New Gaming / Photo Processing Build - Help Needed

[Fila]

Hey guys,

I would appreciate any help with this - I've never built a PC before. I want it to be a state of the art gaming machine that will also be excellent for photography and Photoshop purposes as I am a professional photographer.
I already have a Dell U2711 monitor.

What are you planning to do with this compuer? Please be as specfic as possible.
Gaming, professional photography work

What is your budget?
$1600

Does this include a copy of Windows?
Yes

Does this include peripheals (a keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.)?
Maybe recs for a particular mouse and keyboard please?

Are you from the United States or a different country? Are you ordering from your own country or from across borders?
US

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.
Newegg.

If you are from the United States, do you live nearby a Microcenter?
About 20 miles.

Do you have any specific requests with the build?
Something that is upgradeable and will last.

Do you plan on overclocking? If yes, do you have a specific goal in mind?
Not at this time but possibly in the future.

Would you prefer the build to be particularly small?
In between.
Would you prefer the build to be particularly quiet?
Not necessarily.
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?
Continuous upgrading if possible.

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.
Possibly.

I've attached some screenshots of the rig I'm thinking about in my Newegg cart...

THANKS SO MUCH!

Alex

 

[mokrunka]

First of all, welcome to the forums!

Second of all, thank you for making an awesome post. Most new folks don't bother to read the other posts/stickies, and make things really difficult for people to help them. This should be a model for how to ask for help!

Onto business. You've done a fairly good job of picking out parts. The first thing to point out is that you've picked a Z77 (Socket 1155) motherboard, and a Socket 2011 processor. These will not work together. If you want to stick with the CPU you've picked (which in my humble opinion, is a good choice as I own 2 ) then you will need to grab a Socket 2011 motherboard with which it is compatible. I use ASUS all the time, and I rarely have issues with them, and in my experience their customer service is great. That said, try this, it is the same price as your Sabertooth (239.99), and will work with the CPU you have picked (the i7-3820).

The next thing to talk about is RAM and your operating system choice. This link is to Microsoft's website where they tell you how much RAM is the maximum that each of their operating systems will support. The version you have selected (MS Windows 7 Home Premium x64) will support a maximum of 16Gb of RAM--which is what you have picked. However, with RAM prices so low, I would recommend going with a 4x8Gb set (32Gb) or 8x4Gb (also 32 Gb). RAM nowadays is pretty much required to be from a matched set (that is, from one package), choosing 2x8Gb sticks now means that to upgrade in the future, you will need to buy a new set--so buy 32Gb or more, however much you want when you upgrade. If you do choose to buy more RAM now, you will need to buy either Windows 7 Enterprise, Professional or Ultimate (I believe Professional is least expensive) to make use of all the RAM you've bought (and indeed, using the OS you've currently selected will limit you to 16Gb anyways, so it will not allow you to add more RAM).

Here is a link to the manufacturer's (ASUS) QVL (Qualified Vendors List) for RAM. That link is for the ASUS P9X79 I mentioned above. When you decide what you want to do, make sure the part number for the RAM (the long number that starts with CMZ above) is listed on here. This will make sure your RAM is compatible with the mobo.

The power supply you've picked will work, but if you want to save a bit of money you could select something in the 650-750W range.

Also note that the 2011 socket CPUs do not come with a cooler, so you will have to buy one separately. A good air cooler like this one will run you around $40.

I hope this helps you out. Feel free to ask more questions as you continue on your journey!