and he decided to follow his. It's not a huge deal, he just isn't utilizing the hardware to it's fullest potential/spending more than he should.

 

[manosteel00]

No, I definitely did follow it to some degree and I appreciate your feedback!

I went with the Z68 because it was only a few dollars more and it gives me flexibility to do SSD caching and has the lucid virtu feature which might come in handy down the line. The other option would have been to go with the P67 Extreme4 which is more or less the same board.

I also wanted to try out nvidia after owning ati for so long. A 570 vs. two 6950's is $350 vs $500. I didn't think 1v1 they compared but I could be wrong! If that's the case I can always RMA =)

 

[genghiskron]

the real question is, did you snag the combos before they reset for June?

good luck with your build. as you seem to realize, you dont need to worry too much about saving money when you get $100 off the processor and a free $450 SSD.

id love to see some pics when you get it built. im curious to see that T1 ram sitting under a hyper 212.

 

[manosteel00]

I did grab one! I actually just got free 16GB of Crucial Dominator Memory as well =)

I also got offered two 5870's for free that are refurbished, how would they compare against a gtx 570?

 

[genghiskron]

two 5870s are significantly better than a single gtx 570.

 

[striker410]

For free? Dude, definitely grab those. That's a phenomenal deal.

 

[manosteel00]

So I ended up getting a free 6850 and really wanted to try the GTX 570, so I am going to use the 6850 in an older PC of mine.

I did receive 16GB of the following RAM for free. I didn't open my Kingston memory so would this do well in my PC?

http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=BL2KIT51264FN2001


I installed everything today except the CPU and the RAM. Man, I LOVE the Corsair 650D. Cable management is a breeze and it is exactly what I was looking for. The AX850's modular design makes things look even better. I'll post a few pics once I have everything up and running.

 

[manosteel00]

And here she is, I'm so glad I got the 650D. Thanks for the help guys.

I'm not a huge fan of the Mugen's looks and may eventually replace it but I really like the layout, cable management, and obviously performance.

 

[genghiskron]

your mugen fan should ideally be on the opposite side, blowing air through the cooler and out the back of the case.

looks great, sorry you dont like the mugen

 

[mjmjpfaff]

^+1