I've been lurking around here for a while and have been very impressed with the knowledge base of the members. I am finally getting ready to make the plunge with my first computer build and thought I'd run it by you guys and see what you think. Please advise of any noob errors I have made (compatiblity or what not) as I am truly new at this (though I have researched for some time). I am using www.mysuperpc.com as a step-by-step guide for the build but have decided to go with my own hardware choices. Anyway, here goes:
CPU - i7 2600K ($330 Newegg) - I've been going back and forth with this decision between p67 and x58. I am worried that there will be further teething problems with p67 down the road and, because I have limited experience, will be limited in troubleshooting any problems that may arise. Still, the clear consensus is that sandy bridge is the way to go so I am taking the plunge.
MOBO - Sabertooth p67 b3 (est $220)- I simply love the look of this board and the Sabertooth x58 was my mobo of choice for an i7 950 build. I know the "tactical vest" is gimmicky but it looks great and could help with cooling. I also am high on Gigabyte's p67a-ud4 so please advise with your preference.
PSU - Corsair 650HX ($120 Newegg)- I don't plan on running SLI so I'm going with a 650w. I love Corsairs and the modular HX series will be perfect for me to eliminate unnecessary wires hanging around. Would you guys suggest more power for SLI down the road?
CASE - Cooler Master RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II ($90 Newegg) - I've actually played with this case in person at a local store and love the look and features (not to mention price). I prefer it to the HAF series based on looks, price, and size. Any other suggestions though are welcome.
VIDEO CARD - Geforce GTX 560Ti Superclocked ($260 Newegg) - After countless hours of research this seems to be the best bang for the buck card available right now. Plus I prefer Nvidia's driver updates and ease of use compared to ATi's. I already have a Samsung P2770FH monitor that will be run at 1920x1080 resolution.
RAM - G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2x4GB)($135 Newegg) - Rob at mysuperpc recommends Crucial but I have heard nothing but great things about the Ripjaws. I have no clue about timing of ram or OCing. I'm just hoping to plug them in and have them work. Any thoughts/advice about memory will be greatly appreciated.
HDD - WD Velociraptor 150GB (boot) / Hitachi Deskstar 1TB (data) - I've actually already bought these for a great price ($54 for the Hitachi and $89 for the Raptor). I wanted to go SSD but the cost is just out of reach for me right now.
OPTICAL DRIVE - Samsung Blu Ray ROM/DVD burner with Lightscribe - I already have this drive as well. They were on sale for $60 and I jumped on it.
MCR - Sony 17-1 Media Card Reader - $15 on Amazon = no-brainer.
KEYBOARD - Microsoft Sidewinder X6($70 Newegg) - Played around with this at CompUSA and loved it. Need backlighting as well.
MOUSE - Microsoft Sidewinder X8($70 Newegg) - Need a wireless mouse and this thing has all the features.
SPEAKERS - Cyber Acoustics CA-3602 2.1 30W ($34 Amazon) - Already ordered these as well. Have heard nothing but good things and they were cheap.
Well, thats it! My total comes to $1540 and I am ready to buy whenever the MOBO becomes available. Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions/comments. Thank you for taking your time to read this!
-Eric
CPU - i7 2600K ($330 Newegg) - I've been going back and forth with this decision between p67 and x58. I am worried that there will be further teething problems with p67 down the road and, because I have limited experience, will be limited in troubleshooting any problems that may arise. Still, the clear consensus is that sandy bridge is the way to go so I am taking the plunge.
MOBO - Sabertooth p67 b3 (est $220)- I simply love the look of this board and the Sabertooth x58 was my mobo of choice for an i7 950 build. I know the "tactical vest" is gimmicky but it looks great and could help with cooling. I also am high on Gigabyte's p67a-ud4 so please advise with your preference.
PSU - Corsair 650HX ($120 Newegg)- I don't plan on running SLI so I'm going with a 650w. I love Corsairs and the modular HX series will be perfect for me to eliminate unnecessary wires hanging around. Would you guys suggest more power for SLI down the road?
CASE - Cooler Master RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II ($90 Newegg) - I've actually played with this case in person at a local store and love the look and features (not to mention price). I prefer it to the HAF series based on looks, price, and size. Any other suggestions though are welcome.
VIDEO CARD - Geforce GTX 560Ti Superclocked ($260 Newegg) - After countless hours of research this seems to be the best bang for the buck card available right now. Plus I prefer Nvidia's driver updates and ease of use compared to ATi's. I already have a Samsung P2770FH monitor that will be run at 1920x1080 resolution.
RAM - G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2x4GB)($135 Newegg) - Rob at mysuperpc recommends Crucial but I have heard nothing but great things about the Ripjaws. I have no clue about timing of ram or OCing. I'm just hoping to plug them in and have them work. Any thoughts/advice about memory will be greatly appreciated.
HDD - WD Velociraptor 150GB (boot) / Hitachi Deskstar 1TB (data) - I've actually already bought these for a great price ($54 for the Hitachi and $89 for the Raptor). I wanted to go SSD but the cost is just out of reach for me right now.
OPTICAL DRIVE - Samsung Blu Ray ROM/DVD burner with Lightscribe - I already have this drive as well. They were on sale for $60 and I jumped on it.
MCR - Sony 17-1 Media Card Reader - $15 on Amazon = no-brainer.
KEYBOARD - Microsoft Sidewinder X6($70 Newegg) - Played around with this at CompUSA and loved it. Need backlighting as well.
MOUSE - Microsoft Sidewinder X8($70 Newegg) - Need a wireless mouse and this thing has all the features.
SPEAKERS - Cyber Acoustics CA-3602 2.1 30W ($34 Amazon) - Already ordered these as well. Have heard nothing but good things and they were cheap.
Well, thats it! My total comes to $1540 and I am ready to buy whenever the MOBO becomes available. Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions/comments. Thank you for taking your time to read this!
-Eric