CPU, Mobo, RAM for Gaming/Video Editing PC

[TubbyPoutine]

Hi All,
Looking for suggestions for a CPU, Mobo, RAM, Heatsink & Fan. Any help would be appreciated!
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Approximate Purchase Date: Oct 2012

Budget Range: $550-$650 Canadian dollars after rebates & shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (1920x1080), Casual HD Video Editing (in Adobe Premiere Elements), Surfing the internet.

Are you buying a monitor: No


Parts to Upgrade: CPU, Mobo, RAM, Heatsink & Fan **Keeping existing PSU: Enermax Liberty 620W and Antec 900 case**

Do you need to buy OS: No (I have Win7 Ultimate 64bit)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.ca

Location: Oakville, Ontario, Canada

Parts Preferences:
- CPU: Wondering if Intel i5-3570K is the best CPU solution .. I don't want to pay more than what it goes for.
- RAM: Wondering if 16 GB would be better for HD video editing. Also didn't know which Freq or Latency to go with .. I'm willing to pay a premium here to get these criteria right.

Overclocking: Not now, Maybe in future

SLI or Crossfire: Not now, Maybe in future

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Playing all the recent and future Call of Duty games, quieter is nice to have,

Why Upgrading: My current CPU (AMD Phenom 9750 Quad core 2.4 Ghz) is too slow, I don't have enough RAM (4GB), and I want USB 3.0 ports.


My Existing parts:

Case: Antec 900
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

PSU: Enermax Liberty 620W
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194044

Video Card: XFX Radeon 6950
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150518

Hard Drive (C): 1 TB WD Black WD1001FALS
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

Hard Drive (Media): 2 TB Hitachi 7K300 HDS723020BLA642
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145473

Thanks in advance!

 

[malbluff]

i5-3570K is probably the most cost effective CPU. Good for gaming and photo work. There is an advantage to i7-3770K, with Adobe Photo software, but you need to be doing an awful lot of it, to justify the additional cost.
Complex photo work can use virtually all the RAM, you can throw at it. Again, it's at least partly a question of how much you are doing to justify the cost. 16GB is a sensible ammount. You ideally want 2x8GB of 1600 MHz low profile DDR3 ram. You ideally don't want higher than C10. Lower than that tends to get a bit expensive, but there are a few C9 options, that are not too ridiculous. You want 1.5v, or lower.
You want, at least, a decent quality Z77 mobo. My personal favourite is Asus P8Z77-V Pro, but there are plenty of good ones, cheaper.
For cooler, the CoolerMaster Hyper 212Evo is decent, for modest overclocks.

 

[Guest]

You could also consider Asrock's z77 extreme 4 ....

 

[excella1221]

I know this isn't part of your budget but, try to consider getting an SSD as well.
You won't regret it.

 

[TubbyPoutine]

Thanks All for your quick feedback.
I think I will go with the i5-3570K, Asrock Z77 Extreme 4, and CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo.

For RAM, I'm going to get 2 x 8 GB sticks, but I have a few more questions:
1) What should I get low profile?
2) Why should I get 1.5v or lower? (I've seen some that are 1.6v & 1.65v)
3) What is more ideal for Freq/Latecy combo: 1600 MHz at C9 or 1866 MHz at C10?

Thanks

 

[excella1221]

G. Skill Ares

Anything above 1.5v will void Intel CPU's warranty since it puts a lot of strain i it.

1600MHz CL9. There is notable difference between 1600 and 1866 at all. CL9 is the standard atm.

 

[TubbyPoutine]

Best answer selected by TubbyPoutine.