Noob $2,500 budget build

[WiLd_FyeR]

Hey wassups laydeez and gents.. First time build here coming from a dell xps laptop. Was going to buy an Alienware but decided to just build one myself since everyone is saying "building one is cheaper".

So here's my setup so far and will be needing help on what parts you guys recommend for a stable system. I'll be doing video/photo editing (photoshop), gaming, OC ( 10% - 25%) etc.. So basically a versatile/stable computer for around $2,000 - $2,500 budget. BTW I plan to add another GPU in about 6 months.

So any recommendations would be appreciated

Case - Phantom 630 Matte Black
Mobo - Asus V formula or Extreme (Need help deciding which one to choose)
CPU - Intel 3770K or 3930K (Need help deciding which one to choose)
CPU cooler - Corsair H100i (push/pull config)
PSU - Corsair AX1200
DRAM - Corsair Dominator 16gb 1600mhz or should I go 2666mhz (Need help deciding which one to choose)
GPU - Asus GTX 670 DC2T
Storage - SSD Intel 520 240gb
OS - Windows 7 64bit - Not sure what to get, home or pro. Does it matter?

[kkn]

just be shure the case suports E-atx boards.
w7, it matters on the memory size. ( google it ).
memory, between 1600 and 2400, depending on your budget. ( just be shure to only use one kit and not to mix diffrent kits even if they are the same )

[Chino]

Welcome to the Republic of Gamers forums, WiLd FyeR.

Let's start by establishing the two possible builds that you can do. There's the Z77 build which is perfect for gaming, daily use and even video/image edition. Then there's the more expensive X79 build which does everything the Z77 can do but faster. So you have to really choose between these two builds. Which aspect of your rig is more important to you? Gaming or video/image edition?

As for your parts, this is my take on it.

The Maximus V Formula is the perfect motherboard for daily use and gaming purposes. The Extreme has a few more features but mainly valuable to overclockers. The MVF will fit you just fine.

As far as CPU goes, the i7 3770k is all you need for a gaming build. But since you'll be doing video/image editing also, the i7 3930k will benefit you even more but it is a lot more expensive.

For gaming, 8GB is enough but 16GB is nice to have. But when it comes to video/image edition, you can never have too much RAM. Possibly 32GB or even 64GB is desirable. 1600Mhz is perfect for gaming and anything faster is a waste. On the other hand, memory intensive programs like video/image edition programs love faster RAM. If you want faster, then I recommend something around the 2133MHz.

The GTX 670 is the best choice for gamers right now from a price/performance standpoint.

Personally I'd choose the W7 64BIT Ultimate.

[WiLd_FyeR]

Gaming/Video Editing that's a tough one. I'd say I'm more into Video gaming 60/40.

Don't forget, I will be going SLI with the GTX 670 in a few months.

Also will there be any conflicting items on my setup that will cause my build to be unstable??

For the OS Win7 different edition differences, I don't see where Home Premium vs Ultimate would help performance wise.

[kkn]

WiLd FyeR wrote:
For the OS Win7 different edition differences, I don't see where Home Premium vs Ultimate would help performance wise.

that would be the amount of ram suported by windows.
and 64 bit suports more then the 32 bit version too.
depending og the W7 64bit version it suports from 4gig and up to 192gig of memory depends on the version of the w7 you get.

[Chino]

If you don't mind me asking, where are you located? And where will you be shopping for your components?

[WiLd_FyeR]

Phoenix Arizona. Will be doing some purchases on NewEgg and Fry's Electronics.

[WiLd_FyeR]

Got it, home premium 16gb. Pro and Ultimate are 192gb. So I'm guessing to save $50 I should go for Professional rather than ultimate?

[Chino]

Now if I had your budget, my Z77 build would look something like this:

Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo)
ASUS Maximus V FORMULA
CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i Water Cooler
Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition
G.SKILL Trident X Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3 2400
PQI U822V 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Model
SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD120BW 2.5" 120GB
SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD120BW 2.5" 120GB
ASUS GTX680-DC2-4GD5 GeForce GTX 680 4GB
NVIDIA $150 value in-game coin coupon
SeaSonic X-1250 1250W 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active
Corsair Obsidian Series 800D
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
Panda Security Internet Security 2013 - 1 PC - OEM
TOTAL: $2,458.89

The 2 SSDs for RAID 0. And all the other in italics are freebies. LOL

[WiLd_FyeR]

Chino wrote:
Now if I had your budget, my Z77 build would look something like this:

Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo)
ASUS Maximus V FORMULA
CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i Water Cooler
Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition
G.SKILL Trident X Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3 2400
PQI U822V 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Model
SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD120BW 2.5" 120GB
SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD120BW 2.5" 120GB
ASUS GTX680-DC2-4GD5 GeForce GTX 680 4GB
NVIDIA $150 value in-game coin coupon
SeaSonic X-1250 1250W 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active
Corsair Obsidian Series 800D
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
Panda Security Internet Security 2013 - 1 PC - OEM
TOTAL: $2,458.89

The 2 SSDs for RAID 0. And all the other in italics are freebies. LOL

Setup sounds good to me. Question on the GPU though, I've looked at the benchmarks between the 670 and 680. There wasn't a big difference in performance between the 2 unless you know something that I don't know.