Upcoming build. Opinions please!

[twc779]

Hey everyone! So I thought I'd join the forums and ask for some opinions on my upcoming build.

Parts-
■CPU - Intel Core i7 2600k Processor 3.4GHz, plan to OC to 4.5GHz

■CPU Cooler - Corsair H100 Liquid CPU Cooler (http://amzn.to/wZLGYg)

■Case - Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced Full Tower ATX Case (http://amzn.to/AtwWve)

■Mobo - ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 Motherboard (http://amzn.to/z0AY6u)

■GPU - 2 (SLI) EVGA GeForce GTX 570 SuperClocked 1280MB Graphics Cards (http://amzn.to/qHuZU7)

■RAM - G.Skill Ripjaws X DDR3 @ 1600MHz (http://bit.ly/wtuQt8)

■PSU - Corsair Professional Series HX1050 80 Plus Silver 1050-Watt PSU (http://amzn.to/zBeE4T)

■HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB SATA III 6Gb/s Hard Drive (http://amzn.to/yohh5y)

Thanks!

 

[azeem40]

For gaming, you don't need the 2600k. The 2500k is $100 cheaper and performs the same. Hyperthreading is yet to be utilized in gaming.

As for the water cooler, the difference between assembled loops and air cooling is about 2C. The Noctua 14 is cheaper and performs the same.

The PSU is overkill major. Drop down to 850W, which is still ample.

You can use the $ you save to do many things, such as buy a gaming keyboard and mouse, some games, or even upgrade the card to 7970, which I believe beats SLI 570s. If you do get the 7970 instead, you can drop the PSU down a bit more to 750W. If you do so, the Antec Earthwatts is $85.

 

[DelroyMonjo]

If ya' got the $$$, go for it! Sounds like a nice rig...

 

[andrewcarr]

Please fill out this so we can get a better idea of exactly what you want.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

Everything looks good, but unless you plan on upgrading to better GPU or buying another motherboard that can run 3 way SLI the PSU you have it more power than you will ever need. This PSU should be more than enough.
http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-Fully-Modular-80PLUS-Performance-compatible/dp/B004NMF9ES/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1328217770&sr=1-10

I use this PSU calculator to estimate power usage. Then add about 100w extra.
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

[boiler1990]

For gaming, you don't need the 2600k. The 2500k is $100 cheaper and performs the same. Hyperthreading is yet to be utilized in gaming.

As for the water cooler, the difference between assembled loops and air cooling is about 2C. The Noctua 14 is cheaper and performs the same.

The PSU is overkill major. Drop down to 850W, which is still ample.

You can use the $ you save to do many things, such as buy a gaming keyboard and mouse, some games, or even upgrade the card to 7970, which I believe beats SLI 570s. If you do get the 7970 instead, you can drop the PSU down a bit more to 750W. If you do so, the Antec Earthwatts is $85.

^+1 to all. 850W is still plenty for 2x570s, and the i7 performs almost identically in games to the i5. Plus, you're not limited by your CPU in games - your GPUs make more of a difference.

I'm a firm believer in having good peripherals to make a PC gaming experience better. Spending the extra $$ on a great mouse/mouse mat (take a look at the metal ones), keyboard, and a really good monitor is sometimes worth more than the hardware inside the PC.

 

[azeem40]

I agree. There are plenty of keyboards, mice, and monitors that can add comfort to your gaming. With a soft resting place for your hands when typing, you can game for a longer time without feeling any pressure. Like atm, I am typing while my hands are on the hard surface of my laptop, which means I have to rest after typing a lot and it feels uncomfortable. Same with mouse. A firm grip is everything. For the monitor, you want it eye level so you don't strain your neck.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[boiler1990]

I agree. There are plenty of keyboards, mice, and monitors that can add comfort to your gaming. With a soft resting place for your hands when typing, you can game for a longer time without feeling any pressure. Like atm, I am typing while my hands are on the hard surface of my laptop, which means I have to rest after typing a lot and it feels uncomfortable. Same with mouse. A firm grip is everything. For the monitor, you want it eye level so you don't strain your neck.

Just my 2 cents.

Mouse - The RAT 7 is a mouse worth looking at - it's fully customizable (weight, palm rest, thumb rest, pinky rest), machined out of aluminum, great button actions and glides on a hard mouse mat (aluminum or plastic). I switched to a RAT 5 after using 2 Razer mice and the quality is so much better than those cheap plastic mice; I regret not getting the 7.

If wireless is your thing, the RAT 9 is basically a wireless RAT 7.


Keyboard - Take a look at some of the mechanical ones. The Cherry MX Blues supposedly have the best feel, but the Browns are quieter.


Monitor - I am hands down a Dell monitor fanboy. They're slightly matted to reduce glare, but the colors are still extremely vibrant (not as great as some of the super glossy displays, but then again they're super glossy). The Professional (P) and Enthusiast (E) series are the ones you want to look at (under small business), not the crappy home use monitors.

Asus is also making some great panels; had their 3D monitor for a while and it looked spectacular. I eventually sold it for 3 Dell E 20" panels for Surround gaming (more useful than 3D).

 

[twc779]

Thanks guys! So a CPU fan/heatsink would be just as fine as the Corsair H100? Would the Thermaltake Frio be fairly similar to the H100 as far as temp goes?

 

[azeem40]

I am not familiar with the Frio, but I think the EVO is mildly similar.

 

[boiler1990]

The only issue with the Frio is that it uses very noisy fans, and you can get better fans that are less noisy. The Cooler Master Hyper 212+ or Hyper EVO are great air coolers that perform exceptionally well for only $20-40. I owned 2 212+s and only sold them because I went to water