Need Advice: i5-2500k Gaming Beast

[eldudus]

Hey Guys,
This is going to be my first gaming rig.

Budget Range: max $2000, more like $1500

System Usage: Mostly Gaming

Overclocking: I will not OC initially but maybe sometime in the future

SLI or Crossfire: Definitely will buy a second card later for SLI or Crossfire

I been doing my research and this is what I've come up with:

Motherboard: I'm thinking p67 and this seems to fit the requirements ASUS P8P67 Deluxe ~$240, what do you think?

Processor:Intel Core i5-2500K ~$220

Graphics Card: Radeon HD 6970 2Gb ~$370, will buy a second one in the future

Memory: G.Skill F3-12800CL7D-8GBXH: DDR3 1600 CL7 8GB (2 x 4GB) ~$135

System Drive: SSD for OS and Programs only so maybe 128gb, whats the best valve for money in that size?

Storage Drive: Samsung F3 HD103SJ 1 TB, 7200 RPM HDD ~$70

Optical: LG WH10LS30 BD-RE ~$85

Power Supply: Because i will get a second GPU what size will i need 850W? If so should i just go for a corsair?

Cooling: Will i need any heat sinks

Case: NZXT Phantom ~$190. I pick this solely because it looked awesome, but is it any good?

Any help/comments are greatly appreciated.

 

[enorix]

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX ~ $249.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131753

Processor:Intel Core i5-2500K ~$220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE 100311-2SR Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 ~ $359.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102918

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 ~ $79.99 (You will never notice the difference in the CAS latency anyway)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231400

System Drive: OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) ~ $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227726

Storage Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive ~ $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

Optical: LG WH10LS30 BD-RE ~$85

Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ((SS-650KM Active PFC F3)) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply ~$139.99 (the x650 is quite a capable psu so don't bag it in with other 650W psus. It'll run 2 6970's just fine)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

Cooling: Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler ~ $85.87
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

Case: NZXT Phantom ~$190. (I wasn't able to find the one you're talking about since there are 4-5 models and neither of them costs as much as $190)

____________________________



It's slightly past the $1500 limit but you're not really aiming for a budget build here as it seems and the parts should work quite good with each other.

If you're looking for price cuts you could swap the motherboard for a cheaper p67 but, honestly, the z one costs about the same as the one you had come up with and with the cpu&mobo combo you save 30 bucks anyway.

 

[AdrianPerry]

While the PSU is very very good, i would still recommend aiming for 750w or greater.

650w, as capable as it maybe, is going to be tight with 2 6970's running on it.

 

[enorix]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 (CMPSU-750HX) 750W ~ $149.99

I would still pick the Seasonic psu over the Corsair, though

 

[eldudus]

For the case it's this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146068

Sorry for the confusion

 

[boiler1990]

At this stage n the product cycle, I wouldn't go for anything less than Z68. The Z68 boards are just as expensive as the P67 boards, and you lose a feature or two by not getting one. I would personally get an ASRock Gen3 board with the PCIE 3.0, which can be used with an Ivy Bridge CPU.

What resolution will you be gaming at? There is no better card at 1920x1080 than the GTX 580. The 6970s are great at ultra high resolutions above that, but on your budget your money is better spent on the 580.

Just for reference, for 2x6970s you should get at least an 850W PSU, and 2x580s will require at least 900W. That gives you enough room to run your PSU at ~60% which gives you the best efficiencies and is the healthiest power output for your PSU.

I'll be back on later. Have to go to class...

 

[boiler1990]

First day of senior year is over *phew*
Now back to where I left off...

Memory: G.Skill F3-12800CL7D-8GBXH: DDR3 1600 CL7 8GB (2 x 4GB) ~$135

You're really overpaying for memory here. If you're not looking to OC, you'll see the same performance out of the Cas Latency 9 kit (which I own and game on). The lower latency means higher OCs, but nowadays you don't need to OC the RAM in order to OC the CPU.

System Drive: SSD for OS and Programs only so maybe 128gb, whats the best valve for money in that size?

I'd go with the Crucial M4 or Intel 320. There have been issues with the Sandforce 2000 series drives (OCZ Vertex/Agility 3, Intel 510), but these two have worked very reliably for most people.

Storage Drive: Samsung F3 HD103SJ 1 TB, 7200 RPM HDD ~$70

Best 1TB drive out there. Stick with this.

Optical: LG WH10LS30 BD-RE ~$85

I'm assuming this is a writer at this price? I personally think you'll be fine with a DVD/RW drive, and you can just add a BD drive when you feel like you'll use it a lot.

Power Supply: Because i will get a second GPU what size will i need 850W? If so should i just go for a corsair?

As I mentioned before, I'd get a good 850W for 2x6970s or 900W for 2x580s. I must say to avoid the TX950; I've helped out a few people whose TX950s died (and then again after RMA). I'd pick up a good HX850 or XFX 850W PSU. PC Power and Cooling's Silencer 950 is also a great PSU (all three OEMed by Seasonic).

Cooling: Will i need any heat sinks

Go for the Cooler Master Hyper 212+. It's cheap (~$30) and works very well and should support some solid OCs down the road.

Case: NZXT Phantom ~$190. I pick this solely because it looked awesome, but is it any good?

The Phantom is a very good case. Other good options are the HAF 932/942 and the Silverstone Raven RV02

Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ((SS-650KM Active PFC F3)) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply ~$139.99 (the x650 is quite a capable psu so don't bag it in with other 650W psus. It'll run 2 6970's just fine)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817151088

Running 2x6970s on this sounds like a horrible idea. You'll be pushing the PSU to it's absolute maximum, severely shortening it's life and efficiencies. Remember that ~50-60% power draw is where the 80+ measurements are taken, and where efficiencies are at their highest.

 

[phenom90]

this mobo is a good deal...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131714R

suitable mobo for crossfire/sli as it has full bandwidth...

and also this psu...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194080

 

[DXRick]

this mobo is a good deal...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131714R

suitable mobo for crossfire/sli as it has full bandwidth...

and also this psu...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194080

No! Bad apprentice! Do not link to an OPEN BOX mobo for a new builder.
Also, that PSU is overkill and too expensive for his needs.

 

[Why_Me]

Two boards worth taking looking at imo.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271 $129.99
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265 $159.99
ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Here's a psu manufactured by Enermax for LEPA

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194093 $119.99 - $69.99 after mail-in rebate card FREE SHIPPING
LEPA B850-MA 850W ATX12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

 

[lp231]

All you get with the Asus P67 Deluxe is that bundled 3.5" USB 3 drive bay kit.
The Asus Z68 Deluxe gives you dual SSD caching (I think that newegg YouTube clip said something like that).
You can grab a much cheaper Z68 board as others have already posted.

 

[eldudus]

Best answer selected by eldudus.