First build!

[davidthestroup]

Hey this is my first build and I had a lot of money to work with. Let me know if you have any suggestions for better components.

CPU Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz Quad-Core $289.99
Motherboard ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Combo or $135.86
Memory G.SKILL Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) $79.99
Storage Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM $88.98
Video Card Asus GeForce GTX 680 2GB $549.99
Sound Card HT Omega eClaro $184.99
Case Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower $169.99
Power Supply PC Power & Cooling 950W ATX12V / EPS12V $120.43
Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer $24.98
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) Combo or $99.99

 

[C12Friedman]

I don't see a solid state drive in your build - I will recommend that (120GB or more) for OS/Boot

 

[malbluff]

You have a motherboard, which is able to overclock a processor, but a processor, that's locked, so it can't be overclocked. If money is not "tight", I would recommend, even if you don't want to overclock, immediately, getting an unlocked i7-3770K, for $30 more. You have, then, got the option, for the future. You would need to add a cooler, like CoolerMaster Hyper 212Evo, before overclocking.
Having said that, do you need i7? i7 gives no advantage, for gaming, over i5. If you are doing a lot of photo/video editing, i7 may be worth it, not otherwise. No reason why you shouldn't get it, of course, as long as you appreciate it's a bit of a waste, for gaming.

 

[davidthestroup]

I don't see a solid state drive in your build - I will recommend that (120GB or more) for OS/Boot

Thanks for the recommendation! I was considering an ssd, but I really wasn't too worried about the rpm vs ssd considering it isn't going to take a hit for my gaming.

 

[davidthestroup]

You have a motherboard, which is able to overclock a processor, but a processor, that's locked, so it can't be overclocked. If money is not "tight", I would recommend, even if you don't want to overclock, immediately, getting an unlocked i7-3770K, for $30 more. You have, then, got the option, for the future. You would need to add a cooler, like CoolerMaster Hyper 212Evo, before overclocking.
Having said that, do you need i7? i7 gives no advantage, for gaming, over i5. If you are doing a lot of photo/video editing, i7 may be worth it, not otherwise. No reason why you shouldn't get it, of course, as long as you appreciate it's a bit of a waste, for gaming.

Thanks for the info man. I was just looking for a motherboard to suit my memory speed I am getting. I don't really plan on overclocking the processor unless it's absolutely necessary. And I looked at benchmarks for the i7 vs the i5 on a lot of the newer games and it looked to have done considerably better. I'll check again and get back with you.

 

[Deemo13]

I'd have to agree. My friend has a i7-2600K and I have an i5-2500K, and there is close to no difference between us in terms of performance (though, he does have a GTX570 and aI have a 460)

The i7 does not show much of an advantage in sole gaming purposes, but if you do 3d rendering and other stuff such as that, then the i7 would show its strength.

Rest looks fine.

 

[davidthestroup]

I'd have to agree. My friend has a i7-2600K and I have an i5-2500K, and there is close to no difference between us in terms of performance (though, he does have a GTX570 and aI have a 460)

The i7 does not show much of an advantage in sole gaming purposes, but if you do 3d rendering and other stuff such as that, then the i7 would show its strength.

Rest looks fine.

Just looked into it again.. you guys are correct, apologies. Could have saved some money for sure. Well, time to start looking into 3d rendering.

 

[Deemo13]

Wait, did you order this stuff already? If you did, there's really no problem with an i7 in gaming. It works like any other processor.

 

[davidthestroup]

Just ordered all of it today. I know there isn't a problem with the i7 in gaming I just wish I had gone with the i5. My attempt at a joke failed lol.

 

[Deemo13]

No don't worry I got the joke. Its not a big deal. You'll make the money up in the future, and there will be some applications in the future that will take advantage of the threads.

I recommend the i5 though because by the time the applications come that would take advantage of the more threads, the i7 will be too slow.