Current Build: Room for improvement?

[Cromat88]

I mainly play games, and occasionally dabble in some overclocking and bench marking, just looking for other opinions on my system if theres room for improvement or should i leave it as is? Some of the components listed below i got at cost price which explains my high voltage PSU lol but anyways here are the specs:

CPU: Intel I5 2500 @ 3.8GHZ (turbo mode off, manually set to turbo max)
CPU COOLER: Thermaltake Contac 29 BP
GFX CARD: 2x SLI MSI 560GTX TI TWIN FROZR II OC EDITION
RAM: Apacer 2x4GB 1333mhz 1.5v
MOBO MSI P67A GD80 (B3)
CASE: Cooler Master CMStacker Nvidia Edition (i am looking for a lighter case though )
PSU: Cougar CM 1000W (got this for half price would have been stupid to say no)

Any input on improvement would by helpful

 

[Chaz21]

I mainly play games, and occasionally dabble in some overclocking and bench marking, just looking for other opinions on my system if theres room for improvement or should i leave it as is? Some of the components listed below i got at cost price which explains my high voltage PSU lol but anyways here are the specs:

CPU: Intel I5 2500 @ 3.8GHZ (turbo mode off, manually set to turbo max)
CPU COOLER: Thermaltake Contac 29 BP
GFX CARD: 2x SLI MSI 560GTX TI TWIN FROZR II OC EDITION
RAM: Apacer 2x4GB 1333mhz 1.5v
MOBO MSI P67A GD80 (B3)
CASE: Cooler Master CMStacker Nvidia Edition (i am looking for a lighter case though )
PSU: Cougar CM 1000W (got this for half price would have been stupid to say no)

Any input on improvement would by helpful

My main concern (two actually) are your RAM and your PSU.
RAM
You may not be able to OC this particular brand but it is on MSI QVL list so that's a good thing. I would have went with a "name" brand.
PSU
Can't beat half price. Here too I would have went with a good "name" brand but can certainly understand why you bought it. Not a PSU normally recommended on these boards.
The rest of your system looks good. It's just that my concerns happen to be with the components that can cause the most problems.
My case recommendation :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

 

[alvine]

looks good
have you thought about getting a single more powerfull gpu instead of two 560's?

heres some cases

NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Steel / Plastic Enthusiast ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146067

NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Steel / Plastic Enthusiast ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146068

NZXT Crafted Series Phantom Black / Green Trim Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146079

I like the last one the most

 

[Cromat88]

well alvine i mainly got the 2 560GTX TI's because it was the first time i could actually afford a SLI setup and told myself i should at least try it once in a lifetime but thanks for the help guys ill have a look at the cases i forgot to mention i live in south africa so i might be tricky to get that those brands down here but thanks ill look into it

 

[Chaz21]

well alvine i mainly got the 2 560GTX TI's because it was the first time i could actually afford a SLI setup and told myself i should at least try it once in a lifetime but thanks for the help guys ill have a look at the cases i forgot to mention i live in south africa so i might be tricky to get that those brands down here but thanks ill look into it

I was guessing it wasn't the US.
Good luck with your build.

 

[Cromat88]

Yes thanks i can get Thermaltake, Corsair, Raidmax, Fractual Design and Cougar cases from my suppliers if any of you guys know any good cases along those brands which work well with a SLI setup and dont weigh a metric ton please let me know

 

[killermoats]

My main concern (two actually) are your RAM and your PSU.
RAM
You may not be able to OC this particular brand but it is on MSI QVL list so that's a good thing. I would have went with a "name" brand.
PSU
Can't beat half price. Here too I would have went with a good "name" brand but can certainly understand why you bought it. Not a PSU normally recommended on these boards.
The rest of your system looks good. It's just that my concerns happen to be with the components that can cause the most problems.
My case recommendation :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

Cant agree more. I simply pictured a burning computer when looking at the PSU. Half price means they don't want it in stock and need it gone. Off brand RAM. That's the first time I've seen that brand. Save yourself a head ach later and go name brand.

 

[Cromat88]

Cant agree more. I simply pictured a burning computer when looking at the PSU. Half price means they don't want it in stock and need it gone. Off brand RAM. That's the first time I've seen that brand. Save yourself a head ach later and go name brand.

