I5, or i7?

[rcpMetis]

So basically, I'm lost. I am trying to build a rig that will leave me room for easy upgrades in the future to keep up. I want to stick to Intel and Nvidia, but i have come to a crawl on figuring out what exactly i need. I, so far am going with the i7-2600k, which i'm hoping will give me some time before i need an upgrade, but everywhere i go, people are talking about how the i5-2500k is close enough to make the i7 seem not worth the extra money. as to gpu, i am thinking about the GeForce GTX 660, as it will get me going, and with the i7 allow me to get another 660 in the future to keep up. I am not certain though, and if i can save on the cpu i will be able to get a better gpu. I feel like i am on the right track, but i need to zero in on the right build before i dish out money. Any help with this and any suggestions for the other parts are greatly apprciated.

My planned build:
mobo:ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
gpu: AVGA Nvidia GeFore GTX 660
cpu: Intel i7 2600k
RAM: Corsar Vengence16gb(2x 8gb)

HD:Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Driv

PSU: COUGAR CMX 700 COUGAR-700CMX 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Yes, flexible cable management Active PFC Power Supply

I plan on useing it mainly for gaming, and some recording/editing for YouTube and streaming for fun. and i want the ability to upgrade easy. I hope to play Planetside 2 at atleast 45fps on medium.

 

[digitalmiget]

wouldnt recommend any i7 for gaming, get an i5-3570k, then you can use it for a better gpu such as the GTX670

 

[Kamen_BG]

Well... the people you heard are right.There is no point in buying an upgradable PC now instead of buying a powerfull one.

Go with the i5
Scrap the high-end motherboard
Upgrade the graphics card. (why use a mid range card in a high end PC instead of a high end card in a a high end PC?)
And if you're gonna record you need both a HDD and a SSD.There's no way around that.Otherwise you're going to lose a lot of FPS.

Basicly it should look something (exactly) like this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 612 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD55 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: A-Data XPG Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($366.97 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($366.97 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: MSI DH-24AAS-17 R DVD/CD Writer ($23.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1604.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-18 00:01 EST-0500)

 

[rcpMetis]

Okay,so after alot of thinking and research, i've came up with this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/u7wR Some of the items on the list are not the specific ones i want, such as the mouse, but we're the closest thing i could find on the site. I chose the i5- 3570k with the MSI power edition 660 Ti. I am sticking with the asus mobo though. And the Fractal Design is my personal preference. If there is anything else you may suggest, please do so.

 

[socialfox]

Okay,so after alot of thinking and research, i've came up with this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/u7wR Some of the items on the list are not the specific ones i want, such as the mouse, but we're the closest thing i could find on the site. I chose the i5- 3570k with the MSI power edition 660 Ti. I am sticking with the asus mobo though. And the Fractal Design is my personal preference. If there is anything else you may suggest, please do so.

Hi there

Why have you selected the non-K edition of the 3570?
You will want the K for overclocking and that motherboard is kind of an overkill. You could opt for a ASRock Extreme 4 if you want...
In addition, 8 gb of ram is more than enough for gaming but if you want stick to the 16gb...
Lastly, you can lower the wattage of the power supply, 700 watts is along the borderline for two video cards. Your build should be fine with something around 450-500 watts for ONE video card. If you want to add another then the 700+ watts power supplies will come handy.

- Happy Holidays

 

[payturr]

Not a bad build, I would go with the 3570K so I can overclock my system to give it that extra oomph, and on top of that, I would go with a Samsung SSD - Sandisk is blah, the Samsung 830/840 are much better and are MUCH more reliable.

 

[rcpMetis]

I meant 3570k, just a typo. I wanted to keep the price down a bit on the SSD, so i went with what seemed to be good: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/uekI If you can suggest a better SSD for similar price, it would be appreciated. I just can't see paying $100 for an SSD. Thank you for your suggestions.

 

[D151NT3GRAT0R]

wouldnt recommend any i7 for gaming, get an i5-3570k, then you can use it for a better gpu such as the GTX670

I have a 3570k and have no regrets at all, my friend has a i7 2600k (older Generation but still fast) and my i5 is the exact same speed when benchmarking.