New Build

[silentvoices]

Hello

My Current specs..

Antec 900

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor/////Set at @3.5g with 1.31v on cpu-vcore.Idles 25C load 45C

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - Retail

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm,Use 2 120mm for push and pull.

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 .

EVGA 01G-P3-1373-AR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked EE 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

(2) LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support - Retail

Rosewill RC-401-EX 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI-Express Gigabit Low Profile Network Card - Retail

(2) Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive

(1) Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive


Your probably wondering why I want to build again.I want to switch to Sata III,USB 3.0 ect...Sure I could upgrade,but that means I would have to replace case to handle bigger video card,motherboard,ram...Thats why I made the decision.Its always nice to have a back-up,just in case.Any games windows 7 has a problem with,especially older games,I'm covered.This will be used for gaming.Still using Windows XP,so the upgrade will include windows 7,so I can take advantage of more ram, and DX 11 support.


Other thoughts...

I bought a copy of 7,but its just collecting dust I have a 5.1 surround,so onboard audio is no advantage for my purpose.Yes,I always use a separate NIC card.I just do!

Why do so many Gigabyte boards have no clearance for large heatsinks in relation to ram slots.I barley cleared my ram on my first rig using a Hyper 212.They always seem to put the 8pin connector and audio header in stupid place.I love there boards,but I wish they would work on those issues.

My budget is around $1000-$1200.

I have used Evga in the past,and always had good luck with these cards.GTS 250,GTX 460.So far....

I have Windows 7,Keyboard,sound system,and a MX518 mouse.I also have a monitor,but will upgrade at a later date.

I made a short list of parts. I am a big fan of amd,but after looking at Intel's offerings its hard to pass up.This is not complete or set in stone,by any means, except the case,and chip

Antec DF-85 Black ATX Full Tower Computer Case $155.00
Newegg.com - Antec DF-85 Black ATX Full Tower Computer Case

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 $214.00
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

LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS-324-98B $21.00
Newegg.com - LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS-324-98B

CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 (CMPSU-750HX) 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified $140.00
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 (CMPSU-750HX) 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Intel EXPI9301CTBLK Network Adapter 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI-Express 1 x RJ45 $30.00
Newegg.com - Intel EXPI9301CTBLK Network Adapter 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI-Express 1 x RJ45

Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX 4 sticks=$100.00)
Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R1 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+ $35.00
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R1 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

[glc]

Suggested changes:

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9 (to clear the heatsink)

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650M 650W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular High Performance Power Supply (assuming you want modular, save some bucks)

Additions:

Newegg.com - ASUS P8Z68-V LE LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Newegg.com - EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Hard drives are OUTRAGEOUS right now - this is a bad time to buy them. I'll let you pick them out - WD Black is still the best out there, and if you are interested the Z68 chipset supports use of a 64gb SSD to cache the hard drive.

[silentvoices]

Originally Posted by glc Hard drives are OUTRAGEOUS right now - this is a bad time to buy them. I'll let you pick them out - WD Black is still the best out there, and if you are interested the Z68 chipset supports use of a 64gb SSD to cache the hard drive.

I couldn't agree more.I paid $80 a piece for 2 Western Digital Caviar Black 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" In March of 2010

Originally Posted by glc Z68 chipset supports use of a 64gb SSD to cache the hard drive.

Please explain.In terms of hard drives for dummies


I was also considering GTX 570.I did not list a video card,but the 560 GTX is not much of an upgrade.There is about a $150 dollar difference,but this is a gaming build.No sense in going cheap, considering my purpose.

Thanks for the ram tip.I went on New Egg to get an idea of a decent motherboard,and I was not impressed at all.Features were great comparing venders,but dependability was not the ongoing census.I know,I take the reviews on the egg with a grain of salt.

So you think I would be ok with a 650 for a PSU?I don't plan to use 2 video cards.I doubt I would add any more to the mix than my current pc.

I will be busy checking out those links.Thanks for the ideas.On last thing.I had no idea the Intel Core i5-2500K could overclock like a bandit,and still use lower volts on the cpu-vcore.Thats my dream gaming chip for cheapI have been stuck in amd land to long!

[glc]

Google Intel Smart Response Technology.

If you don't want to spend $350 for a video card, the Radeon 6950 outperforms a GTX 560Ti.

650 watts is more than enough for any single GPU video card made. If you don't need modular, the regular TX650 or even the Antec Earthwatts 650 will save you even more money.

The Asus board I listed is pretty solid.

[silentvoices]

Thank-You.Time for some homework.