Critique my gaming build

[_dangtx_]

and if you have a cooler that is made to run fanless then no death or throttling :)

[GT7R]

Originally Posted by SKYMTL

Go Z68 + WD Black 2TB + a 60GB SSD instead of a 1TB HDD + 120GB SSD.

Why Z68? Can't find ANY reason for it in these kind of builds.

[Eldonko]

SSD caching? Saves money bc you only need a 64gb SSD (or smaller).

[SKYMTL]

Originally Posted by Eldonko

SSD caching? Saves money bc you only need a 64gb SSD (or smaller).

Bingo. The caching feature on smaller drives acts almost the same as using a separate large boot drive but does so with much more intelligence and at a lower cost.

[GT7R]

Gotcha. btw completely agreed with SKY about WC.

[rentay]

Hey guys,

Thanks so much for your opinions! I really appreciate them!

So, the Z68 seems to be the way to go, is the SSD ok? I have heard a few rumours that data integrity is not the best and it might be better to use say an Intel 510?
With the caching, do I need to set that up or does the mobo do all that for me?

In reference to the graphics cards, is 1.5Gb in SLi plenty? I have read that going the 3Gb cards doesnt really povide a benefit?

And air cooling seems to be the way to go? I have a Abit IP35-Pro and Q6600 running @ 3.4Ghz on watercooling for the last 4 years and it has never skipped a beat, never had an leaks and it is actually very quiet!

I look forward to your replies!

Regards,

[SKYMTL]

120GB will be lost with the Z68 + its Intel RST drivers as they don't support cache drives above 64GB. Honestly, grab a Corsair Force 3 or OCZ Agility 3 60GB drive and you'll be great.

[rentay]

Ok, here is the amended parts list!

Case: Corsair 800D
PSU: Silverstone 1kW Strider Gold (ST-1000G)
CPU: INTEL Core i7 2600K
Mobo: ASUS P8Z68-V Pro (B3)
Memory: CORSAIR CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 - DDR3-1600 - 2 x 4GB - Vengeance - 8-8-8-24
GPU: 2 x EVGA GeForce GTX580 Superclocked 1.5Gb SLi
SSD: Corsair Force Series 3 60Gb
HDD: WD Caviar Black 2tb
Optical drive: Pioneer BDR-206 Blu-Ray Disc Writer
OS: Windows 7 Pro 64bit
Cooling: Custom water cooling for cpu and gpu

In regards to the motherboard, should I choose the Pro over the Deluxe?

Thanks in advance!

[Keltron 3030]

I would recommend going with the i5 2500k; the only difference between the i5 and i7 is hyper-threading. You won't notice any difference in games between the two, and you would save ~$100

EDIT: To answer your question, the PRO looks quite capable of your needs Good luck on the build!

[rentay]

Hiya!

Thanks all for the informative replies! I really do appreciate it, especially nowadays, it is so hard to keep up to date with the latest hardware!

Just one final question, how easy is it to overclock these processors? I heard that ASUS have some oc feature in the bios where the mobo takes care of everything? Or should I stick to the traditional way by adjusting values and running Prime95?

Thanks in advance

Regards,