Wanted opinions on new rig

[TheBug]

     It has been a long time since I have put together my own rig and a lot has changed just since I bought my current Dell 5 yrs ago so I was looking for opinions on a rig I am about to pull the trigger on and purchase.  I based a lot of the stuff upon things I read in this forum (especially Silver's new rig) since AH is the main thing I use my PC for. 

     I am looking to replace my 5yr old Pentium 4.  It stills get a pretty decent frame-rate (at low graphic settings of course) until I get into an area with a big furball(especially with GVs around), then it drops and I get stutters that really makes the game not enjoyable for me to play.  So I am hoping with this new system to be able to up the eye candy and have a smoother frame-rate.  The components below after the rebates come to around $1120.00   That is towards the hi-side of what I was budgeting so I can't really make too many changes that increases the price.  But I also don't want to save a couple bucks just to incur a bunch of headaches with a cheaper component.

    So with the extent of my knowledge coming from reading this forum, Newegg reviews and a little bit on Tom's Hardware I would really appreciate some opinions on whether or not the choices I made are good ones.

Thanks! 




COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Model #:SGC-2000-KKN1-GP
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196


ASUS P8P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Model #:P8P67 (REV 3.0)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131705


XFX HD-685X-ZNDC Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Model #:HD-685X-ZNDC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150516
   

OCZ ZS Series OCZ-ZS750W 750W ATX12V v2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Performance Power ...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341049Model #:OCZ-ZS750W
   

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Model #:BX80623I52500K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072


Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Model #:CT064M4SSD2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441


G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428


Western Digital Caviar Black WD7502AAEX 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:WD7502AAEX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136794

   
Acer S201HLbd Black 20" 5ms LED-Backlight LCD monitor
Model #:ET.DS1HP.001
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009256


ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Model #:DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

   
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
Model #:GFC-02050

[gyrene81]

nice picks bug.

i do have one caution, peformance wise the intel x58 southbridge though released in 2008, is still superior to every intel chipset that has been released since except in the area of thermal power requirements. and if you like asus motherboards, this one will rock:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131665

technical data
http://ark.intel.com/

i don't generally use wikipedia as a source but, in this case the charts are somewhat complete and easily cross referenced.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_chipsets

supposedly the successor to the x58 is due out later this year, the x79. no technical details about the performance specs as yet.

[TheBug]

Thanks Gyrene.

Ok that is the stuff that has my head spinning, x58, p67, z68, ..... Too many choices these days.   

But looking at the board you posted doesn't that also change the socket type, which would force me to have to go an i7?  That combined would probably get me in trouble with the wife. 

[gyrene81]

   errr...wife ack? i didn't even think about that, but ya you're right...     forgot about the high price on those bloomfield cpu's... 

[BaldEagl]

One thing I'd look at is reducing the monitor response time to 2 ms which can easily be done and I'd look to do it in a 22" monitor.

[guncrasher]

I have this mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130574  it has great sound an oc genie that will oc to 4.1 with the push of a button..  the bios is easy to navigate too.

I have the same ram too.  I paid twice as much 6 months ago.  I would get another 8 gigs just in case not that you would need it http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231429.

you basically have my system.  except for the vc

semp

[SilverZ06]

Looks like a nice rig. The crucial ssd has gone up since I bought mine. I paid 89.99 for it. Also be wary of the "mail in rebates" from newegg. Several of my components were supposed to come with them and NONE of them had it. Here is the basic difference in the boards if i remember correctly from my research:
H67: first Mb out for the sandy bridge cpu, has on board video but little to no oc capabilities
P67: No on board video but extremely overclockable (my choice since I am buying a dedicated Video card anyway I would not use the on board, plus its cheaper)
Z68: Best of both worlds with on board video, overclockable, and has SSD cache capabilities

All new mobos you buy now for the sandy bridge are going to be B3. Dont let some of the marketing fool you. B3 is a correction to early problems on the mobos early this year but every mobo now is B3. My asrock doesnt list B3 anywhere on newegg but it Has a B3 label right on the Mobo itself. If you are planning to OC you may want to upgrade your cpu cooler. The cooler master hyper 212+ does a great job and is only $29 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

I had OC'd mine to 4.6ghz using the auto asrock oc uefi utility and running a stress test I barely hit 70*c on one of the cores (for some reason my #3 core runs about 8*c hotter than the other 3).  I am running the pc back at stock clock speeds now though as I have no reason to OC and the cpu has "turbo boost" which will run at 3.7ghz under full load but as little as 1.6ghz at idle/no load and I think I barely hit 50*c on a stress test. Usually for everyday use I sit around 29-35*c. It seems to me OC'ing is just to see who can push their cpu the farthest to post a higher benchmark score on the web. Kinda pointless in my opinion. Good luck with your build. Looks like a solid setup to me.

[Bino]

Bug, I would avoid that PSU.  According to this page at Tom's Hardware, that UL number (E243823) is OEM'd by some company called "Impervio."  OCZ is merely an importer of PSUs, and does no engineering on them.

Based on comments in here by Skuzzy, when I built my machine last year I bought a SeaSonic (see "PC components" link in signature, below).

 

[TheBug]

Thanks for the help guys!   

I had considered both the MB you have semp and SilverZ, bought I found this Asus which seems pretty close and was a little cheaper.

I was also thinking of adding that CPU cooler just in case I do any OC'ing, but wasn't really planning on it initially.

Thanks for the heads-up on the PS Bino, I will look into other options.  That Seasonic might be a bit of of my price range though.


Hoping to have everything locked down, so I can place the order this weekend.

[guncrasher]

you are spending a lot of money on that puter.   a bad power supply can fry it. I would reconsider the power supply and get one from a reliable company.  a suggestion would be for now to forget the ssd and use the money to buy a quality power supply.  you can always add the ssd later as your budget allows.  i would also upgrade the monitor to at least a 23 inch.  not sure where you live, but I would also get a monitor from a local store like bestbuy where if I dont like it I can return it just as easy.  you may pay a few bucks more, but it's just insurance.



semp

[TheBug]

I hear ya and you and Bino are right.  I've dropped that PS and looking into a more reliable one.  Might be able to squeeze the 23" monitor in too, but even 20" will be a step up from what I have now.

[Bizman]

Might be able to squeeze the 23" monitor in too, but even 20" will be a step up from what I have now.

Is your current monitor widescreen or good old 4/3? If you have the latter, I'd like to remind you, that a 20" 16/9 widescreen may have fewer dots vertically than a 17" 4/3 one.

[Bino]

Bug, FYI:

Here's a Seasonic PSU (850 watts, 40 amps) for $117, delivered...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151100

(special offer, ends today)

[TheBug]

Not sure which model it is but my current monitor is an old Dell 17" CRT, not wide-screen.  SO I guess 4:3?? Not that I can claim to know anything about the ratios.   

Decided upon the feedback to step up to a 23" Acer:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009255


Not ready to spend the cash just yet, so I'm gonna pass on that Seasonic special, but was considering switching the PSU to a Corsair:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

Regarding the CPU fan that SilverZ mentions, is that a necessity or will I be ok using the stock fan as long as I don't OC.  Figure I can always add it later if I go down OC'ing.

[SilverZ06]

Stock fan will be fine for stock speeds, and probably fine for a very mild over clock. If you want to go crazy on the overclock you will want a better cooler. I just did the cooler at the same time as the build so I didn't have to mess with cleaning and reapplying the thermal paste off of the cpu and it is only $30 plus it looks impressive  .  If you are on a tight budget skip the cooler for now.