First build, please let me know what you think.

[anon002]

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: Mobo and case ordered allready, rest as the money comes in. (2-3months)

Budget Range: 1500ish before rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: Everything but mobo.
ASRock Z77 OC Formula LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157328

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg

Location: Calgary, AB Canada

Parts Preferences: The board is intel, so intel cpu. Other than that...no preferance.

Overclocking: Maybe (I'll need your guys help with that when it comes to it...never overclocked.)

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe (When I get the money for a second gpu)

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Play allot of games, the usual suspects (LoL, Dota2, CoD, WoW, etc, etc, etc) This being my first build I'm not entirely sure everything is going to work, but I have done some homework so hopefully I'm on the right track. I'll aslo note for any of you who read my previous posts about winning a gift-card from bestbuy.ca, what I ended up doing was buying a case and mobo from them, and ill just save the rest for other things as their parts are not the best for the price.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Alienware laptop...need I say more?

Here is the build as it stands now. Remember, the mobo and case are already on their way so they will not be changed.

COOLER MASTER HAF XM RC-922XM-KKN1 Black Mesh, Plastic, Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157328

ASRock Z77 OC Formula LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157328

CORSAIR HX Series HX850 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

ASUS Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Drive Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247

Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) with Transfer Kit
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL x2
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

EVGA 02G-P4-2680-KR GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130768


Thanks allot for helping me out everyone! Be nice....im a noob.

 

[g-unit1111]

That looks good but for gaming you won't need the 3770K - drop that to the 3570K and add a good aftermarket cooler like a D14 for overclocking.

I'd also suggest adding a 1 - 2TB hard drive for mass storage - 128GB won't get you very far these days.

The EVGA cards are good but I hear the Gigabyte Windforce has a better cooling solution. Alternately consider the Radeon 7970 GHz edition.

 

[Silvune]

This is probably the best GTX 680 around right now:
EVGA GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature 2 ($465 @ NCIX)
http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/evga-video-card-02gp42687kr
Good OC, good price and the fans don't go above 1500RPM.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/evga-geforce-gtx-680-superclocked-signature-2.html

 

[anon002]

That looks good but for gaming you won't need the 3770K - drop that to the 3570K and add a good aftermarket cooler like a D14 for overclocking.

I'd also suggest adding a 1 - 2TB hard drive for mass storage - 128GB won't get you very far these days.

The EVGA cards are good but I hear the Gigabyte Windforce has a better cooling solution. Alternately consider the Radeon 7970 GHz edition.

Awesome! Thanks for the advise G-unit. As this is my first build, I'm trying to learn as much as I can so I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions. Why is it unnecessary to have the 3770K for a cpu? What would someone use that cpu for? As for mass storage I have a 2Tb external. I don't know if that will cut it though, its super slow, no usb 3.0 etc. Would I just use the SDD for boot/games and use the HD for stuff like movies, word files etc? Can you suggest and specific brand, or exactly what I should be looking at when buying a hard drive? I think it should be above 7200rpm, but again I'm new to this. And better cooling you say...how about price point are they fairly close? I suppose I could just look, haha...I think I'll do that. Is it designed to accept a water cooling setup or does it just have more fans/larger heat-sink? And while I have you...is a water cooling set up something I should be looking at or is it going to be to hard for someones first build to even setup? Allot of questions, and I'm sorry for that, but like I said I'm trying to learn as much as I can. Thanks in advance G-unit!

 

[anon002]

This is probably the best GTX 680 around right now:
EVGA GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature 2 ($465 @ NCIX)
http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/evga-video-card-02gp42687kr
Good OC, good price and the fans don't go above 1500RPM.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/evga-geforce-gtx-680-superclocked-signature-2.html

Thanks for the hint Silvune! So, again I'm new to all this so in order to understand what I'm doing for future builds I'd like to ask some questions. What are the main differences between these two cards besides the fact that the fans dont go above 1500RPM. Also, are there better video cards out there in the 400-550 price point? When choosing a video card, what exactly should I be looking at spec wise? All I'm really doing now is looking at whats best rated on newegg.ca in my price point and getting that part (also looking/researching to make sure the parts will work together). What exactly makes a good graphics card? Also, would it be a better idea to get 2 lesser priced graphics cards and run them in SLI/Crossfire ,or am I better off just getting one better card? Thanks in advance for reading/replying to this Silvune!

 

[g-unit1111]

hy is it unnecessary to have the 3770K for a cpu? What would someone use that cpu for?

