Updated efficient gaming, first build

[Andrex]

Approximate Purchase Date: this week 

Budget Range: up to $1500 

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, swtor

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, dvd/cd drive 

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg, amazon, anything reliable 

Country of Origin: U.S. 

Parts Preferences: nvidia is a must.

Overclocking: doesn’t matter 

SLI or Crossfire: SLI 

Additional Comments: fast, efficient, stays cool, easy to make future upgrades. also would like a modular power supply 

I do not need that much space and just want something fast, that is why I have a SSD. I am excited to try one out, so dont try to turn me off of it. 

I am open to suggestions, possible upgrades to what I have, just please give an explanation for it. 

Also, I like my case, as i wanted something i found pleasing. 

Going to run Win 7 64 bit. 

Every part can be changed. Just give a compelling explanation as to why.

Here is the system. Please feel free to critic and give advice on this configuration. 


Case: Antec Lanboy air Blue Black / Blue ATX Mid Tower Computer Modular Case 
 

MB: MSI Z68A-GD55 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS 
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130606] 

GPU: MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr III PE/OC GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card 
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127582] 

PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX750 (CMPSU-750AX) 750W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply 
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139016] 

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K 
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072] 

SSD: Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) 
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442] 

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7T-12GBRH 
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231405] 

Thanks. 

 

[boiler1990]

SLI or Crossfire: SLI 

Additional Comments: fast, efficient, stays cool, easy to make future upgrades. also would like a modular power supply 

This doesn't make much sense to me. If you plan on running SLI, just get a regular PSU - you'll end up using all of the PCI-E power cables and a decent number of the peripheral connectors. You'll be paying an extra ~$50 for something you won't get the benefits from.

That said, some higher quality units like Corsair's HX and AX series PSUs are only modular. Doesn't mean the TX units are bad though.

I do not need that much space and just want something fast, that is why I have a SSD. I am excited to try one out, so dont try to turn me off of it. 

You should easily be able to fit a good SSD in a $1500 budget. The M4 you picked is currently the best one out there in terms of both performance and reliability.

Case: Antec Lanboy air Blue Black / Blue ATX Mid Tower Computer Modular Case 
 

Just curious as to why you picked this case. There are many other mid/full towers that are cheaper and cool as well/better with proper airflow setups.

MB: MSI Z68A-GD55 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS 
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130606] 

MSI, Gigabyte, Asus, and ASRock all make good boards. There's a lot to choose from as well. IMHO, Gigabyte and MSI are the best buys, since they're priced well and offer good support. Asus is expensive and difficult to deal with sometimes, and ASRock's warranties are a bit short though they're very inexpensive and pretty reliable.

GPU: MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr III PE/OC GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card 
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127582] 

Keep in mind here that the cooler dumps the hot air into the case, so be conscious of your airflow pattern. I've heard about some issues with SLIing these cards because of the way they remove heat.

PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX750 (CMPSU-750AX) 750W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply 
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139016] 

I'd go with an 850W here - you'll run at a lower load, which will strain the PSU less and provide better efficiencies. The HX850 is one I would consider, as it's also OEMed by Seasonic (best in the business).

If you do overclock, it has plenty of headroom to run safely.

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7T-12GBRH 
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231405] 

This kit is designed for the X58 platform, which supports triple channel memory. The Z68 platform only supports dual channel, so you'll need a dual channel kit. 8GB RAM is far more than enough for almost all games - a few benefit from 6GB, but not many.

G.Skill and Corsair have some good (and inexpensive) 2x4GB DDR3-1600MHz kits. The CL8 Ripjaws X (blue heatsinks) would look good overall with the build, and the lower latency is technically a little bit faster but not noticeable. With your budget, you can afford to make a few decisions based on aesthetics

 

[phenom90]

man are you sure you want to pick lanboy as your case? because from what i look dust will built up inside very fast as it has no dust filter at all... it's more like a open chassis...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139006
Corsair Obsidian Series 650D - $170 after MIR

this case is roomy... as well as nice to look at... awesome cable management...

as for mobo... this asrock model is good too...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 - $125

this mobo supports pcie 3.0 slots for future compliant devices... and cheaper as well...

also... why would you need a 12gb ram? sandy bridge supports dual channel memory... any 2x4gb 1600mhz kit running at 1.5v is more than enough for what you do...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR - $50

for sli... get at least 850w with power to spare...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194093
LEPA B850-MA 850W - $80 after MIR

this psu is manufactured by another psu giant enermax and it carries 80+ bronze certification...

i would still like graphics card that exhaust heat outside the case...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134125
ECS NGTX570-1280UI-F GeForce GTX 570 - $295 after MIR