Check my build plz - I7 Build

[stealthrs]

Here's my situation. I built a computer with my friend almost 8 years ago (P4 2.4GHz -> 3.12GHz, 1.2GB RAM, 128MB 9800pro, etc).... To say the least, it's about dead... It's ghettorigged together

Can you guys give me input on what I'm thinking about building?

Dilemmas:
-Costs I would like to come down a little if possible, open to all sorts of ideas.
-I don't know if the RAM speed is overkill for my 'light' air-based overclocking plans (cost-saving potential?)
-I'm not 100% about overclocking... If I do it, I'll do it only lightly
-Building for longevity (about 5-6 years)
-Undecided about a GPU, but I just want something where I can run CS:Global Offensive without my computer lagging to hell. I'm not a graphics whore and I'd like to only have one nice GPU, not two.
-My friend mentioned that there might be a better Heatsink out there than the one listed. One for right now might not even be needed (cost-saving potential?)
-The SSD sounds nice, but I might just do a 1TB drive for the mean time until SSD costs drop. I would really only use it for a Operating System and essential programs drive. I have 360GB of storage right now that I'm maxing out... So I have some time to grow into a 1TB (cost-saving potential?)

Hardware:
Proc: Core i7 2600K LGA 1155 Boxed Processor - $279.99 http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0354587
Mobo: GA-Z68XP-UD4 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard - $209.99 - http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0366192
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9Q-16GBXL - $149.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...%201866%2016gb
HDD (1): Solid 3 60GB SLD3-25SAT3-60G SATA - $79.99 - http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...0364769#rebate
HDD (2): SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" - $45 http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0340804
Media: LG CD/DVD Burner 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW - $22 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136238
Case: ANTEC ONE HUNDRED - $46.39 - http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0361141
PSU: OCZ ZX Series 850W Fully-Modular 80PLUS Gold High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom - $122.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&Tpk=ocz%20850
Heatsink: Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler - $70 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo
Video Card: ???
Other: ???

Total So far: $1,025 - $80 if I order tomorrow = $945 without a video card

Can you guys please give me some feedback and maybe shed a little light on some of the issues above? Anything you see that we haven't thought of is appreciated.

 

[stealthrs]

My friend suggested that getting two of these (16GB total) might be more suitable... What do you think?

2x G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - $100 total - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231416
Adding a $190 - Asus 6870 Radeon 1GB card as well, I think....
Probably not getting the heatsink
I'll get the SSD
==================
$1,015 total now


Thoughts? Am I missing anything or do I have flawed logic anywhere?

 

[lehtv]

Ok here's what I got:

1) Memory. On Sandy Bridge, and by inference Ivy Bridge (same platform) fast RAM gives you extremely minimal advantage, definitely not worth the money. You can take down the cost easily with DDR-1333:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231426 $48/8gb

If you're building this for longevity, you could get 8gb now and buy another 8gb when it's actually needed. With regard to overclocking Sandy Bridge, you should know memory speed is irrelevant. You should also know that overclocking has never been easier. It will not be a challenge for you to overclock the 2500K/2600K to 4.5GHz or so.

2) Heatsink. Do get it, you'll be much more pleased with the noise the CPU makes. Because you're getting the K processor to overclock it, right? E.g.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233029 $25 AR high performance

3) CPU. Do you need hyperthreading on a daily basis? If not, save yourself $100 and get the 2500K instead. Only $180 at microcenter. Once you feel 2500K isn't strong enough anymore (e.g. 2-3 years or more), you can upgrade to Ivy Bridge. (Supposedly they will be compatible with Z68 on LGA1155).

4) Mobo. You can get a decent Z68 board for just over $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157271

5) PSU. A Sandy Bridge system with a 6870 will not even use 300W at load (gaming). Even with the CPU heavily overclocked. You'll be perfectly fine with a 500W PSU. Buying an 850W PSU is understandble in terms of longevity though, but the only rationale for it is the possibility of a high end dual-GPU setup. How likely is it that you'll ever go dual-GPU? Unless you get the fastest GPU available, there's a faster single GPU you can upgrade to. Is it worth the added cost of a 850W PSU versus 500-600W?

If you're set on wanting 80+ Gold, here's my recommendation (best money can buy, really):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151098 OR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151088

You can get a great PSU at much less than that though:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151094 $60, 520W, non-modular, 80+Bronze

6) GPU. Do you game at 1080p? If so, you might want to future-proof your VGA with 2GB RAM. And the best option for that is the upcoming AMD 7xxx series. If you really want a video card now though, get a HD6950 2GB dual-fan from XFX, they offer lifetime warranty.

