My 2nd Build....looking for some input.

[techvq]

My 1st build involved a AGP Card, that's how long ago it was. That being said......





I am fairly new to this, but that seems like I'm paying for something I really won't be able to utilize. Any insight someone can provide would be greatly appreciated.



I'm a casual gamer (WoW, Skyrim & Witcher 2), but I really like my toys and I want something that will last for a few years. I'm building an air cooled PC using the following components that I've already purchased:
Intel® Core™ i7-2600K Processor
SilverStone Fortress FT02-B
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX850
Prolimatech Armageddon w/Vortex 140x25x25mm fans x 2

I want to use the SSD Cache on the board but it seems that most of the reviews I have been reading on the SSD drives sat that they tend to die fairly early so I'm a little on the fence about that.
I can spend about another $800-$1100.


I want to buy:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB (I really don't think I'll need 1T unless the extra 32mb [COLOR=blue !important][FONT=inherit !important][COLOR=blue !important][FONT=inherit !important]cache[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] is worth the price)
I really don't know about the Graphics Card or the optical drive I only plan on running one graphics card unless there is a two card set-up that out performs the single card within a reasonable price point difference.
Any other recommendations you might have would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DominionSeraph]

2600k is paying $100 for nothing over the i5 2500k, for the most part. If you were heavy into video encoding or 3D modeling it could be worth it, but for a basic internet/gaming machine it has no benefits.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=287

Do you need Windows in that 800-1100??

 

[fffblackmage]

It looks like you're already overspending on some parts. The i7 offers nothing for a gaming rig that an i5-2500k can't do.

You only really needed 8GB of ram, but well, ram is cheap as long as you got a good deal (like I've been seeing the 2x4GB G.Skill RipjawsX for $30 on newegg recently, and there are better deals if you're willing to consider MIRs).

The PSU is overkill, unless you plan on SLI/CFX for either a super high-resolution display (2560x1600), or multi-display set-up (eyefinity or nvidia surround).

I would get an SSD for sure. There's nothing like a good SSD to make your rig incredibly snappy and responsive. It won't die before your computer is useless and slow.

It doesn't look like you upgrade very often, but try to keep in mind that paying a hefty premium for high-end parts doesn't mean your rig will be future-proof.

 

[techvq]

Yeah, I see what you are saying. I definitely should of hit the forums for some feedback before buying some components. Expensive lesson to learn!

Any idea what kind of Motherboard, GPU, Optical Drive or Hard Drive? So I don't make the same mistake? I do have a Windows 7 Professional License (OEM).

Thank you for you both taking time out to answer my questions, it's very much appreciated.


Tim

 

[mfenn]

I agree 100% with DominionSeraph and fffblackmage. If you can still return those parts, I would suggest doing so.

Given your remaining budget and the games you want to play, I would recommend:
- ASRock Z68 Extreme3 $115 AR
- 6950 2GB $245 AR
- Crucial M4 128GB $210 (currently OOS most places, but I expect it to be back in stock soon, let me know if you need to order immediately and I will find a suitable alternative)
- Hitachi 7K1000.D $110
- Lite-ON DVD Burner $20
Total: $700 AR

With a 128GB SSD, I would just use it normally and not bother with SRT.

 

[techvq]

I agree 100% with DominionSeraph and fffblackmage. If you can still return those parts, I would suggest doing so.

Given your remaining budget and the games you want to play, I would recommend:
- ASRock Z68 Extreme3 $115 AR
- 6950 2GB $245 AR
- Crucial M4 128GB $210 (currently OOS most places, but I expect it to be back in stock soon, let me know if you need to order immediately and I will find a suitable alternative)
- Hitachi 7K1000.D $110
- Lite-ON DVD Burner $20
Total: $700 AR

With a 128GB SSD, I would just use it normally and not bother with SRT.

Unfortunately I had purchased the parts over the later part of the Summer, so I'm basically locked into them. I'm going to wait till after the Holidays and hope I can get some good deals.

I really liked the motherboard you suggested. I'll have to do some research on the GPU, I tend to favor NVIDIA, but that looks sweet! I thought I read somewhere that Hitachi was having some reliability issues and that they were decreasing the time on their warranties?

Thanks for you insight!

 

[techvq]

Does anyone else have some recommendations on Z68 Motherboards GPU and Optical Drives?

 

[mfenn]

Hitachi drives are pretty good, it's those darn Seagates that you need to watch out for. The 7K1000.D in particular should be reliable as hell because it is a single-platter drive. That means fewer components to fail and less heat-related failures.

As for the GPU, the 6950 2GB is the best bang for the buck right now IMHO. The GTX 560 Ti and GTX 570 straddle it, but AMD is in the sweet spot.