Building i5 2500k

[tacohiman]

this is my first build, so any tips would be nice.
currently i am going to get a:
i5 2500k
asus p8p67 mobo
evga gtx 560 ti ds
corsair 650w tx
cooler master haf 922
4 gb kingston ram
wd caviar black sata 3 750gb

is this alright or should i change some things?

 

[infidus]

Hey Tacohiman, first I'd say to fill the form out associated with the link I am providing you, it will really help out whomever will be offering their bits and pieces of information to you. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

 

[tacohiman]

right.
im looking at 800-900 gaming computer
i wont need keyboard, mouse, monitor.
i might toy with over clocking
i probably wont use sli, but maybe.

i5 2500k
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004EBUXHQ/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

evga gtx 560 ti
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KZHRAM/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

corsair 650w tx
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthusiast-Certified-compatible-platforms/dp/B004LB5AZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307509353&sr=8-1

asus p8p67
http://www.amazon.com/P8P67-REV-3-0-Supported-Motherboard/dp/B004QF0VE0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307416635&sr=8-1

haf 922
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026FCI2U/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

cavair black
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Black-Drive/dp/B004CSIFFS/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

4gb CORSAIR memory (woops)
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-1333MHz-PC3-10666-240-pin-CMX4GX3M1A1333C9/dp/B003ZDJ42O/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1307947826&sr=1-1

 

[subasteve5800]

Welcome to the fourms. I've got 4 suggestions:

1. You should decide if you are going to SLI/Crossfire now. If you aren't you can keep the mobo you have. If you decide you want to (either now or in the future) you'll need a mobo with two 16x PCI-e slots that run in 8x/8x. These are generally a little more expensive.

2. Definitely overclock that sucker. Why pick up a K-series chip with an unlocked multiplier if you aren't going to overclock? Cooler Master Hyper 212+ is a great aftermarket cooler that's like 30 bucks on Amazon.

3. For the RAM I would either pick up a 2x2gb set or a 2x4gb set. Getting only a single stick will mean you are stuck running in single channel instead of dual. You can get this 2x2gb set from G.skill for the same price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231394

Or better yet this shell shocker deal will get you 8GBs for only 20 bucks more: http://www.newegg.com/Special/ShellShocker.aspx?cm_sp=ShellShocker-_-20-231-311-_-06132011_1

4. This harddrive is $5 cheaper, has more space, and offers similar performance. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185


Also, if you live near a Microcenter you can save like 50 bucks on your CPU. You just have to drive there to pick it up.

 

[Choebee]

previous suggestions about the MB and future proofing your computer are correct. Check out my post and the MB I selected. A little more in price but more 'future proff' in my opinion. Not a bad build but with a couple more $100 flexability in your budget you could make this a better build.

 

[tacohiman]

unfortunately i do not live near a microcenter, nor have i heard of that.
but how much should i overclock to?

 

[subasteve5800]

The nice thing about getting a K-series processor is the unlocked multiplier. Your processor speed is your BCLK (base clock) multiplied by your multiplier. Since all Sandy Bridge CPUs are stuck with a BCLK of 100 (you could probably tease it up to 103 if you really wanted to but it I would just leave it at 100) the only way to overclock is to up the multiplier. You could easily over clock to 4.0 Ghz (multiplier = 40) and most chips will do 4.5 ghz no problem. I would probably start around 4.2Ghz (multiplier = 42) and see if your system is stable. If it is, you can either up the multiplier and see if its still stable or, if you are happy with the performance, just leave it at that. Just watch your temps.

There are a lot of guides on overclocking out there. Look some info up, but beware because overclocking gets kind of addictive. You just keep wanting more and more speed lol. If you aren't careful you'll end up spending all your money on liquid nitrogen cooling and exotic motherboards.

 

[tacohiman]

what is a good cooler for OC-ing?

 

[tacohiman]

Best answer selected by Tacohiman.