New Hardware Decisions

[Hexus0]

I'm looking to build a new computer in the next couple of weeks. My friend and I have very similar hardware and we're stuck at the same problem. The current hardware I'm looking at is:

Intel I5 2500K
Asus P8P67 Pro
AMD 6950 2GB
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600
Corsair 750HW PSU

My problem comes down mainly to the decision on storage, SSD vs HDD. Originally I felt it might be a no brainer to go with an SSD and so I was looking at the OCZ Vertex 2 120gb (~$190), but as I started reading more, other than improving load times for games and programs and startup times it doesn't seem like it'd offer me much more improvement. I realized I could use that $190 to go with a 2600K and a 1TB HDD instead, which would also allow me to run linux. As far as uses go I'll be gaming and programming, nothing incredibly insane. To me it almost sounds like I should just go with a 2600K/1TB instead of an SSD, but I figured I'd get opinions first and see.

I'd also like to note I don't use/need huge amounts of hard drive space, but dual booting on a 120GB drive would be tough lol.

 

[Dangman]

Unless you're doing a ton of heavily multi-threaded programming the 2600K really isn't worth it.

A SSD doesn't just improve load times and startup times. It also improves response times as well. Unfortuantely, SSD is something that you have to experience yourself to fully understand just how fast and responsive the system is with a SSD. However you also chose the wrong SSD as well: That OCZ SSD is fairly slow actually compared to other SSDs. Not to mention the host of issues with the particular model as well OCZ's relatively poor track record with SSDs and customer service makes that SSD a bad buy overall. If you actually want a quality SSD, your best bet would be a Crucial C300, C400, or m4 series SSDs or Intel's 320 or 510 series SSD. In actual usage, despite the differences in stated specs, all of the SSDs I just mentioned will demolish that OCZ SSD you chose in real world usage.

Oh and I would not go with the Asus P8P67 Pro as it does have a significantly higher rate of issues than other high-end P67 motherboards out there. Before I make a recommendation: What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.

Also note that you can save roughly $25 by going with this PSU + RAM combo:
$200 - Corsair 750HX 750W PSU + G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

No, you won't notice an iota of difference between the Corsair RAM and the above G.Skill RAM.

 

[Shane_c82]

I wasn't blown away with my Crucial C300 until I went back to mechanical drives on my laptops and work PCs. They are impressive, and as Danny suggests you need to get your hands on one to experience it.

Windows 7 fully updated should take up around 25GB, give or take some. Since you said you don't need a lot of space, you should have room to dual boot Linux or even another Windows version.

 

[Hexus0]

Unless you're doing a ton of heavily multi-threaded programming the 2600K really isn't worth it.

A SSD doesn't just improve load times and startup times. It also improves response times as well. Unfortuantely, SSD is something that you have to experience yourself to fully understand just how fast and responsive the system is with a SSD. However you also chose the wrong SSD as well: That OCZ SSD is fairly slow actually compared to other SSDs. Not to mention the host of issues with the particular model as well OCZ's relatively poor track record with SSDs and customer service makes that SSD a bad buy overall. If you actually want a quality SSD, your best bet would be a Crucial C300, C400, or m4 series SSDs or Intel's 320 or 510 series SSD. In actual usage, despite the differences in stated specs, all of the SSDs I just mentioned will demolish that OCZ SSD you chose in real world usage.

Oh and I would not go with the Asus P8P67 Pro as it does have a significantly higher rate of issues than other high-end P67 motherboards out there. Before I make a recommendation: What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.

Also note that you can save roughly $25 by going with this PSU + RAM combo:
$200 - Corsair 750HX 750W PSU + G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

No, you won't notice an iota of difference between the Corsair RAM and the above G.Skill RAM.

Thank you guys for the help, I really do appreciate the insight, but it seems like I'm going to be staying away from SSDs. I looked at the SSDs you recommended and they're a good $50+ more than the one I was looking at. I think with the price difference, I'll just pick up a nice 1TB hard drive and move up to a 2600K (and still have some change left over). As far as the PSU/Memory deal, I actually have that same PSU listed, I don't know why I had it written as HW and not HX. The deal seems pretty good, but I want to stay from Newegg because of tax in CA, but I'll definitely look at it and consider.

Concerning the motherboard, I chose the Asus P8P67 Pro because everyone seemed to recommend it in the motherboard section. I don't have huge requirements for a motherboard, a nice stable one with USB 3.0, SATA 6GB/s (in case I purchase an SSD later), and the ability to have Crossfire down the line would mainly be it. Is there a different motherboard you'd recommend?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Dangman]

Concerning the motherboard, I chose the Asus P8P67 Pro because everyone seemed to recommend it in the motherboard section. I don't have huge requirements for a motherboard, a nice stable one with USB 3.0, SATA 6GB/s (in case I purchase an SSD later), and the ability to have Crossfire down the line would mainly be it. Is there a different motherboard you'd recommend?

Thanks for all the help!

I recommend this mobo:
$155 - MSI P67A-GD55 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard

 

[Hexus0]

I recommend this mobo:
$155 - MSI P67A-GD55 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard

Thanks for the recommendation. Read through some reviews and checked out the Motherboard forum, sounds like a great board. I never had any problems w/ my MSI K8N Neo2, so its good to go with a company I'm familiar with.

I think I've almost finalize my build, here is what I have currently:
Intel I7 2600K - $280 - * 9.75 = $307.30 - Microcenter Frys Pricematch
MSI P67A-GD65 - $170.00 - http://www.amazon.com/MSI-LGA1155-B3-Motherboard-P67A-GD65/dp/B004P3X4VU
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR 1600mhZ - $90 - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QBUL1C...e=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B004QBUL1C
Sapphire Radeon HD6950 - $270 - $30 = $240 - http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-DL-DVI-I-SL-DVI-D-PCI-Express-100312-2SR/dp/B004TA6RY0
Samsung 1TB SpinPoint F3 - $60 - http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/accessories/B002MQC0P8
Corsair 750HW - 140 - http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CMPSU-750HX-Professional-Certified-compatible/dp/tech-data/B0029F21LK
Asus VE248H 24" - $195 - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/747880-REG/ASUS_VE248H_VE248H_24_LED_Backlit.html

My main concern now is figuring out which brand 6950 to go with. I really want an XFX because of the warranty, but can't seem to find any in the $250-$275 price, so here are a couple of different ones I'm deciding between:

HIS 6950 IceQ X Turbo 2GB - $270
HIS 6950 2GB - $250 - $20 MIR = $230

 

[Dangman]

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-LGA1155-B3-Motherboard-P67A-GD65/dp/B004P3X4VU
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR 1600mhZ - $90 -

Yeah you're not gonna notice a difference between that RAM and this RAM:
$36 - Patriot PSD34G13332 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

So $18 less (if you get two Patriots) for the same performance.

HIS 6950 IceQ X Turbo 2GB - $270
HIS 6950 2GB - $250 - $20 MIR = $230

Neigther are good choices on account of both being from HIS. I recommend this Asus on account of the better warranty and better customer support:
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-EAH6950-...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1307666399&sr=1-12