Rate my rig

[duke of hazards]

Needed a computer (we gave away our old Dell from 2002) for my wife, who is starting a master's program. I seized the opportunity to throw in a few hundred dollars more and build a gaming rig for BF3 (currently playing BF:BC2 on PS3 and really would like to experience it w/ 64 players, 1080p, etc.) Coincidentally, my launch PS3 just died (YLOD), so after much research, decided on these components. I will eventually SLI sometime next year after the newer cards release. I wanted a build that would be somewhat future proof and not regret 'skimping' while still trying to find value. Build was solely through NewEgg. Got $30 mir on the GPU and $60 mir on the PSU, mouse came bundled w/ the case for free. I'll probably get a better keyboard in future. Let me know what you think.


PROCESSOR: Core i5 2500K LGA 1155

MOBO: ASRock Z68 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CASE: COOLER MASTER Storm Enforcer

PSU: ENERMAX MODU87+ EMG900EWT 900W (Peak 990W), 80+ GOLD

RAM: Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B 8GB Kit 2X4GB 1600MHz DDR3 CL9 Vengeance

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

SSD: Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

CD: LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support

GPU: EVGA 012-P3-1571-KR GeForce GTX 570 HD w/Display-Port (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

CPU COOLER: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus

MONITOR: Asus VE-258Q 25" LED

MOUSE: COOLER MASTER Inferno SGM-4000-KLLN1-GP Wired 4000 dpi Gaming Mouse

KB: Rosewill RK-800G Black 104 Normal Keys PS/2 Wired Gaming Keyboard

 

[tinmann]

All I can say is ......Nice

 

[genghiskron]

yeah great build. any feedback on that storm enforcer? looks like a great case but i havent heard anything from an owner.

 

[aznshinobi]

Lepa G900-MA 900W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194083
Basically your PSU but cheaper. Still made by Enermax but relabled.
http://realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page22979.htm

Still I recommend this to save money.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194093

 

[duke of hazards]

yeah. I looked at the LEPA, however I couldn't pass up the Enermax at $139 after discount and rebate. retails at $239. I looked at some 850watters, but for whatever reason (supercautious), '900' was stuck in my craw. that LEPA is a fine 850 watter for $120, though.

 

[duke of hazards]

yeah great build. any feedback on that storm enforcer? looks like a great case but i havent heard anything from an owner.

haven't built it yet. i'll pick up at will-call tomorrow and post feedback. i saw a complete video review of the storm enforcer on some site, was impressed w/ the build quality, finishing touches and the little ergonomic extras that the case designers thought of. this will be my first homebuilt, a little nervous. did all the research on the components, now have to put it together.

 

[sarinaide]

Apart from the CASE, all is really nice indeed.

The only mark downs on points;

Storm Enforcer - Looks like the dead space helmet with that grilled brezzle, to out there for my liking.

Hyper 212+ - Low end cooler not really designed to take oc'ing to the extreme.

9.5/10

 

[aznshinobi]

^ Still able to take the 2500K to 4.4ghz.

Mugen 2 or Mugen 3 is pretty sweet too.

 

[happytugboat]

Nice! thats the build I will be making here soon, how much is it looking like that will cost you?

 

[itsbighead]

You mad bro? Im a 15 year old student btw. My one costs $1800 AUD

CPU: Intel i7 2600
Memory: 2x4GB Kit G.Skill Ripjaws-X DDR3-1600
Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V Pro
HDD: WD Caviar Black 1TB
Graphics: 2x Powercolour ATI Radeon 6970 2GB CrossfireX
Case: Coolermaster HAF 932
PSU: Corsair TX-850W

 

[aznshinobi]

^ Lol no, because you chose terrible parts for the money. umadbro?

 

[itsbighead]

nah man. you got my message?

 

[duke of hazards]

i agree that the case is a little bit aggressive in styling but I looked at it at Microcenter and it's not too far 'out there'. I really liked that it is super roomy inside, has the inside 'finished' with the same color and has a side view window so I can look at the innards (I know some don't care about that but I'm vain). As far as the cooler goes, I'm pretty conservative and am not likely to push the CPU past 4.3, would rather not overclock the GPU's (will SLI). Again, this is my first build so I'm not quite ready to go extreme on the OC stuff.

Hey - quick question to anyone out there... does it matter if I mount my SSD and HDD right on top of each other in adjacent slots? should I leave a 1 slot gap for better heat dissipation? I know the SSD doesn't have any moving parts, but not sure if the HDD will be better if there's nothing next to it since I will have so many extra slots.

 

[sarinaide]

I looked at that Case and the Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced and went with the later. Anyways a case is a personal choice and has nothing to do with performance, the rig will run like a beast.