Need expert advice for finalization on 1st build!

[ATHELESTAN]

Hey guys thanks for looking, I am going to be building a gaming computer with a budget of $1300-1400. Here is what I am looking at:


LG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH24NS70 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136236


CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820233186


Rosewill RNX-N300 IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wireless-N 2.0 PCI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166038


ASUS XONAR_DG 5.1 Channels PCI Interface Xonar DG Sound Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132020


CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 (CMPSU-750HX) 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010


ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271


Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

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

Rosewill THOR V2 Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147053

SAPPHIRE 100312-3SR Radeon HD 6950 Dirt3 Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102945


TOTAL: $1,285.53 (including taxing and shipping, but not MIR's)


Also I was wondering about many questions I hope can be answered here.

1) Should I wait for the HD 7950, or buy the 6950 now? ( I could use a 7900gt or onboard hd 3000 graphics)

2) Is this case worth the price tag it has on it? (or would this one work better:
Rosewill ARMOR Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811147047 )

3) If one day I were to crossfire, would 750W be enough for a psu, or would I want to go up to 800W or even 850W?

4) Is my motherboard going to be able to overclock decently?

5) Since the Motherboard is like "___" in the Thor V2, will that have any problems?

BTW: my budget is $1400. Consider that before making suggestions.


EDIT: does it look any better now?

Thanks for your help,
Jim

 

[Sailor Moon]

All the links to the Rosewill related products are broken. To be on the safe side, seriously consider getting 850W or more (800 is the bare minimum IMO). Furthermore, make sure you're getting a PSU from a reliable brand because this is one of the vital components that you can never spend too much money on.

How long are you willing to wait for the 7 series? They could potentially be delayed just like BullDozer was and there's no guarantee that they'll be releasing the 7900's so early off in the year. You also have to take into consideration that the HD 6950 is dramatically cheaper this time of the year to due to sales. If you're going to wait for the 7xxx series, make sure that the motherboard will be compatible and make sure that your cooling game is on-point. I'm also building a new rig (ordering parts later tomorrow), but I don't think I'm going to bother waiting for the 7 series. Instead I'll wait for Windows 8 and Dx12 along-with Nvidea's new line of cards.

As for your build, everything looks solid. However, I recommend that you get the 2GB Sapphire HD6950's because you can "unlock" the shaders so that they can function at HD 6970 levels. It is very easy to do and there's only like a %4 chance that something could go wrong. Even if your first attempt does fail, you can switch the BIOS and reset the thing.

 

[ATHELESTAN]

alright thanks, ill fix the links and I will go with the 6950. I know my motherboard is compatible, but if its that cheap I might just swing by Frys or something and pick one up. Thanks.

 

[Sailor Moon]

alright thanks, ill fix the links and I will go with the 6950. I know my motherboard is compatible, but if its that cheap I might just swing by Frys or something and pick one up. Thanks.

Welcome!

If you're really worried about future-proofing, then you'll definitely want a better motherboard with PCI-Express 3.0 slots and LGA 1155 sockets so that they'll be Ivy Bridge compatible. From the looks of it, I think your mobo will be fine. I'm not really an expert on this, so please ask around.

Quite honestly, I'd hate to play the waiting game this year. There are just so many awesome releases this year...it's like 2007 all over again! And then think about it this way; if Windows 8 ships with DirectX 12, you'll still be one step behind so that waiting would have pretty much gone to waste because ATI and Nvidea would have to release a new line of cards.

 

[ATHELESTAN]

why would dx12 come out?? dx11 still has potential. alright thanks, btw do you know any good 850w psus?

 

[Sailor Moon]

why would dx12 come out?? dx11 still has potential. alright thanks, btw do you know any good 850w psus?

I actually take that back, you're fine with the 700W PSU unless you want to Crossfire now or in the near future. If you want to Crossfire, then get this. You'll probably be able get away with 750W, but seeing as how that is only marginally better than what you currently have, then you'd probably want to upgrade to at least 800W for future-proofing and safety net purposes.

I'm probably over-estimating, its just that a few years ago I had a very bad experience with a cheap PSU that supposedly "met" the requirements of my SLI'd 8800GTX's .

Yeah, I also take back the Dx12 comment. That's definitely really far off.

 

[ATHELESTAN]

alright thanks haha. Even if I buy two sapphires and flash them, an 800 is all i would need?

 

[ATHELESTAN]

ohh i see your link and I was wondering, i s getting a 850 80+ certified alot worse than getting a 80+ certified bronze or silver, or even gold?

 

[Sailor Moon]

alright thanks haha. Even if I buy two sapphires and flash them, an 800 is all i would need?

Yup, I seriously recommend 800W, which is why recommend this one. If you're tight on a budget, then this 750W PSU is the absolute minimum. It's a very good PSU from a very reliable manufacture and it's also on-sale. However, it is only 50W higher than the PSU you already have.

You're really going to have to make your own choice. I've been reading around and some people are saying that their crossfire'd 6950s are drawing around 710, and then others are saying 650. Unlocked, the consensus on power draw with a 2500k seems to be an absolute minimum of 750W.

But seriously, don't forget: a PSU is one of the things that you absolutely don't cheap out on.

TL;DR VERSION:

The absolute minimum is a 750W PSU.
But I recommend you get an 800W PSU.*

*Even though it is 850W, it is only $5 cheaper than the out-dated 800W version that Corsair doesn't sell anymore.

 

[ATHELESTAN]

alright thank you. I probably won't cross fire for a few years, then ill get a new psu then cuz my budget just got cut . thanks for the help

 

[ATHELESTAN]

Best answer selected by athelestan.

 

[Sailor Moon]

Welcome, anytime! I hope that helped!

In regards to the Gold, Silver and Bronze certification, it is really up to you if you want to spend extra. The certifications are all related to incremental increases in economy and efficiency. All the ones I recommended to you are 80plus certified- the Gold/Silver/Bronze are just prefixes for the 80plus certification to indicate just how much more efficient they are.