My i5 2500K + 560 Ti build for gaming

[vencent]

I originally wanted to go for 955 BE + 560 Ti, but I got some advice and decided to go for 2500K.
This is mainly for gaming.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=21704707

Without the processor, as I already have bought it from Micro Center, my budget is $600.

Is this a good build? Will everything work out to be OK?
I need some advice here. Thanks!

 

[pro-gamer]

of course an 2500k is a king of gamming but if you want to buy 955 then why are you not buying i3 2100 this can beat 955 easily always choose intel platform.
There are 2 drawbacks and benefit for those two cpu that is 2500k and 955 be.

Intel 2500k drawback is that they are much expensive as compare to amd.the benefit is they are much faster than amd.

The drawback of amd 955 is they are weaker than 2500k.benefit is cheaper than 2500k.
So final result is 2500k win.

 

[vencent]

So you think everything here is good to go? Nothing wrong?

 

[or-ex]

I originally wanted to go for 955 BE + 560 Ti, but I got some advice and decided to go for 2500K.
This is mainly for gaming.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=21704707

Without the processor, as I already have bought it from Micro Center, my budget is $600.

Is this a good build? Will everything work out to be OK?
I need some advice here. Thanks!

Nice build except the HDD. If I were you i would get a HDD with sata iii, because it's bandwidth is twice as much as sata ii.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136794

Even though that HDD is 750GB, it has twice the amount of cache and, uses sata iii. I think 250GB is a good sacrifice for the extra performance you will gain,

 

[boiler1990]

I'd swap the motherboard for the ASRock Extreme3 Gen 3 ($125) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271&Tpk=asrock%20z68%20extreme3

And the PSU for the Antec EA650 ($70) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044

 

[pro-gamer]

yes sata 3 is tri time faster than sata 2

 

[or-ex]

Good point, scrap what ever i said...lol, unless you want the 64mb cache (which will hardy make a differences) then get it, but if not, don't.

 

[vencent]

I'd swap the motherboard for the ASRock Extreme3 Gen 3 ($125) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271&Tpk=asrock%20z68%20extreme3

And the PSU for the Antec EA650 ($70) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044

Any reason why you would recommend these over my choices?
Also, do I really need 650W instead of 600W?

 

[boiler1990]

Any reason why you would recommend these over my choices?
Also, do I really need 650W instead of 600W?

I was doing something else and didn't get to elaborate on my reasoning.

Mobo - Don't buy an open box motherboard. It's a hassle because A) it's never guaranteed and your warranty isn't as good, and B) you'll be missing a lot of accessories (SATA cables, I/O shield, etc.). The board I recommended is a newer board that is solid, has a lot of features and upgradeability, and is one of the cheaper high-end boards out there. It's an extra $25 well-spent.

PSU - Corsair's CX series power supplies aren't that great, because they're OEMed by a different manufacturer than their better TX and HX series PSUs. The EA650 is a well-reputed power supply (the first generation was great based on my personal experience), and is the same price.

 

[boiler1990]

Please stop giving wrong advice
Extra performance? There is none, the Caviar Black and the Spinpoint F3 are the same speed, just because one can only be used in newer systems does not make it better.

The only difference is cache and label, if I am paying $10 for "sata III" a few more cache and the Caviar Black label, I should start checking my priorities.

The F3 is actually faster than the WD Black because it has a higher platter density (it can read data faster).

 

[vencent]

I was doing something else and didn't get to elaborate on my reasoning.

Mobo - Don't buy an open box motherboard. It's a hassle because A) it's never guaranteed and your warranty isn't as good, and B) you'll be missing a lot of accessories (SATA cables, I/O shield, etc.). The board I recommended is a newer board that is solid, has a lot of features and upgradeability, and is one of the cheaper high-end boards out there. It's an extra $25 well-spent.

PSU - Corsair's CX series power supplies aren't that great, because they're OEMed by a different manufacturer than their better TX and HX series PSUs. The EA650 is a well-reputed power supply (the first generation was great based on my personal experience), and is the same price.

