Advice on a new gaming build

[aquavitae]

I'm designing a new gaming build, and so far these are my specs:

CPU: Intel i5-2500K
Graphics: EVGA GTX 560 Ti
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
PSU: XFX P1-850S-NLB9 (850W)
Chassis: Coolmaster CM-RC-590 KW
Harddrive: Western Digital WD2500AAKX (250Gb)
RAM: 2 x Patriot PSD34616002 (4Gb)

My questions are:

1. Is there anything glaringly wrong with this that I've missed, e.g. cpu won't fit in the mobo?
2. The RAM is 1333Mhz. Is it worth paying the extra for 1600, or won't my system use it?
3. I also plan to put in a couple of fans to help with cooling. Is this necessary, and if so, will two 12cm fans be enough?
4. Will the PSU supply enough juice for future expansion, i.e. a CPU upgrade, an additional graphics card and an extra 8Gb RAM?
5. Is there anywhere that I've gone overboard, where I could potentially save money?

Thanks.

 

[Outlander_04]

Use a Radeon 7850 instead . Much more powerful , not much more expensive

The power supply is overkill . You can run two GTX 560 ti on 650 watts , or two 5850 radeons on 600 watts
The TX 650 is a good choice

Buy 1600 MHz RAM . Make sure its rated for 1.5 volts OR LESS

 

[Zeauz]

1- Everything you have is compatible.
2- Cyou an provide a link to the ram your getting? and if the price is not to much of a diffrence i would go with 1600mhz tbh.
3- The only extra fan you really would need is an aftermarket heatsink (hyper 212 plus or evo) if you plan to overclock.
4- 700w is enough for sli 560 ti if you plan to do that in the future. 8gb ram is all you need to be honest.
5- how much are you paying for your case? could save some money their depending on the price. Do you plan on overclocking?
Do you plan on going sli 560 ti?

10$ more than your current hdd (newegg price)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767


Edit:
I agree with Outlander_04 the 7850 is a great care with high overclock potential for a bit more

 

[aquavitae]

Thanks for the replies

The RAM (local website) is:
http://www.comx-computers.co.za/PSD34G16002-PATRIOT-SIGNATURE-4GB-DDR3-1333MHz-Desktop-Memory-With-Blue-Heat-Sin-Information-Price-Buy-Cheap-p-54883.php.
However, I can get this for not much more cost:
http://www.comx-computers.co.za/ME-C4G3X16X9-Corsair-CMX4GX3M1A1600C9-XMS3-Desktop-Memory-4GB-Information-Price-Buy-Cheap-p-54216.php

I've always been an nvidia fan, so I don't know much about ATI. How does it perform in SLI (crossfire?) compared to the 560ti? If I go for the 7850, are the rest of the components still suitable, or could I save, for example on the motherboard?

I've never really played with overclocking before, but from what I've heard it can really improve performance, so I'll probably overclock to some extent.

I won't SLI the 560Ti right away, but my plan is to allow for it in a year or two instead of buying a new card - I think that a second 560ti will be relatively cheap compared to a new card for the same performance gain.

I was looking for a 750W power supply based on what I'd read for SLI and overclocking, but that one was cheaper for a higher power. Should I be looking at something lower? If 650W is ok, then I can save a bit on that!

I don't know much about cases - I just searched for something that's tool-free with cable management. Do you have a better suggestion? If I can save on the case and PSU, I can consider the 7850 and 1600MHz RAM.

 

[Zeauz]

Honestly I have never heard of that brand of ram before all I know is that it runs at 1.6 volts and that is not entirely ideal but the price was something like 34usd? You should get someone else to give their opinion on the ram besides me.

The 7850 Is leaps and bounds ahead of the 560ti and it is ready for xfire in the future. This card will also benefit from the pci 3.0 slots on the mobo you have selected.

IF you want to overclock your CPU you will need an aftermarket heatsink. You can use the stock heatsink and later on buy a aftermarket and overclock when you are ready.

650W will be plenty and if you get a 7850 they are really energy efficient.

The haf-912 is an exceptional case at a relatively cheap price at 50$ usd

 

[aquavitae]

Honestly I have never heard of that brand of ram before all I know is that it runs at 1.6 volts and that is not entirely ideal but the price was something like 34usd? You should get someone else to give their opinion on the ram besides me.

Neither have I, which is why I'm thinking of going for a corsair instead

The haf-912 is an exceptional case at a relatively cheap price at 50$ usd

That looks a lot more expensive than the centurion 590...

I've just discovered this board: http://www.landmarkpc.co.za/store/asrock-extreme3-gen3-intel-chipset-p-8058.html
It looks like a really good buy, but it is a z68 chipset rather than z77. Is it worth the saving?

 

[Zeauz]

Neither have I, which is why I'm thinking of going for a corsair instead


That looks a lot more expensive than the centurion 590...

I've just discovered this board: http://www.landmarkpc.co.za/store/asrock-extreme3-gen3-intel-chipset-p-8058.html
It looks like a really good buy, but it is a z68 chipset rather than z77. Is it worth the saving?

Sorry I did not know what you were paying for the case I just did a Google and it appeared to cost more than the haf-912

Regarding the motherboard the asrock extreme3 gen3 is a great board and the only real difference between z68 and z77 is the integrated graphics and native usb 3.0 headers and pci 3.0 support you get with IB.

If you want to save yourself some money get the asrock extreme3 gen3 an just invest the savings into a 7850 and some corsair or gskill ram

 

[aquavitae]

So after all the suggestions, here is my latest build:

CPU: Intel i5-2500K
Graphics: Gigabyte Radeon 7850
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
Harddrive: Seagate Barracuda 250Gb
RAM: 2 x Corsair DDR3-1600 4GB Vengeance
Chassis: Coolmaster CM-RC-590 KW
PSU: 650W

I can also get a Sapphire brand graphics card - is this better than Gigabyte?

I can't decide on a PSU. I have narrowed it down to four options. All of them have reasonably good reviews, all are 80+ certified, and all can handle crossfire. In price order:
1. Silverstone Strider Essential 700W
2. PS-C650GXE Coolermaster RS650-ACAAE3 GX 650w
3. P1-650S-NLB9 XFX PRO650W Core Edition
4. CMPSU-650TX CORSAIR Enthusiast Series V2 650W

Is there any reason I shouldn't just get the Silverstone, which has the highest power and lowest price?

I'm also still not entirely sure about the case, so I would appreciate suggestions! I like the idea of tool-free and cable management, and USB3 would be a good idea since the mobo has it. The case is going to sit under a desk, so I'm not worried about looks.

Thanks for your help!

 

[aquavitae]

Best answer selected by aquavitae.