New Computer Advice

So i haven't had a desktop in years, and i think it's finally time i built a solid gaming one.

My budget is around $2,600 Australian Dollars.
It's a decent amount but only because i'm selling things over Christmas to build this.

This is looking like my most likely build.

CPU: Intel i7 3770K (AU $335.00)
Mobo: ASROCK - Z77-EXTREME6 (AU $169.00)
RAM: Corsair 16GB Low Profile Kit (4x4GB) 1600MHz DDR3, Vengeance LP Series 9-9-9-24. (AU $99.00)
SSD: Sandisk 240GB SSD, Extreme, SATAIII, Read 550MB/s, Write 520MB/s (AU $179.00)
Graphics: EVGA GeForce GTX670 FTW Edition 2GB. (AU $499.00)
HDDs: 2x Seagate Barracuda 2TB SATAIII 7200rpm (AU $99.00 ea)
Case: CoolerMaster HAF X Black with Red LED. RC 942 (AU $195.00)
Power Supply: Corsair AX-750 750w 80Plus Gold Modular PSU (AU $219.00)
Cooling: Corsair Hydro H100 (AU $159.00)
Thermal Paste: Noctua NT-H1 Pro-Grade (AU $12.00)

Optical: LG DVD-RW Burner (AU $29.00)
Network:TP-Link TL-450Mbps Wireless N (AU $55.00)
Sound: Default 7.1 ASRock mobo Sound card (RealTek).
Monitor: BenQ RL2450H 24inch LED Gaming Monitor (AU $199.00)
Keyboard: Logitech G110 Gaming Keyboard (AU $75.00)
Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M60 FPS Laser Mouse (AU $69.00)

Total Cost: AU $2,626.00 (including monitor, keyboard & mouse)

And here are the reasons why i chose these parts/what i plan to do with them.

CPU: Intel 3770K is the unlocked version of the 3770 which is probably the best 'bang for your buck' Intel i7 out right now. Will ensure that nothing is bottlenecked and i'll probably OC it to 4Ghz.

Mobo: ASROCK provide good performance for a cheap price and the EXTREME6 is no different from what i've heard. If i had to switch off this then my next options would be the ASUS Maximus-V GENE or the ASROCK Z77 Professional which are both more expensive. What do you think?

RAM: 16GB is perfect and tbh i wouldn't want to go lower. Any opinions on compatability, clock speeds, etc?

SSD: Will have this as the boot drive with Windows 8 on it. Not so sure about Sandisk though and it is quite tempting to go down to 120GB just so i could afford an OCZ Vector.

Graphics: The EVGA 670 FTW edition is the best value card out right now, the speeds of a 680 for a lower price! How can you go wrong with that?!

HDDS: 2x 2TB Seagate Barracudas in RAID1. Will only get 2TB of storage instead of 4TB but RAID1 is worth it for the extra security, right?

Case: Can't go wrong with a HAF X, even though it's still a bit pricey. It's worth it.

Power Supply: Gone with the 750W for a bit of headway. Might want to throw a second 670 FTW in there down the track. Would 750W be able to handle two 670s or should i go 850? 80plus Gold is always good to have, especially for a gaming PC.

Cooling: I've never seen anything cool better than the H100 (yet). And i'm a Corsair fan, so i doubt they would let me down.

For all you PC/Gaming enthusiasts.... What do you think? Did i get it right? Is all this compatible? Is it going to be a solid build for the next 3 years?
Let me know.

Well it certaintly looks well thought out and high end, im still on a duo cor with only 4gbs of ddr2 but i can run games on ultra

. i would use cool silver paste instead of noctua or arctic silver 5 its cheaper and i was surprised how much the temperaters actually whent down with how little i used compared to those brands i have used in the past...is this a christmas present to your self er sumthin?

I think that 16GB is a little bit overkill. I have 8GB of RAM and I barely use half of it. The only time where I've used ~60% of RAM was from a 64-bit 3D modelling software and there are not many 64-bit games out there so it'd only use a maximum of 2GB... So if you don't plan to do heavy 3D rendering or modelling in the nearby future, I suggest 8GB of RAM but that's entirely up to you.

Originally Posted by master131

I think that 16GB is a little bit overkill. I have 8GB of RAM and I barely use half of it. The only time where I've used ~60% of RAM was from a 64-bit 3D modelling software and there are not many 64-bit games out there so it'd only use a maximum of 2GB... So if you don't plan to do heavy 3D rendering or modelling in the nearby future, I suggest 8GB of RAM but that's entirely up to you.

For $99 the 16GB looks like a bargain to me, so that's why i think i'll be sticking with it.
I have 8GB at the moment, and the most i've used is probably 60%

Originally Posted by Cross-fire

Well it certaintly looks well thought out and high end, im still on a duo cor with only 4gbs of ddr2 but i can run games on ultra

. i would use cool silver paste instead of noctua or arctic silver 5 its cheaper and i was surprised how much the temperaters actually whent down with how little i used compared to those brands i have used in the past...is this a christmas present to your self er sumthin?

I don't think the store has that one.
Also yes, it's a Christmas present to myself

IMO the whole build is overkill for regular gaming unless you're planning to play games like Crysis on ultra settings, but even if that's not what you want this build will last you years down the road.

Originally Posted by ickytc

IMO the whole build is overkill for regular gaming unless you're planning to play games like Crysis on ultra settings, but even if that's not what you want this build will last you years down the road.

I'm looking to build something solid that will last me at least 2-3 years and yes i would like to be playing Crysis 2 / Bf3 in Ultra - At least 1080p. As well as be able to play all the games that come out in future years, which is why probably a year down the track i'll add a second gfx card.

New Computer Advice

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