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Building an ~1200$ gaming system: Will this work?

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I am building a new system specifically for gaming. I'd like to keep it at or below 1200 $. Here's the stuff

(EVGA GTX 570) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
( 850 watt PSU) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
(CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) ) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
(ASRock Z77 Extreme6 mobo) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
(Intel core i7-2600k) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
(120 GB SSD) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
(COOLMASTER fan) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
(DVD drive) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
(Case) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I already have the fan, DVD drive, and case so those can't really change. With the other parts, I am aiming for longevity. I want something that will be easy to upgrade in the future. I know the basics about matching up RAM, CPU's, mobo's, etc. but I am certainly no expert. I guess I have three big questions.

1.) Are these parts all compatible? This is my biggest concern.
2.) Does this look like a pretty efficient build, or is there something I should consider changing?
3.) I have an HDD from my current computer that I am hoping to use. ( I plan to put all of the games and OS on the SSD) It's definitely on the old side though... My question is: are these things pretty universal? I don't need a fast one, I just want some extra storage.

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inzone said:
I would change the i7-2600k to the Ivy Bridge cpu since yopu are getting the Z77 motherboard , if you want to keep the 2600 then go with a Z68 motherboard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


If you don't mind me asking, why exactly would you make this recommendation? I read this on the CPU forum.

"CPUs priced over $220 offer rapidly diminishing returns when it comes to game performance. As such, we have a hard time recommending anything more expensive than the Core i5-2500K, especially since this multiplier-unlocked processor can be overclocked to great effect if more performance is desired. Even at stock clocks, it meets or beats the $1000 Core i7-990X Extreme Edition when it comes to gaming."

Does this have something to do with your suggestion of the Ivy Bridge cpu? Out of curiousity, would I expect the same rapidly diminishing returns if that extra 60 $ went towards a GPU upgrade?

babycakes said:
If you don't mind me asking, why exactly would you make this recommendation? I read this on the CPU forum.

"CPUs priced over $220 offer rapidly diminishing returns when it comes to game performance. As such, we have a hard time recommending anything more expensive than the Core i5-2500K, especially since this multiplier-unlocked processor can be overclocked to great effect if more performance is desired. Even at stock clocks, it meets or beats the $1000 Core i7-990X Extreme Edition when it comes to gaming."

Does this have something to do with your suggestion of the Ivy Bridge cpu? Out of curiousity, would I expect the same rapidly diminishing returns if that extra 60 $ went towards a GPU upgrade?



Get the 2500k, save $100, change your power supply to: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... save $50.

Get a gtx 670.
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Homebuilt system Master
Gaming Authority

You had chosen the i7-2600k which is $300 and an i7 , so now your quoting a post that said you shouldn't go more than an i5 and $220. That's exactly what I had recomended , an i5 for $239. The reason I did that was because if you got the Ivy Bridge and the Z77 notherboard then you would have two parts of the three needed for the Pci-e 3.0 to be used. Now if you took the $60 saved from the cpu change and put it with the money for the video card and got a GTX 670 then you would have the third part needed for Pci-e 3.0.
In case you didn't know you need three parts to make the Pci-e 3.0 work and they are the motherboard , cpu and video card , once you have all three then the Pci-e 3.0 technology can be used and the Pci-e 3.0 has twice the bandwidth of Pci-e 2.0.
Homebuilt system Authority
Gaming Authority

Since you already have the case and cpu cooler and case this is what i recommend you get PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Hard Drive: Mushkin Chronos 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1012.80
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-31 19:41 EDT-0400) You save more money that way and have better GPU you can play any game on ultra/max settings plus your getting a 1TB hard drive and still getting your 120gb SSD it's a win win all the way around ;) 

maxalge said:
Get the 2500k, save $100, change your power supply to: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... save $50.

Get a gtx 670.


I can't thank you all enough for the help! It means a lot to me :) 
Here's what I am looking at...

Same parts as my first build, but with
>the i5 2500k
>the cheaper PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] sair%20750 PSU
>and the Asus gtx 670 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
The Asus 670 is 20$ more than other brands at 420 $, but my friend claims that it runs cooler and is more silent. Are there any studies that have been done to determine if this is true? If so, would that 20$ be worth it?
> Is it a wise downgrade to go from the ASRock Z77 Extreme6 to the Extreme4? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submi...|13-157-295^13-157-295-TS%2C13-157-293^13-157-293-TS it looks like it still has everything I need and seems just about as future proof. might be a decent way to save 35 $...

How is the final build looking? I'm optimistic that I am making my 1100 $ go towards the system that will stay the most current and the most upgrade-able.

inzone said:
The Asus 670 has two fans on the cooler so it should help it to stay cooler and the fans can be run at a slower speed to be less noisy.
You can go with the Extreme 4 motherboard because the difference is not that much and the Extreme 4 is a good board.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/asus-geforce-gtx-670-dire...


Alright, good to know! My last question is about which asus 670 to get. There's a 430 $ TOP model that comes overclocked but it's currently out of stock. Would I be fine just getting the standard 420 $ CU II and then using smart doctor to overclock it myself? Or at that point would it be more wise to get the EVGA gtx 670 FTW for 420$ ?
Homebuilt system Master
Gaming Authority

To be honest I have always gone with Evga video cards and have had good sucess , plus their warranty is the best and they have no trouble with standing behind it. Thier new updated Precision X software is very good and you can overclock the card safely , the new updates have added a number of features that are as good as any other software out there. Also thier FTW model comes with a factory overclock so if your satisfied with that you don't have to do anything , but if you want more then you don't have to go much further for a vaery high overclock. If you have a second screen you can keep it open to monitor the temps , fan speed and FPS.

inzone said:
To be honest I have always gone with Evga video cards and have had good sucess , plus their warranty is the best and they have no trouble with standing behind it. Thier new updated Precision X software is very good and you can overclock the card safely , the new updates have added a number of features that are as good as any other software out there. Also thier FTW model comes with a factory overclock so if your satisfied with that you don't have to do anything , but if you want more then you don't have to go much further for a vaery high overclock. If you have a second screen you can keep it open to monitor the temps , fan speed and FPS.


Just a little update... I went with the 670 FTW. It started to seem like the best choice, and would ultimately require the least amount of hassle to get what I want out of it! I also went with the 3570k. It didn't take too much research to realize it is just about the perfect cpu for me! It seems deliciously future-proof, especially for someone like me who isn't exactly an overclocking enthusiast. And preparing for PCIe 3.0 seems like a smart foresight: one that I didn't even realize I should be thinking about. Thanks again for the the many suggestions: I feel about twice as satisfied with my investment now.
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