Gaming build with dual 7970's

[tutstuts]

Hey guys, I'd like your opnion on the parts I picked for my new build.

I only play on one screen, but i like to max out everything and have a pc that will last for a couple of years.

My budget is around $2500

So:

i5 2500k + hyper 212 evo
16gb gskill sniper 2133
Asrock z68 extreme 7
Mushkin enhanced chronos deluxe 120 sata 3
1tb seagate barracuda 7200 sata 3
Corsair 600t graphite case
Corsair hx 1050w psu
Sony dvd writer

And waiting on the dual 7970s

What I like about this build is:
Mobo expensive but really well designed with plenty of ports, dual x16 slots and triple spaced so the cards can breathe. Also compatible with ivy bridge, which I plan on upgrading to in about 6~8 months.
Sexy case and water cooling ready for whenever I learn how to do it.
Plenty of power on the psu allowing me to even go for a tri xfire in the future, And there ill have 3 cards at x8 speeds which is still great.
FAST ssd, for os and some programs.
I already own a 2tb 7200 but sata 2 so ill use this for storage and the other 1tb sata 3 for things i want to access faster.
Low profile heat sinks on the memory so they can sit below the 212 cooler. Im not even sure if i had to do this in this mobo but i choose not to take any chances.

What do you guys think about it? Would you change something?

My build will end up costing me ~$2600 (im in canada)

 

[sadams04]

SSD - Swap the Mushkin for a Corsair Force 3 120GB. Same controller and speed ratings, and also cheaper...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233206

SATA 2 vs SATA 3 => There is literally no difference between the two with a traditional spindle drive. No mechanical drive will saturate a SATA 2 interface yet alone SATA 3. SSDs are a different story..

SSD - Skip buying the 1TB and just reuse the 2TB you already have.

 

[steadywaters]

Are you in a hurry to get this rig built now? Because it seems you'd be better off waiting 3-4 months. Word is that the 7990 (2x 7970's in one card) will be available in March while Ivy Bridge comes in April.

But, if you will be ordering soon:

Jump right into water cooling now and account for radiator space needed for two 7970s. That being said, you'd probably want a case more fit for water-cooling such as the 800D. The CPU block can go in now since Ivy Bridge will use the same socket as Sandy. Just pick up GPU blocks when they come out (have extra fittings and tubing ready).

Watercooling is super easy (and addicting) even for the first-time builder (personal experience).

 

[tutstuts]

@sadams04 thanks ill definitely look into that ssd
And ill take a new hdd anyway, even if only for storage, but good to know i can get a sata 2!

@steadywaters yea ill place the order tonight i guess
Well for what i know, dual gpu cards arent always a good idea, heard about too many ppl having problems with them. So even if the 7990 were out already I'd most likely pick 2 7970s.
And i was thinking about watercooling the cpu at first coz it seems simpler. Theen moving on to gpu..

 

[cbrunnem]

Hey guys, I'd like your opnion on the parts I picked for my new build.

I only play on one screen, but i like to max out everything and have a pc that will last for a couple of years.

My budget is around $2500

So:

i5 2500k + hyper 212 evo
16gb gskill sniper 2133
Asrock z68 extreme 7
Mushkin enhanced chronos deluxe 120 sata 3
1tb seagate barracuda 7200 sata 3
Corsair 600t graphite case
Corsair hx 1050w psu
Sony dvd writer

And waiting on the dual 7970s

What I like about this build is:
Mobo expensive but really well designed with plenty of ports, dual x16 slots and triple spaced so the cards can breathe. Also compatible with ivy bridge, which I plan on upgrading to in about 6~8 months.
Sexy case and water cooling ready for whenever I learn how to do it.
Plenty of power on the psu allowing me to even go for a tri xfire in the future, And there ill have 3 cards at x8 speeds which is still great.
FAST ssd, for os and some programs.
I already own a 2tb 7200 but sata 2 so ill use this for storage and the other 1tb sata 3 for things i want to access faster.
Low profile heat sinks on the memory so they can sit below the 212 cooler. Im not even sure if i had to do this in this mobo but i choose not to take any chances.

What do you guys think about it? Would you change something?

My build will end up costing me ~$2600 (im in canada)

sandy bridge only has 24 pci lanes but looks like that board has a nf200 chip but that only will allow x16 x8 x8 in trifire. keep that in mind. if you dont have the chip if you change boards you would be limited to x8 x8 x8.

also you should get a better cooler so you can overclock higher so your cpu wont be a bottleneck

 

[azeem40]

Post on your own thread. That's why it's there.

 

[tutstuts]

sandy bridge only has 24 pci lanes but looks like that board has a nf200 chip but that only will allow x16 x8 x8 in trifire. keep that in mind. if you dont have the chip if you change boards you would be limited to x8 x8 x8.

also you should get a better cooler so you can overclock higher so your cpu wont be a bottleneck

I thought that the hyper 212 evo was the best air cooler out there, isnt it?
Also on my previous system i had an i5 2500k @ 4.7 fully stable under 70c with only the hyper 212 evo. Do you think it would bottleneck the two 7970?

 

[larkspur]

I only play on one screen, but i like to max out everything and have a pc that will last for a couple of years.

With your graphics potential it'd be a shame not to triple-monitor that setup. Maybe you've got space constraints but since you like to go for max settings, you might as well go for max resolution/viewable area since this will improve your experience far more than another AA/AF bump. Games that support it are incredibly more immersive as a result. Unfortunately on games that don't... one monitor ends up feeling claustrophobic.

 

[cbrunnem]

I thought that the hyper 212 evo was the best air cooler out there, isnt it?
Also on my previous system i had an i5 2500k @ 4.7 fully stable under 70c with only the hyper 212 evo. Do you think it would bottleneck the two 7970?

not even close. the hyper 212 is about 10-15 degrees worst then the best are cooler. the best air cooler at the moment is the phanteks http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709001

if you say that you can overclock your cpu @4.7 and below 70 (im interested in seeing that) with the 212 then youd be looking at temps below or at 60 degrees with that cooler.