Best bang for buck Gaming rig $1200

[_head_shot_]

Hey guys I'm planning to build my own gaming pc and I was hoping to get some advice on the parts I should be purchasing from people who actually have some clue about this stuff!
Do not want to exceed $1200

basically this is what ive come up with so far:

CPU- Intel Core i5 2500K
RAM - G.Skill-NT 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600
PSU- Corsair TX750
Case- Coolermaster HAF912 Advanced
VGA- 2G RADEON 6950 Sapphire
MOBO- Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3
HDD: Samsung SJ 1TB
ODD: DVD burner

MONITOR: 23" LG W2343T-PF

Grand total approximate: $1179

Opinions? Ideas? Improvements?

I want to be able to play my games on maxxed out video settings (1920x1080), but I also more importantly want this computer to last (durable) and future proof, so i don't need to update it for about a solid 4-6 years. I do plan on crossfiring in the future when I NEED TO.

I just want the best value gaming for my money that i won't have worry about updating because it should be able to handle most games for many years to come.

Cheers,

 

[casualbuilder]

What games do you play, and will you use triple monitoring or 3D graphics?

 

[_head_shot_]

Currently only games like: Starcraft 2, Wow, Diablo 3 (when it comes out), COD, BF, Dota, Hon............ Just all the popular ones. But like i said i really want it to last me for future games as well

 

[casualbuilder]

my personal opinion is to save some money on that radeon card, and put it towards a GTX560 or GTX 570. You will see better performance as more games will be utilizing this technology PhysX.

 

[_head_shot_]

but it is only like a $20 difference, and from reviews the 6950 performs overall slightly better than the 560 ti hawk OC

 

[dalmvern]

I would say bump your card up to a 6970, and a 750W PSU is a bit more than you need (you could drop it to 600W no problem) but very solid build.

 

[casualbuilder]

big thing is the PhysX though. More games will start coming out with this technology, and only nvidia has it. 6950 is a good card, but unless you are running 3D graphics, you dont really need it.

 

[_head_shot_]

OK basically the only reason i was getting the 6950 was because i was planning to unlock it to the 6970. But apparently this is no longer possible in some of the newer models??
can anyone verify whether or not I am amble to unlock the 2G sapphire radeon?

Also, I was initially planning to go with the GTX 560 ti hawk from msi as the Twin frozr is so amazing. It's core clock is like 950 or some ***, and that would do better right now in most games when compared to the 6950.
And the thing is, cause it's a bit cheaper,smaller and once nvidea releases it's new line of cards these cards will drop. So i was planning to buy another in like 3 years time for a lot cheaper and cross fire them. Would that be a viable option when solely compared to the 6950?

ALSO, can anyone verify whether the motherboard i have listed is able to crossfire well. Like has the proper slots for a proper cross fire i donno how to determine that stuff.. :\
I'm just really worried im going to be spending to much on the mobo when theres a better brand out there like Gigabyte or something, never heard of asrock that's all :\

Thanks guys

 

[dalmvern]

Asrock is an offshoot of Asus, and yes that mobo is Crossfire capable, however with that board will run the setup at 8x/8x speeds. If you spent the extra $50 this mobo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157263) will run a Crossfire setup in 16x/16x.

You can still flash a 6950 to a 6970 but it is not guaranteed to work. You would be better off spending the extra $20 and jsut getting the 6970.

 

[_head_shot_]

Best answer selected by _head_shot_.

 

[cutebeans]

Asrock is an offshoot of Asus, and yes that mobo is Crossfire capable, however with that board will run the setup at 8x/8x speeds. If you spent the extra $50 this mobo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157263) will run a Crossfire setup in 16x/16x.

You can still flash a 6950 to a 6970 but it is not guaranteed to work. You would be better off spending the extra $20 and jsut getting the 6970.

There's no big difference between 16x/16x and 8x/8x
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/08/23/gtx_480_sli_pcie_bandwidth_perf_x16x16_vs_x8x8/3

Oh well.