2560x1600 IB Build Request

[ranger0900]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming and and general coding (2D stuff). Games include Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, Planetside 2 at 2560x1600
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
1600 without tax/shipping
2.1) Rebates?
Not including them in above number
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Northern Colorado
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU, Motherboard, 16GB of Memory, Graphics, CPU heatsink, 256GB SSD, sound card (using headphones Berydynamic DT770), case, wireless card, PSU
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
PC Power and Cooling S75QB 750W PS (if possible): Power Supply
Samsung DVD+RW drive: DVD+RW Drive
Digital Blue 640GB hard drive for big files: Hard Drive
6) Will you be overclocking?
Only slightly, don't believe the games I listed above are that CPU bound. (Feel free to correct me if wrong)
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
2560x1600, I have a 30" monitor I plan on using for gaming
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
In the next month if possible. I do not believe there are any major refreshes coming that soon, so figured now is good as any.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
Wireless would be very-nice, but an add-in card is also acceptable. I am loosing my proximity to a ethernet cable in the new apartment.
Having USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s would be nice. Don't need firewire, eSATA, external video or even the old PS2 ports. Don't need many USB ports. Only running a single HD, so no need for RAID. Didn't really plan on doing Crossfire or SLI, unless someone convinces me otherwise.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 64-bit Pro


Current Spec:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz LGA775
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L
4x OCZ 1GB DDR2 1066 PC2 8500
ATI VisionTek HD 4870 512MB Graphics


Here are the parts I have considered:
$229 Intel 3570K
$407 EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW
For the motherboards I've looked at the following 3 (2 Gold award winners). Given I have little plans to overclock, I was even considering the ASRock:
$177 MSI Z77A-GD65
$150 Asus P8Z77-V LK
$135 AsRock Z77 Extreme4

 

[Dangman]

6) Will you be overclocking?
Only slightly, don't believe the games I listed above are that CPU bound. (Feel free to correct me if wrong)

SC2 can be CPU heavy sometimes during big multi-player games. Planetside 2 hasn't been released yet nor have there been any performance figures from the beta players. With that said, it wouldn't be surprising if Planetside 2 was CPU heavy considering that BF3, a 64 player FPS with aircraft and vehicles just like Planetside, is pretty CPU heavy. Since Planetside 2 will have more players playing in a single area than BF3's 64 players, it wouldn't be surprising if Planetside 2 is CPU heavy.

Also, whats' your definition of "slightly" of an overclock? I ask because if your definition of a slight OC is less than or equal to 3.6Ghz, you don't need that 3570K CPU or any of the mobos you listed at all since the limited overclock capable Core i5 3450 (3.6Ghz at most give or take) will satisfy your needs:
$307 - Core i5 3470 CPU + MSI Z77A-G43 Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard Combo

However if you want to OC past 3.6Ghz, you're defintily gonna want to spend the extra cash for fully overclock capable Core i5 3570K plus better overclocking mobo:
$355 - Core i5 3570K CPU + Asus P8Z77-V LK Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard Combo

So what'll it be?

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
In the next month if possible. I do not believe there are any major refreshes coming that soon, so figured now is good as any.

What's the likelihood of you being able able to buy all parts before August 31st? I ask because after August 31st, the CPU + mobo combo deals I listed above expire.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 64-bit

Which version? Pro? Home Premium?

$150 Asus P8Z77-V

You linked the wrong mobo: You linked to the Asus P8Z77-V LK. The Asus P8Z77-V costs $190/URL]. However the P8Z77-V LK is still a good mobo.

 

[ranger0900]

Thanks for the fast response! Here are answers to your questions:

Also, whats' your definition of "slightly" of an overclock? I ask because if your definition of a slight OC is less than or equal to 3.6Ghz, you don't need that 3570K CPU or any of the mobos you listed at all since the limited overclock capable Core i5 3450 (3.6Ghz at most give or take) will satisfy your needs:
$307 - Core i5 3470 CPU + MSI Z77A-G43 Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard Combo

However if you want to OC past 3.6Ghz, you're defintily gonna want to spend the extra cash for fully overclock capable Core i5 3570K plus better overclocking mobo:
$355 - Core i5 3570K CPU + Asus P8Z77-V LK Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard Combo

So what'll it be?

I was not planning on trying to push for every ounce of extra performance from the CPU, but if I can easily push the CPU without much trouble then I'll go for it. That said, I think the 3470 + MSI board sounds like the way to go.

What's the likelihood of you being able able to buy all parts before August 31st? I ask because after August 31st, the CPU + mobo combo deals I listed above expire.

Very high. Once I have a full part list and know how much total I need to spend I will buy it all.

Which version? Pro? Home Premium?

Sorry! Pro.

You linked the wrong mobo

Sorry again! Fixed that up.

 

[Dangman]

$307 - Core i5 3470 CPU + MSI Z77A-G43 Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard Combo
$90 - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$407 - eVGA GTX 670 FTW
$200 - Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB SSD
$75 - Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W PSU
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
$56 - Asus Xobar DSX PCI-E Sound Card
$30 - Asus PCE-N15 Wireless Adapter
----
Total: $1195 shipped

I included a new PSU because that PC P&C is a tad old and kinda noisy and you'll probably want to be able to reuse your current PC for something. Can't reuse if it doesn't have a PSU. Since you should still have some room left in your budget after the case and since you have Windows 7 Pro, go ahead and grab another set of the recommended RAM above to get a total of 32GB of RAM if you want.

As for the case, choose your own case. I do recommend the following cases:
$80 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
$90 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$105 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Arctic White ATX Case
$105 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Titanium Grey ATX Case
$105 - Fractal Design Define R4 with Window Black Pearl ATX Case
$110 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$110 - Fractal Design Define R4 Titanium Grey ATX Case
$110 - Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl ATX Case
$119 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Green Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR White Finish w/Red Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White ATX Case
$140 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$160 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$160 - Thermaltake VN300M1W2N Chase MK-1 ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$162 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW-USB3.0 ATX case
$180 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02S ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case
$240 - Silverstone FT02S-W-USB3.0 ATX Case
$245 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW ATX Case

 

[ranger0900]

Thank you so much for taking the time to help out!

One final question: the SSD
I've been trying to read up reviews on SSDs and from what I read it seems the deciding difference between the Samsung, OCZ, Crucial and Plextor is price? Would you agree? Other than that is there a real reason to consider any of the other brands?

 

[Dangman]

One final question: the SSD
I've been trying to read up reviews on SSDs and from what I read it seems the deciding difference between the Samsung, OCZ, Crucial and Plextor is price? Would you agree? Other than that is there a real reason to consider any of the other brands?

I don't agree. I wouldn't recommend OCZ at all since most of their SSDs uses the Sandforce controller, OCZ's poor SSD track record, and OCZ's relatively poor customer support. As for the other three, in addition to price, it also comes down to warranty and who you trust more. Plextor offers a 5 year warranty on their SSDs which might be important to some. As for trust, it's down to who you trust more out of those remaining three. For me personally, Crucial gets my vote. As for other SSDs to consider, the Corsair Performance Pro is definitely in the same category as the Samsung 830, Crucial M4, and Plextor M3 series SSDs in that it comes down to price and who you trust more. Quality and performance is virtually the same among those four SSDs. Also, all four SSD companies are fairly trustworthy. Now if you want something super reliable at whatever the cost, Intel's 520 series SSDs are worth taking a look at.