Shortlist for workstation PC upgrade - your thoughts?

[wildpluckings]

I am upgrading my computer which I use for Video editing, Music production, gaming and extreme multi-tasking. After thorough research here is my shortlist:

CPU

Intel Core i7 2600k 3.4GHz Socket 1155 8MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor £235.65

RAM (16GB)

G.Skill RipJawsX 1600MHz @ £130 OR Kingston 1333MHz @ £95?

MOTHERBOARD

Asrock Z68 EXTREME4 £139.79

SSD DRIVE

Crucial 128GB 2.5" M4 SSD SATA-III 6Gb/s - Read 415MB/s Write 175MB/s £169.98

CPU Cooler

Thermalright Silver Arrow £51

I am upgrading from:
■Q6600 @ 3.0Ghz
■4GB DDR2 RAM @800mhz
■Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R
■Coolermaster Silent pro Gold 1000W PSU*
■Asus Xonar DX soundcard*
■Dell U2711 + Samsung SyncMaster 245B*
■Gigabyte GTX 560ti*
■Keyboard/Mouse/Speakers/Hard drives*
■Coolermaster CM690 II Advanced Case*
*I will continue to use with the new build

Do you have any suggestions for improvement?

 

[obsidian86]

looks good you might wanna consider a cooler for the 2600k

 

[wildpluckings]

looks good you might wanna consider a cooler for the 2600k

I do wish to achieve a stable overclock with my 2600K. I own a Zalman CNPS 9700, which sadly is not compatible with sk 1155. I am tempted to get the Corsair Cooling Air Series A70 @£53.71 because the product reviews on ebuyer are largely positive. It is a little pricey for a cooler though... any alternatives?

 

[wildpluckings]

I have found the highly recommended G.Skill ripjaws X-series available in the UK for £88.99 (2x4gb kit)

http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=549864&Tab=2&NoMapp=0

Are two of these worth considering over the Corsair Vengeance 4x4gb kit? It'll be an extra £25 or so at £177.87 for the two kits

OR a cheaper option:

Kingston 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz HyperX Blu Memory Kit CL9 1.5V http://www.ebuyer.com/product/248449 X2 = £125.98

 

[cadder]

1. You don't mention other storage- do you have other hard drives for the machine or do you have some form of network storage?
2. With 16GB of ram I am assuming that you are using a 64bit OS. You would only need to buy 4GB of ram if you were running a 32bit OS.
3. For overclocking you should use a good aftermarket cpu cooler. I recommend using frostytech.com for researching coolers.

 

[wildpluckings]

1. You don't mention other storage- do you have other hard drives for the machine or do you have some form of network storage?
2. With 16GB of ram I am assuming that you are using a 64bit OS. You would only need to buy 4GB of ram if you were running a 32bit OS.
3. For overclocking you should use a good aftermarket cpu cooler. I recommend using frostytech.com for researching coolers.

Sorry I should have mentioned. I use 4.5TB of HDD's for my multimedia work (2x 1TB/2TB/500GB). Also I work with 64bit applications on a 64bit OS.

For a cooling fan I am looking at the Noctua NH-D14 and the Corsair Cooling Air Series A70 @£53.71 both have positive reviews, both are pricey... I see the Noctua NH-D14 frequently recommended for use with the 2600K, although I am not 100% sure that it will be compatible with skt 1155. Do you have any suggestions?

 

[wildpluckings]

After reading the comparison review on this website I am tempted to choose the Asrock Z68 EXTREME4 over the gigabyte board. Also, I am now convinced the following RAM will offer me best value for money:

Kingston 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz HyperX Blu Memory Kit CL9 1.5V (X2 for 16GB) £125.98

The Ripjaws X-series does not appear to offer much extra performance to warrant playing an extra £52... any objections? RAM performance will be of high priority to me since I'm always multi-tasking.

 

[wildpluckings]

I've just edited the original post with the most up-to-date components for my upgrade. Could anybody help me decide whether to get 16GB G.Skill RipJaws X-series 1600MHZ @ £130 or 16GB Kingston HyperX 1333MHZ @ £95?

Now, 1600MHz memory is recommended for the best price/performance. I will definately make the most out of the extra speed however:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/memory/2011/01/11/the-best-memory-for-sandy-bridge/9

From my interpretation, I am looking at a ~36% price difference for a subtle (1-5%) performance gain... Is this correct? Will it be different in another circumstance i.e. multi-tasking with all 16GB's of memory?

it doesn't seem worth going for the faster memory

 

[wildpluckings]

UPDATE: I've went with the better value Kingston 1333MHz memory/Thermalright Silver Arrow CPU cooler. I've made my mind up with all the other parts (2600K/Crucial M4)

I'm just stuck picking out the right motherboard now.

VALUE--> Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H £100

GOOD REVIEWS--> Asus P8Z68-V PRO Z68 £150

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED--> ASROCK Z68 Extreme 4 £140

I am looking for quality/stability/decent overclocking and support for all of my components (4x HDDs, SSD drive, 2x GPU's, PCI sound card etc) I don't know if I'll get all of this with the Gigabyte motherboard. I am only interested in Z68 boards.

As it stands I am inclined to go for one of the more expensive motherboards simply because I am intimidated by the 4 pin CPU power connector on the cheaper gigabyte mobo. It will really give me peace of mind if I was made aware of some of the features offered by the more expensive mobos over the gigabyte one. Any thoughts?