Not sure about this spec, need experts advice before placing my order please!

[MNK_31]

First of all hi everyone, I'm new to the forums but have been reading around for a while.

So I will be using this computer for work (mainly photoshop) but for a lot of gaming too (both online and offline). I'd like it to be a bit future proof as well.
I am not going to overclock (main reason being, I have no idea how to and don't want to mess my computer, such a newbie!).. :S

Also, please keep in mind the monitor included in the spec will be used with another computer. The main monitor I will be using will be a calibrated 27 inch NEC capable of 2550x1440, and not that fast, sadly it's only a 12ms, will this be really bad for gaming, or the other specs will help improve it?
**Do you recommend getting a second faster & smaller monitor for gaming with this computer?

As Graphics card I wanted a 3GB GTX590 but it's out of stock, so I am going for the 3GB GTX580. The extra PSU is because I contemplate the possibility to go SLI with it in a few months. If you think any other option is much better, like 2x1.5 GB580 etc please let me know

Is my motherboard choice working well with everything else?

And about Memory, would 8GB/2133MHz be faster than my choice of 16GB/1600Mhz? Is it really worth it?

OH! and almost forgot, about the processor, even I'm not planning to overclock, is there any other reason why I should go for the 2600x? if so, should I then also change the motherboard?

So sorry for so many questions, I really want to make sure everything looks fine before ordering.

Thanks so much in advance!!!


Case
COOLERMASTER HAF-X FULL TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7-2600 Quad Core (3.40GHz, 8MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® SABERTOOTH P67 (NEW REV 3.0): USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, THERMAL ARMOR!
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (4 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 580 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
250GB INTEL® 510 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 500MB/sR | 315MB/sW)
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Hard Disk
500GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD5002AALX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (7200rpm)
3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Hard Disk
2TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD2002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
12x BLU-RAY RE-WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£79)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1050W PRO SERIES™ HX1050-80 PLUS® SILVER MODULAR (£162)
Processor Cooling
TITAN FENRIR EVO EXTREME HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£39)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI-E CARD (£19)
USB Options
NZXT INTERNAL USB HEADER (4 Additional Powered Internal USB Ports) (£18)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£109)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY V10 - 1 Year, 1 User + 5GB Online Backup (£19)
Monitor
ASUS VG236HE 23" 120Hz 3D LCD, HDMI/DVI-D HD, 1920x1080 (£235)
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables
2 x 2 METRE DVI-D CABLE (£9)
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK520 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO (£39)
Speakers
LOGITECH S220 2.1 SILVER/BLACK SPEAKER SYSTEM (£18)
Surge Protection
6 Socket Compact 2M UFO Surge Protector (£9)
External Hard Drive
WD 2TB My Book Essential USB 3.0 External HDD WDBACW0020HBK - Black (£99)
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£69)

 

[tom_gr7]

Looks good, a few things I would do though.

I'd opt for the asus p8z68 v motherboard, will give you plenty of usb ports to drop the extra usb ports.

With your hard drive choices, I'd go SSD for OS, WD caviar black for programs + games, WD Green for storage/backup.

Have one dvd/blu ray drive instead of two, just go for one blu ray If you need it.

I'd ditch the extra usb ports, I think you will get plenty on the motherboard.

Drop the anti virus.

Personally i'd ditch the 3d monitor and go for a normally 22inch led screen from pcs.

Whats the crack with the external HDD?

edit - 16gb ram is overkill, 8gb would be better suited.

 

[MNK_31]

Thanks for your reply tom_gr7,

I initially opted for the p8z68 v pro, but it was out of stock. I should maybe go down to p8z68 v as you suggest, thanks. Not sure if there is too much difference between these 2. Are the integrated graphics going to cause problems or conflicts with anything? or are they just in case the Graphic card dies and usually disabled?

About WD Green, considering I will have to work with large graphic files stored there I thought I should go for a HDD, knowing that you still would recommend the Green one?

I only have 1 blue ray in that spec

Extra usb ports ditched, I think you're right, I also have some more external usb so no need for those

Which antivirus you recommend then? I need to have a plan B if I ditch that one.

I also would ditch the 3d monitor, that one is for my bf (for another computer). I will have that calibrated 27 inch 12ms that I need for work, so would you recommend me getting a second faster one for gaming (such as the regular 22" from pcs?)

I need the external HDD because the one I already have is full and I need to keep copies of some of the work I do (no need to copy everything so no need for RAID I) but I need to keep copies of graphic files that are around 500MB/1,5GB. for several months, that's why I need external storage.

You reckon 8gb/1600 or 2133 Mhz?

thankyou!

 

[tom_gr7]

You could go for the pro version, I have that one, but don't know the differences between the pro and non pro. The integrated graphics will be disabled.

About the blu ray drives, I'd go for one drive instead of a blu ray drive, instead a blu ray and a dvd drive.

