Critique my Build

sp3nny_88 · Sep 2, 2011

Computer System, Specifications below:

Case - Antec Six Hundred Tower
CPU - Intel Core i7 2600K LGA1155
CPU Cooler - CoolerMaster V8 Cooler ALL
Videocard - Sapphire ATI AMD HD6970 2Gb
Motherboard - Asus P8Z68-V-LE Z68 LGA1155
Memory - 8Gb DDR3 1600Mhz G.Skill 2X4Gb
PSU - 700W CoolerMaster Silent Pro
HDD - 3Tb WD SATA3 HDD

Priced at around $1500, will be used for gaming.

I would really love a SSD, but maybe in a month or two when i have some spare cash for the new 1TB OCZ hybrid drive.

Any advice would be great before I pick up the parts.

monkeysweat · Sep 2, 2011

to be honest it is a good build, but you won't really notice much difference if you dropped back to a 2500K and the V8 is pretty sweet cooler,, but if you went with a Scythe mugen 2,, it would perform better and be cheaper,, would just need to take measurements to double check the fit in case, but I would think you'd be OK

do you need 3TB to start? how about 1TB for storage,, then with the money you have saved on those 3 components, you should be able to put in the SSD and will make your system seem much faster,, the 3TB is just not ideal for an OS drive.

Onus · Sep 2, 2011

Ok, this is a quick take.

Case: Fine, largely a matter of personal preference.
CPU: For games, an i7-2600K is probably not worth the premium over an i5-2500K.
Cooler: For bang/buck, the 120mm Xigmatek Gaia does a nice job.
GPU: Fine. If your resolution will be less than 1920x1080, and/or you are willing to play with slightly less than maxed settings, you can reduce this if you'd rather put the money elsewhere or reduce the overall cost.
Mobo: Ok. Take a look at ASRock's Z68 boards too. You may get more features at a lower price, such as a PLX chip allowing you to use any/all ports at the same time, while maintaining other measures of quality like ferrite chokes and all solid caps.
RAM: Fine. I've had good results with G.Skill; no RMAs or DOAs.
PSU: Avoid Coolermaster. Even if this isn't one of their bad ones (many are junk), the company has liar-labels on some of their units, and otherwise is not deserving of business. Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, XFX, and Enermax/LEPA are among the quality PSU brands I would buy. For a single HD6970, 650W would provide a comfortable margin.
HDD: Get a 500GB OS drive like a Samsung Spinpoint F3, Seagate 7200.12, or WD Black. Get one or more 1TB-2TB drives for data, if/when you need it. If you can keep your OS volume down to <100GB, cloning it onto a SSD later becomes a piece of cake using something like Acronis' True Image. I haven't seen any reliability data on 3TB drives, so I would not get one yet.

des74 · Sep 2, 2011

you should get a 2500k, you won't notice the difference and it's 100 dollars less. Unless you are doing rendering or things of that nature, you don't need a 2600. You don't need 3TB.... just get a good 1tb drive.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128494 (Motherboard)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428 (RAM)

x2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102918 (GPU)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697 (HDD)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151233 (ODD)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 (CPU)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055 (CPU cooler)

Your case is out of stock, any case you can find a new one. Current price without rebates and without the case is around 1400, should be your price with the case. Remember that this is without rebates

All of this is assuming that you live in US/Canada

phenom90 · Sep 2, 2011

it's a good build actually... but for the mobo... you can buy this one...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157264

for three reasons....

1) it has pcie 3.0 support which Asus P8Z68-V-LE don't have and ensures compatibility for future graphics card which utilise the pcie 3.0 standard... although this is possible only with ivy bridge cpu... but at least you don't need to change your mobo by then... just a simple bios update and you good to go...

2) it has two pcie 2.0 x16 slots(will operate at dual x8 mode if use both at the same time) which asus model second pcie 2.0 slots will only operate at x4 speed...
which is not a good idea for crossfire as it can get performance hit by its x4 speed...
while asrock model will do just fine even crossfire as tested shows dual x8 mode is enough for crossfire.... asrock z68 extreme4 gen3 is better for multi-gpu config....

