New Gaming/video encoding computer

[Windu]

Hello.

Time to put something together for myself. I have a budget of around $1000. I could go more if needed.

Parts that I plan to reuse;
Case
Newegg.com - LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic + Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
I have been thinking about getting another case. Something quiet and easy to work with and easy to clean. I would prefer aluminum and have been looking at either the Corsair 650D or the Lian-Li PC-8FI. Any thoughts? Not sure if I will buy.

GPU
PNY GTX 260

PSU
Newegg.com - PC Power and Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7

DVD Burner
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model SH-S223Q LightScribe Support - CD / DVD Burners

New parts;
CPU
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I72600K
I also might OC. Any suggestions on a good CPU cooler?

Mobo
Newegg.com - ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

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

Reasons why I chose what I did.
I went with the i7 because of the video encoding. I do some gaming, COD4, CODWAW, Duke Nukem, Crysis, going to get BF3 and maybe the new Modern Warefare.

I chose the Asus Pro board because I need to be able to capture video off a camcorder with a firewire connection. Also I plan to get a new video card and I was hoping to get something with PCI 3.0 down the road. I could go with a cheaper Gen 3 board and add a pci firewire card? Is gen 3 worth it or should one hold off?

I need a new hard drive for this build as well. I have read a bit about caching and I am thinking about going that route. Or I was also thinking about going with a ssd for a boot drive. I have a few drives in mind;

SSD for Caching
Newegg.com - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

My local Best Buy has a WD Caviar Black 1TB SATA II 32MB Cach for $130
or
Amazon.com: WD Caviar Black: Electronics

SSD for Boot
Newegg.com - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
or
Newegg.com - Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F120GBGT-BK 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
+ the WD drive.

All suggestions are welcome.
Thanks for your time!

[jdeb]

Everything looks good up to the SSD. You need to make a decision on whether you want to use your SSD for caching or use a larger SSD for OS/apps. If you decide on the larger SSD, you may consider the Intel 510 for reliability and stability. I have no issue with the smaller Crucial SSD for caching.

Newegg.com - Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH120A2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)


You may also consider replacing the Samsung DVD drive. They typically do not last more than 2 years. I have seen it but it is rare.

[David M]

For a gaming computer I would spend more on the graphics card and less on the other hardware in order to stay under $1000.

You really don't need a 2600K. A 2500K will save you $100 and your bottleneck will still be your graphics card....which means another $100 you can put into your card.

Not getting a SSD means all that much more you can put into the card which will mean being able to come close to or maxing out Crysis 2, Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3. Games do not play faster with SSD's, they only load faster. For those games, if you want the highest game settings at near 60 FPS you probably want a 570, a 6950 or even a 6970.

I would pick a Corsair TX650 or TX750 (if you want a little more overhead) over the PC Power and Cooling 750. Newegg has deactivated the PC Power and Cooling 750.

[glc]

I believe he already has the PSU. Run the Samsung burner till it craps out - which it will if you use it much. All brands of opticals die when used hard, not surprising considering how cheap they are these days. My son in law runs the heck out of his burners (he's a semi-professional musician) and replaces them about once a year - LG, Lite-On, doesn't matter, they all die.

With video encoding, you may want to stick with the i7 - especially if you defer your video card upgrade. The longer you wait, the more card you can get for your money. BF3 is going to beat on a 260 pretty hard.

Great cooler for the money:

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

[Windu]

All of the encoding that I do is seasonal. I coach high school football so the burner gets a workout once a year with making highlight video's. Our conference uses a web based program called hudl where we can upload game film to their server. My AMD X2 5600+ takes about 3 hours to encode a 50 minute game film.

Edit:
Will the PSU that I have still be enough to run a newer GPU?
Is the Gen3 Mobo a necessity?

Originally Posted by David M I would pick a Corsair TX650 or TX750 (if you want a little more overhead) over the PC Power and Cooling 750. Newegg has deactivated the PC Power and Cooling 750.

I already have this psu. I was planning on still using it.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Windu All of the encoding that I do is seasonal. I coach high school football so the burner gets a workout once a year with making highlight video's. Our conference uses a web based program called hudl where we can upload game film to their server. My AMD X2 5600+ takes about 3 hours to encode a 50 minute game film. Edit: Will the PSU that I have still be enough to run a newer GPU? Is the Gen3 Mobo a necessity? I already have this psu. I was planning on still using it.

Your good to go. You can always add a card later if you are not happy with the performance. The GTX 260 is a very good card... Are there better? Sure but why not enjoy the blazing film encoding experience with your new setup and gauge your need on a video card later. You may be surprised how well it performs today.

[Windu]

The other memory is sold out. Will this one work? Would it get in the way of an after market cpu cooler?

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8

Thanks!

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Windu The other memory is sold out. Will this one work? Would it get in the way of an after market cpu cooler? Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 Thanks!

yes

[glc]

In stock:

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9B

[Windu]

Would this be a better buy than a GTX 570 or a 6970?

Newegg.com - DIAMOND A5970PE52G Radeon HD 5970 2GB 512 (256 x 2)-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Thanks!

[glc]

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: November 2011 : Best Graphics Cards For The Money, November Update

[Windu]

I have an issue that I could use a little help with. My friend just built a system with the i7-2600 and the P8Z68-V mobo. I used the i7-2600k with the P8Z68-V PRO Gen3 board. His computer idols in the high 20's temp wise with at x16 multiplier. Mine was constantly at x38. So I went into the bios and reset all the defaults. I loaded windows and cpu fluctuated between 3.5ghz to 3.7 ghz. It never slowed down. I noticed my ram was at 1333, so I went back into the bios and set it to 1600 and restarted. This time it was pegged at 3.8ghz and did not fluctuate at all. I thought about updating the bios, but haven't yet. Any thoughts?

All settings in the bios show stock speed, 3.4ghz. When running windows cpu-z shows x38 multiplier, 3.8 ghz.

Thanks!

[jdeb]

What is the issue? I do not follow you.

[Windu]

CPU is at max turbo all the time. Runs constant 3.8 even at idol.

As far as I know I did not overclock at all. I reset all bios settings multiple times.