Reasonable Build?

Pretty good, some small changes though.

3570k over 2500k. Bit faster and lower power draw.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/388577/Core_i5_3570K...

OCZ Vertex 4 over a Crucial M4. Cheaper and faster.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/387745/Vertex_4_VTX4...(SSD)_with_Indilinx_Everest_2_Controller
Is a bit cheaper on Newegg.

Go with this GTX670 over the EVGA FTW. Better cooling.
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=71107&vpn=GV-N670OC-2G...

Rest of the build looks fine. Have you considered an aftermarket heatsink so you can overclock?

I like the Vertex 4 - I just got one for my work PC and it's a great drive so far.



EVGA is finally listening and putting out dual fan versions of its' cards with non reference cooling designs. Like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


Don't waste the money on the Sabertooth - and pairing it with a 2500K is pointless. If you're paying that much for a motherboard get one with Thunderbolt support. You can get a full featured board for $100 less and put that money elsewhere.

Also do not purchase Corsair Vengeance RAM with the tall heat sinks - those do nothing. Get this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

And add a cooler like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I upgraded your PC quite a bit.The biggest change is the move from a LGA 1155 Core i5 to a LGA 2011 Core i7.The second most significant changeis the monitor upgrade.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI X79A-GD45 (8D) ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($202.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($387.86 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: LG IPS231B-BN 23.0" Monitor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($91.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $1623.52
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

LGA 2011 is a waste of money for gaming and light desktop application usage.

would get something like this

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jG67
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jG67/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jG67/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($149.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($432.86 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair C70 Arctic White (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1279.76
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

if you like a little bit more flashy case then you can get NZXT 410

just not my taste, bought one didnt really like it.

I agree there, you'll only get proper use of LGA 2011 if you do heavy Photoshop or CAD work.

I'd try this for that kind of money (although the OP has a wide budget range) :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($389.00 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($92.67 @ Amazon)
Total: $1266.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Thank you for all the help