7) The case. The Antec at $35 AR isn't bad, but it is pretty simplistic and small. Since you're looking for a long-time build, I would really put some thought and cash into getting a case with high flexibility and build quality. E.g. mid-high-end Corsair, Silverstone or Lian-Li. But since the Antec is cheap it's easy to upgrade from so what the hell.

8) SSD. Yes you'd save money by dropping that off. SSD technology is constantly improving and the price is constantly dropping. It's a good idea to wait until the technology reaches some sort of plateau, as they are still expensive in terms of $/GB.

9) Sound. Do you value sound quality? There's still an easily noticeable difference between onboard sound and dedicated sound, not just in terms of sound quality but the features offered. I can personally recommend Asus Xonar series, one of the best hardware purchase decisions I've done.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Agree on DDR3-1333, i5-2500K, a cheaper motherboard (ASRock has good ones for $100-130).

Don't bother with the heatsink, retail boxed one is fine. Intel has built-in safe "turbo boost" overclocking that happens automatically when <4 cores are in use, that's all I'd recommend using until possibly years from now. Even then the stock HSF is good enough for some overclocking.

I've been happy with my nvidia (EVGA) GTX 560 ti (these cost around $200, avoid the non-ti 560), but AMD cards are good too.

For either card a good 500-600 watt PSU is all you'll need even overclocking.

You could either keep the savings or use them to move up to a 120 GB SSD like an intel 320.

 

[Xonim]

The 2600K offers no real world performance increase over the 2500K for gaming. Save $100-120 and get the 2500K instead.

You should be able to find a decent Z68 motherboard for just over $100. There's no need to spend $200+ on one. This should be fine. Since you don't want two GPU's, you could probably even go to a Micro ATX board and save more. I do NOT recommend ASrock, as they only have a 1 year warranty in the US, not 3 years as shown on a lot of their product pages on Newegg/Amazon/etc.

For RAM, the 1600 also is just a numbers thing, it doesn't matter in real world applications. Stick with the 1333, and you probably only need 8GB. 16GB is overkill for just about everything, and if you find yourself running out, you can add more later. Make sure it's rated at 1.5v and nothing else. Timings don't matter with Sandy Bridge, so save some money and go with 8GB Gskill Ripjaws X or even 8GB Gskill value ram. Won't make a difference, the price is all that matters.

SSD - These are a great performance increase. However, avoid OCZ or any sandforce-based drives. They're cheaper for a reason. I would stick to a Crucial M4 or Crucial C300 series SSD, unless you score a deal on an Intel drive. 64GB is more than enough for OS + 1-2 games + apps.

HDD - Good choice for game installations and such. The Samsung F4 2TB's are good for media storage if you need that as well.

Optical - Price is the main driver here, so pretty much grab whatever reputable brand is on sale. Bluray readers can be had for under $70 shipped if your friend is interested.

Case - I also recommend spending a bit more in this department. In the midrange, I like the Cooler Master 690 Advanced II. It has decent cable management and plenty of places to add large, slow, silent fans. Corsair also has a good mid-range case around $100. Lian Li cases are expensive, but they're expensive for a reason. It doesn't get much better, and they're very much built to last.

PSU - OCZ is pretty much a ripoff - they're overpriced and of poor quality. Don't waste your money on Rosewill or others - unless you want a ticking time bomb in your build. Stay with Antec, Corsair, or Seasonic (if the price is right). A single 12v rail is best, minimum of 500 watts, I'd probably go 600-650 for future expansion though. This is the one place I refuse to cheap out in my builds.

Heatsink - the stock cooler is fine, especially at stock speeds. You can achieve a decent OC on stock cooling with the 2500K anyway, so unless you're going for crazy OC's, skip it.

GPU - If you're building now, I would say the 6950 2GB is your best value, and stick with XFX for the double lifetime warranty. This one is $250 after MIR, or the superclocked version is $260 after MIR. If you're building a few months from now, wait and see what the AMD 7xxx series brings to the table. GTX 580s are overpriced, GTX 570s are decent but only have 1280MB of RAM, which isn't exactly future proof, plus they're a bit more expensive than the 6950s without a huge performance boost. The 6870s are a great value as long as you won't be playing at a resolution above 1920x1080. The XFX 6870s can be had for ~$160 after rebate, and are probably the best bang-for-buck card on the market right now.