I'd get a new monitor, it will look better. There's nothing worth than having a awesome pc but pants picture due to pants monitor. I have just ordered a new monitor from pcs, as my "LG 1080p monitor" is pants. Go for one of the LED monitors from pcs.

ram go for 8gig kingston 1600mhz, as its the same price 8gb samsung, no need for the 2133mhz ram thats for extreme overlcocking. The hard drives, you could get two 1tb caviar blacks, or a 2tb drive?

Ya best keep the external then, or you get a 1tb caviar green for backing up instead.

anti virus i use norton 2011, I like it. Some like free anti virus, such as Microsoft security essentials or avg free.

 

[nicknack]

Tom are you irish?

 

[elmono]

Hi, don't take too much notice of my advice, like you I'm no expert..But I have done some research, (my new pc arrives tomorrow any luck), the one thing i'd say is that there's virtually no difference between the pro and non pro versions of the p8z68 v. http://uk.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V_PRO/#specifications It's a top notch option.

The integrated graphics on this card wont be used, that's just for if you don't have a dedicated graphics card. You plug your monitor into the graphics card outlet on the back of the pc not the motherboard. (plug from the Motherboard plug you will face a blank monitor).

I was gonna go for the 590, (shortage too!), so in the end i plugged for 2 580 configured in sli. The 580 is still a great option. Consider the extra coupla hundred for the twin if you feel you reallly need it.
It will rock tho The battlefield 3 game recomends it to get the ultimate out of it's new frostbite 2 engine.
Last point, check out some different speakers. Too my mind you may get better peripherals outside the site. Do some research! For example, I think I eventually went for Dell ultrasharp monitor with great reviews rather than one from here.
As I say I'm no expert so just hope I've helped. Enjoy the journey though! And my exerience of PCS has been great! Don't forget to phone them up and ask for advice ... they're lovely helpful fellas. Really. Give them a bell.

 

[MNK_31]

Hi Tom, thanks again for the quick reply

I will ask PCS about the differences that offer the pro version of that mobo then so I can decide

Yeah right? I already thought that big pro monitor would be too slow for FPS gaming, sadly I need that for work so I will have to add the extra cost of a second one for gaming. Well it will be good to have 2 monitors again for work.

8gb 1600 then thankyou I can always add more later as well. I thought 2133 would be for overclocking so better ask and sounds stupid than buying the wrong thing

Yeah I'll get the caviar black then, and keep the external as sometimes I need to take it with me when I go abroad.

I asked about antivirus because I've had always a bad experience with most of them so I never know what to choose. Does Norton slow down the whole computer as most of the ones I've had?

thanks so much

 

[vanthus]

Some things to consider, unless you're going to be copying a lot of dvd/cd disks,
you wont need two optical drives,the blu-ray drive will do everything you need.
do you really need the extra features of windows7 professional,check here.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows7/products/compare
Bullguard is excellent,I used it for the 90 day free trial,although I didn't buy It,
I switched to MS Security essentials,It's free.
If you post your budget, I'm sure one of the guys will suggest a spec for you based on what you have.

 

[MNK_31]

Hi elmono, thanks for answering!

Yes I will think about going SLI thanks. We had bad luck with the 590! I've been reading around and most people say the 580 is enough so not sure if I will get the second one now or wait to get it in a few months.

And yeah I totally agree and realize the super crappy speakers / mouse / keyboard etc I've picked LOL. That is just because I bought the pro monitor last month, and upgraded my Graphic table as well, and it's been a bit crazy. So thought I'd get a crappy ones and when I recover in a few months I'll get something better.

I will check that Dell monitor as well thankyou

Great news that you're getting your pc tomorrow! you must be quite excited!

 

[MNK_31]

Hi Vanthus, being my first post here I didn't expect so many quick & helpful answers, nice surprise!

I will need to copy some data DVDs yes, that's why I thought it would be useful to have 2

Yes I need the extra features, I checked there already, but thanks

About my budget, of course the cheaper the better, but I could do £2500/3200 so if anyone has any better suggestion within that budget I am happy to check other options

thanks

 

[tom_gr7]

Tom are you irish?

why would i be irish?

 

[NMEBowen]

although you have been swayed the sabretooth is a good board it has alot of usb`s aswell as spdif and firewire i have the 3d monitor you selected and its very good and you may get a free set of 3d glasses saving you £100 other than that it looks a nice setup the cuda cores in the gtx 580 should work well with photo editing and if you did go for the 3d then theres also some fun stuff you can do 3d photo editing wise.

 

[MNK_31]

Hi NMEBowen,

Thanks. Well Nothing is final I will still leave my options open for a few days before placing my order.

About the 3D screen, are the 120 Hz noticeable? that alone could be worth it even if you don't use the 3D probably. But hey I didn't think about the possibility 3D photo editing. I'm quite thrilled about that now!

You're talking about a single 3GB GTX580 right?

