New build - Gaming PC

[discodanman45]

I have come up with some extra money I was not expecting and have decided to build a new computer. My q6600 is a bad overclocker and I need to experience SWTOR at the best quality possible My wife is happy she is getting my computer and I am wanting to build a computer that can take advantage of SLI in the future. Here are the parts I selected, and I have an OS from work. Being a teacher has at least one perk

CPU - Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I52500

Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I52500

CPU cooler - CORSAIR CWCH60 Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler

Newegg.com - CORSAIR CWCH60 Hydro Series H60 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler

Hard Drive - Need help with a SSD. I think a 120 GB would be great for me. The games I will have installed are Lord of the Rings online and the new Star Wars game. With my OS, this would be perfect. Would a smaller HD and intel smart technology with caching be just as fast?

Storage Drive - I have a seagate 700 GB drive that I will use until prices come down.

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

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

Video Card - EVGA DS SuperClocked 01G-P3-1567-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Newegg.com - EVGA DS SuperClocked 01G-P3-1567-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Power Supply - I have been a happy Corsair PSU buyer, would like to stay with this brand, modular, and be able to handle SLI with two 560 Ti cards.

RAM - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B

DVD Burner - Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model AD-7280S-0B - OEM

Newegg.com - Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model AD-7280S-0B - CD / DVD Burners

Case - Need a recommendation for a good case. Prefer Full tower.

[glc]

1. Get the i5-2500K. It has an unlocked multiplier for easy overclocking, the standard i5-2500 does not.

Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

2. Intel SSD's are the most reliable, but not cheap. SRT caching is not as fast as a dedicated SSD, but a lot cheaper.

SRT: Newegg.com - Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CT040G3K5 2.5" 40GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

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

Fastest dedicated: Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX SH100S3/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (Stand-alone Drive)

3. You should get the low profile ram.

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

4. Consider the new limited production GTX 560 Ti 448 core.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Core Review: GF110 On A Diet : GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Core Specifications

Newegg.com - EVGA 012-P3-2068-KR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 448 Cores Classified 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

5. Minimum Corsair modular for 560 SLI:

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

6. Cases are really more of a personal choice. For quality construction and good cooling, I like the Coolermaster HAF series cases.

7. Read this article before you commit to SLI, you may want to get a stronger single card:

Micro-Stuttering And GPU Scaling In CrossFire And SLI : Micro-Stuttering, Multi-Card Scaling, And More!

8. Best cards for the $$$:

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

[discodanman45]

After rethinking some things, I think I could cut back on some things to make it a cheaper build.

I have a nice Cooler Master midtower case that I could reuse. My wife also doesn't need a powerful video card. I don't trust the 8800 GT I have, it is giving me heating issues. I also have HX620 Corsair PSU I could use in my new build and getting a lower PSU for my wife's build.

Questions are

1. Would the HX620 be powerful enough to run a 560 Ti 448 core video card and be compatible with the new i5 2500K?

2. If I don't go SLI, would there be a cheaper motherboard that I could use about the same quality?

3. What would be a cheap video card that could be used with the q6600. My wife does a little video editing on this computer, and even though it is a bit slow she has the patience for it

Thanks again GLC!

[glc]

1. Yes.

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

3. Newegg.com - ASUS ENGT430/DI/1GD3/MG(LP) GeForce GT 430 (Fermi) 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card -OR
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100323L Radeon HD 6570 1GB DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

PSU for her:

Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts Green EA-430D Green 430W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply