[doctorwho55]

I am planning to build my second rig, this one oriented towards gaming. Basically just looking for and comments or criticism on my part choices. Thanks in advance for any help!

Specs (Gooey PC):
Case: RAIDMAX Vampire ATX-001WBTi Full Tower
CPU: i5-3570k Ivy Bridge (I do not have any plans to overclock, however wish to have the ability to do so should I change my mind)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD65 LGA 1155 ATX Intel
GPU: ZOTAC ZT-60901-10M GeForce GTX 660
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin SDRAM DDR3 1600 (I have this RAM in my current rig and just plan to transfer it)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM
PSU: SeaSonic SSR-450RM 450W
Optical Drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner

Additional Questions:

• Would it be worth going for the new i5-4670k over the 3570k?
• Is it worth waiting to see if the Geforce GTX 760 becomes a reality before proceeding with my purchases?
• Would a seperate, Solid State Drive specifically for booting off of be beneficial to the system?

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doctorwho55

No criticism here we only offer guidance and a different perspective

I am planning to build my second rig, this one oriented towards gaming. Basically just looking for and comments or criticism on my part choices. Thanks in advance for any help!

Specs (Gooey PC):
Case: RAIDMAX Vampire ATX-001WBTi Full Tower The plastic coating will hold the heat (and dust) inadequate cooling fans and a miserly 1 year warranty.
CPU: i5-3570k Ivy Bridge (I do not have any plans to overclock, however wish to have the ability to do so should I change my mind) Great CPU and I would suggest this over the newer Haswell CPU because of the lower power that it requires, the 3570k is also available for the same cost as the 3570 at present.
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD65 LGA 1155 ATX Intel Has reliability issues, please refer to the Newegg Feedback tab for reported problems.
GPU: ZOTAC ZT-60901-10M GeForce GTX 660 Sorry but not a fan of the Zotac brand and so would spend more to obtain a faster and recognized quality brand, the Zotac card only has a 2 year warranty and the Newegg details say that it requires a 600W PSU which I suspect is an error
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin SDRAM DDR3 1600 (I have this RAM in my current rig and just plan to transfer it) Fine as long as you ensure that it is compatible with the new MB before making the purchase.
HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM I prefer to use 1TB HDDs as they are easier to back up on a regular basis which is important + 2TB of data is an awful lot to lose should the HDD fail, adding an additional 1TB HDD when needed is also cost effective.
PSU: SeaSonic SSR-450RM 450W Top brand and efficiency rating but not enough output, choose a higher output PSU with at least a bronze rating as this will give you some headroom for adding additional HDDs and an SSD if you do decide to include one.
Optical Drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner Optical drives are pretty much standard these days and are often only included to allow for the OS to be installed, I selected a drive that will do the same job but will cost you less.

Additional Questions:

• Would it be worth going for the new i5-4670k over the 3570k?
  Purely a matter of personal preference but at present I would not and for the reason that I have mentioned above.
• Is it worth waiting to see if the Geforce GTX 760 becomes a reality before proceeding with my purchases?
  Only you can decide this - are you prepared to wait.
• Would a seperate, Solid State Drive specifically for booting off of be beneficial to the system?
  SSDs are great for speeding up boot times but are still too expensive to be used as large capacity storage devices, a 120 - 128GB SSD would allow for the OS to be installed + the many updates that will be released in the years ahead, there would also be enough room for your favorite games to be installed.

An alternative list of parts for you to take a look at http://pcpartpicker....wer2/saved/1M2D

You have not included an OS system can I ask what you will be using.

[phillpower2]

doctorwho55

No criticism here we only offer guidance and a different perspective

I am planning to build my second rig, this one oriented towards gaming. Basically just looking for and comments or criticism on my part choices. Thanks in advance for any help!

Specs (Gooey PC):
Case: RAIDMAX Vampire ATX-001WBTi Full Tower The plastic coating will hold the heat (and dust) inadequate cooling fans and a miserly 1 year warranty.
CPU: i5-3570k Ivy Bridge (I do not have any plans to overclock, however wish to have the ability to do so should I change my mind) Great CPU and I would suggest this over the newer Haswell CPU because of the lower power that it requires, the 3570k is also available for the same cost as the 3570 at present.
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD65 LGA 1155 ATX Intel Has reliability issues, please refer to the Newegg Feedback tab for reported problems.
GPU: ZOTAC ZT-60901-10M GeForce GTX 660 Sorry but not a fan of the Zotac brand and so would spend more to obtain a faster and recognized quality brand, the Zotac card only has a 2 year warranty and the Newegg details say that it requires a 600W PSU which I suspect is an error
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin SDRAM DDR3 1600 (I have this RAM in my current rig and just plan to transfer it) Fine as long as you ensure that it is compatible with the new MB before making the purchase.
HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM I prefer to use 1TB HDDs as they are easier to back up on a regular basis which is important + 2TB of data is an awful lot to lose should the HDD fail, adding an additional 1TB HDD when needed is also cost effective.
PSU: SeaSonic SSR-450RM 450W Top brand and efficiency rating but not enough output, choose a higher output PSU with at least a bronze rating as this will give you some headroom for adding additional HDDs and an SSD if you do decide to include one.
Optical Drive: ASUS 24X DVD Burner Optical drives are pretty much standard these days and are often only included to allow for the OS to be installed, I selected a drive that will do the same job but will cost you less.

Additional Questions:

• Would it be worth going for the new i5-4670k over the 3570k?
  Purely a matter of personal preference but at present I would not and for the reason that I have mentioned above.
• Is it worth waiting to see if the Geforce GTX 760 becomes a reality before proceeding with my purchases?
  Only you can decide this - are you prepared to wait.
• Would a seperate, Solid State Drive specifically for booting off of be beneficial to the system?
  SSDs are great for speeding up boot times but are still too expensive to be used as large capacity storage devices, a 120 - 128GB SSD would allow for the OS to be installed + the many updates that will be released in the years ahead, there would also be enough room for your favorite games to be installed.

An alternative list of parts for you to take a look at http://pcpartpicker....wer2/saved/1M2D

You have not included an OS system can I ask what you will be using.

[doctorwho55]

For an OS I plan to use Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit. My only real question regarding this parts list you have linked lies in the GPU. Is the Ti really worth the extra $60?

[phillpower2]

Do you already have the OS disk and if so what type of disk is it as in a full retail disk or an OEM type disk.

If you need to purchase an OS disk http://www.outletpc....osoft Windows 7

The list that I provided was only an example of alternative options that are available to you and the good thing about PCPartPicker is that you can change it to suit, change the card to a non Ti version if you do not wish to OC the card in the future + save yourself some cash in the process http://www.newegg.co...ID=3938566&SID=

Some information and reviews regarding the GTX660Ti V the GTX660;
http://www.videocard...h_end_gpus.html
http://www.hwcompare...rce-gtx-660-ti/
http://forums.guru3d...ad.php?t=373736

FWIW: I am not a fan of O/Cing as I prefer stability + we help too many people on these forums who have either pushed things too far or simply not known what they were doing and have ended up completely hosing their new computer.

I would happily purchase and recommend both the stock i5 3570 and the GTX660 video card over their unlocked counterparts but neither would be suitable for overclocking.

[iammykyl]

Gday.
If you are within a reasonable driving distance of these stores, (pick up only Deals)
> http://www.microcent...es/default.aspx
Bundle, i5 3570K + Asrock Extreme4 $285 or Asus P8Z77-V LK $275 > http://www.microcent...or-bundles.aspx
Video cards > http://www.videocard...et/gpu_list.php

[doctorwho55]

Do you already have the OS disk and if so what type of disk is it as in a full retail disk or an OEM type disk.

If you need to purchase an OS disk http://www.outletpc....osoft Windows 7

The list that I provided was only an example of alternative options that are available to you and the good thing about PCPartPicker is that you can change it to suit, change the card to a non Ti version if you do not wish to OC the card in the future + save yourself some cash in the process http://www.newegg.co...ID=3938566&SID=

Some information and reviews regarding the GTX660Ti V the GTX660;
http://www.videocard...h_end_gpus.html
http://www.hwcompare...rce-gtx-660-ti/
http://forums.guru3d...ad.php?t=373736

FWIW: I am not a fan of O/Cing as I prefer stability + we help too many people on these forums who have either pushed things too far or simply not known what they were doing and have ended up completely hosing their new computer.

I would happily purchase and recommend both the stock i5 3570 and the GTX660 video card over their unlocked counterparts but neither would be suitable for overclocking.

Unless the Windows 7 discs that were released at launch are good for multiple installations, I will probably be needing to purchase a new disc. Thanks a bunch for this link, was looking for a cheap copy.

[doctorwho55]

Gday.
If you are within a reasonable driving distance of these stores, (pick up only Deals)
> http://www.microcent...es/default.aspx
Bundle, i5 3570K + Asrock Extreme4 $285 or Asus P8Z77-V LK $275 > http://www.microcent...or-bundles.aspx
Video cards > http://www.videocard...et/gpu_list.php

Unfortunately I am not aware of being near that store, however thank you very much for the link to the video card ratings, those will help a ton.

[iammykyl]

Your welcome.

I am not aware of being near that store

Just in case you missed t, there are 22 store locations.

[phillpower2]

Do you already have the OS disk and if so what type of disk is it as in a full retail disk or an OEM type disk.

If you need to purchase an OS disk http://www.outletpc....osoft Windows 7

The list that I provided was only an example of alternative options that are available to you and the good thing about PCPartPicker is that you can change it to suit, change the card to a non Ti version if you do not wish to OC the card in the future + save yourself some cash in the process http://www.newegg.co...ID=3938566&SID=

Some information and reviews regarding the GTX660Ti V the GTX660;
http://www.videocard...h_end_gpus.html
http://www.hwcompare...rce-gtx-660-ti/
http://forums.guru3d...ad.php?t=373736

FWIW: I am not a fan of O/Cing as I prefer stability + we help too many people on these forums who have either pushed things too far or simply not known what they were doing and have ended up completely hosing their new computer.

I would happily purchase and recommend both the stock i5 3570 and the GTX660 video card over their unlocked counterparts but neither would be suitable for overclocking.

Unless the Windows 7 discs that were released at launch are good for multiple installations, I will probably be needing to purchase a new disc. Thanks a bunch for this link, was looking for a cheap copy.

This will depend on whether or not the disk that you have is the full retail type or an OEM type that was provided with a brand name computer such as Dell or HP or a custom built computer that was carried out either by or for yourself, please see my canned text below which is not intended to infer anything only to emphasize that the licence agreements for the two types of disk are not the same;

Just a cautionary note, unless your OS disk is the full retail edition you cannot use it with a new MB as an OEM disk is tied to the original MB it was paired with, to use an OEM disk with a new MB is software piracy and therefore illegal.
Exceptions to the above are 1: If your MB is replaced under warranty and 2: If your MB is replaced out of warranty with an alternative type but same brand due to the original model no longer being available, an upgraded MB however will require the purchase of a new OS licence.
If you have a full retail disk and a product key that is not in use on another computer the OEM restriction/s is/are not the same.

Multiple installations if it is what you refer to is covered under Volume Licensing http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/

You are welcome BTW