Sound card - Depends on what you're listening through. If you have a decent audio setup or high-quality headphones, it's a good choice. If you're using a $20 headset and/or $50 speakers, don't bother.

 

[lehtv]

Don't bother with the heatsink, retail boxed one is fine.

Even if he doesn't overclock, the bigger cooler will make the system quieter overall. $25 is such a good price for the cooler I linked that I wouldn't pass it up... And I honestly don't see why one shouldn't overclock a 2500K. Just because it's fast enough for now? It's free performance. Overclocking it now has virtually no downsides, whereas postponing the OC for a few years will mean you lose a few years' worth of extra performance.

@ Xonim

True about the sound card. Whether a sound card is worth it depends on the quality of the speakers or headphones. But that doesn't mean sound cards are only for the high end audiophile hipsters. An average pair of headphones can improve tremendously from some decent sound post processing and equalizer functions. Dolby headphone can make them sound more lively and spacious, and the equalizer can somewhat compensate for deficiencies in the sound spectrum, e.g. too loud midtones or washed out treble.

 

[Xonim]

Even if he doesn't overclock, the bigger cooler will make the system quieter overall

Any build with a 6870/6950/gtx570 or whatever is going to produce the most noise from the video card, not from the CPU cooler. It's $25 that can be spent elsewhere imo.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Maybe an aftermarket GPU cooler

 

[lehtv]

Any build with a 6870/6950/gtx570 or whatever is going to produce the most noise from the video card, not from the CPU cooler. It's $25 that can be spent elsewhere imo.

Three things wrong with that.

1) It's not just about load noise. Idle noise is important too. An aftermarket cooler with a 120mm adjustable-speed fan is easily more silent than the stock cooler on idle.

2) Games aren't by far the only type that stress the CPU enough to make the fan spin up. When the GPU is idling and the CPU is stressed, CPU fan noise becomes the dominant issue, obviously.

3) My recommendation wasn't based on noise only. It was also based on overclockability. If you think he shouldn't overclock, then the $10 difference between 2500K and 2500 is $10 better spent elsewhere.

 

[DaveSimmons]

For gaming on a budget, a 2500 non-K plus GTX 560 ti or AMD 6950 would be better than a 2500K and 560 non-ti or AMD 6870.

I'm not against an aftermarket CPU HSF, I just would recommend a bigger SSD and better graphics card first.

 

[mfenn]

OP, you've gotten some good advice so far. Lehtv, Dave, and Xonim are making my job easy.

My overall comment is that trying to build a system that will last 5-6 years without upgrades is pointless. Yes, the system will probably physically last that long, but it's going to be beyond slow by the time you get there.

So a better plan is to make smart component choices now and save the rest of the money for upgrades down the line.

- CPU: A waste, as has been noted. Get the i5 2500K if you want to overclock, the i5 2400 if not.
- Mobo: Overkill for this build. The ASRock Z68 Pro3 will do everything you need for $105.
- RAM: Would not bother with 16GB of high-priced memory. Get 8GB of DDR3 1333 now and buy some more if you ever need it. It's doubtful that you will within 2-3 years. By that point we will be solidly in DDR4 territory anyway.
- SSD : I would avoid an SSD unless you can get a decently reliable one. For example, the Samsung 470 or Crucial M4 64GB.
- HDD : Fine
- ODD : Fine
- Case: The One Hundred is fine IMHO. It will serve you well for a while if you stay with the same class of system, that is a moderate single-GPU rig.
- PSU: Overkill by about double. The Antec HCG-520W has plenty of power and is a good deal at $58.
- HSF: The Megahalems is overkill for what you want to do. If you don't want to OC, the stock cooler will be fine. If you do, the Hyper 212+ is good for 4.5GHz.
- GPU: Depends entirely on the overall budget. Anything from a 6870 to a GTX 560 Ti to a 6950 2GB would be reasonable.

 

[stealthrs]

Thanks for the input. In the 5 hours I've spent in the car today, I had some time to do some thinking... I might back off the i7, I'm thinking 8GB of memory is fine, I'm okay backing off the SSD all together..... But If I get the SSD, it has to be at least 120G.

I'll do some clicking and reading closer at your comments. I just got home after being gone all day, so I'll check back here in a bit.

Thanks.

 

[stealthrs]

Thanks for the help. You guys have talked me into an i5 Build... I made a new thread and took some of the ideas from this thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=33089942#post33089942

Looking to order tomorrow... Any additional input is welcomed in that thread