Final Opinions on Mid-High End Gaming System

[Roninator]

Hey guys, I was wondering if I could get some final opinions on this build before I buy the parts.

I will be primarily using it for gaming, but also homework/programming/daily.

I plan to overclock and have kept open the possibility of adding in another card for crossfire in the future. I also plan to use two or maybe even 3 monitors in the near future, as well as occasional use on my 42inch tv.

I have not decided if the SSD is worth it or I should have spent that money in some other place.

Any suggestions? I'm open to everything. Thank you.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: OCZ 650W ATX12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VW246H 24.0" Monitor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1153.88
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

 

[manofchalk]

Get this RAM instead. Its rated at 1600Mhz (which is faster) and doesnt look like it was salvaged out of a destroyed PC.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

This Hard Drive has double the cache size (32 to 64MB), but is otherwise identical.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

There's nothing wrong with that motherboard, you can just get better for your dollar. Plus you'v got a near full tower case, so why put in a micro ATX board? The Extreme4 supports Crossfire/SLI properly (8x/8x PCI-e3 lanes). Has two more SATA3 ports and the BIOS is easy to use. Looks better than Gigabyte boards as well IMO.
Just so I don't seem biased toward it because I'v got one, it is smaller than ATX stanadard. The far right mounting screws wont line up in your case. For me it isn't a problem but some people think its a big negative on the board.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293

Great pick on the graphics card. MSI typically over build their cards so that will last you a long while.

The power supply isn't the greatest but will be fine. You will need to upgrade that to 750W if you want to Crossfire/SLI with some headroom.

The SSD is without doubt worth it. Boot times on it are amazing and any game installed to it loads so quickly. Fallout 3's constant load screens are only about 5 seconds long, versus the 10-20s before on a HDD.

 

[Roninator]

Do you just leave the screws out then? I originally meant for that RAM and HDD, it just didn't come up right on partpicker, thanks though.

I am glad you have praise for the MSI 7850.. I keep second guessing myself about whether or not I need a higher level card if I plan to use multiple monitors/42inch tv

I am set on the SSD

 

[rwayne]

I endorse ManOfChalk. +1

Good suggestions on his post. I have nothing to add after reading it.

 

[manofchalk]

Screws? If you mean actual screws, RAM doesn't need them and all the ones you will need will either come with the component or the case.

You may need multiple/stronger GPU if you intend to game on multiple screens, but just having extras to extend your desktop will be fine. Also the actual size of the screen doesn't matter, just the resolution.

The SSD is good. As you can see in my sig I have it personally. Just make sure to update its firmware before putting the OS on it, as the update is destructive.

 

[Roninator]

You said that the motherboard would not align with the case properly because of its slightly reduced size, so did you simply leave the screws out or compensate somehow?

 

[manofchalk]

Just leave them out. There is still 6 other screw holes in the board that will align, only the far right of the board is unsupported.
You could get a power drill and make your own holes in the case to use the off kilter holes in the board, but you wont need to go to that extreme.