My first system , looking for recommendation.

[zenos]

Hello everyone,

So , after becoming more immersed in pc's over the last few years i have decided to build my first custom system.
Here are the components list:

Mother board: Asus p9x79 Pro

CPU: Intel i7 3820

GPU: EVGA Geforce 680 Superclocked

Ram: Corsair dominator platinium (2x8 GB) DDR3 PC12800

SSD: Samsung 840- 500 GB

Watercooling: Corsair hydro h100i

Blu-ray reader/burner: Asus BW-12B1ST

PSU:Corsair AX - 1200W gold

Case:Corsair carbide 500r

Screen: Asus PA248Q

keyboard: Logitech G510

(i already have a mouse and headset.)

This rig will be used for gaming , i wanted it to have space for upgrades in the future , which is why i chose this mobo with 8 ram slots and an overpowered PSU so that i don't have to swap it when i add more components.
This is my first build so all criticism and recomendation are welcome , i'm happy to learn !

Now i've got a few things which i wasn't shure about:

I am not shure if the CPU is good , i've seen mixed reviews about it.

Should i get a sound card ? The headset i'm currently using has a mixamp (it's the astro a40). Would having a sound card be redundant ?

My mobo supports ram frequancy up to 19200. i've seen several sites claim that higher frequencies don't always give better perfomance , confirm/deny ?

Thanks in advance .

 

[drg889]

If you're just going to be gaming, the system you built is more than qualified. There are a few things I would change personally.

CPU: You can possibly save money if you "downgrade" to an i5-3570K (k for unlocked multiplier for easier OC'ing), it is plenty for gaming and cheaper. Or you can go with the i7-3770K (or non-K if you don't ever plan on overclocking) which is more power efficient and still more than capable for gaming and future-proof.

GPU is fine if you are willing to spend the money and will last for years and can even play games like Crysis 3 on high/highest settings. Even a 670 would be sufficient to play most games on max. my aging GTX 465 still runs a lot of games on the highest settings.

RAM/Memory: You realllllly don't need a ton of ram for gaming purposes, and unless you video/audio edit or render, even 6GB is more than enough.

Everything else looks fine, I'd recommend doing a push/pull config on the H100i just for better efficiency, and also a wireless/network card if you ever plan to need it (good to have just in case as well).

 

[zenos]

If you're just going to be gaming, the system you built is more than qualified. There are a few things I would change personally.

CPU: You can possibly save money if you "downgrade" to an i5-3570K (k for unlocked multiplier for easier OC'ing), it is plenty for gaming and cheaper. Or you can go with the i7-3770K (or non-K if you don't ever plan on overclocking) which is more power efficient and still more than capable for gaming and future-proof.

GPU is fine if you are willing to spend the money and will last for years and can even play games like Crysis 3 on high/highest settings. Even a 670 would be sufficient to play most games on max. my aging GTX 465 still runs a lot of games on the highest settings.

RAM/Memory: You realllllly don't need a ton of ram for gaming purposes, and unless you video/audio edit or render, even 6GB is more than enough.

Everything else looks fine, I'd recommend doing a push/pull config on the H100i just for better efficiency, and also a wireless/network card if you ever plan to need it (good to have just in case as well).

Thanks for the push/pull setup , i didn't kwow about that before.

The problem with your cpu suggestion is that they are both 1155 sockets , my mobo support 2011 sockets.

As for the gpu one of my short term upgrades was to add another 680 and run them in SLI which should be enough to run games at ultra.

 

[g-unit1111]

For gaming you will not benefit from an i7, X79, or a Xeon. It's better to go with a 3570K and then invest in getting the best GPU(s) you can get.

This is what I would suggest:

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-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.06 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($182.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.52 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($145.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($369.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($165.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($145.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1885.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-28 16:55 EST-0500)

 

[drg889]

Thanks for the push/pull setup , i didn't kwow about that before.

The problem with your cpu suggestion is that they are both 1155 sockets , my mobo support 2011 sockets.

As for the gpu one of my short term upgrades was to add another 680 and run them in SLI which should be enough to run games at ultra.

Oh, didn't notice the socket, I actually hadn't taken a look at the motherboard haha. Well the one you chose should be fine, but it seems to run pretty hot, but h100i is plenty enough.

The GTX 680 is powerful enough on its own to run games on max settings (it's on Crysis' 3 hi-performance recommendation). Not all games support crossfire/SLI when used, so keep that mind. Plus it'll turn your PC into a better heater than those portable heaters.