3)the PLX PEX8608 chip onboard... With PLX PEX8608 chip.. it generates more PCI-E lanes for PCI-E devices... so that all PCI-E devices are able to work at the proper speed simultaneously! good when you want to populate all your pcie slots with devices... you'll get a proper speed compared to non-equipped plx chip...

as for psu... add 10 bucks more... you'll get this...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152043

you'll get a more efficient psu and wattage is enough for hd 6970 crossfire should you decide to get the second one in the near future... 700 watts is barely enough to do the job... an extra 150 watts and 80 plus gold certification gives you little peace of mind...

as for processors... the extra performance that i7 2600k offer over the i5 2500k isn't enough to justify the extra $95 you need to pay for the former... so get the i5 2500k and you'll be happy as you save money while getting no performance hit in gaming....

as for cpu cooler... a cheaper cooler can also get the job done... such as this one...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181011

$26.42 after MIR... so why not? has included 2 fans...

as for hdd... to me this is the better deal... although it's only 1tb....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

Why_Me · Sep 2, 2011

sp3nny_88 :

Not to sound rude...so don't take this the wrong way, but that build sucks. That board is meant for a single card set up, the psu is under powered for dual cards and over powered for a single card...not to mention who buys a CM psu. That CM V8 was over priced junk when it came out a few years back and it hasn't found a miracle to improve itself. The 2600K is $100 down the drain seeing how that cpu has zero advantage over the 2500K in regards to gaming, and that case has gotten crap reviews not to mention it's narrow like most Antec cases.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice <----- Copy and paste this on here please, fill it out and I'l show you what $1,500 will get you

sp3nny_88 · Sep 3, 2011

Thanks for all the replies guys, much appreciated, i failed and forgot to mention that i'm in Australia, i think $1500 in the US could get me a lot more.

I am changing to the i5 2500k, changing to a 1TB WD 64mb cache drive, and swapping the hd6970 for a gtx 580.

Oh how i wish Newegg shipped to Australia 🙁

Why_Me · Sep 3, 2011

sp3nny_88 :

sp3nny_88 · Sep 3, 2011

I wonder if they would mind if I cancelled my order at netplus lol, your build looks good.

sp3nny_88 · Sep 3, 2011

Is this cooler good for moderate overclocking ?

I definately willing to pay more if it cools better, especially given the price difference of your build.

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=207_23_845&products_id=12544 $33.00
CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ CPU Cooler

Why_Me · Sep 3, 2011

sp3nny_88 :

That will keep you cool up to 4.4ghz - 4-5ghz. If anything I would add another case fan to that case.

http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6674 <---- that shows you the additional case fan(s) you can add. One more should be plenty until you decide to add another one of those cards, then add another one.

sp3nny_88 · Sep 3, 2011

Can anyone recommend a good SSD ? Getting it from www.pccasegear.com. I don't know alot about them, but I understand they increase boot times and load times in games.

Why_Me · Sep 3, 2011

sp3nny_88 :

Any of those ...you want SATA III which I believe most if not all of those are.

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=210_902_1247
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=210_902_1161

sp3nny_88 · Sep 3, 2011

Why_Me :

So you don't recommend the OCZ Agility 3 120GB for $225.00 ?, read speeds seem higher than the crucial ones and the crucial 120GB SSD is more expensive.

Why_Me · Sep 3, 2011

sp3nny_88 :

The OCZ's have a lot of bugs (no surprise there).

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/crucial-m4-ssd-firmware-update,13314.html <----- Crucial M4 Firmware update

sp3nny_88 · Sep 3, 2011

Why_Me :

After all consideration I am probably going with this build from PCCaseGear.com, I will order it Monday.

CoolerMaster HAF 912 Advanced - $115.00

CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ CPU Cooler - $33.00

Intel Core i5 2500K - $219.00

Sapphire Radeon HD6950 2GB Dirt3 Edition x 2 - $578.00

G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 - $65.00

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 Motherboard - $145.00

Antec High Current Gamer 750W Power Supply HCG-750 - $139.00

Crucial M4 SSD 128GB - $265

Total - $1563.

Why_Me · Sep 3, 2011

both cards? lol...that's a beast! Don't forget to add a case fan if your going with two of those cards.... AMD cards run hot.

sp3nny_88 · Sep 3, 2011

Best answer selected by sp3nny_88.

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