Opinions on my new build please. :)

[techdude9]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/sKu9
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/sKu9/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/sKu9/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($220.90 @ TigerDirect Canada)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.69 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($149.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($107.99 @ Computer Valley)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($464.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 660W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($139.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Canada Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1419.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-16 09:27 EST-0500)

$1500-$1550 budget, but I thought it would be best to leave some extra money for sleeving, led strips and extra fans. Already got the case: http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/graphite-series-pc-case/special-edition-white-graphite-series-600t-mid-tower-case.html

Not really changing anything, just want opinions.

 

[JMer806]

That looks like a great build! The only thing I would change is to swap the i5 2500k for the i5 3570k since you're using the Z77 board. Might as well get the newest generation CPU since you left enough room to afford it

 

[techdude9]

That looks like a great build! The only thing I would change is to swap the i5 2500k for the i5 3570k since you're using the Z77 board. Might as well get the newest generation CPU since you left enough room to afford it

You make a good point. Heard the ASRock boards were best for sandy bridge but I did plan on overclocking the 2500k as high as possible. Is the 3570k still a better decision?

 

[JMer806]

You make a good point. Heard the ASRock boards were best for sandy bridge but I did plan on overclocking the 2500k as high as possible. Is the 3570k still a better decision?

From what I understand, you can theoretically clock the Sandy Bridge a bit higher because it doesn't heat as much. But that's at the extreme end. For regular usage and normal OCing, I'd still go with the Ivy Bridge 3570k. It has other benefits as well, like native support for PCIe 3.0.

 

[techdude9]

From what I understand, you can theoretically clock the Sandy Bridge a bit higher because it doesn't heat as much. But that's at the extreme end. For regular usage and normal OCing, I'd still go with the Ivy Bridge 3570k. It has other benefits as well, like native support for PCIe 3.0.

You think I could get about 4.4ghz safely with the 3570k? The games I mainly play are CPU demanding. I do a lot of rendering. (Not getting an i7) and I stream/record all my gameplay.

 

[techdude9]

I actually upgraded stuff and got a similar price within my budget. Just downgraded the GPU. http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/sZWQ

Do you guys think this build will have similar performance as the 680 SC Sig 2? All games maxxed 1920x1080 on ultra 70-100 fps? Mostly BF3, Crysis, WoW, MW2, MW3, Black ops, and future CoDs

 

[JMer806]

I actually upgraded stuff and got a similar price within my budget. Just downgraded the GPU. http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/sZWQ

Do you guys think this build will have similar performance as the 680 SC Sig 2? All games maxxed 1920x1080 on ultra 70-100 fps? Mostly BF3, Crysis, WoW, MW2, MW3, Black ops, and future CoDs

That's a solid build, and that card will perform well in all of those games. It won't perform as well as the 680, but it will be just fine. If you want a bit more performance, you could get a 7970 instead, but at the price (less than $350) it's hard to argue against the 670 you've chosen.

 

[techdude9]

That's a solid build, and that card will perform well in all of those games. It won't perform as well as the 680, but it will be just fine. If you want a bit more performance, you could get a 7970 instead, but at the price (less than $350) it's hard to argue against the 670 you've chosen.

I'm actually going to SLI the 670 as soon as I can afford a second card, and i'm overclocking the cards so it will perform better than the 680, not sure about the 7970 but for the price the 670 definitely wins.