Need a hand pickin last couple parts

etrigan3774

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Oct 24, 2011
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Everyone has been really helpful so far with advice so I can build a pc after 12 years of not having one. And putting up with griping about typing on this Wii.

Having trouble choosing a few parts. Can't copy paste on wii, only one window. And no keyboard. These are straight from newegg descriptions, sorry can't post the links with wii.
Case:
Coolermaster Storm Trooper or Haf X.
I am dead set on a full case for future expansion. My question is which one has better air flow? That is going to be my primary cooling method, so its very important. It would be an easy choice if the freaking cosmos 2 would ever come out. Also is there a difference between haf x and haf x blue?
CPU:
i7 2600k sandy
Yes, I know I don't need one for gaming, but I will be using the threads for other things.
Motherboard:
No clue. Having trouble choosing and would like some advice. Don't plan on a 3-way sli.
GPU:
Gigabyte GV-n580ud-3gi GeForce GTX 580 3072MB
I am planning a second in SLI a couple months after purchase.
SSD:
Crucial M4 128gb
HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2Tb 7200rpm sata6
CPU Cooler:
Noctua NH-C14
Gotta love the size of a full tower.
RAM:
Corsair Dominator 8gb 2x4 240-pin sdram ddr3 1600
Power Supply:
No clue. Having trouble choosing and would like some advice. As I said earlier, I will be putting a second 580 in this thing. I don't want a cheapie.
Sound card:
Will get one later for work.

I have maybe $400 US for the motherboard and PSU.
 
Solution
http://support.asus.com/powersupply.aspx

That recommends a 950w PSU, and it tends to overestimate, so 1050w is more than enough.

Sandy Bridge doesn't support native PCIe 3.0, but Ivy Bridge does, so if you ever wanted to upgrade to it in the future you're all set. 16x/16x refers to the bandwidth of the PCIe interface. PCIe running at 16x essentially has twice the bandwidth as an 8x slot. However, even the fastest current GPU's barely have a performance decrease going from 16x to 8x, maybe 2-3% less performance. If you're going to be sticking with 2x 580's for a long while 8x/8x will do fine, but if you upgrade it the future you may want 16x/16x available. As far as the cases go, both the Haf x and Storm Trooper are good cases. If...

gmcizzle

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Mar 20, 2009
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Have you already bought the RAM? That RAM will work with a 2600k build, but it is rated 1600 at 1.65v, Intel recommends 1.5v with Sandy Bridge chips.

For example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139034&Tpk=corsair%201050w
Will handle 2x 580's in SLI comfortably, even when heavy OCing CPU/GPU.

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157264
2x PCIe 3.0 16x. When running SLI/CF it will run in 8x/8x mode, but in order to get a 16x/16x board you are looking at $300+.

EDIT: Here's a mobo for $270 that does 16x/16x in SLI/CF http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157269

Sound: Onboard works for basically everyone unless you're an audiophile/recording HQ sounds/etc.

HDD: Prices are crazy at the moment, IMO stick with a 1TB for now.
 

etrigan3774

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Oct 24, 2011
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I have not bought anything yet, so I am safe there. I corrected the ram issue. Thanks.

I took a look at the PSU and it doesn't seem to have enough power. The gtx 580 wants 600, so with 2 don't I need at least 1200? Unless I'm misunderstanding something, which is highly likely.
As far as I have been able to figure out, if I buy the sandy bridge now I won't be able to take advantage of PCIe 3.0, so is that motherboard really cost effective as I won't be upgradibg CPU any time soon?
Also 16x16, 8x8, whats that mean? Stupid wii has major memory issues, so I have a hard time loading pages. I have to cancel the load halfway just to be here.
Please correct me if I am wrong, this is why I am asking for help.
 

gmcizzle

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Mar 20, 2009
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http://support.asus.com/powersupply.aspx

That recommends a 950w PSU, and it tends to overestimate, so 1050w is more than enough.

Sandy Bridge doesn't support native PCIe 3.0, but Ivy Bridge does, so if you ever wanted to upgrade to it in the future you're all set. 16x/16x refers to the bandwidth of the PCIe interface. PCIe running at 16x essentially has twice the bandwidth as an 8x slot. However, even the fastest current GPU's barely have a performance decrease going from 16x to 8x, maybe 2-3% less performance. If you're going to be sticking with 2x 580's for a long while 8x/8x will do fine, but if you upgrade it the future you may want 16x/16x available. As far as the cases go, both the Haf x and Storm Trooper are good cases. If you want a side window, go with the Haf x, if you like the look of the storm trooper, go with that. The storm trooper probably has slightly better cooling if you add the 2 120mm optional fans to the side intake.
 
Solution

vargas64

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Nov 12, 2011
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18,510
Don't just look at getting the most watts for cheap. A quality, Corsair, Antec, Seasonic 1000w PSU will be better than a junk 1200w PSU...

The one gmc suggested is perfect. Guess I should read all the posts first.. lol
 

andrewcarr

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Also for the case I would go with this Haf X since you want to run a SLI setup. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119236
For the motherboard look at this one of these.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128506
And here are a few nice power supplies although a bit pricey very nice.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153118
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256068
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817553004
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817553008
Any of these power supplies would be able to run SLI with the 580 card.