Check my gaming PC, missing anything?

[SamTheSammich]

I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on my new gaming PC. I've already picked out the parts, I just need to make sure that I've got everything I'm going to need to build it from scratch. I don't want to realize I'm missing something trivial when I'm ready to plug it in. What I have so far:

Case
Antec DF-85

PSU
Antec CP-1000

Motherboard
Asus Sabertooth P67 (Socket LGA 1155)

CPU
Intel i7-2600k

CPU Cooler
Cooler Master Hyper 212

GPU
EVGA GTX 580 3GB

Memory
G.SKILL Ripjaws X 16GB (4x4GB) @ 1866MHz

Sound Card
Sound Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Pro

Hard Drives
2x OCZ Agility 3 240GB (RAID-0) (For gaming)
2x Seagate Barracuda 160GB 7200RPM (RAID-0) (For regular use)

Other
50mm auxiliary fan for Asus TUF armor motherboard cooling
120mm fan for side case vent
G.SKILL memory fan
Samsung BluRay reader, CD/DVD writer
5.25" bay fan controller
Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste

I'm already looking at about $2,800 but I'm trying to bring that down a bit. What could I cut back on without risking much performance? Also, is there anything that I could spend a bit more on and get a better bang for my buck?

Thanks in advance!


Additional Info:

Approximate Purchase Date: within 1 week
Budget Range: $2000 - 3000
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming > Programming/MATLAB > Graphic/Web Design
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Monitor
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon, Newegg
Country: USA
Parts Preferences: Intel, NVidia
Overclocking: Maybe in the future
SLI or Crossfire: No, but wouldn't mind the option in the future
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200
Additional Comments: Will be using LightTape and EL Wire for lighting

 

[cfbones]

Very nice Gaming Rig Im jealous i have to say, planning on building an i5 2500k, GTX 570 rig soon. Looks like your building the big brother Looks good, and good luck with your build!

 

[kajabla]

ONGOING POST
You can definitely cut back here. If you're going to be playing at 1920x1200, just get a 1.5gb 580, or actually two. $2800 should be a dual-580 price.
You can skip the sound card; you won't hear a difference.
That case is quite expensive. Choose by stylistic preference, not by price. Go for this one if you like the look of it.
$300 2600K
$140 OCZ ZX 850W
$1200 PNY XLR8 580s. One's just liquid-cooled, and the other's a liquid cooler for your CPU as well.
$150 DF-85
$90 Ripjaws X 16gb 1600mhz (you won't see a difference)
$300 ADATA S501 256gb SSD. SSD RAID is just a waste; your money will be much better spend on the other 580.
$190 MSI Z68A-GD80
$13 Arctic Silver
$60ish BDD
$130 Caviar Black 500gb.
No sound card, no fan controller, no RAM fan (the most ridiculous thing), no side fan (won't help, and you're liquid-cooled anyway).

That's $2573. Do you have a decent mouse and keyboard, or just some generic set? IMO, a $70 Razer BlackWidow mechanical keyboard is well worth the price, or even a $130 Das if you like the design better. Try one of these if you can; it may blow your fingers' minds.

 

[spasmolytic46]

If you really want to shave the price down, you could probably throw out the memory fan, skip the extra 120mm side fan (your case has plenty), and unless you are certain you need hyperthreading (most programs can't use more than 4 cores) you could drop down to a 2500K and drop the raid on your SSD.

 

[azeem40]

Lose 8 GB of RAM. 8 GB of RAM is MAX you need. Also drop down to i5; it is no worse than the i7. Make sure that your PSU is atleast 80+ Bronze Certified. An alternative case can be the HAF 922. I recommend you get the Z68 cuz of the SSD Caching and better features.

 

[jemm]

So you´re building a future proof gaming rig. I´d get a COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R1/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=sr_1_2?m=A2EUTVCJXLAJ4K&s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1325963953&sr=1-2

 

[Onus]

You could cut costs without harming gaming performance by:
1. Unless you're going to add a second GTX580, get the CP-850 version of the PSU.
2. Get an i5-2500K. The i7-2600K offers no advantage in games.
3. Get just 8GB of RAM. The only reason there is 16GB in my system is because I have it, but really there's no difference from 8GB and I'll probably remove it for another system at some point.
4. A single 240GB SSD for your system drive should be big enough and fast enough. A pair of them is definitely overkill.
5. Skip the sound card unless you're an audiophile and are using $500 speakers; otherwise I doubt you'll notice any difference.
6. For regular use, RAID-0 makes little sense in a gaming PC. You don't need the speed, nor do you need the additional risk of data loss. Get a single 500GB or 1TB drive; when prices come down, add another one for RAID-1.
7. Finally, on a personal note, get a Xigmatek Gaia or similar non-Coolermaster CPU cooler. Coolermaster still puts liar labels on some of their PSUs (fact, not opinion; reviews at HardwareSecrets). That's dishonest, and a dishonest company does not deserve anyone's business, even on unrelated and decent quality other items. Fortunately, the competition is of similar quality and price, so you don't lose anything by not supporting a dishonest business.
Anyway, items 1-6 should help you bring your price down without hurting performance.

 

[pwdis123456]

It's clear you are building this for your e-peen, so this is a great build! Your Windows Experience Index should be pretty high!

In my opinion, however, you should:
Case: Whatever you like, but the one you picked is an ugly monstrosity in my opinion
PSU: You don't need 1000w, I prefer Seasonic but they are pricey, something ~500w but higher if planning SLI
Mobo: Asus Z68, the Gene-Z for example, but it's mATX
CPU: 2500k
Cooler: Noctua NH-d14
GPU: 580 1536
Memory: 1600 CL8 or 7, G.skill or Corsair
Sound: X-Fi over the new recon3d crap
SSD: Single Crucial m4 256
HDD: single 1-2TB

other stuff: you don't NEED any of the extra fans
Bluray: sure
Fan controller: sure
Paste: use the AS5 if you've got it and like it, else use what comes with the Noctua cooler

Also, with the 7900 cards supposedly releasing in a couple of days I would either pick up a 7950 or see what it does to the 580's prices.

 

[kajabla]

You could go 2500K, yes, or get the 2600K if you're planning to keep this thing in use for more than a couple of years. Think carefully on that; I predict better multi-threading in games in a few years, but if you've got this much cash to throw around you may just have upgraded by that time.
If this is going to be a long-term build, go 2600K. If not, go 2500K and save the cash.