Thoughts on Gaming PC Build and which parts should be ordered first?

It doesn't really matter which order you purchase you're parts, as they will most likely not be faulty.

Although i do suggest if you're only gaming, swap the Intel i7-3770K for a Intel i5 3570k as games don't generally use the extra cores and hyper threading to its full potential.

Moley

Thanks for the reply!

I heard somewhere that quite often people can recieve faulty sticks of RAM and I was planning on getting 4 sticks there is a higher risk of a faulty one?

I will also be rendering large projects in Cinema 4D and was hoping that my build would be future proof aswell!

This topic has been moved from the section CPU & Components to section Systems by Mousemonkey

A case is ok to buy early.
A monitor, and psu are ok too.
Prices are stable, and the technology do not change much.

Past that, I suggest you just save up until you can buy all of the parts at once.
Component prices drop over time, and new products appear. Usually with a better price/performance ratio.

Psu sales abound, so keep an eye open.
Here is a nice link to your psu requirements for various graphics configurations:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
And here is a guide to psu quality.
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx
OCZ quality can be iffy. It will cost no more to buy a tier 1 or 2 unit.
A cheap psu can become very expensive if it fails and damages what it is connected to.
DO NOT skimp on psu quality.

As to ssd's, buy one large enough. A SSD will slow down as it approaches full.
You will likely do better with Intel or Samsung:
http://www.behardware.com/articles/881-7/components-ret...

Thank You! Great Help!
As for the monitor, ive already got one, and the case is currently being dispatched so ill buy the psu then start saving!  

However, with regards to the OCZ PSU, on the link you posted, the OCZ Modstream (the PSU im planning on getting) is listed as a top notch, high quality PSU? For my build plans now and future plans i think 700W will do as i only plan on purchasing a second 660ti to run in SLI or removing my single 660ti and replacing with the '760ti' when released.

Also, you say the SSD will slow down when it approaches full, but i want one solely for the OS and a small number of applications, do you think you could give me a guess as to how much space the Windows 7 OS would take up on an SSD?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance!

That is one reason I wonder about OCZ. The psu's have suffixes like pro pro x exstream etc.
Strangely, they bought PC P&C which continues to make top notch psu's.

700w may be an awkward size.
A GTX690 will run on a 620w psu, assuming you will use only one card.
Newer GTX7xxx and amd 8xxx cards will not need any more either.

If, however you intend on upgrading to dual cards, 700w may not cut it, and you should be looking at something in the 750-800w range.

The OCZ 700w psu can deliver 46a on the 12v rails where the demand is.
By comparison, the 620w Seasonic psu can deliver more amps, namely 48.
That is one of the differences in quality.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

As to planning on sli, I am not for it, at least when using only a single monitor.
Here is my canned rant on that:
-----------------------------Start of rant----------------------------------------------------
Dual graphics cards vs. a good single card.

a) How good do you really need to be?
A single GTX650/ti or 7770 can give you good performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.

A single GTX660 or 7850 will give you excellent performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.
Even 2560 x 1600 will be good with lowered detail.
A single gtx690 is about as good as it gets.

Only if you are looking at triple monitor gaming, then sli/cf will be needed.
Even that is now changing with triple monitor support on top end cards.

b) The costs for a single card are lower.
You require a less expensive motherboard; no need for sli/cf or multiple pci-e slots.
Even a ITX motherboard will do.

Your psu costs are less.
A GTX660 needs a 430w psu, even a GTX680 only needs a 550w psu.
When you add another card to the mix, plan on adding 150-200w to your psu requirements.

Even the strongest GTX690 only needs 620w.

Case cooling becomes more of an issue with dual cards.
That means a more expensive case with more and stronger fans.
You will also look at more noise.

c) Dual cards do not always render their half of the display in sync, causing microstuttering. It is an annoying effect.
The benefit of higher benchmark fps can be offset, particularly with lower tier cards.
Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stut...

d) dual card support is dependent on the driver. Not all games can benefit from dual cards.

e) cf/sli up front reduces your option to get another card for an upgrade. Not that I suggest you plan for that.
It will often be the case that replacing your current card with a newer gen card will offer a better upgrade path.
The GTX780 and amd 8000 series are not that far off.
-------------------------------End of rant-----------------------------------------------------------

Windows 7 will run on as little as a 40gb ssd.
But, some programs insist on being loaded onto the "C" drive.
I recommend at least a 120gb SSD, out of which you will have about 110gb useable.
If you get to 90% full, computer will show the space in red, and you will need to do something about it.

Yeah I see what you mean, do think you could do me a massive favour and find me a fairly priced fully modular 800w psu?

And yeah, I'm probably gonna stick to the single gpu now I think of it and just upgrade every other generation, since I only want to run dual monitors!

Ahh okay, Yeah, I've been considering running 2 in RAID, but I don't fully understand the concept just yet  

I would not pay a premium for a modular psu unless it will be installed in a small form factor case.
And even then, partially modular will include leads that EVERY pc will need, so I would not exclude that either.

If you stick with a single gpu, then a 750w unit is more than enough, now, and in the future.
Running two monitors off of a single gpu adds hardly any extra load, even while gaming.
I do that now.

I might pick this tier 1 PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W
Silver certified for $90 after rebate. It is not modular, but really, that is no big deal.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

So partially modular would probably be the best way to go? Since my case is mid tower, all the cables in a non modular psu that are not in use will be very difficult to manage.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/vimages/news/news30089_...

I think sticking with a single gpu is probably the best bet as it can just be upgraded!

The one problem with that is that im in the UK, which means anything I purchase from the US will take a while to arrive and a hefty sum will have to be paid for postage and packaging  
So, i done a small amount of research and found this;
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/750w-antec-true-power-ne...
which converted from pounds to dollars is around about $113, thoughts? 

My take is that for a properly sized psu, you are going to be using most of the leads anyway.
Looking at your case, any unused power leads can be left on the bottom of the case, or even into the bottom hard drive bay.

Regardless, Antec is a good brand, and the psu you linked should be fine. Not a bad price either.

Okay! Thank you for all the help!