help me build my pc, i need input.

[stetchkov]

I currently have
hp 27" 1080p monitor
E8400 cpu
zalman (not sure what kind but it glows green) cpu fan
4gb ddr2 ram
cant remember my mobo
9800GTX+ gpu
500gb hdd
blueray dual layer dvd burner/player
thermaltake level 10 case
~800w psu

Im looking at
-i7 3770 or i7 2700k (leaning towards the 2700k since i want to overclock, never done it though)
-16gb ddr3 ram (have no clue what the speeds mean/do)
-dont know what mobo to get (whats the best mobo for overclocking a 3770k or 2770k?)
-670 or 7970 (leaning towards the 670, not sure why though)

-i might get a bigger hdd, maybe a 1-3tb. not sure what the best size is since i dont want it to take forever for it to load things.
-will i need a better cpu fan/cooler (something better than my zalman)?
-will i need a bigger psu if i plan to achieve 4.7ghz-5ghz?

 

[Knufire]

Hey, welcome to OCF!

When trying to recommend a build to you, there's some information that's extremely helpful for us to know. If you could answer these few short questions, we'd be happy to help!

• What are you planning to do with this compuer? Please be as specfic as possible.

• What is your budget?
  
  1. Does this include a copy of Windows?
  2. Does this include peripheals (a keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.)?
• Are you from the United States or a different country? Are you ordering from your own country or from across borders?
  
  1. Wherever you may be from, does the store that you are planning to order from have a website? It's okay if it isn't in English, we can manage.
  2. If you are from the United States, do you live nearby a Microcenter?

• Do you have any specific requests with the build?
  
  1. Do you plan on overclocking? If yes, do you have a specific goal in mind?
  2. Would you prefer the build to be particularly small?
  3. Would you prefer the build to be particularly quiet?
  4. In general, do you prefer this to be a computer that you can spend money on now and let it rest, or a box built for continuous upgrading?
  5. Do you ever plan on utilizing NVIDIA's SLI or AMD's CrossfireX technologies? These features, with a compatible motherboard, allow a user to link multiple identical graphic cards together for added performance. In real world terms, this lets you buy a second identical graphics card down the line as a relatively cheap and easy way to gain a fairly large boost in performance. However, this requires buying a SLI/CFX compatible motherboard and PSU now, which may result in slightly higher initial cost.

Once again, thank you in advance for taking the time to answer these, and I hope you enjoy your stay at OCF!

P.S. exactly what model PSU do you have?

With hard drives, speed and space are not necessarily related. If anything, larger drives are a bit faster. Either way, HDDs are for storage, SSDs are for speed.

 

[stetchkov]

Hey, welcome to OCF! ... P.S. exactly what model PSU do you have?

Thank you for you quick reply. And of course I can, I appreciate the template this will defiantly help me out greatly.

What are you planning to do with this compuer? Please be as specfic as possible.
Video Games, Photoshop/Lightroom/Illustrator/InDesign/Dreamweaver/Flash, Video Editing (I am a Graphic Designer/Photographer)
What is your budget?
~1000-1500 (I already have a new gaming mouse/mousepad/keyboard, case, and decent Sony 2:1 Speakers)
Does this include a copy of Windows?
I already own Windows 7 Home 64-Bit
Does this include peripheals (a keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.)?
I already own brand new gaming mouse/mousepad/keyboard, 27" monitor. The only thing that could use an upgrade are my speakers but they are low-priority.
Are you from the United States or a different country/do you live nearby a Microcenter??
I live in Austin, Texas, USA. I will more than likely be ordering from newegg.
Do you have any specific requests with the build, are you overclocking?
I would like my CPU to reach a minimum clock speed of 4.2ghz (I plan on overclocking) but would prefer it to be in the 4.7-5ghz range, and want a GPU that will MAX out Diablo 3, Skyrim, and Battlefield 3.
Would you prefer the build to be particularly quiet?
Yes, not sure how quiet it can get. Everything as is sounds like a jet machine, I would like it to be much quieter.
In general, do you prefer this to be a computer that you can spend money on now and let it rest, or a box built for continuous upgrading?
I would like it to be a computer that I can rest on for years. This computer I have now has lasted me 4 years now minus my new case, keyboard, and mouse.
Do you ever plan on utilizing NVIDIA's SLI or AMD's CrossfireX technologies?
Honeslty probably not.

It also looks like my PSU is a Antec Neo HE650 (650 watts).

Here are a few pictures of my rig (doubt this helps but "ehhhhh" haha)

Thermaltake Level 10 GT by Daniel Michael, on Flickr

Thermaltake Level 10 GT by Daniel Michael, on Flickr

 

[stetchkov]

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Operant]

What resolution is the monitor? I have to change a couple things in this cart but I should be able to put something together. Also, the 7970 and the 670 are comparable in performance at stock clocks. Overclocked, the 7970 will beat the 670 and come close to the 680 in the games you talked about. The 670 might be better for the video editing and adobe programs you talked about if they can leverage CUDA. I will do the build with a 670 for now but you can think on that.

Edit: Here is what I have initially. As for hard drives, any size will get you similar performance. You can also consider an SSD to boot from but you will have to transfer everything from the 500GB drive and reconfigure the destination paths. Just something to consider.

 

[stetchkov]

So Far I Have

Thermaltake Level 10 Gaming Case
HP 2711x (Resolution: 1920x1080)
Razer Mamba Elite Gaming Mouse
Razer Scarab Gaming Mousepad
Razer BlackWidow Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW LE Graphics Card