Building new rig..Advice needed

[DoolittleRaider]

My current (circa 2007) rig is going belly up. Here is what I have in mind for a new Rig. Any advice/comments would be appreciated...especially from those who have some of these components. COD and ROF are the two most challenging Games/Simulations I plan to run.

MoBo:
ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1)

CPU:
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K

OR

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

RAM:
CORSAIR DOMINATOR GT 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model CMT8GX3M2A1866C9

OR

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL

Graphics CARD:
EVGA 03G-P3-1584-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 3072MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Or, The one below, which seems to be way too much Overkill for anything I see coming along for me in Gaming/Simulations:
EVGA 03G-P3-1596-AR GeForce GTX 590 (Fermi) Classified 3072MB 768-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card


MONITOR:
Viewsonic 27” VX2753MH LED 1 ms 30M to 1
or
Acer 27” S273HL LED 2 ms 12M to I

HARD DRIVE (for Windows 7 Operating System plus primary Games/Sims of interest, such as COD and ROF:

Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F120GBGT-BK 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)


Existing components:

4 X 7200rpm HDDs for storage (800Gb if RAID striped; or 1600Gb if no raid) for Data and lower priority, less demanding applications/programs/Games.

External 800GB backup HD

CASE:
Cool Master F/TWR HAF 932 ATX

CPU COOLER:
Zalman CNPS9700LED

POWER SUPPLY
Antec 850W QUATTR

[CWMV]

Originally Posted by DoolittleRaider

My current (circa 2007) rig is going belly up. Here is what I have in mind for a new Rig. Any advice/comments would be appreciated...especially from those who have some of these components. COD and ROF are the two most challenging Games/Simulations I plan to run.

MoBo:
ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1)

CPU:
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K

OR

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

RAM:
CORSAIR DOMINATOR GT 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model CMT8GX3M2A1866C9

OR

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL

Graphics CARD:
EVGA 03G-P3-1584-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 3072MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Or, The one below, which seems to be way too much Overkill for anything I see coming along for me in Gaming/Simulations:
EVGA 03G-P3-1596-AR GeForce GTX 590 (Fermi) Classified 3072MB 768-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card


MONITOR:
Viewsonic 27” VX2753MH LED 1 ms 30M to 1
or
Acer 27” S273HL LED 2 ms 12M to I

HARD DRIVE (for Windows 7 Operating System plus primary Games/Sims of interest, such as COD and ROF:

Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F120GBGT-BK 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)


Existing components:

4 X 7200rpm HDDs for storage (800Gb if RAID striped; or 1600Gb if no raid) for Data and lower priority, less demanding applications/programs/Games.

External 800GB backup HD

CASE:
Cool Master F/TWR HAF 932 ATX

CPU COOLER:
Zalman CNPS9700LED

POWER SUPPLY
Antec 850W QUATTR

I'm running a system that's identical to yours except I have thei7 2600k, 1.5mb gtx580sc, corsair ram, and my case is the 922 haf.
Overclocked to 4.4mhz (at load only runs in the low 50's C, I actually have yet to break 51 C in anything but a stress test and it idles in the low 30's) ROF, IL2 and CoD all run smooth like buttered glass.

[Korn]

2500k is better bang for buck, however as money doesn't seem to be an issue why not go for the faster 2600k?

Different story with the graphics card if you ask me, the 580 is probably hot enough loud enough not to mention fast enough .

RAM: just pick the one with better guaranty conditions.

[Rattlehead]

I'm not sure what the advantages of triple channel are, but likely it's fairly insignificant. That setup you're going for is perfectly good for any modern game.

I'd guard against the 590 personally...too many iffy reports with them. If you want to add more horsepower later on, a second 580 would be a better bet. (If more expensive.)

If money is no object, then the 2600k is a great chip, otherwise the 2500k is virtually as fast and considerably cheaper.

I'm not the biggest Asus fan but many people seem to like those boards, so it's not worth much of a mention - the Sandy Bridges overclock really great on basically any board.

Other than those few considerations, I'd say everything else looks fantastic.

[DoolittleRaider]

Thanks for the advice, Rattlehead!

[BigC208]

Originally Posted by DoolittleRaider

My current (circa 2007) rig is going belly up. Here is what I have in mind for a new Rig. Any advice/comments would be appreciated...especially from those who have some of these components. COD and ROF are the two most challenging Games/Simulations I plan to run.

MoBo:
ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1)

CPU:
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K

OR

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

RAM:
CORSAIR DOMINATOR GT 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 Desktop Memory Model CMT8GX3M2A1866C9

OR

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL

Graphics CARD:
EVGA 03G-P3-1584-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 3072MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Or, The one below, which seems to be way too much Overkill for anything I see coming along for me in Gaming/Simulations:
EVGA 03G-P3-1596-AR GeForce GTX 590 (Fermi) Classified 3072MB 768-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card


MONITOR:
Viewsonic 27” VX2753MH LED 1 ms 30M to 1
or
Acer 27” S273HL LED 2 ms 12M to I

HARD DRIVE (for Windows 7 Operating System plus primary Games/Sims of interest, such as COD and ROF:

Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F120GBGT-BK 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)


Existing components:

4 X 7200rpm HDDs for storage (800Gb if RAID striped; or 1600Gb if no raid) for Data and lower priority, less demanding applications/programs/Games.

