What do you think about this $1500 build?

[brentbgerson]

I just ordered the following parts from Newegg. Please let me know what weaknesses you perceive here. (Keep in mind - while I realize went pretty conservative on the GPU, I would consider getting another GPU and xFiring in the future.)

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced Blue Edition RC-932-KKN3-GP ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Blue LED Fans-1x 230mm front 1x 230mm top 1x 230mm side and 1x 140mm rear
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model
PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series HX850 (CMPSU-850HX) 850W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
CPU Cooler/Heatsink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7
SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
GPU: XFX HD-687A-ZDFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Media Reader: Rosewill RCR-IC001 40-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/ USB Port / Extra Silver Face Plate
CD/DVD: LG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS70 OEM - OEM
CML16GX3M4A1600C9B
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

What do you think? Any glaring issues?

 

[alexthetitan]

I would have gotten a 2500k as well as a smaller HDD and SSD, and spent the extra money on a better GPU. Other than that it looks good but you may want a second opinion.

 

[brentbgerson]

Thank you for the feedback.

Anyone else?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

-If usage was just gaming, 2500k woulda saved ya -$85.

-I dunno that you actually benefit from Z68, most won't.
http://www.ukgamingcomputers.co.uk/difference-between-h67-p67-z68-and-h61-chipsets-a-22.html

-Case and PSU are top end, my 2nd favorite combo behind the CP-850 w/ any compatible Antec Case

-Heatsink is a great budget heat sink but everything else is high end.....I wuda went better w/ say the Thermaltake Silver Arrow. +$40

-I don't see as you will benefit in any way from 4 x 4GB unless you doing Photo / Video editing or some other special apps. Hopefully the RAM is the low profile Vengeance, not the ones w/ the tall Heat Sinks. -$55

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=773&Itemid=67&limit=1&limitstart=6

The problem I have with the Corsair Vengeance is the same I have with many kits of RAM on the market. Companies insist on putting large coolers on their RAM and it limits the choice in CPU heatsinks that can be used within users system. DDR3 does not require these elaborate coolers with its lower voltages which translate to lower temperatures then RAM saw during the DDR, and DDR2

-The Black, Seagate 7200.12 and Spinpoint F3 trade wins in all the benchies, but again w/ the quality of the other components, I wuda tried ti squeeze in a 2 or 3 TB Barracude XT +$70

-I don't see the 68xx as being a good fit ... ya went top end w/ most everything else, but , as with the cooler, ya skimped a bit for the GFX card. For an extra $20, ya cuda increased performance at 1920 x 1200 by 14% and when paired by 23%

$ 185.00 6870 (434/701) $ 0.43 - $ 0.53
$ 205.00 560 Ti - 900 Mhz (495/862) $ 0.41 - $ 0.48

 

[alexthetitan]

I didn't notice the 16GB of Memory. To be honest, I would try to return the memory and get 8GB, return the 2600k and get a 2500k, and use the extra money to upgrade your video card.

 

[brentbgerson]

Thanks Alex and Jack.

I went overkill on a lot of this - I know. I am not even an intense gamer; I just like to have top of the line components. Seeing as how I don't know what the future holds in computer components, I'd like to have a solid build that I can confidently use for the next 4 years.

The only system taxing work I really do involves heavy data analysis in Excel and Access. High number of calculations (i.e. 65,000 lines x 65,000 lines). On the GPU, I couldn't justify going high end, because I know that nothing I currently do will tax the 6870. But I wasn't aware the 560 Ti was attainable for $205; I expected an upgrade to that level to be closer to $50. In my naivete, I took the Tom's Hardware article for September at face value - but that is always a function of value v price, and prices do change.

On the memory - yes, this is the low profile. I wanted to avoid any conflicts with the 212+.

Thanks for the comments and feedback guys - if anyone else has thoughts, please let me know.

 

[brentbgerson]

Update:

I contacted Newegg and asked them to make the following changes:

Memory: Downgrade from 16GB to 8GB. Same memory. (I looked into the 1866, but it is not offered in a low profile version. I don't want to change out the 212+. What's more - the 8GB was actually cheaper than I expected.) -$50

GPU: Upgrade from 6870 1GB to 6950 1GB. Gigabyte model with 3 fans - pretty well reviewed on Newegg. Case should have plenty of room for this long, overclocked card. +$50

Changes should be a wash. I don't know if the Egg will honor my request, but since this has not shipped yet and today was a weekend, I am hopeful that between my e-mail and a call tomorrow morning, I can get these changes made.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

 

[brentbgerson]

Best answer selected by Brentbgerson.

 

[alexthetitan]

That 6950 is a great choice. Good luck with your new build.

 

[phamhlam]

You should have went with the MSI Twin Frozr. Also, get the hyper 212 evo which is a upgraded version.