Suggestions For an Almost Completely New Build..

[Dgrooves]

Hey all,
I have a Studio XPS with an i7-920 that has started the evolutionary process. I have put in a new power supply and GPU and by the time I'm done it will basicly be a completely new build. Can I please get some feedback on the componant list. I am not illiterate on the topic, but this will essentially be my first home build. Any advice is welcome.

Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer SGC-1000-KWN1
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB LGA 1155 Intel Z77
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz
Heatsink: Cooler Master V6 GT
GPU: EVGA - GeForce GTX 560 Ti 2GB Superclocked
PSU: Corsair GS600
HDD: WD Caviar Blue 7200 SATA 3.0 Gb/s

I'm sure the the HDD is going to be what holds me up but I can replace that later after I get stable with the other new stuff. I also plan on going up to a GS800 PSU and picking up a second 560 Ti to run in SLI.

Am I forgetting anything?

Thanks for the assistance

[jdeb]

The Cooler Master Hyper 212+ EVO should be more than enough for your CPU cooler. The one you chose is fine however.

Memory: Corsair Vengeance low profile 1.5V Ram 8GB (2x4GB). It will not interfere with the aftermarket cooler.

PSU: Not sure on the Corsair gaming series power supplies. I am confident in the CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 for a certified SLI power supply.

HHD: Western Digital Cavair Black 6Gbs Stat III.

DVD Drive: Asus, Liteon, or Sony.

[glc]

The only Corsair PSU's I really trust are the TX, HX, and AX series.

[Dgrooves]

Thanks for the responses,

Jdeb,
That CM Hyper 212 Evo must be a great cooler. I see you recommending it all the time. I must admit, the V6 GT is not only for functionality, but also for its baddass looks.

I forfot to list the memory I ordered: Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 1.5v 1600 (4X4GB). I picked it specifically because I have confirmation it will not interfere with the V6 GT.

The drive I listed is what came with my XPS 3 years ago. I realy didn't want to change it yet because 1. I am going to attempt the MOBO, PCU, and memory switch W/O having to do a complete re-install of OS, and 2. My credit limit w/ Best Buy is almost at its peak...lol

After reading about the speed advantages at boot and responsivness of them, I am being nudged in the direction of getting an SSD as the boot drive and keeping the one I have for storage. Any thoughts?

[SpywareDr]

Intel slashing its SSD prices starting next month
ZDNet.com - Sean Portnoy - July 12, 2012 11:18 GMT
Summary: With prices for solid state drives already in free fall, Intel appears ready to join the fray by lowering prices on its SSDs in August.

[glc]

If the Windows on the hard drive is a Dell preload, you will not be able to get it reactivated with a motherboard change unless you use a Dell motherboard. It's keyed to a Dell bios.

So - you may as well wait a month or so and get a SSD and reformat your existing hard drive for data storage. Intel SSD's, although not necessarily the fastest, are the most reliable.

[Dgrooves]

The XPS came from the factory with Vista, but I got the hard copy version of 7 with its own activation key as soon as it dropped. From what I understand I can transfer that OS build over to a new MOBO, correct?

[glc]

Yes, you should be able to. Worst case, you may have to call M$ to get it activated.

[Dgrooves]

OK, the decision is made...

SSD it is. Thoughts on using as boot drive is what I need. I saw that Intel has been recommended, but I thought Intel has always been overpriced for what you get compared to other third party brands. I was checking out the Samsung 830 series and they look pretty fast, are well reviewed, and they come with Ghost. 128 Gb or 256 Gb? What exactally am I going to have running off of it besides Win 7? Will it matter that my storage drive is the same old WD Blue 3 Gb/s? Looking forward to some more advise.

Getting antsy here. The Enforcer case and LED fans showed up yesterday, the V6 GT was on the porch today, and the MOBO, CPU, and memory are all ready for store pick up. I'm building me a power rig this weekend!!!

[glc]

Wait a couple weeks, and Intel SSD prices are going down. Even now, they are NOT overpriced for what you get - the most reliable SSD on the market.

I'd recommend the 120gb 330. Right now, it's $110 at Newegg, which is considerably cheaper than a Samsung 128gb.

[quartet-man]

Even if the price is more in cases, reliability should trump price. Is the Samsung reliable? That is hard to tell, but Intel has a good track record. Wouldn't you want to rest better in protecting your data? Even if you use it strictly for a boot drive, do you really want to have to mess with installations all over again? I suppose you could clone the drive and keep a backup, but still.

[SpywareDr]

Just installed an Intel 330 180 GB ($160 USD) in a new Dell Vostro 260 Desktop with a Core i5, 4GB of RAM running Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. From completely powered down, the total elapsed time after pushing the On/Off button to viewing Google News in Internet Explorer is exactly 20 seconds flat. Zoom Zoom.

--

Oh, by the way. The software to move what's on your old drive over to the new is on a mini CD in the box, along with a URL (link) to Intel's site if you want to download the latest version. It's real easy to use and fast. A few clicks and it was copying the 35-odd GB worth of data from a normal Western Digital 500GB hard drive over to the new 180GB SSD. Took it maybe 10-15 minutes. Swapped the boot sequence in CMOS/BIOS Setup and wham, bam, Windows 7 has booted up from the SSD. You don't have to check, it's obvious. Everything is snappier.

[Dgrooves]

Thanks for all of the responses and advice,

The final build is complete, and the results are in. I must say I am pretty proud of myself for how it turned out as my very first build:

Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer SGC-1000-KWN1
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB (WiFi) LGA 1155 Intel Z77
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz
Heatsink: Cooler Master V6 GT
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 1.5v 1600 (4X4GB)
GPU: EVGA - GeForce GTX 560 Ti 2GB Superclocked X2 SLI
Boot Drive: Samsung 830 Series 128 Gb SSD
Secondary HDD: WD Caviar Blue 7200 SATA 3.0 Gb/s
PSU: Corsair GS-800

I was going to add the SSD at a later date, but Windows didn't like the shock I gave to it's system with a new MB, Ram, and CPU. So I ended up doing a clean install on the SSD and I am actually very pleased with the result. A nice fresh start. I chose the Samsung because of the great reviews their first generation of SSDs got, and the 830 series only got better. Plus the drive came with a full copy of Ghost 15.0.

Two days after completion of the initial build, my 600w PSU took a dump and stopped working. I was still within the 60 return policy for Best Buy so I took it back and got a GS-800. I would rather have had a more reliable Corsair or different brand altogether, but when you are shopping on 0% interest for 12 months sometimes your options are limited. Soooo...I decided to pick up a second 560 Ti to run in SLI.

Things seem to be running great after a flash to the latest version of BIOS. I have a stable OC to 4.2 GHz on the i5 and 940 MHz core on the GPUs after running Prime95 for 24 hours, mutiple runs through 3D Mark 11, Heaven DX11, and several hours of Crysis 2.

Thanks for all of your input in the process, and if there are any more suggestions or comments please let me know.