New build is almost ready - opinions needed

[MrCrispy]

I've ordered the following parts :-

Fractal Design Define R3 (pearl black)
Core i5-2500K
Asus P8Z68-V LX
Corsair H80
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series PC1600 4x4GB (a steal at $60)
Seasonic X760 Gold PSU (again a great deal at $119)

Upgraded to X760 from X750, and to H80 from H60, since both were only $10 more. The cpu and mobo are a Microcenter combo deal. No video card yet.

One of the main goals is for this to be silent with a decent overclock (~4.5Ghz). Questions I have -

- does the PSU have long enough cables for this case (routing behind mobo tray), or do I need to buy extensions?
- are the included fans (case and H80) enough?
- recommend the best silent video card <$150. If the new Radeon 7000 series is due soon, I'm willing to wait a few weeks and use integrated gpu instead.

 

[lehtv]

Your PSU is really overkill, you'd be fine with a 430W-500W unit for a <$150 video card. R3 is only a mid-tower no PSU is really going to have problems with cable length.

You could also save money on the cooler, a H80 is largely unnecessary. Scythe Mugen 3 would give you a silent CPU (idles at 400RPM in silent PWM mode).

 

[MrCrispy]

Yes I realize the psu is way overkill. I was looking for a modular psu and didn't see any deals except on OCZ which didn't have good reviews. Was going to get the Seasonic X750 on neweg, then found the X760 and I was concerned about all the coil whine reports on the earlier models. I wanted a Corsair cooler due to size/ease of install, and again ended up with the H80 upgrade since it was cheap.

Is this card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102908) a good option?

 

[DesiPower]

6850 is an excellent choice for the price!

btw, shouldn't you go for a GEN3 mobo if you are looking to upgrade in the next GEN GPU soon?

 

[mfenn]

btw, shouldn't you go for a GEN3 mobo if you are looking to upgrade in the next GEN GPU soon?

PCIe Gen3 is pretty much a worthless feature at this point. Do not pay extra for it. Reasons include:
- No GPU configuration even uses half the bandwidth available on a Gen2 slot, so the performance gain from Gen3 is non-existent
- PCIe is forwards and backwards compatible between generations
- No production-level PCIe Gen3 cards exist yet, so the current implementations may or may not even work without patching (there is a reason why Intel does not certify any Gen3 boards)
- Gen3 capability is reliant on having a Gen3 processor (e.g. Ivy Bridge), a Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 with a Sandy Bridge in it will always be Gen2. Upgrading from Sandy Bridge to Ivy Bridge is not likely to make sense because IB will be about 20% faster at a given price point than SB.

 

[mfenn]

Yes I realize the psu is way overkill. I was looking for a modular psu and didn't see any deals except on OCZ which didn't have good reviews. Was going to get the Seasonic X750 on neweg, then found the X760 and I was concerned about all the coil whine reports on the earlier models.

Modularity is pretty much pointless if you buy a appropriately-sized PSU to begin with. With something appropriate like the 430CX, you would end up using every cable.

I wanted a Corsair cooler due to size/ease of install, and again ended up with the H80 upgrade since it was cheap.

Once you see the H80 radiator, you may rethink your idea of small. It is really no more space-efficient than a 120mm tower. Also, pretty much any bolt-through cooler is going to be as easy or as hard to mount to the socket as another. With the Corsair H-series, you also have the added hassle of wrangling one piece while trying to attach the other piece.

Is this card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102908) a good option?[/QUOTE]