Gaming Rig Check and Help

[echrisinger]

Here's my build

i5 2500k
XFX Radeon 6950 2GB Edition [Bios Flash to 6970]
Corsair Vengeance 4GB
Asus P8P67
Corsair TX750 V2
WD Caviar Black 640GB 7200rpm
Coolermaster Hyper 212+
60GB SSD [OCZ Vertex 2 60GB?]

Is there a cheaper 60GB SSD than the Vertex 2 with great gaming performance?
Is it a bad idea to install Windows on my HDD and install just games on my SSD?
Is the Z68 better than the P67 for gaming? Which would you suggest?
How would a second 6970 impact a game like Battlefield 3?
Should I get a second 6970 if my main games are CS:S, CoD4, and Quake?

[Thanks glc for reading/responding to my message/having me re-do it]

If possible please answer the questions and thanks for viewing

[Note: I say TX750 V2 since I may get a second hard drive later, and 4 more GB of ram]

[glc]

1. If you want a 6950 or any other ATI/AMD video card, I'd recommend an Asus, Diamond, HIS, or Sapphire. XFX is not a quality brand.

2. The only SSD's I trust are Intel. There is no advantage whatsoever to a SSD unless you install both the OS and the games on it - and you will need a lot more than 60gb to do that. If you can't afford a larger Intel SSD, just stick with WD Black SATA 6.0's.

3. Stick with the P67, and if you are even thinking about a 2nd video card, get the P8P67 Pro.

4. 6950 or 6970? Either way, get ONE card for now.

5. You don't need more PSU for hard drives or ram - it's video cards that suck power. You will need the 750 only if you get a second video card.

[echrisinger]

The only SSD's I trust are Intel. There is no advantage whatsoever to a SSD unless you install both the OS and the games on it - and you will need a lot more than 60gb to do that.

According to Microsoft Windows 7 only takes up 20gb with the 64 Bit edition. I've heard it takes up to 40GB but it won't take up all 60 or 80 will it?
I only want the SSD for CoD4 and CS:S (12.5gb combined)
Also, would you trust anIntel 320 Series 80gb SSD? That's looking to be what I'll go with.

Stick with the P67, and if you are even thinking about a 2nd video card, get the P8P67 Pro.

On the website it says that the P8P67 is usable for Crossfire, or is the issue it's not x8/x8?

6950 or 6970? Either way, get ONE card for now.

This is more of an opinion question, but do you believe the rumors of permanent damage overtime/immediate to 6950's that were flashed? I've heard of it but I think it's worth the risk[?]

You don't need more PSU for hard drives or ram - it's video cards that suck power. You will need the 750 only if you get a second video card.

This was just going off of what the Newegg PSU calculator told me.
Ok, so what would you suggest. Given that my main games are CoD4 and CS:S which obviously will run great on one 6950/6970, would you suggest I get another 6970 at a later date? I'm siding on just getting a single 6950/6970 presently, giving me $50 to spend on my SSD.

Also, do you have any suggestions for a case w/ good airflow and "cool" gaming looks [Not a fan of the CM series style looks] for under $80?
Also, do you have recommendations for a good gaming keyboard? I would like to get a mechanical keyboard as they're apparently better for gaming, but whatever you think is a reasonably priced keyboard.
[I feel like this post is very sassy sounding. Sorry about that, it's not intended to be lol...]

[glc]

I have a hard time believing that you will be building a computer to only play 2 games. Even if you install software on a different drive, it will still install some stuff on the Windows drive whether you like it or not. This is what can fill up a SSD fast.

EDIT: If I were to get a SSD, I'd spend the BIG bucks on an Intel 510 or not get one at all.

The P8P67 is X16/X4. The Pro is X8/X8. If you want X16/X16 you have to get a board with a NF200 bridge such as the WS Revolution.

If you get a single card now, with an appropriate motherboard and PSU, you have the option of getting a second card at any time without having to upgrade anything else. The TX750 V2 is certified by AMD for a pair of 6970's.

Cases are a personal choice. For good airflow, it's hard to beat a Coolermaster HAF series.

I'm not a gamer and I use cheap $10 keyboards. Can't really help you on that!

[Sourtop]

I recently bought a Steelseries 7g and so far its an incredible keyboard. I love the mechanical keys.

[echrisinger]

Originally Posted by glc The P8P67 is X16/X4. The Pro is X8/X8. If you want X16/X16 you have to get a board with a NF200 bridge such as the WS Revolution.

So how much of a difference will x16 versus x8 make on crossfired 6970s?
I'm still leaning towards a single 6970 as I'll save $50 and can put that towards the 510, which I'll probably get by the end of the summer.

Cases are a personal choice. For good airflow, it's hard to beat a Coolermaster HAF series.