Games won't use the extra threads. The 3770K has more threads than the 3570K does and that helps in multimedia authoring and editing.

As for mass storage I have a 2Tb external. I don't know if that will cut it though, its super slow, no usb 3.0 etc. Would I just use the SDD for boot/games and use the HD for stuff like movies, word files etc?

Yeah you might want to invest in an internal one then. You can always add one later if it gets too frustrating.

What exactly makes a good graphics card? Also, would it be a better idea to get 2 lesser priced graphics cards and run them in SLI/Crossfire ,or am I better off just getting one better card?

A good graphics card should get you the highest settings and frame rates in games while using the least amount of power you can. It's better to start off with the single strongest card you can get, then add the second one later on down the road when you feel like it, or when prices decrease.

 

[anon002]

hy is it unnecessary to have the 3770K for a cpu? What would someone use that cpu for?

Games won't use the extra threads. The 3770K has more threads than the 3570K does and that helps in multimedia authoring and editing.

As for mass storage I have a 2Tb external. I don't know if that will cut it though, its super slow, no usb 3.0 etc. Would I just use the SDD for boot/games and use the HD for stuff like movies, word files etc?

Yeah you might want to invest in an internal one then. You can always add one later if it gets too frustrating.

What exactly makes a good graphics card? Also, would it be a better idea to get 2 lesser priced graphics cards and run them in SLI/Crossfire ,or am I better off just getting one better card?

A good graphics card should get you the highest settings and frame rates in games while using the least amount of power you can. It's better to start off with the single strongest card you can get, then add the second one later on down the road when you feel like it, or when prices decrease.

Thank you again G-unit for all your help, this is all great stuff to learn!! So one gpu it is...but I couldn't find the one you suggested on newegg.ca. Any chance you could throw up a link to it? And for the internal HD, I have one picked out and would just like your opinion on if its a good one, to expensive, etc.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148321

Also I think I found the cpu cooler you were talking about, but just to make sure I'll put the link up.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

Thank you again sosososososoSO much for all the help!

 

[g-unit1111]

Thank you again G-unit for all your help, this is all great stuff to learn!! So one gpu it is...but I couldn't find the one you suggested on newegg.ca. Any chance you could throw up a link to it? And for the internal HD, I have one picked out and would just like your opinion on if its a good one, to expensive, etc.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148321

Also I think I found the cpu cooler you were talking about, but just to make sure I'll put the link up.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

Thank you again sosososososoSO much for all the help!

Yup. Those will work.

 

[Silvune]

Thanks for the hint Silvune! So, again I'm new to all this so in order to understand what I'm doing for future builds I'd like to ask some questions. What are the main differences between these two cards besides the fact that the fans dont go above 1500RPM. Also, are there better video cards out there in the 400-550 price point? When choosing a video card, what exactly should I be looking at spec wise? All I'm really doing now is looking at whats best rated on newegg.ca in my price point and getting that part (also looking/researching to make sure the parts will work together). What exactly makes a good graphics card? Also, would it be a better idea to get 2 lesser priced graphics cards and run them in SLI/Crossfire ,or am I better off just getting one better card? Thanks in advance for reading/replying to this Silvune!

What is significant about the EVGA GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature 2 is that the fan(s) on other GTX 680s, according to reviews I have read, have maximum fan speeds closer to or above 2000RPM, so they will be noisier. If noise is an important factor then that makes the SC Signature 2 the best choice for GTX 680s that I know of.

The EVGA GeForce GTX 680 02G-P4-2680-KR that is in the OP has the reference fan design which expels all air out the back of the case through the card itself. This can be a good solution if the case is not well ventilated, but the HAF XM will have good airflow. The reference cooling design on high powered cards can get noisy.
There is a theory that the more fans a card has the cooler and quieter it will be.

Another reason why the SC Signature 2 is superior to the one in the OP is the clock speeds. The 02G-P4-2680-KR again has stock clocks speeds of:
Core: 1006 MHz
1058 MHz Boost
and Memory: 6008 MHz (effective)

While the SC Signature 2 has:
Core: 1097 MHz
1163MHz MHz Boost
and Memory: 6208MHz (effective)
Obviously the higher the better, but it often takes looking at reviews to gain an understanding of how these clock speeds effect performance.

 

[anon002]

Best answer selected by anon002.

 

[MAnaMaNA911]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/26xyqs

Everyone PLEASE LOOK THIS OVER too.