Windows 7: First time pc builder

Si I'm not sure if this is the right place for this,Im looking into building a mid range gaming pc.I am just in the early stages ov planning and this is my first attempt at any kind ov list,can somebody advise if this is ok or total crap.
MB/Asrock,278 extreme 3 gen 3 3.30mxz,6mb cach
P/i5 2500k unlocked
Rom/corsair vengeance 8gb 1600mxz
Graphics/Asus gtx 560ti diect 11 top 1gb
dvd drive/asusdrw-24 b3st sata 24x +-
HD/seagate baracuda 7200rpm 1tb sata
ssd/corsair 60g novo series 2 read 2700rpm write 2400rpm 128mb cache
PSU/xpf p1-850-nl b9 pro850w core edition
Case/unsure on this maybe as a treat the Thermaltake level 10 as it looks great but pricey.Please feel free to slate any ov my ideas as it is only a very early thought in my head,and it is my first attempt ov a self build.

What's your budget for the build?

Looks ok, I would ditch the corsair Nova ssd, its an older generation one, I would go for a crucial M4 instead.

When are you looking to build? The new Ivybridge Intel CPU's are due to be released in the next couple of weeks (motherboards are already out Z77) so it might be worth waiting to see how good they are.

Paul.

I have read that intel's SSD have the lowest fail rates and live the longest out of the SSD that exists. And if your not planing on using SLI or Crossfire you can get a PSU with lower watt since that would be cheaper, and I would go with a modular since it just make it all much cleaner in the case, they cost more but imo it's worth it. And for chassi as long as it has an open backplate it helps a lot if your going to install a aftermarket cpu cooler, youtube have a ton of chassi reviews so you can check some of them out there.

As for PSU brand I would go with Corsair, using 1 and having no problems at all what I can see, and they are making individual sleeved cables now that you can buy that saves you a ton of time, and really adds to the look.

PSU Accessories - Power Supply Units

Here is a superb SSD for little money: Newegg.com - Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR60GB 2.5" 60GB SATA III Asynchronous MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

And Andreas is right, Intels are very robust but not cheap.

If you go with a case with ample room behind the mobo and good wire pass through's with rubber grommets then you can save some money with a non-modular PSU but please go with a quality brand such as Corsair, Seasonic, Thermaltake, Coolermaster and I'm even hearing good things about discount brands such as Kingwin. I agree the Crucial M4 is excellent. I would look to any of the Corsair mid tower cases as a great compromise without giving much up if anything! Really like the 600, 500 and 400 series.

Corsair CC-9011011-WW Carbide Series 400R Mid Tower Gaming Case - ATX, mATX, 4x Ext 5.25 Bays, 6x Int 3.5 Bays, 2x 120mm White LED Fans, 1x 120mm Fan, 2x USB 3.0 and 1x FireWire Front Ports at TigerDirect

Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series™ 600T Mid-Tower Case - ATX, Micro ATX, 4x Ext 5.25, 6x Int 3.5, 2x 200mm Fans, 1x 120mm Fan, 4x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0, 1x IEEE 1395 Front Ports, CC600TWM-WHT at TigerDirect

Corsair CC-9011012-WW Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case - ATX, mATX, 4x Ext 5.25 Bays, 6x Int 3.5 Bays, 1x 200mm and 2x 120mm White LED Fans, 1x 120mm Fan, 2x USB 3.0 and 1x FireWire Ports at TigerDirect

http://biz.tigerdirect.com/applicati...917&CatId=2535

Some good cases to look into:
Newegg.com - Corsair Carbide Series 400R Graphite grey and black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case

Newegg.com - Corsair Carbide Series 500R Black Steel structure with molded ABS plastic accent pieces ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Really depends on budget, but these are IMO a good place to start.

I have the 600T and love it. Lots of room, and excellent cable management inside.
This will have a similar interior design.

The 600Ts will come in at around $159USD for Black, and $10 more for the white.


On the SSD, I know many want the faster SATA3 drives. But, I think something like a 80GB Intel 320series is a good drive for the OS.

If you are going to set up your main SSD for only the OS/apps, then a 64 or 80GB is all you need. I would recommend doing this too as there are many advantages.
For me, the biggest is that making backup Images is faster as well as fast complete restores.

The Intels do have a Rep for being the most dependable/reliable, but in the case of the 320series 80GB or 40Gb SSDS, they are also slower than the Crucial M4s for example. But, as a OS/app drive you will never notice the difference, save for a benchmark run.

Thats not to say the M4s are a bad choice. Excellent drives.
I just find I like the Intels better. I feel ... safer, more secure, and trust it more I guess you could say for the OS.. Just a opinion though.

My opinion is also a bit shaded as I got burned with OCZ drives in the past. Switched to Intel and never looked back. But, to be completely fair, those were also OCZs first Gen Vertex drives. Much has changed since.

Thanks for the advice guys.To settle the first question about when I am going to be building it well it's not going to be for at least 3 months,I'm going to be buying everything bit by bit,and budget not sure yet to be honest,I'm saving still and as it is going to be bought bit by bit it doesn't really matter..I will look into ssd's a bit more that is one component,I haven,t really looked that much into.Case choice regarding the level 10 is a bit extremeand the corsair has constantly been mentioned here,and from other research,they do seem to be very easy to work with,with good toolless features,and nice cable management.I was on youtube for about 7 hours yesterday and I quite like the look ov the stormtrooper case,is this any good?Also I think I am going to go with my first choice ov boards with the Asus sabertooth,. I will definatley look into the ivybridge cpu,Ive herd it mentioned a few times .The power supply also another item that Hasn't been researched as yet,but one that keeps popping up is the gold series 80,not sure on full name but it is the one that uses 80% ov the total drawn power,to operate the rig.Cheers again guys,you have given me a lot more to think about /

I wouldn't recommend buying parts "bit by bit" because if something you buy in April is defective, you may not know that it is defective until July when you actually start assembling the parts. Your supplier might not allow you to return something that is 3 months old. Stockpile your money and do your research and buy all at once when you actually intend to build it.

I think Ivy Bridge is socket 2011?? If so, you would need to buy a socket 2011 motherboard. So, you can't really decide on a motherboard until you have decided on a processor.

Regarding the PSU: a basic system with the 2500k, a few hard drives, 8 GB of RAM, an optical drive, a motherboard, and a monitor won't use over 150 watts, even when pushed hard. That same system with a 560ti will use less than 400 watts when pushed hard and under 300 most of the time. Unless you are planning on using 2 video cards, get a quality brand (Seasonic, XFX, Corsair) in the 500 to 600 watt range. Most PSU brands do NOT actually make the PSU--they are supplied by contract and made by any of a relatively few manufacturers. Many brands out there are junk. The 80% certification is desirable because it will save you a few dollars a year in electricity, but the certification is NOT a guarantee of high quality.

The Intel drives never blow anybody away with their benchmarks (sequential read/sequential write), but they are great with random I/O which is what your computer does more than anything else. I own a couple of Intel SSD's and am very happy with them. And like you said, aside from a benchmark test, you will likely never see the difference.

I'm not a big fan of OCZ myself. Seems like they have had lots of problems in the past. And the controllers keep changing, for example, I think the OCZ vertex 4's have moved away from Sandforce and are using Indiilinx again.

Thaks all for your replies.Ive been doing a lot more research and have decided to go with a z series motherboard ivy bridge ready,When are the actual cpu's due for release?