First build, $1200 gaming rig

[noobiemcgee]

Hey all,

So as it says, this is my first build and I have a budget of around 1200 and am looking to buy tomorrow. I'm looking for any last min advice and/or tips. Here is what I have:

SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442
Graphics: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130683
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233
MB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207017
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186
Heatsink: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

This is a computer that I plan on using for games(wow, skyrim, diablo3, SC2 etc.), I hope to do some OCing... nothing extreme and I'm hoping to keep it somewhat future proof (ie maybe switching to ivy bridge down the road).

So, with that being said, any feed back/tweaks/changes and or suggestions are welcome. please let me know what you guys think .

 

[kajabla]

Beautiful overall.

I assume you're thinking of 560 Ti SLI with that PSU, but you could easily do that with a 750W unit. $80 Antec Earthwatts 750D.

Choose your case by stylistic preference if you haven't already. Most cases over $60, and many under as well, will perform perfectly well, so go with whatever on Newegg has a look you like. If the 912 appeals to you, go for it.

 

[noobiemcgee]

yes, sorry I forgot to mention that. I plan on going SLI at some point .

 

[kajabla]

Or this one. Either would be good.

 

[dalenchm0b]

Solid build dude overall.
My changes though:

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130610
More expensive true but the -AR variants have a lifetime warranty vs the 2 year on the -KR. If you're not concerned with the warranty length, then your choice is just fine.

SSD: I'm a warranty guy so while I definitely like the numbers I see with Crucial and the fact that as a subsidiary of Micron, they use built in-house NAND chips and the awesome Marvell controller, I'm not a fan of the 3 year warranty. So, with that said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820249014

The Plextor SSD uses a reliable Marvell controller as well but the warranty is longer at 5 years vs 3 years. Again, Crucial M4 has been a proven SSD but Plextor is no slouch when it comes to their hardware. Just my two cents.

 

[kajabla]

I do like that idea. SSDs generally fail at about the same rate as hard drives, but five years definitely wouldn't hurt. Also, the performance difference between high- and low-end SSDs is far smaller than that between SSDs and any HDD.

 

[noobiemcgee]

Thank you for all the input, I did end up changing out the PSU. I appreciate the SSD/GPU suggestions, but I decided to stay with the M4 because it has proven stability, not to say that i think that the other one is bad... but I'm new to this and I like the idea of proven stability. As for the GPU, I've heard that 2gb cards are good for multi monitor/higher res set ups, now I'm not looking to do this at the moment, but I might like to in the future. Thanks again guys .

 

[kajabla]

If you're going to, go for it.