Critique/Rate My Build

[calendarman]

Hello,

I've asked around the community here and some helpful community members have guided me on my way to building my first gaming PC. I've picked and replaced items and so far I have came up with this build:

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=17217952

Question is, am I set with everything I need? Is there anything that can be replaced with something better? (with price in mind). Is my power supply enough, or is it more than necessary? Also, will the case fit everything I need in it?

Pretty much I'm looking for advice here, before I go on my way.


Qty. Image Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 Antec Twelve Hundred V3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower Unbeatable Gaming Case

Antec Twelve Hundred V3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower Unbeatable Gaming Case
Model #:Twelve Hundred V3
Item #:N82E16811129100
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$167.99 -$8.00 Instant $159.99
1 Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:WD1002FAEX
Item #:N82E16822136533
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$89.99 -$10.00 Instant $79.99
1 Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Model #:Three Hundred Illusi
Item #:N82E16811129066
Return Policy:Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock

$69.99 -$10.00 Instant $59.99
1 ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Model #8Z68-V PRO
Item #:N82E16813131730
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$209.99 -$10.00 Instant $199.99
1 SAPPHIRE 100311-2SR Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

SAPPHIRE 100311-2SR Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Model #:100311-2SR
Item #:N82E16814102918
Return Policy:VGA Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail in Rebate Card

$359.99 -$10.00 Instant $349.99
1 SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Model #:S12II 520 Bronze
Item #:N82E16817151094
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$84.99 -$20.00 Instant $64.99
1 Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Model #:BX80623I52500K
Item #:N82E16819115072
Return Policy:CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
In Stock

$219.99 $219.99
1 CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9
Model #:CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9
Item #:N82E16820233144
Return Policy:Memory Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$68.99 -$10.00 Instant $58.99
1 SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:HD103SJ
Item #:N82E16822152185
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$64.99 -$5.00 Instant $59.99
1 Asus VE248H Black 24" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers

Asus VE248H Black 24" Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers
Model #:VE248H
Item #:N82E16824236102
Return Policy:Monitor Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$249.99 -$50.00 Instant $199.99
1 ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Model #RW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS
Item #:N82E16827135204
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$18.99 $18.99
1 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
Model #:GFC-02050
Item #:N82E16832116986
Return Policy:Software Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$99.99 $99.99
1 XIGMATEK LOKI SD963 92mm HYPRO Bearing CPU Cooler bracket included I7 i5 775 1155 AMD and dual fan push pull compatible

XIGMATEK LOKI SD963 92mm HYPRO Bearing CPU Cooler bracket included I7 i5 775 1155 AMD and dual fan push pull compatible
Model #:LOKI SD963
Item #:N82E16835233081
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock

$28.99 $28.99
Subtotal: $1,601.87

 

[RadioactiveKid6]

Mate i cant view the Page u need to make a list!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[calendarman]

Mate i cant view the Page u need to make a list!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, I took a picture instead because the list won't go public even though I set it to public.

 

[amirp]

Everything looks good, but I would either:
buy a more powerful power supply that allows future crossfire,
or
If you don't want to crossfire, I don't see the point of buying a $200 chip built around multi-card configs. So you can choose a cheaper Z68 motherboard instead.

Finally you should ask yourself, is the 6970 really worth that extra $100 over the 6950? I wouldn't say so, as it's only about 10% faster.
source: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_6950_1_GB/22.html

I would buy this one instead : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125385
With a nice cooler like that you could easily overclock it, and it would be cooler and less noisy as the 6970 you had picked.
You also won't be needing the 2gb vram on 6970 unless you know you want to set-up multi monitors or something.

EDIT: the 6950 I linked is also overclocked by a good amount (from 800 to 870 core...) which I would say is pretty good and would almost close the gap between it and the 6970

EDIT2: it is very important though before you buy that 6950 I linked to know that it is long, these are the dimensions: 11.4" x 5" x 1.5". Make sure the case you picked has 11.4inches length for a video card. Alot of people have the antec300 Im sure it wont be hard to find out.

 

[chuglife]

Looks solid, I would change the cooler to a hyper 212+ though, for ~30$.

Also the 570 beat the 6970 in the best graphic card for the money article this month if i remember correctly. Also there should be a deal that has the i5 2500k with the windows 7 oem OS and a free dvd drive. So you save ~20 dollars on the dvd drive + 15 because of the combo deal.

According to http://www.extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine you will require about 475w psu to power that gpu. From what i've seen you should go ~150w higher than recommended, especially if thinking about eventually adding a second card in sli/crossfire.

The only other thing you may want to look at is downgrading the mobo, you don't need a 200$ mobo for that build most likely. The Asrock extreme3 gen3 is ~115$, runs duel cards at x8 and has usb 3.0.. pretty much all the bells and whistles you have there for less.

With the saved money you could consider grabbing a SSD that will make a noticeable difference in boot times. If you can change your build to drop ~100$ the Crucial m4 64gb ssd offers stable performance. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441 You can put your operating system + your favorite game on there, and leave ~10gb free space

Original build rate: 7/10 for cost/performance.

 

[abekl]

No need to spend 100 on a cooler.

Cooler Master has just come out with a revision to the hyper 212 plus, called the hyper 212 Evo. It has a better heatpipe design that should keep things cooler. Here it is:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

 

[aznshinobi]

Check out my build guide here:
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore
At $850 before windows 7 it'll defiantly save you a lot of money but still offer you enough performance with future proofing as a plus.