Thank you, I changed the motherboard.

Regarding PSU, isn't 650W a little overkill for i5 (probably OC in the near future) + 560 Ti?
I'm not going for the SLI option, so

 

[boiler1990]

Thank you, I changed the motherboard.

Regarding PSU, isn't 650W a little overkill for i5 (probably OC in the near future) + 560 Ti?
I'm not going for the SLI option, so

650W is about where you want to be with that setup. It's what we generally recommend in order to give you PSU some headroom so it isn't running at high loads (i.e. ~80+% of it's rated power output) all the time. Stressing the PSU too much will shorten its lifespan. Having a PSU with a higher wattage (like 850W) won't hurt your system or waste any power - the PSU will only output what the components draw.

I was also recommending that power supply based on quality.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Thank you, I changed the motherboard.

To one that doesn't offer an industry standard 3 year warranty.

Anything on the list here that makes Z68 a worthwhile choice for you ? If not, don't eliminate P67 form your choices.

http://www.ukgamingcomputers.co.uk/difference-between-h67-p67-z68-and-h61-chipsets-a-22.html

As for HD's pick the one that works best on your apps ..... there is no overall winner unless you gonna get a hybrid like the Seagate Momentus or the Barracudea XT but they cost a bit more. here's the big 3 1Tb drives compared:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/compare,1015.html?prod%5B2371%5D=on&prod%5B3016%5D=on&prod%5B2365%5D=on

Drop the silly heat sinks on the RAM. The only cooling effect of these big coolers is that they "look cool". While they served a purpose (when they were effective) w/ DDR2, they are absolutely useless on DDR3.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=773&Itemid=67&limit=1&limitstart=1

At more than 2" tall in certain areas the Corsair Vengeance could pose a problem for users like me who use large coolers such as the Scythe Mugen 2. I was able to use the Corsair Vengeance only after I mounted the fan on my cooler on the backside. Size is definitely a concern with heat spreaders of this size and therefore I encourage users to check that they will have enough space under their heatsinks before purchasing the Corsair Vengeance kit.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=773&Itemid=67&limit=1&limitstart=6

The problem I have with the Corsair Vengeance is the same I have with many kits of RAM on the market. Companies insist on putting large coolers on their RAM and it limits the choice in CPU heatsinks that can be used within users system. DDR3 does not require these elaborate coolers with its lower voltages which translate to lower temperatures then RAM saw during the DDR, and DDR2 era. Corsair is correcting this with low profile versions of its Vengeance line but ultimately I would like to see the average size of coolers drop instead of having to look for specific low profile versions of a memory line.

Same specs, no heat sink issues

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

I wouldn't buy anything that said "Rosewill" on it

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

I'd want a 750 / 850 watter in there to handle future SLI .... just in case ya wanna upgrade and a new system isn't in the budget .... not like it gonna cost more. These core editions get 9.5 performance ratings from jonnyguru. And less we forget, PSU's hit peak efficiency point at 50% load.

$5 cheaper for a better 750 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207015
Same price for better 850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207011

The SATA III / SATA II argument is moot for large file transfers since no mechanical hard drive can get near to reaching SATA II's limits. OTOH, the transfers from the HD cache would be in fact limited by the SATA II connection.

 

[vencent]

...

I only bought this RAM because they were the cheapest I could find. The one you suggested is a bit more expensive.
Is there any reason I should buy the one you linked to me over the RAM I'm buying?

Oh, and I changed my motherboard to this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ZJ14NE

How is this motherboard for the price? I only heard good things about this mobo so I'm considering to change it.

As far as the case goes, why would you avoid "Rosewill"?

 

[boiler1990]

Rosewill generally makes cheap quality stuff (PSUs, specifically, are really bad), but some of their cases, including the Challenger, are really popular and work well.

Since you're not using an aftermarket cooler (at the moment), you'll be fine with the RAM you selected before. Even if you use a cooler like the Hyper 212+, you can still fit one fan without being obstructed by the heatsinks. You just can't use any of the massive CPU coolers (which are unnecessary in many regards).