Gaming / Developer PC [Questions/Advice]

[binarytoshokan]

Hello Everyone!

It's been about 8 years since I built my last PC. So I would like to ask for an extra pair(or more) of eyes to look over the specs for the system I'm looking to build. I'll keep this short.

What I was thinking of as I built this system.
A PC that will last (through minor upgrades, if any) over the next 5-8 years.
Will be used for gaming.
Will be used for developing games.
Ideally, would like to run both windows and Linux.
OS(64bit): Win 7 , Ubuntu

[strike]Have not looked into SSD technology that's out today, so I didn't consider that in this build. Though I am curious on how long a drive will last use under daily gamer/developer use?[/strike]
I'll be adding one of these to the list as soon as I find a good one.


What I would like to know is the following:
Is there anything I overlooked?
Is there any known issues with the selected or combined hardware?
Will I run into any driver issues with Win7 or Ubuntu?
Any advice or recommendations you might have for me?

System Specs - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=V6DRH8PA

Notes: I'm looking to purchase in about 2 to 3 months time from today. Which will allow me to save up some cash to actually purchase the rig.

Thank you,

binarytoshokan

System Info:

[Case]
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x ...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

[Cables]
OKGEAR 24" SATA 6 Gbps Cable, Straight to Straight W/ Metal Latch, Black, Backward Compatible 3 Gbps and 1.5 Gbps
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812123169

[Motherboard]
May change, see posts below.
ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229

[Extra Cooling]
Undecided.

[Video]
MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr III PE/OC GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127582

[PSU]
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series RSA00-80GAD3-US 1000W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS ...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171056

[CPU]
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

[RAM]
[strike][x2] Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104173[/strike]
Changing over to one of the recommended 1.5v types.

[Storage]
SSD - Not yet selected.

Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136792

[Drives]
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

 

[abekl]

I wouldn't get that Kingston HyperX. It's 1.65V memory. True 1.5 V memory is more compatible. Look at:
1 x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220609

Edit: I linked to the wrong RAM, meant to link to this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233198

 

[koogco]

+1 to that, although 2x4GB is plenty for now. And I would pick Corsair or G-skill
Also, you forgot to link your motherboard. Ill suggest Asrock extreme3 gen3 (so you can have access to ivy bridge and PCI-E GPU's in the future)

And, do you really want to look at that HAF for 5-8 years? It looks cool, but I would be afraid to grow very tired of it.

Nice choice of CPU, you might want to consider an aftermarket cooler so you can overclock (thats what the K models are made for afterall) the cooler master hyper 212 evo (or the old plus) is great value.

 

[inanition02]

I like G.Skill Memory better- other than that (and missing a mobo) your build looks solid.

Memory (2x): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

 

[hunuok]

Have not looked into SSD technology that's out today, so I didn't consider that in this build. Though I am curious on how long a drive will last use under daily gamer/developer use?

SSDs have MTBF of 1 000 000-2 000 000 hours. I would say with read/cycles, you should easily get min 5 years usage.

An SSD will not give you higher frame rates in games. However OS/Programs/Games will load faster and read/write files faster than HDDs.

The current trend is for an SSD for OS/Programs (min 60Gb) and a HDD for storage.

As mentioned, 1155 chipsets work best with 1.5V rated DDR3. Look into G Skill (Ripjaws XL CL9), Corsair (Vengeance series).

As for motherboards, Z68 chipset. Asus (P8Z68-V), Gigabyte (UD3R) or Asrock (Extreme3). My preference is with Asus.

Are you planning on SLI? A 1000W PSU seems overkill IMO. Corsair, Antec or Seasonic is better than CoolerMaster.

Black SATA3 cables should be bundled with motherboard. Same as ones you have chosen.

Finally, a CPU cooler. Hyper 212, Zalman Performa offer good price/performance.

Good luck with build.

 

[binarytoshokan]

I wouldn't get that Kingston HyperX. It's 1.65V memory. True 1.5 V memory is more compatible.

+1 to that, although 2x4GB is plenty for now. And I would pick Corsair or G-skill

As mentioned, 1155 chipsets work best with 1.5V rated DDR3. Look into G Skill (Ripjaws XL CL9), Corsair (Vengeance series).

Ah thank you. I had not even thought about looking at the voltage here.

Also, you forgot to link your motherboard. Ill suggest Asrock extreme3 gen3 (so you can have access to ivy bridge and PCI-E GPU's in the future)

Doh! Fixed now.

I had selected ASRock p67 Extreme4 (B3), but I'm also looking at the ASRock P68 Extreme 4 gen 3. Which of the three would be the best?

do you really want to look at that HAF for 5-8 years? It looks cool, but I would be afraid to grow very tired of it.

I'll be too busy looking at the screen to see that HAF in the corner. 😛

But really, I don't have my heart set in stone on this one. I just wanted one that will have plenty of space for after market cooling, space to install/upgrade parts without removing any and space for wires. Also, the ease of installation and extra usb on the front are nice, but come secondary.

Nice choice of CPU, you might want to consider an aftermarket cooler so you can overclock (thats what the K models are made for afterall) the cooler master hyper 212 evo (or the old plus) is great value.

a CPU cooler. Hyper 212, Zalman Performa offer good price/performance.

Just the plans I had for this thing.

I had not started my homework in this area just yet, so I was going to hold off asking about this. But thank you for the recommendations.

Are you planning on SLI? A 1000W PSU seems overkill IMO. Corsair, Antec or Seasonic is better than CoolerMaster.

I was considering SLI, but I think I'll hold off until a good pair of PSI-E3 cards come around. So yeah, this is currently overkill. Is there a PSU you would recommend?

SSDs have MTBF of 1 000 000-2 000 000 hours. I would say with read/cycles, you should easily get min 5 years usage.

Ah, much longer than I thought it would last! That's great news! It'll also be of great help on the long compile times. 😉

I'll just go add one of these to the list and then update the first post.

Good luck with build.

Thank you. And thank you to everyone else as well.