Memory: G-Skill 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600Mhz RipjawsX Memory Kit CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V Processor: Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz Socket 1155 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor CPU cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro rev 2 Socket 775, 1156, 1155, 1366, AM2, AM3 Heatpipe SSD: OCZ 60GB Agility 3 SSD - 2.5" SATA-III - Read 525MB/s Write 475MB/s 80,000 IOPS Thermal grease: Tuniq TX-2 High Performance Thermal Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P Z68 Socket 1155 HDMI Onboard 7.1 Channel Audio ATX Hard-drive: WD 1TB 3.5" SATA-III 6Gb/s Caviar Blue - 7200RPM 32MB Cache = Case: NZXT Phantom White Full Tower Case Wireless adapter: Trendnet 300mbps Wireless N Pci Software: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium w/SP1 - Licence and media - 1 PC - OEM - DVD - 64-bit PSU: Corsair 1050W HX Series Modular PSU GPU: ASUS GTX 580 DirectCU II 1536MB GDDR5 Dual DVI HDMI Displayport PCI-E Graphics Card This will be my first ever attempt at building a PC. My main concern is that later down the line, I'll pick up an extra ASUS GTX 580. Now, from my understanding, the ASUS DirectCU II 580 requires a certain amount of pins from the PSU and thus if I were to pick up an additional graphics card, would I have enough pins (using the Corsair 1050W HX PSU)? Secondly, will there be enough room for both ASUS 580 DirectCU II (It is MASSIVE) in the NZXT Phantom case? And will the motherboard fit. I was looking at the dimensions of the motherboard and I think they were wider than the case. Sorry for the really amateur questions. This will be my first build and I really want to make sure it goes well. Also, to prove to my parents that I'm capable of doing something right. Also, if there are any suggestions or improvements I could make to the components then don't hesitate. Thanks!
as far as i know, your psu will def have enough connectors for xfire of those cards. and they should fit in that, case although it will probably be a tight squeeze. im not really a fan of nzxt tbh. they look nice, but they arent that practical (from my experience - cramped and not great cooling)
i'd really look at upping to a 120/128GB 6Gb/s SSD as they are much faster... if you're not aiming to add another one for raid (& you're obviously in a trim environment with Win7... well, assuming you don't connect it to a foolish Marvell controller for no good reason) then the 128GB M4 is a very decent budget option... (OT - see, i do suggest M4s sometimes) ...but there are naturally better & faster SSDs if you've got the money to spend.
I'm a little bit confused that you have the cash for SLI'ed 580s yet are going with such an average case. Unless you really like the look (there's no accounting for taste ) there are a great many nicer cases out there. Lian Li and Silverstone are 2 brands that make beautiful (and practical) cases.
Sorry in you case it depends on the MB as that card uses 3 slots per card. The MB would have to have at least 3 slots between the top and bottom card and you will not have room for a sound card. Much easier to get a GPU like the gigabyte version (the one in my sig for example) which takes "only" two slots. (Edit) From this: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/giga...r3-sata-iii-6gb-s-raid-sata-pcie-20-(x16)-atx Looks like it might just fit 2 Asus 580s, But I would still got for the Gigabyte ones I use as they are faster at "stock" quite and shorter. If you want any ideas check my build its made up of parts that are highly recommended and I run BF3 on ultra with all settings maxed no client side stuttering at all. (Edit) That SSD is from the value line. you want a Crucial M4 if you want a fast SSD.
Thanks for the info guys! I changed the graphics card from Asus to Gigabyte (though not overclocked). Would it be completely necessary to change the SSD? People are suggesting the Crucial M4 - yet the M4's read/write are lower than the OCZ's. OCZ 60GB Agility: Read 525MB/s, Write 475MB/s Crucial M4 64GB: Read 415MS/s, Write 95MB/s I don't think I'd need a lot of space either. SSD's main use would be to boot Windows and that's really it. Or do you suggest I pick up Corsair 120GB Force 3 SSD CSSD-F120GB3-BK (Read Performance: 550 MB/s; Write Performance: 510 MB/s)? Awh man, I really liked the look of the NZXT phantom. Do you still highly recommend I change it? Most of the reviews say it's a brilliant case.
The async nand SFs are much slower with compressible data than the (more expensive) sync nand ones which, whilst not that important explicitly of itself to most people, drags the average speeds down as a consequence. [ATTO - which is the high end for speeds with a SF (& are completely compressible) - & AS-SSD - which is the low end for speeds (& are ~99.9% incompressible) - are both kind of meaningless of themselves for a general OS/apps/games drive, unless you have a highly specific data type usage that one or other of them actually demonstrates...] if you were looking at a non-trim environment then an async nand SF would be the better choice (as their GC is more robust than something like the M4), but as you're not then... Similarly, going for a 60/64GB vs a 120/128GB SSD will be noticeably slower - &, providing you choose something half decent, this should make a bigger difference than the model... ...& if you don't need to use the space then, along with leaving a very decent amount of free space, you can under-partition considerably (increases the OP) which dramatically improves longevity & the maintenance of speeds. Now the top end 6Gb/s SFs (V3 max iops/Patriot Wildfire/etc) are really great drives, but this would be upping your budget considerably further... ...&, similarly, something like the new 6Gb/s Corsair Performance (using the same controller as the M4) is much faster than the M4 irl as a general use SSD (d.t. higher writes) - but again it's upping the budget noticeably. Well, whilst the OP's indicated that it's not what they're after, it'd be an odd use for both a new & only SSD in a machine for most people... ...but if you actually wanted to do so for some reason then, whilst you have that limit as to what can be directly used, it does not mean that you should therefore use a 64GB SSD. As with increasing OP by under partitioning on an OS/apps drive, you would gain significantly from using a larger SSD for the purpose - it'd be faster & have greater longevity & blah, blah, blah... ...or, ttbomk, as intel's SRT will only format to a max of 64GB (as you correctly said), you 'could' choose to format the remainder (or x amount of) & give it a drive letter to use it for something else.
Ah Tzarchasm it's just my personal taste about the case, it is a fairly well reviewed case - very big too iirc. A case depends entirely on you, it's the visible part of your computer
Right, I've replaced the OCZ 60GB with the 120GB Corsair Force 3. I'm thinking of keeping the case as I like the look of it and my monitor/TV is white as well. Overall changes: Change from ASUS to Gigabyte (Geforce 580 GTX) Change from OCZ 60GB to the 120GB Corsair Force 3 SSD. Am I good to go?
The CPU Cooler is a little weedy to be honest, but yes it is capable however you seem to be aiming for a performance build so why not get a Be Quiet! Dark Rock Advanced?
