First upgrade to gaming rig in 6 years!

[Duck2h]

Hi All,

I'm about to finally upgrade my gaming rig (after 6 solid years)!!!

If you guys can please spare a moment to have a look at my plan below and see where there is improvement to be made, i would greatly appreciate it.

Well the following is my components plan. I have two versions currently, and i am most likely going to run with version 2, although it is exceeding my budget ($2000) by very slightly.

Few useful information:

• I am planning to overclock this CPU, hopefully 4.5ghz or more.
• The Noctua NF-F12 Fans will be used in a push/pull configuration with the H100 cooler
• I believe i have chosen the correct RAM which is compatible with the motherboard. However, i am not sure if 16gb is an overkill on this system.
• My Monitor is 1920X1080 resolution. No plans for surround gaming at this point
• Possible future planning for SLI of the GPU.
• Undecided on either 60gb SSD or 120GB, since with the smaller SSD, i can utilize Intel's SRT.
• Not sure if i require a caviar black hard drive if i go with 120gb ssd. Perhaps a caviar green may suffice.
  

Version 1
Intel Core i7 2600K
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Gen3 Motherboard
Corsair HX-850 Power Supply
MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti Hawk 1GB
Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3
Intel 520 Series 120GB SSD
Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB WD2002FAEX
Corsair Graphite 600T Special Edition White Case
Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler
Noctua NF-S12B FLX 120mm Fan
TOTAL $1,793.00

Version 2
Intel Core i7 2600K
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Gen3 Motherboard
Corsair AX850 Gold Power Supply
MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti Hawk 1GB
Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3
Intel 520 Series 120GB SSD
Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB WD2002FAEX
Corsair Graphite 600T Special Edition White Case
Corsair Hydro Series H100 CPU Cooler
Noctua NF-S12B FLX 120mm Fan
Noctua NF-F12 PWM 120mm Fan
Noctua NF-F12 PWM 120mm Fan

A TOTAL TOTAL $2,011.00

Thank you for taking the time to read my long post and i look forward to all comments with eagerness!

[dandelioneater]

Originally Posted by Duck2h

Few useful information:

• I am planning to overclock this CPU, hopefully 4.5ghz or more.
• The Noctua NF-F12 Fans will be used in a push/pull configuration with the H100 cooler
• I believe i have chosen the correct RAM which is compatible with the motherboard. However, i am not sure if 16gb is an overkill on this system.
• My Monitor is 1920X1080 resolution. No plans for surround gaming at this point
• Possible future planning for SLI of the GPU.
• Undecided on either 60gb SSD or 120GB, since with the smaller SSD, i can utilize Intel's SRT.
• Not sure if i require a caviar black hard drive if i go with 120gb ssd. Perhaps a caviar green may suffice
  

I would get the version 2. The more efficient powersupply and h100 cooler will be worth the extra $ for your system in the long run. 2x4GB kit of ram would be fine for a gaming machine, and then you could add more later if necessary. If you want to use intel's srt, then a 60 gig ssd and WD black would be ideal i think, otherwise a larger capacity ssd (128GB crucial M4) and WD green drive for storage would be the way to go. Where are you located? You are building it yourself right? The reason I ask is I think those prices are a bit high for Z68 if you are in N.America.

GL with build.

[Bond007]

Here are my thoughts (note that I am a bang for buck person):

1) I would save the money and go with option 1. Unless you plan max overclocking air coolers are nearly as good and substantially cheaper than liquid.
2) Given you have waited 6 years I would say wait just a little longer. The new ivy bridge CPU and Nvidia mid range graphics are on the way. They should be quite a more energy efficient and likely a bit more powerful than what there is now (given how long you used your computer the power savings would be worth it).
3) consider going with the ax850 in build 1.

[LegendMask]

I would go with version 1 if
- Not planning to overclock (which probably you will do overclock)
- Planning to custom water cooling in the future

Version 2
- Will overclock your cpu
- Not planning to custom water cooling in the future
- Just want a very good PC (above average and a bit quite)

[great_big_abyss]

I don't know why some people automatically assume that you NEED a water cooler to overclock your CPU. Truth is, as long as you pay some attention to airflow in your case, you can get a very decent overclock with an air cooler. And the noctua NH-D14 is one of the best air coolers out there.

My vote is to go with Version 1, and spend the money saved on a better video card.

[LegendMask]

Originally Posted by great_big_abyss

I don't know why some people automatically assume that you NEED a water cooler to overclock your CPU. Truth is, as long as you pay some attention to airflow in your case, you can get a very decent overclock with an air cooler. And the noctua NH-D14 is one of the best air coolers out there.

My vote is to go with Version 1, and spend the money saved on a better video card.

because most people prefer low noise level, no one assumed that you need water cooling to overclock a CPU in the first place

[Adzsask]

I like build 1, it leaves room for a fairly good GPU upgrade. Noctua fans are not a good choice for a rad at all(h100), gentle typhoons are the best bar none for noise/performance ratio. Switch the PSU to XFX core series 850, or a Corsair AX850, and blow the rest on the best GPU you can get.(I just went from silver arrow which is 2C cooler then the noctua NH D14,to a RASA 360mm rad kit. I would go with the h100 and 2 gentle typhoon AP-15's pushing to keep case ambient's lower for the air cooled graphics card)

[great_big_abyss]

Originally Posted by LegendMask

because most people prefer low noise level, no one assumed that you need water cooling to overclock a CPU in the first place

All I'm saying is, if you're not planning on overclocking at all, you can stick with the stock cooler that comes in the box. People buy aftermarket tower air coolers because they are, in fact, planning on overclocking.

[Pabz0r545]

How come noone suggested the i5 2500k over the i7? The i7 will give you no benefit for gaming over the i5 2500k.

On a side note Ivy bridge is supposed to release in about a month? Heck you can already buy the z77 mobo's.

[Duck2h]

HI guys,

I live in Australia, the computer parts prices are slightly higher than North America, which is a shame.

Dandelioneater, thank you for the advice, i will definitely think about it.

The main reason why i got the H100, is primarily because i thought that it would help to cool my CPU down more, when the ambient temperature in my room is high (which is the case).

With the new IVy bridge CPU, won't the price be crazily high ($1000+)?

One thing, i have not considered yet, does the Noctua fit with the ASUS motherboard in the Corsair Case?

Thank you for all the advice :)