New 2600k build

[Avalanche]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming (BF3, TF2, CoD, ME2), photoshop, browsing, possibly as a media server

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1500 shipped

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Boise, ID

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.
Looking at CPU, RAM, CPU heatsink, GPU, case, new SATA DVD drive, motherboard, PSU

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Intel X-25M 80GB G2 SSD
WD 500GB AAKS 7200
Seagate 1.5TB
Maxtor 200GB (possibly)

(all SATA drives)

6) Will you be overclocking?
Going to try to get a 2600k to 5ghz. Not planning on OCing the GPU

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
24" 1920x1200

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next two weeks to a month

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
RAID, both SLI and CF would be nice, USB 3.0, SATA 6, 7.1 channel audio

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

Here is a copy of a build I was looking at:

EVGA GTX 570 $319.99

Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive IHAS424-98 - Retail (Black) $23.99

Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) 240-Pin DDR3 Memory Kit for Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and AMD Platforms SDRAM CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 $51.98

Corsair HX Professional Series 850-Watt 80 Plus Certified Power Supply Compatible with Core i7 and Core i5 - CMPSU-850HX $164.99

Corsair Cooling Hydro-Series All-in-One High-Performance Liquid CPU Cooler CWCH60 $64.88

Intel Core i7-2600K Processor 3.4GHz 8 MB Cache Socket LGA1155 $314.95

Gigabyte LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard GA-P67A-UD4-B3 $164.99

Corsair Obsidian 800D Full Tower Case $244.99


Total: $1379.76


Thoughts?

 

[tiraides]

Why are you going with the i7-2600K? None of your proposed tasks need Hyper Threading.

What's your ratio of gaming versus Photoshop?

What's the model number of the Seagate HDD?

What RAID are you going to use?

What type of media are you planning on streaming?

 

[Avalanche]

Why are you going with the i7-2600K? None of your proposed tasks need Hyper Threading.
If I end up using it as a partial media server I will be ripping my movies and such to it. If that is the case, I may end up also using it to transcode the videos and resize them for viewing on my EVO 4G. I presume the extra threads would help in that case. I also will be learning to use After Effects and Premiere Pro on this machine

What's your ratio of gaming versus Photoshop?
About 1:1. I use PS pretty often, but my girlfriend uses it more for her profession.

What's the model number of the Seagate HDD?
ST31500341AS

What RAID are you going to use?
RAID 0 most likely.

What type of media are you planning on streaming?
Music (generic 192kbps songs) and movies (probably Blu-ray quality when I finally throw a BR drive in)

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Well a few things.

First I would wait until Septembers Newegg combo deals are posted. This usually happens after the first week of each month, so by the second week of September would be the best time to buy.

Few problems with your build.

Depending on what you are doing with Photoshop, you'll benefit from a Nvidia video card since Adobe's software makes use of Nvidia's CUDA technology.

Do you really need light scribe? You can get a regular dvd burner for less than $20 from Newegg, save a few dollars.

Their is no need for DDR3 1600 memory when Sandy Bridge CPUs do not need to overclock the RAM, therefore you'll see no decrease in performance going with cheaper DDR3 1333 RAM instead.

I would get the 850W Enthusiasts PSU from newegg for $134.99 + $5.99.

Here is a list of much better cases, for less money. Compliments of Danny_Bui.

$90 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$100 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$110 - NZXT Whisper WHI - 001BK ATX Full Tower Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-60FN ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7FN ATX Case
$120 - Velocity Micro GX2-W Silver Classic Aluminum Case with Side Window
$120 - Fractal Design Arc Mini Tower
$127 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$140 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$143 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$150 - Corsair Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$190 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case[/QUOTE]

 

[tiraides]

Do you pay sales tax on NewEgg purhcases? Do you have Amazon Prime?

I recommend the EVGA GTX 570 over the MSI HD 6970. It performs just as well yet it costs less. Additionally, if you use CS4 or CS5, you can utilize the card's CUDA technology to improve Photoshop performance.

