[New Build] Need mobo/ram/cooling

[NajinX]

Hola.

I'm building my first pc in over 10 years. I game casually, and I dabble in graphics/video. I'm a father of three (15, 13 and 3.5), all gamers.

I want a machine with some longevity. I'm ok spending some coin if I know it's going towards something that will last.

With that in mind, I have already bought the following:

Case: Azza HURRICAN 2000

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Processor (LGA1155)

Videocard: MSI N560GTX-Ti 448 Twin Frozr III PE/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 448 Cores (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

I am looking for:

Mobo
Room for 32gb of ram.
SLI friendly.
Plenty of usb 3.0 ports
Decent audio built in

Ram
I want something that is dependable, runs cool, and is reasonably fast.

Liquid Cooling
This will be my first time dealing with liquid cooling. I need something that will perform, but simple enough so I don't screw it up.

Storage
I'm not convinced that I need an SSD at their current prices. But I might get something just big enough to load win7 on and maybe a couple of games?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Help me form Voltron.

Thanks.

 

[James McKeane]

Mobo: ASRock Z68 PROFESSIONAL http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157263 or ASRock Z68 Extreme7 Gen3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157269

comparison: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=Property&N=100007627&IsNodeId=1&Manufactory=1944&PropertyCodeValue=705%3A88788%2C717%3A140053%2C3880%3A27176%2C727%3A11340%2C740%3A7596%2C740%3A40639%2C2368%3A14899%2C757%3A7618&bop=And&CompareItemList=280|13-157-263^13-157-263-TS%2C13-157-269^13-157-269-TS

 

[sosofm]

Cheap and good mobo : ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
Good and a little expensive mobo : ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131792
RAM : Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226191
Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148544
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416
CPU COOLER : CORSAIR H80 (CWCH80) High Performance Liquid
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181016
SSD : Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 2.5" 60GB SATA III
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226247 80$
ADATA S510 2.5" 120GB SATA III http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211588
If you are audiophill and like you said gamer for a better audio experience buy a cheap and good sound card.

 

[ssddx]

i agree with mushkin. good stuff.

60gb (pref 80gb) ssd for boot and one or two games.

you dont need liquid cooling. big air is better than low end water.

if your really want to try it out... look at stuff on frozencpu.com, xoxide.com, dangerden.com, and read some watercooling threads.

kits are available but often it is better to assemble the products yourself. make sure you leak test before putting things into your system. use of a non-conducting fluid is best.

 

[NajinX]

Thanks, folks.

I've added a OCZ 120gb SSD ($109 AR).

I'm going to wait until the end of the week before ordering the mobo and ram, just in case a good deal comes up.

 

[NajinX]

Best answer selected by NajinX.

 

[NajinX]

Here's what I ended up using:

Case
Azza HURRICAN 2000
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517010

CPU
Intel Core i7-2600K Processor (LGA1155)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

Mobo
ASUS P8Z68 DELUXE/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131791&Tpk=N82E16813131791

RAM
CORSAIR DDR3 16GB 1600MHz DUAL MEMORY
http://www.frys.com/product/6992727?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
This was not what I intended. I just grew impatient and bought something while at Fry’s instead of waiting for Newegg to ship what I wanted. Overall, I don’t think it matters. With the SSD Cache and other components, I don’t think my choice in ram will effect the big picture.

Video
MSI N560GTX-Ti 448 Twin Frozr III PE/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 448 Cores (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127615
I felt this was a solid upper midrange card. And it was stable and ran very cool.

HDD 1
Some 1tb Western Digital drive that I’ve had for awhile.

HDD 2
OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227726&Tpk=N82E16820227726

Optical
LG 22X Super-Multi DVD Burner 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model GH22NS90B - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136240

Heatsink
Cooler HP80 (Liquid Cooler)
http://www.frys.com/product/6756095?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
Bought at Fry’s, didn’t want to wait.

PSU
I am using a Corsair 650w that I scavenged from a friend’s pc that was given to me.

Thanks again for all the help.