External 800GB backup HD

CASE:
Cool Master F/TWR HAF 932 ATX

CPU COOLER:
Zalman CNPS9700LED

POWER SUPPLY
Antec 850W QUATTR

You say your system is going belly up or has gone belly up? If she still runs I would wait untill the AMD Buldozer comes out and see what this does to the prices out there.

If you positively have to pull the trigger today I would go with one gtx 570 with 2.5 gb, (need faster throw in a second one in a while.)$100 saved.

Stick with the i2500k and use $100 saved on a Noctua NH-D14 cpu cooler. If you keep the 9700 make sure you order the mounting brace for the 1155 socket. I have an old 9500 that is not compatible with 1155 and needs a $11 brace.

Get a 1000w psu from a good brand and you just future proof your system for the next generation Graphics cards.

[DoolittleRaider]

I'm back...I've narrowed my selections for some components, but I am still undecided on RAM and Monitor and would definitely welcome suggestions/opinions on those components.

I've decided on a 24 inch monitor, and definitely leaning towards TN not IPS.

Note that I've added my current GTX8800(768Mb) graphics card to the components I'll carry forward, as I have discovered that it seems to be the specific card of choice which can be dedicated to PhysX, and does in fact improve 'performance' by a significant % , working alongside the GTX580...not that I have any PhysX enabled games...and no Flight Sim that I know of uses PhysX.

Again, I am primarily interested in Cliffs of Dover, Rise of Flight, A-10 Warthog, and Call of Duty Modern Warfare FPS series.

Any advice will be appreciated. Ohh...I'm holding off on the Build until AMD Bulldozer is released (next month??) , as many folks think that Intel cpu's will drop immediately in price as a result.

MoBo:
ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.1)

CPU:
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost)

VIDEO CARD:
EVGA 03G-P3-1584-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 3072MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP

HARD DRIVE:
Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F120GBGT-BK 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

LIQUID COOLER: (Note that I am not smart at all on Liq Coolers or compatibility with my other components.)
Corsair CWCH50-1 Hydro H50 CPU Liquid Cooler - 120mm Fan, Copper Cold Plate, Aluminum Radiator

Sound Card:
Creative Labs 70SB088600002 SoundBlaster X-FI Titanium Fatal1ty Pro



RAM:
CORSAIR DOMINATOR GT 8GB (2 x 4GB) SDRAM DDR3 1866 CMT8GX3M2A1866C9
OR:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) SDRAM DDR3 1866 F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL
Or:
Two Kingston KHX1600C9D3B1 4GB DDR3-1600MHz)



MONITOR:
Viewsonic VX2453MH-LED 24-Inch 1920X1080 TN Ultra-thin Widescreen LED Monitor 30,000,000M:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio 2Ms response
B]OR[/B]
Viewsonic VSVA2431WM 24-Inch TN Widescreen Monitor (?)
OR:
Samsung S24A350H 24-Inch 1920X1080 TN LED Monitor 2ms response
OR:
Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24” 1920X1200 e-IPS LED (Note: I’ve read many comments in reviews, etc, saying IPS is absolutely great/best for color, but not for gaming I think because of ghosting. Also, this is a significantly more expensive monitor because of IPS)


EXISTING Components:

Hard Drives:
4 X 7200rpm HDDs for storage (800Gb if RAID striped; or 1600Gb if no raid)
and External 800GB backup HD

Video Card
GTX8800 to remain and be used as dedicated PhysX card, alongside the GTC580 primary card


CASE
CM F/TWR HAF 932 ATX

CPU COOLER
Zalman CNPS9700LED

POWER SUPPLY
Antec 850W QUATTR

[Jaws2002]

Get the z68 version of the mobo instead of the p67. It is a newer chipset and intel got some of the problems with the sata bus fixed.
Z68 brings few extra features, and will most likely be suported with drivers longer than p67.
One major improvement over what you have on that list would be one of the newer ssd drives. They cost good money, but the speed boost they offer is hard to match with other upgrades.

Have fun with your build.

[Jaws2002]

Oh shoot. I just noticed you already have the ssd in the list.
I have a pair of crucial m4 ssd drives and I think those were the biggest upgrade for me.

[DoolittleRaider]

Originally Posted by Jaws2002

Get the z68 version of the mobo instead of the p67. ...

Funny. I did have the Z68 as my other option, at approximately the same price...I really don't know why I opted for the P67. Thanks for the advice, as I now recall that I have seen lots of similar opinions of the Z68 being the best.