I also recommend adding a 2TB or 3TB green HDD for storage purposes.

Do you currently have any Blu-ray movies?

 

[Avalanche]

Well a few things.

First I would wait until Septembers Newegg combo deals are posted. This usually happens after the first week of each month, so by the second week of September would be the best time to buy.

Few problems with your build.

Depending on what you are doing with Photoshop, you'll benefit from a Nvidia video card since Adobe's software makes use of Nvidia's CUDA technology.

Noted.

Do you really need light scribe? You can get a regular dvd burner for less than $20 from Newegg, save a few dollars.

That just happened to be the fastest burner I could find for cheap. Will look on Newegg.

Their is no need for DDR3 1600 memory when Sandy Bridge CPUs do not need to overclock the RAM, therefore you'll see no decrease in performance going with cheaper DDR3 1333 RAM instead.

Would this kit be decent? Trying to stick with corsair as I've had good luck with them.

I would get the 850W Enthusiasts PSU from newegg for $134.99 + $5.99.

I prefer the modular version, just a little cleaner IMO.

Here is a list of much better cases, for less money. Compliments of Danny_Bui.

$90 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$100 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$110 - NZXT Whisper WHI - 001BK ATX Full Tower Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-60FN ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7FN ATX Case
$120 - Velocity Micro GX2-W Silver Classic Aluminum Case with Side Window
$120 - Fractal Design Arc Mini Tower
$127 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$140 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$143 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$150 - Corsair Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$190 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case

I have a CM690 and do not think it is a better case. It's nice, but not near as good. I enjoy the hot swap feature of the 800d and would like to keep that. Also, most of those do not have a window. I would prefer a window. I may be biased, but I did a build for my dad last year and used the 800D, and it was just so nice to build with.

 

[Avalanche]

Do you pay sales tax on NewEgg purhcases? Do you have Amazon Prime?

No sales tax on either Amazon, Newegg, or TigerDirect. I do have Prime.

I recommend the EVGA GTX 570 over the MSI HD 6970. It performs just as well yet it costs less. Additionally, if you use CS4 or CS5, you can utilize the card's CUDA technology to improve Photoshop performance.

Sounds good. Updated OP.

I also recommend adding a 2TB or 3TB green HDD for storage purposes.

Do you currently have any Blu-ray movies?

I was planning to add storage a couple of months following the build. I do have some Blu-ray movies, but I would probably get a BR drive around the same time as the storage addition.

 

[Dangman]

Would this kit be decent? Trying to stick with corsair as I've had good luck with them.

Not decent on account of its RAM voltage varying from 1.5V to 1.65V. You want RAM rated at a straight 1.5V.

With that said, considering that you're using a liquid cooling solution and that the Vengence RAM you linked happens to be at the cheap price of $52 and is rated at 1.5V, that Vengence isn't that bad of a buy unless you really can find a 1.5V DDR3 1333 RAM set for less.

I have a CM690 and do not think it is a better case. It's nice, but not near as good. I enjoy the hot swap feature of the 800d and would like to keep that. Also, most of those do not have a window. I would prefer a window. I may be biased, but I did a build for my dad last year and used the 800D, and it was just so nice to build with.

The 800D is a good case. If you're willing to pay for it, by all means get it.

 

[Avalanche]

Not decent on account of its RAM voltage varying from 1.5V to 1.65V. You want RAM rated at a straight 1.5V.

With that said, considering that you're using a liquid cooling solution and that the Vengence RAM you linked happens to be at the cheap price of $52 and is rated at 1.5V, that Vengence isn't that bad of a buy unless you really can find a 1.5V DDR3 1333 RAM set for less.

The 800D is a good case. If you're willing to pay for it, by all means get it.

Roger that. Any other suggestions?

 

[Gordo74]

I'd go with Z68 over P67 at this point. If you want to stay with Gigabyte (I dont blame you, I like them as well) I'd go with a GA-Z68X-UD3H