New Gaming Build ($2000) Need advice!

[Dysfunkshin]

Approximate Purchase Date: Jan 31 2012

Budget Range: 2000-2500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Web Browsing

Parts Not Required: keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, OS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg!!

Country: USofA

Parts Preferences: Intel, Nvidia

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080, 1920x1200

Additional Comments: My 1st Build with an SSD! Really looking for someone to go over this build and give me feedback on what to change and why. I still have about $300 to play with if I need to change anything. I went with the i7 and 16GB of Ram because I only build every 3-4 years so kind of thinking about the future. But again any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!! Also I am thinking of trying to run off 1 or 2 240G SSD's if possible. I have my old PC for storage and video streaming.


CASE: Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139005

MOBO: ASUS P8P67 DELUXE (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131701

PROCESSOR: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I72600K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

VIDEO CARD: EVGA SuperClocked 015-P3-1582-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130590

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231315

SSD: OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-240G 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227727

POWER SUPPLY: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.2 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

DVD BURNER: LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

DVD ROM: LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276

HEATSINK: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

TOTAL AS OF 12/30/11 : $1802.95

 

[CamaroZL1]

If you're going to be using your PC for gaming and not video rendering or crunching long codes, i5 2500k is more than enough - for gaming only, i7 is a waste of money.

To get the maximum out of your CPU, it would be best to go for a water cooling kit - Corsair's H60, H80 and H100 are pretty good.

Also, going with a Motherboard with a Z68 instead of a P67 chipset might be a good idea, since (don't quote me on this) the Z68 Motherboards will support new Ivy Bridge processors with a BIOS update.

Adding a HDD (if you find a good deal) for storage wouldn't be a bad idea, since SSDs have a "limited number" of writes.

 

[mjmjpfaff]

if you are waiting until Jan 31st get the hd 7970 coming out on jan 9 @ 550$.

gaming and web browsing do not need 16gb's of memory. 8gb of ram is fine and will last you a couple of years.

upgrade to an 850w psu- http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1143937&CatId=5441 if you want to extend your computer's life with crossfiring the 7970

you should get a z68 motherboard. this one is very good- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790

i would stick with the single large ssd for right now because of ridiculous hdd prices which should lower considerably by February (hopefully)

the "DVD ROM" is unnecessary just stick with the 1 dvd burner because it does everything the DVD ROM does.

i would go with this ssd- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147135 it is faster than the vertex 3 in most benchmarks and it is much more reliable- http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/octane-sata-indilinx-benchmark-performance,3081-6.html

 

[Dysfunkshin]

Thanks so much for the fast replies!!!!

Couple more questions though. I am VERY new to the world of SSD's and wondering what the limitations are compared to your standard HD's? You posted "Adding a HDD (if you find a good deal) for storage wouldn't be a bad idea, since SSDs have a "limited number" of writes. " What do you mean by limited writes? Can gaming off an SSD hurt it? I normally only keep a few games install at a given time, then the next best thing is out and old one get uninstalled.

Also I have never worked with water cooling but have always been interested in it. Are they very hard to install? Water and electronics just scares me lol!


Thanks!

 

[a4mula]

Thanks so much for the fast replies!!!!

Couple more questions though. I am VERY new to the world of SSD's and wondering what the limitations are compared to your standard HD's? You posted "Adding a HDD (if you find a good deal) for storage wouldn't be a bad idea, since SSDs have a "limited number" of writes. " What do you mean by limited writes? Can gaming off an SSD hurt it? I normally only keep a few games install at a given time, then the next best thing is out and old one get uninstalled.

Also I have never worked with water cooling but have always been interested in it. Are they very hard to install? Water and electronics just scares me lol!


Thanks!

The write issues have pretty much been worked out with newer controllers. I wouldn't worry much about that.

One thing I would recommend would be considering the OCZ Vertex 3 over the Agility as it has asynchronous nand chips which allow for faster processing of files that cannot be compressed (already compressed, video, music, cut scenes in games ect). It's about a $10 difference.

As far as water cooling goes, there are two routes. The right way, and the cheap way. The right way is expensive and requires quite a bit of time in research and careful assembly. The cheap way involves buying a prefabbed loop like the Corsair H100. Personally I'm against setups like these as they take circulation off your motherboard in areas like the VRMs which can lead to instability. This can be circumvented with a spot cooler, but when these water coolers aren't even capable of delivering cooling that matches some of the better air coolers and cost more, well lets just say I see it as a gimmick.

 

[mjmjpfaff]

Thanks so much for the fast replies!!!!

Couple more questions though. I am VERY new to the world of SSD's and wondering what the limitations are compared to your standard HD's? You posted "Adding a HDD (if you find a good deal) for storage wouldn't be a bad idea, since SSDs have a "limited number" of writes. " What do you mean by limited writes? Can gaming off an SSD hurt it? I normally only keep a few games install at a given time, then the next best thing is out and old one get uninstalled.

Also I have never worked with water cooling but have always been interested in it. Are they very hard to install? Water and electronics just scares me lol!


Thanks!

a good air cooler is better than most water coolers- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

 

[a4mula]

i would go with this ssd- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147135 it is faster than the vertex 3 in most benchmarks and it is much more reliable- http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/octane-sata-indilinx-benchmark-performance,3081-6.html

You're linking to benchmarks of the Octane, which is based on the Indelinx controller not the Sandforce. All of the SF2281 asynchronous SSDs are going to perform virtually the same so go with the cheapest one.

 

[mjmjpfaff]

You're linking to benchmarks of the Octane, which is based on the Indelinx controller not the Sandforce. All of the SF2281 asynchronous SSDs are going to perform virtually the same so go with the cheapest one.

i know. that is the most recent article with ssd's like the 830 agility 3 vertex 3 m4. a lot of reviews dont have the agility 3