New Build HAF X and 2600k

[Ragnaarock]

So I know I am a little late since I already ordered parts. I am just looking for comments, anything I have missed and best possible upgrades in the future. Haven't done much hardware work on PC's for the last seven years or so, excited to get back to my PC gaming roots though. Here is the build...

Case - COOLER MASTER HAF X

PSU - Cooler Master RSA00-80GAD3-US 1000W Power Supply

Mobo - ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z LGA 1155 Intel Z68

CPU - Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge

RAM - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

Video Card - ASUS ENGTX570 DCII/2DIS/1280MD5 GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB

Hard Drive - Western Digital VelociRaptor WD4500HLHX 450GB

Optical - ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black

Will be running Windows 7 home premium 64 bit


Also know this doesn't list a CPU cooler, need to find best one based on input from you guys. Will run with stock for now (won't be overclocking till I get a better cooler, I know the stock one is crap) Was thinking the Noctua that has a 120mm and 140mm but not sure yet. Also wondering how big of a mistake it is to change out the cooler? Is it hard to do? Potentially risky? Will be bought on next payday which is August 1st.

Hard drives will be added first in a month or two. Probably will get a SSD for the OS (suggestions as to brand and size, value vs money, are appreciated) and then at least one more Raptor. Then possibly another 8GB of RAM.

Also eventually will go to SLI or CFX, I know very hard to do with the MASSIVE ASUS I bought. But I am not afraid to buy two totally new cards when it comes time. I just figured that this one since is very cool and easily overclocked would be a good temporary single card for the money. Then when I upgrade I will pass it along to a friend. So was wondering what SLI and CFX upgrades would be optimal.... possibly wait for next gen and see what is best then. Or pick up this gen for a discount. Also wondering if 1000W is typically enough for dual/possible triple, or if it would be wise to upgrade to a 1200W in the future?

Any inputs for a n00b overclocker are appreciated as well. Been constantly on forums for the past month researching but it is so much easier to get direct comments from people. What are the best programs, is RAM timing a big deal, how high do I really need to go with the CPU to get optimal performance, things of that nature. Thanks guys!

 

[browsingtheworld]

It's a pain in the ass to change CPU coolers because you have to remove the entire motherboard from the case. Put one in at the start if you want to overclock.

Why on earth do you need 16GB of RAM? I can run WOW, SC II AND another game with 8GB of RAM and have room to spare.

I would go with another card in the first place if you want to SLi. Actually you can put it in the lower slot and use another brand card to run SLi. I would swap out the GTX 570 for HD 6970s for CF because they have much more VRAM and the only reason to go CF/SLi is for multiple monitors with these cards.

You don't need more than 800W even with extreme overclocking of both your GPU and CPU. Those 1200W PSUs are only useful for Quad GPUs. You can also buy a supplementary PSU that fits in your case along with your main PSU if worse comes to worse.

If you want to overclock go to overclock.net, much better resource than here for overclocking.

 

[Ragnaarock]

It's a pain in the ass to change CPU coolers because you have to remove the entire motherboard from the case. Put one in at the start if you want to overclock.

Why on earth do you need 16GB of RAM? I can run WOW, SC II AND another game with 8GB of RAM and have room to spare.

I would go with another card in the first place if you want to SLi. Actually you can put it in the lower slot and use another brand card to run SLi. I would swap out the GTX 570 for HD 6970s for CF because they have much more VRAM and the only reason to go CF/SLi is for multiple monitors with these cards.

You don't need more than 800W even with extreme overclocking of both your GPU and CPU. Those 1200W PSUs are only useful for Quad GPUs. You can also buy a supplementary PSU that fits in your case along with your main PSU if worse comes to worse.

If you want to overclock go to overclock.net, much better resource than here for overclocking.

The RAM is mostly just so I won't have to buy more later. But if it really makes no difference right now I will forgo it till necessary. What are the advantages of SLI vs CFX? I chose an nVidia because of the physx tech which I heard makes a large difference in games that support the technology. Also the 570 had some of the best single card benchmark scores I could find.

 

[Ragnaarock]

Also thanks for the info on overclock.net, i will check it out

 

[Ragnaarock]

Any suggestions for a $30-40 cooler that is good? I just won't have the $ to spend on a good $80-100 till the first.

 

[browsingtheworld]

SLi and CF are pretty much the same since the HD 6000 series. nvidia drivers are usually better, just look through these forums at people discussing which CCC version to use.

PhysX is marketing hype. There's one future game that I'm looking forward to with it, Batman AC.

That being said I suggest the 6970 because it has 2GB of VRAM whereas the fastest single nvidia GPU (580) only has 1.5GB. This extra VRAM helps at ultra high resolutions such as 2560x1600 or multiple monitors.

Cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233082&cm_re=gaia-_-35-233-082-_-Product

 

[Ragnaarock]

The above stated cooler was exactly the one I was thinking cause the Microcenter accross town has it on sale. Also the Tomshardware thread on building a $2000 gaming rig suggested it. Now there is a cutout behind where the mobo will be that should allow me to mount the cpu fan without removing the mobo. Should I still get the GAIA or wat till I can get the Noctua NH-D14. The only thing I worry about with the Noctua is RAM coverage cause it is HUGE. But I wil be able to check that out when the mobo arrives on monday.

 

[browsingtheworld]

The Noctua is not worth twice as much. It doesn't matter unless you're trying to squeeze the extra 100mhz from an extreme overclock. For example the GAIA lets me overclock to 4.8ghz while the Noctua lets me clock it to 5.0ghz.

 

[Ragnaarock]

ahhhh, well then that definitely does not seem worth the extra $50. What idle/load temps have you gotten with the GAIA at 4.8 I am not sure I will even need to OC it that high for now, although down the line I may want to push it, if I get the OCing fever that most people seem to catch.