How does my build look?

[evilcannon]

CPU: i5-2500k (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072)

GPU: Radeon 7970 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102961)

PSU: COOLER MASTER 800w (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171057)

RAM: G.SKILL 8GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314)

CD-ROM: HP 24x (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827140042)

MOBO: ASUS Maximus IV (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131806)

HDD: Western Digital 1TB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284)

*MONITOR: ASUS 24” ALREADY PURCHASED

*CASE: HAF 932 ADVANCED ALREADY PURCHASED

OS: Windows 7 64bit (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986)

CPU COOLER: Zalman (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223)

SoundCard: (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829270006)



I tried keeping it below $2000 as much as possible... So is there anything you think I should change? I already purchased the monitor and case and am quite happy with both of them... I was kind of in a debate if I should buy the 7950 or if the 7970 is worth the extra $100... So yeah... Is there anything I should change?

 

[quicksand10]

Just to clarify, this is a gaming build?

PSU I would substitute, consider: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139016

CPU Cooler, consider the CoolerMaster Hyper 212+, really highly recommended by all the folks around here

If you have ~100$ more to spend, rather than spending it on the 7970, I think it would be more insteresting to go for an SSD as a boot drive. Check the OCZ Vertex 3

Otherwise, looks good!

 

[g-unit1111]

^

Do not get a Vertex 3 - OCZ drives are not that great and they're not the most reputable vendor on the planet.

First off - you do not need the extra sound card, they're pretty useless at this point.

Second - I really hesitate to recommend the GENE-Z for a desktop system. It's a good board but the limited expansion options will be incredibly frustrating in the long run - if you go SLI/Crossfire there go all your expansion slots. If you have a dual GPU like the 7970 and a PCI-e Wifi card there also go all your expansion slots. It's better to have more just to be on the safe side.

Try this for your motherboard instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128506

Then Zalman coolers are decent at best. For the price go for one of these:

- Noctua NH-U9B: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608016
- EVGA M020: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835288001

The Cooler Master PSU is OK, I'd get something different. Try something like this:

- Seasonic X750 Gold: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151087

And then while the 7970 is great you could probably drop that and get a 7950 - you won't notice much of a GPU performance decrease - and you'll save about $110 and then invest that in getting a good SSD like the Crucial M4: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441

 

[Blakexeal]

"Try this for your motherboard instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128506"

That board does not seem to have pci-e 3.0 for the op's 7970.

 

[g-unit1111]

"Try this for your motherboard instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128506"

That board does not seem to have pci-e 3.0 for the op's 7970.

It's not going to make that much of a difference really - it will default to whatever the lowest bus speed the motherboard can handle anyways. If you want to be sure though try this board instead - it's a bit more but will have better expansion options than the GENE-Z will: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131790

 

[quicksand10]

^

Do not get a Vertex 3 - OCZ drives are not that great and they're not the most reputable vendor on the planet.

First off - you do not need the extra sound card, they're pretty useless at this point.

I'm not gonna get into the whole Sandforce controller dilemma, but from research, I've heard they've gotten much better with firmware updates and etc. and they've become recommendable. If you want complete security, and have the money to dish out, go with an Intel 520 SSD.

And about the sound card, usually, people that include sound cards in their builds know their sound and know it's almost necessary to have for their particular ears. That said, I have to partially agree with you, g-unit1111, as I don't see any problem with my onboard sound.

+1 for the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO; awesome motherboard.

 

[g-unit1111]

I'm not gonna get into the whole Sandforce controller dilemma, but from research, I've heard they've gotten much better with firmware updates and etc. and they've become recommendable. If you want complete security, and have the money to dish out, go with an Intel 520 SSD.

And about the sound card, usually, people that include sound cards in their builds know their sound and know it's almost necessary to have for their particular ears. That said, I have to partially agree with you, g-unit1111, as I don't see any problem with my onboard sound.

+1 for the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO; awesome motherboard.

I haven't bought a sound card since it was required equipment in the early - mid 90's. All I've ever used in my builds is the onboard sound and it works great.

The Asus is a good board but I have the Gigabyte and it's been working really great so far, this might be one of the best computers I've ever owned.