First Custom Build

Hardware Build a PC
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Right, so I just joined the forums, and I came to ask one simple question... What do you think of my first custom build? I'll just list the specs here, also, feel free to let me know if there's anything that I should change.

Processor: Inter i5 3570k

Graphics Card: GTX 680 DirectCU II Top

Motherboard: ASUS Maximus V Formula

Cooling Unit: Corsair H100 Factory Refurbished Water Cooler

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8 GB (2 x 4GB)

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB

Case: NZXT Phantom 820 (White)

Power Supply: Corsair HX850W 80 PLUS Gold

Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS 124-04

 

So, I am building a gaming PC and my budget is around $1500, but not limited. This will cost me around $1800, which is fine. If you are wondering about my Motherboard or Powersupply, and think that they are too much, it is because I am planning on upgrading to a second 680 of the same model, and I would like to have room to do so. To my knowledge, that motherboard and powersupply will be enough to handle this particular upgrade in the future, but if that is not the case, please let me know so. Speaking of cases, I chose this one because I believe that has a good airflow, and will keep everything pretty cool, and I think it should be able to hold everything easily. From where I am buying the case, it should cost $190, and if you think I can do better with that money, agian, feel free to let me know. Anyways, with this build, will I be able to run games like Battlefield 3, Far Cry 3, Borderlands 2, etc. etc. etc. on high settings, at a decent framerate? (before the upgrade to a second GPU, of corse)

Thanks in advance.

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http://pcpartpicker.com/p/u9QG

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Interesting, however I will not be overclocking my CPU, so I think that a 3570 would preform better in this situation. Also from what I've heard the 7950's are pretty loud and get hot quickly, which is not something that I would like to have. I'll look into it some more later. Thanks

 

 

Also, new question, will everything listed in the original post be compatible?

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I don't see shy not. I would use pcpartpicker. it's an awesome tool to use.

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using 3 sticks of memory in a quad channel board, dont know if that will work well. 

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http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ua7w here is another one. Using the GTX 670's and the 3570K, and what's the sense of getting liquid cooling if you're not going to overclock?

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This is over budget,but would kill everything you throw at it. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ua6M

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if you are going to be gaming in surround (3 monitors) then you should get GPUs with more vRAM than the reference cards have. but if you are only gaming on a single screen, then a second 680 is overkill. better to upgrade once the new generation comes out, that CPU will last you some years I think.

and on your budget I would deff get an SSD! there is alot of good brands out there, Intel, Corsair, Samsung.. OCZ's new vector drive should be really good from what I hear.

I dont really get the 3 RAM dims on a dual channel motherboard. you should get 2 x 4gb CL9, 1866 mhz ram.. something like this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmz8gx3m2a1866c9

 

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Ello sir.

get an ivy bridge, i have the 3570k. no complaints great cpu. 

h100 is also great to cool that bad boy.

680 will give it some serious fire power but i see no reason to not get a 670 instead and save some bucks. the gains from 70 to 80 is not worth the price difference in my honest opinion aswell as multiple evga rep's ive spoken with while i did my gpu hunt.

your motherboard is also a little overboard i would say. if you want it, get it. but i have the asus p8z77-v pro and it's top notch. maybe get the sabertooth instead to same some bucks.

with the 670 and a different mobo, i would use those savings to buy an SSD to install your OS on. you have no idea how much this will change your life. turn your pc off all the time and click on - 20 seconds later you're on facebook. 

850 watts may be a bit overboard, but hey it's not going to hurt anything and gives you room for future upgrades. 

4x4GB high speed ram dimms would benefit you. or 2x4 high speed dimms. (1866-2400) i wouldnt worry about latency aslong as it's 10 or under. Logan's reccomendation of the 16gb kingston beast is cas 11 but 2400MHz.

also you are buying a 250 dollar case. i think you should re examine a lot of things you are planning on and go with the best performance per dollar type option. 

my computer's specs: ( similar build to yours )

3570k

1 TB seagate

500 gb WD Cav Blue

128 GB Crucial M4 SSD

evga 660 ti ftw

h100

asus p8z77-v pro

rosewill capstone 750W GOLD

Asus cd/dvd drive 

coolermaster storm stryker (white case, amazing worth looking at)

then blue 2m led kit from nzxt. 

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two 670's are just a hair slower then two 680's in sli. Little overclocking to the highest possible clocks, boom near the same speed

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If you plan on getting a gtx 680 I would personaly get this model http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127693&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

This thing overclock better than any 680 on the market. 

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Here's the build I came up with: 

Edit: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ualO

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http://pcpartpicker.com/p/uadU I know the PSU is overkill, but would be a good choice for a future upgrade to a more beast of a system. It's also modular. Just a slight edit

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This is what I would go with if I were you http://pcpartpicker.com/p/uafP

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Hmm, you're right. I'll drop down to 8GB. Thanks

 

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Yeah, I'm not getting a second 680 until I have purchased 2 more monitors for surround. This will probroally happen after the new generation of GPUs release, so I may get whats new then... only time can tell.

I am completely clueless when it comes to SSD's, but I'll have a look around.

Yeah, I wasn't really paying much attention on the RAM, I don't know, I think I might just get 8GB's of the same version, but I don't have a problem with switching around it.

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Hmm, the only reason I wwas considering this motherboard was because of the SLI 680's I was talking about... I was looking at a Sabertooth x77 board, and I don't have a problem getting it as long as it is compatible with the 680 and such. About your motherboard, would it be compatible, and would I have an option of adding a second 680? Keep in mind the version that I am getting is pretty huge, and takes up 3 slots on a case.

As for an SSD, they confuse me, and I don't really know which one is better to get than another. This is the same for me with hard drives. But I'll look into it.

As for the PSU, I'm only looking for 850w for upgrades, yeah. I asked a friend and he said it'd power everything and the second GPU I stated before.

In the original post I stated that the case I was purchasing was $190 at my local store, so I could save a few bucks on that... but for a case all I really care about is good airflow and whether or not it fits everything. That said, I think I picked a pretty overkill case to be honest. Any suggestions on alternative cases would be great. 

Thanks dude

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Ill second this build... everything look good imo and you will crush every game, atleast until crysis 3.. :D

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Would two 670's be able to run 3 monitors? As for the liquid cooling... I dunno, really. I was looking at the NZXT Havik 140, would that do just fine, or would there be a better alternative?

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Thanks dude, and by the time crysis 3 comes out, well I'll just have to turn down some settings. No harm in that, I suppose.