Please critique these specs and potential build

[alco19357]

Hey everyone.

Before I start throwing money down the drain, please critique this build. Alittle about the machine I want:
- It will be my first true build
- Needs to be able to do gaming (MW2, BlackOps, any new COD game in the future)
- Needs to support 3 monitors (2 - 21.5" or smaller and 1 - 32-40inch television -- note i'll be using television because it is cheaper and I need a big screen because I do alot of coding)
- Needs to be upgradeable (I know the motherboard will put some limitations on this)
- I may want to overclock in the future, air flow is a MUST!
- Price range ~$650

So now that we've taken care of the basics, here's what I have (note: I haven't included optical drives because I can live with cheap ones for now. I will also be using Linux for the most part, so Windows is not needed yet)

Two monitors are already purchased as is the case (I have included it for feedback)

All prices are taken from NewEgg, however, if TigerDirect beats NewEgg, then I'd shop there instead.
--------------SPECS FOLLOW-------------

CASE: XION Predator Gaming Series AXP 970-001BK Mid Tower PC Case w/ Hot-Swap Enabled Front Loading Trays for SATA HDD (Newegg.com - XION Predator Gaming Series AXP 970-001BK Mid Tower PC Case w/ Hot-Swap Enabled Front Loading Trays for SATA HDD) ...... $74.99

MOBO: MSI P55-CD53 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard (Newegg.com - MSI P55-CD53 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard) ....... $109.99

CPU: Intel Core i5-760 Lynnfield 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80605I5760 (Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-760 Lynnfield 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80605I5760) ................................ $209.99

FANS/HEATSINK: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 (Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7) .............. $34.99

POWER SUPPLY: LOOKING FOR AROUND 700-800W
GPU: SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100284VXL Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity (Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100284VXL Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity) ......... $112.99

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9 (Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9) ...................... $49.99 (times 2?)

HD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (Newegg.com - Open Box: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive) ........... $40.99

------------------------------------

What are your thoughts on this machine as an "entry" level for my needs?
Suggestions and places where it may be weak are welcomed.

Thanks,
Al

[pam123]

Oh, wow!!!

Give us all a day or so to go wild!

What's your real budget limit?

[alco19357]

Originally Posted by pam123 Oh, wow!!! Give us all a day or so to go wild! What's your real budget limit?

Why, haha, you don't think I can fall within these constraints?? I'm pretty lose about the budget, however, I really don't want to exceed $800 (I'm shooting for $650). Excluding the PSU, I can hit all those parts within that dollar amount. Now is the time to find a good PSU for cheap :P

[pam123]

There is no such thing, unless you luck out on a newegg sale/rebate, as a good and cheap power supply.
Start with this one : Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply
You can go for more but not less, this is your basis.

Check the sticky on proven power supplies here : What Power Supply should I get? How many Watts? Who made it? Guide Inside.

You're going for upgrade room, also called "future proofing".

Now. when you pick your case make sure your chosen graphics card fits comfortably, read specs.
If the current ones don't upgrades will be a problem ( This isn't a sure thing but extra space is always a good idea. ).

[glc]

I would not do a Socket 1156 build, period. Go with a Socket 1155 with one of the Asus P8P67 boards. If you want to overclock, get the i5-2500K or i7-2600K. Do not buy open box components, and get the SATA 6.0 version of that hard drive. You need to increase your budget considerably and get a significantly stronger EyeFinity video card to drive 3 monitors and be able to game effectively. One of your monitors must have a DisplayPort, or you will need an active DisplayPort adapter. Buy ram in matched dual channel pairs, not single modules.

[alco19357]

Newegg.com - ASUS P8P67 LE (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

Are those better? My only concern with the mobo is will the heatsink I provided earlier be able to comfortably fit ontop of that cpu with the ram so close?

Also, do I really need a stronger GPU right now? the gaming i do is under 1080p and only on one monitor. the only reason i want 2 monitors and one tv is for coding

Thanks, Al

[glc]

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: April 2011 : April Updates

No-brainer upgrade:

Newegg.com - HIS H577FK1GD Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity

NOTE! Even though the card has 2 DVI and a HDMI, one of your 3 monitors MUST use DisplayPort. This is a hardware limitation. Here is an adapter that DOES WORK:

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE Active DisplayPort Adapter 100924 DisplayPort to DVI Interface

EDIT: It does appear that the LE board will have clearance issues with an aftermarket cooler - perhaps the P8P67 at only $10 more would be better. It should also have more overclocking options. Also - please note my ram comments - buy a 2 module kit.