Final Gaming Maching Build : Last check in

Ok guys I had posted before a possible build, this will be my first build, and first experience overclocking. If anyone sees anything wrong with compatibility, please tell me. Or if I should definitely stay away from a certain item.

CASE: Coolermaster HAF X (I can get one for 150 so I say why not)
MOBO: Asus Rampage III Formula (I'm horrified from all the DOA's im reading about)
CPU: I7 950
RAM: OCZ 1600 CL8 Intel XMP (Board is rated for 1333 and 1600 OC I dont fully understand this.. if anyone has the time. Oh and I would of went with something else but I can get this for $114)
GPU: XFX 6870 DDR5 1GB
HD: WD Black 1tb 32 cache 7200 (Until I can get a SSD Sata2 RAID 0 setup, apparently Marvell sucks or something have to go Sata2)
OPTICAL: W/E
PSU: Corsair 750TX (People have been assuring me that it would be enough to power this system even with a crossfire setup)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14

So that is it, any input would be super. Thankyou for taking the time to read this guys.

So your waiting for a SATAIII Sandforce SSD RAID setup. I WISH I had that. Love the optical drive choice, btw.

Newegg link to the memory your getting? A lot of OCZ's RAM hasn't been reliable, especially the golds. The only one I would really trust to order are the Platinum's, but for memory I typically go with G.Skill. This set is DDR3-1600 CL8 for $115, hopefully it would fit under the NH-D14: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231304

Other then the memory, this build looks perfect.

Knufire said:

Newegg link to the memory your getting? A lot of OCZ's RAM hasn't been reliable, especially the golds. The only one I would really trust to order are the Platinum's, but for memory I typically go with G.Skill. This set is DDR3-1600 CL8 for $115, hopefully it would fit under the NH-D14: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231304

Other then the memory, this build looks perfect.

Click to expand...

I'll be honest Knufire my whole reasoning for choosing that RAM was ignorance and price. Seeing as my board supports 1600 as OC,I really dont undestand that. I have never OC. I thought it might have something to do with XMP. Does the Corsair Dominator 1600 8-8-8-24 Ram support XMP? Do I even care about XMP? lol I just dont want my ram to be 1333. Can I achieve the 1600 simply and safely with that board? Or is the difference between 1333 and 1600 so marginal I wouldnt notice? I know this was a very noobish response, but I have been out of the loop long time.

I don't even bother with XMP, I'm pretty sure it's just a built-in OC that's independent of the BLCK speed, but I'd wait until someone else chimes in.
http://www.intel.com/consumer/game/extreme-memory.htm

I just look for whatever speed I need. The differene between memory speeds have little to no impact on real world performance. However, it is important on overclocking, since the CPU speed and the RAM speed are derived from the same clock. When you OC your processor, your are over clocking your ram, and the higher speed it's rated for, the more you canuy OC before dropping down the multiplier.

Typically, DDR3-1600 is what people get, since when you drop down the multiplier at 4.0Ghz, your back to 1600MHz. Also, it's the point of diminishing returns in RAM speed. Lower latency is always better, but CL7 is the point of diminishing returns again, though higher latency is cheaper.

For the X58 platform, the motherboards are triple channel, meaning you want 3 sticks of RAM. My set of choice would be the G.skill pi series, which is DDR3-1600 CL7. However, the hestspreaders on the RAM are super tall, and i'm pretty sure that it would hit the NH D14. Therefore, look at the Mushkin Blackline series, as the heatspreaders are mallee. The Ripjaws might work, but Ive had them run into a V6GT, so Im not 100% sure..

And with everything, cretins brands are more reliable then others. G.SKILL and Corsair are reliable, while the OCZ Platinum series and the Mushkin Blackline series qre good. I've also heard some good things about the Kingston HyperX series.

Corsair Dominators are the best, but I couldn't justify paying that much for RAM.