Choosing parts for my new gaming rig

[smithinator101]

This is my new gaming rig i am still deciding on parts but these are the ones i like:

Core i5 + EVGA p55 sli motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259396

Corsair dominator ddr3-1600 2x2gb ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145249&cm_re=corsair_ddr3_1600-_-20-145-249-_-Product]

Sapphire vapor-x Hd 4890
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102841&cm_re=hd_4890-_-14-102-841-_-Product

Two 500gb caviar black drives in raid0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320&cm_re=caviar_black-_-22-136-320-_-Product

Corsair PSU 750w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&cm_re=corsair_psu-_-17-139-006-_-Product

Thermaltake armor+MX mid tower case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133062&cm_re=armor%2b-_-11-133-062-_-Product

So what do you think any suggestions comments or improvements are appreciated, the total cost of my build will be $1100USD which is about $1600NZD

 

[smithinator101]

I forgot to mention that i already have all of the peripherals, mouse,keyboard etc

 

[gkay09]

I would suggest this config for that budget -

1. Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 + 2. ASUS P7P55D PRO LGA 1156 Intel P55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259879

RAM + Graphics card -
1. G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 + 2. MSI N260GTX-T2D896-OCv3 GeForce GTX 260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.256539

CASE + PSU
1. COOLER MASTER Silent Pro 700 RS-700-AMBA-D3 700W ATX12V + CM HAF 922
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.250438

CPU cooler -
COOLER MASTER Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&cm_re=1156-_-35-103-065-_-Product

HDD - WD Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

HIS H585F1GDG Radeon HD 5850 5800 Series 1GB GDDR5
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10011218

Total - $965 | $1065 with HD 5850 not to mention with the i7 too

 

[Why_Me]

This case down below got better reviews than that Thermaltake, this case is also wider so you can add a large cpu h/s and not lose a side fan. It's also large enough that it's set up to run three vid cards. It combo's nicely with that cpu h/s down below which has also gotten great reviews.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259678 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $119.98
COOLER MASTER Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU - Retail
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

This combo down below is a steal at this price. This Asus board is a over clockers dream not to mention it's set up to run either SLI or Crossfire.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259878 Combo Discount: -$30.00 Combo Price: $339.98 Free Shipping*
ASUS P7P55D PRO LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail

That Cosair RAM you chose has horrible timings and latency. This RAM down below is fast, cheaper, and the heat spreaders on it won't get in the way of a large after market cpu h/s.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231279 $94.99 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH - Retail

This Samsung h/d is a single platter and it's significantly faster than that dual 250 platter WD h/d you have in your build...not to mention it's cheaper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 $49.99 Free Shipping*
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 $49.99 Free Shipping*
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

Now take the money you saved and get this new DX11 supported vid card down below. The benchmarks on this card should be out sometime next week. It should mop the floor with the 4890.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10011251&prodlist=froogle $259.99 Free Shipping
XFX HD-585A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card Retail

Total: $914.92

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/landing/haf922/ <--- more pics, specs, and professional reviews of that Cooler Master 922 HAF

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5870,2422.html <--- ATI 5870 review and benchmarks

 

[gkay09]

^
I would prefer this XFX card over that HIS that I had listed...

 

[Onus]

I prefer GKay's build because i7>i5. I see the OP is using Newegg links, but also mentioned New Zealand currency. Are you having a friend buy from Newegg (or ZipZoomFly) and ship to you? Otherwise, posting your available sources for components would be helpful.
Why_Me, I don't see a PSU in your build...?

 

[Why_Me]

I prefer GKay's build because i7>i5. I see the OP is using Newegg links, but also mentioned New Zealand currency. Are you having a friend buy from Newegg (or ZipZoomFly) and ship to you? Otherwise, posting your available sources for components would be helpful.
Why_Me, I don't see a PSU in your build...?

That psu the OP has is fine so I didn't see the need to add one.

 

[Onus]

He lists that he likes the Corsair, but doesn't have it yet, so you'd need to add its price into the build. Since you listed the hard drive twice for yours, I thought that's where you'd meant to put the PSU.

Edit: Hmmm, but I do see he originally listed two drives for RAID...
I don't think RAID-0 is worth the risk to data; one drive should be sufficient, or get a second drive to use as a backup.

 

[smithinator101]

I do live i New Zealand and cant order from newegg i just like the site because it has all of the information very clearly set out unlike some of the sites i am going to have to use, if you want i can add links to the parts i stated from the sites i m actually getting them from.

 

[smithinator101]

http://www.qmb.co.nz/c.aspx?r=40081.4432145255

http://www.ifocus.co.nz/

http://www.computerlounge.co.nz
( i like this one because you can make combo deals)

http://www.elive.co.nz/

Thes are the main sites ill be using i also use this site to find the cheapest place to buy a specific part from

http://www.pricespy.co.nz/

or

http://www.priceme.co.nz/

P.s most of the parts you have suggested are readily avaliable here, it is really easy to find them with price spy and price me hope this helps, sorry i should have given these at the start of the thread my bad

 

[smithinator101]

I found a new mobo what do you think?

GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD4

Its cheaper than the other one i had chosen and it is crossfire compatible

 

[Why_Me]

I found a new mobo what do you think?

GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD4

Its cheaper than the other one i had chosen and it is crossfire compatible

That UD4 has gotten great reviews. It's Crossfire and SLI compatible.

 

[syche9876]

I dont know if it matters there much but arent DX 11 cards going to come out in October thus making the DX 10 cards cheaper? So i dont know if this will save you any money.

 

[deadcell]

Seems like a decent built value. I do however highly recommand the BFG GTX275 OC over the 4890 you are looking at. The GTX275 will sweep the floor with the 4890. If you are concerned about the cost factor, you can catch the GTX275 sometimes as low as 229.00 USD. This card will provide better graphics and contribute to your good performance rig...

 

[smithinator101]

I like the 275 too but my only concern is they dont support dx10.1 they only support dx10 which to me seems like a backwards step

 

[Why_Me]

I like the 275 too but my only concern is they dont support dx10.1 they only support dx10 which to me seems like a backwards step

The gtx 275 is a DX10 supported gpu. It's DX11 your thinking of.

 

[deadcell]

That's right. The GTX275 should support all versions of the dx10, but not the dx11. The card is a bargin due to this fact...
Is the new ATI 5870 too rich for your blood? Because this dx11 card is close in competing with my BFG GTX295 and thats just plain ugly considering that mine is an internal SLi card. Damn you ATI...
deadcell

 

[smithinator101]

in new zealand those 5870's are still like $600-$700 not to mention P&H

 

[Why_Me]

That's right. The GTX275 should support all versions of the dx10, but not the dx11. The card is a bargin due to this fact...
Is the new ATI 5870 too rich for your blood? Because this dx11 card is close in competing with my BFG GTX295 and thats just plain ugly considering that mine is an internal SLi card. Damn you ATI...
deadcell

Nvidea comes out with their DX11 line up this mid December bringing the prices of those DX11 cards down (competition). No games to my knowledge utilize DX11.

 

[smithinator101]

Ive been researching core i7 lga 1156 and i have found that the price jump is a lot larger over her between the core i5 and the i7 so i cant afford to splash out on one, so these are the things i think ill get ( all prices are in NZ dollars)

Gigabyte P55-ud4 + core i5 + dominator 2x2gb ram combo = $850
( i found this deal which i think is pretty good )

Thermaltake armor+mx = $210 ( i really like this case )

Corsair 750tx PSU = $240

2x500gb hdd in raid0 = $200 ( Ive read a lot of positive stuff about raid0, it cuts start-up time by up to five seconds that's good in my books)

Ill wait until the nividia DX11 cards come out so the prices will drop i have an older card that i can use for a while until the dx11 cards are in my price range.

the total cost of my build = $1500 (Excluding the GPU)

Thanks to everyone that commented If anyone has anything to add or anything i can do better let me know, thanks again.

 

[smithinator101]

I just remembered will the Gigabyte ud4 be able to use 2 5850's in crossfire or will it bottleneck?

 

[Why_Me]

I just remembered will the Gigabyte ud4 be able to use 2 5850's in crossfire or will it bottleneck?

No bottleneck there. That board runs 8x and 8x and there is no way those cards are going to fill up that bandwidth. That mobo will work just fine.

 

[smithinator101]

Thats good because one day i really want to do crossfire but i read somewhere that larger cards will bottleneck and i assumed the meant they dx11 cards so its good to know it will be fine thanks Why_Me

 

[deadcell]

You'r right Why_Me. You know, with this much competition, the GTX295 will drop and maybe in a year or so I can affort an extra one. My original intentions were to use 2x GTX295 in quad SLi. Do you think my i7-920 @ 2.67 and a MSI ATX X58 Pro-E chipset can handle this much graphics or am I going to have bottleneck? I can OC the 920 to 3.2 if I have to with no voltage modifications and still running on air. (massive thermaltake cooler). Let me know what you think. Thanks.
deadcell

 

[Why_Me]

You'r right Why_Me. You know, with this much competition, the GTX295 will drop and maybe in a year or so I can affort an extra one. My original intentions were to use 2x GTX295 in quad SLi. Do you think my i7-920 @ 2.67 and a MSI ATX X58 Pro-E chipset can handle this much graphics or am I going to have bottleneck? I can OC the 920 to 3.2 if I have to with no voltage modifications and still running on air. (massive thermaltake cooler). Let me know what you think. Thanks.
deadcell

Actually two gtx 275's should do you just fine. Dual gtx 275's > gtx 295. I don't see any games you couldn't max out with two of those, and it would save you a load of money. Then in a while size up to one of the DX11 cards whether it be Nvidea or ATI.