Okay yes the RAM is uber cheapo stuff but it has a lifetime warranty and I havent had any issues with it since i bought it and the power supply i got half price on since one of my friends is a manager for one of my suppliers for the PC shop i work at so he gave one hell of a discount but in general i havent had problems with those components as of yet. But i am looking to replace the ram eventually

 

[Cromat88]

ive been looking for better ram and found this http://www.gskill.com/products.php?index=349 i would get the 4GBx2 kit but the supplier has no stock so ill just have to buy two 4GB kits (2GBx2) and have 4 modules and 8Gigs all together. My motherboard supports the memory so should work quite well together

 

[quilciri]

looks good
have you thought about getting a single more powerfull gpu instead of two 560's?

The 560 ti and 7850 at $240 are the end of the sweet spot in price vs. performance. in order to get 15% more performance (gtx 570) you have to spend $100 more. Getting a single faster card than that is poor bang for the buck.

I usually tell people to avoid 2 card setups due to microstuttering issues. If you stick with two, I'd suggest picking up a motherboard with 3 or more slots for the future. You'lll *probably* have frame rates high enough in today's games that you won't notice the microstuttering (unless you're playing metro 2033 cranked with DoF on...*cough*).

The downside is that with 3 and 4 slot motherboards in pci-e 2.0, some or all of the cards will be limited to 4 lanes, which will hamper a 560 Ti. You can buy a Z77 motherboard with 3-4 pci-e 3.0 slots, which would give you some future-proofing as well (they do run $170+, though).

*with multi-card solutions, I always suggest turning off xfire/SLI when you're not gaming so your system isn't gulping down power while you're on facebook.

 

[Cromat88]

well this is the board i am using just so there's no confusion:

I mainly went 560GTX TI mainly due to finances and because i had never made a SLI rig before and told myself i should at least try it once in my life and the 560GTX TIs i have only support 2 way sli so i technically not using the 3rd PCI_E slot

will be adding 4x2G of these G.Skill F3-12800CL9D-4GBXL 2x2GB DDR3-1600 Ripjaws-X and removing the apacer ram got a really good deal on the G skill ram

 

[Chaz21]

Yes thanks i can get Thermaltake, Corsair, Raidmax, Fractual Design and Cougar cases from my suppliers if any of you guys know any good cases along those brands which work well with a SLI setup and dont weigh a metric ton please let me know

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811553003 = Cougar
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133180 = Thermaltake
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139011 = Corsair
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156247 = Raidmax
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352010 = Fractual Design

 

[Cromat88]

thanks chaz ill take a look

 

[quilciri]

shame you can't 3 & 4 way SLI with the 460....

 

[Cromat88]

well yes lol but i dont think i would have been able to afford 3 or 4 g cards even if i could SLI 3 or more 560's

 

[Cromat88]

hey guys just wanted to ask quick is this case any good and would it work well for my current setup? http://www.antec.com/product.php?id=705445&pid=86

because i can get it at a really good price from a friend of mine

 

[Chaz21]

hey guys just wanted to ask quick is this case any good and would it work well for my current setup? http://www.antec.com/product.php?id=705445&pid=86

because i can get it at a really good price from a friend of mine

Your link only took me to the main Antec page so I can't see the case but if it's made by Antec it's a quality case. I've got 2 Antec cases in continuous use for more than 10 years in my house.

 

[Cromat88]

sorry about that ill relink the case off the website i usually buy my products from http://www.wootware.co.za/antec-1000-usb-3-0-windowed-side-panel-black-xl-atx-chassis.html

 

[Chaz21]

sorry about that ill relink the case off the website i usually buy my products from http://www.wootware.co.za/antec-1000-usb-3-0-windowed-side-panel-black-xl-atx-chassis.html

Like I stated Antec makes good cases. The one you picked out is no exception and would work well in your current setup. It weighs no more than all the other recommended cases.

 

[Cromat88]

yes definitly just wanted to get a outside opinion ive heard antec cases are great thx Chaz

 

[Cromat88]

well i got the G skill Ripjaws X ram 8GB (2GBx4) yesterday but when i tried to install it lol the CPU cooling fan was in the way : | so i had to remove and iam now running the coooler without a fan lol my temps are a little high 42c-47c idle 48c-54c under load with OC genie enabled ill either have to find a smaller fan or buy a brand new CPU cooler : \