Windows 7: New Build

After some consideration, I scrapped the idea of a x79

Looks good.

CPU
You could wait for Ivy Bridge but it might be a tad expensive. Sandy Bridge E might also be an option. I read somewhere that an i7-2700k was coming out so that might be worth waiting for too. Also, if you only want to overclock to 4.0Ghz, you should be fine with the i5-2500k as it overclocks the same as the i7-2600k. You'll be able to save a hundred or so bucks on it.

Motherboard
I've never used an EVGA board but I hear they're decent. Personally, I'd go with an ASUS as the high-end Gigabyte boards are overpriced. If you decide to go ASUS, you might want to look at something like the ASUS P8Z68-Deluxe.

RAM
The memory has nice timings, should be good for overclocking, even if you're not going to high. Corsair makes excellent memory if not overpriced, but probably the best on the market ATM. OCZ RAM was apparently great for overclocking but they're now focusing on SSD's so they're memory range died out. Personally, I would go for G.Skill as it's a tad cheaper and you can buy higher frequencies but the RAM you've chosen is still great.

SSD
Now, the SSD. Intel makes solid but overpriced SSD's so if you're looking for a bit more space, I would go for something like the Crucial M4 128GB. OCZ users have been reporting bugs in the Vertex 3's so I would stay away from them. The OCZ forums should have some more info on that if needed.

Case
Case looks great, it's feature packed and it should do the job well. Corsair makes great cases if not once again, overpriced. I'm not sure I like the white though, personally, I would go for the black edition. But that's your choice.

PSU
You should probably be fine with a TX650 ATM but if you do want to upgrade, you could get a TX750 for $130 or if you want to go a level up, a HX750 for $140. You could also consider an 850w PSU if you want some more headroom for future upgrades. Just in case you want to SLI/Crossfire or do some high overclocks.

Cooling
With cooling, you probably wouldn't need some hardcore liquid helium system if you're just looking to keep it at 4.0Ghz stable. You might want to look at a couple of Noctua fans which are great after you get over the hideous colour. If you want to go with water cooling, you could get some low-end CPU coolers which still make for great cooling. Something like the Corsair H60 or the Antec Kuhler H20 620 would be perfect.


Well, that's my two cents.

Thanks so much for the suggestions

On the SSD, I chose Intel simply because Ive had very good luck with the one I have.
My Vertex has been problematic, although doing well the last few months.
I'll certainly look into the Crucials though.


CPU:
I was thinking of possibly going with the i5 2500K to save a bit and make room for the PSU upgrade, since the i7 doesnt seem to be a huge advantage for gaming.

The only thing that bothers me, is I do ALOT of video encoding. And from what Im seeing, the i7 has a decent advantage there.

So perhaps I am better off waiting on the PSU upgrade, and just get the i7 now, if both can not fit into my budget.

Wonder if the 2700 will be out by Dec.? If it takes the price point of the 2600K that would be perfect.



I'll certainly look more into the Antec & Corasair water coolers more.
Thanks for these suggestions.

I was considering a Corsair H series, but want sure if just a air cooler would be the better route.
I didnt even realize Antec had one.

The last I read they were saying that we can expect Ivy Bridge in March/April of 2012.

I've got my eye on socket 2011 and the Sandy Bridge E i7's, which are due to be on the market in December. But the first tickets to that show are going to be very high.

The 600 is designed with the H100 cooler in mind but use Noctua fans and run them wide open.

I can't recommend the 128gb Crucial m4 strongly enough, bang for buck it's the logical choice either sata II or III, of course run off sata III. Spend just a bit more and get the software and kit and it makes cloning and alignment issues a thing of the past.

Yes, the i5-2500k and i7-2600k aren't much different at all. Just take a look at this comparison from the Intel website. Pretty much the only difference is the clock speed and cache.

The release of the 2700k is just a rumour at the moment, but hopefully it'll come out sometime this year alongside the LGA 2011 socket and X79 chipset which is coming out in November/December.

With the PSU, you might even be able to get a Corsair AX750 if you go with the i5-2500k. If you want an 850w, you could also get an HX850.

With the water cooling, Antec created the Kuhler H2O series to compete with Corsair's Hydro series. Although the Kuhler's are significantly louder than Hydro's, they're still a decent CPU cooler. Though a couple of Noctua fans would do you just fine too. They're very suitable for your needs.

Once again, and as Alan has expressed above you should definitely consider the Crucial M4. I hear they're very reliable and am planning to get one in my new build. The sequential read and write speeds are double the Intel SSD's and they are very reliable. For only $20 more too, you get 48GB more space. Definitely a great SSD for the money!

It's looking very expensive at the moment. The entry level CPU for the LGA 2011 socket is the i7-3820. It only has four cores and a locked multiplier but has a massive 10MB L3 cache! It'll be going for $294 by the looks of it.

Next one up, i7-3930k is unlocked, has 6 cores, 12MB Cache and is going for $584. The i7-3980x gets to 4.1Ghz on turbo boost alone! Imagine the overclocking potential... I can dream I suppose, it's way too expensive for me.

I'll post the full table from Wikipedia below.

Looks like these may be out in time for my build.

According to Toms Hardware, the i7-3820 actually seems to fall short vs. the 2700K.
And the i7-3930k + is just out of my price range.
Here the hands on article Im basing this on on:
Intel Core i7-3960X (Sandy Bridge-E) And X79 Platform Preview : Sandy Bridge-E And X79 Are Almost Ready

Many may already be up to date on all of this, but for those who aren't its a interesting, although lengthy, read.


But Ive also just remembered Bulldozer is supposed to launch soon.

Sadly I can not find anything on these that looks legits. Lots of leaked stuff, but doesn't look trustworty.
These should be in the 200-300$ price range as well.
Would be interested in seeing how they stack up vs SB. I have no problem moving to AMD if Bulldozer can put something worthwhile on the table.


But without knowing, and if Toms report is accurate, looking like Z68-i2700k may be the best way to go for me.

New AMD Bulldozer release date rumored to be October 12 | ZDNet

Wait for Ivy Bridge if possible. For air cooling my V8 does the job nicely, never been over 65 degrees. Infact been over 60 simply because my CPU die needs lapping unfortunately. You can also look at Noctua's range.