New PC ~1500, mostly gaming

[Operandi]

Not planning on keeping the PSU

My case is:

Lian Li PC6070 which I like but am not married to. I appreciate the options

I had that case, really nice case aside from the weak cooling and lack of soft mounting for fans and HDs. Really classy looking though.

I would say you will need a new case, otherwise you new system is gona run pretty hot. I will also say if you like the looks of your current case you will probably not be happy with a Coolermaster (I know I wouldn't be). I would suggest another Lian Li.

PC-K7B is nice AL bezel steel chassis case with good cooling and clean looks.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112154

If you want the full AL treatment these are pretty sweet.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112249
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112251

Here is a nice mATX one that I haven't tired yet but looks very nice for high-end mATX build.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112316

For the PSU go with a Seasonic M12 or S12, 430 or more would be plenty. If you want to splurg for the X-Series (Seasonic).

 

[aphelion02]

OP, will you need monitor / keyboard / mouse / OS?

 

[aphelion02]

i5 2500k + EVGA gtx 570 superclocked
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.630038

Gigabyte P67A-UD4 + 8gb G.Skill Sniper RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.632649

Corsair 600T case + Corsair HX650 PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.624935

Xigmatek Dark Knight
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233029

OCZ Vertex 2 120GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227551

Samsung Spinpoint F4 2TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152245

LG DVD Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136236

Total : $1,474.72 - $130 MIR = $1344.72

 

[SoCal44]

I had that case, really nice case aside from the weak cooling and lack of soft mounting for fans and HDs. Really classy looking though.....

Yea that is a concern, at the time I was thinking I was going to water cool - but never did it.

I am more into the classic look; I'll peep around.

I dont need any peripherals or OS.

 

[mfenn]

if it's lasted this long, it should be fine

No it's not. The the current allocation to the various rails will be all wrong. For example, older PCs drew a lot of power from the 5V rail, but newer ones draw most everything from the 12V.

 

[mfenn]

Again depends on the MB, i had to adjust the fan on a 212+ to fit some ripjaws in my friends build.

Exactly, the 212+ is bigger than most people think (until they've seen it in person). I agree that you should get ram without heatspreaders.

 

[mfenn]

Yea that is a concern, at the time I was thinking I was going to water cool - but never did it.

I am more into the classic look; I'll peep around.

I dont need any peripherals or OS.

Check out the P183. Very clean look and very quiet.

 

[mfenn]

CD/DVD
Case
HDD
GPU
RAM
SSD
PSU/MB combo
CPU/HSF combo

Total: $1359.89

Now i know you said you were keeping your case, however i am giving you the option in this build to get a new (very good) case that will for sure fit the video card (it is long).

I left some budget in case you needed windows 7

Looks pretty good to me. LOL at the "Windforce" cooler on the GTX 570 though. Makes me want to play Diablo 2.

OP: Here's some other options that will lower the overall price, but keep 90% of the performance:
6950 2GB (can be unlocked to 6970)
i5 2500K + UD3 combo
XFX Core 650W

EDIT: *Looks up* Hmm, maybe I should have multiquoted. :awe:

 

[Operandi]

Check out the P183. Very clean look and very quiet.

A nice case but no replacement for anodized AL in my opinion.

 

[tynopik]

No it's not. The the current allocation to the various rails will be all wrong. For example, older PCs drew a lot of power from the 5V rail, but newer ones draw most everything from the 12V.

That PSU puts out 420W on the 12V rails, more than sufficient for the sort of build being considered, even with age-related deterioration taken into consideration

 

[mnewsham]

That PSU puts out 420W on the 12V rails, more than sufficient for the sort of build being considered, even with age-related deterioration taken into consideration

Power supplies are NOT ment to be run after 5 years. It is a lost cause and a new one is only 60-70 bucks so why not?

 

[betasub]

Power supplies are NOT ment to be run after 5 years.

You write this like there is a hard expiry date. Sure, I understand why power supplies can be expected to deteriorate with age and usage, but merely being five years old does not automatically lead to PSU death/retirement.

 

[fffblackmage]

You write this like there is a hard expiry date. Sure, I understand why power supplies can be expected to deteriorate with age and usage, but merely being five years old does not automatically lead to PSU death/retirement.

+1, though personally, if it's that old, I'd just replace it for a new rig anyways.

And the PSU in question is an OCZ PSU? I'm not sure how good those old ones were, but I would just replace it.

 

[SoCal44]

Is there any benefit to the PSU on the bottom of the chassis from an airflow? It would seem that you'd want it on top as the hot air would rise.

Also is there a benefit of water based cooling still (e.g. Corsair Hydro Series H70)

 

[aphelion02]

PSU on bottom is better you want it sucking cool air. It also frees up the top to be used for an exhaust fan; anyways its a moot point most good cases have PSU on bottom now.

 

[mfenn]

PSU on bottom is better you want it sucking cool air. It also frees up the top to be used for an exhaust fan; anyways its a moot point most good cases have PSU on bottom now.

:thumbsup:

Also is there a benefit of water based cooling still (e.g. Corsair Hydro Series H70)

The self-contained water coolers like the Corsair H series have little benefit over good air coolers. You add a lot of complexity (tubing, pumps, etc) just to move the heat about 3". Since their radiators are still inside the case, they don't do anything that a good air cooler can't do.

 

[fffblackmage]

A custom water setup is still where you want to be if you're looking for the ultimate cooling solution. Those self-contained water coolers don't outperform 3rd party CPU coolers enough to justify their increased cost, complexity, and risk of failure (the pump), IMO.

I don't know how often pumps can fail, but adding more moving parts always increase the risk of something dying on you.