Gaming pc- Before I buy

[sgrrsh26]

Hey guys Ive never built a pc before so this is a first time try. Im building a computer mostly for gaming, and have found most of these products by recommendation of others.

EVGA SuperClocked GTX580

i5 2500k

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX850 850W

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB

Im unsure about the motherboard and tower
was looking at these 3 mobos
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO
ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1)
ASRock Z68 Extreme4 LGA

which motherboard should I go with, and will this tower properly fit the motherboard and keep everything cool if I run SLI in the future?

also need a recommendation on CPU cooler if im going to overclock in the future as well as anything in your opinion should be changed.

What product do I add for wifi?

Am I missing anything?

 

[geofelt]

The Antec 900 is a full ATX case. It will fit any ATX motherboard.

Cooling is good for whatever you want to do.

I would pick one of the Z68 motherboards since you are not paying a big premium for the latest chip. It gives you some extra options.
Either will do.

The Xigmatek gaia or cm hyper 212 are plenty good enough and well priced at $30. No real need for more.
I would get one up front.

For wifi, just get an add-in card. I have no expertise there.

If you are preparing for GTX580 sli, you mighht want to consider the PC P&C silencer950.
It is stronger and cheaper:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703028

For such a nice rig, see if you budget will permit a 80gb -120gb SSD for the OS and apps. Look for an intel 320 or 510 unit. They seem to be the most reliable.

 

[sgrrsh26]

Awesome thanks for the tips
I dont know much about memory but would I be able to substitute these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231431

also will the higher power supply result in more power used, or will it be the same (whatever the system uses)
which would cause a higher electric bill basically

And what about this mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265

 

[geofelt]

Awesome thanks for the tips
I dont know much about memory but would I be able to substitute these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231431

also will the higher power supply result in more power used, or will it be the same (whatever the system uses)
which would cause a higher electric bill basically

Get the cheaper ram. You would detect NO difference in FPS or application performance.

A power supply uses only the power it needs at the time.

The difference in efficiency between silver and gold certification is perhaps 2%. Not a real issue for most of us.

 

[sgrrsh26]

lol the ram was because of the color really
And can you take a look again i made a few more edits

 

[PennyLife]

Don't know much about wireless cards, but here are some suggestions about everything else:

Case
The Antec 900 provides good cooling, but I might look at getting a newer case with USB 3.0 front ports. You also want to consider noise, whether the intake fans have dust filters, etc.. While this is a highly subjective component, there are a ton of options out there for $100. Here are a couple of cases that I have been looking at myself:

Cooler Master Storm Enforcer (add an extra 200mm fan at the top for better cooling, still comes in under $100)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119240&Tpk=cooler%20master%20storm%20enforcer

Corsair Carbide 400r (hasn't been released yet, due to be released at the end of August)
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Tower-Gaming-Computer/dp/B0055Q7BR4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314322825&sr=8-1

PSU
If you might go SLI in the future, stick with 850w. The one you chose is one of the best options out there, and you could downgrade to this one without affecting the quality of your PC.

Corsair HX850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011&Tpk=corsair%20hx850

RAM
I would recommend one of these instead because they are lower voltage and the heatsinks aren't as tall (no clearance issues when used with larger cpu coolers).

G. Skill Sniper 1.25v
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231461

Corsair Vengeance 1.35v
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233199&Tpk=corsair%20vengeance%201.35v

Motherboard
Asus P8Z68-V PRO is a solid bet. But here's a good ASRock alternative (similar to the one you listed, but with next generation PCI Express 3.0 slots):

ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157264

CPU Cooler
Depends on your budget. Here are a couple of $30 coolers that do a good job, and an $80 option that is one of the best air coolers:

Cooler Master Hyper 212+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Xigmatek Gaia
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233082&Tpk=xigmatek%20gaia

Noctua NH-D14
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018&Tpk=noctua%20d14

 

[sgrrsh26]

what is the benefit of lower voltage on the ram?

 

[sgrrsh26]

*** that sucks, If thats the case ill have to rethink that.. Will the v2 have the same problem?

Whats better asrock p68 or z68?

 

[sgrrsh26]

Now the last part it the RAM, Im partial to the blue ripjaw I had, It just matches everything else

 

[sgrrsh26]

The high price and the higher voltage just for 7-8-7 isn't worth it compared to this deal


G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600mhz 8-8-8-24 1.5v - $69.99 + free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445

sexy blue ram as well, just as fast imo (can raise volt and oc yourself to higher speeds if you felt obligated)

It being a lower price as well I would just use the extra money towards a better cpu cooler so you can overclock the i5 2500k more.

Perfect, I was just checking these out,
Will they fit with hyper212?

I think im ready to order!!

 

[PennyLife]

Lower voltage RAM just means that it will run a little cooler and is more compatible for future use (the trend in RAM voltage is for the requirements to get lower with each new Intel platform). Otherwise, there is no problem with the ram you have chosen for this build. I just mentioned the other ram with the smaller heatsinks just so you would be aware that you have that option.