Ehhhh... I'm not a huge fan of the HAF series I know :P
I like the looks of the Thermaltake V9 Black Edition (or Blacx edition) and it has USB 3.0 on the front and good airflow by the looks of it (I'm going to get more fans) Opinion(s)?

[echrisinger]

Originally Posted by Sourtop I recently bought a Steelseries 7g and so far its an incredible keyboard. I love the mechanical keys.

Ehh... I'm a big fan of agressive looking equipment, so I'm doubting that's the keyboard for me.
I'm thinking I'll go with the Razer BlackWidow [Regular Ed.] as I like the looks and it's mechanical

[glc]

X8/X8 is acceptable for 2 cards, but X16/X4 is not, in my opinion. Any of the P67 boards will run a single card at X16.

Note - did you change that WD Black to the SATA 6.0 version?

[echrisinger]

Originally Posted by glc X8/X8 is acceptable for 2 cards, but X16/X4 is not, in my opinion. Any of the P67 boards will run a single card at X16. Note - did you change that WD Black to the SATA 6.0 version?

I've decided that I'm going with a single 6970 (6950). Also, yes I did change it to the 6.0 version, with the 64Mb cache
Another question, would you recommend a 10200rpm Hard Drive? I don't know if that's overkill or not but would it help my speed a lot or not much

[birddog_61]

Originally Posted by echrisinger Ehhhh... I'm not a huge fan of the HAF series I know :P I like the looks of the Thermaltake V9 Black Edition (or Blacx edition) and it has USB 3.0 on the front and good airflow by the looks of it (I'm going to get more fans) Opinion(s)?

The Blacx is a fantastic case, I like everything about it. The airflow it brings through the case is just ridiculous, and if you point your cpu cooler where it blows up it exhaust all the hot air directly into the 220mm exhaust fan on top of the case.

[echrisinger]

Originally Posted by birddog_61 The Blacx is a fantastic case, I like everything about it. The airflow it brings through the case is just ridiculous, and if you point your cpu cooler where it blows up it exhaust all the hot air directly into the 220mm exhaust fan on top of the case.

Well, thats what I'll be going with then

[glc]

The WD Black benches within 2% of the 10k Velociraptor.

[echrisinger]

Final Build

Hardware
Intel i5 2500k
Sapphire Ati Radeon 6950 Bios Swapped into a 6970
Corsair Vengeance 4GB @ 1600 Mhz
Asus P8P67 Regular Ed.
Corsair TX650
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB @ 7200rpm 6.0gb 64 cache
Corsair TX650
Coolermaster Hyper 212+
LG Black Optical Drive [Not official name...]
Thermaltake V9 Blacx

Accessories
Razer BlackWidow
Razer Deathadder

Later Additions
Intel 510 Series 120 GB SSD [For sure ]
Upgrade to 8GB of memory [Maybe]

So any final comments/questions? If possible please help me to make sure I didn't forget anything big. I'm assuming I don't need a network card or anything like that to run LAN/Wireless network... The list above is EVERYTHING I'm ordering for my computer so there is no question if I don't have it if it's not up there.

Thanks for the help if thats it!

[and I won't be getting the velociraptor then!]

[glc]

You will need a card for wireless, the motherboard has an onboard wired adapter. Do you need wireless, and if so, what's the brand and model of your router?

[echrisinger]

Originally Posted by glc You will need a card for wireless, the motherboard has an onboard wired adapter. Do you need wireless, and if so, what's the brand and model of your router?

Ah this would be a problem as I'm switching to fios very soon so I'm not sure presently I'm on some sort of qwest router D:

[glc]

Okay - so it's a wireless router provided by the ISP, and the FIOS will be too.

Wired is ALWAYS preferable, but if you MUST go wireless:

Newegg.com - Rosewill RNX-N150PCx IEEE 802.11b/g/n PCI 2.2 Wireless Adapter Up to 150Mbps Wireless Data Rates 64/128 bits WEP WPA (TKIP with IEEE802.1x) WPA2 (AES with IEEE802.1x)

[echrisinger]

Thanks
I'm going to try out powerline, as it's in a different room, or try to get an ethernet cord wound outside my house, but I would like to have a wireless card also. Also is there a sort of "sub-router" I could get for my room that has similar connection to the original router?
Is there anything else I could possibly need in addition (just random items)?

[glc]

This powerline kit is supposed to work REAL well:

Newegg.com - NETGEAR XAVB5001-100NAS Up to 500Mbps Powerline AV 500 Adapter Kit

Cheaper but not as fast:

Newegg.com - TRENDnet TPL-303E2K Up to 200Mbps Powerline AV Adapter Kit

If you need to connect multiple devices in your room, simply plug your end of the powerline kit into a switch.

Newegg.com - LevelOne FSW-0511 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet Switch 5 x RJ45

[echrisinger]

Thanks