And I've been told 16GB would be overkill, but in case I have too much memory, is that bad? or just a waste of money until I get to use the extra memory in the future?

I will have to think about the motherboard. Hmmm what to do; it's not about money as they are almost the same price.

well, thanks!

 

[NMEBowen]

i have noticed subtle differances from my 60hz tv and my monitor when playing dirt 2 at 100 frames or more but its nothing big. The 3D images ive seen are impressive, i dont belive theres a differance in the cuda cores on the 1.5 and 3 gig versions of the gtx580 but the more vram would be better for higher resolutions. as for the ram it totally depends on how much your photo editing would need and how detailed your rendering would be and how many programs you would run at once. and finally as for the motherboard, the asus the other guys suggested is good but i dont really see many benifits as you wont be using the ssd cache as you have a large ssd selected so it boils down to do you need firewire? and do you have a home cinima system with a optical input if so the sound from he sabretooth plugged into that would be far more impressive unless you bought a sound card with a spdif out and if you did get a sound card and sli the graphics card the heat may well drastically lower the life of your pc.

hope this helps

 

[elmono]

Great news that you're getting your pc tomorrow! you must be quite excited!

Just a little, it left the depot this am, I keep looking out the window everytime i hear a van coming down the road! Flashbacks to being a kid...one sleep till christmas day!

Good luck with your pc.

 

[MNK_31]

i have noticed subtle differances from my 60hz tv and my monitor when playing dirt 2 at 100 frames or more but its nothing big. The 3D images ive seen are impressive, i dont belive theres a differance in the cuda cores on the 1.5 and 3 gig versions of the gtx580 but the more vram would be better for higher resolutions. as for the ram it totally depends on how much your photo editing would need and how detailed your rendering would be and how many programs you would run at once. and finally as for the motherboard, the asus the other guys suggested is good but i dont really see many benifits as you wont be using the ssd cache as you have a large ssd selected so it boils down to do you need firewire? and do you have a home cinima system with a optical input if so the sound from he sabretooth plugged into that would be far more impressive unless you bought a sound card with a spdif out and if you did get a sound card and sli the graphics card the heat may well drastically lower the life of your pc.

I think I've decided for the 3D monitor. 3D editing sounds like fun.

So you don't recommend SLI 3G GTX580 then. It gets quite expensive though, so I am probably going to try with one and get the second one later on. If I do so, would the case I selected be enough for ventilation or even so the SLI cards will be too hot?

No I don't have a home cinema system and don't plan to get one anytime soon. I don't really need bluetooth. And I have many external drives and things, and I think my extra external usbs will go with my other computer. So I think I am deciding more for the sabretooth now. So I have more usb handy, and the possibility of good audio if I get a home cimena system. (because no, I wouldn't want a sound card)

Thanks for the info!

 

[MNK_31]

Just a little, it left the depot this am, I keep looking out the window everytime i hear a van coming down the road! Flashbacks to being a kid...one sleep till christmas day!

Good luck with your pc.

Hehehe yeah I think I will be the same. (and also a bit worried as I've seen many bad comments about Yodel so it's a bit scary)

Hope everything arrives ok for you.

 

[NMEBowen]

no you got me mixed up there i do recommend sli`d 580`s just its alot of heat, i plan to get a 2nd gtx580 at xmas and 2 more 3d monitors but i might do a custom water cooled system for them depending on the heat. what i was saying is filling your card bays with 2 gpu`s and a sound card may well cause alot of heat which could cause damage to your rig. with the sabretooth theres alot of fancy monitors built in which can tell you temps and voltage rather than using programs supplied on the net such as gpuz etc so if your system is running hot you simply need to add fans or look at other cooling options i have every fan bay taken up and never see my temps go past 55 deg c even on full load but running hot id say is 80+ thats where you need to look out. oh and btw the sabretooth has 12 usb headers on the rear plus any your case may hold and i have a usb dongle i bought for 2 quid on amazon no its not a big deal.

 

[MNK_31]

no you got me mixed up there i do recommend sli`d 580`s just its alot of heat, i plan to get a 2nd gtx580 at xmas and 2 more 3d monitors but i might do a custom water cooled system for them depending on the heat. what i was saying is filling your card bays with 2 gpu`s and a sound card may well cause alot of heat which could cause damage to your rig. with the sabretooth theres alot of fancy monitors built in which can tell you temps and voltage rather than using programs supplied on the net such as gpuz etc so if your system is running hot you simply need to add fans or look at other cooling options i have every fan bay taken up and never see my temps go past 55 deg c even on full load but running hot id say is 80+ thats where you need to look out. oh and btw the sabretooth has 12 usb headers on the rear plus any your case may hold and i have a usb dongle i bought for 2 quid on amazon no its not a big deal.

Yes I was confused about that, thanks for explaining. I really like what you said about the Sabretooth, the temp/voltage monitors. And the 5 year warranty is a plus.

thanks!