New Build Critique

[curver]

Been lurking around these forums for a little while now but I recently got the chance to do some research and shop around to really squeeze every bit of value I could out of this completely theoretical build (I do not have any of the parts listed below), so I figured it was time I post it. Please give me your thoughts/point out any glaring mistakes etc. It will be used mostly (80%) for gaming, along with some very basic CAD work.

Case: Antec P183 v3 - I really like the simple understated look of this case, in my mind similar to some of the pricier Silverstone and Lian-Li cases.

PSU: Antec CP850 - I know 850W is overkill but I like that its designed for maximum airflow, and I think I'd like to reuse the case/psu combo for future builds years down the road. And I also found it on Amazon for about $100.

CPU: i5-2500k - From what I've read this thing seems incredible once OC'd.

Mobo: AsRock P67 Extreme4 (B3) - Great reviews, great price for its specs.

RAM: 8GB G. Skill Ripjaws X (2x4GB) DDR3 1600, 9-9-9-24 - Seems like theres so many options for RAM, chose this because of price and low voltage (1.5v).

GPU: MSI GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr II - Mostly great reviews, but probably the component I'm most undecided about.

SSD: OCZ Solid 3 120GB - Has SATA III and is priced well, but I'm a little nervous about it being the third tier behind Vertex and Agility.

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - I've read a lot of posts that recommend this drive over the WD Black 1TB model.

CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus - Many people seem to be very happy with this cooler and their modestly OC'd 2500k.

The DVD drive will be one of the many $20 models. I have no need for BD and don't really anticipate it in the near future.

All of the above comes in at about $1175 before tax and S/H, although most prices are from Amazon with a few from Newegg and TigerDirect.

 

[Archer0915]

I would go with a Gigabyte Z68 for the same price.

 

[EarthDog]

Outside of a PSU that is overkill by lots (assuming you are not going SLI), I like it. The Asrock is a quality board with loads of features at a good price. The Z68 based boards are what I would go for though as well. Asrock's extreme4 comes in at $184.

 

[curver]

From what I've read the only advantages of Z68 over P67 is the ability to use both on-die graphics and a discrete graphics card, and SSD caching. I don't do a lot of video encoding and I don't really know what SSD caching would be useful for, so I figured the P67 would be a better choice. That being said, if I could find a Z68 board with the same specs (PCIe slots, RAM compatibility, USB slots, etc), same price, and same level of reliability, I wouldn't mind buying it in case I eventually need the extra features.

I probably should have added this to the first post, but I've got 3 up-and-coming games in mind that this machine would absolutely need to handle - SW: The Old Republic (should be waaaaay overkill based on the minimum reqs) with settings maxed, AC Revelations, and Mass Effect 3 both with high-ultra high settings.

 

[EarthDog]

Add to that likely Ivybridge support in Z68. Otherwise, you have it right.

Look for combo deals on parts at newegg...

 

[Knufire]

There's the always the video card dying and not having a paperweight during the RMA process advantage. .

 

[Archer0915]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...57-229^13-157-229-TS,13-128-502^13-128-502-TS

 

[Theocnoob]

Personally with that budget, and given that you want to play upcoming games on ultra (we don't know what Mass Effect 3 will need for that so best to play it safe) I'd change a few things. A more economical case for the time being, and also skip the SSD for the time being and put much more into the GPU. A pair of 6950s would run about 480 bucks. You could probably flash both successfully to 6970s and have something much more powerful than a 500 dollar GTX580. Then you can run everyithing on ultra and throw a bunch of unnecessary AA/AF passes at it just because.

Later when you have a few extra bucks add an SSD. You can always buy a $50 case now, and then get a $300 case some other time and move your stuff to it. JM2C. Otherwise though, you have a solid setup there. The PSU is overkill for single GPU. That case is very well made and very attractive. But, there's nothing wrong with an Antec 300. It's not as pretty or as well made but you can still fit your parts in there.

BTW Get a Gigabyte Z68X-UD4 motherboard from Newegg. You won't beat that value ATM. I check prices a lot as I get bored easily, but right now it is $160. It was $209 not long ago. It has a lot of power phasing, really nice double thick PCB, and the slot layout is very good- even with double GPU you still have a PCIE 1X slot open and a PCI slot open. Also the colors are very nice. And it's Z68, just in case you ever wanted to take advantage of that.

 

[curver]

I've looked at the Newegg combo deals but it seems like I could save more by just shopping around. As for a Z68 board, the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 caught my eye (hopefully they restock soon), but the UD4 looks good also.

After reading about the unbelievable difference most people have seen switching to SSDs, I won't consider building without one. However, the 300 Illusion was another case I was interested in. If I were to get that case with this Seasonic 620W PSU, I could throw another $150 or so at a better GPU, maybe a 570 or 6970? I've heard that more and more of the 6950s are unable to be flashed to 6970s.

 

[Knufire]

I've looked at the Newegg combo deals but it seems like I could save more by just shopping around. As for a Z68 board, the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 caught my eye (hopefully they restock soon), but the UD4 looks good also.

After reading about the unbelievable difference most people have seen switching to SSDs, I won't consider building without one. However, the 300 Illusion was another case I was interested in. If I were to get that case with this Seasonic 620W PSU, I could throw another $150 or so at a better GPU, maybe a 570 or 6970? I've heard that more and more of the 6950s are unable to be flashed to 6970s.

It's pretty hard to get a flashable 6950, but even before the flash, they were one of the best price/performance cards out there.

IMO, I'd take the UD3H over the UD3, you get the iGPU and Virtu support.