I'm in the final steps of configuring my new machine. I'm set on CPU, video card, and DVD (lol), but I need advice on everything else. I listed below the components that I chose or am looking at, and for some components I also included the range of products from which I chose the selected few below. I use Newegg for reference, but that may change.
Also I should note that even though I'm going to go with 2x GTX 460's initially, I may upgrade them to 2x GTX 560's or 560 TI in the future (keep in mind for the PSU)
CPU
- Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Motherboard
This is my biggest concern. I'm not sure which brand is most reliable.. For example, I keep reading horror stories in Newegg reviews for Asus, but I praises elsewhere. Also, I have no clue who ASRock are but they seem pretty good. I also want to be quadruple sure that these mobos fit all the other parts. Price range = roughly $170 top limit.
- ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131771
- ASUS P8P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131705
- GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128502
- ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157229
- Other posibilities - http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%204802%20600093976&IsNodeId=1&name=LGA%201155
Memory
6+ GB DDR3 (2 sticks for dual channel) and 1600MHz are my current requirements here. Not sure how much CAS comes into play, but I focused on 8. Price range = roughly $80 top range.
- G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445
- G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314
- Other posibilities: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007611%204802%20600006050%20600006069%20600006127&IsNodeId=1&name=DDR3%201600%20%28PC3%2012800%29
Graphics Cards
- 2x GTX 460 in SLI (already owned)
PSU
As mentioned, would like enough to run 2 560's. If too expensive, forget about it. Price range = roughly $120 (HX750 is an exception based on excellent reviews)
- CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021
- CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 (CMPSU-750HX) 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010
- Other options: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007657%204802%20600014023&IsNodeId=1&name=701W%20-%20800W
HDD
I'd like 2 HDD's in RAID 1, at least 1TB each. Price range = roughly $80 each
- Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533
DVD
- ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
Case
Full tower for expandability and temperature control.
- Antec DF-85 Black ATX Full Tower Computer Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129087
- COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x 230mm front RED LED fan, 1x 140mm rear fan, 1x 230mm top fan, and 1x 230mm side fan - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160
(P.S. I apologize for the ugly links, but the post editor was driving me crazy with tag errors and I started to feel stupid trying to debug a damn forum post...)
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