First time building a comp. Need help confirming compatibility/quality

[stinger19]

So here is a quick look at my build. I need to make sure all of the parts are decent, the price is decent, and that all of the pieces will work together.
(Also, I am moving my current hard drives and DVD/CD drive over to this new machine. I already have a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and sound system. I didn't forget to add them!)

Motherboard: ASUS sabertooth x58 Socket: 1366/Intel http://goo.gl/BWf1X ~ $200.00 @Amazon

Ram: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz http://goo.gl/rJQm9 ~ $47.00 @Amazon

Processor: Intel Core i7-950 3.06 GHz Socket: LGA1366 http://goo.gl/oB16M ~ $260.00 @Amazon

Power Supply: Antec Computer Power Supply HCG-750-Watt http://goo.gl/UQYsc ~ $100.00 @Amazon

Graphics Card: XFX Radeon HD 6970 http://goo.gl/E8wWd ~ $350.00 @Amazon

Computer Case: Cooler Master HAF X Full Tower http://goo.gl/PcUsC ~ $190.00 @Amazon

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium http://goo.gl/4SEVY ~ $100.00 @Amazon

TOTAL: $1,247.00 (There is no tax/shipping charges. That is the total cost.)

Any help or advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Why 1366?

 

[inzone]

Your Windows Home Primium is the 64 bit version correct?
Is there a reason you are going with the 1366 socket , you can save a lot of money going with the 1155 socket system and get a much better computer.

 

[g-unit1111]

A couple things:

- Don't get a 1366 system at this point - it'll be obsolete in about a year when LGA 2011 is fully out - you want at least an 1155 system or better.

- Get the low-profile Vengeance RAM, those tall heat sinks could cause any damage to any third party fans you could install on your system.

- Go with a Corsair, Seasonic, or PC Power & Cooling PSU over Antec any day of the week.

- And what case are you using? Are you using your existing case, or are you planning on buying something different?

 

[inzone]

ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $199.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131702

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
$219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

This will save you $40 and the cpu will blow away the i7-950 and you will be able to keep the ram you chose because you chose dual channel ram which will work with this cpu but not the i7-950 , you need triple channel ram for the 1366 socket cpu's


COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case $189.99 and a $10 rebate and free shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119225

Everything else is ok. I have been using Antec power supplies for years and they are good solid and reliable power supplies. A good cpu heatsink/fan is the Zalman;

ZALMAN CNPS12X 120mm Long Life Bearing High Performance Triple Fan CPU Cooler
$99.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118097

 

[g-unit1111]

ZALMAN CNPS12X 120mm Long Life Bearing High Performance Triple Fan CPU Cooler
$99.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118097

Zalman fan for $99? Really? For that price why not go with a Noctua D14 or Corsair H100?

 

[stinger19]

A couple things:

- Don't get a 1366 system at this point - it'll be obsolete in about a year when LGA 2011 is fully out - you want at least an 1155 system or better.

- Get the low-profile Vengeance RAM, those tall heat sinks could cause any damage to any third party fans you could install on your system.

- Go with a Corsair, Seasonic, or PC Power & Cooling PSU over Antec any day of the week.

- And what case are you using? Are you using your existing case, or are you planning on buying something different?

There should be a link to the computer case I am buying in my post. Just in case, it is the "HAF X full tower".

 

[stinger19]

ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $199.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131702

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
$219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

This will save you $40 and the cpu will blow away the i7-950 and you will be able to keep the ram you chose because you chose dual channel ram which will work with this cpu but not the i7-950 , you need triple channel ram for the 1366 socket cpu's


COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case $189.99 and a $10 rebate and free shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119225

Everything else is ok. I have been using Antec power supplies for years and they are good solid and reliable power supplies. A good cpu heatsink/fan is the Zalman;

ZALMAN CNPS12X 120mm Long Life Bearing High Performance Triple Fan CPU Cooler
$99.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118097

Awesome! Thank you so much for the advice. I'll start looking into that. As for the case, it is only a $10 difference but I have amazon prime AKA free 2-day shipping. Not a deal breaker or anything, I would just prefer to buy on amazon is all. (So i can get everything shipped together and whatnot)

 

[stinger19]

So I updated my build. Anything that is not mentioned here is the same as my original post.

ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $199.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004K330KK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

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
$219.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004EBUXHQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

As for the power supply, I found a different one that is made by Corsair. Could someone please let me know if it is compatible with my build (and compatible with future upgrades like crossfire [I know I may need something more powerful for crossfire])
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthusiast-Certified-Compatible-platforms/dp/B004MYFODI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320452496&sr=8-1

As for the RAM, I don't plan on installing 3'rd party fans (or water cooling) for a while. I will probably go for water cooling and they seem to be fairly small and I probably won't need to change the RAM (hopefully!).

*And the OS is indeed windows 7 home premium (64-bit)*.

Thanks for all the advice and please let me know how my updated build looks. I really don't want to rush into a purchase of something that won't work so I GREATLY appreciate your feedback.

 

[stinger19]

Best answer selected by Stinger19.

 

[inzone]

The 750w should do for crossfire but if you found an 850w that wasn't a lot more it would give you some extra power to spare just in case , but that is only if you crossfire. The reason I say that is that you chose a high end AMD card and it does require more power.
The Half-X is indeed a full tower case and there is an enormouse amount of room and featires with that case. I have one and I absolutly love it.

 

[stinger19]

The 750w should do for crossfire but if you found an 850w that wasn't a lot more it would give you some extra power to spare just in case , but that is only if you crossfire. The reason I say that is that you chose a high end AMD card and it does require more power.
The Half-X is indeed a full tower case and there is an enormouse amount of room and featires with that case. I have one and I absolutly love it.

I'll keep that in mind for when I'm ready to crossfire. Thanks for the advice.