As far as the Z68 vs. P67 goes, whether or not you will be utilizing the additional features of the Z68, the prices are about the same and so you might as well go with the newer one. I would recommend the ASRock Extreme4 Gen3 mentioned earlier because it is more futureproof than the other boards (supports Intel's next line of processors and PCI 3.0).

 

[sgrrsh26]

Lower voltage RAM just means that it will run a little cooler and is more compatible for future use (the trend in RAM voltage is for the requirements to get lower with each new Intel platform). Otherwise, there is no problem with the ram you have chosen for this build. I just mentioned the other ram with the smaller heatsinks just so you would be aware that you have that option.

As far as the Z68 vs. P67 goes, whether or not you will be utilizing the additional features of the Z68, the prices are about the same and so you might as well go with the newer one. I would recommend the ASRock Extreme4 Gen3 mentioned earlier because it is more futureproof than the other boards (supports Intel's next line of processors and PCI 3.0).

Yes thats the one ill be picking up
So z68 has more features, but are there any problems with it?

the antec 900 2, can I put a blue led fan on the side for a little more bling?

thanks everyone, you helped me out so much
is it possible to rep you all I wish I could select all as best answers

 

[akhimot]

according to intel z68 is a mainstream series chip where p67 falls in the performance series, if you use high end graphics then go for p67, get corsair vengence (2x4), for a single gtx580 a TX650 psu will be sufficient, and for hard drive Hitachi are the most reliable get 1tb hitachi deskstar...

 

[PennyLife]

Lol just give the vote to the other guy, I don't care.

I am not aware of any problems relates specifically to the Z68 platform...if anything, I would imagine that it should have fewer problems because it is basically a revised P67 with all the features enabled.

You can install a 120mm fan on the side of the Antec Nine Hundred Two, but keep in mind that installing a fan here might get in the way of a heatsink (if your heatsink is that tall). And I honestly don't know if that is going to be an issue, I have no personal experience with this case.

 

[PennyLife]

according to intel z68 is a mainstream series chip where p67 falls in the performance series, if you use high end graphics then go for p67, get corsair vengence (2x4), for a single gtx580 a TX650 psu will be sufficient, and for hard drive Hitachi are the most reliable get 1tb hitachi deskstar...

As far as I know, the P67 platform does not have any advantages over the Z68 (could be wrong).

When Sandy Bridge first came out, you had the option to get an H67 motherboard or a P67 motherboard. The H67 allowed you to use the onboard graphics of the Sandy Bridge CPU, while the P67 allowed you to overclock the CPU but did not allow you to use the onboard graphics. With the Z68 options the original poster has been considering, he will be able to do both of these things. At least this is what I am aware of.

 

[akhimot]

@p07h34d oh yeah are samsung the most recommended one then please visit "http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/hdd-reliability-storelab,2681-2.html" hitachi are even used by IBM servers..

 

[akhimot]

That is a year old review, a lot of things can change in a year, especially quality of higher storage space hdds.

That review only covers the 500gb models so there is another problem since 2010 500GB models aren't going to be as reliable as 2011 1TB models.

if you are going to satisfy yourself by saying that what can i say....lol

 

[geofelt]

1) On cases:
Buy the one you love. It will last for several generations of components. You do not have a lot of parts, like hard drives, so any case will do on that score. If a case has two 120mm intake fans or equivalent, it will have adequate cooling for a good gaming system.
Based on your liking for blue, and "bling", I might suggest the Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 for $90 with free shipping. Antec makes good quality cases, and their customer support is very good. Do not worry about side fans, they are not needed on this case, so any cooler will work. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129097

2) On the hard drive:
You might want to review this report on component return rates. For the 1tb drives, the WD caviar black is good. If you are looking at a 2tb drive, which is different, caviar black is not so good. The caviar green 2tb would be better. The WD green drives are a bit slower, and are better suited to storage drives vs. os drives. For a OS drive, which I muchly recommend, look at Intel, either the 320 series, or 510 series. You should get 80-120gb for a os and app drive.
http://www.behardware.com/articles/810-6/components-returns-rates.html

3) On ram:
The cheapest 8gb(2 x 4gb) kit will perform about as well as any other. High heat spreaders can be a problem with some coolers, but not with the hyper212. It is not a deep design, and when oriented to exhaust air out the back will not interfere with any height heat spreaders. Remember, that on current Z68 or P67 motherboards, you can populate the more distant pair of ram slots to give you a bit more room.

4) On Z68:
One capability of the Z68 is hard drive cacheing. You can use a small SSD to cache a large hard drive. One can be added and subtracted at will, so it is easy to add one later if you want. How effective this will be may depend on your usage pattern. But I suspect that gaming might be a good use if you install the game on a large drive. Still, it will be better over all if you can use at least a 80gb drive for the os.