Feedback on Gaming Build

N

nematocyte

New Member
Hi everyone, I'm new here and would appreciate some feedback on a PC I plan to build in the next week or so. My primary use will be gaming; secondary use includes photo and video editing. Following the specs are a few specific questions I have concerning my build. Thanks in advance for your comments/suggestions!

Case: NZXT Phantom (white)
Power Supply: NZXT Hale90 1000W 80+
Motherboard: Asus P8P67 PRO
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Processor: Intel Core i7 2600k
GPU: EVGA GTX 570
Hard Drive 1: Crucial 128GB Sata 6GB/s SSD
Hard Drive 2: Samsung 1TB
CPU Heatsink: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus

A few questions/thoughts:

1. Do the intel processors or ASUS MBoard ship with thermal compound, or do I need to get that separately?

2. I'm open to RAM suggestions but I do prefer 2 sticks of 4 GB. I read somewhere that the Sandy Bridge processors are optimized for DDR3 1600 and wanted to know if that's accurate.

3. I'm undecided on the i7 2600k verus the i5 2500k. Since I will be doing a lot of gaming, I'm under the impression that the HT on the 2600k will be useless and saving a 100 dollars there is a smart move. Thoughts on that?

4. Looking for some feedback on my CPU heatsink. I've heard good things about the particular model I chose, but I'm definitely open to suggestions.

5. Finally, I'm getting the 1000w power supply to prepare for SLI in about 6 months or so and went for that wattage based on two GTX 570s.

Thank you very much for your time; all comments are welcome!
 
Get some better thermal paste, either Arctic Silver 5 or XIGMATEK PTI-G3606, I have used both theres no temp difference. When buy memory remember that les bigger sticks is better than more smaller sticks. so the 2x4gb you have is good, and 1600mhz is pretty much what most people go with, it might take some bios tweaking to get it there though. I have seen people switching from the 2500k to the 2600k, evidently the overclocking potential of the 2600k is insane. IDK much about the heatsink you have chosen but one of the best is the Noctua NH-D14, its kinda expensive though, and its big. Another is Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B but you will have to purchase 1-2 fans seperately for this one. Also I use the Xigmatek Dark Knight it works great looks awesome. Best idea is to find something that you like the way it looks (if you care about that kinda stuff) and youtube and google the reviews. Dont go off newegg reviews though alot of them are down right retarded sometimes
 
Welcome to the forums! :)

Pretty solid build you've put together.

1- The Hyper 212+ comes with some, and it's pretty good stuff too. There's also some pre-applied to the stock heat sink. If you decide to change coolers, check to make sure it comes with some. If it doesn't, Arctic Silver 5 is usually what people get.

2- What you've picked is perfectly ok. G.Skill has some with the same specs for about $5 cheaper, but otherwise, it'll work fine. I'm not so sure about SB being DDR31600-optimized, but it's what most people get anyway.

3- The i7 will be faster, but I agree with you...I don't think it's worth the extra $100.

4- The H12+ is a pretty good budget heat sink, especially if you add a second fan to it. There are a better ones out there, though, if you're willing to pay for them. Frostytech's top 10 lists are a pretty good guide tot he best ones:
http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

5- Good price on that PSU, it's $200 on the egg. It'll look awesome in the Phantom. :good:


edit: Sslagle, the thermal paste that comes with the Hyper 212+ is nearly identical to AS5 in performance. No need to get more.
 
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Man I wouldn't even chance it with anything except Arctic Silver 5. That is THE stuff to get if you're serious about keeping temps down. Stock paste is almost never gonna be what you really want to use. I wouldn't even keep stock fans with cpu coolers- they aren't always the best and cooling performance can raise a lot with a little bit of investment(this can be earned back by selling stock fans, stock cooler from cpu, and the paste). Love the hyper 212+, it was a fairly easy install and will fit in most cases.

Came highly recommended and all I was looking for was a good heatsink, I planned on getting fans seperate for a more customized deal. Only bad thing about it and some other coolers, is it will block the first memory slot with 2 fans on, so keep that in mind when choosing your ram. My ram has tall heatsinks so logically I won't use more than 2 sticks any time in the future. I might replace a pair with a faster pair(which for now isn't worth pursuing), but I wouldn't get more sticks of the same speed.
 
Again, the thermal paste on the H212+ will performs on par with AS5. If it doesn't, it will be within a degree or so...not really noticeable. Not really worth the extra dough.

Also, AS5 is not the end-all be-all of thermal pastes. There are better ones around, they just aren't as common. Noctua NT-H1 comes to mind.
 
That NZXT unit is based on Superflower's Golden Green design, which performs very well. It also has a full compliment of Nippon Chemi-Con capacitors, so it's plenty reliable. No worries there.

1KW may be a little much, but 850 might be pushing it if everything is overclocked and there are a lot of accessories attached. I don't see a problem if you're willing to pay for it.
 
Incredible information guys, I appreciate your time. My order date for parts is sometime over the next 3 or 4 days, so I'll be sure to post progress updates.

I plan on sticking with the 1000w for a little extra breathing room, The two power supply calculators I used had me at around 916 watts / 90% load with two GTX 570s and the i7 overclocked to 4.3 GHz. Additionally, as Drenlin stated, the NZXT model is a perfect fit for the case I'm purchasing. The model itself has gotten very solid reviews insofar as I've searched.

That link to the CPU heatsinks is very helpful. I may go with one of the those top rated Noctuas instead. Lots of choices there, I'm going to double-check the size of the RAM I chose and make sure I have enough clearance.

Thanks again for the tips; I'll stay on top of this thread to let you guys know how I'm progressing with final build pics to come.
 
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